SZ:...Well, after a few months of taking a break from this…we're finally back to this…well somewhat…you'll see by the time we get to the ending.
Z0: Back to it.
SZ: Yup..and as we mentioned at the end of last chapter, this is gonna be more fo a rest chapter. So..bits of slice of life, bits of comedy…you know our usual stuff when we do these.
Z0: We own nothing, earn nothing, and do this for our own enjoyment. Read and enjoy! *hears knocking* What's that?
?-?: OI! When do I get a story already!?
Z0: Vice you get out of here!
Vice: NEVAH! I'm Fourth Wall aware!
SZ: Do we need to drag you out of here?!
Vice: Nope!
SZ:...z0, care to give him the Deadpool/Monokuma treatment?
Z0: *aiming bazooka at the door* Yep~
Vice: 0w0…..oh shi-!
*BOOM!*
It's been a few days and for some reason our group of dimensionally stranded heroes were still…in the same dimension as last time. It seems as though they aren't done here. At least…that's all their guide would tell them before he walked off to do whatever it was he did on his own time. So for the meantime…they decided to relax and recuperate…which they needed after dealing with all the nonsense they had to deal with. Barely getting the chance to relax back in Shantae's world, dealing with Inves in the world of Gaim…and their more recent battle against Wolfram and his crew. It was much welcomed pure laziness…that is except for one…slight…problem.
"AMERICAN!" Bakugo shouted at the door, spooking Ben awake as he fell off the couch where he was resting.
"I…was sleeping…on my girlfriend's lap…the ultimate form of relaxation…" Ben groaned, getting up and marching to the door, "Go home…" he opened the door.
"What does he want now..?" Makoto groaned as she threw her head back on the cushion she was laying against, "...if it's another 'REMATCH!' I swear…!"
"Don't you cut me off…" Bakugo growled.
"Go away…" Ben deadpanned, "I have a life…and you're not part of it…"
"I will win this time I-" at that the door was shut in his face, "YOU FUCK!"
"Dude go hang out with your friends…you do have friends right?" Ben sighed, "I mean…I'd be shocked if you did…being friends with you is like befriending a living bomb…"
"OI!"
"Dude…I…am on break…isn't this like a vacation week for kids in Japan!? Shouldn't you be having fun…finding a girlfriend? Something normal?" Ben sighed as he knew Bakugo was still out there.
"Grr…!"
"I…!" Ben began before Makoto walked over and whispered something to him, "...you sure, babe?"
"Only way he's gonna leave us…and by extension Deku alone for now," Makoto whispered.
"I don't know…he's kinda…fragile." Ben muttered.
"I can hear you!"
"Get the hell away from my door." Tsukasa's voice complained before the sound of laughter filled the air, the door opening to show Tsukasa as he walked in…and Bakugo rolling on the ground laughing against his will.
"...That's actually much better than what I was thinking," Makoto blinked.
"You were intending to give him Noel's cooking, weren't you?" Tsukasa guessed as he adjusted his fake glasses.
"...maybe," the couple muttered after a moment of silence.
"...who am I to refuse to extend some hospitality?" Tsukasa walked off.
"Seriously dude…where are your friends?" Ben looked down at Bakugo, who kept laughing and struggled not to as evident by the angry eyes, but it seems he couldn't stop it, "Or classmates…er…caretakers…your caretakers?"
"I d…don't know…" Bakugo panted between laughs, "They're probably...roaming around the city or something…!"
"So go bug them. We are enjoying time off, dude…" Makoto complained, "America is a big place, we learn to just take time to chill when ya can…"
"And we often do after dealing with some stuff," Ben added.
"Oh so you don't want me to offer you some options for a new outfit then, Makoto?" Tsukasa quipped.
"Beg pardon?" Makoto blinked before he presented her some notes, "?"
"After making sure her dad was healing nice and well, I grabbed the little lady and asked if she can help." Tsukasa explained, "I took samples from your old suit, notes of Rook's, and the materials Sento left behind and asked her to work her magic." he smiled, "If you hurry to her lab you can offer some input. She's working on a spare set of armor but also something more…you." he mused. He then looked at Bakugo, who stood back up after the laughter stopped, "It's an excuse to escape Chuckles here."
"...I'll take it," Makoto smiled a bit before looking at Ben, "You good to hang out with the others? I'd ask ya to come, but…I'd like for it to be a surprise."
"Yeah sure. I'll find Deku and the gang and have some normal fun." Ben offered, "Meet up with us when you're done. I'll keep my phone on so you can track it."
"Can do, hun," Makoto smiled, pecking him on the cheek as she began to step out, "Lead the way, Kadoya-san."
"Hmm…being referred to by my given name gives me flashbacks…" Tsukasa muttered as he jabbed Bakugo's neck on the way out, making him fall over laughing again.
"Alright..may as well get ready and head out as well," Ben nodded as he began to walk to another room, "Skurd, w-"
"No. I am busy watching local movies," Skurd stated, sitting before a laptop as he used a tendril to click something, "Mmm….makes me miss Netflix…"
"Alright, I can go for a day without extra weight on my wrist," Ben chuckled.
"Try not to die again~" Skurd called out as he clicked something, "Ooh…Japanese TV Dramas…nothing beats your romance and melo-drama…thankfully I have all the tissues for my eyes!"
"Try not to dry yourself out…" Ben shook his head with an amused smirk.
"Can do, now go enjoy yourself my boy!" Skrud called out, "I have some TV Dramas to watch~!"
"Ah come on man…" Ben sighed while helping Bakugo up, who was cackling like a mad-lunatic from the laughter pressure point, "I'll get you to your friends so you don't get mistaken for a crazy person."
"Haha-OI!-hahahaha!"
'Even when laughing he still snaps…'
"Eh…your Friend can do that?" Deku awed as Bakugo was still laughing while rolling across the floor of the hotel, "That seems really useful for peaceful detainment."
"That or dealing with certain annoying people," Ben added, wearing his usual clothes with his white-and green jacket unzipped, "So how are you feeling, man?"
"Much better. I didn't stress myself as much as normal." Deku smiled, "Melissa's invention helped a lot." he smirked, patting his arm for emphasis, "But…I ended up breaking it still…hehehehe…"
"Eh. I'm sure she'll end up making another one," Rex spoke as he walked over, rolling his shoulder around a bit, "Also good afternoon, amigos."
"Hey Rex. Where have you been?" Ben asked, "You get popular after all the chaos? Given your powers…and this is an island of nerds…"
"Oh you don't know the half of what said nerds ask me…" Rex sighed a bit, "...Though some have offered me possible ideas for new weapons to make for battle…"
"Your Quirks are all amazing. it's no wonder the scientists here want to learn how they work," Deku noted, "You both actually have some of the most amazing abilities I've ever seen. Honestly compared to what I saw growing up…they blow most kids out of the water. Even Katchan."
"GAH!" Bakugo gasped as he stopped laughing, "The fuck you say?"
"Did you stop the laughter with sheer anger?" Ben blinked.
"Urusei, gaijin!"
"Oi…amigo this is international waters, and not part of Japan…" Rex smirked.
"Not gonna affect us here," Ben added with his own smirk.
"Or…make sense…" Deku awkwardly chuckled, "Honestly Katchan…it's kinda…embarrassing for you to talk like that when most of the people here are from all sorts of countries…"
"Wh-?! I..I know that! I…just…'doh…!" Bakugo seethed in frustration.
"Ah gomen! I didn't mean anything by it!" Deku quickly apologized.
"World is a big place man, we might not have an All Might…but that just means we all work even harder." Ben smirked.
"America's Number 1 is actually almost as strong, Katchan." Deku added.
"Seriously?" Ben and Rex blinked at that.
"Bullshit!" Bakugo complained.
"It's true," Deku smiled.
'...I'd ask, but I feel like I'd be dipping into some major spoiler territory,' Ben thought before his phone went off, prompting him to pick up and read the text.
=Ask anything that spoils the story, I tell your GF you spoiled yourself. Tsukasa=
"...How does he know?" Ben muttered, looking around, "Is he Omniscient?"
"...He…he's not watching us right now, is he?" Rex asked as he looked around.
"Pfft! Like hell he could," Bakugo snorted…while darting his eyes back and forth a bit, "That nerd is a freak…"
"You mean Kadoya-san?" Deku blinked.
"He knows all…" Ben spoke.
"How does he do that with a thumb?" Bakugo asked, his hands going to his neck.
"Best ya don't know," Ben replied before his phone went off again, "...Oh by the way…Boot to the head."
"Boot to the wh-" Bakugo began before a boot fell on top of his head, "ITE!"
"Eh!?" Deku gawked, looking around, "How did…when…where…EH!?"
"Tsukasa, what did you just throw?" Makoto asked.
"Nothin~" he smirked while texting, "Just messing with your boyfriend and his new buddies."
"...Boot to the head?" Makoto guessed.
"On Bakugo."
"I question how you do it…but he has it coming." Makoto muttered.
"I am a dimensional walker…portals are as easy as the game of the same name to me." Tsukasa smiled.
"...eh. Fair enough," Makoto shrugged.
"Sides, you know what I really am. Is it any stretch I haven't learned tricks you don't know of?" he added.
"I'd be surprised ya didn't," Makoto admitted, "I mean you are kinda one of the more…broken Riders…and I haven't seen anything past Build yet."
"Oh…you are in for a shock then…" he chuckled, "But enough about that, Melissa has some work she wants to show you. I helped however I could to replicate your old suit, but I figured well why not upgrade? If anyplace can make a super suit that fits you…in many meanings…why not a legit world of super heroes?"
"And I eagerly await to see what you and Melissa have cooked up," Makoto grinned in a bit of excitement.
"As for weapons and gear…well not the best world for that…but I got a place lined up just for that alone," Tsukasa shrugged, "So Mai will have to be happy with a new suit that doesn't look like it's one half a swimsuit."
"And hopefully a new spear for her as well," Makoto added with a nod as the two stopped before a metal door.
"Like I said, next world." Tsukasa stated, "Trust me…they know weapons, where I plan to take you."
"Ooh~" Makoto noted with a grin as Tsukasa tapped on the door a bit.
"Hello?" Mellissa's voice asked before the door slid open, "Oh! Perfect timing, Ms Nanaya. I was hoping to show you some of the options me and Mr. Kadoya came up with!"
"Sweet!" Makoto cheered, "Show me~Show me~ Show me~!" she hopped in place.
"You sure there's not a little bit of Rabbit in there?" Tsukasa deadpanned while patting her head to make her stop.
"I don't think she can hear you…" Mellissa muttered, noting the stars in Makoto's eyes.
"Alright come on…" Tsukasa gently pushed Makoto forward.
"Ahh~~" Makoto awed once they were inside, the Squirrel Beastkin seeing a few large holographic screens showing different outfits, "So many choices…!"
"To be honest I was a bit taken back by the material given to me, so I worked with what I had and what Mr. Kadoya offered," Mellissa informed with a small smile, "Hopefully these options are good for you, Ms Nanaya."
"She actually improved on the old formula for the Proto-Armor of back home." Tsukasa smiled holding up a Flashdrive, "Take this home to Kajun and she'll flip out." he gave it to Makoto.
"I didn't do much…" Mellissa chuckled, "I just fixed a few things, and made it more like fabric then before. You should be able to make more with less and not lose any durability."
"Think bulletproof tank-top." Tsukasa explained, "Or given your fashion style, tube-top?"
"Eh. I can take either or," Makoto shrugged before zipping up to one of the holograms, "Now which one to try out first…"
"Well, I've made a few mock ups, but some are still in the design phase," Mellissa explained, "I had to…guesstimate your measurements…" she chuckled, motioning to Makoto's figure, "Your original Armor being so expandable did not leave much…hard fact data…" she chuckled.
"I get that alot," Makoto admitted, "..lord knows its usually hard to find something good my size…and not leave a sizeable hole in my bank account."
"I can imagine," Mellissa nodded, "So from here this will just be some minor adjustments till we find what works."
"I just worked to make sure you can wear it and not die the next time your lover blows something up." Tsukasa spoke as he took a seat, "This seems like the girl only portion of this work, and I do not need this cliche hanging over my head." he pulled out his phone and turned away while motioning to the door leading to another room for Makoto.
"..eh. Fair enough," Makoto shrugged as she and Melllissa walked into the next room.
"...Noel, seriously…" Mai sighed, sitting at a table with Noel, Lambda and Sari as the shy blonde was writing down notes..all while spying a bit on Ochako and the rest of the girls from U.A, including a girl with light-pink skin and frizzy short pink hair, and a girl with long dark forest-green hair with the end tied up into a pair of loops as they were all talking to one another.
"Even after all that happened a few days ago, you…" Sari began.
"I'm studying…" Noel hushed as she looked at her notes, "Ok….Deku and Ochako…best ship from what Kadoya-san told me…Yaoyorozu-san and Todoroki-kun..another good pairing…hmm…" she tilted her head while tapping her cheek in thought, "Not sure who to pair Jiro-san, Ashido-san and Asui-san with…mmm…so many options…"
"He did it on purpose…" Mai groaned.
"Now who are you texting?" Sari asked.
"Kadoya-san…" Noel replied.
"Oh no please…"
"He wrote back!" Noel smiled, "He says, Pinky and Mr. Redhead are old classmates and buddies and have a cute dynamic where she knows his secret, but doesn't tell out of friendship, a popular ship," she muttered, "Oh that is cute! Let's see…the other girl is a fan favorite, it's easier to list who she isn't shipped with…oh she must be well liked…"
"Sister please…" Lambda sighed a bit, gently rubbing Bluey as the Blupee rested in her arms while nibbling at a carrot.
"But La-chan, I…" Noel began before Lambda took her phone and notepad, "H-hey~!"
"No notes…or indulging in your hobby…relax," Lambda stated in a slight firm tone.
"...is it just me, or has Lambda become more…vocal and expressive lately?" Sari whispered to Mai.
"She's changed a lot since she first came to live with us." Mai nodded, "I think she's just…adapting as a person. She spent so long acting like a robot…now that she can be a normal-ish girl, she's maturing fast."
"Who's the big sister? Feels like it changes from moment to moment with them." Sari chuckled.
"True," Mai chuckled a bit, "...Though…there is something Rook noted…recall what we told him what happened during that whole situation with Eden back in Gunvolt's World?"
"Yeah."
"Well…what if that thing she and Noel got…is changing her?" Mai offered her theory, keeping quiet to make sure the UA girls wouldn't hear them, "I mean…her visor picking up radio signals? Her swords catching flame? That's...never happened before until we arrive in Gunvolt's world."
"...now that you brought it up…" Sari began.
"Hey~!"
"..we'll discuss it later with the others," Mai muttered as she and the rest of the girls noticed Ben, Rex, Deku, and a grumbling Bakugo walking up to them, "Hey guys."
"Oh Ben!" Noel waved happily to her friend, "Hi Rex, Deku-kun, and…eto…Katchan!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Why Katchan?" Noel tilted her head.
"Katchan is cute." Lambda added in the head tilting.
"Very cute." the UA girls smiled, adding to the act.
"GAH!" Bakugo snapped in frustration, about to snap at the two…only to turn away, 'Damn it…I feel like I kicked down some kid's dog if I yell at the shy one… Which makes no sense cause she's older than me! GAH!'
"I think he's screaming in his mind again…" Ochako sighed.
"Last time he did that, he stood there unblinking for like two minutes…" Jiro groaned, "We called the Nurse and everything."
"It was rather…concerning," the pink girl added with a mutter.
"We are very concerned with his mental health." the girl with green hair muttered.
"Ahh…noted," Rex nodded a bit as he looked around, "So where's the rest of the guys?"
"Picking up lunch," Sari answered, "We figured we could all relax and get to know one another."
"Plenty of stuff to do here, so why not ?" Mai added.
"Where's Makoto-san?" Ochako noted, "Doesn't she go everywhere with Ben?"
"That's because they are a super couple!" Noel smiled, "They are the ultimate Love-love pair, but even then they are able to spend time without one another. They are just happier together."
"I really wish you wouldn't word it like that…even if it's not wrong…" Ben grumbled.
"Hmph." Noel smirked proudly at that.
"As for where Makoto is…let's just say she's helping Tsukasa and Mellissa out with something," Ben replied, "He asked her to work on her old suit and fix it up. I think she went above and beyond and made Makoto a whole new wardrobe of superhero suits…"
"Really?" Mai blinked, "...Does…"
"He didn't mention anything about your spear though."
"Of course," Mai groaned as she plopped her head onto the table.
"Hmmm?" Lambda blinked as Noel's phone went off, "He says…tell Mai next spot on our trip I'll get someone to fix the spear…" she read, "Then more ship notes for Sister…" she frowned.
"Ah! Gimme!" Noel complained, reaching for the phone, "I must know his wisdom~" she complained as Lambda was able to keep it out of reach.
"Ooh~! Shipping?!" Ashido beamed as she shot up, "I wanna see!"
"..." Lambda slowly blinked as she slowly got up, put Noel's phone in her pocket….before running off with Bluey still in her arms, the Bluepee waving goodbye to them all, "I did the right thing!"
"AH! No! I love you, but you are being cruel today!" Noel panicked chasing after her.
"It is hard love, sister…!"
"La-chan~!"
"...that was o-" Yaoyarozu began before Ashido ran off, "...And of course she'd joined…"
"...you have one too?" Sari guessed as she looked at the rest of the UA girls.
"Hai…" Yaoyorozu sighed, "We know this type of energy well."
"Painfully so…" Ochako muttered.
"...we know your pain," Ben, Mai, and Sari sighed.
"Okay...we got everything you girls wanted and…" Naoto began as he and the rest of the guys returned, carrying a few bags of food, "...wait. Where's Noel?"
"Funkfreed, after them! After them for the shipping~!"
"...Asked and answered," Naoto blinked a few times.
"Normal stuff…" Ben sighed.
"Like usual," Rook nodded a bit.
"Ahh! She flew off!" Ashido's voice gasped.
"Funky, don't lose sight of her!"
"...eto, should we…" Deku began.
"Nah… " those who knew Noel sighed as they began passing out food.
"Deku-kun…some things are best left alone, especially when it comes to girls." Ochako explained.
"Eh…really?" he blinked.
"That makes no sense." Bakugo muttered.
"Course it doesn't…you need to be able to relate to people to understand girls." Ochako smiled at Bakugo.
"Also be emotionally smart." Yaoyorozu added.
"And able to read a mood." Jiro deadpanned.
"Also have patience…" Asui added.
With that the UA girls just…began piling on complaint after complaint on Bakugo who was left stunned.
"Also when you use your Quirk you smell funny…"
"OK! That last one wasn't even related!" Bakugo complained.
"Oops~" Ochako smiled.
"GRRR! You…!" Bakugo began before some food was stuffed into his mouth, "?!"
"Dude…just relax," Rex stated, pulling his hand back as he picked up some fries, "Maybe if you toned down on the explosive anger, people would...you know, actually like you."
"What you say?" Bakugo coughed.
"Dude, your attitude is literally a few levels shy of pure nitro…" Naoto sighed, "You gotta chill out."
"If you're always so wound up, how will you ever rest?" Ben sighed, "The key to getting strong is a mix of stress from training and combat, and relaxation to let the body heal and build up, so it's adjusted to your new level. I've been training crazy to control my power since I was a kid. But I still took the time to be lazy…and look at me now~"
"If I didn't sneak away from my mentor to get some lazy time, I would have lost it. And time to myself helped me learn to control my ability like how I wanted." Rex added, "Face it, dude…unless you learn to balance yourself…you're gonna plateau hard."
"I…wh…you…!" Bakugo sputtered out, trying to find the right words to say…but couldn't, "...mmm…" he growled a bit as he began to walk off.
"...Where…" Kirishima began.
"To cool my head off…!"
"...wow. You...actually shut him up," Jiro blinked a bit.
"In America his type are common…" Ben sighed.
"Literally a cliche for us. We've moved past these types, last time I saw someone this oldschool was an old comic book." Rex chuckled.
"I know right…" Ben chuckled.
"Let me guess, whole life he was praised?" Naoto guessed, looking to Deku.
"H-hai…he had an amazing quirk…but…compared to most of yours…" Deku lingered.
"There is a saying: Big fish, small pound." Yaoyorozu spoke up.
"The ocean is far more vast than one can imagine." Asui added.
"With…much bigger beasts in its depths…" Jiro looked to Ben and Rex for emphasis.
"She is not wrong," Rook nodded a bit.
"Katchan is like an angry piranha coming face to face with a shark…" Ochako chuckled a little.
"...if we're the sharks in that situation, Ben would probably be a Megalodon," Rex noted with a slight chuckle.
"You know Sharks aren't actually all that violent…" Ben muttered.
"That just makes the comparison even more apt." Jiro joined Ochako in a chuckle.
"I could tell," Sari noted with a grin, "But enough ripping on Mr. Explosive Anger…let's eat. I'm starving..."
"Agreed," Mai added as she unwrapped her burger...which was all the way burnt up.
"Ahh! M-matte, your…!" Deku began before Mai took a bite of her burger, "?!"
"Mai's Quirk isn't combat centric," Ben whispered, "Her combat talents are all centered on her athletic ability, which is very high. But her Quirk is centered on her tongue. It lets her…well it's like tactile telekinesis…but with taste alone. So she can taste something and essentially see its 'memories.' Makoto told me in their old school they learned if she kisses someone, she can read their mind. But…while it's kinda handy in that regard…it makes eating a total pain 'cause she super tastes all the ingredients and flavors…and even the memories of each ingredient all at once. But…if her food is…well to be blunt, totally inedible…she instead tastes just the intent and it becomes palatable for her."
"That's why she wanted her burger to be burnt beyond belief," Kirishima realized.
"Eh…such an amazing Quirk for information gathering…comes with such a horrible downside…" Deku awed, "Demo…what happens when the food…hits her stomach?"
"So far she seems fine regardless of whatever she eats…we just try and make sure its always…you know…safe to digest." Ben chuckled, "Mai kinda relies on Noel to do all the cooking for her meals."
"Wait…if her Quirk requires her to eat things normal people find…" Yaoyorozu muttered, "Oh…oh~...oh…" she cringed in realization.
"Please don't eat anything Noel offers you…for your own health." Sari bowed her head.
"She's like a sister to us, but….being blunt again, she can't cook squat," Ben added, "...Doesn't help she refuses to taste her cooking…"
"She's like the sweetest person in the world." Rex added.
"Her kindness is unmatched." Rook nodded.
"But well…it's safe to call her cooking…dark matter…" Naoto muttered, "One time she made something that was…hard as a diamond and covered in some really hard…what I assume was chocolate."
"...oh," Ben cringed, "You tried her mousse, didn't you?"
"That was a mousse?!"
"This seems to be a recurring situation…" Rook noted.
"What's that like the fifth time this exact moment has played out?" Ben whispered.
"I lost count at 7…" Rook whispered back.
"That makes sense…"
"Thank you for the warning." Jiro bowed her head in appreciation.
"...Hmm…" Makoto pondered as she looked through some of the options Mellissa presented to her.
"There really are a lot, but I so rarely get to make something for another girl." Mellissa smiled, "I might have let my inner girl take over and go too hard into fashion~" she smiled while scratching the back of her head.
"It's fine. I usually like to switch around what I wear anyways," Makoto smiled a bit before stopping on one option, "...Woah. What…is this one…?" she whispered as she looked at it.
"Hmm? This one?" Mellissa blinked as she looked at it, "This was the first draft out of the ones I made here."
"First draft?"
"I noticed you like orange, and you are very athletic. Plus I thought it would be a good blend of cute and cool." Mellissa explained, "I took in some things I noticed, like you're very acrobatic, but you have animal ears and a tail." she rambled, "You like it?"
"...where can I go to get changed?" Makoto asked with an excited grin.
"Oh give me a second and my 3D printer should have it ready in…a minute…maybe 40 seconds." Mellissa muttered.
"That fast?!" Makoto gawked.
"Yup." she smiled, "Papa made sure I had the most up-to-date gear here. Sides It will give me time to add some more add-ons I wanted to run by you." she smiled happily, earning her attention, "Seeing how strong you are, I figured if I applied some of the same concepts as what I came up with for Might-Ojisan, they would be perfect for you!"
"...yes. So much yes!" Makoto beamed.
"Mainly a way for you to use more striking power without risk of harm to you and increasing striking force." Mellissa smiled, "Oh…that padding for the boots will help you traverse and kick better too…hmm…the skirt is kind of short…for modesty's sake, I'll have to add tights…"
"Yeah, my friends would probably be upset if I didn't…" Makoto muttered.
"Don't worry, I know how much you need mobility. Leave it to me, Mako-chan!" she smiled proudly.
"Counting on ya, Mellissa-chan!" Makoto beamed.
"...zzzz…" Tsukasa lightly snored with a manga volume covering his face.
"Honestly, you two…" Ida muttered, currently dragging Kaminari and Mineta away, "Do I even want to know why you were hiding yourselves near the pool?"
"Are you kidding?! The amount of girls from other countries! The amounts of body types! Taller! Fuller!" Mineta declared.
"I am ashamed to admit I wanted to see as well…if those sempai from America were anything to go by…I want to take a trip there." Kaminari groaned in admittance.
"At least one of you has a type of shame…" Ida groaned.
"Have you no sense of youth!?" Mineta complained.
"Unlike you two I am a human being…" Ida remarked.
"Cold!" Kaminari complained, "It's one thing to call us names but sub-human!?"
"So cruel…" Mineta whimpered.
"Honestly…" Ida sighed before he looked ahead, seeing Ben and the others walking up, "Oh! Midoriya! Tennyson-san!"
"Ah, Ida-san!" Deku waved.
"Ah Deku is with the Senpai that's crazy strong." Kaminari muttered.
"And has that bombastic girlfriend…" Mineta added, only for both Ida and Kaminari to punch him, "GHA!"
"We've been looking for you guys!" Ben waved, "We're planning to hang out later, wanted to invite ya Ida, oh and your buddy." he motioned to Kaminari.
"Hey what about me?!" Mineta complained.
"Huh…oh…uh sorry dude didn't see ya." Ben blinked, "Friend of yours?" he looked to Deku.
"ACK?!" Mineta gawked, his entire body feeling like it turned to stone, 'Did they seriously forget about me?!'
"Hahaha…ah…they forgot about you." Kaminari laughed.
"That sounds most excellent. I have been meaning to pick your friends' brains on proper protocols for emergency situations." Ida smiled.
"Yeah you and Rook look like you share similar hobbies." Ben chuckled, "We plan to see what we can do around this place together. I'm gonna meet up with Makoto later though, so I'll only be around for a bit."
"Understandable," Ida nodded.
"..oh! If we're planning on hanging out, I spotted a large arcade around the tourist area," Kaminari spoke, "They even have laser tag last I checked….wait. Isn't…"
"She's currently chasing down her sister to get her phone and notebook back," Sari explained.
"Anything sounds fun after all that happened." Ida sighed, "I'm honestly starting to think we are cursed or something Midoriya…"
"Eh I wouldn't go…eh…well…" Deku paused.
"If you're not up for the laser tag, it's cool man," Rex spoke up, "We can probably hit the pool or something later."
'YES!' Mineta mentally beamed.
"No." the girls all universally argued against.
"No offense…but we'd rather if we go, it would be just us girls," Yaoyorazu spoke up.
"We only brought our normal swimsuits…and we refuse to wear them around that thing," Jiro pointed to Mineta, "Also maybe that one…" she motioned to Kaminari.
"The pool is more fun when you don't know the creepy person eyeing you up," Asui added, "Not that it makes it better…just at least you can say you don't know them. Sadly…we can't…"
"Agreed," Mai nodded a bit.
"Oh great Mineta…you ruined that option…thanks for that…" Kaminari sighed.
"Hm…harsh but fair," Ida nodded.
"Nah I get it," Rex chuckled.
"Completely understood." Rook nodded.
"Eh, not like there's lots to be fun when you're single." Naoto shrugged.
"Makoto and I planned to head on our own tomorrow, so no loss to me." Ben smiled simply.
"Ahh…so arcade it is then I suppose," Ida nodded a bit.
"Fine with me," Sari smiled, "Been a while since I played some games…"
"If we do play this laser tag, no transformations," Rook spoke.
"Eh, don't worry. Need to do some physical practice as my usual self," Ben assured, "Gotta be ready for those times I can't transform."
"You have a limiter?" Deku blinked.
"My Quirk can get…weird if I don't revert to normal," Ben chuckled, "It's so weird that if I stay changed too long…it's hard to turn back."
"That's why you need that support item," Ida noted, "As powerful as you are…you still need limits to keep yourself in control."
"I got a little out of hand as a kid. I once spent an entire day transforming back and forth when the limiter broke…" Ben explained, altering a certain story, "I let all that power get to my head and I almost messed up and hurt my cousin."
"But can't you control it better now?" Kaminari asked.
"Kinda…but…I kinda like looking normal sometimes. My other forms might have cool powers and even look cool, but they aren't exactly handsome." Ben chuckled, "Plus, I like being able to walk around like a normal guy sometimes."
"And his novia likes him as this more," Rex added, "Easier to cuddle."
"It's true," Ben shrugged a bit, "Most are either too big, too small, too made of fire, too smelly, too ghostly, too cold, or any combination of those."
"I bet she especially likes the cute ones," Naoto teased with a light smirk.
"Eh? Cute forms?" Ashido asked.
"He's got one that could easily be voted as cutest form in polls," Rex noted, "Also has one that needs Makoto to work with because it's a sailo…"
"Okay, okay, okay! Let's get going! Nothing to talk about here! Absolutely nothing!" Ben shouted, pushing Rex and Naoto towards the arcade, his entire face beet red with a bit of steam coming off the top for good measure of embarrassment, "Less talky, more gamey!"
"...what was that about?" Kirishima blinked.
"Probably best you don't know," Mai sighed a bit.
*SLAM!*
"SNKR! Huh? Whzzat…" Bobo muttered, waking up just as Lambda ran past him, "Ey, yo, what's goin' on? It's not another smoothie rush, is it? I tells ya, my hands and feet are sore from makin' all dose smoothies earlier!"
"Don't tell sister I'm here," Lambda replied quickly, Bluey waving a hi/bye wave at the simian.
"...What?" Bobo raised a brow before Noel ran in, Funkfreed in his sword form on her back.
"Bobo, did you see La-chan run by here?!" Noel asked as she picked him up, "She has my phone and notes!"
"I just woke up! I ain't got no clue what's going on! Puts me down, you adorable weirdo!"
"...mou~!" Noel groaned as she dropped Bobo, "I had some good stuff in there too!"
"Aren't youse supposed to be relaxin'?" Bobo groaned as he got up.
"I am…well, I was before La-chan took my phone and notebook."
"...And what's were ya doin' wit' da phone and notebook?"
"Don't you judge me, monkey," Noel responded as she went off to search.
"...hey hey! Not a monkey! Don't you get snippy with me!" Bobo snapped, about to walk off after her…before sitting back in his chair, "Ugh…nevermind…like she'll catch that sister of hers anyway…"
"Ah ha! Found y-!"
*CRASH!*
"Dat better not be my hammock dat got broke!" Bobo called, "Or youse both are losin' yer corgi stuff fer a week! And no watermelon fer you fer da week, too, Funk!"
"Paon?!"
"Because Bluey's da only one of youse dats smart and gots me in his debt when we's were on dat casino island-ship!" Bobo replied, "And, yes, tellin' folks dat I lose to da blue ghost bunny is part of repayin' da debt!"
"Paon…"
"Ugh…I can't wait to get home…" Bobob muttered to himself as he facepalmed, "No more craziness…just relaxin'…"
"So whatcha think?" Makoto asked as she came out of the dressing room.
Her new attire was clearly inspired by her old attire before the events where she met Ben, but modified. Her top for starters was longer, extending down and just shy of her exposed navel. It was orange with a black covering to obscure where the top closed, with multiple golden V's keeping it buttoned in place, a white collar extending across the clavicle area of her top, a chain linking the end where it clasped on to the center of her top where the hidden zipper was, as black edging marked the ends of the non-existent sleeves, it extended up and covered like a turtle neck. Her head was now adorned with a hairband which went over her ears, and effectively covered them up like headphones, with little bow decorations over each ear. Her skirt was a matching orange with a black around the top with a triangular buckle, the belt went into black padding along the sides, almost armor faulds, with two small chains linking them across the front. Her legs were covered in boots which went all the way up to her thighs. They were black at the vamp and sole, and heeled, while the entire length was orange in color with white accents at the edges, a circular metal at the tops where the gussets would be located. To complete the attire her hands are covered in black gloves with orange materials forming around her forearms and wrapping around to form an armored layer over the top of each forearm, with a silver brace around each wrist, keeping the orange fabric in place.
"Strangely, I feel like you should have different animal parts instead of squirrel ears and tails when I look at it," Tsukasa noted, rubbing his chin with one hand…and taking a photo with the other.
"Hah?!" Makoto gawked, the mentioned traits twitching, "Wh-What do ya mean by that?!"
"Your ears look more like Neko-mimi…" Tsukasa stated, putting his hands over his head.
"Well I'll have you know I've gotten that a lot, and they are not! I am a proud Squirrel Girl, thank you very much!" Makoto huffed.
"Oh, you look adorable!" Melissa beamed.
"It was just the musings of a strange passing through Hero supporter…" Tsukasa smiled.
"How many versions of that line do you have?" Makoto pouted.
"Oh…so…so many~" Tsukasa smiled.
"So what's up with the ear piece?" Makoto questioned, noting the pieces of armor covering her ears…which didn't stop them from moving like normal.
"Those are covers to protect your ears!" Mellissa smiled, "I figured you must have sensitive hearing like an actual animal, you often flatten them when we walked through the city to shut out the excess noise. The hairband works as ear covers for you. Blocking out harmful sounds, but not making it so you can't hear your friends. If you turn this setting up, they become full noise canceling headphones. With a built-in speaker that has a low volume, and microphones at the ends located close enough to your mouth they can hear you even if you whisper or mumble, so you can communicate with others. Also the bows are cute~"
"...Get…out…of my mind," Makoto whispered in awe as a huge grin grew on her face, "That is so cool! Also I will admit the bows are really cute. They help complete the set."
"You control the noise canceling system by running a finger up the sides of the hairband." Tsukasa explained, "Like manually setting the volume on a slider. Sento wrote it up for you to protect our ears, something about an add-on he did for…your twin," he winked.
"Eh…He left this behind for me?" Makoto blinked in surprise.
"Your friend's notes are very detailed on what you need help with…" Mellissa chuckled.
"...Wow…" Makoto whispered as she looked down at her new outfit, 'So Sento was gonna give this to me…before he and the others sent themselves and Evol to another world…'
"In his notes, he also said make sure you focus on the gloves, 'Makoto loves to punch first and ask questions never'…" Mellissa spoke.
"Eh…He's still getting shots in even when he's not around…" Makoto muttered.
"Catch…" Tsukasa grabbed something with some tongs and tossed it to Makoto, who fumbled to catch it before noting it was glowing red and hissing with contact to air, "That is a metal ball heated to the temperature that melts most forms of stone…"
"Eh…?" she blinked before it fully registered, "...EH!?"
"The gloves are made from the material based on that armor, but refined and layered so as to protect your hands from most impact, blunt damage, cutting, piercing, burns, shocks, and etc." Mellissa explained, "They also have sturdy but small circuit patterns so you can use your smartphone with them on!"
"Sugei!" Makoto gawked as she put the ball down somewhere safe after Tsukasa pointed it out, "What else?!"
"Notice the little hoop ring in the silver bracelets?" Tsukasa pointed, "Hold your index finger over it."
"Like this?" she followed his instructions before the silver bracelets flashed and began unfolding and covering her arms in armor that looked like arm wrappings until they formed full silver gauntlets like the one Deku used before, "Ah~"
"Now you can punch anything and not mess up or burn off your hand…but please try not to punch magma…" Tsukasa sighed.
"...n...noted…" Makoto whispered before grinning, "Still…yes. So...much…yes~!"
"That's not all, the orange parts of your gloves also have a feature!" Mellissa smiled, "I was able to work this one out after studying some of the technology in your old suit, but I plan to keep this to myself for a bit." she smiled as Makoto deactivated the gauntlets, "Raise your arm as if to block something, while I used this rolled up poster in place of say a pipe someone is attacking you with."
"Okay," Makoto raised her arm, as Mellissa swung at her…only for a faint light to go off and stop the rolled up paper before it ever made contact with Makoto.
"Mini-Barrier~!" Mellissa cheered as a small shield of light formed from Makoto's glove, "Just 'cause you can…doesn't mean I want you using my new Full Gauntlets Model M as shields…" she pouted cutely.
"Ahh…duly noted," Makoto nodded as she deactivated the barriers, "Still…have I already mentioned how cool this new outfit is so far?!"
"Quite a few times," Mellissa giggled.
"What else is there?" Makoto asked excitedly, her tail wagging.
"Well your top and skirt don't have a whole lot of abilities, they are just incredibly sturdy and should be able to resist a lot of damage, but with your exposed skin, I've been considering adding an undersuit for full body protection…" Mellissa muttered, "But your boots do have some interesting features from your friend's notes." she smiled happily, "The soles are extra reinforced for enhancing your kicks, and landing with almost zero shock transferences."
"Stick the landing…no fall damage," Tsukasa explained, "Think those things on your character's legs in Portal."
"The heels also have a small built-in air burst device, he designed," Mellissa smiled, "If used and timed properly, you can extend your jumps and if you ever get stuck in water again propel yourself. So you don't, you know…sink…"
"Mou, I can swim, it was just a very niche situation with water," Makoto complained, "Sento and his teasing…"
"Anyway, the boots also have a magnetic property likewise built into the soles and the two circular devices on the sides of your legs," she grabbed Makoto's phone which she slipped into a new phone case before holding it up and letting it cling to the circular device on her boots, "I designed it to let you carry important items and gear into missions since I couldn't exactly make deep pockets in your skirt. But they do have pockets, I made sure of that! They are hidden within the black padding, several actually, it's like a utility belt and a skirt all in one~"
"The Phone case is just so that if you fall on your butt…you don't crack the screen again," Tsukasa smiled.
"...Seriously one time…" Makoto muttered as she looked away with a slight embarrassed blush.
"This happened to the other one too," Tsukasa smirked, "But other than that, that's all you got in this model. Mellisa will send you off with all her compiled notes and Sento's in a data drive. Along with her mockups for suits for your other friends."
"Sweet!" Makoto beamed before hugging the two, "Thank you two so much!"
"Just finishing Sento's work, and as my gift for not being able to get you guys home fast enough…" Tsukasa sighed as he escaped the hug, "She did most of the work, so give her all the hugs."
"Eh?" Mellissa blinked before it was only Makoto hugging her, "Ah! Oh my..heh. You really are a hugger, aren't you Makoto?"
"Yup!" Makoto giggled.
"I just now realize Kadoya-san was what protected me from being crushed before…" Mellissa grunted as her face was turning blue.
"I am much more sturdy than I look," Tsukasa shrugged, "Anywho, let's grab your new outfits, 'cause we went to the effort of making you several copies…just in case…"
"A big battle…?" Makoto blinked.,
"No, your boyfriend misfiring a fireball…" Tsukasa mused.
"Oh~" Makoto noted, "...Speaking of, I wonder what my goober of a boyfriend is doing right now?"
"Probably having fun or something."
"...I still can't believe you dragged me into this," Bakugo muttered, a protective vest on his chest as he sat behind some cover with Kirishima.
"A battle of skill, dexterity and tactics…it's your only way to show up that American Senpai…that is unless you think he's so good even without his amazing Quirk?" Kirishima smiled teasingly.
"...Give me that!" Bakugo snapped, snatching Kirishima's laser gun as he held both up, "Alright, it's go time! Revenge on that transforming upstart!"
"Pssst…Bakugo…" Ben whispered as the barrel of the toy laser gun was pressed up against the back of his head.
"How…" Bakugo whispered.
"Best two out of three~" Ben smiled, stepping back and shooting his vest, making it light up to show he was now out.
"How did…" Bakugo turned around only to see Ben vanished, "HOW!?"
"Oh please, this is my element. My warzone. Here is where I am king without being a Superhero~" Ben's voice echoed, "You walked into the wrong game, buddy-boy~ I was trained in this since an early age by my grandfather. I probably could have sniped you from halfways away…but wanted to be fair and see if ya spotted me sneaking up on you."
"...Mistakes were made," Kirishima shuddered.
"Rematch begins now!" Bakugo shouted.
"Hit…" Ben spoke as another laser hit him from a distance away.
"FU*BEEEP*K!" Bakugo snapped before blinking, "...*beep!* The *BEEP*k?! HOW?!"
"That'd be me," Sari spoke as she poked out from behind some cover, holding a small little black box, "I had a feeling when Kirishima invited you, so I bought this just in case you cursed up a storm."
"The F*BEEP!* Is that?!"
"Censor that goes off only for the angriest curse happy person in the room."
"Oh wow, she is good…" Kirishima muttered before he and Bakugo got shot by a laser from a distance.
"AGAIN!?" Bakugo shouted.
"Nope, mine~" Ochako called out.
"...Was that revenge for me beating you at the Sports Festival?!" Bakugo snapped.
"No…It's for being a jerk to Deku-kun!" she smiled honestly, before sticking her tongue out at him, "Try and do something about it, Katchan~" she then ducked down and vanished.
"GRRR!"
"Uh oh...I think he's about to explode," Ashido whispered from her hiding spot with Mai.
"Katchan, matte! We're in a public building!" Deku panicked from nearby.
"Shut…ah…w-why is it so cold now…?" Bakugo shivered.
"Sshhh…" Big Chill's voice hushed, "Also hit…"
"FU*BEEEP!*"
"Hey, that's not fair!" Kaminari complained from his hiding spot in the laser tag arena, "I thought you weren't gonna transform!"
"Baka…the rules amendment said that he can only do it to stop other cheaters," Jiro spoke, poking out in front of him before shooting him, "We all agreed upon it."
"Ahh…right," Kaminari groaned before he quickly shot, only for Jiro to go back behind cover.
"Bakugo is turning blue from the cold!" Kirishima gawked.
"No sweat…no boom." Ben laughed, "Come on, man, rules are rules. You try and use your Quirk, I'm gonna freeze ya. So just play fair and keep it in check. Unless you think you can't adapt and win without your Quirk? I mean…I didn't need mine to win~"
"...Fine...you want me to adapt?" Bakugo frowned…before instantly turning to shoot at Ida and Naoto just as they got out from behind some cover, "Fine! I'll adapt!"
"The King awaits your challenge, young one~" Ben chuckled as he vanished into cover again.
"I'll dethrone you!" Bakugo snapped as he chased after him.
"Hey, wait! You still have my blaster!" Kirishima called out as he ran after Bakugo.
"You can ask for a new one!" Ashido smiled, poking out of her cover and shooting Kirishima a few times, "Free points!" she cheered while ducking back down.
"...I'll be right back!" Kirishima shouted as he ran off.
"Nice call," Mai whispered to Ashido…before blinking when she noticed something, "..eh?"
"What's…up?" Ashido blinked as she noticed what looked like a pair of blue bunny ears poking out of a nearby pillar, "?"
"...L-" Mai began before the part of the pillar opened, revealing Lambda as she did a silent hush…before putting the cover back on and hiding Bluey's ears, "..."
"I know you're in here, Lambda Vermillion! Give back your sister's stuff and I'll forgive you!" Noel called out as she ran through the field, decked in the game's gear and shooting down anyone in her path.
"Ay basura…Noel's here," Rex paled a bit from the upper floor.
"Is…that bad?" Deku blinked.
"Noel fights with guns…" Rex explained, "She learned a fighting style called Gunkata to smack people around with the guns if they get in close."
"Sorry!" Noel called out as Mineta was sent flying…and sticking headfirst to the ceiling.
"...I forgot his hair is made up of sticky spheres," Sari admitted, blinking a few times while looking up before everyone's vest went off.
"Multi-shot!" Ben cackled.
"So…he relies just on his Quirk?" Jiro muttered.
"I mean…no one ever said he's not good at stuff without it," Sari chuckled, "His grandfather is an even better marksman."
"Oh so true. He'd be beating me in points by now. And I'll have you know that I was captain of the soccer team at my old high school and middle school," Ben defended.
"For the two years you attended before testing out on a bet," Sari pointed out.
"How did…?!"
"Girls Night a week after I joined," Sari replied, "Lot of fun trading embarrassing stories."
"Wait…he what?" Ida blinked.
"Ben-san…how amazing are you…" Deku muttered, 'Honestly…you're so amazing…you may as well be the next Symbol of Peace…'
"Could probably be a symbol over in the USA," Ben noted, making Deku nearly jump out of his hiding place where Ben was sitting beside him, "But I don't really think of myself as the next Symbol of Peace. Honestly, I have a bet it'd probably be you."
"Eh?" Deku blinked at that, "M…me?"
"You got something to ya, man," Ben smiled, "I saw it when you and All Might worked together. You guys fight alike, have similar powers, and you just have a similar presence…" he mused, "I just turn into monsters. At least when you save people, they see your actual smile."
"But your Quirk is so amazing…you're like some sort of multi-transformation type…you can have any power at a time," Deku spoke.
"That is true, but even I have my limits," Ben pointed out, "You look like you care more about that sort of stuff…" he grunted, leaning back and holding his gun up to shoot Bakugo the moment he found them, "Hit…"
"AAAH!" he roared as he ran off to rethink.
"But…you are so skilled…you've trained and practiced and you're so much more talented…you're the most talented person I've ever met," Deku pointed out, "Even more than Katchan or Todoroki-kun…which is amazing cause I always just thought they were that talented…"
"Hmm…maybe…but honestly I don't care for all the attention of being the Number 1…" he sighed, "I mean, that's what I'm called 'cause of everything you just said. But I'm not doing it for fame or to be that…I learned to be a Hero from my Grandpa, but he's Quirkless!" he smiled, making Deku's eyes widen, "But to me…he's my Number 1 Hero. No offense to All Might…but my Grandpa holds that spot of admiration to me."
"S…sugei," Deku whispered in awe.
"My grandpa was just a normal soldier, and applied his skills to help as a police officer." Ben translated the story of his Grandfathers adventures into something Deku would understand, "He didn't have any power, but he took down way more villains~ Not as much as All Might, but hey, he kept our town safe from crazies and supervillains just with his own skill. Compared to him…I'm not half as amazing."
"Eh!?" Deku gawked at that, "But you have a Quirk…and you are so talented…but…you idealize someone who was Quirkless?"
"This power has only caused me nothing but trouble, man…" Ben sighed, "I can turn into monsters and have any power I want…you don't think people want that for themselves?"
"Wait…you mean…?" Deku asked as the horrible thought dawned on him of what Ben must have gone through in life with such an ability.
"It wasn't some big name superhero or All Might who saved me and made me smile," Ben mused, "It was my grandpa. It's thanks to him I know what a Hero really is."
"What a Hero really is?" Deku blinked, "Wh-what is it?!" he asked excitedly.
"...Just a guy who runs in to help anyone in need!" Ben smiled, "You don't need to be able to jump buildings, outrun a bullet train, or punch harder then a bomb…you just have to stand up and help anyone in need. That alone makes you at least one person's Hero."
"One person's Hero…?" Deku asked with wide eyes of astonishment.
"In that regard," Ben lingered, as he tried to think, "Deku…" he smiled, "Someone like you, is My Hero."
"Aww~ That's sweet," Makoto's voice giggled.
"When did you get here?" Ben smiled as he ignored Deku, who seemed ready to cry from the overwhelming joy of Ben's words.
"Eh. A few minutes ago," Makoto shrugged, "I wanted to surprise ya, but I overheard the little speech you were giving Deku and I didn't want to interrupt such a tender moment."
"Thanks," Ben smiled before he noticed the large tears from Deku, "How do you…do that?" he asked, noting this seemed like too much water for just crying, "How are you not dehydrated? Are you okay?!"
"Ah! What's wrong with him?!" Ochako gasped as she quickly got out of her hiding spot.
"I don't know!" Ben panicked, "Babe…!"
"Oh, he's a Noellie Cryer," Makoto noted as she stepped out of the shadows behind him.
"A…A what now?"
"Ben, how have you not seen Noellie crying before?" Makoto asked in disbelief, "This is the exact same thing. We had Mai lick her once and then she ended up with it for a week and no explanation on how."
"Oh Deku-kun is crying again…" Ochako sighed in relief, "Yeah, it's a surprise for the first time. You must've really done a big ol' pep talk or praised him."
"Eh…I was just being honest," Ben smiled, "He's a great guy."
"Right…" Ochako smiled.
"Adorable…" Noel awed, watching her smile, "So pure…" she raised an arm and shot several lasers up along Bakugo's vest before kicking him away, "Sorry!"
"Son of a B*BEEP*!"
"...Where did you get that device again?" Jiro asked, looking at Sari.
"Prize counter. Guy working there said no one ever buys it because of how situational it is."
"...They have any more?"
"Tons…" Sari nodded simply, "They even lowered the point price to get one."
"Huh…good to know."
"...wait," Ben spoke up, earning a few of the others' attention, "...where's Rook?"
"...Oh no," Makoto squeaked before everyone, including Ben, yelped as they got shot.
"I believe that was the first time you were hit today, correct Ben?" Rook asked in amusement from the highest accessible level of the arena.
"...Oh he's good," Ashido and Kaminari whispered, the latter having just got back.
"Yeah, he's our other sniper," Ben sighed.
"Oh…yet another heart wrenching ending," Skurd sniffled, a massive amount of tissue next to the table he was sitting on as he finished another program.
"Have you been watching romantic comedies for the entire dang day?" Tsukasa blinked, walking up behind him.
"It's so sweet! He's a gentle giant and she's a small ray of adorableness…love knows no limits to appearance…it is all about the feeling of love two innocent souls convey!" Skurd sobbed.
"Ah…Ore Monogatari…" Tsukasa nodded, "The anime is better…"
"Then I must search for it!" Skurd declared, a tentacle pointed to the sky.
"Here, try this one. It's also a historical drama fantasy," Tsukasa changed the channel, "With romance transcending time and space of a girl sent back to Feudal China and her retainer as they try and save the past~ or is it the past~?"
"Oooh~ My curiosity is already peaked," Skurd noted in interest.
"Watch and enjoy, alien slimey boy." Tsukasa smirked.
"Can do, my good sir~" Skurd chuckled as he focused on the screen.
"..." Tsukasa blinked, pulling out a weirdly large Magenta Smartphone, "Yello? What~ I haven't been gone that long. No…time is relative…well that's normally how I get out of this argument with normal people. Well I'm sorry if I forget you have the same weird cosmic knowledge. …Woman, I have work to do! The Multiverse is a mess right now…do you know what's happening in that dimension?" he paused, "No…not the one with the kid you think is an adorable goofball who dreams of becoming a King…this time it's not his fault. No, I don't need his help…cause I can handle it…yes I can!" he huffed, "..." he looked up at the ceiling and gave a wave before frowning, "...No, you are not allowed to pet the Slimeboid if my job takes me where you're at right now, even if you think he's adorable, too. How did you even know what he…" he paused and facepalmed, "Because of course one of them got into the series. It wasn't your brother was it? …Him?!" he pinched his nose and sighed, "Alright. He's getting a sheep in his bed later." he paused, "What…what do you mean I've been getting messages from other world travelers? …Was he giant? Yeah, he's kind of a weird goof…I know he was an alien, but…no…he's not gonna bother you…no don't invite him back! It's a giant alien of energy!" he sighed, "Alright, look. I'm gonna get these guys home…somehow…but I need another pitstop. …No, its Saber's world…well one of them." he paused, "How do you even…alright, alright. I'll check the pouch and if you guessed right, I'll make sure to get you some of the stuff to compare it." he opened his jacket and pulled out a small blue crystal with the top resembling a skull, "...Yeah, I'll grab one for you." he sighed, "Yeah…uh-huh, I'll try and be back in what…a couple weeks…three at max…" he mumbled, "I need to let them adjust to worlds…they don't pick up on stuff as fast as we did. Also they need…break time…I know…right!? We went day to day with this stuff…"
"Hmm…there's a romance there Noel would kill to know about." Skurd whispered.
"Wait. Mellissa and Tsukasa made us new outfits as well?" Mai blinked, she and the rest of the Omniteam sitting outside of the arcade as they waited for the UA students.
"Yup," Makoto nodded, "Using notes from Sento, but Kadoya-san needed someone smart to make them." she then pulled the flashdrive out of her tail, "They put all the notes to build them, and the formula for a new Proto Armor material, in this. So if we give it to Kajun, we'll have more projects for her."
"Ooh~ Interesting," Rook noted.
"Oh. Speaking of new outfits…" Makoto began, hopping up a few feet as she spun in place to pose a bit, "What do you think of mine?"
"You've been waiting on us to comment, haven't you?" Sari smiled.
"Admittedly yes."
"It looks great," Ben smiled.
"I love it!" Noel cheered.
"Looks good, but why do you have cat ear headphones?" Naoto asked.
"Noise canceling and dampening 'headphones', and I can listen to music on it," Makoto corrected, "That and they act as communication devices since ear pieces don't work for me…" she chuckled.
"Huh…neat," Rex noted.
"It has tons of other gear for me specifically," Makoto smiled, "What I got here is mostly for me, but Mellissa also made us some new Proto Armors and some suits for you girls, too. More so when I explained we don't have the same…super durability as the boys."
"I can take a lot of damage," Rex smiled.
"I become Kaiju half the time," Ben chuckled.
"I…uh…got a spare armor?" Naoto asked.
"Surprisingly, yeah," Makoto replied as she held up a box, "Was curious as to why he had one made for you, too."
"We really don't have a full grasp on Mr. Kadoya," Rook spoke up, "We know he is not unlike Professor Paradox, but much more jovial and cantankerous."
"That is true…" Ben nodded a bit, "And he's been helping us a lot since we started traveling together."
"He's been a jerk…but he's also done a lot of weirdness to help us. I guess he's just looking out for us with this," Sari added.
"Speaking of…Mai," Makoto began as she looked at the bluenette, "Good news…next place we're heading will be able to help you out with your spear…at least that's what Tsukasa assured me."
"Oh finally…!" Mai groaned a bit in relief.
"So when do we head there?" Rex asked.
"Didn't say," Makoto shrugged, "Probably when we're done relaxing or when Tsukasa is done with whatever he needs to do here."
"Which is…?" Ben pondered, "I don't think this world has his kind of work…it's already full of heroes."
"That much is true," Makoto nodded, "So my guess is when we're good and ready."
"So we could either head on out, or hang out for the rest of the day," Mai noted.
"Ooh…Can we put a delay for the rest of the day?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, I don't mind doing a small delay for the rest of the day," Ben agreed.
"...What are you two planning?" Noel asked.
"Hmm?" the couple blinked.
"Well…" Makoto scratched her cheek, "Not exactly 'us' persay…"
"...Mai, lick them," Noel ordered.
"Wait, what?" Mai did a double take on Noel.
"..." a flash of green light went off as Big Chill held Makoto in a bridal carry, "Bye~" he turned intangible with her and phased through the street.
"...They probably had dinner reservations," Rex guessed.
"Well let the couple enjoy their time together," Naoto offered, "A date across the multiverse…how can you top that?"
"It is rather romantic, right Noel?" Sari smiled.
"No spying, sister. Personal time is needed for love." Lambda spoke.
"Mou~" Noel pouted…before blinking as she slowly looked over at her sister, "..."
"...I am still not giving them back."
"Dai mou~!" Noel whined.
"Is everything okay out here?" Deku asked as he walked out.
"Yeah. Just Ben and Makoto heading out to do some stuff," Rex replied.
"Oh."
"Yeah, but we're still good to hang out," Naoto added.
The endless expanse between worlds stirred as a figure walked forward. He tilted his head before swinging both arms up and suddenly gold light filled the void.
"I see…" he spoke as he kept the light up until a version of Earth appeared before him, "This is the new nexus point causing all these disturbances. Its ripples even affected The Kingdom." his figure shimmered as he walked forward turning into a man with blond hair dressed in gold robes, "Hmm…" he held his hand up, "There…" he snapped his fingers as a portal opened and someone was ejected out, a familiar man with green hair groaned, realizing he was now someplace else, "You…Imp…explain your strange world." the man demanded.
"...Hmph. Well that was rude," Hazama scoffed, standing up while dusting off his hat, "I just got through helping on a rather...interesting experiment. Also…" he paused, putting his hat back on as he glared at the individual, "You've got a lot of balls, buddy…so mind explaining why we're in the rifts between time and space?"
"I asked what is the meaning of this dimension? It is built from fragments of many."
"Honestly? No clue. One minute I was enjoying a nice bit of a scrub in the tub while watching the many possibilities of the Continuum Shift. The next? I'm on a planet of weird alien gorillas now no longer a planet of weird alien gorillas," Hazama shrugged, "Their fault for ruining my nice hard-boiled egg snack."
"Get on with it."
"Okay, okay. Yeesh. Saw right through me…" he muttered before smirking, "Well…you can blame this being called a Celestialsapien for it and a little nifty device called the Anihilaarg, which destroys universes when it's set off. Seems they decided to pick and choose what they wanted."
"Celestialsapien…I see…so those things are still being a problem to the Multiverse…Here we assumed they cornered themselves off here to not be a problem…" he muttered, "They are so useless that it was for the best."
"You call a borderline god useless…" Hazama chuckled.
"What good is power if you don't use it?" he replied, "Your dimension is causing a problem for the multiverse as a whole. Its ripples have caused more mixed worlds to appear. Add that to a list of problems of my kind to deal with at a later time." he sighed, "Well I thank you, Imp, you have proven useful to me. I now owe you a boon," the strange gold clad man sighed, "Name it, and I shall repay you with the best of my abilities."
"...Anything you say?" Hazama noted with a grin.
"Power, a Temporal Control device, freedom from this dimension which will soon be sealed away." he listed, "Ask away, Imp."
"And…I…have your word?"
"I am an Absolutian. The Ultimate Life form. I never go back on my deal. I always come through, but…I don't ensure you can't fail." he smiled, "So ask away, Imp."
'Hmm…anything…' Hazama thought as he stroked his chin in thought, 'I could force the Master Unit out…but that would rush things and I do not like to rush things…I could get it back, but chances are that bastard Hakumen still has it…but…' he paused in his thoughts as a grin grew on his face, 'He has the one that came from our time…' "...there is one thing I want…"
"Hmm?"
"In a place called the Boundary…there is a certain armor there, just...floating around waiting to be picked up by some poor schmuck that got lucky enough to get that far," Hazama explained as he bridged his fingers together, "Case in point…I want that armor."
"..." his eyes began glowing before he raised his hand and formed another portal, "This Boundary?" he spoke, "Very well, I shall take you there and bring you back. Claim your armor."
"...Don't mind if I do," Hazama smiled a bit as he began to step into the portal, the figure following behind him as they walked through what seemed to be an empty white void. The grin never once left Hazama's face as he looked around, keeping a hand on his hat as he hid the glee in his eyes.
"...Is that the armor you seek?" the figure asked, noticing what appeared to be a set of white armor floating in the distance.
"...yes…" Hazama whispered as he kicked his legs, suddenly being propelled towards the armor as he floated before it, "This is it…" he whispered, his grin growing as he touched the faceless mask, "One of the three…or, in this case, now four Sankishin….the Susano'o Unit…"
"Hmm…it's indeed amazing," the man nodded, looking it over. He moved his hand as light came from his palm and seemed to scan it, "I see…fascinating." he mused.
"Yes…" Hazama…or rather Terumi grinned as he tapped the armor, causing it to vanish, "And thank you so much for…" he began before blinking, noticing he was no longer within the Boundary…but back within the castle halls of the Kabal's base, "...well. That was fast…"
"And what are you doing?"
"...Ohh…perfect timing," Terumi smirked, not once turning as Vlad approached him, "Hello Vlad…"
"Answer the question," Vlad frowned a bit, "What are you scheming?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed…" Vlad stated, "I know a cunning manipulator when I see one. I should know...I'm a bit of one myself."
"...Well let's just say, Plasmius," Terumi paused as he turned to face him, "I got something back…something I've been wanting for quite a long time…"
"...and you do not intend to tell me, aren't you?" Vlad questioned back.
"All in one."
"...I do not get you," Vlad frowned as he approached him, "You have all this knowledge and power...and yet all you do with it is mess with people. In fact…you probably could've walked out at any time."
"Guilty as charged," Terumi chuckled a bit.
"So if that's the case…why are you still here?" Vlad questioned.
"Heh heh…well for one; I gotta make sure I see the plan through, is all," Terumi chuckled in a rather…calm tone.
"...and s-" Vlad began before a black armored, clawed gauntlet with venom-green energy lines grabbed him by the neck, "?!"
"I know who I fucking am out of you lot," Terumi stated in a very…very dangerous tone, the gauntlet connected to his left arm, "I'm not some power hunger bitch who lost her throne and planet to some teenage can opener, some hunter wanting to prove they are the best, or in your case…a man who can't get over his obsession with their teenage archnemesis' mother. I am a blood thirsty, murderous, black hearted, mind breaking psychopath. I do not follow your guidelines of 'heroes' and 'villains'...I do whatever the fuck I want, and I will do so a million more times then be ordered around by some space squid pretending to be god…or any god in general."
'Ack! H…how is….grabbing me…?!' Vlad coughed within his mind as Terumi increased his grip.
"So here's what's gonna happen, Vlad Plasmius…" Terumi began as he brought him closer to his face, letting him see the bloodlust in his slit eyes, "You don't tell anyone about this…and I won't crush your windpipe and force feed it to you…understand?"
"Ack…kac….y….yes…"
"Good," Terumi smiled, back in his fake persona as the armor vanished, letting him drop Vlad onto the floor, "Now if you'll excuse me…I need to resume my work at the lab…and make sure Junko hasn't driven Albedo or Shockwave insane yet," he grinned as he began to walk off, "Toodles~"
"D-damn…" Vlad coughed, "How…"
"Is everything okay?" Vlad turned slightly to see Alpha approach him, "I had detected something coming from in here…"
"Seems…" Vlad began, coughing as he forced himself up, "Our initial thoughts on Terumi…are worse than I thought…"
"?"
"He has something….and he nearly killed me with it," Vlad explained with a scowl, "While I was intangible at that…"
"...shall we inform Vilgax and Lord Megatron?"
"No…keep it between us and Vexus for now," Vlad stated, "He's already onto us…"
"Very well…" Alpha nodded.
SZ:...Oh…lordy….
GT: People should not be expecting us to just be formulaic. That they can 'see' what we're planning. Because, in all honesty…we don't know what we plan, either. And that's scary, no?
Z0: Indeed.
SZ: Very much so..
GT: Now that the rest is over, the next world of the remaining two approaches. But…that will not come to pass for a bit. Another break while we work on something special which you will enjoy later on.
SZ: Yup. But worry not...we still have GSESS for you all to check out for the time being.
Z0: We kinda…put too much effort into one thing and ended up neglecting something we needed to make things work…
SZ: Yeah…so it'll be a while until we get back to the main story.
Z0: Stuff to do and what not. Kinda our B…but honestly its fun to work on other stuff. We…uh…is this like our biggest fic by now? Counting itself and the Side Story content?
SZ: Eeyup. Over 1000 reviews combined…and so many chapters.
GT: Combining both stories has it almost reaching 100 chapters as of this chapter. …Really need to start planning for what to do for Chapter 100…*Shrugs* Ah well. That's future us and their problem.
SZ: Mmm hmm…still we hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
GT: Agreed. Please, Read and Review, folks, while we're getting everything else set up before we can continue the main story!
Z0; I regret nothing for opening the can of worms that is the Multiverse…still no comic books…I don't need that nonsense…