Boy: Me too my friend!
Syrian Ken: Thanks!
Death Omen Star: Shit's about to go down in future arcs!
Makobro23: It's not Notorious BIG, although you've reminded me that it's still out there...hmmm...
FinchFlyingAce: Get ready for MVA!
Boi69420: Love the username! Don't worry, you don't need to rush!
Euphoria: Interesting concept...I like it!
Kyeo307: The Quirks within OFA are probably going to be the same, but the situations for unlocking them might be different. As for Santana's enemy...
It's BIG.
Alexander Lawliet: I'm glad you liked it!
Ivory Insanity: I mean, in hindsight it was obvious it was going to happen. With the running theme of the adults sacrificing themselves for the next generation, Hori would be a hypocrite if he killed off any of the kids. Fake-outs can be good when executed correctly (like how Joseph's fake-out deaths are basically a running joke)
Am I killing off students? Not saying a word...however I do intend for my story to have a happy ending.
Guest: The sooner AFO is gone, the better.
Jpx0999: I think he's intentionally pathetic. Did you ever notice that the only person who calls AFO a "Demon Lord" is AFO himself? Everyone else is aware that in spite of all his power, he's just a man.
A very unlikeable man, both in and out of story in my opinion. Also, we can already see that he isn't invincible. Certain characters already forced him to use a certain trap card, characters he considered "Extras."
His plans are already falling apart, he just doesn't know it. Soon, I think he's going to have the revelation that he really isn't special, that he really wasted his life trying to emulate a comic book. He IS irredeemable, he IS a monster, and he IS smart...but he is no "Demon Lord." His arrogance is his greatest weakness, and we can already see that it is costing him dearly.
Balanced Goose: Nice to see you! Excellent idea, as usual! I love how all the stats are just C.
Bearticguy7: You got the song stuck in my head too.
.com: I'm truly glad you're enjoying it!
Monster King: Thanks!
*Chapter 39, before Susan got her shit rocked*
"So...I would like to start off with an apology." Jotaro said, taking a sip of his coffee.
His son shook his head. "Nonono, I get it Dad, I really do. You didn't want to see me get hurt like that again-"
"I've always known that being a hero was your dream, and I went against it. I actively tried to force you to abandon something that runs in your blood. I'm 100% in the wrong, Johnny." Jotaro glanced towards the window. "I took you away from your friends..."
"Dad-"
"I'm just not used to being a father." Jotaro continued, taking off his hat and running a hand through his greying hair. "Much less the father of a hero. When that bastard shot you...my whole world turned upside down. I just came back into your life, and I already failed to protect you...and now I have failed to support you. I'm sorry...I'm a shitty father."
Johnny watched as his father revealed his more vulnerable side, saddened. His father was finally opening up, but only after they fought, after Johnny had proven himself capable of surpassing the elder Kujo.
"You've made mistakes...but Dad...I love you." Johnny consoled Jotaro. "You're still a good man, and you did anything you could for me. I...haven't exactly been the best son either."
"What?"
"I should've talked to you, checked up on you...I failed to support you too. I never really understood just how scared you were that day, I was too busy wallowing in self pity." Johnny replied with slight bitterness. "It seems...we're both not used to being father and son, huh?"
Jotaro lowered his head. "No...we aren't. It's still my fault though, I left you alone with that fucking bitch, I'm...partially responsible for everything you've been through."
"And who's responsible for that?"
"...DIO."
"Right. DIO is the reason we're both like this, why I grew up without you. DIO, as always, fucked our family sideways and left us to die in a ditch. I...I know you have nightmares Dad, I've heard them."
"Where do we go from here? What would you like to do?" Jotaro asked after a moment of silence. "How do we go about fixing this?"
"We stick together, you learn how to be a father, and I learn how to be a son." Johnny responded as a plate of pancakes was placed in front of him. "I'm stronger with you, Dad...am I wrong to assume that it goes both ways?"
"You aren't." Jotaro responded, smirking. "I like that...I really do."
The pair sat eating breakfast for a while, when Johnny had a sudden thought. "Heheh...I wonder how Izuku is going to react when he sees that I can walk."
"I'm sure he's going to freak out. He's been your friend for...how long now?" Jotaro asked, curious.
"Er...around twelve years." Johnny estimated, and smiled. "I can't wait to see his face."
"Twelve years..."
"Yeah...to be honest Dad? He's pretty much the brother I never had...I love him just as I love you..."
Jotaro took a sip of his coffee as Johnny leaned back in his seat.
"Honestly, I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to him."
*Now*
Jotaro couldn't help but recall Johnny's words as he watched his student get swallowed by the mysterious black energy, his eyes widening in horror.
Izuku Midoriya was clearly in danger.
"Stop the fight."
"Huh? Midoriya is pulling off some kind of new move, why would you stop it?" Vlad King asked.
"STOP THE FUCKING FIGHT!" The elder Kujo roared as he lept off the catwalk, bolting towards the arena without a second thought. He used Star Platinum to leap over the wall and into the massive arena of pipes. "MIDORIYA!"
Aizawa immediately pressed a button, and shouted into an intercom.
"STOP THE FIGHT! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!"
Jotaro watched as Ochako stopped what she was doing, and looked up into the sky in disbelief, and then terror. Izuku was being dragged around by the stuff, slamming into walls and knocking over pipes, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"MIDORIYA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Jotaro yelled as he barely managed to avoid a tendril.
"I CAN'T STOP IT!" Izuku screamed back, tears flying from his eyes. It was painfully clear that the boy was terrified.
"HOLD ON! STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!"
Time grinded to a halt, and Jotaro quickly analyzed the situation.
This power...it's coming out of him. This isn't an attack from an enemy, but...something from within OFA itself. Toshi couldn't do something like this...could the Quirk have changed in some way?
Star Platinum floated over and wrapped it's powerful arms underneath Izuku's armpits. The Stand's eyes narrowed as it prepared to take a beating.
Restraining him is the best option until Shota gets here to shut whatever it is down. Once the time stop ends, this shit is going to go berserk...this is really going to hurt.
But it's worth it.
"Time resumes once more..."
Jotaro was immediately overwhelmed by a burst of sheer power, and Izuku's terrified screams. The elder Kujo gritted his teeth as he held onto his student, preventing the wild berserker tendrils from dragging him away.
"This...power!"
Johnny could only stare up at the screen, horrified by what he was seeing. His father actively risking his own safety for his childhood friend, who was encased in a writhing mass of black energy.
Things had quickly taken a turn from a simple training exercise to a full blown emergency.
Kyoka's hand was gripped tight around his, both out of fear and a conscious effort to keep her boyfriend calm.
"We were literally just talking about how worried we were..."
"The dreams..the fucking dreams! I knew it was too strange to be a good thing!" Johnny responded, kicking himself for not keeping a better eye on Izuku. "Dammit..."
"You want to run in there, don't you?"
"Of course I do...but I'd only get in the way. My dad...h-he knows what he's doing."
Momo, meanwhile, had reactivated her drone. Pressing her lips together in frustration, she began piloting it until the battlefield.
We need eyes in there, not just from the screen. Izuku...what's happening to you?
There was no way any of them could get close without those tendrils snacking the everloving shit out of them, so Momo quickly devised a plan to both establish communication, and to try and stop whatever was going on before Izuku got hurt.
The drone extended a small gun barrel, and Momo created a small tranquilizer dart, stuffing it inside.
"Jesus." Gyro commented once he saw what his girlfriend was planning.
"It might be the only way if Aizawa fails. Dr. Kujo and Izuku are taking a beating from whatever that is...I cannot in good conscience allow this to continue."
"What if you miss?" Gyro asked.
Momo grimaced. "Then we are in deep trouble."
"I don't understand, what's happening?!" Ida exclaimed.
"Izuku's Quirk is going out of control." Kyoka replied. "It's already got a bad backlash when he uses too much power...and now it just threw another curveball at him. A very, very frightening curveball..."
"I thought it was a strength enhancer..." The class representative said. "Maybe...the energy from his Quirk can be used differently, and he just didn't know it?"
"How soon can you get that drone in there?" Johnny asked.
"I'm loading three darts...although...Gyro, are you eating pizza?"
The Italian paused with a slice hanging out of his mouth. "No."
"Our friend is in danger, and you're chowing down?" Kyoka asked incredulously.
"No!"
"When did you order that? You have a whole box!"
"EATING IS HOW I COPE!" Gyro snapped back.
Monoma stared in disbelief, and a bit of shame, at what was transpiring. He had clearly taken his taunting a bit too far, to anger Izuku to the point where his Quirk went out of control.
Just looking at how terrified Izuku was, it was enough to recognize that he fucked up, and now someone was legitimately getting hurt because of it. Not to mention that a teacher was currently taking a beating in an attempt to save his student.
Jotaro hadn't lost his grip, but he had been hit a few times. Blood was running down the teacher's face as a result of Star Platinum taking a hit square on the forehead, but it was clear that letting go wasn't an option.
That's when Ochako Uraraka floated into the chaos, heading straight for her teammate.
"DEKU!"
"STAY BACK!" Jotaro yelled, grunting as Star Platinum took another hit. "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!"
"NO! I HAVE A PLAN!" Ochako yelled back, and maneuvered her way through the tendrils to trap Izuku in a bear hug, grunting as her helmet was smashed. She touched Izuku and Jotaro at the same time, and all three began floating in the air.
Aizawa, on his way, stared at the floating conglomerate of chaos in disbelief. Erasing Izuku's Quirk now might have the unintended effect of erasing Ochako's, causing all three to plummet to the ground, although Star Platinum would certainly be able to break the fall.
To his right, he could see a familiar drone attempting to get a clear shot, without much success. There were three people in that mess after all, and Momo didn't want to hit the wrong person. It didn't help that the mysterious tendrils were forcing her drone to take evasive maneuvers.
"URARAKA! LET GO!" Jotaro yelled, spitting out blood. "YOU'LL GET HURT!"
"I can't do that Dr. Kujo." Ochako said with a surprising amount of calm, considering the situation. The elder Kujo stopped once he saw her face, it was determined...confident.
She knew what she was doing.
"You see...as long as I keep Deku floating, this new OFA ability can't hurt anyone but us. I'm taking us away from the battlefield to protect everyone, so we can save him with as few injuries as possible. Now...we need Shinso."
Izuku, in his panicked state of mind, was unable to process what Ochako was saying. "URARAKA! NO!"
Jotaro, however, did.
"I see...yare yare daze, you kids keep surprising me." The third JoJo said with a smirk. "Alright...I'll follow your lead."
"I can't get a clear shot." Momo said, sweat dripping down her face as she desperately piloted the drone in an effort to save her friend. "These...things...they're too chaotic!"
"Do I have to go in there an knock him out myself?!" Katsuki asked, clearly frustrated.
"Hold on...Ochako is doing something, and I think it's important." Kyoka said, holding a hand up. "Dr. Kujo looks a lot less worried, don't you think?"
Momo lifted her goggles, gazing at the screen. "You're not wrong...in fact, she might be our only hope right now. There's no way my drone can fire a shot without something going horribly wrong. I'll put it on standby just in case."
"What the fuck is Kirby gonna do?!" Katsuki said, angrily jabbing a finger towards the screen. "Float him up to the atmosphere?!"
"Down boy." Kyoka quipped back, and the explosive blond gave her a middle finger in response.
Hitoshi Shinso was staring at the chaos in bewilderment when he suddenly found himself closer to it.
What in the...oh, Dr. Kujo must have used that time stop ability I've heard about. Why bring me up here? What could I do?
"SHINSO, PUT HIM TO SLEEP!" Jotaro ordered.
Put him...to sleep? I see...sure, why not? After all...
The purple-haired general studies student grinned.
He and I still have a score to settle.
Shinso pulled down his mask and took a deep breath, before shouting:
"MIDORIYA! FIGHT ME!"
Izuku, through his panic, looked from Shinso, the bloodied Jotaro, and Ochako...all of whom were trying to save him. He reluctantly opened his mouth, glancing at Ochako one last time before he shouted:
"OKAY!"
Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by darkness.
Did I die? DID I...
No, this is just like those dreams...I'm dreaming again, that must be it.
"YOU IDIOT!"
Izuku's eyes widened as a bald man came charging at him from the darkness with a very Katsuki-esque expression. The bald man got right in his face, intending to bring his wrath upon the confused OFA user.
"You can't just use my power without knowing how it works! What the hell was that?! You were using it all wrong!"
...I used his...what?
Is this...one of my predecessors?! Yes! It has to be! He's actually talking to me!
The man paused in his rant, poking a finger straight through Izuku's body. "Ah...you're not fully formed yet, that explains why you aren't talking back. Allow me to explain, since yer too stupid to figure it out for yourself! You used my Quirk."
Oh thank God! I thought I was going to explode or something, it was...wait...
I'm using a predecessor's Quirk. HOLY SHIT, I HAVE MORE THAN ONE QUIRK!
"Calm down kid, I can still see you freak out." The previous user of OFA said, summoning the black tendrils from his palm. "My Quirk is Blackwhip, it's not all that special really, it functions similar to Joseph Joestar's Hermit Purple. No, I will not explain how I know about that. The point is, it really is just for swingin' around and shit, but OFA increased it's power level significantly."
I wish I had my journal, I should be writing this down.
"That rage in your heart, the rage that you're worried about...it's key to controlling Blackwhip. You must control your anger before you control the Quirk." The predecessor pointed at Izuku's chest. "Control your heart, and you'll be in fine shape for the other Quirks. You're gonna be the one to complete OFA kid, I can feel it."
Izuku's eyes pointed downwards, processing the information given to him.
This just took a sudden turn for the strange, although I hang out with JoJo, so I guess I'm used to it. I can't decide whether I should be excited or nervous.
Multiple Quirks...
"Alright, I've said my piece. Don't fuck up and die, alright?" The man said with a smile, giving Izuku a thumbs up. "So long, number nine...OoOooh!"
The greenette sighed as his predecessor faded away, wiggling his fingers as he mimicked a ghost.
"DEKU!"
*SMACK!*
"OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Izuku shouted, rubbing his cheek. "That hurt."
"You weren't waking up!" Ochako said, her face lined with worry. "Are you okay?! What was that?!"
Izuku stared at his hands, clenching them. "I...just...unlocked a Quirk."
"...say what?"
"I just had another dream, one of my predecessors spoke to me, explaining that my anger triggered his Quirk. It's called Blackwhip...Uraraka, I...I have more than one Quirk!" Izuku said with borderline panic. "OFA has more than one use...is this bad or good? Is-"
"Midoriya, now is not the time to worry about that."
Izuku turned to find Jotaro wiping blood off of his face. The teacher wasn't hurt too bad, but he was still roughed up enough to cause the greenette to wince. His teacher/best friend's dad had put his own body on the line when Blackwhip went berserk, thanks to Star Platinum's durability be wasn't badly hurt...but...
Izuku still felt guilty. His anger had hurt someone.
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, it's my job." Jotaro responded as the trio began floating back towards the ground. "However, we have a decision to make here. After...that, I would completely understand if you wanted to call it quits. We can call it a draw and move on, but of you want to keep fighting I won't stop you."
Izuku narrowed his eyes. "I'll keep fighting...something like that isn't enough to get me to give up."
"I figured, be careful not to lose your cool again." Jotaro said as they reached the ground. "I know better than anyone how much that can cost you in battle. Whatever Monona says, stay calm, remember what you're fighting for."
"I will!"
"-and don't go berserk again...yare yare daze, my fucking back." The elder Kujo muttered as he trudged off, leaping off with Star Platinum.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Ochako asked quietly. "I mean...this is huge Deku."
"We can talk it over once we get back to Exodus, I'm finishing this fight...also...you're uh...kindastillhuggingme." Izuku muttered out the last part, his cheeks turning pink.
Ochako realized that she was, indeed, still hugging him, and quickly separated from him. She had to mentally slap herself across the face in order to get herself back on track, and turned towards him. "Sorry."
"It's okay...thank you Uraraka." The OFA user said with a sincere smile. "You really saved my-"
"SURPRISE ATTACK!"
Izuku yelped as Neito Monoma brushed past him, before turning to face the blond with a glare, pulling his cowl back down. Monoma grinned as he skidded to a halt, before the blond began emanating cyan sparks.
The green eyes of the cowl widened as the greenette realized what Monoma just did. "Wait...NO! STOP!"
"Hahaha! Did you really think I was just trying to sike you out?! I've planned on copying your overpowered Quirk from the beginning! This is my trump card, my magnum opus! You might've gone a bit crazy back there, but it all worked out in the end!"
He can't handle it...HE CAN'T PHYSICALLY HANDLE OFA'S POWER! HE'LL DIE!
Izuku was about to shoot forward, but Ochako had already intercepted the blond in the middle of his attack. With one fell swoop, she judo flipped Monomaonto the ground with a sickening CRACK!
"It was a bluff." Ochako said, panting as she examined Monoma. He had hit the ground hard, and likely wasn't getting up any time soon. His eyes were rolled up into the back of his head, and drool was coming out of his psychotic grin, still frozen on his face. "Your Quirk accumulates energy, so he'd need to hold onto it for a while for it to do something. What would Kyoka say? Somehing about him being a total chump?"
"Man, that guy is a total chump." Kyoka commented, earning a snort from her relieved boyfriend.
Izuku landed in front of Shinso, and spoke first in order to avoid being brainwashed. "Before we do this, I want to thank you for helping me back there."
"I did it so I could flight you again. I still have to prove that I can be a hero, and beating you is key to that, Midoriya."
Izuku raised a finger.
"I didn't use my Quirk, I promise."
"Okay. I'm trying to win too Shinso, as much as I'm rooting for you, I have something to prove too." Izuku responded, giving his rival a sympathetic smile. "So I'm not holding back."
"Neither am I."
"I am rooting for you though, you'd make a fantastic hero."
Shinso chuckled. "Always the friendly optimist, huh? Thanks Midoriya, it means alot. Now...time to kick your ass."
Izuku raised an eyebrow and threw on his cowl, and his rival smirked.
"Smart man."
Shinso sent his capture cloth towards the greenette, and Izuku responded by letting it wrap around his wrist, easily yanking Shinso towards him. He was, however, met with a boot to the face, and flipped back dragging his foot across the ground, his metal soles sending sparks at his opponent, blinding him.
Shinso, however, used his capture cloth and swung onto the pipes above, before swinging back into the battle. Izuku pursued him, jumping from pipe to pipe in an effort to catch his elusive foe.
Shinso has been training non-stop, I can tell. Swinging around like that requires some serious muscle, so he clearly is built for combat.
He really wants to be a hero. Just like I did when I was Quirkless.
Let's hope we both accomplish our dream, Shinso.
Shinso suddenly pulled the pipes down around him, intending to block Izuku's path as he rushed past Mina, who was busy uppercutting one of his teammates. Izuku, sensing the danger, decided to take a risk:
He decided to use Blackwhip again, but this time with a clear head.
Don'tfuckupdon'tfuckupdon'tfuckupdon'tfuckup!
Blackwhip shot out and grabbed the pipes, and Izuku hurled them out of the way. The tendrils quickly dissipated with a whimper...
He had, however, briefly used the Quirk without going nuts.
YES!
"Really?! Was all of that just an act back there?!" Shinso called back, but Izuku ignored the barb. He knew Shinso was aware of how serious the situation was, this was just an attempt to get him to respond.
Finally, Izuku managed to skid along a pipe, and shot at Shinso from an angle at which the purplette couldn't avoid, and slammed into his rival, wrapping Shinso in his own capture cloth on the way down, and restraining him on the ground.
"Sorry Shinso...you fought really, really well. I mean it, I had trouble catching you, let alone all the shit with my Quirk. The hero course would be full of idiots if it didn't take you." Izuku said, standing up.
Shinso sighed, laying his head against the ground. "I hope you're right...good job Midoriya, you beat me again."
Izuku hoisted his rival onto his shoulder, and carried him to the jail, his mind buzzing with what just occurred.
In the end, Team Midoriya managed to pull out another 4-0 victory, mirroring the previous battle. However, the victory wasn't what was on the minds of the other Musketeers.
"I should've known something would go wrong...how are we going to handle this?" Gyro asked, concerned. "Keeping OFA a secret is going to be even harder now, I mean...Izuku has more than one Quirk!"
"I mean, we can probably bullshit an excuse about an evolution, like my jacks...but if you unlock more Quirks from these predecessors...it's likely the secret will inevitably get out." Kyoka responded, worried. "You can't bullshit multiple Quirks, no matter how hard you try."
Izuku lowered his head. "I know...on one hand, I'm excited because I have something new to learn...but on the other, OFA is at risk."
"Is this paranormal or not? That's what I really want to know. Talking to the dead is...but awakening a Quirk isn't. Quirks can't effect souls, so why the hell are the previous users of OFA showing up?" Johnny asked, frustrated.
"My theory is...since my Quirk can be passed down, it retains...memories...of it's users. It preserves their personalities and Quirks, and it has only recently stockpiled enough power to manifest them." Izuku theorized. "They aren't souls...I think."
"We'll talk about this more in Exodus." Momo stepped in, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I think you should sit out of the bonus round, you scared us today."
The greenette nodded, and sighed, taking a bottle of water from Kyoka and began guzzling it. His friends were being caring and supportive, as usual. Even Katsuki went out of his way to make sure he was okay, albeit in a very aggressive manner.
At least he had people to keep him grounded. Izuku couldn't imagine what he would be like if he ever struck out on his own...
Probably dead, if he was being honest.
The Dynamic Duo vs. Team Fodder (not the official name).
"So...when are they gonna attack?" Gyro asked, tossing a steel ball up and down.
"They're probably planning." Johnny responded as Kyoka walked into the arena, handing him an iced coffee. "I love you, you know that?"
"Are you saying that to me or the coffee?" The purplette asked with a smirk.
"Yes."
Kyoka snorted, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Well, I'm in the backup squad along with Todoroki. If you need help, holler and one of us will tap in."
"Thanks Kyokus Jackus, we appreciate you!" Gyro said with a grin, and ducked under an earphone jack, chuckling. "Nyo ho!"
"If I somehow turn into this stupid Lovecraftian monster thing, you're gonna get a hundred of those." Kyoka quipped back, exiting the battefield to go to the backup section, sitting next to her heterochomatic friend.
"Are they really going to need our help?" Todoroki asked.
"Probably not. Of course, things can always go wrong...but I really just wanted a front row seat." The purplette said with a grin. "They're up against a team of four...pretty even odds I'd say."
"I'm pretty sure they could take all of 1-B."
"No, that's a bit unrealistic. Any ability can be useful, no matter how strong or weak it may seem. They're strong...anyone can get the drop on them, they aren't invincible."
"There's a high chance they'll win, but there's always the chance they won't." Shizuka Joestar chimed in, taking a sip of her drink.
Both of the hero students turned to look at her.
"When did you get here?" Todoroki asked quietly.
"Just now."
"Have you been watching the fights this whole time, and we just didn't notice you?" Kyoka asked, amused. One thing she learned about the adopted Joestar was that she often turned invisible just for the hell of it, usually with the intent to mess with people.
"Yup. Midoriya went nuts there, huh?" The ravenette said with a grin, adjusting her sunglasses. "And the fight before? UGH! Chef's kiss."
Kyoka sheepishly tugged at a jack. "Thanks."
Gyro carelessly strutted out into the open, glancing around the battlefield with a faux nonchalant grin. "All clear, Johnny!"
"Is it?" The brunette asked, scratching behind his ear as he took a sip of his coffee. "Huh, it is. Just like the last area we checked."
"I think they're scared."
"I'm not gonna bite." Johnny said with a smirk.
"I think they must have heard of the Whombo Combo."
"Ah yes, the Whombo Combo, the...deadliest of combos...Gyro what the fuck is the Whombo Combo?"
"It's a load of bullshit. Yes, our most brutal and devastating move! They must be afraid of that! Got to keep them guessing, y'know?"
"How many?"
"Two. They're probably trying to separate us. Why don't we just sit down and wait for them if they're gonna be like that?"
Johnny nodded, and continued drinking his coffee, knowing full well that someone was sneaking up on him. He and Gyro had intentionally positioned themselves so that the other two would attempt a sneak attack.
Three...
Two...
One.
The duo moved in unison, each covering the other's back. A steel ball/nail bullet slammed into Sen Kaibara and a returning Monoma respectfully.
"You sure recovered quickly Monoma! I have to respect your tenacity!" Johnny said as Tusk Act 4's hand emerged from the wormhole on the bond's chest. Monoma yelped as the Stand pinched his nose.
"Hey! Let go!" The rival student yelled in a nasally voice.
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your mouth. You really ought to pick up a book on social cues, maybe then people wouldn't think you're insane." Johnny said with a smile, watching as Monoma activated Tetsutestu's steel Quirk in an effort to pry Tusk's hand away.
Kaibara glanced at the steel ball spinning in his shoulder, and grinned as he rotated his own arm, canceling the other rotation out. Gyro blinked back his surprise, before grinning.
"Another rotation enthusiast I see."
"Yup! My Quirk, Gyrate, allows me to rotate parts of my body. You've met your match Zeppeli!" Kaibara replied with a confident grin, charging the Italian with his arms spinning like drills.
The Italian tilted his head back, avoiding the first punch as he analyzed the situation. So, a Quirk that allows him to spin himself. I hit him with a low powered throw in order to avoid doing him serious harm...but since it was weak, his own rotation managed to cancel it out.
However, he's no Spin User. This is a normal rotation...but I can easily fix that for him, Nyo ho!
Gyro dodged a spinning punch and caught the other in his palm, the rotation harmlessly sliding along his palm. His body was built for the Spin, so holding things that were spinning at a high velocity was a piece of cake.
"Match? Sure, you can spin yourself...but you're talking to the guy who can SPIN things."
Kaibara's eyes widened in shock as his arm's rotation was halted, and began rotating in the opposite direction. He couldn't even pull away, or stop the rotation, somehow Gyro was using his own Quirk, his own body, against him. Gyro simply let go, and Kaibara's rotating fist moved of it's own accord, much to Kaibara's horror.
."WAIT, NO!"
Johnny stopped distracting Monoma, removing the wormhole just as Kaibara punched his teammate across the face, knocking him out instantly.
"NO! MONOMA!"
Johnny grabbed the unconscious Monoma by the shoulders using Tusk, and noticed that the Spin had been transferred to Monoma's cheek, and quickly undid it...
Unleashing the Quirks the blond had copied, like a loaded spring. More specifically... Yanagi's Poltergeist Quirk from the previous fight, and since Johnny was currently pointing the unconscious 1-B student towards Kaibara...
The other student was pelted with the objects Monoma planned to use against the duo, taking him out. Johnny had used the Spin to trigger the blond's Quirk.
"Well...that was quick." Gyro commented.
"So then I said, 'Ranch dressing is the best dressing, and I don't give a fuck about your opinion,' and then I punched his lights out." Shizuka stated enthusiastically. "It was glorious."
"Wow."
"That is an interesting story." Todoroki commented. "I liked the part were you force fed the Stand User relish. Pretty creative way to take a villain down."
"So...did you ever actually get your food, or did the restaurant just close?" Kyoka asked, twirling a jack.
"Oh no, I was getting my food. I didn't go all the way to Wendy's to deal with a terrorist attack, I did it to get a fucking Baconator. So I stayed until I got one, and I even got a Frosty as a thank you!"
"Why is it that Joestars always get in the weirdest fights? I mean, just the other day I found out that Johnny fought a guy who huffed his grandmother's ashes like a drug." The purplette said, chuckling at the absurdity of it.
"...what?" Todoroki asked.
"That checks out. I mean, I'm not even a Joestar by blood! Yet I seem to have inherited my dad's tendency for battle!"
"Weird ass battles."
"Yeah, oh hey, they already took out two." Shizuka pointed at the scoreboard.
"Yeah, not really surprised." Kyoka said, leaning back in her seat. "I can only assume that whoever those two were probably thought they were getting the drop on the other two. Johnny and Gyro spent months in the woods, dealing with assassination attempts and wild animals, they're very perceptive, especially when they're together."
"How long do you think this is going to last?" Todoroki asked.
"It honestly depends on whether their other opponents understand who they're up against. This two may be formidable as hell...but I've gotten the drop on Johnny a few times during sparring sessions, so their defenses aren't impenetrable."
"Johnny, not Gyro?" Shizuka asked.
"I target him deliberately." Kyoka said with a smirk. "It's cute when he gets cranky at me. Unfortunately, Gyro usually ends up punishing me for it."
"So...even if you take one by surprise, the other compensates. That sounds like the opposite of penetrable." Todoroki said, blinking in confusion.
"True, but the fact that I could do it, when those two are more powerful than I'll ever be, means that someone else could too."
"Well, you are the Musketeers' stealth and espionage person, so it makes sense you'd be able to do that. Someone like me draws too much attention, my Quirk would easily give me away." Todoroki replied. "Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses."
"You're really trying to step up, huh?" The purplette said with a smile. "Already analysing things like a leader."
"Of course I am. Now that I'm in the loop...forming a team such as this just feels like the perfect way to surpass my father." The heterochromatic teen said with a grimace. "He toughed things out on his own, but you can only go so far without help. He was desperate to surpass All Might, that's why he became...I'm sure you already know."
"I do." Kyoka said, giving Todoroki a reassuring poke with a jack. "You're amazing Todoroni, don't forget that. We're glad to have you."
"It's Todoroki." Todoroki said, confused, but appreciative of the encouragement regardless.
"Man...you're all just so...supportive of each other." Shizuka noted. "This is the most non-toxic group I have ever seen. Back in my school in America, people are always talking shit behind each other's backs...but you guys really don't do that."
"That's because we're the cool kids."
"Pizza Mozzarella, Pizza Mozzarella, Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella! ~"
Gyro belted out the first verse to his iconic song with glee, earning a smirk from his partner.
"You know, I remember you saying that you'd only sing it once. What happened to that?"
"Art is meant to be shared, Johnny! Pizza Mozzarella, Pizza Mozzarella, Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella!~"
"Yare yare daze."
Gyro paused in his song, his face becoming serious. "Johnny...we're being watched again, and I don't think it's gonna be as easy as last time."
"Who is it?" Johnny asked, Tusk materializingbehind him with it's fists ready.
"I just saw something green."
"Shiozaki?"
"Looks like it. She brought a friend."
"Oooh, they're learning."
Johnny and Gyro both froze as a shadow covered them, blocking the light from the sun. Ibara Shiozaki was suspended above them with her vines, looking surprisingly threatening.
"Hold on, I got this." Johnny said, strolling up to the 1-B student. "Hey! Do you want to know a cool fact about Jesus?!"
"What?" The rival student asked, not expecting her religion to be brought up in the middle of a fight. "This better not be sacrilegious, Kujo."
"It isn't, I met him."
"You...met him?"
"Yup, it was this whole thing involving a corpse and...I'm getting off topic. Did you know, that most pictures of Jesus today are wrong?"
"...what?"
"Jesus Christ is typically portrayed as pearly white thanks to the sheer amount of racist assholes adopting the religion. In almost every painting or depiction of him, the guy is as white as snow. In reality, Jesus was born in the Middle East, thus was also born with a darker complexion. Basically, idiot Christians whitewashed their savior to justify their misguided feelings of superiority."
Shiozaki blinked, and put a finger to her chin, pondering what Johnny had just told her.
"That...makes a lot of sense. He shouldn't be white at all...that is a very interesting fact! Thank you Kujo, this has been eye-opening!"
"You're welcome, also...I just twisted your vines into a knot with my foot while you were distracted, have a nice nap!"
Shiozaki looked down to find her vines were coiled around Johnny's big toe, he had kicked his boot off before even confronting her. With a simple smirk, the Joestar freed his toe, and next thing the girl knew she was wrapped up in a cocoon of her own hair.
"You know, this is turning out to be really anticlimactic." Gyro said with a yawn. "Is this really the big finale?"
"We should do something to spice it up a little."
"Oooh, I have an idea! Let's do it the old fashioned way!" The Italian said, presenting his back to his unionised partner.
"A piggyback?"
"Yes! Remember I used to give you piggybacks, and we fought like that a few times?"
"I couldn't walk Gyro."
"Come on, it'll be fun!"
"Why don't I give you the piggyback?"
Itsuka Kendo was listening to the conversation with a dumbfounded expression, concealed behind a pipe. She and Shiozaki had planned a shock and awe ambush, but Johnny had already taken care of her classmate with a fun fact about Jesus. Jesus.
Now, they were having an argument over who would be riding who, as if they weren't in the middle of a battle.
"Gyro may seem like a goofball, but he's a stellar strategist. His methods are unorthodox, and it makes him unpredictable. It only gets better when he's with JoJo." Kendo recalled Momo's praising of the Italian.
"I'm just saying, I have legs now."
"You can't just disrupt the natural flow of things!"
"Natural flow?"
It's safe to say this is another one of their tricks. Kendothought to herself, the redhead glancing at the two from behind the pipe. They're positioned to defend each other, they're more than prepared for an ambush. No wonder she thinks so highly of those two, they've disguised their stellar defense in a conversation.
"I'm just saying, I think a role reversal would be ideal."
"I'm always the bottom Johnny!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Katsuki fiddled with one his grenades with a frown, still processing recent events. The new Quirk that OFA produced left the explosive blond with questions, sure. Why was OFA reacting like this for Izuku, and not All Might? Why now? What would this mean for the future?
However, there was one question that was on Katsuki's brain more than the others:
Am I going to fall behind?
The blond had come to terms with the fact that his feelings of inferiority had led to him developing an ego to cope with them, and they had prevented him from recognizing Izuku as the equal he truly was...
Now, however...Izuku might end up becoming more than an equal.
No, stop it. You can still keep up with him. Besides, Ears isn't as powerful as me, but I still think of her as an equal. Power isn't everything...I don't need to be physically stronger than him.
In order to be THE best, I need to be MY best. Katsuki affirmed to himself, recalling Diego Brando's advice.
He had learned his lesson, after the battle with Nine. There was no doubt that he had been changed, humbled, although he still couldn't properly express himself. His pride was a hard beast to fight, but he was slowly winning.
Katsuki cracked his back, grunting, and trudged over to Izuku, sitting beside him.
"Oh, hi Kacchan!" Izuku said, bright as usual. "What's up?"
"So, this new Quirk of yours...how does it work exactly?"
"Well, it activated because I was angry...so it's like I'm channeling my anger in a way. I need to train with it before I can confidently use it in combat." Izuku said, staring at his hands. "It's weird and a bit concerning...but I'm actually pretty excited to have something new to learn."
Katsuki nodded. "That blond dickhead always says shit to get on your nerves."
"He made fun of your trauma."
The explosive blond blinked, and turned his head to his childhood friend in confusion. "What?"
"He says I should hate you because you ended All Might, and then he called Kyoka second-rate. I...I couldn't stand that, I-"
"He said what?"
"He made fun of you, and Kyoka. All because he was probably bitter about your victory. I've...had this darkness festering within me...ever since my fight with the Necromancer, and that brought it out. I wanted to beat the shit out of him for insulting you...especially since I know how you felt about that situation." Izuku said, twiddling his thumbs. The greenette turned to find Katsuki's eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging open. This information clearly had an effect on him.
"I'm sorry...I just thought you deserved to know."
"I'll FUCKING KILL HIM!" Katsuki screamed, standing up, but Izuku grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Kacchan, no."
"I'M STILL FUCKING DEALING WITH THAT SHIT, AND HE THINKS HE CAN MAKE FUN OF ME?! ALL MIGHT IS MY FUCKING IDOL YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL-"
"Kacchan."
Katsuki turned and began punching the wall, releasing his anger with a scream. It took a few seconds for him to calm down, and when he did, he slumped against the wall, his face frozen in a frown.
"Bastard made fun of my friend too...fucking asshole, I hope whatever JoJo did to him hurt."
"It's JoJo, we know it did. I...haven't told him about it yet."
"Don't. The last thing I need is for him to worry about me...did...you ever hate me?"
"Huh?"
"Did you ever hate me? Not for All Might of course...for...you know."
Izuku paused, not expecting Katsuki to actually ask him that question. He was sure it had been in the back of the blond's mind for a while, but actually verbally asking the question? Clearly, Katsuki was getting better at opening up.
"No, I never hated you. I've always looked up to you...but there are times where I've felt bitter."
"I have an idea, why don't you take a swan dive of the roof and pray for a Quirk in your next life?"
Katsuki winced, his eyes pointing to the ground upon remembering the statement he made to the Quirkless Izuku. There was no reality where saying something like that would ever be right, and he knew it. He knew it back then too, but he didn't put much thought into it at the time.
What if Izuku had actually gone through with it? What would he have done then?
Worst of all, Izuku never stopped admiring him. He said that to someone who thought the world of him, like the arrogant prick he was. That was something a villain would do.
Katsuki couldn't even bring himself to apologize, because how could you? Not only was it hard for him to put his feelings into words, a simple apology wasn't enough.
"Kacchan? Are you okay? You've been staring at the floor for five minutes."
Katsuki snapped out of his trance, glancing at the friend he wronged, the greenette was giving him a worried look.
"It's nothing, don't get your panties in a bunch...fucking nerd."
Gyro grunted as he finally managed to knock Kendo out with a sucker punch. She had spotted a weakness in their defenses and struck, taking the duo by surprise. The Italian was lucky Johnny was good at improvising, or he might've actually been taken out.
"Thanks for the save! We were a bit careless that time."
"Well you started speaking in innuendos." Johnny responded.
"It was an accident!"
"You know I'm a taken man Gyro, you should be ashamed of yourself."
"Johnny, I will kick your ass right now." Gyro said with a smirk. "You're such an asshole."
"We have one left right?"
"Yeah...the question is, who?"
"I don't know." Johnny said, rubbing his cheek. "Kendo kind of kicked our asses back there. I mean, you can't deny her martial arts skills are pretty damn impressive."
"Her brain is pretty impressive too. She truly is a worthy rival to Momo." Gyro confirmed. "She fucking threw you."
"Kept up with Tusk too, at least a little bit. Honestly if we weren't prepared for an ambush, she would've gotten us." Johnny turned to look at the arena. "The question is...can her final teammate compete with such an impressive performance?"
The duo turned the corner to find Shishida with his mouth open in disbelief, standing out in the open as if he was in the middle of an attack, but stopped.
"Yo dude, close your mouth! Wouldn't want the bugs to fly in!" Gyro joked, before titling his head in confusion. "Johnny, why does he look like he just watched Valentine activate Love Train?"
"Look behind us Gyro."
Gyro did just that, and found an utterly destroyed arena, with unconscious/subdued 1-B students, flames, all the pipes collapsed and broken into metal fragments...
"Oh...did we do that?"
"It appears as though we weren't as easy on the environment as we were on our fellow students." Johnny said with a smirk. "I did panic a little bit when Kendo attacked us."
"I suppose my steel balls probably caused flames with the sparks created by my missed throws. We did also purposely break some of it to use in the fight."
"Uh...Shishida, are you alright?" Johnny asked. "We're ready when you are."
"Nope. Not doing this." Shishida replied, raising his hands in surrender.
"Aww come on! Sure-"
"Nope. Absolutely not, I know a lost cause when I see one...I'm out."
The duo watched as the rival student simply walked away, and Johnny merely shrugged, finishing his iced coffee before tossing the empty cup into a wormhole, watching it disintegrate.
"You still had that?"
"Paranormal activity has been increasing in Japan as of late, particularly Mustafu." The Speedwagon Foundation representative told the number two hero, Hawks as they approached the border of the woods near the recently destroyed Mustafu Dam. "It's gotten to the point where we're concerned."
"Ghosts and ghouls aren't necessarily my thing, that's Joestar stuff." Hawks responded. "However...if it's getting to be a serious threat..."
"Something dark has appeared in this city Hawks, something terrifying. Not just in this forest, but all over. Sightings of a pale naked man running around covered in blood, a ghost ship appearing off the coast of Morioh, and now this." The woman said with worry plastered on her face. "We might be facing a crisis."
"I wonder if the League has something to do with this...I'm currently working on gaining Santana's trust, as I'm sure you're aware...but he doesn't seem like the type for this kind of stuff. Shigaraki's half of the League had renamed themselves the Liberators for some reason...which means he could be involved..."
"I highly doubt it's either of them." The Speedwagon Foundation representative pulled out a video camera, and turned it on. "Watch."
Hawks narrowed his eyes as the woman pointed the camera at the woods, and began to approach. Suddenly, the camera footage began to glitch out, and Hawks was just able to catch a glimpse of a humanoid figure in the static before the camera burst into pieces in her hand.
Suddenly, an inhuman shriek was heard from within the forest, one that even got the normally composed Hawks to shudder.
Something sinister was lurking in Mustufu.
Okay! There's the Joint Training Arc!
Now that this arc is out of the way, BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING. Not to say Izuku getting Blackwhip isn't big, but there will be huge developments coming soon.
I have a list of arcs that will all be happening roughly around the same time, listed by their title and protagonists. I'm really excited for a few of these, so I thought I'd leave you with something to chew on before I leap into them.
UPCOMING ARCS:
V
My Villain Academia- Santana
Raked- Johnny/Ochako/Mirko
The Past Comes Back Screaming/The Barge- Kyoka/Jolyne
Tainted Pages- Gyro/Hawks
I'll just leave you guys to interpret a few of these titles, and yes, Mirko is gonna be heavily involved in the Raked arc. Can't forget the feral rabbit now, can we?
These arcs all have big things happening in them, from character development to plot points that will shape how the story goes forward.
Holy fuck, I'm excited!
