Justice Across Space and Time: Year 2
Chapter 18
Time to set up a bit more for where this year and some story arcs will go. Including the lead up to a certain event from canon. With some major changes. Also, and this is spoilers for anyone just watching the anime, but does it annoy anyone else that after all that build up, Horikoshi made it to where Shigaraki could steal the individual quirks from OFA? Like I said spoiler, but still. And not important to this story. So, on with the show.
(No POV)
For the entire week after he returned, John Svoboda was stuck having to take tests and proficiency tests to prove he would be allowed into his second year at UA. "Well they may not be at the same level academically, though that could have more to do with you. But I will say your practical scores and skills have been shown to be exemplary. Even better than what we've seen in some third years."
Nezu explained while looking at the papers and results from the tests. As well as looking at the videos of the practical exams and skills tests required for the hero program. John meanwhile just looked burned out from all the studying and test taking he had to do. Midnight chuckled before noting that he more than showed he had what it took to transfer back to UA.
"However. There is another matter," the heroine said with a raised eyebrow toward her potential new charge. John groaned before asking what it was. Nemuri looked at the young man before sighing and taking off her mask. "I'm not saying this as a hero or teacher. But as a person in this profession and a person. Are you willing to let others help you? Or trust them with greater secrets?"
John was confused and asked, "what are you talking about? I trust them." Nemuri just gave him a look before saying, "do you? You left the school to take care of certain matters by yourself. Ran away with little word to your peers or "elders". Rather than trust your allies and friends. Or even your partner." He looked ready to respond but stopped himself when he thought about the matter more.
Nemuri nodded before saying, "you felt you were the only one who could handle the matter, so you ran off on your own. Vigilante style. You've talked about not liking how we've turned being a hero into a job. How it makes it to where the mask is even more of who we are than the person behind it. But what does that make you who let your desire or need to find out what those demons warned you about? Did you not become only the hero you made yourself into in this instance?"
Svoboda looked ready to retort at any moment, but the more she said, the more she explained, he could see exactly what she was getting at. And the larger point he had missed as well. His face was even more shadowed as he leaned forward to consider his actions.
'She's right. They all are really. I had fun being "normal" for a time and then panicked after the attack and warning from the demons. I thought I had grown soft and needed to go back to being Justice and Justice alone to get the job done. Powers or not. I forgot to be…. Jotaro or John really. Partially because this isn't my home world, and I don't have a place to call home. No that's just an excuse.'
Midnight could see all of John's thoughts even though his face was shadowed. 'I may not be able to see his eyes, but I can tell enough from his body language. He hadn't really considered the matter. He only focused on the mission. And that takes it's toll on a hero. Though…. That isn't really a reason to keep him from his classmates.'
"I don't….. I'm not even sure on the best ways to respond right now ma'am." John says before bringing his hands up to rub his eyes. The R-Rated hero chuckles before noting the irony of him calling her ma'am. "Given you are older. Technically. But I guess it shows that you hadn't really considered why you ran off. Only the idea that you needed to go. And now you're reflecting more and see how it looks."
John nodded and asked what it meant in the long term. "It means you can return to fully being a part of class 2-A." Midnight says with a small smile. Upon seeing his confused look, the heroine explained that John was showing enough guilt and remorse that it told her he would be trying to make things right with his friends. "And you can't really do that if you aren't in the same class."
"Hm, well I suppose this is a good way to teach him a little lesson. Besides, technically he has earned his spot. And I don't want to have to fill in the spot until certain others are ready." Nezu said with a sip of his tea.
John looked at him funny before saying, "uh what are you talking about?" Nezu smiles and simply says he would see soon enough. "For now you should probably join your classmates for real." And with that, the wandering strongest member of 1 now 2-A was able to truly rejoin his classmates.
Though not all of them were overly accepting or welcoming. Namely, Izuku, Sahiraah, Shoto, Ochaco, and Tokoyami were a little cold upon Midnight delivering the news. "So, are you going to be making the rest of us look bad? Or are you just hoping to find what you're looking for again?" Izuku said with a light glare behind his sport glasses.
John rubbed the back of his neck and looked ready to apologize. But Midnight interrupted by saying, "okay that's enough. Take your seat Svoboda-kun. We need to cover some more details going forward." The tall young man nodded before going to his seat in the rear of the classroom.
Midnight then went over a more detailed review of how the Hero Work Recommendation Project was handled for the class. Pointing out that they handled the day-to-day matters very well. From helping civilians with minor issues and other volunteer work, to the handful of rescues and finding of missing persons and the like.
"As for when the villains attacked… well I have to admit we never could have imagined such a powerful group going to a "safe" zone. We just assumed it would be a less dangerous area for training. Still, unexpected circumstances are part of the job."
John was rolling his eyes during parts of the explanation. Namely, some of the jobs they did were ones that many people could do themselves. No quirk, power, or even complicated tech required. 'I mean it's not like I haven't helped cats out of trees, but I don't do it because I'm called in for help. If you do too much, people won't help themselves,' he thought in slight annoyance. But when the details of the attack by Nine and his followers came up, the other world hero was thinking he should have been there to help.
"Uraraka, you and Shield-san did quite well in trying to initially protect the boy and his sister. Midoriya, you did well with trying to mitigate the damage and then working on a plan with the others later. Not to mention how you, Shield, and Uraraka were able to defeat the leader. And Ojiro. You truly surpassed what I believed possible. You were able to defeat a villain that would give a number of the top 10 trouble."
"I have to agree. I wouldn't have thought about doing what you did for the storm of ki." John said in amazement at how Ojiro closed the gap in power between him and Chimera. Ojiro chuckled a little before saying, "after seeing/experiencing it, I could understand why you were opposed to teaching the technique. And the pain afterward was pretty brutal. But, I'd do it all over again. If it meant saving those people."
Izuku nodded and agreed with the tailed teen's perspective. "It was the same for why I came up with that way to share my strength with Ochaco and Melissa," he said while thinking about how much trouble one villain with the various quirks he'd collected had been.
Midnight then looked to Sahiraah and said, "I can understand why you stepped away and focused on removing the civilians. Though I do wish you would have been more willing to jump in and defeat the villains. All things considered."
"If I did that, they wouldn't have been able to grow. Ojiro wouldn't have figured out his own way of controlling the storm of ki. Izuku wouldn't have discovered a way he could share his kinetic energy with others. And Mina wouldn't have had a chance to really test what she could do." Sahiraah said while gently adjusting her hijab.
Mina coughs before saying, "yeah that might be a good and a bad thing. I think I might have left more of an impact on that villain Slice than I expected." She was blushing at the memory and tried to push past it. Midnight hums before saying she would be training Mina a little more to make use of her new talents. "Oh, and Midoriya will be joining."
"I will?!" Izuku asked in confusion before the bell rang and the next period began. The rest of the day went by as normal. Even into the hero class portion of the day. Though John had some issues with getting back into a more student focused mentality with the mock patrol through the battleground. Leaping to where he thought there was an incident, interrupting the route of a different participant, and missing his own planned incident.
He groaned in the locker room before apologizing to Tokoyami. "I got used to just jumping in and backing heroes up in the USA. Because it was even something Kate did," he explained while putting his blazer on.
Tokoyami nodded before saying, "I suppose that makes sense. But please be more careful in the future." While they were talking, some of the others were discussing a few matters of what they would be doing later. "Any idea what Midnight-sensei is going to have you doing with Ashido?" Mineta asked (while quickly considering all of the scintillating possibilities in his head).
Izuku just shrugs and notes he won't know until he gets called in. "Well if the training isn't over the weekend Midoriya, do you and your mother want to come over for dinner?" Todoroki asked. Izuku agreed with a smile, while John was a bit surprised by the interaction.
"When did you two start getting along more?" he asked before leaving the locker room. Izuku explained along the way that while John was gone, he'd taken to working with a few of the others on ideas for how to better use his more unusual abilities. "Shoji and Asui gave me some good ideas for my kinetic tendrils. And Todoroki has been a huge help with learning how to balance heating and cooling things."
His true meta mentor makes a contemplative face before seeing the logic behind the matter. "If you've gone over to his house, has Endeavor been helping you to learn a few things too?" John asked. Shoto tenses up a little and John starts to apologize. Sensing that things were still rough with the current number one hero.
"No. It's not like that. It's just…. Well, I don't live with my father anymore. None of us do." Shoto explained while thinking back on when his father brought up the second house he was building for his children and their mother. "I think it's his way of atoning for what he put all of us through. I'm not sure if they're going to get a divorce, but I think he may be ready for that possibility."
John was shocked by that big change to the bi colored teen's life in the few months he'd been gone. Let alone other matters each of the others was dealing with or having grown in. "I missed a lot because I was focused on avoiding a possible tragedy," he thought aloud while looking at the ground.
"Yeah. But it's not without a reason. I-we all know that." Sahiraah says while putting a hand on his shoulder. The two share a smile before the genie walks away. "I am still mad. But the fact you're reflecting tells me you're growing or regrowing a bit." John sighs while feeling her leave.
Mineta is tempted to needle him for "losing in love" or something similar, he instead chose to go a different way. "Didn't really think it through, did you? It's kind of like those stories where the guy goes away to war, and his girlfriend finds someone new. At least I think that's what this is," he says with a somewhat smug look directed Justice's way.
And even the glare from the larger hero didn't stop him from mentioning that he'd pissed off Itsuka and even Izuku was mad at him. "Are you trying to get punted to the ocean. Because I'm very tempted to do that." John said with his eyes narrowed at the short teen.
"Uh, no. Okay I was trying to get under your skin. But really….. it did kind of sting when you just disappeared like that. And I'm not just talking about the trouble we got into on Nabu. I mean, you could have at least said goodbye," he said with a shrug.
John rubbed his neck and agreed to a point as he was heading back to the 2-A dorm. There though he was surprised by Tokoyami and Kuroiro looking over some blank sheets of paper. "So what's up?" he asked while walking up.
The bird headed teen hummed before lighting a match beneath the paper and writing appeared upon it. "I see. An invitation to the shadows. Asking to meet in the darkest abyss upon the full moon," the two dark (literally) students recite while looking over the paper and map drawn upon it. John just looks at the pair before questioning if this was a prank or something.
"Ah that's right. Thou absconded our realms before this was brought up." Kuroiro said with a side glance at the larger teen. Before he could start on his normal flowery speech pattern, John caught Izuku to ask what the letters were all about.
Izuku raised his eyebrow before noticing the paper and piecing what is going on together. "Oh, you two have got a team up eh?" Izuku said before explaining the premise of the missions to John. How they were another idea put forward by the commission and the hero schools to improve and rapidly grow the skills of hero students.
"So, it's another thing they just set up in response to their over reliance on All Might?" John asked with a slightly annoyed look. Izuku couldn't disagree and said, "yeah kinda. It is helpful though with getting to learn more about some heroes. As well as practicing on lower danger threats and getting ideas for attacks. Not all of us can have that figured out to where they don't need more schooling."
With that he leaves and tells Tokoyami good luck on his mission. John knew where that was directed but chose not to react for the time being. But before he could go back to his room, Tokoyami stopped him. "We need you actually. Perhaps they foresaw your return, but they have requested that we bring "one of the outsiders of our standing" to this collaboration as well."
John looks at them funny before asking what that meant. "I believe they were curious about the new forms in which we humans exist upon this plain." Kuroiro explained while looking at the hero. "Doesn't that mean they just want to see a true meta? Wouldn't Izuku work too?"
"Truly. He would be an exceptional specimen as well. But given your own knowledge and history, you are by far the better candidate." Tokoyami said while closing his eyes in contemplation. "I'm not sure how I feel about that." John said with a tilt of his head.
But he had little else to worry about and he was curious about the various other heroes and the program in general. So, he agreed to go with the dark duo over the weekend. Izuku meanwhile had been listening in and chose not step in. 'Aside from the plans with Todoroki and his family, this might help John to see some of the other advantages to the hero system. Even if it is flawed.' Izuku thought before heading to his room to study.
Under his door though was a note. This one was also for a team up, but one that had him a little suspicious. "What does Uwabami want with me?" he thought aloud while looking at the headshots that had been sent with the letter. Feeling uneasy about the very likely possibility that this was just to put him into some kind of modeling spread or a commercial like what Itsuka, Sahiraah and Momo had dealt with.
Speaking of the first two, they were discussing a few things within John and Sahiraah's shared space. "So, how long do we keep this up?" Itsuka asked while using one of the workout sections of the space. The genie girl hummed while practicing yoga and twisting herself into knots. "Normally, I'd wait maybe a century. But you don't have that time. So, maybe a few weeks. Then again, how long I stay mad isn't that dependent on you."
Itsuka gave her a flat look while doing squats and said she definitely couldn't wait that long. "At the same time….. I'm just really glad to see him again. And I know he didn't leave without a reason. But…" Itsuka trailed off as she couldn't make sense of what she was feeling.
So Sahiraah filled in the blank by playing an old country song. Simply titled "I Just Wanna Be Mad". Itsuka blushed with part of it but agreed with what was said. "Where did you hear this song?" she asked while toweling off.
"He's from the central USA. Country and stations that played it were so commonplace it was kind of ridiculous." Sahiraah said while blushing a little. The two shared a laugh before heading to their main rooms in real space. With Itsuka looking over a letter she had gotten from Present Mic. One that asked her to come to a hero elementary school on an island. 'Why do they want me? Is it for some agenda?' she asked herself while considering the matter before going to sleep.
Outside of the normal space time though, others were watching or trying to find their way to the universe. One out of worry and the other out of enjoyment at certain hero's misery. "I wonder if I should mess with them more? Let's watch the fireworks."
So, yeah. I'm using this as a way to set up some of the team up missions within the story. It may seem a little late, but I do think they should be part of the major canon. Also, it made more sense that it would be something started around the same time as the HWRP. Given both were set up in the story as being ways to train the next generation heroes. As well as padding out the rosters of heroes in universe.
As for the whole staying mad a John/Jotaro/Justice thing, I really do think that is a fair thing everyone kind of needs. Especially in a relationship. You don't always agree and there will be arguments and fights. Learning to grow or get past them is part of loving someone. And sometimes if you really do care, you have to let go.
But that's not the bigger point here. I just thought it was accurate and fitting for the characters to have this kind of moment. Interspersed with some action and new drama on the way. You'll see. Please review!
