To superpierce, it was fun to poke at the troupe of a "Cheat Ability" based on a Crafting System, after the elaboration at the beginning about the [Magic App] he now had thanks to Elma.
#ElmamaIsBestGirl
And obviously, him becoming friends with Mei Hatsume was the logical choice. That I got to throw in a niche little corner from Daily Life with a Monster Girl was also a good bit of fun, and the area makes a great backdrop for future chapters.
brolyk445: "the "Trash Protagonists" in the Isekai sub-genre suffered from" I get the Reference "In Another World with My Smartphone" I always thought it was stupid
Re: Yes, exactly. When I do decide to read Isekai, if it isn't "Slow Life", I want it to be one where the Hero actually struggles, not… whatever half the crap that got put out after the "2013 Isekai Boom" is…
A personal reccomendation is MÄR, for Märchen Awakens Romance, a 2003-06 serialization that quite frankly doesn't get the love it deserves, which is why I've thrown bits and pieces into my RWBY mass-multi-crossover, Giant-Slayer. But I digress.
PoppyRay9: You have earned my respect and my appreciation, also loved the interaction with those three, so sweet and wholesome.
Re: Thank you; "sweet and wholesome" actually was what I was going for when it came to making Mei & Momo friends. Part of the fun of starting pre-Canon is I can have stuff like this happen. There's nothing wrong with stories starting at Yuuei, but too many flashbacks kinda sucks the fun out of it. Like settling down for a nap and you miss the beautiful countryside on a road trip.
To those that wanted him to build an Iron Man Suit or start a tech empire with his "Cheat Ability", while I'm flattered you have that much faith in him, what "he" wants at the moment is a Slow Life until "Hero Highschool". He already gets enough attention from the media with his weekly/monthly Villain Attacks, and he wants to build up his war chest a little before painting an even bigger target on his back. In-universe there's already a demand on the Black Market for Hero-grade Support Items, so anyone that could make them would also be targeted; hence why the people living on I-Island rarely ever leave.
Also, when I get around to giving him "a suit", obviously it'll be something like the [Deadlock Armor] from the game with the same name. Of course, before that can happen, he'll need access to higher-end 3D Printers than what Mei has access to right now. Something I think it'd be easy for her to get her hands on now that she and "Momo-ojou-chan" are besties.
Because once again, the two of them being childhood besties is "sweet and wholesome". Especially since their "fun bags" haven't come in yet and Takei gets to see it happen like a timelapse.
*AHA*
"So, did your little play date with your gal pals turn into a 'play date'~"
"Jii-san, the Age of Consent in this Japan is still thirteen…" I deadpanned.
It was the day after I made my first Arc Reactor, on top of a few successful and a few botched gizmos I made from scraps in a cave. Since I'd committed a little more vigorously toward physical excellence, I decided to follow up on an offer that Polt-san had extended, and thus was making my way to Sports Club Kobold, the contemporary rival to the Silverman Gym franchise. Sorahiko was in attendance alongside me because we hadn't spent much time together during Golden Week, and I didn't really see much of a reason to exclude him.
Of course, him being a perverted old man had me wondering if I should've taken my chances and leapt from the window with my new Grappling-Watch, which I proudly wore on my left wrist.
"Ah, so you're laying down the groundwork, then~ I see~ I see~"
Just gonna ignore that comment…
"Hm? The heck's going on here?" Sorahiko blinked as we rounded the corner only to find the entire street, sidewalk-to-sidewalk, completely blocked off by a wall of people.
"Oh Kami fucking dammit…" I swore as I shouldered my way through, Sorahiko using his 'old man privileges' to do much the same.
*AHA*
"What… What the heck am I looking at?" I deadpanned at the sight that greeted us.
"An indictment of the modern Hero Education System?" Sorahiko offered.
"I was gonna go with 'a bunch of D-Listers making complete spectacles of themselves', but that works too."
The sight of course that greeted us was a portion of the city block in front of the bank being sealed off by police, and in the middle of it all were a dozen Heroes I didn't give a fuck about having gotten their shit pushed in by a Villain with an hourglass figure and only one Hero still standing. The Villain in question was clad in a black skintight suit that might as well have been painted on, the torso down to the groin decorated with a pink "Female Sign" with the circle at the collar, a similar symbol on her face with the cross being used like a mask and being worn over zig-zagging purple hair. In one hand she held a gun-like Support Item that was basically a "Female Sign" with a gun handle on the bottom and the circle as the stock. What caught my interest though, was that all the window panes in the area had mysteriously vanished, and the lady who gave me some 90s cartoon flashbacks had some intricate-looking glass boots going up to the knees on her feet.
A minute later the last of the Heroes went down, the woman having used her Support Item like a vacuum to suck up some of the glass from her feet before launching it in a slug that took aforementioned Hero in the balls.
"And thus another filthy man falls at the heel of… The Feminista!"
Whelp, it's official.
The universe just loves to fuck with me.
"Oh great, another of these Villains…" Sorahiko groaned as he fished for his domino mask.
"What do you mean?" I asked drawing my own from my pocket.
"Another Villain whose entire schtick is that they're feminist."
"Oh, okay, I figured but didn't want to assume."
*AHA*
"Now, if you men know what's good for you, you'll stay out of my way!" Feminista called out as she waved her 'Femi-Gun' about threateningly.
"So, is this fight by invite only, or can anyone join in?"
Feminista turning around, caught sight of a young boy in a re-sized Yuuei Academy tracksuit, a retro black-on-white domino mask obscuring his face from view, even if it did nothing to hide the large… cat-like(?) ears his Quirk gave him.
"Move along, little boy. The adults are talking."
"Now, you see, that's just the thing. I would've 'moved along'… but your entire spectacle is blocking my way. And while I have no love for a bunch of hacks whose names I don't even know, I can't umbrage some feminazi tearing up my town."
"Feminazi was my cousin!" the woman raged.
" . . . Just gonna file that away for later. But anyway…" the boy muttered. "I YEARN FOR TRUE GENDER EQUALITY!" he suddenly announced, projecting his voice to the back of the crowds. "I HAVE NO PATIENCE FOR ONE WHO TALKS ABOUT FEMALE PRIVILEDGE WHEN IT SUITS THEM, AND THEN COMPLAINS ABOUT SOMEONE 'NOT BEING A MAN' WHEN IT'S CONVENIENT!"
"Wh-What…?" Feminista blinked at his impassioned speech.
"I'M AN ADVOCATE OF TRUE GENDER EQUALITY!" the boy repeated. "A GUY WHO HAS NO PROBLEM DOLING OUT A DROP KICK TO A FEMALE OPPONENT! DON'T THINK I'LL GO EASY ON YOU! I'LL UNLEASH THE FULL POWER OF MY GENDER EQUALITY MARTIAL ARTS RIGHT HERE IN PUBLIC!"
"Gender Equality…?"
"Martial Arts…?"
The crowd beginning to mutter in a mix of revulsion, shock, and amazement as the boy dug through his gym bag before drawing out a collapsible baton, the next moment he rushed at her with a fist drawn back.
"GENDER EQUALITY PUUUUNCH!"
*POW!*
"GAH!" Feminista gasped as he struck her powerfully in the stomach despite his prepubescent frame.
"OH! HE GOT A HIT!" the crowd at his back gasped in unison as though they'd been practicing.
"GENDER EQUALITY KIIIICK!"
*BAM!*
"AND ANOTHER!" the crowd behind her gasped as though they too had been practicing.
"GENDER EQUALITY SHOOOOCK!"
"UNGYAAAAAAH!" Feminista cried as the teen struck her at the cross-shaped intersection on her costume with a stun baton!
"GENDER EQUALITY ROCKET PUUUUNCH!"
*SOCK!*
"AAUGH!" Feminista cried as the boxing gun from the toy-sized gun he drew next sent her spinning.
"And now, the ultimate in Gender Equality Martial Arts! GENDER EQUALITY SUPLEEEEX!"
The boy hugging her around the thighs when her back was turned, the next moment her feet left the ground, the boy's back arching until he slammed her head-first into the ground, and everything went black.
*AHA*
"I… I… I don't have words…" Sorahiko deadpanned as the police let them go.
"Technically, you have four of them."
"Still though…"
While it was true that Takei had fought a Villain despite not having a license, they couldn't exactly charge him for Improper Quirk Use, and thanks to the Writ from the HPSC, he was perfectly within his rights to use Support Items "in the absence of an able-bodied Hero(es)". Not to mention, all that talk about "gender equality" that most people were too afraid to touch up on themselves, had turned the boy into a bit of a local hero, to the point that it'd have been hard for the police to take him away even if there had been any quote/unquote "Pro" Heroes still standing.
That he had an "in" with Kuroyama through his little girl meant it was kinda unsurprising when the boys in blue let the boy pass on the way to the gym.
What also was unsurprising, was that the reason all those Heroes went down was because they didn't want to "hit a girl" in front of so many people. When they'd attempted grappling, Feminista had accused them of "molesting" her before she used her [Glass Slipper] Quirk to "Glassbend" a nearby car windshield and strike him in the back of the head. The Mon Squad might not've had the flashiest Quirks, or even been the most-popular, and them working alongside the police instead of treating them as the "cleanup crew" had put a rift between them and other Heroes, but now more than ever, it was undeniable that Asaka-shi was suffering after they went off to combat the Trigger epidemic in Naruhata.
Of course, that shouldn't have been Takei's problem to worry about. He should've been enjoying his Golden Week like any other pre-teen, but instead he was going off to get a gym membership after making a huge political spectacle of himself in front of a crowd that'd probably recorded the entire thing on their phones.
"Here we are."
Sorahiko looking up from his musings, beheld a large white building with enough windows to fill the place with natural light. The corners were beveled, and dominating part of the upper floors on the exterior was a picture of a pretty dog-like woman running with a smile on her face. The sign reading SPORTS CLUB KOBOLD in impossible-to-misinterpret English, was decorated by five interlinked paw-like rings in blue, yellow, black, green, and red in left-to-right as a clear allusion to the five-ring emblem of the Olympic Games, the Os in the rest of the sign stylized like paw prints too. And while it was true that spectatorship had fallen out of favor in recent decades, the idea that "no-one" watched the games anymore in favor of the Yuuei Sports Festival… was a bit of an exaggeration, if he were being honest. Only people really up the ass of Japan's Hero scene actually thought that way.
"Welcome to Sports Club Kobold, Hero-chan, Hero-jii-san!" a pretty cat therianthrope girl with white fur greeted from behind the receptionist counter.
"Huh? OH!"
The two quickly removed their domino masks, realizing they hadn't actually taken them off since that… incident…
"Um, I received an invite from Polt-san, and I'd like to sign on for a membership," Takei announced.
"Of course, of course! One complimentary membership and one senior discount, coming right up!"
"Wait, 'complimentary'?" the blond blinked.
"Hai! Polt-san put you on the VIP list, what with the Mon Squad being members here too!"
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Also, you left a nice impression on her after you went fishing together!" she smiled.
"So you do have a thing for older women~"
"Sorahiko not now!" the blond hissed.
A short registration process later, and the two were greeted by-
"P-Polt-san!"
"Takei-kun! It's so great to see you again!" the pretty therianthrope girl greeted, tail wagging eagerly.
"H-Hey, it's nice to see you too," he returned, a little unbalanced by the pure energy and sunshine she was putting out. Like coming home to an over-eager dog who wouldn't stop jumping at you and licking at your face.
"So, now that you're here, how about a tour?"
*AHA*
"Over here is the gym!"
Which consisted of workout equipment of various kinds in small, medium, large, and extra-large sizes for those whose Heteromorphic traits made them really small, really big, or "extra-big" if you weren't "human-sized".
"Alright, men, it's time to pump *CLAP!* you up!" a German accent announced off to the side, Takei turning his head to see what looked like 'legally distinct' versions of the Red and Blue Ogre from Dragonball Z leading a workout group of 'legally distinct' versions of the Ginyu Force members also from the same show (sans Captain Ginyu), thick black ankle trackers on full display.
"Do I need to be worried?"
"Hm? Oh, no, they're here for rehab. Gotou and Masaru are retired Heroes who specialize in rehabilitating Instant Villains," Polt answered to his worries. "It helps that they're some of the strongest Heroes around. They actually helped Tio-chan back when she was a Sukeban."
"Wha-Wha-What? You mean that adorable mountain of cuddles and sunshine was… a hooligan?" Takei asked incredulously.
"She's really embarrassed by it, so maybe don't bring it up while she's around~" Polt whispered into his ear.
"Still though, knowing she used to be a delinquent girl… It recontextualizes everything about her…"
"Hoh~ Didn't know that was your type~"
"Sorahiko not now!"
*AHA*
"Over here we've got the rock climbing wall!"
Which was literally the entire far wall of the facility, traversing multiple floors. From left to right it went from easy, medium, hard, and extra-hard, with the number of dedicated plastic hand-holds decreasing as the difficulty increased. The bottom, instead of being padded mats, were actually giant airbags, as some people had the option to not use ropes; mainly those who wanted to become Heroes, or those whose Heteromorphic traits made climbing easier but they didn't want to drive too far into the wilderness to do much the same.
"That… actually looks really cool!" Takei awed with child-like wonder. "I've gotta get in on this! Once the tour's over of course."
"Hey missy, I think there's something wrong with your vending machines," Sorahiko said pointing off to the side. "Someone with a hacking Quirk, maybe?"
"Hm? Oh, there's nothing wrong with them. That's how we price beverages at Sports Club Kobold!" the therianthropic girl answered proudly.
"Really?" Takei blinked. "But that's like... a 20% discount to what you'll find on the streets in some cases."
"At Kobold Industries, we believe in carefully, steadily, and healthily building funds to support the people," Polt said with a winning smile.
"Kobold Industries... The cobalt mining conglomerate?" Sorahiko blinked.
"That's the one!"
"Huh. You learn something new every day," Takei hummed, committing the reduced prices in the vending machines to memory since anywhere else they'd bleed you dry.
*AHA*
"Over here we've got the wind tunnels!"
On a higher floor and vending rushing air through nets and grating to the outside were large wind tunnels, obviously designed with flying Heteromorphs in mind. Because of countless drone and light aircraft-related incidents as the Quirk Saturation Threshold continued to increase, most countries were extremely stringent on who could fly at what altitudes, for which purposes, and for how long, so Sports Club Kobold was one of the few institutions that freely allowed those with wings or other flight-related abilities to really work out in Japan. In the rest of the world which was far larger and didn't have a quote/unquote "Symbol of Peace", people were far more free to fly about; but only because they had more "elbow room" and actually respected aircrafts' right of way.
"NII-NII!"
"PAPI! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE FLYING!" Takei called out as Papi in her distracted state was sent pinwheeling through the air before she got caught in the netting.
"Papi, you really need to watch where you're going," Haruna sighed from the neighboring wind tunnel as hers and Papi's 'spotters' turned down the power. "Hm? Takei-kun, what're you doing here?"
"Getting a gym membership," Takei replied. "I'm happy to see you two are getting along, and that you're taking your training a bit more seriously."
"Yeah, well, after Chisa-chan almost got eaten… I kinda had a bit of a wakeup call. That and it's actually really fun breaking my limits~"
"So, you have a career in mind?"
"I'm gonna fly bread!" Papi beamed.
"She means she wants to work with Pan Air."
The white-winged girl then went on to explain how Pan Air was one of the few privatized companies that allowed relatively free Quirk usage in the workplace. Similar to Uber Eats and other food-delivery apps, Pan Air, distinctive by their green uniforms and all-flying field staff (for the brand recognition, Takei supposed), specialized in delivering bread and other bread-related products to people who couldn't get away from work or lived far away from specialty stores that sold limited-quantity products. The entire thing started out with "one guy" flying Limited Edition breads from anime conventions to those that couldn't attend, and the whole thing ballooned from there in the intervening decades.
While there were plenty of imitation companies to tried to use the same business model, only Pan Air had been able to stand the test of time with the most fiscal growth and smallest incident record. The company had also invested in Hero-grade Support Items to keep their delivery staff appraised of what altitudes they were allowed to fly at, ambient weather conditions, and other nearby low-flying aircraft. Drone and bird strikes still happened, occupational hazards of the trade, but thanks to full-body airbag harnesses like the one Takei got for Christmas, it had actually been a long while since any sort of on-the-job fatality had occurred.
"Are you going to deliver bread too?"
"Honestly… I'm kinda on the fence between being a Courier Hero, or signing on with Platina Express," the girl answered as she adjusted her flight goggles.
"Oh? Well, good for you," Takei nodded, assuming Platina Express was another Quirk-based delivery company. Maybe a little more high-end based on the name.
"What about you? You going for the Hero Course now that you can pack heat?" the White Winged Girl asked.
"Yeah, but I'd like to be more than the 'Gun Nut-kun', so… physical excellence, you know?"
With promises to Papi to meet up for lunch later in the day, the tour continued.
*AHA*
"Here we've got the pools!"
The area resembled an indoor water park in scope, one side of the area possessing something that resembled an Olympic-sized pool, while smaller pools for more-normal body sizes occupied the rest of the space. There were also adjoining hot tubs and saunas, as well as a health spa.
"What's that smell?" Takei blinked.
"Oh, we use ozone instead of chlorine because we don't want to poison any of the aquatic Heteromorphs that come here," Polt answered pointing to the Olympic-sized pool, some of the lanes occupied by dolphin and shark-like Heteromorphs, as well as a mermaid-looking Heteromorph.
Takei was unsure if it was something with a merfolk-like Quirk, or if she were a legit merfolk from 'the other world'.
"Hey, isn't that your friend from school?" Sorahiko asked pointing to the far side of the Olympic-sized pool as a familiar Giant Girl came up for air like a breaching whale.
"Kyouko-chan?"
"Takei-kun?"
As it turned out, one half of the Olympic-sized pool was specially-designed for those that had larger body types, surpassing a depth of three meters for half the lanes. Anything deeper than that would be wildly impractical to not only maintain but also to build in the first place. Those that wanted "real depth", would already live by the sea more out of necessity than choice. For aquatic Heteromorphs, it was a bit more difficult to enforce where they could and couldn't swim since you couldn't really fine someone for using the gills they had been born with. It'd been attempted with "mandatory" tracking implants and depth charges, but that whole thing had turned into a shit show; stories like that only reinforced Takei's belief that the present treatment of Quirkless people was the "lingering grudge" of those that had once been in the minority.
"Where's Chisa-chan? You two're normally joined at the hip," he asked pulling away from depressing thoughts.
"She's over in the… kiddie pool…" the Giant Girl sweat dropped as she pointed down the way, the Tiny Girl in a pool designed for those whose Quirks made them 'fun-sized'.
"Ouch."
On the upside, as long as no-one paid attention to their feet, dwarves and midgets alike got street cred in this world.
"Anyway, what're you doing here?"
"Polt-san invited me, and since I want to stay in good shape, I figured I'd take her up on it."
"Oh, so we might see more of one another, then," she nodded.
"Maybe. You guys wanna meet up for lunch later?"
"Mm, no, it's more of a 'girls' day out' kinda thing. But thank you for the invite!"
*AHA*
"Polt-san."
"Hai?"
"Are these... sports anime posters?" Takei asked as they took the stairwell to the upper floor once again, the interior of the space as well as the rest of Sports Club Kobold decorated with stylized murals of what looked like the protagonists of sports anime. Hell, one of them looked like an anthropomorphized racehorse girl.
And given it'd been "two hundred years", they probably had turned everything including the kitchen sink "into a girl"...
"Oh no, these are motivational posters of Heroes who are pro athletes on the side," Polt answered.
"Huh. Guess it makes sense..."
Some Heroes, similar to Idols, would use their career as a springboard to leap into another occupation, so it only made sense that Heroes, some of the most-physically-fit people in the world (in the case of those that gave a damn about something besides their Quirks), would also play sports for fun as well as profit. Back before meta-abilities were the reality, pro athletes were the closest things around to superheroes, some of their feats borderline superhuman because of raw physical excellence alone. A record-winning baseball pitch could just as easily incapacitate someone off-the-field as on, and the accuracy to take out a clay pigeon could just-as-easily swat a Villain from the sky.
And the idea of pro athletes dabbling in superhero and even supervillainy wasn't anything new either. Sportsmaster, NFL Superpro, Javelin, Triathlon, Flash Gordon, Casey Jones, Silver Surfer, Black Racer, and others were either athletes before becoming superheroes/villains, or adopted sports paraphernalia into their dedicated equipment after-the-fact.
Hell, there was literally "Hero League Baseball" for when actual Pro Heroes had too much time on their hands.
It was funny as shit watching hot-heads hurt one another with their Quirks, but that so-many could just fuck off and "go fishing" for half a day worried him at times...
"So I take it you're some kinda decathlon runner, missy?" Sorahiko asked from behind, enjoying the free show before clicking his tongue as Takei stepped in protectively to block his view.
"I try, but leading Kobold Industries takes so much out of me, I have to squeeze in every bit of sports that I can."
"Well, you're definitely the poster child for physical excellence," Takei replied.
"Awwww, you're so sweet~" Polt beamed as she leaned down and stroked his head, Takei's ears shooting up and a blush dominating his face.
*AHA*
"If there is a Kami, I don't know whether to be thankful or worried…" Sorahiko hummed to himself as he beheld the Sunbathing Pool on the top floor, which bore a very striking resemblance to 'That Pool'; the most infamous swimming pool in Japanese pornography.
Sure, the larger size of the place made it more family-friendly, but the "lines" still gave it the look of "The Usual Pool" he grew up watching when he… ahem… came of age.
Unlike the "water park" downstairs, the Sunbathing Pool was more laid-back, occupied by families with small children, or old folks who were tending to their health and welfare.
"We've also got courses for yoga, tai chi, women's self-defense, underwater basket weaving, and lots of other fun activities both in and outside Sports Club Kobold," Polt summarized eagerly, her tail wagging as she handed Takei a complimentary tote bag filled with fun little extras including but not limited to a swimsuit, an embroidered towel, and an insulated water bottle.
"Fishing's a sport?" Sorahiko blinked looking down at his pamphlet.
"Yes! And it's good for the environment!" Polt beamed.
"It's also how we met, and I have fond memories," Takei replied with a smile.
"SO PUUUURE!" Polt gushed, her tail swishing eagerly before she took Takei up into her arms and smothered him in a hug.
"Oh, if only I could be that age again," Sorahiko hummed as Takei took it all in stride, giving the pretty Heteromorph a pat on the back.
*AHA*
"And that concludes our tour!" Polt said happily, the three of them finding themselves back in the lobby where their tour had begun.
"Whelp, I'm sold," Takei nodded, already using his complimentary water bottle.
"I couldn't help but notice you don't offer any Hero discounts..." Sorahiko hummed as he glanced at the front desk. "Any special reason for that?"
"At Sports Club Kobold, we believe that physical wellness should be available to all people, not just Heroes," Polt responded with a passionate gleam in her eye. "Compare our rates to Silverman Gym, and while they do offer discounts to Heroes and Academy students, for everyone else there's a massive price-hike. Not naming any names or anything, but I think most of what you're actually paying for is the chance to rub elbows with Pro Heroes, as well as buy exclusive merch. And more than anything, Kobold Industries as a whole doesn't believe that physical wellness should be kept behind a price wall."
"Huh, an institution that isn't completely obsessed with Heroes. Imagine that," Takei nodded with an appreciative hum.
"Not to say we don't get Pro Heroes at our branch locations," Polt admitted. "Apart from the Mon Squad who work out here, Hawks, Ryukyu, Gang Orca, Shishido, Hound Dog, Selkie, and many others make use of our branch locations," she said pointing toward some promotional materials scattered across the lobby. Gang Orca making use of the pool like something from a superhero movie, Shishido using the barbells while also wearing his costume for some reason, Hound Dog using a larger treadmill four-legged, Hawks in one of the wind tunnels, and so-on. "Of course, it helps that our facilities are more-inclusive for Mutant-Type Quirks than the Silverman Gym is."
"Yeah, I can understand that. To Kyouko-chan, our school's pool might as well be a kiddie pool."
"That explains all the high ceilings," Sorahiko hummed, feeling even smaller than usual.
"And it's why we have such a dedicated consumer base," Polt nodded.
"And you're sure it's okay to give me so much free stuff?" Takei asked holding up his bag.
"Tio-chan and the others have been such good customers over the years, so I made an exception~"
"Well, you definitely helped me feel at home here. Next time I livestream, I'll be sure to drop Sports Club Kobold's name."
"Just make sure to adequately stretch before and after each session," Polt said matter-of-factly with a raised finger.
*AHA*
A little while later at lunchtime...
"Geez, you can't stay out of trouble... anywhere, can you?" Haruna deadpanned as she, Papi, Takei, and Sorahiko all ate lunch at a little cafe across the street, the sandy-haired girl looking up from Facebook.
"I think it's more the problem of other people not being able to stop themselves from wearing silly outfits and having long, drawn-out fights in public spaces," Takei huffed as he ate, withdrawing into himself.
Something he'd discovered, or maybe "re-discovered" while climbing the rock wall, was that Lombax (Lombaxes? Lombaxi?) had incredibly-strong dextral strength. As a species that in his own HeadCanon were incredibly potent tool-users before graduating to gunpowder and then literal space-age weaponry, it only made sense that when their weapons started getting some real "kick" to them, it became necessary for them to situationally adapt. And the Lombax race was renowned as major ass-kickers in their home universe, so it was entirely possible that similar to how the Ultimatrix in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien subjected alien species to hypothetical "worst-case scenarios" over a million simulated years of combat evolution, that combat and war with the Cragmites as well as other alien races had honed the Lombax species physicality to amazing heights.
What he remembered of Ratchet's "Feats" from Deathbattle! aside from what guns he used, was that he could HALO jump without a parachute, had survived countless gladiator-style battles, survived multiple crash landings and the explosions resultant-of (including one he'd made on an asteroid), held back a giant "War Gronk" dozens of times his size with nothing but his OmniWrench, and most-impressive of all, dodged laser blasts in close quarters. That he wasn't any sort of "Chosen One" implied that these were baseline feats that any physically mature Lombax could achieve; and he'd been a teenager when he'd done most of those. Which left Takei wondering if he too could dodge lasers someday, if not also survive in the vacuum of space like that time with aforementioned asteroid he'd been strapped to James Bond-style.
Something else that he'd noticed was that while Emitter and Transformation-Type Quirks were flashy and thus "desirable", Heteromorphs' Quirks often gave them what seemed like multiple Quirks at once. Gang Orca for example not only had the therianthropic body of an Orca Whale (a species that bullied sharks) not only granting him superhuman strength and speed (doubly-so in water), but that he could also use echolocation and fire hypersonic sound waves capable of breaking ice. Present Mic by comparison needed a Support Item to use his Quirk with any directionality, but that-notwithstanding was a completely baseline human with no enhanced speed, strength, durability, nor could he breathe underwater.
The major drawback of course was that if your Heteromorphic Quirk didn't make you a "sex object" (like Polt or Mirko aka Usagiyama Rumi), you'd usually be a "freak of nature" that in the back-when times were probably caged in the travelling circus before they finally hit their breaking point and went on a rampage. Like Killer Croc from Batman.
It honestly amazed and offended him that SPBs, once a part of the minority, could discriminate even amongst their own kind even after the Quirk Saturation Threshold reached the 80% marker...
"Geez, you sure you're a twelve-year-old in there? Cause that's a real serious face you're making," Haruna hummed, Papi sending a worried look his way.
"Just thinking some serious thoughts," Takei waved off before giving Papi a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, honest."
"If you say so," the White Winged Girl hummed. "So, you do anything interesting in Golden Week so far?"
"Not really. Just trying to keep my head down."
"Yeah, that's fair. Honestly, you're like some sort of... anti-delinquent."
"What, did you read Kizuki-san's article too?"
"No, but it still boggles the mind that you've gotten so much media coverage, yet you haven't gotten a big head over it."
"Trust me, I've seen people get big heads over their 'fifteen minutes of fame'. It is never a good look."
"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it," the blond admitted.
"Nii-nii, are you okay?" Papi spoke up.
"Of course I am. Why would you think otherwise?"
"Because your mamas aren't here anymore, and you look really sad sometimes," the little Harpy answered in a way that tugged at the heartstrings.
"They are here. They're with me right now, right in here," I said patting my chest.
"Awwww. That's so sweet I wanna brush my teeth," Haruna faux-cooed.
"Eat a lemon," I deadpanned as Papi leaned over and gave me a warm, feathery hug.
"Nii-nii! Nii-nii! Wanna go flying after this?" Papi asked chipperly.
"Yeah, sure thing. Let me just swing by the house, grab my harness, and-YAAAAAAAAH!"
"D-Don't worry! I'm like, 70% sure she won't drop you!"
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, TOBITAAAAAA!" I cried as Papi continued to carry me off, over-eager for some one-on-one 'flying time'.
*AHA*
AN:
As opposed to Daily Life with a Monster Girl where Sports Club Kobold is a relatively new institution, in the world of My Hero Academia, it's had more time to adjust for those with "non-standard body types", given there's been "eight generations" of [One for All] users. Hence, why I included the rock wall, the wind tunnels, and made the pool area closer to an indoor water park in size. The "Glass Slipper Villain" was in-part done to pad the chapter out, as well as continue on from "Upping the Arsenal"; that I was able to bring it up again end-of-chapter was a fun little coincidence.
And yes, there was a blatant KonoSuba reference with extra "ham" on the side.
Not sure if this counts as Filler since it all contributes to Takei's development, but the next chapter will definitely be action as well as story driven, and I hope to see you all next time.