—On the Bus—
People began discussing their quirks, how they wanted to use them, or why they wanted something else. Tsuyu remarked that Izuku had a quirk much like All Might, which wasn't a far reach since they both had a strength type and used it for hand to hand fighting. Kirishima corrected her by pointing out the damage Izuku's quirk did to his own body. That was also true, All Might wasn't running around with broken bones, but it could also be the result of lengthy training since nobody knew all that much about his school years.
Kirishima went on to complain about how he wanted a flashier quirk, that way he could gain popularity easier. It was true that people like Shoto and Bakugo had an advantage there. The more you could be seen, the more you could be adored. In that respect I was screwed.
"But nobody is going to want to follow Bakugo with that attitude, ribbit." Cut Tsuyu through the conversation. Seems that abrasive honesty is just how she is.
"What did you say?!" Bakugo yelled from further up the bus.
People laughed seeing him prove the point. Kirishima tried to diffuse the angry teen, and I went back to looking around, but something caught my eye. The green haired teen, tucked into the corner of a bench seat, scribbling into a composition book.
"Midoriya? What are the notebooks for?" I asked quietly across the aisle.
"Huh?" He jumped a little. "Oh these? It's where I record all my notes on pro hero quirks and fights."
"May I?" I asked, extending a hand.
"Really?" He beamed, jumping across the bus to sit next to me and opening his bag to fish one out.
I laughed and smiled, taking the book. "Hero notes vol.13" it read. Thirteen volumes was quite an expansive collection.
I flipped it open randomly. It was a page regarding the giant hero Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods working to thwart a heteromorphic shark villain of enormous size.
"I remember seeing this on the news briefly, almost a year before I got here. Mt. Lady totally stole the glory after Kamui had made the capture." I interjected.
"Yeah!" He shouted. "She would have been a great backup, but instead they just ran right over each other."
"And did quite a bit of property damage in the process. That seems to be her major pitfall." I added.
"What do you think about Dragon Noir?" He changed topics, within reason.
"She used to have a bigger problem with the same thing, but has since honed her team to include more control based sidekicks. That said, she was never quite as large." I answered honestly.
"I think that is what Mt Lady needs to do! Add someone like Cementos to her team and limit collateral." He said tying them together.
"The real problem with that is the population density of Tokyo. No matter what, AoE types (especially physical) have double duty to start with, then add in babysitting." I stated, perhaps too harshly.
One look over at him and I could tell he was thrilled just to have this conversation.
"So your quirk?" He started sheepishly.
I already knew where he was going, I did have a research book in my hand after all. "How does it work?"
"Uh, yeah. If you don't mind." He said, waving his hands dismissively in front of him.
"Don't stress over my boundaries. I'm an open book." I laughed, feigning real openness. "Basic level: I can target internal structures and change core chemistry to induce pain."
"But why only on the inside? Couldn't you change chemistry on a larger scale outside the body?" He said, murmuring to himself.
"Technically I can. But changing large volumes of solid or liquid material is too taxing, especially if they are actively moving."
"Oh, I see. You use chain reactions to expand an isolated event."
"Bingo." I replied. "It's easy in the body since I have every catalyst I could need and a system to spread it easily. The same can be said for most electronics since they are elementally rich in supplies, plus the power supply I need for transmuting."
"Hmmmm..." He started thinking. "That could be extremely effective against villains with resistances to physical damage, but also very dangerous."
"You're right there too." I cut in. "If I don't moderate the process, or if I give it too much power I can easily overdo it and cause massive brain damage or systemic compromise."
He started writing furiously in a newer book labeled "15". I could see the gears turning in his head as he drew out formulas and ratios.
He stopped and looked up, "What are your parent's powers?"
Smart kid to be analyzing this far back. I didn't mind sharing minor details with him, since he seemed trustworthy.
"My mother's quirk let her compress elements together, rapidly accelerating carbonization and oxidation. She could also manipulate the base elements to an extent, kind of like old school alchemy."
He nodded and jotted down more notes in the journal.
"My father can target atomic bonds in free particles and force interaction." I said, intentionally vaguely.
He abruptly stopped. "Like rupturing sound barriers from a dead standstill with only a snap?"
That was a very specific example, meaning he had guessed right. "Exactly like that." I admitted.
His face lit up. "Oh my God! Is your-"
I threw my hand over his mouth and froze him just enough to scramble speech. He winced and nodded like he understood. I retracted my hand and let him breathe through it. When he had recovered he looked back to me.
"Wow. That's a powerful combination of quirks. I'm still a little surprised that it came out the way it did though."
"You, me, and everyone else, buddy." I laughed.
Our conversation was cut short as the bus slowed to a stop outside an enormous building. From here I could see the rescue hero: Thirteen standing out front. Were they our instructor for the day?
We all disembarked and were led inside. The place felt like a big city that had been segregated into chunks. A big lake on one side, a mountain on another, dilapidated buildings to the opposite. It really was Hero-Disneyland.
As Thirteen began talking about the various zones and purposes, a huge cloud of black mist flooded the plaza. The air became tense. Even the teachers were dead silent. I could see as forms started taking shape. There were dozens of people who began walking out to face up the long staircase at us.
"Get back everyone!" Shouted Aizawa.
He was pulling his goggles up to his eyes, concealing his power usage. I had done more research on him following my first day, finding that he was still actively patrolling while teaching, leading to his now trademark exhaustion. We were all hesitant to let him take this small army on by himself. But the first of them were already rushing up the hundred steps. Thirteen was calling for us to retreat out the doors. I gathered that, somehow, these guys were jamming our signals.
I could see Aizawa getting ready to strike. We couldn't stay here and hold the teachers back, and there wasn't much I could do for him. But, I could take out the first wave without pushing my legal limits.
My eyes began to chill over, using my hand to aim I targeted the front of the wave. They all crumpled immediately, writhing in pain. I could tell Aizawa was looking over to see what had just happened. I nodded quickly and spoke quicker as I started moving away. "It'll only keep them down for about 10 seconds."
He tried to hide it, but there was a brief smile on his face. I turned and started running back towards the student group. There was more of the black mist coming from in front, but I couldn't see what was going on from my position.
A wave of the stuff came roaring in from the left and I jumped away to my right, but mid jump I saw that there was another arm of it coming this way. I pulled my arms in front and held my breath just in case.
Everything was dark briefly, wind rushing by me, then suddenly bright and the wind was rushing from below. I opened up my eyes to see that I had been teleported somewhere and was now falling. There was only a second before I impacted the roof of a building. I tried to roll and reduce the damage, but I felt an immense pain coming from my left leg. Both bones in my calf were likely broken.
The rooftop creaked under the impact and then cracked open. I couldn't move fast enough and fell through the top. More pain. I took a minute to breathe and heard voices and footsteps. I hoped for them to be classmates, but that wasn't likely. The voices started yelling out floor numbers and slowly diminishing to less and less people until I could hear only one at the stairwell. I shifted so I could see the door and laid out flat on my back with my arm over my chest.
Sure enough, a grown man with a mask came through the door. He scanned and saw me, thinking I was definitely unconscious. As he got closer, he drew a knife. This wasn't a kidnapping, it was an ambush and they wanted us dead for some reason.
He stood over me, looking down and getting ready to kneel. I opened my eyes fast and felt a surge wash out of me. His eyes shook and he yelled, feeling the nitrogen particles jab into his brain. He grabs his head and nearly cuts himself, only dropping the knife after. I didn't let my quirk lessen in intensity. I sat up, grabbed him by the vest, and propped my right foot under his waist. He couldn't move or fight back at this point. I threw my body backwards and kicked away hard, sending him through the plate glass window and out of the building.
I didn't have enough time when I was falling to get a layout of buildings, but I knew this one was pretty tall. That tumble would surely leave him severely injured, unless he happened to have a defensive quirk.
I felt percussions from below me and heard yelling. My hopeful guess was confirmed when I heard the familiar, gravelly voice yell, "Get to the top floor!"
There were hurried footsteps, and through the door came Bakugo and Kirishima. Barring the door as they flew in.
"Decklin!" Came Kirishima's voice.
They ran the short distance to me. "Jesus, what happened to you?" Bakugo asked, almost sounding nice.
"Some asshole teleported me into the air above the building and I did not stick the landing." I explained tapping my left thigh because I didn't want to bend over further. I then thumbed over my shoulder to the shattered window. "Already took one piece off the board."
"Ha! Glad to see not everyone around me is totally incompetent." Bakugo said, sneering and helping me up.
"There's probably another half dozen in the building still, all headed right for us." Kirishima explained.
I bore my weight on my right side. "I'll stand on this back wall. They'll see me and come running in. I'll get as many as I can. Don't get in my way until I drop my arm. After that, they won't be much more than ragdolls."
They looked at each other and raced to either side of the door, ready to fight. It was only about 30 seconds later that the door blew open, scattering bits of the old wood that had barely secured it. I could see a handful of the makeshift villains.
"Easy! I surrender!" I feigned. Putting my arms up.
"Hahaha! That's not how this works you little brat!" Cackled the head guy, a large man wearing body armor and brass knuckles.
"No! Wait!" I did my best to cry, holding my hand out like a stop signal.
"I can't wait to kill a hero!" Said a thin, rat-like man holding a pair of shears in one hand.
"Hero in training." I smirked, correcting the fool. They looked shocked, but moved to attack.
My attack is always faster though, and I let it hit like a ton of bricks. The group groaned and screamed, most dropping whatever they had been holding. I let my arm down and hung my head, smiling. My part was done.
The other two sprang into action, smashing and blasting the helpless wannabe villains across the room. One ran through the door late and tried to stab Kirishima with a small knife, but Bakugo caught him, palm to face, and blew him away with ease.
"Huh, weaklings." He scoffed. "These aren't trained villains, just some thugs off the street."
"Yeah, I didn't even see a combat quirk among the bunch." I echoed, stepping shakily.
Suddenly an eruption came from the lake. While helping me, we walked to a window and saw a spout of water from the lake throw a group of criminals around.
I pulled binoculars from my breast pocket and looked out. "Tsuyu and Izuku are out in the water. Ojiro, Jenna, and Sato are down the way, in the fire dome. Aizawa is still fighting at the plaza, and Thirteen is holding off the dick with the black mist alongside Shoji and Uraraka." I reported.
"Looks like Shoto was in the avalanche zone." Kirishima added, pointing to a huge swath of ice covering the area.
"We need to get down there and help Aizawa. He's outnumbered twenty to one." I suggested.
They both nodded and we turned to leave, but a bolt of lightning shot up from the mountainous zone.
"Kaminari." I muttered. "Alright, you guys go help Teach and I'll head over that way. There's no way he's still functional after that shock and might need help."
"And just who the hell put you in charge?" Snapped Bakugo.
"Fine, stay here then. I'll go be the hero." I mocked. He snarled.
"But dude, you can't hardly walk right now. How are you planning to get all the way over there?" Kirishima asked, worried.
I just grinned and pointed to a cable attached to the building. It stretched over to the top of the mountain like it could hold a gondola type lift. His eyes got wide and looked like he wanted to protest. Bakugo however looked mildly impressed at the balls I'd have to have in order to even think about it. This was crazy after all.
"There's no time to argue. I'm giving you guys all the glory here, so go!" I shot as I worked my way towards the cable.
They had a silent look at each other and then jumped out the opposite side window. Kirishima was basically a rock and Bakugo could almost fly, but that still seemed crazier than what I was doing.
I didn't have a belt to do this with, since my costume was fitted, and there weren't any straps lying around. The only thing I knew of, in this building, that could take the heat and not destroy the line was rebar. There were hunks of that around. I grabbed a slightly bent piece, slung it over the cable, and gripped tight. This is such a bad idea. I picked up my feet, feeling protest from my left side, but moving quickly down the line.
As I drew closer I could see a field of smoking villains. Good job, buddy. There was also an obscure looking square on the ground, almost rubbery looking. Kaminari came into view, fully overspent, and the square lifted. It has been made by Momo, probably anti-static. Momo stepped out, the back of her costume torn up, then Jiro. So she had been here too?
I was set to shout at them when I saw a man burst up from the ground behind Kaminari, grabbing him and holding a knife to his throat. The other two put their hands up.
Shit. Now they need me, and I need to land. I hadn't given it much thought before getting on, but I knew it wasn't going to be awesome. There was some snow on this side of the formation, however, I couldn't tell how deep it was. But it was either that or striking the top at reduced speed, though still into solid rock.
I opted for the snow.
When I was over it I released my grip and dropped into the white below. The landing wasn't soft, like I had hoped. It was another shock of pain, but probably nothing broken this time.
I crawled out and over the top of the ledge to see the villain. They were still in a standstill, but he was shouting.
"Don't think I won't kill him! Try anything funny again and he's dead!"
Unconsciously, I drew a knife from my leg holster and aimed. I would throw for his arm holding Kaminari and freeze him on release. My arm came back and I threw, eyes locked on him through the fingers of the hand I had thrown with. His body locked up and the knife made contact, sending blood into the air.
Momo saw the opening and jammed her metal staff directly into his face, dropping him for good. I had a little victory laugh and plopped onto my stomach. I was pretty spent between the damage and everything else, my vision blurry and stinging.
"Thank you!" Yelled Momo up to me. I couldn't manage much effort, so I just have a thumbs up.
I could hear them coming up towards me, so I rolled over and propped up on my arm. "Is everyone alright here?" I asked as they came into view.
"Yes, thanks to you it's just some scrapes and bruises." Momo answered. "Where did you come from? Were you with anyone?"
"I was with Kirishima and Bakugo. They're fine; and I think we eliminated all the villains in the city area." I said calmly, trying to relax them.
"The city?" Jiro said curiously. "So we really were all split up, but how did you get way over here?"
I laughed a little and gestured up to the gondola cable. "The fast way."
"What?!" Both girls said in tandem.
"Are you hurt?", "Why would you do that?", "Are you crazy?", "You could have died!" They started laying into me.
I just laughed a little more and sat up fully. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. We need to get back and help the others though." I tried to stand and winced from my leg pain.
"What's wrong with your leg?" Momo asked, worried.
"Pretty sure it's got a tiny fracture, but not from the fall! Well... At least not the fall over here." I said, not reassuring at all.
"Your hand is bleeding too." She added creating gauze and pulling off my glove.
I hadn't even noticed that. There must have been a sharp edge on that rebar. Adrenaline covers up some crazy things.
We took a moment to patch ourselves up, Denki came around and helped me to stand. Together we all started moving towards the entrance.
Long before we could get there we began hearing explosions and seeing dust clouds. Something big was happening. We climbed over a small downed tree and out to a ledge to see.
It was All Might. He was fighting some kind of big… thing? Part bird, part human, all black, and extremely muscular. They were exchanging blows and it looked bad for All Might. I desperately wanted to get down there, but there was no chance. It was too far and I was too wounded.
The pace of the fight was picking up and the sheer force of blows was pushing the nearby people back. Such immense power sent flying out so fast. We couldn't hear much, but I did hear the famous UA call to arms "Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!"
All Might's speed launched in overdrive and he began pummeling the thing. Hits so fast they were breaking the sound barrier and igniting the air.
Despite being supported from the left by Kaminari, I still wanted to reach for support. My hand came off my right side, gauze still wrapped around my palm.
I felt my fingers touch other fingers. We both retracted just a little. I wanted to turn my head to look, but I couldn't look away from the scene. My index finger found its way back to theirs and I hooked mine around it. Small, soft, warm, but shaking all the same.
This was enough contact for me at the moment, but the hand turned and interlocked its fingers with mine. They were delicate and more help than I could have requested. That said, I couldn't focus enough to know if these were the same as the last that I had held. I squeezed to let them know I was here for them. They squeezed back tighter. Even Kaminari was holding tight around my ribs and shaking.
Seeing this display made us all feel so weak and insignificant. Any one of us would die in an instant against either one of these beings.
In a final, split second impact the creature was crumpled and sent spiraling through the air, through the reinforced ceiling and out into the sky. No amount of quirk was going to absorb that hit or the landing fully. Whatever that was, it was dead.
The head of the villain group called out to the teleporter and they prepared to flee. Just before they could, bullets streamed through the air and tore into the limbs of the leader. The black mist descended over him and just as fast as it had begun, it was now all over. We just stood there in silence. We had been saved, but it happened so suddenly that we just couldn't fathom it.
"All UA students, make your way to the entrance immediately. Pro heroes have arrived and will be coming to gather those of you that have been injured. There are medical units standing-by outside." Came an announcement, over the intercom.
"I... Uhh... I guess we should go." Kaminari said, trying to formulate a thought after witnessing all that.
"Yeah, probably. Cops'll arrest and carry out all the bad guys we took down." I sounded off.
The hand slowly let mine go. I wanted to just hang onto it. To pull it back in and not leave, even if it was just another moment. But eventually the last finger trailed away and I felt less functional, like I was just a burden for Kaminari to hold up.
By the time he and I turned, the girls had both started to move on. There was no way of knowing who had comforted me this time. It didn't really matter in the end. They were just support for me, the same way I had been for Jiro before.
The pro hero Snipe intercepted us part way back. I knew already that he had been the shooter from earlier, which was his basic operating tactic (and name) after all. We told him about the villains we left behind and he called for more officers.
By the time we reached the plaza there was a medical team ready to take me up to the top of the stairs. I waved them off. If I couldn't even climb stairs now, I couldn't be a hero later when it really mattered.
I ended up being seen by Recovery Girl just outside. Her quirk uses internal energy to rapidly heal injuries. In my case it set and healed the bone perfectly, but left me barely awake. I was taken back to school and to the nurse's office for routine observation. It seemed everything was fine though, I just needed a good nap and a meal.
I woke up a short time after arriving and got the after action report. Aizawa and Thirteen had both been severely injured, and were recovering at the nearby hospital for extensive damage.
Out of all the students, only Midorya and I had any real injuries. Mine was a complete fracture of my left tibia and fibula, while his was bilateral compact fractures of his tibias and fibulas, plus some other (more minor) fractures. He was going to be here for several hours longer than me at least.
Most students had been dismissed or gone home after returning, but Iida and Uraraka were still here. They looked hopeful when the front doors opened, but disappointed to see that it was only me.
"Don't worry, he's fine. Just a few hours left and he'll be good to go." I said giving a thumbs up.
"Thank you, Decklin." Spoke Iida, standing up to bow. "I heard you went through quite a lot to keep our classmates safe today."
I just smiled and ran my fingers through my hair. "No biggie. That's just what we are supposed to do for each other after all."
"Uhm, Decklin?" Came Uraraka's small voice.
"Yeah?" I replied, turning my head to see as I had kept walking.
"Would you like to wait and walk home with us?" She asked sheepishly.
"Ah, well I only live a couple blocks from here for now..." I started, seeing her sink a little at my refusal. "But you're both more than welcome to come to my place while we wait for Midoriya." I invited, regretting it almost immediately.
I am not an intimate person, and even though my apartment felt like it wasn't mine, I still felt uneasy about having them in it.
She seemed to think about it for a moment before Iida answered. "I think we are just going to wait here for today. I'd hate to miss him being released."
I smiled again. "No problem. Standing offer." I re-lied. Why the hell would I say that? I began to rush myself away, before I could say anything else dumb.
I only just passed the gates when I heard Kaminari's voice. "Yo! Over here!"
I turned to see him sitting at a bench with Mina and Hagakure. "What's up man?" I called flatly.
Mina rushed up to me. "Come on!" She yelled, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me. "We're celebrating our win!"
Denki led us to this maid Cafe nearby, which we all questioned almost immediately, but it turned out to be a great time. The waitresses were nice and outside the dress code the place wasn't nearly as pervy as I imagined it would be.
We spent a few hours laughing about the insanity we found ourselves in just earlier today, talking about our experiences and the crazy things we saw. Mina had been pretty close to the main event of the All Might fight, and Hagakure was actually on the battlefield when Shoto froze the place solid. Seems he was a pretty scary person when threatened.
Kaminari told a very dressed up version of what had happened with him, though even the memory seemed dopey after the big shock. I filled them in on my fight in the city and everything after the shock from my perspective. The girls were awed, well at least Mina was and I assumed Hagakure was.
Speaking of, seeing her eat reminded me of an old ghost movie because you could see the spoon carrying ice cream, but then most of it disappears into thin air and the spoon reappears empty. It appears her bio-camouflage is more than just skin deep, and that she is truly transparent without the ability to turn it off.
Mina was the opposite essentially. While her skin would always be pink, eyes darkened, and small horns, she could start and stop her quirk to produce a viscous acid at any time, anywhere on her body. I'm sure the hormone-addled teen boys could breathe easy now.
That makes their quirks all inferior to mine on paper. So long as I knew Hagakure was around, none of them could fight me head on. My range is much greater from the start, making their quirks inert. The analysis bothered me after I completed thinking about it, but some things were just engrained too deep.
The little cafe began seeing more and more visitors as we chatted. The building filled up and made us uncomfortable enough to leave since we weren't doing much business.
Kaminari was already thinking about the next thing to do. "Man! We should find a better place to hang. One without all the crowds and noise."
The other two started wondering simultaneously.
Mina looked up and saw me standing there, expressionless. "Jeez! I keep forgetting you aren't from here." She stated, with a little laugh.
"I didn't know that." Hagakure replied, assumedly looking at me.
"Yeah," I said flatly, scratching my head. "It's not really something that has had any reason to come up."
"But wait." Kaminari cut in, confused. "Then where are you living?"
"Condo a couple blocks from here." I replied absently before realizing my mistake. I grimaced slightly.
"Dude what?! That's awesome! Let's go! Show us this thing!" Denki said loudly.
This was pretty much the opposite of what I had wanted, people knowing where I live and inviting themselves into a totally bare and boring place. I prepared to lie, to come up with any excuse as to why we couldn't go there. However, nothing even came to mind that would dissuade them, so I caved with an exhausted sigh.
It only took a few minutes to get there, but my anxiety was on the rise. They seemed in awe at the complex when we showed up. It was nice after all. A pool, sauna area, courtyard, etc.
"Wow! So cool! Which is yours?" Mina asked, pointing to different doors on the first floor.
I just shook my head and pointed up towards mine.
"What?!" Hagakure exclaimed in excitement. "Who do you live here with?"
It took me a moment to remember how out of place I am here and respond, "No one. I live by myself."
The two blank stares I could see were easy enough to read. I fished into my pocket and grabbed my keys, holding them out with a sigh.
Mina snatched them and took off for the stairs. Hopefully she won't melt my keys into a puddle, though that would solve my problems right now. I took my time getting up the stairs but they had waited for me, smiling and waving me towards them. I faked a smile as best I could and gestured to the door.
Mina swung the door open and jumped in. I couldn't see any of their faces since I was behind them, but they all seemed pretty let down by the barren nature of the place.
"I told you it's nothing-" I started only to be interrupted.
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Gushed Mina, running to the windows.
"Dude! This is all yours?" Kaminari awed, looking around.
"I think it's bigger than my parents' place!" Hagakure exclaimed.
"... Special." I trailed off. Not exactly the response I expected.
They seemed more than happy to check out the space. More so than even I had done. There were two empty rooms I had glanced over after moving in that were apparently good sized here, another thing that didn't translate from home where we all lived in our rooms.
"Hell man! You expecting to have company? Or just sub-renting rooms?" Denki said, thumbing over his shoulders to the vacant spaces.
"Neither?" I responded. "I don't know anyone from around here and wouldn't trust any strangers to just apply and live with me."
"So you're just leaving the rooms barren?" Mina questioned, thrown off by my approach.
"Well it's not like I have the stuff to fill them anyway." I said waving a hand across the naked room and only just noticing Hagakure sprawled out on my couch next to the window as she spoke up.
"This place is sooo cool!" She yelled, rolling over to grab the TV remote. "What service do you have?"
I simply shrugged and drew my phone from my pocket. "Never turn it on. I use my mobile for everything."
The TV flicked on and presented an enormous channel guide screen. I heard the awes from the others and dropped my head as they moved towards it.
"Way to keep a low profile, Dad." I said under my breath.
"Look at all these movies! We should totally watch some together!" Mina shouted to the room.
They kept talking to me, but I had stopped listening in favor of rubbing my temples, I gave a weak thumbs up in reply to some stares and walked into the kitchen space. Good thing I had stocked up on popcorn as a study snack. It was going to be a long night, but at least I could rest some.
As if by universal karma our phones all went off. School emergency maybe? I touched the peek-screen dot just as Kaminari said "No class tomorrow? Sweet!"
(I hope you enjoyed a new look at a classic scene. The next chapter is going to be entirely slice of life, outside of school, teenage situations. It's one of the things that never gets covered in the series, so I spent a lot of time weaving it into the story.)
