Before we could get started on our work study, we got a pretty surprising news flash about a change of plans before New Year's.
Aizawa sensei announced it in class. "The hero work recommendation project. You'll be stationed here, on Nabu Island in southern Japan. Seems their previous hero-in-residence got old and retired. So the lucky people of Nabu Island will have to depend on you till a permanent successor arrives."
Everyone started talking all at once.
"We're going to be doing real hero work? Oh, my gosh, this is amazing, you guys! Aw, yeah, let's go!"
Kirishima shouted "I'm so ready! Bring it on!"
Sensei interrupted him. "I wasn't done talking yet. Quiet down!"
That got everyone to shut up. "Better. While you're there, you'll be completely on your own. No teachers to help you or pros to back you up. You're responsible for everything that happens. Good or bad. Keep that in mind and behave as heroes should at all times. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
And that's how we ended up on this island. Somehow. And we were running some kind of makeshift hero service right on the island.
Ashido was on the phone, saying "UA Hero Agency. Sure. I'll send someone right away. Kaminari, head to the west district. Mr. Matsuda's battery's dead."
Kaminari groaned. "Jeez, again? Why can't the old man buy a new one already? Ugh. "
Everyone started chanting "Go get 'em, Chargebolt! Go, go!
"I'm on it!"
Aoyama was saying "Oui, you have reached UA Hero Agency, where we strive to solve all your problems with a sparkle."
"You found the lost dog?" Said Hagakure to Koda over the phone. "Good work. Next up is a missing parrot."
A small girl with a very large hat came in the door saying "Please, it's my little brother! I can't find him anywhere!"
"Stay calm, okay? We can help you. First…"
"No, really, it's no trouble at all. Of course!"
"Hey, do you mind? It sounds like poor Granny Sato threw out her back."
Iida shot up "Right. On it. Fear not, Granny, I'm on the way!"
"Lost child in the shopping center! Is there anyone available to come with me?"
Bakugou shook his head. "Hard pass."
"Come on!"
Kirishima said, "Yeah, obviously you're real busy, Bakugo."
"Count me in. Let's find this kid!" said Deku.
"Yeah, and how's your dumb Quirk gonna help find anything?" Bakugou snapped quickly.
"We've got a missing kid?"
"Okay. Sounds like I'm up," Jiro smiled, and stood up to join him
"I'm free. I can help look, too!" I added, joining them.
The others announced, "Hero Agency! Members of Class -A! Heading out!"
The little girl led us all out the door, explaining her brother had disappeared not long ago; Jiro and I split off from Deku to check the island for her.
"Man, this is really exciting to be finally doing hero work!" I smiled as she plugged her jacks in to try and track the kid down.
She "frowned. I guess. I hope the kid's ok."
"Yeah, for sure," I nodded, trying not to smile so wide. She looked like she was concentrating, so I stayed quiet, until suddenly she said, "Uraraka, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it Jirou?"
"How come you wanted to become a hero? I don't think I've ever asked you that before."
"Oh! Well - uh- " I hesitated. What do you say to that now?
"It's ok if you don't wanna talk about it..."
"No - it's just, I kinda changed why I wanted to do it since I started, is all."
"Oh? What to?"
I looked out over the horizon. Because of the money? No. To help my parents? No. To save other heroes? Not yet.
"Cause I want to save people."
She grinned. "Guess that's the best reason there is. C'mon, let's go see if Midoriya's doing any better."
We hurried over the hills, keeping an eye out for him, until I stopped and shouted,
"There's Deku!"
He was standing with the little girl and a small boy, who had to be her missing brother. Looks like he'd found him - just what you'd expect from Deku! As we approached, however, the little girl was yelling at him.
"So, do you think you can do your job properly next time, Deku?"
"Uh, yeah. I'll try to be a little bit faster."
"Let's go, Katsuma," she snapped at her little brother.
"Uh- Oh. 'Kay. Um, mister?" he added. "Thanks for your help."
"You don't need to thank him for anything!" said the rude girl, dragging the boy away from him. Huh?
I asked, "Uh...Hey, what's going on with those two?"
"Why were you apologizing?" Jiro added.
"Apparently I took too long to find him, so his sister yelled at me."
"Huh? That's ridiculous."
"Still, I'm glad. "
"About what?"
He smiled. "Katsuma's safe. And that's all that really matters, y'know?"
Of course he is. That's just like him.
"You know, it's amazing just how "Deku" you can be sometimes."
"Huh? I don't understand."
I gave him a thumbs up. "I'm saying that you're a hero through and through!"
He flushed a little; we headed back towards the agency.
"Still," Jiro added, "what exactly were you supposed to do? You found him faster than we did. And you did your best."
"But I don't do it so people will thank me," said Deku. "It's to help them out."
She shook her head. "That sounds like a good way to burn out pretty fast."
Burn out…
That made me frown a bit. Right. As cool as Deku is…how long can he keep that up?
We were pretty busy the rest of the day, running around putting out fires, getting everyone out of trouble. At the end of the day everyone collapsed.
"I'm exhausted."
"We've gone Plus Ultra beyond what's allowed by the Labor Standards Act."
"Hey, uh. How 'bout fewer small jobs?"
"No can do! All jobs are equally vital."
"It may be true that we came here as heroes, but remember, we're still just students."
"We have to work hard and prove ourselves to earn the islanders' trust."
"Hey, uh, does that go for all of us, 'cause I know someone who hasn't done anything since we got here."
Bakugou snapped back, "Well, somebody's gotta stay behind and watch the office, moron. What're you gonna do if a villain shows up while all you geniuses are out doing stupid crap, huh?"
"Oh, come on," they protested. "There aren't any villains on this island."
The door opened and an old man appeared.
"Sorry for barging in."
Iida gasped. "Mr. Mayor!"
Behind him looked like the whole town.
"It was so sweet of you to carry Granny to the hospital earlier," he replied.
"Thank you."
" And thanks for fixing that old bike of mine."
"And our battery!"
"And for keeping the beach safe, too!"
"Freshest fish on the island right here!"
"Just a little something to show you how grateful we are that you're helping us."
"All right! Let's dig in!"
Iida cried, "We're heroes, people! Show some restraint!"
Yaomomo smiled and bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality."
The Mayor said, "Please, considering how hard you've been working, it's the least we could do. And I'm sure we can continue to count on you."
"Of course!"
"Absolutely, we'll keep doing our best."
The people left, with everyone smiling and eating the delicious food they'd brought is. At last that party was wrapped.
"That was delicious! Wow, man I'm so full!"
Shoji nodded. "You could really feel the love they put into their cooking."
"Moments like these really remind me why I wanted to become a hero."
"Yeah," I grinned. For sure.
Kaminari called at Bakugou, "Kacchan of the Bakugos! We're gonna go get cleaned up and hit the sack. Night watch is all yours!"
"What?! Why me?!"
"Because you sat around the office all day," said Sero. With that, we headed to bed, our first night on the island over.
Though the real adventure was just beginning.
It was business the same the next day - helping citizens in trouble - until -
"Huh? Hey, guys, Im not getting a signal!"
"Me either."
"Same." Said Kaminari.
"Nothing," added Jiro.
"What's going on?" Said Iida.
"Don't tell me…" said Bakugou.
A car pulled up to the agency and a panicked looking islander leapt out.
" Hurry! There's a villain on the island!"
Daika City
It was a week or so later, and the news was covering everything up. Compress had his mask off and was eating real Sushi.
"Well, no pain, no gain, as people like to say."
"But you didn't do squat," Dabi pointed out.
"Haha, nonsense! I was amazing at running away."
"You gonna eat this, Dabi" asked Spinner.
"Go ahead. I hate fish."
Jin was crying over a photograph. "Ahh, poor Toga. I'm so sorry. If Toga hadn't shared her blood, Toga would have - "
"Knock if off," I interrupted him. "It's creepy since I'm still alive."
I was patched up pretty ok, with an eye patch and bandages, able to eat and stand and act. I was in better shape than Tomura, but he'd come out ok too.
"How about I stop creeping people out, how about that!" Said Jin. "Ack, stupid leg! Stop kicking things without permission. I'm a bad bad boy, please don't hit me! Huh? What the heck I even saying?"
"I thought he overcame whatever his issue is…" said Dabi. "Seems like it's become more severe."
"Looks like that forced remedy only made things worse," said Spinner.
The door opened and Trumpet Guy and Long Hair came in. "It's time. Come on."
"Shaddup! We're dining on Sushi over here!"
"It was our money that paid for that fish, yeah?" Said Long Hair. " AS well as your medical treatments, the video doctoring and Toga's new coat."
"Yeah? So what? You've got us to thank for your big boss baldy being here in this hideout and not zonked out in a hospital bed!"
"The grand comman- erm - ReDestro chose these people, and an order from ReDestro is as good as any from Destro Himself," said Trumpet.
Big blowhard. But hey, we were ready to go to the big new meeting thing with the Liberation Army and Machia and all. We stood behind the curtains and listened to his big long speech.
"Liberation Warriors! I am Re-Destro! AS of today, the Metahuman liberation army is reborn! "
Tomura was sitting on stage behind him, with one hand left over his face.
"I though all of Tomura's handy-hands got busted up?" I asked Spinner.
"One of them survived. It's a miracle it stayed in tact in all that chaos."
"Yeah, cuz it's like his defining gimmick."
The REDestro guy was going on. "In our quest to enlighten the world with Destro's will, I saw the League of Villains as an obstacle to be overcome! Yes, until that day, that its whatI believed! I never doubted it! But please understand I was blind to the truth! Bound by my blood and trapped by principles - that is, until the day I witness true liberation!Have I surrendered? No! I now see that Tomura Shigaraki is a true liberator! It is out of deep reverence and necessity that I abdicate my position! The liberation army is revived, with Tomura Shigaraki as its grand commander! In light of our commitment to walk a more profound path of liberation, our liberation army and the League of Villains will conduct a merger under a new name! The League's Spinner and I devised this name together ! Now tell them what it is, Tomura Shigaraki."
"Oh, psst, let's go!" I told him, and we walked out on stage.
"Uh, we removed the Villain part and expanded on the concept of liberation. I give you The Paranormal Liberation front! Furthermore, I appoint the nine individuals you see here as my lieutenants, who will each be forming teams suited to their separate needs!"
"Hmph. That's just decoration. Kinda like this thing here," announced Tomura. We're gonna do whatever we want."
The crowd cheered!
We headed backstage with Baldy Big Nose following us and applauding Tomura. "Spplendidly done, sir! Something to drink, perhaps!"
"Get lost." Said Tomura.
"Happily! Let us 'get lost,' Trumpet!"
"I guess he climbed the corporate ladder by kissing butt like that?" Wondered Spinner as the guy left. Tomura tripped and fell over. "Huh!"
"Whoa!" Said Spinner.
"It's a miracle he was standing at all given his wounds," said compress.
Tomura was talking differently since the battle with the Liberation guys, not shaky anymore. "What an overblown new name! Though it's certainly better than League of Villains, which always felt so tacky."
"Hey, I tamed Machia. That's how you wanted me to prove myself, if I remember right," he said into the comm to the Doctor.
"Hmph! Your memories returned and you're back to your original self, quirk included. AS promised, I'll grant you power, if that's what you desire. However, there's one final little task before that. You need to bring me something."