DD11
Chapter 12
"Reporters never change, don't they?" Bakara sighed.
"Set up something juicy and they circle it like vultures." Ben nodded. "Trust me, you have no idea how many news outlets wanted to know my story when I started out as the Quirk Judge."
"At least they didn't find out your secret identity," Kohaku said. "Well...I guess they kinda do know since you're training to be an official Hero now..."
"Not necessarily," Hilda noted. "He's just a student."
"Until the Sports Festival." Rosa sheepishly added.
"The real problem was somehow the media found out All-Might was teaching here." Shun pointed out.
"Yeah, I talked with my Bro and he said he'd find the leak." Rebecca said.
"Amande told me she'd help find it too," Izuku added.
He still had mixed feelings about Amande; yes, she protected the center his family created and she was nothing but sweet around Komeko, Eri, and the other children (smoking habit aside), but she was also one of the daughters of Charlotte 'Big Mom' Linlin, the most powerful female villain alive. Plus, Amande was a fearsome fighter in her own right; Makoto said he'd at least lose a limb fighting her if they ever went serious.
A realization that made the crew remember they had to grow stronger and soon; while the Mom-Beast Pirates were in their debt, they were still a crime family first and foremost, and that kind rarely stays in debt for long.
"What's All Might like as a teacher?"
"Izuku Midoirya! Any inside news on the daycare's future?"
"How does it feel being the luckiest students in Japan?"
But honestly, that would be preferable to these news hounds!
"OH MY GOSH! IT'S KAMUI WOODS AND MOUNT LADY MAKING OUT!" Chikara suddenly shouted as he pointed elsewhere, the reporters following his finger…
"HEY! Don't bring us into this!" Mount Lady snapped as she tried to shoo the cameras away, a dazed Kamui Woods in her arms with his mask sprouting flowers.
"…Huh. Didn't expect that." Chikara mused.
"Let's sneak by, friends!" Penny said. "Configuration: Invisibility!"
A drone came out of Penny's backpack and created a special field that turned the 1-C Crew invisible as they snuck by the reporters, Izuku using the [Calm-Calm Fruit] to make their presence. As they went through the gate, they could see Tenya keeping some of the reporters at bay, his long-winded speeches tiring them out and giving the students of Class 1-A some much-needed peace...that, and Yamato scared them off with just a look.
DEVIL
The Hero Students all managed to make it to class on time. Currently, Shota Aizawa, the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead, was going over the results of the Battle Trials with his students after Nedzu made sure he wouldn't skim over any details. Then again, these students had managed to impress the normally strict Underground Hero, especially Koby.
"I don't normally say this, but I was very impressed with what I saw of you all." However, he gave a glare toward Shoto. "Well, almost all of you. Todoroki, you could have easily managed to get by with more success if you used BOTH sides of your Quirk. If you think you can just half-ass your way through this school, then you can kiss being a Hero Student goodbye."
A brief flash of anger crossed the normally stoic-looking boy's eyes but he said nothing, his face remaining composed. However, Aizawa was pretty good at reading people and narrowed his gaze before deciding to put it on the side for now.
"What is Todoroki's deal, anyway?" Carrot asked N, her desk being right next to him.
The green-haired boy shrugged. "Beats me, at the Recommendation Exam, he kept to himself. Yoarashi-Kun from Class 1-B tried to strike up a conversation but he just blew him off."
"Yeah, the guy thinks he's some sort of Prince Zuko with that attitude. All I see is a spoiled brat who thinks he can get what he wants." Yamato sneered, quiet enough for Shoto not to hear him.
Oh, how he would come to regret thinking that…
DEVIL
"STUDENTS, IT BRINGS A TEAR TO MY EYE AT HOW MAGNIFICENT YOU PERFORMED THE OTHER DAY IN THE BATTLE TRIALS!" All-Might proudly said. "YOU WORKED WELL WITH YOUR PARTNERS IN CLASS 1-A AND MANAGED TO GET BY WITH MINIMAL TO NO INJURIES!"
"I'm honestly amazed that Bakugou didn't kill anybody!" Himiko giggled.
"Screw off, Fangs! I can control myself!"
Kirby shushed Katsuki and messed with his hair, calming him down.
"There, there…"
"Now that everyone has settled into the school year, it's time for us to begin an important lesson." Nedzu began, making the class tense in anticipation. "We shall be picking a Class President!"
"Oh sweet!" Makoto grinned. "I nominate the Captain!"
"Oh yeah, definitely Izuku!" Hilda smiled.
"He is our pirate captain, it makes the most sense." Kazuya nodded.
"I can get behind Izuku!" Helena giggled.
"Upvote for Izu!" Milo winked.
"We're with you all the way!" Mipha said.
"Heck yeah!" Rosa cheered.
"D-Don't I get a say in this?!" Izuku asked awkwardly. It was one thing to keep his crew in check, but an entire class?!
"Nope!" Everyone said in unison.
"You all suck..."
"Alright, and we need a Vice-President-" Nedzu began.
"BEN." The whole class said, once more in unison.
"Wait, what?"
"You're kinda shaping up to be the First Mate of the crew. What with your particular set of skills." Nia smirked. "Suck it up, ya baby!"
"Alright...I guess I have no choice..." Ben sighed.
Izuku whimpered nervously. "Me neither..."
DEVIL
"So, you got appointed Class President almost unanimously too, huh?" Koby asked as some of Class 1-A had met up with Izuku's Crew for lunch on the rooftop after getting their food at Lunch Rush's Cafeteria.
"I ended up with the Vice-President role," Momo said. "Though I didn't exactly appreciate that one of my votes came from Mineta..."
Bakara, picking up on this, glared at the grape-headed midget, who wisely kept his trap shut.
"I got voted Vice-President unanimously." Ben frowned. "I mean, what part of me screams 'Vice President' anyway?"
"Izuku has been our leader ever since we were training together," Sumiko said. "It makes the most sense he'd be Class President."
"I think I prefer to be called Pirate Captain. After all, we're more of a Pirate Crew if anything else." Izuku smiled bashfully.
"A Pirate Crew...like Gol D. Roger?" Tenya asked, getting nods. "I see...most Pirates are overseas criminals but Roger and his crew were more like Vigilantes many years ago until they eventually were recognized as full-fledged Heroes by the public."
"Yeah, Roger was pretty cool back in the day. Some of my friends from my old school admire him." Lilique smiled.
Ochako then realized something. "Hey, Izuku, your family was wealthy enough to help get my family out of the red zone and build that super cool amusement place! How did you get it?"
"Well, we...kinda busted a Yakuza group who were torturing a little girl," Izuku explained. "It was only by complete chance we stumbled across her."
"We made the bastard who hurt her pay," Ben growled. "And trust me, he won't be walking anywhere anytime soon."
"Izuku's Family got privately rewarded by the freaking Mother-Beast Pirates! They're now one of the ten richest families in Japan!" Yaato laughed.
"I heard about that from my Pops..." Yamato frowned. "You probably already know this but my father is Kaido, one of the two acting leaders of the Mother-Beast Pirates."
"You're the child of a notorious Pirate Villain and yet you're training to be a Pro Hero?" Eijirou asked. "Damn, that is manly as all hell!"
The students of 1-C and 1-A continued to talk here and there before suddenly hearing a siren blaring.
"WARNING! LEVEL 3 SECURITY BREACH! ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE THE SCHOOL IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!"
Izuku activated his Observation Haki and frowned when he saw that in Lunch Rush's cafeteria, all the students were stampeding for the exits in panic.
"What on earth would cause this?!" Tenya asked before looking over the railings, his eyes widening. "The press from outside?!"
"The media? This panic was caused by the fucking media." Yamato growled, annoyed and angry.
"What should we do?" Koby asked as Izuku held up a finger, telling everyone to wait for him as he used the [Door-Door Fruit] to make his way to the cafeteria and, making a vantage point for himself, used one of his lesser-used abilities.
"HEY! YO-YO! CHECK IT OUT!"
Playing a funky melody with the [Tone-Tone Fruit], Izuku turned his arm into a saxophone, his head into a cymbal, and his teeth into synth piano keys as he captivated all the panicking students with his music.
"IT'S JUST THE MEDIA MESSING AROUND! THEY KNOW ABOUT ALL-MIGHT TEACHING HIS FUNKY SOUNDS!" Izuku called out, going into impromptu rap as he did so. "COOL YOUR JETS, NO NEED TO FEAR! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I AM HERE!"
People next to the window looked down and confirmed it for everyone else, calming the crowds down. Izuku sighed as he made his way back to the rooftop with his friends.
"We could hear your music from up here." Uta smiled. "Who knew you had a good singing voice."
"I recorded it. This is getting a million likes in the first hour." Milo chuckled, showing his phone.
Izuku just blushed bashfully, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly at the praise he was getting.
DEVIL
"Class dismissed," Aizawa said as he followed in his student's example to leave at the end of the day. The kids began gathering their things before they spied Ben moving to the desk. "Oh, right. Hagakure, Kaminari, and Aoyama. A moment before you go."
The three in question made their way over, concerned they may have done something wrong.
"Okay, I won't sugarcoat anything," Ben said. "The three of you are in desperate need of help the most."
"How so, monsieur?" Yuuga asked, a little nervous.
"Let me count the ways; Hagakure, you're practically naked for your hero costume. Whoever approved that is either a pedophile or on drugs."
Tooru shrunk nervously. Despite her invisible body, Ben could tell she was twiddling her thumbs.
"Kaminari, you can't risk using your Quirk for too long or you'll go brain-dead." Denki winced as Ben finished with Yuuga. "And Aoyama, you can't even use your laser for ONE second before needing to either take a dump or puke your guts up!"
"O-Oui..."
"Thankfully, Uncle Ben is here to help out. You see, my Quirk allows me to copy other people's Quirks...but I can also use it to change Quirks as well! How they function, how they activate, the works."
"Y-You can do that?" Tooru asked as Ben smiled.
"I can. Hagakure, you go first. Since you're already fully clothed, I'm going to make it so that you're invisibility can be turned on and off at will."
Tooru excitedly moved forward as Ben took her hands and closed his eyes. Opening them up, he found himself in a shimmering void. He searched for what he needed and eventually found it.
A beautiful prism crystal. However, the crystal was refracting all light from its surface, representing how Tooru couldn't turn her invisibility off. With a sigh, Ben got to work.
From his own Quirk, multiple monochromatic hands reach toward the prism. With surgical precision, the prism was pulled apart, becoming a light switch and a light bulb. Ben then mixed the two to create a prismatic cube that turned on, showing multiple facets of gorgeous colors, before turning off, revealing just clear glass.
[Modified Quirk: Invisibility: Allows the user to turn invisible at will as well as bend and refract all light that comes in contact with them.]
"Alright, you're done," Ben said, deactivating his Quirk as Tooru looked at herself.
"I don't...feel any different."
"Just focus and try turning off your Quirk now."
Tooru nodded and focused, light rippling off her body like a reflective surface as Denki and Yuuga gasped when they saw a beautiful girl soon appear in her place. She had long, messy, wavy chartreuse hair, with pink specks, bushy eyelashes, and big round eyes, with pupils that were teal on the outside and yellow on the inside.
"Sacre Bleu..." Yuuga breathed.
"Holy crap, I had no idea you were so cute, Hagakure!"
Tooru looked at her now visible hands and felt her face, tears welling up in her eyes before she threw herself at Ben, hugging him tightly and sobbing in joy.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I never knew what I looked like for so long...!"
Ben smiled and returned the hug, patting her on the back before letting go and turning to Denki next.
"Alright, this will be a bit more complicated. Luckily, I've copied plenty of Electiricty-based Quirks, so I think I can help you."
Denki gulped and allowed Ben to take his hand. Ben once more found himself in the Quirk Forge and found the representation for Denki's Quirk; an unstable battery sparking electricity all over the place.
"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem to be sure." He then smiled as he took from the various Electric Quirks he had copied and/or stolen and began putting them into the battery. Soon, the battery changed shape, becoming a magnificent electric core radiating with power and pure energy.
"Yes, this will do nicely. He'll be happy to learn what he can do now."
[Modified Quirk: Electrification: Allows the user to freely produce and manipulate electricity as well as electromagnetism to an extent. User is immune to all electricity-based attacks and has a regenerative healing factor via the use of bio-electricity. The user can also use bio-electricity to help revive fallen comrades.]
"As soon as I first met Kaminari, I wanted to give him the powers of that guy from that one video game," Ben smirked as he exited the Quirk Forge. "Well, Kaminari, you don't have to worry about a thing. You can now control the electricity you create."
"Whoa! Sweet! I feel so much stronger now!" Denki cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
"And don't worry, I added some extra precautions so you don't short-circuit yourself in water...or blow up any car you go into."
"Thanks, man! I owe you one!"
Finally, Ben turned to Yuuga, who gulped nervously, looking more scared than excited. Ben frowned, he could see it in the Franco-Japanese boy's eyes. Still, he gently offered his hand and Yuuga took it shakily.
Once more in the Quirk Forge, Ben saw Yuuga's Quirk represented as a type of crystal, shooting out lasers in an uncontrollable fashion and cracking in certain places, leaking sparkling energy.
"His Quirk isn't compatible with his body...it's out of control." Ben thought. "Looks like I have to help fix this issue."
Ben placed his hand on the crystal and breathed deeply, the cracks in the crystal sealing up and the lasers stopping altogether. He then forged the crystal into an even more beautiful gem on a pedestal and shaped it like a heart for an added touch.
[Navel Laser upgraded to Dazzling Laser: The user can now shoot sparkling lasers from any part of their body as well as turn them into laser energy that allows them to move at super speeds, teleport, and bypass attacks.]
Exiting the Quirk Forge for the last time, Ben gave Yuuga a reassuring smile as the blonde looked at his hands, feeling his stomach, and then his face in wonder before tearing up.
"It...It doesn't hurt anymore...I feel...I feel tres bion!"
Overcome with emotion, Yuuga did the same as Tooru and hugged Ben tightly, softly weeping into his chest as he patted him on the back.
"Merci, Monseiur! Merci!"
"I'm happy to help."
For the first time in a long time, Ben truly felt good about his power.
DEVIL
"Listen, heroes! Don't come after me, otherwise, I'll kill this unfortunate family!"
Another day, another villain. This time, a thug by the name of Habit Headgear was holding a family hostage. Mount Lady, Kamui Woods, and a gentlemanly fellow with a dashing mustache named Spring Mustachio were gritting their teeth at their helplessness.
Habit Headgear was strong and fast and he had a tight hold on the innocent family thanks to his Quirk, [Trap Flex]. Mount Lady couldn't grow into her giant form with her [Gigantification] Quirk in fear of harming the hostages and Kamui Woods and Spring Mustachio doubted their speed would be enough to get the family out of harm's way in time.
"HAVE NO FEAR!" A familiar booming voice bellowed. "MISSOURI SMASH!"
All-Might dashed right past the villain from behind and karate-chopped him in the head. Habit Headgear was stunned as he let go of the family, allowing Kamui Woods to wrap him in wooden branch tentacles thanks to his Quirk, [Arbor], while Spring Mustachio rushed forward and used the Rokushiki technique, Shigan, to pierce a certain nerve point in the villain's body with his finger, causing him to collapse, completely paralyzed.
After making sure the family was alright, All-Might checked his watch to see if he still had a bit of time before school started. His students would manage fine without him, besides, Nedzu would cover for him if he was a little late.
"Help! It's a hit-and-run!"
All-Might frowned, unable to ignore the call for help, and rushed toward the source. He was eternally thankful to Izuku, Ambrosia, and Depestilous for all their work in healing him, allowing him to continue fighting the good fight even after the crippling blow All For One dealt him six years ago.
As he made his way to the crime, he saw it had already been stopped by a giant white ball. The thug was being dragged out of his vehicle by Ambrosia herself, a strong and confident woman by the name of Tsunade Senju.
"Hey, Toshi. Glad to see you in high spirits today." The blonde woman smiled as she finished tying up the thug. "Don't worry, I healed the hit-and-run victim. Nothing my [Bio-Repair] Quirk can't fix."
All-Might nodded as he turned to the white ball that had stopped the car, which shrunk down before revealing it was actually a large, plump woman with fair skin, blue eyes, and lightly painted fingernails. She had voluminous light gray hair that fell to her hips, along with a grayish-blue streak and a single unruly bang. Her outfit consisted of a white turtleneck sweater with ice symbols on it, a puffy white scarf, and a large white wool hat. She also wore blue-gray tights with white patterns and white shorts with a black design, the number '361', and an ice symbol on them. To complete her outfit, she wore long white boots and a white and black glove on her right hand.
"Ah, Mother Snow!" All-Might smiled as he recognized the woman.
Mother Snow, real name Melony Alpin, was a sweet and, true to her Hero Name, motherly woman with the Quirk, [Snowball], which allowed her to not only create and manipulate snow but inflate herself into a giant ball that could cushion impacts or act as a shield for others.
"All Might." Mother Snow said as she picked up the thief. "Thanks for distracting him for me."
"I think I should be thanking you for taking him out for me." All Might replied.
"Oh, like you needed to waste your strength on him." Mother Snow smirked.
"A hero makes no exceptions with criminal scum." All Might recounted.
"And that's why we all struggle to keep up with you." Mother Snow replied.
"Well, I can't exactly ignore someone in distress, can I? Spider-Man taught us all that."
"Fair." Snow Maiden shrugged. "But still, there are 20 Hero Agencies, and its peak hours, someone else is bound to be in the…Oh, right…The Sludge villain."
All-Might smirked.
"Oh, don't you give me that look. I still stand by what I said: Whatever happened to equal opportunity?"
"Whatever happened to honesty?
"Hey, look All-Might…" The dazed thug noted. "The lady got me fir.."
He was silenced by a finger flick by Tsunade, who had somehow produced a bowl of popcorn as she watched the two interact. She completely missed the poor schmuck was now embedded in the wall of the nearby building.
"You may be the Symbol, but we all can do our part, big guy."
"Well, as a symbol, I need to keep everyone aware of the standards." All Might's smirk grew.
"Personally? I think you need to…" Mother Snow cooed before letting some snow dip down All Might's jacket as she nuzzled her nose with his own. "…chillax."
The two were so close they could kiss. And judging by how they moved closer and closed their eyes…
"Shouldn't you be getting to school, Toshi?" Tsunade asked her fellow blonde with a smirk.
"Oh, that's right!" All-Might said as he leaped off, missing Mother Snow falling to her face in shock and annoyance. "See you later, Melony! Tell Gordie and the kids I said 'Hi'!"
Melony, her anger forgotten, giggled as she waved the Symbol of Peace off, Tsunade walking over to her friend with a playful smile.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"What? No! You know I love seeing you two get cute! I just remembered he was a teacher now…Also, you two need to start with that engagement someday."
"Someday, but not right now, Tsunade. He still has time."
Knightmare Lord A/N: Just some ordinary school activities before we get into the USJ. Ben also shows the beneficial powers of his Quirk, helping out Hagakure, Kaminari, and Aoyama with the drawbacks of their Quirks and making them into much more badass versions of themselves.
Yes, Denki's modified Quirk now makes him like Cole MacGrath from InFamous. We'll get to see more of that in action when the time comes.
Also, I wonder how All For One is gonna react when he realizes Aoyama is no longer burdened by the Quirk he gave him...
Mrotrax A/N: Another great job from Knightmare Lord!
There was going to be a scene in which we see more of the LoV as they get ready, but I thought that maybe it'd be more impactful if we kept their 'Legendary' member a secret for the next chapter.
Hint; they are from a One Piece Movie that Oda himself was involved with.
Besides, it's nice for a chapter to end with Ben feeling good.
See you soon, stay warm, safe, and healthy!