Shout out to Cryptodoo, who's doing OV styled Ochako aliens for the team right now- he's nailing it. Also, hey! New cover!
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
One of the newest features of UA's revitalization was Gym Gamma, the beautiful brain child of Cemetoss; Gym Gamma consisted of a large, empty, and enclosed space. It was entirely made of concrete, which Cementoss was capable of manipulating to suit the personal needs of each of the students.
"We call it the TKL," All Might said. "The Training Kitchen Lab."
"Pretty lame compared to the USJ." Ochako said.
"I know." All Might sighed. "Anyways, more the license exams. Heroes deal with a ton of accidents and disasters, both natural and man made. It's our job to save them from any situation. The license exam will test your ability to adapt in those situations. This includes stuff like intelligence gathering, mobility, communication, leadership- the works."
"But at the forefront is combat prowess." Yang said. "It'll be heavily prioritized for potential heroes. Your Ultimate moves could give you the upper hand in a big battle."
"So, for the next two weeks..." Rook continued. "You will be using your days to enhance your quirks and put together your ultimate moves through some extra intense training."
"With us, of course." Blake said, as Cementoss slammed his hands into the ground. A multitude of giant concrete slabs shot up, giving each child an even battlefield to work on. There was even some 'privacy' with walls around them.
"Also- as your quirks grow and you start to formulate your ultimate moves, you need to think about altering your costumes." All Might said. "I know I sure did when I was your age. Believe me- my costume when I was a freshman sucked."
All Might blinked. "Not saying all of yours suck, mind you."
Everyone in the course was a little taken aback by the revelation that they each had their very own arena in which to practice their skills. This was probably the best way to work out at the gym without paying for a gym membership.
The real question was who would be paired with whom, who would train with whom, and which of the instructors would be working with some of the students.
"Ochako, you wanted to work with me first, right?" Yang asked. "Let's see what you can do now." Yang motioned for the brunette to follow her.
"Oh! Uh, sure." Ochako nodded before catching up with the blonde boxer.
Yang started to adjust herself as she walked toward one of the larger concrete homes. Her joints were popping and her jacket was flapping a bit because some of the nice cool air was blowing against her. "I wasn't lying when I said I've gone toe to toe with Ben. Ben has never been able to beat at least two people in a full-on fight."
"So, one's you...who's the other one?" Ochako asked. Someone who Ben couldn't beat...could it be All Might or something?
"Someone with a stupid overpowered quirk, but it's a fun overpowered." Yang smirked, as they reached their concrete arena. "So! Let's start with what you can do right now, as just normal ol' Ochako Uraraka."
"Uh, I hope you don't mind heights?" Ochako said yes as she quickly touched herself with her hands. Then, she turned on her quirk so she could start floating.
Yang watched her rise up, and hummed. "A quirk that nullifies gravity? Interesting. Lot of great applications to it. You can immobilize foes with no range, use heavy objects as weapons, maybe even wield an impossibly sized weapon without any issues. That'd make Ruby really happy..."
"It kinda makes me sick, but I've been working on reducing my nausea ever since I got the watch." Ochako explained.
"Hmmm...Nausea, huh? Is it from overuse or from the lack of gravity?" Yang asked as she started to cock her hip and looked at Ochako. Ochako thought a bit about what was making her sick.
"Well, Izuku said my Quirk pretty heavily screws with Newton's laws, specifically the first and third laws. So, maybe it's reparations." Ochako joked.
Yang chuckled. "Maybe. So, show me how you use it in combat." Yang got into a combat pose. "I swear I'll go easy on you."
"Hey, don't treat me like a rookie. I want you to utilize anything you can!" Ochako smiled as she quickly moved back to the wall. She jumped off of it, and, using her quirk, started picking up pieces of the arena around them. Yang quickly dodged a kick from Uraraka, and grabbed her leg.
"There's one big disadvantage to your quirk, kid." Yang noted. "If you're not around something you can jump off of...I can just do this!"
Yang heaved Ochako into the air, making her spin out of control. Ochako gasped, deactivating her quirk to stop the spin. Yang let out a small yell as she threw Ochako back toward the wall, letting her slam back even though the hit hurt her body a little. It felt like a truck had just hit her.
"Ow..." Ochako said, as Yang chuckled.
"I respect your hustle, kid." Yang nodded. "You came at me, ready to get the first blow."
"I was hoping to get a big hit in." Ochako thought for a while before she began to think about what she could do to bridge the gap. She could maybe try to use some of the moves she used when she fought Bakugou.
"I think you need to improve your speed so your opponents can't react in time, y'know?" Yang suggested. "I'm not saying you should be REALLY fast, but fast enough to catch opponents off guard."
"When I used XLR8, I was pretty good at it, but..." She started to think about it some more, and then she realized that she had been relying a little bit on the Omnitrix.
"Ben had that issue too. He kept focusing on how his aliens would fight, and not how Ben would fight." Yang said. "All I really remember is a lot of days spent boxing, and me knocking him down. A lot."
"...every time I hear about Ben's past, he gets lamer." Ochako frowned.
"Oh, you have no idea." Yang said. "So, show me how you'd take me down if I was a villain." Ochako then started to focus a bit before taking a quick look around. She had to keep in mind that this was an enclosed space. She didn't have much to work with, but that meant she could get closer to the target.
Ochako rushed over, and grabbed Yang's arm. She quickly flung Yang over her shoulder, and slammed her onto the ground. Yang then started to hopelessly float up into the air, and she clapped her hands.
"Oh! Fun." Yang said. *She used her quirk to reduce my weight and easily fling me to the ground. Now her quirk is gonna send me skybound. However...*
The flesh colored wire around Yang's arm unraveled, and shot into the ground. Yang pulled herself back to the ground with ease.
"This isn't a complete takedown!" Yang quipped. Ochako was surprised by the things this heroine had added to her arm, but she didn't think Yang would just start firing blasts at her and spin her around.
"This is what a good support weapon looks like." Yang said. "Hides my robot arm, throws people off guard, it blends into my costume...just the works."
"Okay, I might have to remember that." Ochako thought about it for a while before getting a little excited. She knew this girl was a pro, but she was a very remarkable fighter.
"Anything else I should know about your quirk?" Yang asked, as Ochako deactivated it.
"Recently I found out I can 'toggle' my gravity- so, by tapping someone with like one finger, they have 20% of their gravity removed, and so on and so forth." Ochako explained. "I'm using that as a combo starter for my aliens."
"Well, now I'm kind of interested to see how you're going to try to hit me with some of those combos." Yang said. She paused for thought before swiftly beginning to pull herself back to the earth; she was curious to see how far this girl could go.
Ochako grinned. "Ben never had a quirk to throw you off with- Animo said he had a hard time adapting to my fighting style."
"Oooh, and he's a top contender for Ben's most 'annoying' villains. High praise coming from him," Yang said. "Bring it."
As they quickly rushed each other again, Ochako tried to put her fingers somewhere on Yang's body, but the blonde bruiser quickly moved out of the way and started firing shots quickly with no apparent aim. Ochako dodged them, and quickly shoved her hand in Yang's face. She reduced Yang's gravity by 60%, and shoved her backwards. "Chromastone!" Ochako yelled, tapping the watch to activate her voice control mode.
Chromastone took her place, and blasted Yang into a wall with a powerful burst of energy. Yang was pushed back by the blast, but she quickly covered her chest and front with her arms and pushed out against the burst of energy. Her eyes lit up for a second as she rolled her joints and quickly used the lack of gravity to fire more shots, this time using them as momentum.
Ochako's singular pupil widened. She was about to fire another set of lasers, when she heard something beeping behind her. "Eh?" She said, turning around. Her pupil got larger as she realized the beeping sound were-
"BOMBS!" Ochako yelled, as they suddenly exploded, propelling her RIGHT into Yang's fist. Yang had pushed herself back and then launched herself forward with a rocket-powered slam. Ochako's face hit the ground quickly with a metal-covered haymaker.
Ochako groaned, as she revered back to her human form. "Oww..."
"Sorry, kid. But that's just how I go against any Omnitrix wielder." Yang said. "And you did tell me not to hold back."
"That's on me." Ochako mumbled.
"But hey, you did get me thinking on my feet!" Yang said, then jumped up and down a few times. "You're definitely progressing a great deal, especially in a few months." She then helped Ochako get up off the floor.
"Do you want to try and show me some other techniques?"
"I feel like you're gonna counter all of them- I barely know anything about your powers, but your bombs, your string and the force behind that punch-" Ochako rubbed her cheek for emphasis. "That you're probably someone I couldn't take down at my current level."
"Nope." Yang just put her hand on her hip and smiled.
"Nope?" Ochako tilted her head.
"Nope! You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Sometimes, you just have to beat the impossible odds that are against you." Yang smirked before flexing a bicep.
I can see why Ben wanted her on the staff- she's like the total opposite of Mr. Aizawa, but still has that harsh edge to her. Ochako thought. I don't want to say he approached her for me, but...it kinda feels like it.
"...well...there are a few new abilities that my aliens have that Ben's don't..." Ochako admitted. "Maybe that'll give me an edge?"
"Abilities are a different matter." Yang smiled as she began to tap Ochako on the shoulder. "What makes a difference is how you use your skills. You have to think on your feet and use what you have. Any random hero can just say they're strong."
"So, what should I do for the next two weeks? Explore what I'm good at and refine that to the highest possible levels, or venture into new areas?" Ochako asked.
"Whatever works for you. I'm open to it for the next few hours." Yang grinned.
"Well, I could try to look at both, right?" Ochako was curious because it seemed like Yang had a lot of ideas for what could be done for the heroine with the Omnitrix.
"Look, why don't you try it this way? Focus on your quirk first, then adjust with the Omnitrix."
"Well, it's not like I'm gonna be using the Omnitrix during the exam." Ochako hummed. "I think I'd get a lot of looks if I morphed into XLR8."
"Exactly. As far as everyone knows, you are still Ochako Uraraka." Yang gave her a little push and then leaned against one of the concrete walls. "Now, do you want to try having some fun again with your quirk?"
Ochako nodded. "Right!" Honestly, fighting with Yang for just a few minutes already had her thinking of multiple ways she could enhance her suit. She'd have to visit the support lab after practice.
At the same time Ochako was exploring her quirk, Iida was exploring new approaches.
"I heard your legs sustained some damage during the camp. Are you sure you are okay to fight, Iida?" Rook asked.
"I'm fine, honestly. Fistrick ripped out my engines, but jokes on him- they grow back stronger than ever." Iida explained. "An Ingenium family secret."
"I see. Your quirk does have a pretty unique ability, mostly because it uses speed and momentum to make attacks stronger." Rook thought for a while before he started to look at all the little details.
"But there comes an issue with that." Iida said. "I'm very much a close range fighter. I don't really have any ranged attacks to assist the others, much to my chagrin."
Rook hummed. "I see."
"I want to be flexible, both as a hero and a person- but sometimes, it just feels like my efforts aren't enough." Iida said.
"Maybe it is not important to worry about how far away you attack." Rook then started to look at the edges of the room. "Maybe it comes down to the skills you already have?"
"That's another issue- I want to efficiently use my Reciprio series of moves. While I gain an incredible boost of speed, it's only for ten seconds and stalls my engine for a minute. That doesn't seem like a fair trade now, does it?" Iida proposed.
"When you put it like that, no it does not." Rook nodded.
"I'm trying to get over that... I don't know what to do to keep my engine from stopping." Iida added before he looked back to the engine. Maybe he needed to try to push his limit on how long the engine could be running.
"I do not know if we can achieve that in under two weeks." Rook said. "Perhaps this is a situation where we need to think outside of the box...what sort of range are you looking for?"
Iida paused to think. "Each time I replay some of my fights in my head, I always think...'I wish I had something to help capture them'. 'I wish I had something to stun them.' Each time I get up close, I seem to be terribly injured. And I get it, risking your body is embedded into the very being of a hero, but..." Iida said. "I wish to avoid having my body broken. I think seeing most of my classmates injured scared me."
"Then...maybe you do not have to put yourself in danger." Rook said as pulled out a device and threw it at Iida.
The device in question? His Proto-Tool.
"What is this?" Iida asked, examining the weapon.
"This is an old Proto Tool I thought I would use for training today- my new model packs too much of a punch for you kids." Rook explained. "It was invented by the Galvan- it is a high tech multi-functional weapon, capable of transforming into a blaster, power sword, staff, bow, grappler, shield, fishing pole, and numerous other equipment."
Iida hummed. "Intriguing."
"Try putting it together with your quirk." Rook said this as he started to take a stance, as if he was going to try to fight him unarmed. "Show me what you have got and hit me."
Iida looked down at the weapon, and blinked. "How do I use this, exactly?" He flipped the weapon over once or twice to try and get a read on it.
"Just hold the trigger down." Rook smiled before he changed his stance. He had tried to copy Ben's way of "stancing up" when they were training.
Iida held down the trigger, and suddenly, the weapon changed shape into a staff. Iida gasped, and held the weapon tightly. "W-woah!"
"The staff! A great weapon to start with." Rook said.
And the most simple. This does give me some better range around my body. Iida thought.
"Come at me now!" Rook smiled as he started to get ready. He had been beaten up by faster aliens before, so he didn't think this would be too different.
Iida took a deep breath before rushing at Rook. He extended the staff forward, employing it in a manner befitting his attack. "Reciprio... JOUST!"
Rook was quick to breathe in before starting to put his hands out to catch the staff like a sword. His techniques of Revonnah-Kai surely came in handy.
Iida's eyes widened. "Woah."
"Woah indeed." Rook smiled. "If I was a more inexperienced man, I would have surely been 'jousted'."
Iida chuckled at the situation, retracting his staff before swiftly swinging it around. Rook promptly blocked the attacks with his arms, but Iida wasted no time in pulling the trigger once more. As the staff transformed into something resembling a blaster, Iida fired a round object. Rook skillfully dodged by sliding underneath, causing the round to smash into a wall and leave behind a vibrant paint splatter.
"Paintball rounds?" Iida asked.
"Better than having you kids get hit with energy blasts. They sting, but you can walk it off." Rook explained. "And plus, you can tag criminals on the field."
Iida's eyes lit up. "Ingenious!"
"I think it is safe to say that you will need to be taught how to use a proto-tool." Rook smiled and seemed a little happy that someone else could finally see how artful it was to use a device like that. Oh, Iida would know so little...
But Rook would still teach him everything he needed to know. After all, once someone learns how to use this kind of tool, it's easy to combine with almost any other powerset.
Speaking of expanding powersets...
Izuku stared off into the distance, watching everyone train. He could see Shoto's flames from one arena, the smell of Mina's acid from another and the crackle of Kaminari's electricity in another.
"Not sure what to do?" Ren asked.
"It's more like I don't know where to really start," Izuku admitted. "My arm's pretty much a ticking time bomb- so, I don't want to overdo it today. But..."
"But?"
"There's...something else I need to focus on." Izuku said, as he took off his glove. He pointed his finger out, and let a small black wisp shoot out. "My...power got, like, a secondary form. An external form as opposed to my internal power. By really focusing, I can juuuuuust manage this, but that's all I can handle for now. It's different from my Full Cowling technique, which toggles my power- it feels like it's always 100%."
Ren hummed. "Interesting."
"At the summer camp...I saw its full capabilities." Izuku explained. "It works like a writhing mass of tendrils. And it's fueled by my emotions."
"Strength that comes from feelings is always hard to deal with." Ren smiled. "What I would suggest is that you start with the techniques you already know how to use or are comfortable with."
"Maybe I should start from square one." Izuku said, holding out his hand. "Back when I was still mastering my quirk, I had to focus on...'keeping the egg from exploding in the microwave'."
"...Strange simile, but I get it," Ren said. He took a moment to think and then quickly pulled out his own weapons. "Maybe the best way to start is to improve your close-quarters skills, switch to long-range skills, and then improve both."
Izuku nodded, before looking at his weapons. "Uh...those don't have real bullets, do they?"
"We're using a specialized bullet for this. It's like...styrofoam mixed with a paintball." Ren explained.
"Alrighty, if you say so..." Izuku said, as he started his Full Cowling.
"Come at me however you want." Ren smiled. He tried to make his own aura stronger. He knew this kid could hit hard, but he also knew he wasn't going to give up easily.
Izuku started with a few light jabs, which Ren dodged with ease. Izuku quickly switched up his attack- he spun around and kicked Ren in the arm, causing him to skid backwards.
He's more powerful than I thought he'd be. Ren hummed. Thank goodness I layered my aura. Ren started to quickly focus his efforts on redirecting his aura so that could throw out some lofty counter attacks. He was almost nostalgic for this kind of fight.
Izuku struggled to handle his defense. He's throwing up some sort of invisible armor around his skin- aura!
The generational gaps were certainly showing, as many humans didn't need to worry about Aura or Semblances. These were things that only seemed to be taught to those that sought them out, like any martial art.
Ren, of course, was a bit of a master of this kind of art.
Izuku grit his teeth. I don't wanna risk throwing out an attack with my arms. I'll have to stick with Shoot Style for now!
Izuku charged up some energy in his legs, and leapt into the air. One for All, Full Cowling, Shoot Style! He yelled, to psych himself up. "Manchester Sma-"
Out of nowhere, black tendrils shot from the heel of his foot, swiftly ensnaring Ren. Izuku gasped as he fell to the ground, pulling Ren down with him. While surprised by the unexpected strike, Ren attempted to stay calm and pondered the reason behind it.
Izuku gasped, as the whips suddenly faded away. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't expect for my quirk to just shoot out like that."
"No, no! Don't feel bad about something like this, because it gives us a little more to work with. Now you know that it either comes from your hands or your heels." Ren added as he scribbled some notes in a notepad.
"...and my back..." Izuku muttered.
"What?" Ren tilted his head.
"N-nothing. Anyways," Izuku said, clearing his throat. "I guess Blackwhip is more responsive to my emotions than I thought."
"Which means we can see which emotions react the strongest. Try to figure it out on your own," Ren said.
"If I had to pinpoint one emotion..." Izuku hummed, thinking back to the summer camp. "I think it'd have to be determination."
"Determination?"
"Yeah. During my battle, I was so determined to keep everyone safe- the kid I rescued, Mandalay, Bakugou- every time I got more and more determined, Blackwhip was fueled by that. So, maybe I have to think about it like...another set of arms." Izuku said.
"Interesting..." Ren hummed as he started thinking all of that over. The emotion theory proved strong, considering how many other times emotional outbursts have contributed to Quirk control. The teacher's mind immediately flashbacked to how Mina's Acidman technique was originally created from such emotions. Though there it was a combination of various negative emotions.
"I was so determined to break through your defenses, that it must've…auto directed itself to the most opportune spot." Izuku theorized.
"It has a mind of its own." Ren joked. "Sounds familiar."
Like Acidman and Dark Shadow, Izuku thought to himself. I wonder…
While the other teachers were all helping their students in a more direct way, Blake was forced to stand outside of a cave Cementoss had constructed that shut out all natural light. A yellow holographic warning sign flared at the cave's entrance that simply read "Do Not Enter." Tokoyami had to gain greater control over his shadow in total darkness.
From what I've seen, when Dark Shadow goes feral, it's almost like a Grimm going on a rampage, no real intelligence behind it. Blake thought to herself, Tokoyami needs to subdue that fury. He doesn't necessarily need to emerge victorious; he just has to regain control.
"DARK SHADOW!" Tokoyami yelled. The scream was guttural, scaring those closest to his arena. It sounded like the duo were fighting for control.
Blake took a deep breath. But given what Aizawa said, I can't tell if this kid is hamming it up or truly terrorized by his quirk.
Honestly, it could be either. While the hero couldn't be in there to offer encouragement, she could still provide advice whenever Tokoyami left the cave. After all, even he needed breaks between bouts of wrestling for control.
Soon, she heard footsteps walking out of the cave, and stepping into the light. "I...have assumed this form once again. We have made a temporary peace...this devil will give his power..." Tokoyami mutered.
"And do you have any ideas about how to use that power?" Blake asked.
"A few, yes," Tokoyami admitted.
Tokoyami revealed his form. Black Shadow was draped around his face, acting like a cowl of sorts. "Black Ankh. A move I improvised to defend myself from some blades..."
"Impressive." Blake said. "Combining both defense and offense into one thing."
"Indeed," Tokoyami nodded, "I hope to improve upon this, make divergent attacks for Ankh."
"I see. Should be easy now that we have the base," Blake agreed.
"I was told you have a 'Shadow' power- is it similar to mine?" Tokoyami asked.
"I can make shadow clones, for a brief few moments." Blake explained. "They can either attack, propel me forward, or take a hit for me. I don't know if I can teach you anything at the moment."
"Can you please demonstrate, anyway?" Tokoyami asked.
"I suppose. Won't hurt," Blake shrugged. She quickly activated her Semblance and the normal ninja Faunus was replaced by one made entirely of stone, sharing the exact same pose as the hero had mere moments ago.
"Stone?"
"Sometimes my Semblance reacts with the Dust rounds in my weapon, letting the clone be made of anything from fire to ice." Blake explained.
"...imbuing elemental power into shadows..." the umbral hero-in-training hummed.
"I doubt Dark Shadow could do that. Aura doesn't interact with quirks. Odd as it is." Blake said.
"Dreams in darkness, then." Tokoyami said. "Well then...I want to test out the range of my attacks. Set up some more stone clones in a line, and I will smash through them to find my 'limit'."
Blake nodded and quickly set up several different stone clones. Each clone was in a pose to mimic combat, her weapon drawn as a blade or a pistol.
"Alright, here," Blake said. Tokoyami took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He reared his arm back, morphing the normal fingers of his Black Ankh "gauntlet" into destructive claws. He opened his eyes and began to throw the attack.
"Shadowy Claws of the Raven!" Tokoyami yelled, crashing through the clones and cutting them half with sheer force. He managed to break through at least six copies on the first go.
"Maybe work on the name," Blake suggested.
"Tenebrous Black Claw."
"Still a little too long."
"Shadow Claw."
"Taken."
"Covert Black Op Arms."
"…that's so charmingly dumb."
"Hmm...keep that one in mind, then," Tokoyami nodded, "Doesn't quite fit. What about 'Piercing Twilight Claws?"
Blake nodded. "Just the right amount of edge. I like it." She turned around and looked at the broken statues. "It seems like your range is...10 meters. That's not a bad range."
"It gives me a greater range and a stronger offensive presence up close. The only downside is that it fades in intense light. Besides that, it's almost perfect." Tokoyami said.
It makes sense that this kid is so eager to fight. Ben mentioned an internship with Hawks, and I'd believe it if this kid is the one. Blake thought.
"I've also been thinking about another idea. My shadow seems to be rather malleable over my body; do you think I could form weapons from that?" Tokoyami asked aloud.
"That's a great question I don't have an answer to." Blake said. "However…the best teacher is trying it out on a whim. Worked for Ben more times than it should have."
"Then there's no excuse not to try it," Tokoyami said, focusing his attention on his shadowy right arm. He tried to imagine it hardening, similar to Kirishima's quirk. The claws on his arm began to elongate and sharpen. "This is all I can manage for right now…"
Blake nodded. "It's a start."
Tokoyami clenched his fist. Hawks- when next we meet, I will show you what I can truly do.
Momo's training was a little different- she was focusing on cultivating the few magic skills she'd been practicing since she got out of the hospital. Midnight watched with great curiosity.
"Magic, huh?" Midnight asked. "I can't say I'm not shocked. Very few pros can use magic."
She's right- besides the President, the Emerald Light and Hope, I can't imagine many. Majestic has a quirk named Magic, but I don't think he can really do it… Momo said, as she focused on creating a dome around her body. The dome quickly began to cloak Momo, obscuring her from the world. Midnight clapped.
"Oh, a cloaking spell! That's a clever way to get a sneak attack." Midnight pointed out.
"Or…in my case…" Momo's voice sounded strained. "Make something…"
When the shield dropped, Momo was wielding a random support item around her arm. She was breathing heavily, something Midnight didn't like.
"You're straining yourself, trying to split your focus between two things..." Midnight frowned. "Looks like it takes a lot out of your system."
"I'm working on adapting to it," Momo explained. "I need to enhance my versatility to create more complex items on the fly, so I'm building up a tolerance to that-"
"And you should do that after the exam," Midnight said sternly. "I want you all to pass, and if you strain yourself like this in the exam, I doubt you're going to make it." Midnight was brutally honest but correct. "I'd suggest focusing on something simpler with your quirk and magic."
"...well, there is one thing." Momo said as she wrapped her hand in magic. Midnight watched with interest as Momo performed a few simple magic blasts before delaying the last one. The magic blasts hit a wall, and inside Momo's last attack was a bag of marbles that exploded when it hit the wall and fell to the ground.
"I did the same thing to the one-marble bad guy who attacked the camp," she said. Momo told us. "I thought that kind of move might help me deal with enemies who can't fly."
Midnight nodded her head. "Even if you had to wait to launch your last strike, it's still a really intriguing one. Your magic clearly compliments your smaller constructs- with a more complex one, it must tire out your brain."
"I'll have to work on simplifying them, then." Momo said, as she looked down at the support item she made. "I'll meet with the support lab and discuss what needs to be removed and what doesn't."
Midnight smiled softly. It's incredible how much she's grown from just a few months ago. If she keeps honing this power, she might surpass the pros by her third year.
"There is one spell I wanted to try out- Midnight, you don't mind being my 'test subject', do you?" Momo inquired.
"For the advancement of your powers, I'll give you a pass." Midnight said, crossing her arms. "Say your spell loudly and proudly!"
Momo flipped to a page in her spell book, and took a deep breath. She extended her arm forward and pointed it at Midnight. "Somnus!" She chanted, and a wispy ball of magic flew right towards Midnight. It breezed past her face, making Midnight blink and yawn.
"W-well, I don't know what it did, but-" Midnight suddenly fell over, and began snoring loudly. Momo covered her blushing face with her magic book.
A-ah. She thought. It's a sleeping spell.
The irony was not lost.
Todoroki trained a little bit differently than the other kids. Most kids were told to work with a teacher, but Todoroki chose to work with someone who was not a teacher.
"Are you certain you want me to guide you in improving your flame side?" Alan asked, watching as Todoroki stretched to warm up. "I mean, we're the same age, and I haven't even come close to reaching my full potential-"
"You've wielded your fire naturally your whole life," Todoroki remarked. "I believe you might have insights that could help me."
Alan inhaled deeply. "All right, I guess. Lemme get fired up." Alan broke his fingers together. Rocks started to go up his arm and all over his body. Soon after, his body caught on fire, completing his change into his Pyronite half.
"Alright, so. What can you do with your fire side right now?" Alan asked.
"Not much. Just the typical flamethrower or protective cover," Todoroki explained as he lit up his left hand.
"I've seen your old man's quirk. How different is your fire side from his Hellfire?" Alan asked.
Todoroki winced- he knew Alan didn't know the full story, but bringing up his dad did sting a little. "I never liked using my fire side in battle until after the sports festival. Due to this, I still lack the dexterity of my ice side and my father's quirk when it comes to controlling flames."
"So, before you can use both sides, you need to get good at the one you haven't used much." Alan said.
"Correct."
Alan hummed. "Okay, okay. You got down basic stuff, so we can skip past 'beginner' and into intermediate. Show me your flamethrower."
Todoroki gave a nod and put out his right arm. He let out a powerful stream of flames that lasted for a few seconds.
"Pretty shoddy flamethrower, if you ask me." Alan said.
"Huh?"
"You're using your entire arm, instead of just focusing it into a single point in your hand. It's powerful, though." Alan tapped his palm. "It's fine if you wanna go all out and keep enemies at bay, but what if you were in a situation when civilians are around?"
"I'd use my ice side-" Todoroki said.
"AND you can't use your ice side. Because. I dunno." Alan shrugged. "I'm not great at hypotheticals."
Todoroki saw his point. His control over flames was reckless. "So, how do I focus my fire into the palm of my hand?"
"This kinda connects into another thing, so bear with me." Alan said. "Clench your hand like you're grabbing a baseball." Alan held up his hand. Todoroki mirrored the action. "Okay, so clench it even harder, and squeeze that invisible ball hard."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow, but followed Alan's directions. "Squeezing the ball…"
"The squeeze is gonna concentrate the energy into your palm. I dunno if it works the same for you, but depending how hard I squeeze, the flame gets more intense." Alan explained. "Try it out!"
Todoroki unleashed a more concentrated flamethrower from his hand, allowing for him to dish out a stronger stream of flames. It doesn't overheat my entire arm, either…so I don't have an extended cooldown time. Todoroki realized.
"Ayyyy, there we go!" Alan cheered.
"That felt a little more manageable for my cooldown." Todoroki said. "You mentioned that this technique could flow into something else, right?"
"Yeah. A fireball. Good projectile attack." Alan said. "I'm shocked you don't know how to make one! It's like the first thing any pyromaniac should learn."
Shoto blinked. "I am not an arsonist."
"Never said that, but okay!" Alan said, clenching his hand. "So, this time when you clench your hand, try to focus the energy into your metacarpals…"
Todoroki tried to focus that energy again. This one is a bit more complicated. It has the same properties, but it feels hard to really focus it into a shape…
In contrast to Alan's fireball, Todoroki's fireball looked more like a wadded up piece of paper when it was hurled forward. Even though it traveled far in the air, it rapidly disintegrated into smoke and flames. Todoroki heaved a heavy sigh of dissatisfaction.
"Dude, don't worry. It was a good first try!" Alan provided solace.
Todoroki looked down at his hand, and wiggled his fingers. Focusing the energy into my hands…and keeping it there. I think I need to not only use Alan for some help…but also approach Midoriya. He used to focus his quirk into one part of his body- while it's an outdated technique, I may be able to give it some new life.
Todoroki clenched his fist. Besides, If this works out, I may not even need to approach dad about his technique.
Shinsou's training was the most 'basic' out of everyone. Compared to the ones who were refining moves and exploring new angles, Shinsou was frustratingly stuck at square one still.
But if he doubled down for these next few days, maybe he'd be on par with some of the kids. Especially with his weapon.
Eraserhead employed a tool called a "Binding Cloth" to go along with his quirk. The weapon was a cloth-like device constructed from carbon fibers and a specialized metal alloy. He had no trouble using the weapon's features to entangle and paralyze his foes. As a precaution against Mutant-type Quirk users, who are resistant to his Quirk's nullification capability, he employed the weapon in a potent combination with his Erasure Quirk.
"Your quirk has an advantage over mine, Shinsou," Eraser said on their very first day of work together. " Only the emitter and transformation classes are affected by my quirk. Yours, on the other hand, doesn't 'discriminate'. Anyone could be affected by it if you hone it well enough."
Aizawa was right- having a still target was easier to capture than a moving one. Aizawa had high hopes that Shinsou would carry on his binding style, and maybe improve upon it along the way.
And while Shinsou wasn't one hundred percent just yet, his 'sixty percent' was pretty great.
Shinsou grumbled to himself in frustration as he tried to untangle his binding cloth.
"Copying Eraser's style, hm?" a voice called out from behind him.
"Yeah...just," Shinsou said, not even looking behind him, too focused on untangling the cloth, "A bit frustrating."
"Some inspiration's good, but don't copy him one-to-one. That move you just tried pulling off is one Eraser's practiced for years. Even he had trouble with it initially."
"Some inspir-I'm not trying to copy him," Shinsou said, taking his focus off the cloth and turning to see that he was actually talking to All Might. He didn't recognize the voice at first, probably due to his tunnel vision on improvement.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Shinsou. Your fight with Young Midoriya in the Sports fest was interesting!" All Might said, as Shinsou just stared at him. Outside, he was like "whatever", but inside he was like "oh my god" in a slightly excited tone.
"Um, thank...you," Shinsou finally managed to say, before clearing his throat. Yeah, no one can fault him for being a bit anxious around All Might. It's All Might.
"A friend of mine has this saying- never compare yourself to others. Tell me. When you visualize the movements in your head, do you think about yourself doing the action or Aizawa doing it?" All Might said.
"...I picture Eraser. He's my only frame of reference." Shinsou frowned.
"I see," All Might hummed a bit. Was there anyone else who used the binding cloth? Like he said, it's good to use inspiration, but the student needed more than just one hero for reference. Otherwise, he'd just be copying someone and not developing as his own hero.
"It's good to have a reference, but there's times where you need to stop looking at them. I based a lot of my earlier super moves from the people around me, to be honest." All Might explained. "I didn't really know what I was doing back then."
"That...doesn't really seem like the best idea," Shinsou said, "No offense, All Might, sir, but...what can I take from people I barely know?"
All Might looked around, and pointed to Sero. He was dangling from the ceiling, swinging himself around for some momentum. "Over there- Hanta Sero is working on his mobility. He's placed first in multiple trials at Ground Gamma."
"And over there." All Might pointed to Izuku's arena. "Young Midoriya is struggling with a similar situation with a new development in his quirk. He's at square one, just like you."
Shinsou was about to say something, but then he saw the two of them work. Sero was using the tape from his elbows like grappling hooks, almost like he was emulating Spider Man with the movements. The way he swung and the movements he used to lash out with the tape got Shinsou thinking about his own movements. As for Izuku, well, like All Might said, he was at square one as well. He was talking with Ectoplasm it looked like. From what Shinsou remembered from the sports fest, Izuku's Quirk really messed up his body when he used it. Maybe he was asking about a costume upgrade? Those were on the table for this, after all.
It's hard for me to use this thing around my neck. Shinsou thought, looking at the binding cloth. At times I pause and worry that I'm gonna accidentally break my own neck or something when I'm using this damn thing. I never considered an alternate application for it...
Shinsou looked down at his hands. Maybe...
"Something starting to come together?" All Might asked.
"...I think so, sir," Shinsou nodded.
"Good!" All Might smiled. "I'll leave you to it, Aizawa." All Might walked away, to the next student on his list. Aizawa raised an eyebrow.
He's suddenly good at teaching? How? Aizawa asked. And that's when Aizawa locked eyes with something in All Might's back pocket- a book.
HOW TO TEACH, FOR DUMMIES! The book's title read.
Aizawa's left eye twitched.
Ochako had taken a break from training for now. Izuku mentioned the possibility of costume upgrades and she had to admit, the idea had merit. She was making her way to the Development Studio for just that reason. She had a few ideas in mind...and then she saw the door for the studio. It was like a massive bank vault door, rivets and all.
I want to toy around with my support items. I don't really have a great 'ranged' attack at the moment. Ochako thought. So, I'll just have to convince the support course to make a replica of gauntlets from the Spanner costume. After watching Miss Xiao Long fight, I think I should try replicating her style...
Ochako looked down. And talk to Kirishima about more workouts.
Ochako clenched her fist. "I'll do my best-"
"OCHAKO, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!"
The yell made her jump. Ochako looked over to see Izuku and Iida, running over. They looked panicked, like there was a monster behind the door.
"Woah, what's going on?" Ochako said- it had to be serious if Iida was running in the halls.
"L-listen. You need to be CAREFUL opening that door." Iida explained.
"We've seen firsthand what lies behind it." Izuku shuddered.
Ochako tilted her head. "Uhhh. Explain."
"Back when my costume was in need of repairs, after the Stain fight, Midoriya and I nearly got blown up by...her." Iida's face scrunched up.
"Her?" Ochako asked. Then it came back to her. Mei Hatsume, the 'devil' of the support class, was probably at work behind that door. Now I really get why it's reinforced.
"Listen, guys." Ochako laughed. "I doubt the door is gonna explode THIS time."
As soon as the group started to look at the door, they could see that it was quickly starting to bulge out. It was almost obvious that something or someone was behind it and pushing it forward with...something else. Mei seemed to have been doing a lot of tests.
Ochako moved back a few steps. "Ok, I don't think metal should bend like that."
Then, the door BURST off its hinges. Ochako screamed before she smacked the Omnitrix down. She changed into Big Chill, and the door went through her intangible body and out the window. Ochako inhaled deeply just as someone else crashed into her.
Izuku and Iida stared in disbelief. "OH MY GOD!" Iida yelled.
"Heheh...that hurt..." A voice said coming out of the smoke.
"Damn it, kid!" Another voice scolded her. Ceres stepped out of the support lab, brushing herself off. "I TOLD you not to cross those wires!"
"Ehehehe~ Sorry! Failure is the mother of invention, Mrs. North...just cuz it didn't work doesn't mean the effort is wasted-" Mei said.
Mei looked down, to see she was on top of a now human Ochako. "Oh! Hey! Where'd you come from?"
Ochako was shaking nervously, looking at the girl on top of her. "OW!"
Mei gave a small laugh and began to look around. "Whoops! I guess I went a little overboard there, but... Oh hey! You two!" She stood up quickly and gave Iida and Deku a smile.
"Why are you both here? Want some more improvements?" She smiled.
Ochako got back up, and brushed herself. She then noticed Ceres, standing in the doorway. "A-Ah! Mrs. North! I didn't know you were hired here at UA." Ochako said.
"Yeah," Ceres said. "Ben convinced me these kids needed some help in the tech department, so...here I am. Kinda glad, too. This one's a wild one."
"Oh, cool!" As Ochako dusted off the soot from her clothes, she smiled and looked over at the other girl. She wondered what her deal was.
"You guys are from the hero course..." Mei said, adjusting her goggles. "Uhhhh...what are your names again?"
"Izuku?"
"Ochako."
"I'm Tenya Iida, the man you used as a walking billboard during the Sports Fest!"
"Oh yeah!" Mei said. "Anyways, come on in. Let's have a looksie heeeere..." Mei looked around, thinking there must be a few things the group could use.
"Mei, don't assume." Ceres said. "These kids don't need a total revamp. Just a minor tune up. Don't replace the whole car because the engine sucks."
"I knowwww! But my babies!" Mei grinned.
"No buts. You need to focus on your impulsiveness." Ceres added as she started to glance over to the trio before starting to hum. "Well now, I get the feeling you're all here for something in relation to your costumes?"
"Yeah- I thought Power Loader would be here to discuss it. Where is he?"
"He's on a summer sabbatical." Ceres said. "He earned it after the USJ remodeling. So, I'm taking charge. Eraserhead gave me the heads up- said some kids may want to make modifications to accommodate their ultimate moves. You kids got your blueprints?"
Ochako pulled out her costume's blueprints. "Here you go. How does the modification process go, exactly?"
"Good question." Ceres said. "Usually, we look over your changes, do some boring paperwork, and submit a formal application, and then three days later, after some government inspection, they'll send it back if approved. But, good news...I'm technically a government official. So, those three days become a few hours."
"So, it streamlines the process. Is that why you were hired?" Iida asked.
"Yep." Ceres nodded. "That, and…well, if everyone's gonna be at UA, I'd like to keep in touch with them."
"Fair enough." Izuku shrugged.
"I'm pretty fast with making modifications, so if I'm not swamped, I can have your costume back to you in a few hours at max." Ceres explained. "So, what's first?"
"I...need some access ports on my gloves." Izuku said, taking off his glove. "You see, my new...power kinda rips through clothes, and I don't wanna destroy my gloves whenever I rip through it. To give a demonstration..." Izuku spied some rubber gloves on a table. He quickly slipped it on, and unleashed a small portion of Blackwhip. The tendrils punched holes in the glove immediately, before they withdrew.
"Hmmm... Maybe we could try to give you something that might take the power away from the tips of your knuckles and send it out through some kind of chamber?" Ceres started to think as she looked back at Mei.
"I think that could work. I also wanted to see that maybe there was some way we could change the material on my costume- maybe some sort of permeable membrane that can allow Blackwhip to exit without leaving a hole. Because it can come out of my back, my feet, my chest- even my mouth." Izuku said.
Deku's got a clear vision of everything he wants his costume to have, doesn't he? Ochako thought.
"I like it, I like it! You've got some serious brains on you! You seem like the kind of person who writes down a lot of notes about everything, which, I'll be honest, is kind of what I do myself," Mei said with a wide smile.
"It's true," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head.
"I think that's doable. We've got mesh for a selectively-permeable membrane. We'll just need to test it with your quirk and see what's best for it…" Ceres's attention turned to Iida. "And what about you? I noticed Rook lent you his Proto Tool."
"I need some sort of attachment point for this new weapon. And also a tune up for my radiator." Iida explained.
Mei gave a small smile before adjusting her goggles. "Alright, I'm going to take my time and make sure that baby is connected to you in the best way possible," she said.
"I don't trust YOU with my weapon. Lord knows you'll add a million new modes and make it incredibly difficult to navigate." Iida said.
"Awww, come onnn!" Mei said, as her eyes narrowed in on the Proto Tool. "It looks soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool…"
"Hey! No. No alien tech until you turn 18." Ceres scolded.
"Awwwww!" Mei deflated.
"Anyways…what about you, kid?" Ceres asked. "What do you need?"
Ochako looked down at her gauntlets. "I…don't know, to be honest. A minute ago, I wanted to add some shooters but…it doesn't really feel right, y'know? Like it doesn't compliment my style."
"Weeelll, who were you training with?" Mei asked as she quickly sat up and began slowly adjusting her goggles again. This might help her figure out what she wanted.
"Mrs. Xiao Long. I feel like her fighting style works well with what I wanna do, but there's something missing. It's focusing on my physical abilities and not my quirk." Ochako explained. "Maybe I need to spend a night thinking about it and- what are you attaching to my arm?"
Mei grinned, as she finished putting the strange golden gauntlet on Ochako's arm. "This releases your quirk in the form of energy! It's AWESOME!"
"H-how does that even work!?" Ochako said.
"Just try it!" Mei grinned, a manic grin in her eyes. "SNAP YOUR FINGERS!"
"Snap my fingers? Well, OK..." She quickly put out her hand and started to concentrate before delivering a quick snap. Suddenly, a shockwave of energy emitted from her fingers, spreading across the room. Anything it touched suddenly started to float randomly.
"A-ah!" Ochako said, as everything and everyone around her started to float.
"YES! ANOTHER SUCCESS!" Mei said, as she floated around. The second she said that, the gauntlet started to short circuit…
"Uh... Should it do that?" Ochako asked, and then all of a sudden, that huge flash that the others had seen earlier filled the room.
The gauntlet started to smoke, then it blew up. Mei laughed mischievously as everything fell to the floor. "Hehe, still some bugs..."
"I...I don't think that's what I'm looking for, Mei..." Ochako mumbled, brushing herself off.
"Awww phooey..." Mei exclaimed, then thought for a while more as she tried to draw some possible designs.
Izuku helped Iida back up. "How'd she do that?"
"Dunno. She's a natural, though." Ceres said. "Her brain is always in overdrive, I guess. She's pretty precise, but the issue is that...she gets stuff mixed up. A lot. You see that invention pile over there?" Ceres pointed over to a giant pile of items, shoved into the corner of the room. "She made all of them. Since the school year started. Every second she's not in class, she's in here. It's kind of insane."
"All of this!?" Ochako was in disbelief. "In four months?"
"Mei doesn't really fear failure, I guess." Iida said. "She just throws everything out there- even if it isn't conventional."
Ochako hummed. "I'll think of something. I'll come back tomorrow with something, okay?"
"Okay! But if you got something that you wanna try out, I'll be here!" Mei grinned as she waved back before quickly getting back to her rather large collection of sketches.
"You two- change out of your costumes and leave them at the door, okay?" Ceres said.
"...you don't have a door anymore." Ochako said, looking to the empty doorway.
"Oh yeah." Ceres hummed. "...just leave them by the doorway."
The quartet stared at the door.
"Think the principal's gonna get mad about that?" Ceres asked.
After the day's training, Ochako started to think about what she might try to do for her costume.
It was strange, but she hadn't really thought about what she could use for herself. She always went with the flow, but this time she wasn't sure what to do. Right now, she was just hanging out with Iida and Izuku on the couch, icing some bruises they'd either got from training or the explosion.
"So, I'm feeling a little more confident in my Blackwhip skills as of today." Izuku said. "Found out it's fueled by determination, not anger."
"That explains why it was so strong during the summer camp." Ochako guessed. "The adrenaline in your body was suppressing your pain and everything, and you were probably focused on saving Bakugou…that must've been like fuel to a fire."
"And I've got the basics for the blaster and staff weapon on the Proto Tool. Rook was a very informative teacher! I see why Ben hired him." Iida added. "I do need to work on my aim, though.."
Ochako hummed. "And I just...had a lot of fights with Yang today. and failed."
"Well, loss is still the first step toward improvement." Iida exclaimed, emphasizing his desire to retain a positive attitude in the face of probable shortcomings.
Ochako looked down at her hands. I feel like I have something with my blaster idea. But it's too basic, and doesn't really compliment my style. Feels like something someone else would do... Ochako made a face. I've been focusing on my aliens too much... Am I that out of touch with my powers?
"There you are, Midoriya."
Ochako looked over to see Todoroki approaching. "I wanted to talk to you about something- concerning your 'Full Cowling' technique."
"Hm? Yeah, what about it?" Izuku asked.
"When you try and power up a Smash attack within your fingers…how do you 'visualize' it?" Todoroki inquired.
"Oh, I just picture…an egg in a microwave. The egg is my arm, and the microwave is my…power." Izuku said.
Everyone stared at him.
"Continue." Todoroki said.
"Why are you asking about this, actually?" Izuku asked.
"When I worked with Alan today, I had trouble making a fireball. It was easy to focus my energy into one point, but spreading it evenly was a bit of a hassle." Todoroki explained. "I knew Midoriya had some experience with his Full Cowl, so I was wondering if his perspective could help."
Ochako turned her head to hear what they were saying. These conversations were the start of something. And hearing other people talk around her made something in her mind just...click.
"Hey, Alan!" Kaminari said. "I wanted to test out to see if my quirk could make like. An electro ball or something. Do you wanna try that out tomorrow?"
"Uh, sure. I guess." Alan shrugged.
"Hey. Tape guy." Shinsou said. "I wanted to talk to you about how you maneuver around using your arms…"
"My name's Sero, but, yeah I can explain it as best I can…"
Ben's words echoed in her head. There's always someone who can do something you can't. Ochako had been so focused on what her aliens doing what she couldn't- maybe that was a way to bridge a gap.
The alien I have the most in common with is Gravattack, since we both manipulate gravity- but she has the 'push and pull'. And my quirk just makes things float in the air, with no direction. Ochako thought. …push and pull. The energy from that Gauntlet…and my shooters from Spanner-
"Holy crap, I got it!" Ochako yelled as she quickly stood up and started to look at the other people with excitement. All of them seemed surprised that Ochako had said that out loud so quickly, but now they were all wondering what she meant.
"I need a pen and paper. Now!" Ochako yelled, before turning red. "Please."
Momo quickly generated a pair, which Ochako nabbed. She morphed into XLR8 and quickly sketched a drawing of her costume in the blink of an eye. Next, she morphed into Grey Matter and began making some new notes, some new additions, and other modifications. Everyone watched with great interest.
"What's she so excited about?" Mina asked.
Izuku smiled. "I think she might've had a 'eureka' moment."
"A 'eureka Uraraka'!" Mina joked.
"...that's such a cute pun, oh my god-"
With the final touches on her design, Ochako morphed back into XLR8, and rushed out the door. Whatever it is that had her excited, everyone was excited to see what she'd come up with. Ochako rushed into UA, and reverted back to human as she rounded the corner to the support lab.
"Ceres! CERES!" Ochako yelled, as she rushed over to the tarp covered lab. "I got something crazy that just might wo-"
BOOM. The second Ochako got near the doorway, something exploded again. Mei went flying into Ochako, this time smothering her face with her chest. Ochako dropped to the ground, shaking once more.
"Whoopsie! Guess that wasn't it either…" Mei pouted. "Oh, hey! You're back!"
Ochako cursed to herself. Maybe I should've waited until morning.
…
Man, her chest is soft.
…
So THAT'S how I find THAT out.