The common room of the U.A. dorms hummed with the familiar sounds of movie night. Dimmed lights, the buttery scent of popcorn, and the TV's flickering glow cast dancing shadows on the gathered students' faces.

Eri nestled between Koji and Eijirou, eyes wide as she watched the animated figures on the screen. The sound of popcorn crunching is barely heard as her eyes were glued to the TV. A vibrant scene unfolded before her: a band of misfit toys embarking on a daring rescue mission, their leader, a man wearing funny clothes, riding a toy steed trying to catch up to a giant plane to rescue their friends: a pair who look like they came out of an old western movie.

The cowboy then told the space ranger to get behind the tires. He obliged, knowing what his friend is thinking. Then the cowboy lassoed to a bolt of the plane's landing gear. 'He's trying to swing from there!' Eri thought! Her heart's pounding at the suspense of the film. She wondered if they could make it or not.

The cowboy then turned to the cowgirl and said, "Jessie, let go of the plane!" which surprised his friend. They went on a short back-and-forth before she said, "But it was cancelled! We never saw if you made it!"

"Well, then, let's find out together!" the cowboy said.

After a short pause, she closed her eyes shut as did a leap of faith, swinging in-between the two sets of wheels. The suspense of the scene made Eri hold her breath in anticipation.

Finally, they land on the steed where the space ranger was. Safe.

The scene made Eri feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Then, they all reunite and went home, and as their human friend wearing a cowboy hat arrives, he was greeted with a scene of them welcoming him with a sign 'Welcome home, Andy.' Eri couldn't help but clap her hands and cheer in excitement.

'They never gave up on their friend and got him home,' she thought as she looked at the screen, displaying the toys. 'They remind me of Papa.'

The credits started to roll, the familiar melody tugging at Eri's heartstrings as funny bloopers were showing.

She then got up and got the notebooks her Papa bought for her. One of them was labeled 'Eri's Movie Reviews #1.' Due to her upbringing, except for with few individuals, she was still having trouble expressing herself to others so she, Izuku, and Hound Dog agreed to do this activity.

Once in a while, she put in her thoughts, however random, in the notebook to get her to express them in some form. She can also share its contents to other people, as an exercise of trust. But otherwise, its contents are for her eyes only.

So far, the only instances she's ever them said out loud were with Izuku and that one time she ask to learn to play instruments with Kyouka.

Her small fingers tracing the familiar words: 'What made me happy today?' The only question Izuku asked her to fill up at least once a day.

She paused, her brow furrowed in thought. Then, with a shy smile, she began to write: 'Watching a movie with Uncle Kouda and Uncle Kirishima.' Looking at the words, Eri giggled softly.

Her pencil danced across the page, adding another line: 'Papa makes me feel safe.' A constant entry on her notebook.

She hesitated, then added another line to her notebook: 'I'm not alone anymore.'

Just then, the door to the common room opened, and Ochaco stepped in, her armour shimmering in the dim light.

"Eri!" she beamed, noticing Eri's activity. "How was the movie?"

Eri leapt up, running to hug her. "Mama!"

Ochaco knelt, embracing Eri. "I missed you, sweetie," she whispered lovingly.

"I missed you too, Mama," Eri replied, clinging tight. Despite the steel armor, 'Mama's hugs were warm, second only to Papa's,' she thought as she went back to her notebook to write it down.

Then a voice was heard behind them, "Wait! What about me?" Mina said as she was pointing at herself. "I'm your Mama too, right?"

"Mina-nee!" Eri hugged Mina, to her dismay.

"Why '-nee'? It's 'Mama,' right?" Mina said.

"It's 'cause you call Midori-bro 'Daddy,' isn't it?" Eijirou remarked. "That just screams 'sister' to her."

Mina scoffed, "I'd be the best mom ever! Look how cute we are," she snuggled Eri close. "Right, Eri-chan?"

Eri giggled and nodded, making Mina smile proudly at Eijirou. "See? She loves me too!"

Ochaco watched, amused. "Don't you need to head back?"

"Oh, right!"

"I'll take Eri to our room," Ochaco offered quickly. "It's been a long day, she needs rest."

Mina pouted but relented. "Alright. See you later, Eri-chan!" She released Eri and left to change before returning to The Crowley.

Thursday

Thursday morning. Evoker lesson day again. Izuku almost didn't bother checking if anyone would show up. But his early morning training routine had his body waking at the perfect time, refusing to go back to sleep. Curiosity won out, and he decided to head over and see who, if anyone, was there.

'Might as well,' Izuku thought. 'Who knows, maybe Nana's cooled down enough that they let her out. Miracles do happen. But there are major and minor miracles. Nana forgiving Eindridi for electrocuting her and trying to kill me? That's up there with walking on water.'

'Come to think of it, what if I just... run into Eindridi here? Would he go straight for my throat? Hope not. I'm not ready to face him. Especially alone.'

Izuku walked to the lecture theater where the lesson was supposed to be held, but found it empty. Then a voice spoke behind him. "Looks like nobody's here. Figures."

Turning, Izuku saw a man with dark red hair, blue eyes, and freckles. He wore a two-tone sweater in light and dark grey.

"Who were you looking for?" Izuku asked.

"Couple of young'uns. Shimura Nana and some nerdy brat, I'm told."

Realizing the man was looking for him and Nana, Izuku cautiously replied, "That would be me-"

"Hmm? Ye don't look like a Shimura. Raven locks are their signature...but then again, they do take in strays. That yer story?"

"No, I'm Midoriya Izuku. The 'nerdy brat.'"

The man laughed. "Ah. Makes sense now. Welcome to the course then, Izuku."

"Thanks. And you are?"

"William T. Booker, for my sins. I'm supposed to be teaching a class for a pair of Evokers."

"Oh, you're the one struck by lightning, right?" Izuku recalled Sarah's words from the first day.

"Aye...?" Booker raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, seems to be a common occurrence around here," Izuku said knowingly.

"Isit, now?" Booker looked ready to throw a fireball. "And how would ye know about that, young mister Izuku?"

"You'll excuse me, Professor Booker, if I keep that to myself. I have decidedly mixed experience with the magical teachers I've met."

Booker eyed him curiously. "Ah, they tossed ye into the thot class, didn't they? With Sarah. I could see how that would color yer view of magical teachers."

"And then there was Eindridi..."

"Aye? The substitute? Sadly, I never got the chance to meet him."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you did. He's a lightning specialist. Long red hair, carries a big-ass hammer," Izuku paused deliberately. "Likes to hit people from behind."

Suddenly, Izuku felt magic gathering around Booker. His eyes glowed like a pair of lighthouses.

"Does he now? And does this Mister...Eindridi...have any other names? Any one-eyed relatives?" Booker asked, barely disguising his wrath. The magic he channeled could vaporize mountain ranges if released.

"Haven't met his father, but likely, yes."

Then, as if it was all a lie, the glow vanished instantly. Booker smirked, then asked, "And why would... Eindridi... have such a shocking desire to teach this course?"

"His granddaughter is the other student."

Booker's expression shifted to surprise as he processed this. "Shimura? Huh. That makes some sense. Her father was a lightning specialist too. Good man, though his handwriting was atrocious. I taught her father and uncle. But nobody bothered to send me to the Royal Infirmary so they could step in. So what changed?"

"Between Sarah and Eindridi, you'll excuse me if I have trust issues with magical teachers."

"And what did Sarah do to you, son? All I know is she snapped and tried to stab the underground hero with a letter opener. But that doesn't explain what she did to you specifically. The thots are a nuisance, but they're not usually evil."

"The Circle link works for Evokers, did you know that?"

"That information isn't...widely known. Sarah certainly shouldn't know, or she'd have been humping my leg like a terrier in heat."

"Yeah, well. She found out. And apparently had too much sense to try humping Eindridi. So she tried to blackmail me instead."

"Blackmail you, huh? And just how did she find out?"

"Did you know they've got recording equipment in DGN1?"

Booker shook his head. "No. But it's not surprising. Always a market for naked girls. The market for naked girls dancing for monsters is likely smaller, but maybe even more dedicated," he said with a smirk before asking Izuku, "And just what did they record?"

"Me accidentally giving a girl power. A lot of power."

"And Sarah wanted in on the act, I take it?"

"Yeah. So I played along. Gave her enough energy to knock her out, then left her naked and passed out in DGN1."

"That's a bit rough."

"Maybe. But blackmailing your students is pretty rough too. Anyway, I only gave her a Full House, that shouldn't have..."

"...mindbroken her and turned her psychotic?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she was already psychotic. Just better at hiding it. But I've given more magic to... well..."

"...To whatever hot little Ceremonial Magician ye're fucking?"

"Let's go with maybe, for the sake of your argument."

"Is this a regular thing?"

"Why are you quizzing me on my sex life?"

"Bit late to be prudish now, aren't you? Have you given more magic to your thot?"

"She's not a thot. Not anymore."

"No, I guess once you pop the seal they're not much use for that. Answer my question, Evoker."

With a frustrated groan, Izuku said, "Yes. She's drawn magic from me regularly. Happy?"

Like a switch had been flipped, Booker's eyes glowed again. "I just found out the Norse God of War put me in the hospital for more than a month. I'm pretty fucking far from happy. But I'm trying to get to the bottom of this."

"Why?" Izuku asked.

"Guess who was tasked with protecting our University's reputation while we're at UA?" Booker prompted.

"You?"

"Yep. I was checking out some weird stuff at Calton Hill when something hit me like the hammer of god from behind."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Do ye now? Well, I woke up in the infirmary two days later, having had enough electricity to power the country for decades run through me. Took a month to get the spasms under control. When I find...Eindridi...I'm going to RAM HIS HAMMER SO FAR UP HIS ARSE HE'LL BE BURPING NAILS FOR A CENTURY," Booker shouted. All the early lights in UA and even around the city visible from the window started flickering.

"So, you're a PR kinda guy?"

"Just for this job. At our uni, I'm more of a magical cop. Plus an Evoker teacher, when there are students, which isn't often," he said, calming down. "So, this ex-thot of yours, her capacity probably grew with your output. From your files, you were rated as an average-power Evoker upon enrollment. You had the Spark, but nothing special for an Evoker."

"And now?"

"Now ye shine. We need to teach ye some emission discipline, or ye'll start attracting nasty things in Elsewhere."

"Emission discipline?" Izuku echoed, confused.

X chimed in, "It's possible to hide part of your Spark, Boss. If you have extra power. Usually people don't... it's like a dick-measuring contest. But the Powers always do, or they stick out too much."

"I...see."

"I've never seen an Evoker as young as ye with that level of Spark. And if that growth happened over 2 months, ye probably have no idea how much power ye're using," Booker said.

"So Mina is used to this, and Sarah..."

Booker let out a cruel chuckle. "Sarah thought she was ready for what you were packing, and wasn't. How much energy did you give her?"

"A Full House? Not that much. Mina can take way more."

"How much is a Full House? In Thaums?"

Izuku looked confused. "No idea. How would I know?"

"Yer teacher shows ye. Or should have. I'm guessing Eindridi hasn't done much teaching, has he?"

"Not really. Some history. But not much actual teaching."

"Not surprising. Structure and patience aren't usually a god's strong suits. Okay, once Nana shows up we'll see how to structure the course better."

"I don't think she's coming," Izuku said. "Last time I saw her, Eindridi had electrocuted her and was dragging her back to what looked like Kazuno."

"And what did ye do?"

"You expect me to strike a god?" Izuku said, trying to dodge the question.

"Oh yeah. Ye're an Evoker, on top of being enrolled in UA's Hero course. Ye wouldn't be much of either if ye didn't."

Knowing he was cornered, Izuku sighed, "I was busy dying, okay? Thor hit me from behind, electrocuted me, and broke my link to Magic."

Booker looked curious. "Ye seem pretty lively for a corpse. Most I've dispatched could barely string a sentence together."

"I got better," Izuku said, then realized how open he was being. "Why am I telling you all this?"

"Because I'm a good listener?"

"You're an annoying little asshole."

"That's part of it, yes. Still. Ye're growing too fast, found the Evoker's Loophole..."

"What's that?"

"The summoning circle trick. Ye're not the first Evoker to get laid that way, but keep it to yerself. Got it?"

"Yeah. Evoker Hero's honor."

"Good. Trust me, thousands of desperate aging camwhores chasing you for power scraps would get old fast."

"Yeah, even one was too much for a bit."

"So. After accidentally mind-breaking your teacher, you saw Nana kidnapped by a god, right?"

"Basically, yeah."

"And when you tried to stop him, he took you down and...broke your Magic link?"

"No. He took me down first, same way he did you. Hit me behind with the hammer, busted my ribs, fertilized the floor with my guts, and shut down my system with lightning. When Nana tried to stop him, she got electrocuted."

"I see. And then he broke your link? Because you seem to have a very lively Spark, which should have burned you to ash in an hour without a focus."

Realizing he'd messed up, Izuku shut his mouth.

But Booker kept probing. "It's a unique Spark. Golden. So...what's powerful enough to focus that much power?"

Izuku tried his best poker face, but Booker examined every microexpression. "You're only making this more fun. There are artifacts that might be strong enough. Some weapons, at least one suit of armor. Some medallions. Which is it? Longinus? Svalinn?" Booker kept guessing until he hit on it. "Excalibur... Ah!" He laughed. "You've got the worst poker face ever."

"Screw you."

"I bet the sword makes things awkward with the Crown Princess Pendragon, doesn't it? She's your classmate, right?"

"Leave Ochaco out of this. I should've known better than to talk to you."

"Yeah, ye should've. So. Excalibur's back. Not a good sign. It usually shows up against something that'll wipe out millions, at least. Is it related to that awful Confluence a couple weeks ago?"

"No, that was...something else. Nimue's work."

"So there's more than one event of that scale happening. Both connected to ye. Almost makes me worry."

"Maybe you should," Izuku warned. "The Yaoyorozus certainly do."

"Do they now? That would explain the fox demon I sense around campus," he said as he's looking at the direction of the roof. Likely where Kitsune is right now.

"How do you sense things like that?" Izuku asked, tired of feeling so blind.

Booker's answer wasn't helpful. "Ye open yer eye?"

"Very useful," Izuku said sarcastically.

"I'm serious. Ye close your outer eyes, open yer inner eye. Takes some practice, but we'll get to it."

"Will we?"

"Of course. Did ye think magical studies were just about blackmail and murder? Of the students, I mean? Trust me, by the end of this school year, you'll be opening your third eye and seeing the unseen."

"So what do we do now?"

"You mean about our shared desire to remove Thor's livers?"

"With a spoon. But seriously, we're talking about vengeance on a god," Izuku said, aware of his hypocrisy but rationalizing that he'd eventually surpass most gods anyway.

"Wouldn't be the first time. Just ask the Slavs," Booker smirked with an impossible to miss dark expression on his face. "Though Thor's a bit out of my usual social circle. Well, you know what they say..."

"...a man is judged by his enemies?"

"Indeed. Heard that before, huh? For a kid ye're picking up some impressive ones."

"I mean, what do we do now?"

"Now, I go verify some things. Not that I don't believe ye, kid, but there are old Evokers and there are trusting Evokers. There are no old, trusting Evokers."

"And then?"

"I like yer confidence," he chuckled. "Then we get my student back, get even with a War God, and stop Armageddon. Or Ragnarök, more likely. Probably in that order."

"Cool. What's next?"

"I'll see ye next Thursday. Unless I find you've been lying. Then I'll find you sooner. You'll forgive me if I'm not feeling forgiving right now."

Izuku channeled the same amount of energy Booker did, though his eyes never flickered, let alone glowed, "And if I find you continuing the proud tradition of magical teachers I've had so far, hopefully you'll forgive me when I find you and blast you off this rock."

Booker just smirked, saying, "I like yer spirit, kid. Though you're a hundred years too early. See you Thursday." He then left, likely to investigate what he'd just learned.

*RING**RING* His phone rang, receiving a text message from Itsuka, "Confirmed Nana's location. Let's go Saturday."

Thanks for reading this chapter!

Just a question: What do you think of an offshoot Eri series? This Eri. It will be formatted as if it's written on her notebook. Things like the movies they watched. The things she does with her Papa, Mama, big sisters and uncles. Or her struggles while learning to play that one note on her instruments. Maybe her reactions to what's happening in this AU. It will be mostly a light-hearted tone and don't expect anywhere nearly as frequent of updates, but it will include things that I wasn't able to include here because of its effects on the pacing.

Going back, we finally met Booker, one of the more important character in the series. I was about to introduce Valery Reine and have a continuation of Snowdrop and Aoife storylines, but decided to do those on the next Intermission for various story reasons.

Next chapter will be a date and then we'll rescue Nana.

As always, if you have questions or feedback, don't hesitate to let me know. 😁

Next up: Netflux Date