Winning Approval
Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter of my latest volume! It is also the first time I'll be answering guest reviews for this one so here goes. To guest reader Hiro: I split the story up into multiple volumes because the first one is over fifty chapters now and it just seemed like adding more to that would be excessive and possibly discourage readers who don't have as much time on their hands, at least in my opinion. Now, on to the chapter!
Hero Office of Sir Nighteye: Midday
Over the years Clay had learned that sometimes one had to rely on the slightly unconventional in order to overcome some obstacles. In the current case of his friend, Midoriya was attempting to make his possible recruiter laugh by using his very own All Might impression which he'd practiced and honed to the best of his ability over the years. Given that the pro hero Sir Nighteye was the former sidekick of All Might, Clay could see why he thought something like that might work. But judging by the look on the man's face, the plan had backfired horribly.
"You have some nerve doing that with your face," said Nighteye menacingly as he adjusted his glasses and stepped forward, "is this all some kind of joke to you?" 'I thought that was the whole point?' Mused Clay.
"W-Well not exactly," said Midoriya, still doing his All Might voice as he took a step back.
"You would do such a blasphemous impersonation in front of the former sidekick of All Might!" Said Nighteye as he reached out suddenly. "The location of All Might's wrinkles on your face are all wrong." Everyone in the room was understandably taken aback by this. "In his earlier days All Might's crow's feet were only point six centimeters long. From the silver age onward they were point eight. Even unlicensed merchandise is able to have the correct wrinkles in the correct era these days while you don't appear to even know that much!"
'I never knew Midoriya could have a rival on who's the bigger All Might fan,' thought Clay as he glanced around the man's square office which was covered in memorabilia dedicated to the retired number one hero. Cardboard cutouts, bookshelves filled to the brim with All Might factoids and magazines and even a tenth anniversary poster that, if Clay recalled his friend's words correctly, had never been on sale to the public. "I don't really care for this farce any longer so you may see yourself out. Mirio, who's the other-?"
"The vinegar river incident," Midoriya said suddenly, drawing the pro's attention. "Are you aware of it Sir? It was when a middle schooler whose quirk changed the properties of water was drowning in a river until All Might swooped in and saved him. In the process the drowning kid panicked and turned the river into vinegar that got into All Might's eyes. His face had a slightly different appearance that day."
'Probably because vinegar was burning the shit out of his sockets,' Clay almost said out loud before stopping himself. "His smile and the way his eyes were narrowed at the time was the face I chose to impersonate earlier. 'Your preferred All Might face was him cringing in pain from vinegar in his eyes? Now the thought of that might actually make someone laugh.'
"I remember this rescue," said Nighteye as he turned back towards them, "it occurred before I teamed up with All Might and I believe it was mentioned on a widely run television show titled 'A Look Back.'"
"I love that show!" exclaimed Midoriya happily as he pumped both fists in the air. "Many people say it was a boring save because there weren't any villains but I really like it for some reason. My favorite part was the witty response he gave after the kid he rescued thanked him."
"'I'm the one who should be thanking you,'" Quoted Nighteye, "'my skin feels ten years younger now.'"
"Yes exactly!" exclaimed Midoriya excitedly, "It was a perfect one-liner."
"I see, so you were testing me then were you," said Nighteye with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh no," said the green-haired boy as he began waving his arms frantically, "It's just that sense All Might is a teacher at our school I don't actually get to geek out that much about him." 'Could've fooled me,' thought Clay as he tuned out the rest of the conversation and followed Mirio over to where Bubble Girl was currently restrained at.
"Who's that Mirio," groaned Bubble Girl as the two students undid the restraints and helped her down from the tickle machine, "He's kind of loud."
"He's one of the underclassmen I brought from my school," explained Mirio in his usual cheerful voice. "His name's Izuku Midoriya."
"And whose this guy then," she asked, seeming to notice Clay just now.
"Clay Cero," replied the U.A. student, "I guess you could say I'm here for, emotional support, Among other things. Though that might not be necessary anymore."
"He failed miserably at making Sir laugh," noted Mirio as he watched the conversation, "but he is still making a fairly good first impression." 'Let's hope he can keep it up,' thought Clay as Sir Nighteye took a seat behind his desk.
"So you're hoping to do a work study with my agency, interesting," said the pro as he twiddled his fingers on his desk, "you believe doing so will make you stronger somehow?"
"Yes sir, so please allow me to do one here!" Midoriya almost begged.
"We'll of course need to draw up a cont-," Nighteye started to say before Midoriya reached into the backpack he'd brought with him.
"I've got one right here actually," said the green-haired boy as he rummaged around in the yellow bag he'd brought with him.
"You will also not interrupt me while I'm speaking," said the Pro, prompting a quick apology from the U.A. student. "Now once I stamp this document you shall officially be employed by my agency for a work study. These won't be like the week-long internships you took on so casually. You're required to work here a minimum of four months and while you will receive wages your own academic responsibilities will no doubt suffer due to frequent absences. Your other classmates will very likely pull ahead of you during this time."
"I do realize that," said Midoriya, "but I'll never make it to number one as a hero if I worry about what everyone else is doing." Nighteye's reaction to this was to stamp the space right next to the contract on his desk. "Um sir, I think you missed."
"I missed because I have no intention of approving this," said the pro as he began tapping the stamp on his desk over and over again, "I understand how my agency will prove beneficial to you but what benefit will you bring to my agency? Currently this office runs rather smoothly with two sidekicks and a single work study in my employ, so why should I add you? What can you contribute to this agency and to society? If your intention is to be acknowledged then you must be able to answer such questions as these unequivocally! All Might showed his worth by using his power and humor to give hope to those living in fear of criminals, which is why the world acknowledged him."
"You're right," said Midoriya with a tone of realization, "I do have to figure out how I can best help the world."
"Then show me what you can do," said Sir Nighteye as he stood up from his desk, "with your actions and not just words. And you standing in the corner over there, do you also intend to do a work study at this agency?"
"Given that I walked in on a grown ass man tickle torturing his sidekick to death," replied Clay with a shrug, "I'm of the opinion that working here would be about as enjoyable as a sand paper dildo. You don't have one of those lurking around here with the tickle machine do you?"
"Interesting," said Nighteye with a slight quirk at the corner of his mouth, "you actually seem to possess a bit of humor within you. Well if you change your mind you can try this test after your friend. What you need to do is take this seal from me within three minutes and stamp the contract yourself."
"So you mean you're really," Midoriya said with a hopeful expression.
"I'm giving you a chance to work at my agency even though you don't possess an ounce of humor in your body," said Nighteye, "As for you three, leave the room for now and wait outside."
"Sir yes sir," said Mirio and Bubble Girl while Clay simply nodded.
"Once more with some feeling," declared Nighteye.
"YES SIR!" repeated the sidekick and work study with a salute before exiting the room with the U. A. student right behind them. The trio walked down the hall for a few seconds before Bubble Girl spoke up.
"So did you have to do a practical interview to get into the agency?" Questioned Bubble Girl.
"Not really," said Mirio as he ran a hand through his hair, "Sir asked specifically for me so I didn't need to jump through any hoops to get my spot here."
"Wow, must be nice to be his golden boy," commented Bubble Girl as the U. A. student let out a laugh, "and I can't believe I'm actually jealous of a high schooler. Speaking of which, what's your story, uh, Cero was it?"
"As I mentioned before I was mostly here to help Midoriya in case his nerves got the better of him," explained Clay, "he's one of my oldest friends so I know how to calm him down when necessary. Even despite some of the crazy stuff we've been through since starting hero school he still chokes up on high pressure presentations like this."
"Well I'm impressed you almost got Sir to smile," said Mirio, "most people don't talk to him the way you just did."
"Like I said while I was in his office, I don't plan on doing a work study here," said Clay, "So I've got no reason to be terribly formal. As for my humor, I get it from my parents. They're actually very experienced in dealing with a stoic guy like that."
"Any tips on how to make it flow naturally?" Questioned Bubble Girl.
"Just don't think too hard about it and speak your mind I guess," replied Clay as he leaned against the wall next to a vending machine while Mirio ordered a drink from it. Bubble Girl took a seat on the bench next to the machine. "Truthfully it's a lot like anything else: the more you do it the better at it ya get. And I've bantered with some interesting people over the years." The sound of a large thump on the other side of the wall alerted them to what was currently happening in Nighteye's office. Midoriya was leaping around the room desperately trying to snatch the seal from him. So far without success.
"Wow, Sir is really stringing that poor kid along," noted Bubble Girl.
"I know right, he's definitely serious about this," said Mirio with his usual happy face.
"If I recall correctly," said Clay, "Sir Nighteye's quirk allows him to see into someone's future when certain conditions have been met. It lasts for about an hour which'll be far more time than he actually needs."
"Right on the money," said Mirio, "specifically he can see the choices someone will make, basically knowing their every move."
"Spectacular," said Clay with a sigh, "but since we're discussing the man I got something of a question. Why did he ask for you specifically? From what you told me and class 1A your skills didn't develop to the degree they are now until after you gained experience from your work study."
"Oh that," said Mirio, "who knows honestly? I guess he just saw my potential with his quirk or something."
"Riiiiight," said Clay as a final resounding bang was heard on the other side of the wall.
"Well that sounds like our cue to head back in," said Mirio as he and Bubble Girl hastily rushed back to Nighteye's office and burst through the door somewhat excitedly. "Cue our totally well-timed return!"
"You are done right?" Questioned Bubble Girl, "because that was a pretty loud, and decisive, bang on the wall just now." In fact as Clay looked around he noted a red trail of blood on the far wall near the tenth anniversary poster while the rest of the walls and even the ceiling had footprints on them. Add on to that some of the books and papers scattered about and it looked like a proper fight had indeed just occurred, with a surprising result.
"I'll take the boy Mirio," said Sir Nighteye as he moved his gaze from Midoriya, who was currently on the floor, to the entering trio.
"Awesome!" cheered Mirio and Clay before he could stop himself.
"What, but I wasn't able to accomplish either of the things you asked me to do?" Said a confused Midoriya from his position on the floor.
"I told you to take the seal from me and stamp the contract within three minutes, however," said Nighteye, "I did not say you'd be rejected if you happened to fail these objectives."
"I guess that means you managed to make him laugh after all," said Mirio as Clay helped his friend up from the floor.
"Truthfully I'd already decided I was taking you on the moment I heard you were coming here," explained the pro hero as he picked up the contract. "I was aware you weren't entirely lacking in skill and intellect but I still had to see it for myself. You see with the symbol of peace gone the people need a light that is not dim but dazzling. You'll come to see as you work here alongside professionals that despite All Might's mandate, you are not worthy of his power." He dropped the seal in Midoriya's hand and set the contract down in front of him while letting his words sink in.
'So this prick's whole plan is to make Midoriya give up,' thought Clay, 'and given how he said Midoriya wasn't worthy of his power, he knows about One for All. It makes a lot more sense now, he took on Mirio because he believes he should be the true successor to All Might.' The same line of thinking was probably going through his friend's head as he gazed at the seal in his hand. But the Midoriya Clay knew was not the type to give up easily and as he stamped the contract in front of him, the cloud user could tell he was gonna do everything in his power to prove Sir Nighteye wrong.
U.A. Heights Alliance: That Night
"Congratulations on finding an agency Deku!" complimented Uraraka as she, Midoriya, Clay, Slade and few other members of class 1A sat around on the couches in their night clothes. Everyone else was quick to give their congratulations and Iida even shook Midoriya's hand.
"Thanks a lot guys," replied the One for All holder with a smile.
"We should be thanking you really," said Iida as he tipped his glasses, "you're an inspiration for all of us."
"I'm wondering how the rest of us are supposed to compete with that," said Kaminari as he and some of the other boys of Class 1A approached, "I mean Sir Nighteye's agency with a personal recommendation from Mirio."
"I heard Clay here was even offered a possible position too," said Sero, "did you really make the guy laugh?"
"Like I explained to Slade and the others before a few certain people exaggerated it," Clay glanced at Mina, "he quirked his mouth into an almost smirk and said I possessed humor. Anyone who hangs around me for more than five minutes could've told him that."
"It's still pretty impressive on both your parts," said Sato, "I honestly don't know what's more unbelievable. Midoriya getting the work study or Clay turning it down."
"You'd understand if you saw Bubble Girl when she was strapped to a tickling machine," said Clay, "If I'm gonna laugh about something it'll be because I want too. After all, forced comedy isn't quite as funny as comedy that comes out naturally."
"I just wish I could find a work study," pouted Uraraka as she held her head up with her hands, "the school won't let me go with Gun Head's agency because he hasn't had enough interns."
"I've had the same problem trying to go with Selkie's internship," said Tsuyu.
"I can't even apply for Fourth Kind's agency because he doesn't take students for work studies," groaned Kirishima as he slumped over on the back of the couch.
"Are you having any luck getting past the requirements Slade," Asked Sero, "because a whole lot of places are already ruled out for us."
"Clay and I actually have a meeting set up with Gang Orca for tomorrow," replied the density shifter, "with any luck it should go at least somewhat favorably."
"I guess I should've expected you two to be on top of it," groaned Kaminari.
"Well it makes sense to a fair degree given that we're directly involved with hero work," said Shoji, "If anything happened."
"Then it would be the pros who have to take responsibility for it," Aizawa said as everyone wondered how long he'd been standing by the door. "Only the best pros will take on rookies such as yourselves knowing the risks involved. Speaking of which, Tokoyami, you've actually gotten an offer from Hawks in Kyushu."
"No way," said Sero, "that guy's the number three hero!" Indeed if what Clay heard was true about the winged hero, he knew his stuff.
"I humbly accept his offer," said Tokoyami with a nod of his bird head.
"Just let me know when you plan to head there so I can sign off on your absences," said Aizawa. "Also, Kirishima. Amajiki of the big three wants to discuss a few things with you. Uraraka and Asui, Nejire Hado wants to talk to you two. Track them down tomorrow or whenever you have time. That's all for now." The 1A teacher turned and exited the room then as a new level of excitement began to permeate the atmosphere.
"What in the world would Amajiki want with me?" Questioned Kirishima.
"It might have to do with the work studies if you consider the timing of it all," said Tsuyu.
"No way that'd be too good to be true, right," said Uraraka as her head shot up.
"And we gotta wait 'til, nope I can't wait," said Kirishima as he stood up straight, "I'm heading over to the third year dorms right now!"
"Same here, let's go Ochako," said Tsuyu as the two of them got up and almost rushed out the door.
"And now I'm jealous of even more of our classmates," groaned Kaminari.
"Ah who cares about that work study stuff anyway," Mineta chimed in, "first years like us will probably get stuck with busy work like running errands and cleaning and doing the paperwork all day."
"You mean like what happened at your internship," quipped Kaminari.
"Don't remind me of my disgraceful past!" exclaimed Mineta.
"Which part?" Questioned Slade, "there's a lot to choose from in that bundle." If the rest of the class wasn't laughing before they certainly were now.
The Next Day: Gang Orca's Hero Office
Now Clay and Slade weren't really nervous when they went to the interview with Gang Orca's agency, but even they had to admit that helping stop a robbery definitely upped their chances as the two of them stood in the large main office of the whale hero. "I must admit I have little reason not to contract you both with my agency right now given your record of accomplishments," said Gang Orca, "but I feel I should at least ask one important question: Why is it the two of you want to be heroes in the first place?" It was a question the duo had expected as it had been asked of them many times before at U.A., and each time the answer seemed a little different. But they did have an answer.
"My two best friends are fighting to become heroes," said Slade, "for a long while that was more than enough of a reason for me to keep pushing through, so I could stand beside them in their struggles to make this world better. But on a more personal level, I want to be a hero because it affords me the chance to solve problems facing us that I wouldn't have the authority to do so otherwise. I want to be a hero because there are some things that only heroes can do." Gang Orca seemed to accept this answer as he turned his attention to Clay.
"Well my reasoning isn't as fantastic as all that," said the cloud user, "I want to be a hero so that I can fight back against those who dwell in the dark and, now that All Might's retired, help prevent the reemergence of organized crime by routing out those in the criminal underworld."
"Good enough for now at least," said Gang Orca as he stamped both of their contracts with a seal of approval, "and funny you should mention organized crime. We happen to be doing a low key investigation of an organization known as the Shie Hassaikai."
"The former Yakuza," said Clay with a quirk of his eyebrow. From what he remembered, the breaking up of most forms of organized crime left their thugs basically wandering around aimlessly taking what villainous work they could get. Though given that the authorities knew who they were and monitored their movements, there was very little they should've been able to actually get away with.
"The very same," said Gang Orca as he pulled out a file which had a picture of a man wearing a red plague mask that resembled a bird's beak. "The group's head and second in command, Kai Chisaki, has been acting rather off lately. He's been actively gathering the crime group back together again and word has it he's even made contact with the League of Villains, a group I'm certain the two of you are more than familiar with."
"We've had more than a few run-ins with those pricks," said Slade as he clenched his fist a little. "Do you want us to help identify some of them?"
"Not quite," said Gang Orca as he held up another file, "We'll be patrolling an area were some of his subordinates have been seen recently. Now I know the two of you are capable of holding your own when push comes to shove, but this is mainly a recon mission so do your best to avoid confrontation."
"What should we do if we notice something off the patrol route that looks like it's worth investigating?" Questioned Clay as he looked at the map in the files.
"Contact me if you can and I'll decide whether or not it's worth looking into," replied the whale hero, "that said, should either of you find yourselves in a situation where you can't reach me, you'll have to use your own judgement on how to proceed. Do the two of you think you can handle something like that?"
"Yes sir!" said the U.A. students excitedly as they did their own little salutes.
"That's what I like to hear," said Gang Orca with what passed for a smile on his whale face, "so starting today, is your first work study assignment with my agency."
And so the investigation of Overhaul and his gang begins as our heroes set out on their first work study mission! And a hello to everyone as we start off a new month with the second chapter continuing this story. As always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as our heroes in training encounter some of the Eight Precepts of death. 'Til then.