For me, the ultimate litmus test for a MHA fic is how they handle Overhaul. The one MHA fic trope that really bothers me a lot is…skipping over the entirety of the Overhaul arc. I know it's a bit of a drag, but it's a very important arc to cover, and pulling it from the fic always ends in a bitter taste in my mouth.

I get it. Saving Eri is important, but I feel people don't realize the impact this arc had across the whole of MHA. The Overhaul arc sets up:

- Izuku's second act arc

- Ochako's heroes saving heroes arc

- Shigaraki's rise to power

- VARIOUS hints towards the Final War arc, like so many

- The biggest "screw destiny" moment for Midoriya

- Twice and Toga development

- Some good Chronic Hero Syndrome deconstruction

I'd wanna save Eri first thing too, but I feel like this arc is a "necessary evil". It was proof My Hero Academia could stand without the safety net of All Might in the back pocket. This arc proves Izuku can be a successor.

So, to save Eri and cut the story out always leaves me sorta bitter. I give props to fics I don't even LIKE all that much that still do the Overhaul arc.

Just a small author's note / ramble I wanted to give. This arc reads very different after the manga events of the last year; this was started in Feb 2023, and finished in April 2023. In the span of Feb 2023 to now…My Hero Academia has been through a lot of insane plot twists. It's literally at its peak right now, don't debate me.

Anyways…releases of Gems and Carry On will most likely start to get spread out. So, for the future, Gems and Carry On will go back to a single release chapter per week, split into multiple parts. This will start with the Overhaul arc right now for Carry On, and the start of Gemstones next arc in July. This will also give us extra work time for Gems and Carry On. Sometimes, there will be bi-weekly chapter releases. For things I deem fit. It will usually just extend to Carry On.

The reason for this is due to wanting a larger backlog of chapters in the future. I assume my schedule will be drastically changing due to job hunting / the job itself, and that gives me less time to work on it. Just a comparison:

Overhaul Arc: 22 chapters in total

Would roughly last 12 or so weeks, factoring in a vacation. So, until July 30.

If we switch to a once weekly chapter...at least until October. So, enough to write a few more chapters in-between. Or make edits.

And the Gemstones arc has already been estimated to run until Christmas / New Years. Which is the time I really like to torture my readers :3

Again, this is a hobby I do, and I'm probably gonna have to make sacrfices...but know this. This is a hobby I will see through, to the end. You will have an ending, I promise...just let me adapt to adult life before going forward.

Oh, and one last thing.

Welcome to the idea committee, Buff. I've been waiting for this for a LONG while.

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5


For many, today was just another day. Many of the citizens down on the streets were just strolling off to work without a care in the world, as if All Might hadn't retired as a hero a couple of weeks ago.

God. They're idiots, A man thought to himself as he took a drag from his cigarette.

I think they're actually very intelligent individuals! A more cheery voice rang in his head.

Shut up. Trying to enjoy my people watching. The man argued with the voice.

Oh, I thought you hated people watching! Turn on the news, that'll be more entertaining!

No, it won't. It'll just be more of the same. The news anchors and the online media will just be stoking the fires—buncha fearmongering to get views and clicks. Well, except that Miyagi guy. He's okay. The guy actually said, 'Hey, we gotta look at how we can prepare for the changes' instead of just saying, 'With All Might gone, crime is sure to rise!' on a non-stop loop.

The man put out his cigarette and threw on a coat, adjusting it a bit.

Honestly though, All Might got too big for his own good. He was too good. We all lost some things because of him. Not really even his fault, but still. No one was ready for a change like this—like for All Might to step down and Endeavor taking the Number 1 spot. He's not a people person, never was. So he's just making the unease worse. I don't even have anything against Endeavor, not a lot of people do. Not personally, anyway. He's just an average guy playing hero.

Ya know, I think I absolutely hate Endeavor! The cheery voice chimed in. Ignoring the voice, the man walked out of his apartment and began to wander the city. To the average person, he was just another bystander, but he wasn't out for a morning stroll. He was looking for someone, not a specific someone but a category of someones.

Recruits. Potential new blood.

Honestly, if I were offered the crown once worn by All Might, I would've turned it down. Sure, Endeavor has a decent number of solved cases, but how many of those cases involve him flying off the handle, causing collateral damage? That's the real reason Endeavor won't be accepted by the people as the new number one. All Might knew how to touch hearts and minds. Endeavor would burn them to ash around him. All Might's catchphrase was "I am here," people loved it. At least, if they were on the right side of the law. If you weren't, it was like a curse. And when that curse gets lifted...

The sound of shattering glass got the man's attention, breaking him away from his mental monologue. A rather large and bulky individual, wearing a small purple jacket, black pants, and a leather harness-like mask around his face complete with a yellow needle-like nose, burst through the front window of a convenience store. The man watching on had to admit that the guy was bold…but stupid. The thief wasn't just carrying the register, he was carrying the whole counter.

"I did it! I did it! Hahahaha, I WIN!" The thief yelled. Onlookers panicked and some even began to call for a hero or the police.

"Hold it right there!" A hero called out, literally leaping onto the scene. His aesthetic was…hard to pin down exactly. Maybe grizzled biker was the best way to describe him, with his black bandana, shades, spurred cowboy boots, sleeveless workout shirt and jeans. The thief came to a halt when he saw the area take aim with a support item, a cannon attached to his arm.

"Ohhhh, shit…" The thief hissed.

"Pretty bold of you to try a stunt like this in broad daylight. Put down the…counter and we can do this the easy way," The hero ordered.

"See, that threat would work better if it weren't for-!"

KLANG!

A second thief jumped the hero from behind, bashing the guy in the back of the head with a metal pipe. The swift hit dent the pipe itself, but it got the job done anyway. The hero fell to the road unconscious.

"Come on!" The new thief yelled. He was a thinner and dark skinned individual wearing a similar sleeveless shirt and jeans. What set him apart was his black half-face mask with three red spikes. The duo then continued to run to their getaway vehicle. A third thief peeked out from the passenger seat, a guy in a black high-collar shirt with a blue headband and what seemed to be elongated horns or maybe ears.

"Yellow, Red, get your asses in here!" The third thief yelled.

"On it!" Yellow said, hopping into the back of the getaway truck.

"Ok, assholes!" Red announced, "Listen up! We're Team Reservoir Dogs! Better remember our names when we're the most infamous band of thieves this side of Japan!"

"RED! SHUT IT!" the driver, a man with a large, block orange mohawk, a dark blue open vest with black pants and a mask with a green mouthpiece, growled. The wheels of the truck squealed as Green slammed down the gas and sped off.

"Hmm…they could be good," The onlooker muttered to himself.

Nah, they're terrible!

Actually you might be right there. No idea what their Quirks are.

See? What did I tell ya?

The man's mental conversation was again put on hold when he got a call. He began walking in the same direction as the escaping thieves before ducking down an alley and answering.

"Giran," The guy said, "You doing well?"

"Been awhile! And yourself?" Giran asked.

"Dunno…can't tell if I'm doing good or not."

"Ooh, sounds rough, buddy," Giran took a drag from his own lit cigarette.

"You didn't answer my question though."

"Pretty damn good, all things considered. Business is booming lately. The amount of costumes and black market support items we've moved in the past two weeks alone? Demand's practically doubled! And it's all thanks to the League! You have my deepest gratitudes!"

"That's…good to hear," the man said, "No it's not! Shut up. S-so, what is it? I've got something to…to take care of. I've got nothing but time!"

"Actually…I was hoping you knew where Dabi and Cass were. Shigaraki wants the band to come back together and I haven't been in touch with 'em for awhile," Giran explained. Ever since the Kamino incident, the members of the League of Villains had scattered, gone into hiding to avoid the investigators and Pro Heroes hunting them.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that. Don't talk out of turn! I…I didn't know that."

"Ooookay. Jin, I can tell that you're…busy." Giran frowned. "Take it easy, man." With that, Giran hung up one of his many burner phones. Jin hung up his phone and leaned against the wall of the alley, hyperventilating.

"I'm me…I'm me, I'm me, I'm me, I'me…" Jin muttered to himself, his hands clutching his head.

Sure about that buddy? The cheery voice came back, almost taunting him.

"You're not...gonna make me...no, splitting. Splitting, splitting, splitting, splitting...I need to-!" Jin fumbled around in his jacket pockets in a panic before finally pulling something out and putting it on his head. His breathing slowed down to a normal rate.

"With this...with this on," Twice muttered, "I won't split apart. Phew...too close there. Perfect timing!"

KABOOM!

Twice turned towards the explosion since it was the direction of those escaping thieves. His curiosity got the better of him so, with a shrug, he made his way towards the blast.

So, dear reader, you probably have questions. Yeah, you thought there was only gonna be one guy who does fourth wall breaks in this story? Please, I'm based on Deadpool. Anyway, let me explain. My Quirk's called Double. Pretty simple explanation to it. I take one thing and turn it into two. For instance, people. I can make a clone of myself, and then that clone can make another clone, so on and so forth. Before you know it, I had a whole team of the person I could most rely on wholeheartedly. Myself! We did all kinds of stuff back then, mostly to make a quick buck. I was the king of the castle, and my subjects were oh so loving and loyal.

Until they weren't.

Me being king? They weren't too happy about it. After all, they did all the work, and I got to relax on a massive throne of money like I was Scrooge McDuck. So, they threw a coup. Tried to kill me. See, whenever I double something, that something can only take a certain amount of damage before it just…melts. Can be real disturbing if it happens slowly. So…after they slashed my head open, cut wasn't deep, and tied me up, they started arguing. About who was the original, the real…me. And they kept arguing for nine days straight. The only reason I'm here to cause chaos with the League? It's because my doubles massacred each other right before my eyes. Ever since then…I was never sure I was the real…me, you know?

I won't lie to you. I'm fucking insane. And there's no place for people like me in society. The heroes looooove to save are the model citizens, the good and virtuous Joe Schmoes and Jane Does of the world! I'm not one of 'em. But I accepted me for me. Decided to make myself useful.

I wanna be ok with being me. Like the writer said earlier, I'm looking for new blood, people like me. Directionless whackos looking for a place to…bee-

What the hell?

I mean-

-eeeeelong. Ok uh, you guys might wanna see this.

A group of four masked individuals stood in front of the burning wreckage of Team Reservoir Dogs' escape truck. The first that Twice saw was slightly hunched over and bulky, probably strong enough to lift a car without any kind of strength Quirk. The second looked like the stereotypical representation of a plague doctor, long black coat and a rather tall hat atop his masked head. The third was a really small guy, almost like a living doll with a bird face that just sat atop a leaning traffic light. The fourth, who must've been the leader…didn't actually seem too special.

But he was maybe the most interesting. He was putting a white surgery glove on his back on his hand. The reason why became apparent when Twice got a closer look at the wreckage. The Reservoir Dogs were part of it.

Literally.

Yellow's face was now the hubcap on a broken and detached tire, and Green's head was jutting out of the driver side door, just to give an idea. The creepy thing was that they seemed to be alive in this state. They were still breathing, still twitching in pain.

"So…a group of four capable adults got together, and all they managed to do is steal a convenience store register? They could've aimed so much higher," the unremarkable leader sighed, his voice filled with a monotone quality that sent shivers down their spines. "You're all sick ...so sick you don't even know you need a cure."

"Hey, boss." The doll-like villain said. "We got the cash. Better beat it before any heroes show."

"Sickness, everywhere I look," The boss muttered, scratching at what was exposed on his cheek, behind his beak-like mask.

"Well, you look like just the type of whacko we've been looking for," Twice muttered to himself, gathering up the courage, "Time for that sales pitch me and Toga practiced."

"Let's g-" the boss said.

"Excuse me, sir!" Twice said, putting on his best businessman voice, "I couldn't help but notice your penchant for wanton destruction and/or incredible violence!"

"...huh?"

"Have you ever tried looking for a place that accepts you for you, without society's boggish status quo telling you to shut up?"

"Is…this guy giving us a business pitch? Here? Now?" The brute of the group asked.

"If the answer is yes then allow me to introduce myself! I'm Twice, of the League of Villains! Perhaps you've heard of us?" Twice continued his pitch. The boss turned around, his interest piqued.

"The League…I'm listening," the boss said.


After passing the provisional license exam, students are granted certain privileges and responsibilities as licensed heroes. Here's the rules:

1. They can legally use their Quirks in public to help others and fight villains.

can work as sidekicks for licensed professional heroes.

3. They can participate in hero missions, which involve various tasks such as rescuing civilians, apprehending criminals, and battling villains.

4. They can earn money for their hero work.

However, obtaining a provisional license doesn't mean that the characters can rest on their laurels. They still have a lot to learn and experience before becoming fully-fledged heroes. In fact, the exam itself is just a small step towards that goal. UA students are expected to continue their training and hone their skills in order to become better heroes and protect the world.

...of course, with UA, there were some...issues.

Initially, some teachers were strongly opposed to the idea of internships. Their primary concern revolved around intentionally subjecting the students to unnecessary danger. As Ben had pointed out at the hospital, the students lacked sufficient experience and training to handle potentially hazardous situations, raising the specter of injury or worse.

Bakugou, in many ways, became the embodiment of those worst-case scenarios.

Due to these concerns, UA's staff placed the internship program in a state of limbo, engaged in weeks of continuous debates before reaching a final decision.

Meanwhile, for the students, life became challenging.

Ochako felt the weight of stress as it related to both her academic performance and hero training. The second semester brought forth more demanding coursework and elevated expectations. Struggling to keep up with the increasing workload, Ochako found solace in her friends, who offered support to help maintain balance.

...until they couldn't.

It was late at night when Ochako leaned back on the couch and groaned. "I. HATE. MATH." She loudly declared.

Izuku had his face all scrunched up, and was looking at the text in front of him. He was a smart kid, but after rereading the same blurb of text over and over again, his brain felt like mush. "If f(x) is a continuous function on an interval [a,b], and F(x) is the antiderivative of f(x), then the derivative of the integral of f(x) from a to x is simply f(x)...what?" Izuku said.

"Did we even go over antiderivatives?" Ochako asked. "I mean, that word just stands out so much—I feel like I'd remember if we did!"

"I...I couldn't tell you," Izuku sighed in defeat, "I understand it a bit, but even then that doesn't solve it entirely. Momo helped a lot of us out when it came to the continuous function problems, so that I understand..."

"But everything past that is like an alien language, right?"

"Exactly!"

Ochako blinked. Izuku blinked.

"...Grey Matter?"

"Grey Matter."

So, school was stressful. But thankfully weekends were not. Ever since the internship exam, a fun little 'enrichment' program was started between Shiketsu and UA; Joint training.

This was also less of a competitive setting, so the students could actually get to know each other instead of just seeing them through the lens of a school rivalry. But, much to Izuku's shock and...a little bit discomfort, a certain screw-user was part of that initiative. Oftentimes, Kumagawa's screws were used as extra bits of environmental set-dressing, just like how Cementoss was able to create a veritable mountain range inside the training room with his Quirk.

「just think of them as...metal stalactites and stalagmites. promise they won't jut out of the ground like a spike trap」 Kumagawa promised.

Well that's ominously specific, Izuku thought to himself.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to be at your Provisional Licensing retake?" Sero asked.

「i'm a special case」 Kumagawa explained. And that was the only explanation anyone ever got.

"...and now I see why Medaka has to keep an eye on him," Jirou muttered.

"You don't know the half of it," Izuku promised.

Izuku's training was pretty basic- he wanted more of an advanced control of Blackwhip, so, Zenkichi and Medaka were the ones to help 'instruct' him.

"Blackwhip's fueled by your emotions, correct?" Zenkichi asked.

"Yeah. It first kinda...burst out of me during a fight with a villain." Izuku said, holding up his hand. Blackwhip burst out, writhing and wailing about aimlessly.

"Okay..." Zenkichi said. "I think the best place for you to start with it is...maybe meditation. Clear your mind. Stand comfortably and take a few deep breaths to relax your body and calm your mind..."

Izuku closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

At first, things seemed to be going well. And then...

BOOM!

"Again!" Kirishima yelled, having hardened his entire body to serve as a sparring partner for Bakugou.

Izuku opened his eyes. Zenkichi raised an eyebrow.

"Is that the infamous 'explosion' kid?" Zenkichi asked.

"Yeah...that's Bakugou." Izuku shook his head.

"I tried saying hello to him- he brushed me off. Rude." Medaka pouted.

"He does that to everyone. Don't worry."

"One day, he'll need assistance." Medaka said. "And I'll be first in line to offer it."

"Actually you might be second," Zenkichi corrected.

"Wait what? Second?! Impossible!"

"I think Kirishima beat you to it. Saw how he was the first person to volunteer to work with him? No hesitation, not even by a second?"

Izuku laughed. "You might not be wrong."

Izuku and Zenkichi laughed, catching Bakugou's attention. He looked down at the pair, letting out a sigh. The two were pretty similar. Made sense that they would become fast friends, even if Zenkichi was a bit more gruffer than Izuku.

"You good?" Kirishima asked.

"Yeah. Fine." Bakugou said, as his arm charged up again.

"If you say so," Kirishima said, crossing his arms in front of him. Bakugou then thrust his hand forward and fired off another blast, this one even stronger than the last. The power behind it shook the whole room, much to Bakugou's approval.

"Power's definitely there," Bakugou nodded.

Kirishima rehardened. "Damn- that new arm's got more kick than I thought. You're making me run for my money, King Explosion Murder!"

"Don't call me that." Bakugou said. "I'm not using it for my hero name."

"Oh, for real? Then what's..."

"You'll find out later," Bakugou said, as he charged up another attack.

The following blast drowned out the sound of a sonic scream from Mogana. The scream actually managed to do some significant damage to the rock pillar she was using as target practice.

"So, you're working on precision, you said?" Ochako said.

"Yes. While I can always shrink the radius, it is easier to go for the larger screams. More targets hit," Mogana explained, "That's also where you come in."

"I help provide targets," Ochako realized.

"Yep."

"Well, cheaper than buying some actual targets." Ochako said, tapping some pieces of rubble.

"I'm dangerously frugal." Mogana smirked.

The pieces of stone floated into the air, providing Mogana with plenty of target practice.

"Can you move them as well? Slowly at first then ramp it up?" Mogana asked.

"I can try to toggle it with my new gauntlets." Ochako explained. "They've got a few speed boosting options."

"That'll work," Mogana said.

The Omnitrix's successor fired off some of the stars, sticking them to the targets that were already floating. She toggled a few settings in her gauntlets and, from there, the targets began to move in a ring, slowly for now.

"Speed it up after each hit, ok?" Mogana asked. Ochako gave her a thumbs up in reply.

After that, Mogana took a few breaths to ready herself. She fired off one scream, making it a much smaller radius than many of her previous sonic attacks. If you were to compare the normal screams to shotgun blasts, this one was more like a precision sniper shot. But her timing was off, missing her target by a hair.

Mogana frowned, and slapped her head. "Damn it!" She growled.

"Why do you need this intensive training anyways?" Ochako said.

"Internships," Mogana explained. "I'm seriously stressing out about meeting with one of my candidates- Gang Orca. I mean, I made a good first impression…but…"

Ochako raised an eyebrow. "When are you gonna meet with him?"

"Tomorrow." Mogana said.

"Tomorrow?!" Ochako asked. "W-why that soon?!"

"I need money," Mogana said.

Ochako immediately understood.

"What about you? Have you decided on who to intern with?" Mogana asked.

"Oh, I'm gonna try and go with the 10K agency," Ochako answered.

"10K? Didn't he step down?"

"Not permanently, but he's also put someone else in charge I've heard. So, I'm gonna try there!"

"Do you even know who's gonna be in charge?" Mogana said.

"N-no..." Ochako said.

"Don't you have a right to know? They shouldn't be so mysterious about it." Mogana pointed out. Ochako agreed- being kept in the dark like this was sort of weird. Ben told her most things, and so did Alan if he was bothered enough. So, what was the deal?

The question bothered her until much, much later, after the Shiketsu kids had left. Now back at the Class 1-A dorm, the kids were tasked with one thing- chores.

Now, most people were just doing their assigned chores normally. Sero was on pet duty, taking Yoshi and Ship out for a walk, Izuku and Iida were on dish duty and so on.

And Ochako was left with...trash duty. Trash duty.

For a group of 20 kids and 4 adults, the weekly amount of trash generated depends on various factors. According to some environmental agencies, the average American produces around 4.9 pounds (2.2 kg) of trash per day, totaling about 34.3 pounds (15.6 kg) of trash per week.

Assuming each of the 24 people generates approximately 4.9 pounds of trash daily, they would collectively produce around 117.6 pounds (53.3 kg) of trash each day or about 823.2 pounds (373.2 kg) of trash weekly.

Faced with the daunting task of dealing with 823.2 pounds of trash, Ochako realized it exceeded her weight limit. "Hey, Deku!" she called out. "Mind giving me a hand?"

"Hm? Oh, sure!" Izuku said, "Iida, are you-?"

"I'm perfectly capable of finishing up what's left," Iida confirmed.

Izuku cracked his fingers. "Alright- let's take care of this trash." He picked up some bags, and walked to the trash compactor with Ochako. The trash compactor was outside, and behind the building.

"Hey. Quick question. Do you think it's weird Ben hasn't told me about who's taking over his agency?" Ochako asked.

"A little, yeah. He must have a reason for it, though." Izuku said. "I have to wonder who on Earth would take over for him."

"Is there anyone that comes to mind?" Ochako wondered.

"Well...there were a lot of members of Zeta Squad back then. We've seen Rook, Ceres, and Kylie..." Izuku listed off.

"But they're all here." Ochako said.

"True, true." Izuku frowned. "It could be an unexpected pick. Ben's got friends all over- heck, it could even be UK's top hero-"

"Sir Lionblade?" Ochako gasped.

"No. Vav."

"The…slow mo guy?" Ochako recalled his appearance; scruffy, made weird bird noises, and tweeted weird things like 'what if your legs didn't know they were legs'. "He's number one? How?"

"Don't ask me. It just is that way." Izuku said, as they reached the trash compactor.

But then they both stopped. Izuku and Ochako looked behind them, having this weird feeling that they were being watched. When they didn't see any signs of someone following them, they sighed, chalking it up to being tired.

And then they turned to the left.

A face was peeking out through the wall right next to them. Just a face. No hair, save for the eyebrows, no body, no arms, not even the entire head.

"Trash, am I right?" The blue-eyed face spoke, "If you're worried, you can just put food trays and stuff like that with the other burnables."

Ochako and Izuku were just...staring at the face in the wall, at a complete loss for words.

"It's...right down there, ya know?" the face added, a hand emerging from the wall and pointing the way.

"W-we know..." Ochako said.

"Uh...t-thanks," Izuku added.

"No problem!" the face gave a thumbs up before his arm and face slowly sunk back into the wall itself before disappearing entirely.

"You saw that too, right?" Ochako asked, "I'm not just...having a fever dream, right?"

"No...no, I saw that," Izuku confirmed.

"Oh, good. I'm not crazy the-"

"Hey again!" that familiar voice said again, causing both students to nearly jump five feet in the air. That same face from the wall was now peeking up at them from the ground.

"Heeeeey," the face said, "Now that I get a better look at you two, aren't you some of those excitable first years? Class 1-A! Didn't scare ya did I? I mean, I was kinda hoping to, but still, sorry!"

"What...what are...who are you?!" Izuku asked.

"Ha ha! Who indeed! Honestly, I'm kinda wondering what I'm doing out here right now! Pretty rare!"

"What does that-?" Ochako began to ask.

"Ah don't worry about it. You'll get alllllll the answers soon enough! I just heard the rumors and wanted to check you out for myself. Just remember, keep your spirits up, you two. See ya!"

And with that, the disembodied face once more vanished into the ground, leaving both students absolutely speechless and totally confused.

Ochako blinked. "...who the hell was that!?"

"I...I dunno! But he looked kinda familiar." Izuku said.

"That's your first thought!?"

"Second technically! I'm just as freaked out as you are right now!"

Ochako huffed, before the Omnitrix beeped. She'd finally learned how to put notifications on this thing, and her eyes widened. "Crap. It's 7 already!"

"Oh! We better take care of this trash, grab Iida and Todoroki and head down to Gym Gamma..." Izuku said, as he set down the trash. "Come on!"

Izuku and Ochako quickly took care of the rest of the trash, grabbed Iida and Todoroki, and the four of them rushed to Gym Gamma, which was thankfully empty.

It was REAL training time now. Ochako activated the Omnitrix, as Izuku wiped out a binder marked "OCHAKO ALIEN ANALYSIS FOR THE FUTURE".

"Okay, so, we've scratched the surface of your new aliens. Let's try to go above and beyond with them tonight." Izuku said, writing down some new notes.

"Right." Ochako said. "I think I got the hang of them. I'm even making headway with that weird building block alien."

"Alien biology is strange," Said Todoroki, who lived in a world where dudes with bird heads were totally normal.

"Well, either way. We drew straws earlier." Iida began stretching. "I'll be your opponent today." He pulled out the Proto Tool, and extended it into its staff mode. "You ready?"

Ochako scrolled to one of her new aliens. "Lemme just get my game face on." Ochako said, scrolling to an alien with a large, round face. Ochako selected the icon, and activated the faceplate.

Ochako took a deep breath and slammed down on the Omnitrix symbol on her wrist. A pink flash of light enveloped her, and she felt her body start to shift and change.

Her clothes rippled and reformed, transforming into a sleek black and pink suit with a white emblem on the chest. Her hands and feet grew larger, her fingers and toes merging together to form thick, armored spheres. She felt her body become denser and heavier, her muscles bulging as she grew in size and strength.

Finally, her face shifted, her features becoming more rounded and alien. Her eyes grew larger and wider, with dark pink irises that glinted in the light. She let out a deep breath as she finished transforming, and found herself standing in the form of a large, armored pink ...panda-esqe alien.

Ochako rolled forward experimentally, feeling the weight and momentum of her new form. She could feel the rough texture of her armor, the way it protected her as she bounced and rolled. She was Cannonbolt, and she was ready to take on Iida.

"Let's do this!" She cried, launching herself towards her opponent. Iida observed as Ochako rolled in his direction. There was a supreme need for caution; Cannonbolt was one of the more 'powerful' aliens, boasting remarkable strength and speed. According to Izuku, Cannonbolt could survive reentry to the atmosphere.

As she closed in, Iida swiftly propelled himself into the air, using his engines to leap over Cannonbolt's rolling form. Observing her quick repositioning, he prepared for her next charge. Iida transformed his Proto Tool into an energy shield, bracing for impact. Cannonbolt slammed into him- he felt the force of her attack pushing against his shield, attempting to break through.

Iida held firm, using his engines to steady himself against the impact. He could feel the strain on his shield as Cannonbolt continued to push against him, but he refused to give in. With a burst of energy, Iida pushed back against Cannonbolt, sending her rolling backwards across the gym.

"Good hustle, Uraraka! You're still gonna have to try harder to tag me." Iida taunted.

Ochako smirked, as she unfurled her form. "Still getting the hang, y'know. That, and I don't wanna run you over."

"Fair enough." Iida said, as he shifted the Proto Tool into its auto turret form. He attached it to his shoulder and began firing it at Cannonbolt. Ochako held up her armored arms, and began to deflect some of the shots. Izuku's eyes lit up, as he began scribbling down new notes.

Iida continued to fire at Cannonbolt. Ochako rolled and bounced around, deflecting the energy blasts with her armored shell. She felt the impact of the shots reverberating through her form, but she refused to let them slow her down. Instead, she used her momentum to roll towards Iida, her armored body acting as a shield against the incoming fire. She felt her body grow denser and heavier, her muscles bulging with the effort of rolling at such high speeds.

As she closed in on Iida, she shifted her body to the side, aiming to slam into him with the full force of her weight. But Iida was ready for her, using his engines to boost himself out of the way just in time. Cannonbolt crashed into the wall, her armored body denting the metal with the force of the impact. She quickly regained her footing, rolling back towards Iida with renewed determination.

Besides, it's not like she had to stay Cannonbolt.

Ochako quickly shifted out of her Cannonbolt form and into her new alien, Nanomech. She felt her body shrink down to a microscopic size, her body covered in strange alien tech that acted like a super suit. She was still human inside.

As Nanomech, Ochako used her small size to her advantage as she darted around the gym. Iida tried to track her movements, but Nanomech was too small and fast for him to keep up with. Ochako giggled to herself as she darted around Iida, her tiny form zipping past him like a blur. She could feel the rush of air against her face as she moved, her senses heightened by her small size.

She suddenly stopped in front of Iida, and regrew to her normal size. She slammed into him with a powerful spear kick to the chest. Iida was caught off guard by Ochako's sudden change in size, and he stumbled backwards. He quickly recovered and spun his Proto Tool, extending it into its whip mode. He lashed out at Ochako, but she was too quick for him.

She darted around the whip, shrank down, jumped onto the whip and ran up it, leaping onto Iida's shoulder. She reached for the Omnitrix on her chest and selected her next alien. As Ochako transformed, she felt a strange sensation wash over her body. Her form began to dissolve into a puddle of goo, which then reformed into the shape of a slimy, pink alien, held up by a tiny UFO.

Goop looked at her new form in amazement, flexing her arms and legs to get a feel for her new body. She was small and agile, with a sticky, gelatinous body that could stretch and contort in all sorts of ways.

She looked over at Iida, who was still recovering from her last attack. With a mischievous grin, Goop leaped at him, her sticky body adhering to his body. She began to crawl all over him, smearing him with her gooey form and making it difficult for him to move.

"This is...disgusting!" Iida gagged.

Iida struggled to free himself from Goop's sticky grip, but she was too quick for him. She kept slipping and sliding around him, making it impossible for him to get a good grip on her.

Finally, Iida managed to aim his weapon up at Goop's UFO, and shot at it. The UFO began to spin out of control, splattering her across the room. Iida huffed, as he looked down at his pink stained body.

"...is it alright to request a tag out?" He asked. Izuku and Todoroki shared a look.

"I guess." Todoroki said. "I'll take your place."

Iida nodded in relief and quickly made his way to the sidelines, wiping off the pink goo from his armor. Todoroki stepped forward, ready to face Ochako in battle.

"Be warned," Todoroki said, focusing on his flames. "I won't go easy on you."

Ochako reformed and reached for the Omnitrix on her UFO. This time, she chose a more strategic alien. Her form grew larger and bulkier, her skin turning a dark shade of purple. She now had several openings on her body, revealing a muscle-like tissue, and nozzles around her body. Her lower stomach was now exposed, revealing a light pink gastrointestinal gas.

Todoroki gave pause as Gutrot stood before him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting choice," Todoroki said.

"Whaddya mean, interesting choice?" Gutrot replied in her thick Bronx accent, crossing her bulging arms over her bubbling stomach. "I'm the best choice."

"I still don't get the accent." Iida said, cleaning himself off with a towel.

"I'm wondering why there's even a Bronx in space." Izuku mumbled.

Ochako rolled her eyes. She began to release a different sort of gas from her arms, a neon gas. The gas suddenly lit up, blinding Todoroki for just a second. As the gas dissipated, Todoroki regained his vision and saw that Gutrot had started to emulate Bakugou's fighting style. She was blasting out different types of gas from the nozzles on her wrists, aiming at her feet to create small explosions that propelled her forward.

Ochako began to release a bunch of white gas in the air, which obscured her movements and covered the whole battlefield. Todoroki huffed, lost in the smog.

I don't know what kind of gas she released, He thought. The gas could be flammable, so I should hold off on using my fire side…

Todoroki focused on his ice side, channeling his energy into his right hand. He lifted his hand and unleashed a powerful blast of ice, creating a wave that rippled through the smog and froze Gutrot's feet to the ground.

Gutrot growled in frustration, but quickly adapted to the situation. She released a thick pink gas from the nozzles on her shoulders, quickly melting the ice and freeing herself. She then aimed her wrist nozzles at Todoroki and fired a concentrated blast of gas.

"What did you do to-" Todoroki covered his suddenly high pitched voice. It was...helium. Ochako snickered.

Ochako couldn't help but giggle as she watched Todoroki's helium-induced voice. "Aww, sounds like someone's been having fun with some balloons," she teased, grinning mischievously.

Todoroki shot her a glare, but it was hard to take him seriously with his high-pitched voice. He tried to speak, but every word that came out of his mouth was comically squeaky.

"I don't appreciate this." Shoto squeaked, knowing that the gas wasn't harmful now. Todoroki gritted his teeth and focused on his ice side once more. He created a cold aura around him, freezing the air and slowing the movement of the gas. He then switched to his fire side, rapidly heating and expanding the air around him until it reached a critical point. Due to the reaction, Shoto released a massive blast of overheated air, which exploded outwards and cleared the smog. Gutrot was blasted back, her body slamming into the wall with a loud thud. Todoroki let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness...I sounded ridiculous." Todoroki returned to his way too deep voice for a 15 year old.

Ochako rubbed her head, and reached for the Omnitrix. "Okay, maybe I wasn't the best choice. So let's try-!"

Ochako slammed down on the Omnitrix dial and transformed again. While surrounded with the pink energy, the watch's successor changed from the bulkier form of Gutrot to much more sleek and slender appearance. The more human-like hands of the Otrovian shifted into a simpler shape, the fingers merging together and forming into pincers. The hero-to-be's shoulders widened before jutting up to form a large pincer-like shape, similar to her hands. The strangest part of this alien was what happened to Ochako's head; it simply detached from her body, her neck outright disappearing, letting her head just float there, surrounded by a magnetic aura. Her normal skin had been replaced with an alien metal, mostly black with pink streaks by her chest, on her lower arms and legs, and by the more pointed portions of her shoulders.

"A bit unnerving," Todoroki admitted.

"You're just seeing it. Imagine how it feels," Ochako countered, her voice now tinny and echoing.

"What is this one called?" Iida asked.

"Lodestar. Apparently it was one of Ben's more 'underlooked' additions back in the day," Izuku explained.

"And the powers?" Todoroki wondered.

"A little bit more…situational, I guess? But not to the same extent as others. Lodestar's main power is…" Izuku flipped through his notes real quick to find it, just to make doubly sure. "Magnetism."

"So, I just have to hope that there's magnetic metal around me. Just like you said, situational but not the worst," Ochako said.

"I think there was something about electrokinesis in there too, but that might be something to work up to."

"For now!" Iida said before speeding over to a projectile launcher they'd set up. "We'll see if you can deal with these!"

"You're going to throw metal baseballs at me?" Ochako asked.

"What? No! Going to shoot them above you and see if you can use your powers to catch them mid-air!"

"Oh. Thought I was gonna…nevermind. Ready to go?" Ochako got into a ready position, hoping this would work.

"Ready! Firing on 3! 1…2…3!" Iida counted down before pressing the fire button. A baseball sized metal orb was launched from the machine, soaring above Ochako's head. She reached out with one of her pincer-like hands and focused on it. The metal that made up her hand seemed to vibrate and hum, the magnetic forces definitely present, she could feel them. For a moment, it looked like she might have been able to. That same magnetic aura that encircled her head appeared around the metal orb, but it didn't seem to stick. The projectile just raced past and bounced off the reinforced wall.

"Again?" Iida asked.

"Again!" Ochako confirmed.

With a nod, Iida readied the machine again and fired off another metallic baseball. After that, five more shots were all fired off, each one getting Ochako closer to mastering some quick-thinking magno-kinesis. The most successful attempt was the last one, where she actually managed to slow the projectile down, but wasn't quite able to grab it.

"How many of those do we have?" Ochako asked.

"Plenty. But perhaps it might be better to try a different form for now," Iida answered.

"Fair enough," Ochako slapped down the dial once more and morphed into another form. As Ochako transformed, her body shrank and shriveled until she was no larger than a child's plushie. Her pink and white costume also shrank with her, fitting snugly on her new form. She sprouted a pair of butterfly-like wings on her back, which fluttered rapidly as she floated in the air.

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice."

"I forget...what does this one do?" Iida asked.

"Pesky Dust- she's a pretty underrated alien." Izuku said, flipping to her page. "Kinda weak, but she has a wildly powerful ability."

"Which is?"

Pesky Dust began to focus her energy, flying around and sprinkling pixie dust around the battlefield. She cooed and purred as she flew around.

"What's she doing?" Iida asked, looking around confusedly.

"Wait for it," Izuku said with a grin.

Suddenly, Todoroki began to wobble around and yawn. "Aww, little guy is sleepy." Ochako blasted him with a rainbow beam, and suddenly, Todoroki was face down on a fluffy cloud, snoring loudly. Iida and Izuku couldn't help but laugh.

"I see what you mean," Iida said.

"That tactic took down Vilgax once. I'm not kidding you." Izuku handed the notebook over to Iida. "I guess I'm up next, since Todoroki's down for the count..." Izuku activated Full Cowling in a second.

Ochako landed on the ground, and grinned. "I've got just the alien for you, actually." She cooed, slapping down the Omnitrix.

Her body began to shrink and contort, as her arms and legs started to elongate. She felt her fingers and toes merge together, forming webbed hands and feet. Her skin turned blue, and fur grew all over her body, with a darker blue center. She felt a strange sensation in her back, as two large spider-like arms burst through her shirt. Her eyes grew larger, and her teeth sharpened into fangs.

Spidermonkey sprang into action, scurrying up the walls of the training room with ease. She leapt down from the ceiling, landing with a soft thud on the ground.

"Time for some monkey business!" Ochako grinned.

Izuku charged towards Ochako. She used the webbing from her tail to shoot herself up into the air, hanging from a ceiling like an acrobat.

"Come on. You can get up here, can't you?" Ochako taunted. Izuku looked down at his hands, and clenched his fists. He held up his right hand, and shot out Blackwhip to attach to the ceiling. He pulled himself up, as Ochako grinned.

Approaching, Izuku evaded Ochako's flipping attack from the ceiling and responded with a swift kick to her midsection. Though she grunted and stumbled, Ochako quickly recovered, leaping away. She fired webbing from her tail, creating a net to trap Izuku, but he used his enhanced strength to break free. Ochako's eyes widened as Izuku charged at her, fists crackling with green energy. Despite her attempts to dodge, Izuku's speed proved too much. He landed a solid punch to her stomach, sending her flying backward.

Ochako landed against a wall, where she shook her head. "Ughhhh. That hurt like hell." She moaned, as Izuku used Blackwhip to latch onto the wall. He pulled back, and began flying towards her using Blackwhip's elasticity. Ochako gasped, before she slapped down the Omnitrix. She couldn't take the hit-

But Bloxx could.

As Ochako slammed down the Omnitrix, a bright light enveloped her small form. Her body contorted and shifted, growing larger and larger until she was Shoji's height. She grinned as her arms transformed into large blocks, her legs following suit. She was now Bloxx, a brick-like alien.

Izuku charged towards her, Bloxx split apart into countless small blocks, evading Izuku's attack. The blocks then reassembled themselves into a larger form, creating a towering version of Bloxx.

"Heavy Duty Mode!" Ochako yelled, shifting her entire body into a massive, powerful hammer and slammed down on Izuku with incredible force.

Blocking the attack with his arms, Izuku was still sent flying back, but he quickly recovered and activated Full Cowling again, charging towards Bloxx with incredible speed. Ochako morphed her arms into 'Bloxxlobbers,' powerful cannon-like appendages that launched blocks at Izuku. Zigzagging to avoid the blocks, Izuku leaped into the air, dodging a particularly large one, and delivered a powerful kick to Bloxx's torso. Though she staggered back, Bloxx recovered quickly, launching more blocks at Izuku.

Izuku activated Blackwhip, forming a thick whip of condensed tendrils from his palm, and struck Bloxx square in the chest, sending her flying back into a wall. Ochako swiftly reassembled herself, this time sporting two massive 'boxing gloves' around her fists, sharp and jagged like LEGO bricks. Charging at Izuku, she swung wildly with her colossal fists. Using his Full Cowling speed and agility, Izuku dodged and weaved around her blows, staying ahead of her attacks. As he danced around Bloxx, Izuku noticed a small opening in her defenses. He quickly darted in and landed a solid punch to her stomach, causing her to stumble back.

Izuku's strong...I've never fought him like this. Ochako thought. But, right now...I think it's time I bust out the big guns. She quickly tapped on the Omnitrix. A pink flash blinded Izuku, who took a step back.

As the light faded, a new face stood tall and imposing in front of Izuku. She was now a nine-feet-tall humanoid skeleton alien, with a slimy substance coating her entire body. Her four pink eyes glowed in the light, with the top pair being smaller than the bottom pair. She had four fingers on each hand and a short horn on her head. Skele-TON flexed her bony fingers.

"Is this your last alien? I've never seen her before..." Izuku smirked.

"Take a swing." Ochako said, putting her hands on her hips. "I promise it won't hurt."

Without wasting a moment, Izuku charged towards Skele-TON, his fists crackling with green energy. Skele-TON stood her ground, waiting for him to approach. As Izuku neared her, Skele-TON dodged to the side and swung her bony arm at him. Izuku barely managed to block the attack, but the force still sent him skidding back a few feet. Skele-TON grinned, her bony face contorted into a menacing expression. She lunged forward, her long arms outstretched to grab Izuku.

But Izuku was too quick for her. He dodged to the side and kicked Skele-TON in the ribs, sending her stumbling back.

Skele-TON quickly recovered and launched a flurry of bone projectiles at Izuku. Izuku dodged and weaved around the projectiles, using his Full Cowling speed to stay ahead of them. Izuku rushed forward, and yelled.

"DETROIT! SMA-" Izuku threw a punch, and-

It went right through Skele-TON's body. Izuku gasped, as he tumbled to the ground. He shot back up, as Ochako smirked.

"Try it again." Ochako said, getting cocky.

Izuku quickly got back up, his mind racing as he assessed Skele-TON's abilities. "Density shifting..." he murmured to himself. "That's her power. She can make herself intangible."

Skele-TON grinned. "Cool, right? Self-density shif-"

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Oh! Well…uh…" Ochako hummed. "Useful power, don't you think?"

"That's a great hard counter...to anyone, really." Izuku said.

"But you're not gonna give up, are you?"

I need to think of something else. Izuku muttered, his mind racing. I can't just rely on brute force and speed.

Izuku looked down at his finger, and then at Ochako. He smirked.

"Can you phase through...this?" Izuku asked, wiggling his finger. Neither of them realized it, but there was a hint of red energy building up as it wiggled...

"An 8%...Delaware...SMASH!" flicked his finger, generating a large shock wave that flew towards Skele-TON. Skele-TON tried to phase through the attack, but to her surprise, the shock wave overpowered her density-shifting ability. The impact sent her flying back, tumbling to the ground.

Ochako coughed. "H-how did you do that!?" She yelled, as she reverted back to human. "How'd you counter my density shifting?"

"Delaware Smash has an air pressure component to it," Izuku explained. "The shock wave it generated disrupts the air density around the target. When you tried to phase through it, the shock wave messed with your density-shifting ability and prevented you from fully phasing through."

"...damn physics." Ochako huffed, as Izuku helped her up. "I thought I had you beat with Skele-TON, but you always find a way to surprise me...no wonder All Might chose you."

Iida was more focused on the impact of that Delaware Smash. "...uh, guys? Look at the gym."

Izuku and Ochako blinked. "What?" Iida pointed to the gym, where a large crack had formed in the wall where Izuku's shock wave had hit.

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "I-I didn't mean to...I didn't realize it would cause this much damage..."

"That was 8%, right? Maybe it's more powerful than you realized." Ochako said.

"We're still very much in the dark about the full strength of One for All." Iida said, as Todoroki started to wake up. "Maybe reign it in next time?"

"I nominate YOU to tell Cementoss." Ochako joked.

Izuku stared at the giant hole in the wall, and then back down at his finger. "...sure."

That was reigning it in...right?