Hey guys!
We have a second MHA/PJO story… Except this is a tentative One-Shot.
The idea came from Reddit, and it was too good to pass up. If this One Shot does well enough, I may turn it into its own story and use this as the base.
The late winter air of early March nipped at Izuku Midoriya's exposed flesh. It was actually rather cooling given his usual intense workout of cleaning trash off the beach. According to the 'Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan!' he should finish next week and receive All Might's quirk on the day of the exam.
Izuku had dreamed a day like this would come. He assumed all quirkless kids did. However, there was one issue…
So why did All Might show up a week early?
"I know we're doing this a week early but… Eat this!"
Izuku flinched back at the single strand of blonde hair suddenly being shoved into his face. "Um… huh?" he stumbled back.
This was not how he imagined receiving All Might's quirk.
"One For All's transfer process! To inherit my power, you have to swallow some of my DNA. That's how it works. We're doing this early due to the quirk's volatile nature!"
"Volatile nature…?"
"Yes, Young Midoriya. One For All is a special quirk that manifests itself differently within each inheritor. It molds itself to fit both the body and personality of the wielder. For yours truly it gave me… Super strength!" All Might flexed for emphasis and the seams on his winter jacket strained in a futile effort to contain his bulging muscles. "For you? Well, we'll find that out together!"
Izuku backed up in trepidation. "Um… Can we think of another way to do this? Put it in my dinner?"
"No way! We have to do this now to give your body as much time as it needs to get acclimated!" Faster than he could blink, All Might had shoved the strand of hair in his mouth. "Eat. Eat! EAT!"
Thankfully no one was around to hear him screaming.
Izuku would never forget the taste or the cosmic feeling of the universe clicking into place.
—X—
All Might:
Let me know as soon as something develops!
All Might:
I'm excited to see what happens. Our quirk is one of infinite potential!
All Might:
Like a box of American Cracker Jack!
Izuku sighed and put his phone away as he trudged up to his apartment. He'd manage to avoid Kacchan and his gang today as he did for a couple of months. His increased stamina made running away easier unless Kacchan wanted to use his quirk to catch up, which he wouldn't dare do in public. However, he had a feeling his luck wouldn't hold out until the end of the year.
"Welcome home, baby!" Inko turned from the stove to greet Izuku as he walked through the door. She frowned when she saw her son was incessantly scratching himself. He scratched as if he wasn't even conscious of it. "Are you okay…?" she asked.
"Hm? Why do you ask that? I'm doing fine Mom."
"You're scratching like you forgot to put on lotion today."
Her son looked down and realized what he was doing. Shocked, he shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to duck his head down into the collar of his gakuran. "I'm sorry, I've been feeling tingly all day."
Inko's mother instincts kicked in and she moved to walk over to him, but her elbow accidentally caught the pepper shaker. Cursing her clumsiness, she tried to catch the container, but it bounced off her fingertips. The glass broke unceremoniously on the floor and a good amount of the seasoning spilled out. Before the corners of her eyes could moisten, her son had already crouched down to pick up the big pieces.
"I'm sorry, Izuku," she said, her voice warbling.
He waved her off with a smile, and after putting the big pieces on the counter, he scooped up what he could of the seasoning in his hands. His nose wrinkled when he brought his hands close to his face. "Accidents… Accidents…Acci—ACHOO!"
BTZZZ*
FIZZ*
Pop*
The moment Izuku sneezed, static electricity flew from his hair and the lights above them got brighter, too bright. Within a second some of the bulbs burst. The TV in the living room turned on and then short-circuited. Even some of the kitchen appliances Inko had plugged in for dinner prep turned themselves on and off briefly.
"Wha–?"
"ACHOO!"
Then the rest of the lightbulbs broke.
"Honey! The TV is on the fritz again!"
"Did you try unplugging it?"
"Why did an eagle fly in here? Get it out! Oh god!"
"Why did the stove go up in flames!?"
"Where's the fire extinguisher?!"
"Oh baby, put on some Barry White and light the candles! I'm in the mood to start a family!"
Inko couldn't be happier despite the debris in her hair and the incessant shouting coming from the neighbors on all sides.
She stared at her son as he snorted, trying to keep the snot in his nose, not realizing what he had done. A waterfall of tears poured from her eyes as she glomped her son, not caring about getting pepper and glass everywhere. "Your quirk! Your quirk! You have a quirk!" she cried, hugging him as tight as she could.
"...I do." He muttered in realization. His eyes filled with wonder and whimsy as he looked at the damage he caused and listened to the people fret over what had just happened. His thoughts were already racing a mile a minute trying to piece together what exactly he could do. "I have a quirk. I have a quirk! I have a quirk!"
He was so engrossed in his muttering and blubbering with his mother, that he missed the mighty yawn in his head like the distant rumbling of thunder.
—X—
All Might:
An electrical quirk? They're pretty common, but no less effective. They're pretty useful in support and rescue capacities as well as combat. They have a multitude of applications.
All Might:
I wonder why One For All gifted an electrical quirk though? My Master was given one, but that's because she told me she wished to 'Be as free and ever-changing as the sky".
All Might:
Anyways, good going, I'm both proud and happy for you. Tomorrow we'll stop by the beach to see what you can really do!
Izuku put his phone on his nightstand as he tried to force himself to sleep. He stared at all the All Might posters and mech he had the excitement building in him once again.
His mom had eventually tired herself out like a drained battery, while his father snorted fire in a combination of surprise and elation. Thankfully he didn't set off the sprinkler system in his apartment. It would have been a nasty surprise considering it was 2 am in the US.
It all starts tomorrow! He thought to himself. His hero analysis notebook already had a new page to it—his own. He always wanted to make his own quirk page. He never did because why bother using a page on someone quirkless? He wasn't Batman. He didn't have the funds, connections, or training like Knuckleduster to make it work (That took a lot of digging to find).
He was going to be a hero.
A hero like All Might.
Eventually, he willed himself to sleep by staying still.
…
…
…
.
"Greetings, hero."
Izuku opened his eyes to a vaguely All Might-sounding voice. Though he wasn't sure he liked the inflection put on the word 'hero'.
He looked around and saw he stood at the base of a magnificent hill. On the way up along a road littered with classical columns, he could see the rooftops of buildings that exuded power. Atop the hill lay the crown jewel: An illustrious shining marble temple built to the Doric Order with two gargantuan statues of lightning bolts out front.
Where am I? Am I asleep?
"You who seek my power… Make your way to the temple and claim what it is you desire."
Izuku tried to say something but found he lacked a mouth or most of a body for that manner. The upper part of his face, his right arm, and his legs were the only things not covered by a thick green and black cloud.
A flash of lightning illuminated the sky despite nary a cloud in sight. Izuku looked up and saw eight multicolored stars, then fourteen green ones dotted the sky. One of the green ones, however, was glowing far more brightly than the rest. He stepped on the winding path and started to make his way up.
He marveled at the temples he passed by on the way up. One was gold and shined like the sun while the one next to it was silver and shimmered like the moon. A building in the shape of a dual bank and library sat nearby. Another was outrageously pink and smelled like perfume. He veered away from the one with live mines in front of it.
He had enough explosions in his life, thank you.
In time he made it to the main temple. The moment he crossed the threshold the air became charged. Inside the hall sat a brazier tended by a hooded figure who stoked the flames. Past that, a giant black granite office table took up most of the open space. At the table's head, a lone figure sat a flash of lightning illuminated the area allowing him to see the person in question.
A tall man wearing a finely-pressed, navy dark blue suit with white pinstripes. His hair was jet black, beard finely oiled and trimmed. His eyes were an electric blue staring at him with an intrigued yet severe expression.
The man clapped his hands which sounded like thunder. A ring of oil lanterns around the temple lit in response and a girlish giggle came from the hooded figure.
"Always so dramatic, little brother…" they muttered to themselves, uncaught by Izuku.
"How interesting… You who have called me away from my home, speak what it is you desire."
Wow, his text is both bold and italics! He's even drawn differently like All Might!
"Yes, yes, I know I am amazing, child."
Izuku flinched at having his thoughts read. He grabbed at his mouth uselessly, his hand passing right through the green and black cloud.
The man shook his head with a wry smile on his face. "Do not bother. Your power isn't strong enough to fully manifest here yet."
Fully manifest? Is this part of One For All? Who was this guy?
"Those are questions I would like answered by you. However, it appears introductions are in order." More lightning flashed and thunder boomed in the sky. The man stood up and stroked his beard before placing his arms behind his back. "I am Zeus: King of Olympus and God of the sky."
The urge to faint started to grow in Izuku as conflicted feelings ran through him.
Zeus! Zeus as in the Greek God!? His rational mind started to kick in. Wait… is that where the static electricity came from? I'm on Mount Olympus?!
"Yes, boy. The malfunctioning of your electronics was you tapping into the barest bit of my power when I awakened."
Awakened?
"You ask a lot of questions to the king of the gods, boy. You are lucky that it appears I lack the position to deny an explanation." Zeus turned and walked to the edge of the temple. Izuku followed or rather drifted along and saw that a massive city lay far below the hill. Off in the distance, he could see the Statue of Liberty. "Yes. New York City, the current flame of the west. Or at least a replica of it based on my memories. The last thing I remember is our bi-annual solstice meeting… Then nothing. From what I glimpsed through your eyes, your quirk, One For All called me here. So now I ask you, what do you wish to achieve by calling upon my power? The power of Olympus itself?"
Izuku took a deep breath, and the answer came to him naturally.
I want… I want to be a hero! I've wanted to be one ever since I was a little kid. I want to help people. I want to save them when disaster comes. Izuku hunched forward as he laid his heart bare. I want to be a hero like All Might! He's always rescued people and stopped bad guys with a smile on his face. He's almost like a demi-god. If… if only I could be a fraction of how great he is—to let people know everything will be okay!
The air became charged once more, not just from Zeus but Izuku could feel… other presences focusing in on him, stirring. Faint and distant like they were sleeping but still there.
"Raise your head Izuku Midoriya."
Izuku did as he was told and saw the sky god staring down at him. His face held a warm grin. He pointed upward and Izuku followed his finger to were his gaze finally landed on the stars.
"See that? The multicolored stars are those who came before you. Your predecessors. Perhaps in another lifetime, you might have awakened to their powers. In this one, your earnest wish to become a hero has summoned the beings who make and bless heroes themselves: The Gods!"
Gods?
"The green stars are yours. Count them. Fourteen, right? Each star is representative of an Olympian… plus two others. In due time they will manifest here inside One For All as well. Master our powers and you will without a doubt be a hero whose name will ring in the annals of time. Prepare and ask yourself this one question:"
Thunder boomed. Izuku's body jerked back, and the hall started to elongate, the distance between him and Zeus growing. The cloaked figure waved at him in goodbye, and he could see the warm, homely smile under their hood as he passed by them.
"Are you ready?"
…..
….
..
.
Izuku awoke with a start the soft morning light poured into his room as he stared at his hand, he reached inside himself a willed One For All to life. His hands were immediately covered in waves of electricity. He felt something deeper trying to bubble to the surface, but it scared him to do so in his room. Like a faucet, he cut off the quirk.
Was that all a dream?
"No, it wasn't."
"AHHHH!" Izuku jumped in surprise at the god's voice. A jolt of lightning burst from his clothes and attached him to the ceiling.
"Hmm. Good reflexes, they'll serve you well. However, we need to work on your skittish nature. It is unbecoming of a king."
"I don't wanna be a king…" Izuku muttered. He tried to move his arms and legs, but they were firmly stuck due to the static cling.
Zeus gave a grunt of disapproval. "Nonsense. You are now essentially Olympus' chosen champion; that puts you on the same level as the greatest of kings. You must carry yourself as such at all times."
"Izuku? I heard screaming, is everything alright?"
He could hear his mom shuffling toward his room. He tried to move his limbs again and succeeded in prying his upper body off the ceiling. "Totally fine… Just shocked myself!" he called.
"Okay… Remember not to get in the bath until you can dissipate it."
Izuku sighed when the sound of her footsteps turned the other way. He then grunted and pulled his lower body away—Only to attach himself to the wall instead. Izuku had willed himself to land in between his All Might poster and his Stars 'n' Stripes poster.
He'd die before messing them up.
Inside his head, Zeus groaned, and he could have sworn he heard a female giggling too.
"We have a long way to go. Alright now listen up kid…"
—X—
"Young Midoriya!" All Might greeted when Izuku came in view. For some strange reason, his sucessor was followed by an aerie of eagles. They were perched everywhere like pigeons. "I imagine it was quite hard to go to sleep last night. I know I barely managed a wink when my master first transferred the quirk to me."
"Um…About that."
All Might's bushy eyebrow raised higher and higher as Izuku explained about his meeting with Zeus. The boy had surpassed even his wildest expectations.
"Wow, he really is drawn similar to me. I don't remember ever coming to Japan outside of WWII; it's not my territory. I wonder if he was my son in another life…?"
All Might deflated back into his skinny form and looked up. "I guess that explains the eagles."
"Yeah, I can understand them now," Izuku said with a mild worried expression on his face. "They keep calling me 'Izuku-sama' and bringing me fish."
"The eagle is Zeus' sacred animal if I remember correctly." All Might shrugged his shoulders noticing a few of the birds did in fact have fish in their talons. "A free dinner is never a bad thing. We'll worry about that later. For now, use your quirk on the rest of the trash here. It'll make for great target and control practice. Meanwhile, I'll see about getting your quirk status inconspicuously updated.
Toshinori Yagi walked back to his truck as he watched his successor start zapping stuff in earnest. Secretly he was glad he wasn't going to be the one with fourteen voices in his head. A cold shudder passed through him as he reached into his pocket for his keys.
Talk about creepy!
"Would you like a fish, Yagi-sama?"
Toshinori paused at the giant Steller's Sea Eagle that had perched itself on the roof of his truck cabin. The avian cocked its head and ruffled its plumage. It extended its talon innocently which contained a freshly caught salmon that still squirmed in its grip.
The weirdness had started to spill over to him too! Was this One For All's resonance?
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR LISTENERS? LIFE DOESN'T HAVE A COUNTDOWN TIMER! GO! GO! GO!"
Izuku rocketed off the starting line. He thrust his arm, and a bolt of lightning caught a one-pointer right in the chest.
He slapped his palms on the ground and watched as a two-pointer malfunctioned.
"So, this is the future. If my son were awake, he would insist you take apart this robot to study… My daughter Athena too now that I think about it. Good thing they aren't here huh? Ha! Nerds." Izuku could feel Zeus point at the brunette girl from earlier who had a bunch of robots floating around her. She touched her fingertips together and the faux-villains went crashing to the ground. "It's the girl who saved you from looking completely undignified earlier. You should talk to her later. She has a nice body and a good personality. She'd make a fine consort."
Zeus doing Zeus things is what Izuku learned to call these moments.
In the week of training, Izuku listened to the sky god comment on most females in his life whether they be his age or older ranging from Pro-Heroes to his classmate, to even Aunt Mitsuki. Even worse was that he could sense when Izuku's libido flared up.
The two exceptions being his mother and strangely… Pixie Bob?
Zeus didn't offer a full explanation, but apparently, he had a recent bad experience with earth-affinity people.
Whatever that meant.
Unfortunately, Izuku disagreed with the god's assessment. He thought she and her quirk were pretty hot.
Ignoring the god and his own hormones, Izuku ran off to a different area. The moment he got near a park he saw a group of robots of varying numbers ganging up on a girl with orange hair. She had a quirk that enlarged her hands which she used to devastating effect in combination with martial arts. However, despite her ability she couldn't guard her back.
*ZAP*
He unhesitatingly sent a white-hot bolt of lightning at the three pointer that had winded its fist back, shearing off the mechanical limb entirely. The girl jumped in surprise and gasped at the thud of the limb falling next to her. The surprise turned to fear as the robot started to lean forward. Izuku moved to try and get her out of the way, but she grew her hand large enough to easily catch the robot and push it the other way. Together they proceed to defeat the rest of the robots attacking her.
Once that was done, she turned to him with a welcome, but confused smile accompanied by a tilt of the head. "Thanks for the save, dude. But do you really have time to help other people?"
"I just thought it was the right thing to do," Izuku admitted. "I couldn't let you get hurt if I could help it."
"No worries. If anything, it probably makes us look better." The girl frowned and looked around at the carnage they and the other examinees had caused. "I guess I drew all the aggro here. Don't have that much time left."
"You haven't used this power much yet, but now in a controlled combat environment, it would be perfect. It'll also make you look impressive as a bonus."
Izuku saw the reason in his words. He blushed and scratched his head then addressed the girl in front of him. "I-I haven't used this aspect of my quirk a lot but I could get us somewhere else faster."
"If you're offering, I don't really see a reason to refuse. Go for it,"
Izuku nodded and reached inside. Zeus told him to imagine the winds at his command to unbound him from the shackles of the ground.
"Holy crap!"
He opened his eyes to see his feet were now about two meters off the ground and the girl was staring at him as if he had grown a second head.
"I thought you had a lightning quirk, not a flight one."
He willed himself to fly closer to her and offered his hands. "It's… complicated."
"I won't be rude and ask too many questions. My name's Kendo Itsuka by the way," she said, taking his hands.
"Midoriya Izuku!" He replied back, taking off.
—X—
All Might watched in pride as Midoriya zoomed around the city rescuing other students, defeating robots and ferrying those who needed the assistance. He currently had dropped a boy with a harding quirk on a two pointer, saving a girl with a mushroom quirk in the process. The boy yelled out 'manly' as Midoriya flew away.
"Talk about one hell of a quirk. That examinee is racking up the points in the rescue category." Midnight said, eyes on Izuku.
Snipe hummed in agreement as he polished his gun. "He ain't a slouch in the villain department either. That electrical quirk of his is pretty potent to go through the robots like that."
"I'll say. Normally, kids can only produce enough voltage to short them out. Check out that kid over there," Powerloader gestured to a blonde-haired kid with a similar quirk. He pointed his finger and a shot of yellow voltage impacted a two-pointer right in the chest disabling it. Afterwards, he slowly stepped away saying 'yay' to himself and giving a double thumbs up. In comparison, Midoriya hurled down a lightning bolt reminiscent of the god inside him.
"Use too much juice and you might fry your brain. That kid has been going nonstop." Maijima explained.
His flying skills could use some work though. All Might refused to even think about the contact on his phone. It was inevitable he'd find out, but he was willing to cross that bridge when he got to it.
The man next to him, Aizawa also known as Eraserhead, remained unimpressed. "He looks over-reliant on his quirk. Could be dangerous if not outright fatal if he finds himself in an aquatic environment or an electric-sensitive area like a power station. A lot of the entrants this year have the same issue—Including the recommendation students."
All Might laced his hands in front of himself to keep the smile forming on his face out of view. That issue would take care of itself in time. He flinched when he saw Principal Nezu staring at him, a knowing look in his eye.
"Then let's put them all to the test, shall we?" Nezu unhesitatingly pressed a button on the control panel.
All Might watched in awe as the Zero Pointer took the field. It easily dwarfed the tallest buildings in the area and had destructive power comparable to heroes in Japan's top 30.
He coughed into his hand and saw the blood in it. Let's hope he doesn't have a reason to fight it.
—X—
He had to fight it. He totally had to fight it.
"My power is enhancing your strength, but your body can't handle more than two percent at present. Anymore would decimate your puny arms like toothpicks."
The brunette from earlier had gotten trapped underneath some rubble when the Zero Pointer appeared and started wrecking anything and everything in sight. He flew in and tried to lift a slab of asphalt, but it was slow going.
"Leave me behind," the girl cried upon seeing Midoriya's efforts. She tried to wriggle her arm out so she could use her quirk.
"No. I won't let you get hurt! A hero can't run away when somebody needs help!" At his declaration he hurled a lightning bolt at the approaching robot. It held a gigantic hand up to its face and the lightning dissipated against the metal.
Crap it's insulated!
—X—
Zeus watched the scene play out while slowly stroking his beard. Hestia sat in the seat beside him, motherly concern coming off her in waves.
"Shouldn't you let him use that?" she suggested to him.
"He hasn't—"
"Don't use that text font on me, Mister." Hestia sassed him, finger in his face. "I don't care if it takes sixty, eighty, or even a hundred years. Mother Rhea will know about this!"
"…No need to get mother involved," Zeus relented.
"We were put in this quirk to help. I stoke the flames of the quirk, you guide the boy. Now do something."
Zeus wheeled his chair around and rubbed his hands together. He concentrated on the core of One For All. He could manipulate some parts of the quirk. "'Help,' she says. Big talk for someone who hasn't made the boy aware they exist…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing, dearest sister."
—X—
"Hey."
Izuku's attention briefly went to Zeus but then focused back on his thoughts. He needed a way to stop the Zero Pointer before it crushed them.
"I have a way to destroy that monstrosity."
That got his attention.
"I was saving this for a more special occasion where you overcame some massive character-defining trial, but I've reconsidered. Look at your hand, boy."
He felt something cold and heavy form in his hand. He looked down to see a one-meter jagged blue cylinder in the shape of a lightning bolt clasped firmly in his hand. Electricity could be seen pulsing iridescently inside it.
"You now hold the Master Bolt in your hand now. My divine article of power. It's a javelin that hosts a power just short of leveling a couple of city blocks in your hands. In my hands—it's much greater~ But we'll work with what we have here. It's not about the size, but how you use it."
Izuku started to freak out. Anyone would be when suddenly told they had a weapon capable of leveling the whole area! He almost dropped it in sheer panic.
"Um… what is that…?" The girl said hesitantly watching as Izuku fumbled with the weapon.
"The Master Bolt…" Izuku said absently while managing to finally grasp the weapon in both hands.
"The Master what?"
"Did I say that out loud? I mean it's a bolt of lightning… I mean power to destroy the block… I mean yeah haha… I am making this worse."
The sound of irritated snapping echoed through his head.
"Attention off the girl. We can deal with that later. I'm certain your fickle mortal mind is worried about the collateral but there's a trick: Aim up. Lightning goes both ways. You aim up at the clouds and they're forced to receive. The Master Bolt can automatically adjust its charge to force the right conditions."
That made him feel slightly better. He turned to face the Zero Pointer looming over him. He raised the bolt over his head, willed himself up in the air, and took a deep breath. He aimed not at the robot, but at the cloud floating in the sky behind it.
Here goes nothing.
*KER-CRACK*
—X—
"Holy whoa!" Present Mic called, slamming his hands down on the panel. Every last screen they had showed nothing but static after Midoriya hurled that lightning bolt.
The teachers' eyes were wide, and their jaws were slack at the sheer display of power they knew had to have come from the green-haired teen. The lone exception was Nezu who cackled madly and held his stomach.
"Powerloader, how long until you can get the feed back up?" Aizawa asked, being the first to shake off his stupor.
Powerloader huffed and brought out his own custom console, fingers flying as he typed out commands. "Considering lightning literally just struck us? A couple of minutes at best. I'd suggest sending out Mic to manually end the exam since we'd run over while I'm rebooting everything."
"YEEEAAAHHH!" Mic said much to the chagrin of those around him, notably Aizawa. "It's been a while since I've got to flex my quirk. Need to shake the dust off the vocal cords and get the cobwebs out my throat."
"Gods above help us…" Aizawa muttered as Mic left the control center. It didn't take a genius to figure out the Midoriya kid had annihilated the Zero-Pointer. A powerful quirk like that would surely end up in his class. He was responsible for the 'Bombs' thanks to his quirk after all. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Nemuri giggling at him. She was the teacher in charge of the bombs every other year.
He should have traded courses with her when she offered.
—X—
Izuku watched in mute amazement as the head of the Zero-Point straight up… disappeared. Its entire upper body, arms and all, had cratered in a smoking, sparking mess. As Zeus had said the lighting of the Master Bolt had gone up to the clouds and supercharged them, turning them dark. Instinctively he knew they were drifting off to find an opposite charged set of clouds. The titan of a robot beneath them fell back like a tree that had been cut.
…And so did Izuku.
The Master Bolt disappeared from his hand in a shower of gold as he stumbled and lost his control over flight.
"Power comes at a cost, boy." Zeus informed him as he fell. "The Master Bolt is one of the three ancient relics. Unless your will is iron, it'll devour your very being, leaving you drained after use. Still though, not half-bad for a first attempt."
He didn't even have the strength to flail his arms as he fell back down to earth. Hopefully I'm not too high up…
"Got ya!"
Izuku felt himself fall in a soft pair of arms. The round face of the girl he saved appeared above him alongside two round objects he refused to name but refused to tear his eyes away from. Zeus' lecherous tendencies were starting to rub off on him. Or was it a passive effect of the quirk? He didn't want to find out.
"I amend my statement. Enjoy your reward. Lucky bastard."
"Talk about an Olympian-sized door…" Zeus commented on 1-A's entrance. "I hope the youth behind it will have the personalities to match it."
The images of the guy with the glasses and a snarling Kacchan appeared in Izuku's mind and made him break out in a nervous sweat.
"We've been over this numerous times. A proper hero shall not tolerate disrespect from his peers. Short Fuse isn't an exception, and neither will be Engine Legs. If need be, we can have another 'static electricity' incident."
"You could at least learn their names…" Izuku grumbled but didn't argue back as he gathered his courage and pushed open the door. "Hopefully everyone else is nice."
"Take your feet off that desk! It is improper conduct for a UA student!"
"Haa?"
"It's only the first day and you're already disrespecting school property by scuffing it you cretin."
"You're kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?"
Just my luck.
Both Kaachan and Engines guy were in his class. At least they seemed to be going at each other. He took a quiet step into the classroom. If he stayed quiet maybe they wouldn't notice him and stay focused on each other.
"If you had gotten here earlier like I suggested, we would not have had this issue. But no, you had to dust off your collection of memorabilia. Where's my action figure, dammit?"
"Perhaps we should start over. I am Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy and I–"
"Somei huh…? So, you must think you're better than me? I'm going to have fun tearing you a new one."
"You know I had the highest base attack power in Mythomagic. Shame it doesn't seem to exist here. I bet if it did, you'd have my action figure then."
Izuku ignored Zeus' petulance and the argument and decided to step in the classroom, unfortunately his foot creaked against a floorboard drawing everyone's attention.
"Hey! What's up, Midoriya?" A red-haired student greeted.
"Oh! Hey, Kirishima!" Izuku said back, relieved there was at least one semi-familiar face in his class.
"Glad to see we're in the same class. I don't think I would have got second without the assist, bro."
"That's the guy with the lighting quirk!"
"Aww man…Another electric quirk? I have trouble standing out as is."
"I heard he can fly too."
"He can. He zoomed right by me when he was carrying Kirishima."
"Double crapbaskets! Just blow me out of the water."
"What an overwhelming and all-consuming light."
Izuku blushed at the various conversations going on about his performance at the entrance exam.
"So, your name is Midoriya: The first-placer," Iida said as he marched over menacingly. Feeling Zeus' courage behind him, Izuku stood firm and looked him straight in the eye. To his amazement, the taller boy bowed at the waist! Izuku flinched back as Iida popped back up and started chopping his arm. "I must apologize for chastising you during the beginning. Furthermore, I congratulate you for discovering the hidden purpose of the test to both assist and rescue. As a student you are far superior to me, I am not afraid to admit it. Only together can we achieve what one cannot alone."
"Hey, I recognize that messed up hair! It's the falling guy with the Master Bolt!"
Izuku froze in his tracks at the bubbly voice behind him. He turned to see Uraraka Ochako excitedly talking and gesturing about how he used the Master Bolt to destroy the Zero-Pointer.
"Thanks…" he replied sheepishly, somewhat aware she couldn't hear him over her excitement. "It was nothing."
Iida gasped when he was suddenly shoved out of the way and Uraraka stopped talking. Bakugo took his place, palms smoking. "Second place, huh? I should've figured you had something to do with it. Is this all a sick joke to you? Kicking me down to fourth?!"
Sparks shot from both boys' hands. One from anxiousness and trepidation, the other in anticipation and challenge. Bakugo thought about grabbing him by the collar but then huffed and backed up slightly. He didn't want a repeat of the "static electricity" incident from middle school.
The other students looked on at the scene in mild concern feeling the charged atmosphere. Kirishima and a pink-haired girl tentatively stood up in case they had to intervene.
"You can't run from me now, Deku. I'm going to expose you for the fraud you are!" Bakugo moved his palms face up by his side and tried to use his quirk for emphasis—but nothing came out. He looked down at his hands confused and tried again for the same result to occur.
"Geez… You guys start off the year as a handful. Giving me dry eyes before the bell even rang. Problem children."
Izuku, Iida, Bakugo, and Ochako looked and saw a man in a dingy yellow sleeping bag at their feet. They all jumped back, not knowing how he got there. He got out of the sleeping bag and when he did, his dark mop of hair floated upwards, revealing that his bloodshot red eyes were staring straight at Bakugo. They flicked to Izuku briefly then back to his childhood friend. Izuku gasped in realization as he felt Zeus' presence leave him and then return, the god in question radiating confusion.
Izuku pointed a shaky finger at the man. He was split between grabbing his notebook and asking to shake the man's hand. "You—You're Eraserhead: The erasure hero!"
The man let out a mighty yawn and took his place at the podium, his hair flopping back down his shoulders as he released his quirk. "You must be a hero nerd if you dug deep enough to recognize me on sight." He then turned his harsh gaze back on Bakugo his quirk flaring up again. "I don't care what you do outside of school in your own time as long as it doesn't reach my ears. In here, you will not use your quirk to threaten or intimidate anyone on campus."
He set his stare on the class as a whole, mortifying them in place. "That goes for the class as a whole. Anyone who breaks that rule will find themselves expedited to the General Course. This is your official warning. There are thousands of students willing to kick you to the bottom and take your place: Act like you belong in the hero course. Now sit down."
A clap of thunder and the roar of engines precluded Izuku and Iida taking their seats. The others swiftly followed and the ones that were already sitting sat ramrod straight.
"Eight seconds. Still too slow, but we'll work on it."
"Who the hell is he?" Zeus asked, leaning forward in intrigue.
That's Shota Aizawa. Hero name: Eraserhead: The erasure hero. His quirk is called Eraser which lets him disable the quirks of anyone he looks at. He's an underground hero who mainly works at night. He's known for drug busts and disrupting human trafficking circles.
Aizawa casually glanced around the class as if nothing happened, blew some hair out of his face, and then started taking attendance.
"Seat 1: Aoyama Yuga."
"Present sir!"
Zeus took in Izuku's information and hummed in thought.
"He dresses and conducts himself like a hobo in a similar fashion to my brother, Poseidon. He even forgets to shave like he does…But just like him, looks are fatally deceiving. He's a warrior. A warrior with the power to even hinder my abilities. Do not underestimate him in any circumstance, boy."
Once attendance was finished, Aizawa replaced his clipboard in the podium and addressed the class again. "Alright, now that we're done with that, go get dressed in your PE outfit and be outside at the field in fifteen for the physical assessment test."
Iida's hand shot up like a rocket. "But sir! Shouldn't we be going to orientation?"
"And?" Aizawa stoutly replied. "It's my job to train you into heroes, and I will do as I see fit. I view the orientation as unnecessary to that goal since you should have already read the handbook and viewed the virtual orientation included in the acceptance letter, correct?"
"I did but the schedule says—"
Aizawa cut him off. "—That you now should be at the field dressed in fifteen. That's an order."
Izuku sensed a change in Zeus. Occasionally he could see an apparition of the god next to him. Instead of his usual navy pinstripe suit, he now wore an American Air Force Chief of Staff uniform. His hair was snow white and cut military style with a part on the side. The beard was gone completely. On his chest sat a golden tag that read SPQR. He knew Zeus could change his appearance, but this was a bit too radical.
"—Anyone who's late will serve detention. Your fifteen minutes start now."
"Get going, Midoriya."
Izuku blinked. Zeus always used either boy or his first name to address him. He wasn't that severe in his tone either. He sounded more like a sergeant who gave no room for backtalk. Harsh but fair.
Either way he didn't hesitate and as he and Iida dashed out of class before the other members of the class nearly trampled each other to get to the lockers.
"Here."
Izuku almost dropped the high tech softball that Aizawa threw.
"You got first place on the entrance exam, so tell me: What was your score on the ball toss in middle school?"
Izuku didn't know how the two correlated, but he answered anyway. "F-fifty five meters!" He felt Zeus(?) staring at him like a parent would when their child had forgotten to say something. "Fifty-five meters, sir!"
"Alright then, now do it again in that circle."
He obeyed Aizawa's instructions and stood in the circle. He tried not to pay attention to the eyes of the class (notably Bakugo) on him as he lined up the throw. He leaned back, took a deep and threw the ball as hard as he could.
"Seventy meters even." Izuku looked at Aizawa who held up his phone.
The training worked! The teen tried to hide his jubilation at absolutely crushing his old record.
Aizawa decided to do it for him.
"Impressive for an average teenager in our society. However, you're training to be a hero. Doing again; this time with your quirk."
The teacher pressed a button on his phone and an antenna sprouted from the ball. It then floated up and zoomed back into Izuku's hands.
He called forth Zeus' power and electricity poured from his hand he reared his hand back then suddenly felt his quirk cut off. He swiveled his head to see Aizawa staring at him, his quirk active.
"Take this seriously, Midoriya. The output is not nearly as high as what we recorded on the ammeter. Then there's the flight aspect of your quirk too."
"Yeah! You used that Master Bolt thingy when you took out the Zero Pointer!" Ochako cheered innocently.
Next to her, Bakugo growled in frustration, steam curled from his hands inside his pockets. He wasn't stupid, but he knew it was pointless to bring up unless he wanted a one-way ticket to the extras course.
The class watched amazed when a giant lightning bolt physically materialized in Izuku's other hand. The teen himself sadly shook his head "I can't use it right now." He explained.
"Looks to me like you're using it pretty fine right now." The blonde known as Denki Kaminari said.
"The problem is not summoning the Master Bolt." He elaborated. "The problem is that it's too powerful. I only have one shot right now and once I use it, I can't use my quirk at all for twenty-four hours."
The class had mixed reactions to that explanation and Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. Kids with ultimate moves already were not what he expected when he got out of his sleeping bag this morning.
"Such a complex quirk," A tall girl with a high ponytail pushed her way to the front. Izuku felt his eyes unwillingly go to her chest. Zeus(?) snorted in appreciation but strangely declined to comment. "Do you mind telling us what it is?"
Aizawa didn't object to the question, leaving it to Izuku's discretion.
He hesitated on what to say. All Might told him about the importance of keeping One For All hidden.
"This is why we practiced the cover story, Midoriya." Izuku found Zeus'(?) words and presence comforting and guiding. "Tell them, but no more than they need to know."
Izuku nodded, swallowed, and took a breath. "My quirk is a sentient quirk," he said. He noticed Tokoyami Fumikage's attention on him intensified, his own quirk Dark Shadow appearing to listen as well. "It's called 'Might of Olympus'. It allows me to emulate the Olympian Gods of Ancient Greece."
"I thought that the term Master Bolt was familiar!" Momo gushed. "It's Zeus' signature weapon!"
Momo started to go into the mythos of Zeus but found herself cut off by a snarling Bakugo seeing his chance. "If you had this power all along, then why the hell didn't you use it before?!"
Izuku smiled in confidence. He, All Might, and Zeus had planned for this. "To even start using an Olympian's specific power set, I have to awaken them and get personal approval from them inside my quirk. That's where the sentient part comes from. Zeus is the only one I have right now and I 'proved my valor' to him the day I rescued you from the sludge villain, Kachan."
A very very very small part of Izuku did take joy in the gob smacked look on Kacchan's face when the implications of his biggest blunder led to Izuku gaining a quirk.
Tokoyami chimed in next. "So, you have twelve different parts of your quirk you have yet to discover? What a mad banquet of darkness. Dark Shadow talks enough in my head, I can't imagine that many additional voices."
"Hey!" Dark Shadow yelled. "Don't be mean, Fumi!"
"Fourteen actually," Izuku corrected. "Right now, it's just Zeus so I don't really mind. Though… he is currently acting differently."
Zeus(?) scoffed and sneered and Izuku's reaction must have been evident on his face because Tokoyami at once told the others he was communicating with his quirk.
"I'm acting differently as you put it, because I am Jupiter Optimus Maximus, not Zeus. We Olympians can flicker between our Greek and Roman incarnations depending on the situation. Your spartan teacher embodies the more traditional values of Rome prompting the change. In due time I'll change back to Zeus, the main governing form."
"Okay, I just got an answer," Izuku said to the class. "He says he's currently Jupiter right now due to Mr. Aizawa's behavior."
"Jupiter? So you have planets inside you now?! Holy shit dude!"
Aizawa felt as if he died a little inside at the entire exchange and explanation. He'd have to get Cementoss to add Mythology and Classical Literature to 1-A's curriculum. He rubbed his face and sighed. "Kaminari…Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus." He corrected.
He set his weary attention back on The Problem Child he decided. Fourteen unique power sets, and fifteen personalities to manage. Judging by the way Bakugo was almost foaming at the mouth, Dark Shadow poured over him, the sheer vitriol pouring off Todoroki, and the sparkling in multiple students' eyes, the whole class was bound to revolve around him one way or another.
"I'll ask this, Midoriya, then that will be the end of it. Do you have any timeframe for the other parts of your quirk?"
"N-no sir, not really. Jupiter said they'll wake up either in their own time, appear when I prove my character, or in response to extreme external stimuli."
"Hopefully it won't come to the last one," Aizawa said, feeling a headache coming on. "If you need quirk counseling or extra training, report to me or Midnight after class. Psychological help can be found with Hound Dog if needed. That goes for the rest of you too. Now toss the ball so we can move on to the other assessments."
"Crap!"
Izuku couldn't stop himself or the others from being sucked up by Kurogiri's Quirk. Eraserhead fighting, while the guy with the scythe and the purple bird monster looked on, was the last glimpse of the plaza he got when his world went dark purple.
The purple mist felt cold against his skin as he plummeted through the ethereal cosmic vortex. It almost felt like being trapped in a cloud except he lacked any sort of command over it.
"Zzzzzz….Snkrt!"
"Great, I should've known this would've happened eventually… With the boy's habits, I thought one of my daughters would be next."
Within seconds the feeling of wrongness left him replaced by the open air, under him the Flood Zone of the USJ waited. Too panicked to control the winds to fly properly, he did manage to slow his descent somewhat.
"Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku felt a wet appendage wrap around his wrist and he instinctively yanked it toward himself, and the smaller, supple body of Tsuyu Asui slammed into him.
"Gotcha!" He said as he roped his arm underneath her legs.
"Thank you for the save, kero," she said in return. "You're my hero."
Izuku tried to resist the urge to blush and failed.
"Ahhh! Somebody catch me!"
Izuku looked up and around for the source but couldn't find it. Turns out he didn't have to.
Like a scared cat, Minoru Mineta clung to his back, raking his nails down his school jersey.
"I'm sorry guys," Izuku immediately apologized. He could see dark shapes moving under the water, no doubt villains with various aquatic Quirks. "I'm too nervous to fly after being warped out of nowhere."
"If anyone deserves some slack it's you, Midoriya," Tsuyu said appreciatively, putting a finger to her chin. "You're behind the starting line compared to the rest of us. I can't expect you to have complete control over your Quirk, especially a sentient one."
"Not even Tokoyami does with Dark Shadow," Mineta added. "Besides I'm just happy we're not hitting the water head-on from the height we emerged from. It'd kill us if not severely injure us!"
"I think I'd be fine thanks to my Quirk, but I don't feel like stress-testing that theory right now."
Izuku grunted as they landed in the water. He couldn't get them completely to the ship in the middle of the lake, but they were about three-fourths of the way there. Good thing too, a guy who had a shark mutation already started making his way to them flanked by another person with a dolphin quirk.
"Kill those kids!"
"Hell, yeah! We'll get a handsome reward for each head we take!"
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Mineta cried, kicking his legs as fast as he could to the boat.
Izuku willed the winds to assist Mineta and himself in moving but found the water actively acting against him, whirling around him like a vortex.
"Uh… Midoriya? Why does the water hate you?" Tsuyu asked, even her powerful legs losing to the current around Izuku. She nervously eyed the villains who were rapidly gaining on them.
"Wake up you lazy Beach Bum. You're going to get us killed if you don't stop."
"Huh? Whozzat? Five more minutes, I'm sure we can get your merchandising rights situated. Now bring me my dinner…"
There was a second voice in his head now. Wait… Izuku's mind raced, and he put two and two together. Poseidon!
Please, Lord Poseidon, stop the whirlpool!
"No use, he can't hear you. He must instinctively think you're one of my children and is trying to kill you."
"Can you do anything to wake him up?"
"Are you talking to your Quirk?" Tsuyu asked, her monotone voice not betraying the fear she felt at the situation. The whirlpool steadily grew in size and the first of the villains were coming up on them.
"One of 'em is already going delusional. They'll be easy pickin'!"
"Not without attacking him directly and that's a big—"
Zeus paused as he watched Hestia jab a flaming sword into Poseidon's backside. She giggled as her younger brother awoke with a start.
"Sushi is fish cruelty!" Poseidon shouted, rubbing his rear.
Like the ever-changing sea, he calmed down and assessed the situation. A big room and a table with fourteen seats counting his own, one of which was already filled by Zeus. Hestia on his other side innocently put her sword away. Above all else, he saw the mental image of a teen flanked by two others struggling in a whirlpool. Was Percy on another quest again? No, it couldn't be, it's been years since…
"Last thing I remember is Triton, Rhode, and Kym arguing about merchandising rights…"
"Fix it," Zeus commanded, gesturing to the natural phenomenon. The next thing, Poseidon knew, he and Zeus had swapped positions.
"Alright let's see what we can do."
Izuku felt a change. The power of the winds and lightning mostly left him replaced by an affinity for water and earth. He instinctively tried to force the whirlpool to stop, but he felt the water fight back against him. In response, a ghostly image of a tall man in a Hawaiian shirt, khakis shorts, and Birkenstock sandals appeared next to him. A net wrapped around his shoulder and a hat on his head that read 'Neptune's Lucky Fishing Hat' were his accessories of choice.
Poseidon himself had appeared.
"Couple of pointers. Water doesn't like to be restrained. Trying to stop it completely will make it fight back harder unless you have supreme command. Not recommended for a first try."
Well then… If he couldn't stop it, he'd just have to redirect it. Izuku stopped swimming and swung out his arm. The water obeyed and the circular current unraveled.
"You're quick-witted. Useful for a sailor."
"What the hell!"
"The fuck? What's going on?"
"I don't know!"
The villains on their tail were suddenly washed away as if the Floodzone were a wave pool. The opposite end of the current had the added effect of pushing the three hero course students to the boat.
Tsuyu used her tongue to grapple on the boat's deck, meanwhile, using his newfound strength, Izuku tossed a cursing Mineta over. Poseidon whispered in his ear and Izuku then flew onto the deck as well with the energy of a dolphin jumping out of the water.
Mineta shook the cobwebs from his head, spluttered out water, and rounded on Izuku. "Midoriya what the heck was that? I'm not complaining because we survived, but I'd like a warning the next time we swim into a deadly jacuzzi!"
Izuku exhaled and then froze, feeling a gaze. Tsuyu next to him stared unblinkingly. "Your PE uniform is green now. Also, your clothes aren't wet."
He looked down to see she was right. Dry as a bone, the top of his now sea-green uniform had elongated to resemble a Coast Guard jacket. On his arm a tattoo of a trident stood proud for the world to see.
"My colors look a lot better than a boring blue, doesn't it?" Izuku heard Zeus scoff, but Poseidon ignored it and continued. "Now what exactly is going on here?"
"Poseidon showed up," Izuku informed his companions while Zeus (and Hestia unknowingly to Izuku) filled in Poseidon.
Izuku went over to the railing, watching as the villains regrouped themselves on the far side of the Zone. Off in the distance, he could see Kacchan's explosions in the Ruins Zone and Todoroki's ice in the landslide zone.
"I can't fly anymore or shoot lightning, but I can control water. And earth… I think." he informed them. Secretly he had read a book on Greek Myth, so he knew Poseidon was known as the Earthshaker. Unfortunately, Zeus provided his commentary on the book's discrepancies as he saw fit.
"So, you'll now be on an even standing with those villains," Mineta said.
"That's the thing… Don't you think it's odd me and Tsuyu got sent here?"
Tsuyu walked up next to him, her arms in front of her raptor-style. "What do you mean?"
Izuku gripped the railing as his attention slipped to Eraserhead. "I don't think they know our Quirks, if they did, that Kurogiri guy would've dropped Asui in the Conflagration Zone, and they wouldn't have warped me at all due to the unpredictability of my Quirk as shown here."
"It's nice to know that and all, but what do we do with that information?" Mineta started to panic. "These guys are actual villains! Even Aizawa-Sensei can't stand up to all these guys by himself!"
The gears in Izuku's head started to turn.
"Maybe we can help him…"
Tsuyu put a finger on her chin. "I assume you have a plan, Midoriya?"
Hey, Poseidon, do you think we can make a big enough wave to get the ship over to the plaza?
"What a mess, training a hero in the middle of a crisis. I wonder if my son and Chiron felt like this during the Master Bolt fiasco. If they did, I should apologize in the future." Poseidon mused in melancholy now up to speed. "But yes, it should be possible if you imagine the water as a carrier, though there is an easier way. Despite being a prop, this is still a seaworthy ship. My son used this trick occasionally back in his day; say this Izuku:"
Izuku threw both of his hands forward. "Mizzenmast!"
"Did you bite your tongue?"
"Yeah Midoriya, stop screwing around and tell us—"
Minteta flew back against the guardrail as the ship lurched to life. The engines coughed and sputtered before kicking into gear. The villains down below who had reached the ship's hull had to scramble out of the way lest they get run over.
"Holy shit how fast are we going?" Mineta cried as they raced past the waterslide and across the zone. The smaller boy had taken to using his Quirk, Pop-Off, to have a handhold to keep from flying off the ship. A problem the other two students didn't share thanks to their Quirks.
"About 50 knots!" Izuku replied, somehow knowing the answer, he even knew the exact conversion to km. For a Yacht that was pretty damn fast.
"That's ridiculously fast, kero," Tsuyu said from beside him. "Perhaps it's your Quirk, but you look kind of dreamy to me right now."
"Aww, this is totally not fair!"
Izuku coughed and gagged in surprise. Zeus and Poseidon were laughing at him. "Where the heck did that come from?!"
Tsuyu shrugged cryptically. "I see something I like, I let it be known. I'm blunt like that. Also, I figure it'd be good last words for when we crash into the plaza. If we by a miracle survive. Will you go out with me?"
Perhaps Zeus influenced him over the time they were together, but a girl saying stuff like that didn't have the same effect as before. His mind shifted back to 'hero mode' and he met Tsuyu and Mineta's eyes in turn. "I have a plan for that too."
A beat of silence.
"Crashing into the Plaza I mean."
—X—
The fight slowly started to go downhill for Eraserhead.
Thirteen had gone down, eliminating any chance for him to have professional backup.
The villains with the severed hands on him had figured out his Quirk's tell.
"It's a shame I have to kill you, Eraserhead. I think you're pretty damn cool, but it won't do to leave the optional boss still standing before taking on the final boss." Aizawa tensed as the villain revealed his intentions. "Nomu kill—"
HONK HONK*
A ship's horn?!
All the people present except the hulking bird creature turned to the source of the noise.
A Yacht on a giant tidal wave speeding right at them from the Flood Zone!
"Aizawa-sensei!"
Eraserhead couldn't help but groan at seeing the Problem Child on the ship's bow. With the quick thinking skills of a professional, he used his binding cloth to grapple to the top level of the fountain. Right in time, as the Yacht crashed into the Plaza and took out the Nomu it kept going to where it impacted the front of the Ruins Zone, a building falling on top of it for added effect.
—X—
"Who the fuck dropped a building in my way!" Bakugo complained about the sudden obstacle. He let loose twin explosions from his palms in frustration.
Kirishima scratched the back of his head confusedly. "I see bits of a boat in there too. If I remember correctly that was in the Flood Zone. Do you think one of our classmates or the villains did this?"
A fat vein bulged and throbbed on the blonde's forehead. Forget these low-level scum, none of them could have done this. It had to be one of his classmates.
He remembered perfectly who got tossed in the portal. Only three people were both insane enough and powerful enough to launch a fucking boat out of the lake. Half 'n' Half could be seen using his ice in the Landslide Zone next to them, and Bird Brain clearly made the Downpour Zone across the way his little funhouse of horror based on the screams and roars.
That left… Deku!
Bakugo unhesitatingly launched himself in the air. "Fucking Deku! I am not going 0-3 against you by letting you clean up all these shitty villain wannabes!"
Kirishima sighed and started climbing the rubble. He got the feeling that maybe that wasn't the right thing to say.
—X—
Relishing the break from combat, Aizawa watched as the wake of the yacht washed away most of his opponents. Those who managed to hold their ground were pelted with purple orbs, sticking them to where they stood.
"I can't believe that worked!" Mineta said as Tsuyu landed next to him, the boys in her grasp. Aizawa figured Tsuyu had grabbed them and jumped at the apex of the Yacht's trajectory.
"I thought you could fly, Midoriya," Eraserhead questioned.
"Not right now, but I thought I could help."
He looked over his student and noticed both the costume change and the tattoo on his arm, barely hidden by the sleeve. A three-pronged spear.
A trident…Poseidon.
He too decided to brush up on his mythology after learning about the Problem Child's Quirk. The school's sole human janitor, Bob, known as former Pro-Hero: Iapetus the Piercer Hero, served as a helpful source of information too.
"What the hell? Who triggered the random event?"
Much to Eraserhead's chagrin, the villain giving the orders had managed to withstand the tsunami by slamming his scythe into the ground to create a hold. By sheer luck, Mineta's Quirk missed him as well.
After he got up, his heated gaze instantly locked on Midoriya. "I don't know why, but you piss me off by just being here. Not to mention you took out my Nomu," he said, eyeing the wreckage. No way the Nomu would respond to his call buried under all that. "Those things don't come cheap you know."
Midoriya flinched and his suit partially shifted from green to red to blue and back to green again.
"Master Shigaraki, I regret to inform you that one of the students escaped. The heroes are undoubtedly on their way." Kurogiri said forming behind his master with his metal neck bracer damaged.
"Damnit, I hate Time Overs! The worst way to lose in a game!" Shigaraki complained, waving his weapon and scratching at his neck. "Oh well. We'll just have to leave All Might a parting gift…By killing these kids and teachers!"
A split second was all it took for Shigaraki to bury the tip of the scythe in the ground once more. This time a wave of power spread from it in four points, the earth decaying as the attack carved its way to them. "Time decays all!" he shouted manically.
Midoriya, to Aizawa's surprise, reacted first out of everyone.
A trident suddenly in hand and a defiant yell, he too stabbed the ground, the weapon penetrating it like soft butter. The earth around them trembled and cracked. Unlike Shigaraki's attack, Midoriya's made the whole facility quake. Even the students by the entryway were losing balance.
Aizawa grabbed Tsuyu and Mineta and once again used the binding cloth to tether them to the fountain.
When the tremors ceased, a chasm in the ground ran straight down the middle of the facility, separating them from Shigaraki and stopping the decaying Quirk.
Shigaraki got up to his feet, the hand on his face lost revealing the chapped wrinkled skin underneath. "I thought you were a random event, but now I see you're a bonus boss. The voice inside my head is whispering to kill you by any means."
The scythe in the villain's hands gave off a wicked gleam. If Aizawa squinted, it occasionally appeared as if he held a long two-toned sword. Did his Quirk have something to do with weapons like Midoriya's?
Speaking of the color from the boy's uniform started to fade completely and he fell to one knee.
The Trident shares the same effect as the Master Bolt, not good.
"Now time for you all to crumble to dust!" Right when Shigaraki lunged to cross the chasm the door at the entrance burst open in a deafening boom.
"I AM HERE!"
—X—
Later that night:
"Just to clarify before we move on," Poseidon said while rubbing his forehead. "Neither Izuku nor All Might are your secret children?"
"You had just as many, if not more children than me, brother. Let's not forget how powerful Perseus Jackson turned out."
"Can you stop with the special text font? It's never worked on me, Hestia, or our other siblings. Besides, Izuku isn't even in this scene, so who are you trying to impress?" Poseidon pointed out. They had waited until the teen fell asleep to hold the current meeting.
His brother groaned but obliged, while Hestia giggled. "Are you happy now?"
"Very."
Poseidon sighed and leaned back in his chair. Thankfully he possessed the ability to change it from the stuffy office chair to the classic deep-sea fishing chair he owed on Olympus. He tried not to pay attention to the other chairs, particularly seat 6.
Seat 6 glowed with a woman's outline lying fast asleep with her head on the table and a little drool coming from her mouth. If Poseidon had a camera, he would've surely taken a picture.
Apparently, the boy's affinity with the values of the Goddess was quite strong. Zeus estimated that it would take her two weeks tops to join them if not sooner thanks to Izuku Midoriya's long-standing habit of voraciously devouring knowledge on Quirks and how to use them effectively.
Great.
Stuck inside a finite space alongside his two biggest rivals. Slightly further down seats 7 and 8 had their own shimmering to them as well. No doubt due to the bond the three second-generation Olympians shared. He hoped they'd awaken soon before Zeus and Athena drove him crazy.
Zeus crossed his legs and nodded. "Now on to our main order of business: Shigaraki."
Hestia and Poseidon both frowned at the name. After All Might showed up, he escaped via a portal from Kurogiri to fight another day.
Zeus waved his hand, and a reply of the brief encounter played on the table. All three pairs of eyes focused on the weapon in his hand. It flickered between a scythe and a sword, though the person in question wielded it as the former.
"Surely it can't be…" Hestia said, shaking her head, a haunted expression etched across her face. Poseidon figured Zeus' and his own echoed shades of it too. "I personally destroyed that weapon after the Battle of Manhattan."
"You're right—That weapon shouldn't exist." Zeus solemnly agreed. A clap of thunder emphasized his point
Poseidon clenched his teeth, the implication dawning on him. "If it's appeared again then that means…"
"Yes. The Titans are on the rise again."
Despite the other Olympians not being there, the air went stagnant and tense.
"More fighting then…" Hestia said slowly and sadly.
Zeus stroked his beard in contemplation. "Unfortunately, so. However, it appears the way this war will be waged will be radically different from any other war we've fought."
"What a strange fate," Poseidon said, memories of the second Titanomachy coming back to him. "Quirks are something else."
"When do we inform Izuku?" At Zeus' hesitation, Hestia grabbed her brothers by the ears causing them to cry out. "Please tell me you do not plan to repeat the same mistakes for the third time!"
"Why me too?! I just arrived here."
"You two share a brain cell. When you're not fighting, you're usually complicit with him!"
"Release me! I plan to tell him eventually," Hestia did as he asked when she heard those five words, deciding to omit the sixth in her mind. Zeus rubbed his appendage in relief. "But now is not the right time. I would prefer the kid to progress on a natural track for now rather than throw him to the fire by doomsaying. From my observation, if Shigaraki is like us, then the score is three to one—" Hestia cleared her throat. "Two and a half to one. We have time."
Poseidon lifted his hat and scratched his scalp. "That is rare for you. Usually, you demand progress at any cost."
"Trust me, I plan to take a heavier hand in his training and guidance. If this incident has shown anything, his control over the power of flight is lacking."
"I guess that is why it is called the 'Unforeseen Simulation Joint'…"
Zeus ignored Hestia's quip and kept going. "I also want him to be able to use the Master Bolt more than once. I expect the same from you in training him to use the Trident."
"There we go. That's the Zeus I know. Still, what exactly brought about the directness with the boy?"
Hestia put a gentle hand on his arm. "Poseidon… Zeus and I have been lingering here since February. A full two months before you showed up today," she explained. "Like all classical heroes, Izuku Midoriya hasn't led the best life, but it's another thing to experience it firsthand. He's not going to say it out loud, but the boy's words resonated with him. I'll admit, I was moved by his earnestness too."
Zeus grunted but didn't refute Hestia's words. "While I refuse to wait around again… At the end of the day, this is his Quirk, his story. And I'll do what I promised and make him a superhero."
Poseidon hummed. He could feel the ocean of power known as One For All becoming more entwined with the boy by the hour. "Alright. I see your point. We will deal with the Titans as they come and focus on the boy's training."
"To guide him is our role and duty," Hestia agreed.
"Now that is settled, the next topic is how we should oversee said guidance when the others awaken. It will not do to have the boy borderline schizophrenic by all of us talking at once."
The three gods nodded and began laying out plans.
Izuku Midoriya's hell training had begun.
AN:
Zeus sounding and being drawn like All Might is a Mythology gag (pun intended). Zeus' base skin in Smite is voiced by Chris Sabat, who also is the English voice of All Might. Also, pretty fitting considering Izuku idolizes All Might to begin with.
Because this was a One-off, I did have to omit Zeus and Izuku building up a rapport in the week up to the exam (He actually appreciates Izuku cleaning up nature). Or Zeus' opinions on the exam itself (He thinks that it's something Athena or Apollo would come up with).
The gods bickering a lot more is another, though I tried to do what I could.
The Divine Weapons got nerfed of course lol. In the PJO books the Master Bolt is described as "Making a Hydrogen Bomb look like a firecracker," At that point you might as well blow up the earth.
Next is going into what a hypothetical story would look like.
The jokes would be turned down first off. But I think that would be natural given a higher ratio of serious story to pair with comedy.
Second: The Roman Personalities are pretty much around for the sake of jokes. They wouldn't appear unless super-prompted. I was thinking PLF-War would force a switch proper cause MHA loses all innocence and pretext at that point. Here it's just for the sake of showing they exist.
If I do have them randomly, they're functionally the same, just less overt about their quirky nature as Jupiter demonstrated.
As for the other gods themselves, they'd most likely awaken in this order.
Hestia—Vigilante Arc (Izuku realizes protecting home and fighting alongside his friends is what's important. She basically takes Kudo's spot narratively)
Hades— Shie Hassaikai
Hera— Joint Training
Demeter— Pro License exam.
Athena— Sports Festival (Vs Shinso. She's immune to Brainwash)
Artemis— Sports Festival (Vs Todoroki)
Apollo— 1st Internship
Ares— Summer Camp (Vs Muscular. Izuku's determination resembles Thermopylae)
Hephaestus— I Island
Aphrodite-Hosu (Vs Stain. Izuku activates Charmspeak when he gets Blood curdled)
Hermes— Kamino Ward
Dionysus— Culture Festival
That's about it. Let me know what you guys think!