Hello once again, everyone. I'm sorry for the one day delay, I know I had said the plan from now on was to upload the bulk of chapters I completed within the month at the end. Unfortunately, this month has included my first on-campus classes in the last several years, and on days where I also have my day job. As you can imagine, this severely cuts into my free writing time, and since this chapter is the introduction to this story's take on the team-Up Missions spinoff manga, that obviously constitutes this being a much longer chapter, even more so than I had initially anticipated when I'd been planning it out.
But, the important thing is that it's done, and by all expectations, the rest of the chapters for this bonus story arc should be much shorter by comparison. It's best if you think of these as essentially short stories that could be included in the volumes of this particular manga, for those of you who have already read them.
As of right now, my plans for the month of September are to finish plotting out and writing the rest of the chapters constituting the Team-Up Missions story arc, as well as the fifth and final School Briefs spinoff story, as elements of the sixth School Briefs light novel will be included in this story arc for the sake of expediency. So please expect 6-7 more chapters, and the last School Briefs spinoff for either the last day of September, or the first day of October, depending how my changed school and work schedules treat me from here on out.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I hope to hear from some of you letting me know your thoughts after I'd made you wait this past month, and I hope you all continue to stick around for the rest of this story, even though the MHA manga is officially over.
a big and heartfelt thank you to all of you who have continued to support the story through all these highs and lows, and a big thank you to my beta reader and consultant, Carlos; as well as to my wonderful gallery of artists on DA, especially since I'll be able to include their artwork with the story once I start cross-posting it over the next few months: Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, AnekoBS, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, mrsMacTavish, Navaeil, RageSiren, Shalissey-N, Sherlleen, Suki-Chan2509, Syyndev, Venera-Taro and Yumake.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them. However, the OC introduced here, Kaikou Bando, is the property of my beta reader Carlos, as thanks for his constant help through the tougher periods I've had of writing this story.
Chapter 144
A Laugh From The Heart
(Смех От Всего Сердца)
Thursday, January 22nd
Hero Public Safety Commission Headquarters, Tokyo
Night had long since fallen upon Japan's capitol city, and within the winding halls of the Hero Public Safety Commission's HQ, even when the majority of the staff had since gone home, it was still bustling with activity, even in the Madame President's personal office. In the wake of the resolution of the Humarise incident, even though the majority of the work was within the All-Star World Hero's Association's lap; as far as matters within Japan's borders were concerned, the Commission had a great deal of its own responsibility, organizing all available Pro Hero efforts to repair the damages wrought by the recent battles. In the midst of all that, the stern older woman had taken it upon herself in what time she could spare, to thoroughly look and see how all the different Hero teams, especially those with Hero school students involved, conducted themselves.
In fact, she had become so engrossed in watching all the footage she had been sent and all the rest she could find, whilst also looking over all the statistical data for property damages and recorded civilians saved in the process of all the Heroes' efforts in this country alone; that she never even realized she was suddenly no longer alone in her office, when the voice of her trusted personal assistance broke her concentration: "Is everything alright, Madame President?"
She gave a momentary jolt of surprise at the sound, but was fortunately able to quickly breathe easy again upon seeing the unmistakable equally stern-faced man always at her side. "My apologies. I didn't realize I'd lost track of the time like this. I'm surprised you're still here at this hour."
"Yes, well you're not the only one so thoroughly dedicated to their job, ma'am. As long as there's a chance you're ever in need of assistance, it's my responsibility to be available. I simply felt it prudent to ask, given how busy we've been with recent events."
As if to symbolically emphasize his point, he immediately presented her with a steaming cup of coffee, which she silently took with but one grateful nod, only to spy the single bandage wrapped around the palm of his right hand. "What's that? You didn't accidentally burn yourself making this, did you?"
Her assistant swiftly tucked his injured hand behind his back, bowing his head to her in apology for such an unpleasant sight. "No, ma'am. One of the other staff members left a cracked drinking glass in one of the break room cupboards and I cut myself grabbing it. It isn't anything too bad, don't worry."
Madame President, having known her assistant well enough after all their years working together to know that if he didn't think such a thing was worth worrying over then she really had no reason to, simply nodded in acceptance before taking her first sip, letting out a light tired yawn as she returned her attention to the multitude of video feeds on the wall. "I probably should head home and try to get some sleep, but my mind has been rather restless in light of this whole Humarise incident."
"How do you mean, ma'am?"
Folding her hands, the older woman continued: "The unexpected retirement of All Might made me realize that in his continued presence, our country's whole Hero society had simply grown too lax. Yet, despite that, the entire world as we know it was just saved by a multitude of Pro Heroes from across the globe, and a veritable handful of Hero school students. Such an accomplishment by what would be considered such a ragtag force is unprecedented. Alas, even the global Hero infrastructure wasn't enough to prevent that tragic disaster in Berlin to begin with, so even a victory like this is bittersweet."
Her eyes continued studiously looking over the footage of all the different Hero teams in action as she leaned back in her chair, looking contemplative, even more so than usual. "This recent crisis, in combination with Hawks' lack of new information regarding the plans of the League of Villains and their Paranormal Liberation Front, has forced me to a conclusion: we desperately need as many fully-prepared and trained Heroes in our ranks as we possibly can, for when the day inevitably comes that they make their move against us and our society."
"How do you propose we do that, ma'am?"
Madame President's answer came through tightly clenched teeth; this being the first time she would finally speak the plan that had been brewing in her head all day out loud: "Namely by getting all of the currently licensed Hero students in this country as much training from as many Pro Heroes as we possibly can; as well as organizing a means to give those students that either failed the previous License Exams, or perhaps even entered the Hero education system later than normal, a further chance at getting licenses of their own so they can be included in said ranks being trained."
Her assistant kept his hands clasped firmly together, bowing his head in visible consideration. "If I may speak freely, ma'am, while such an idea would be quite effective, it would also be quite difficult to organize on such short notice. It's bound to cause quite a stir once word gets out. Many Pro Heroes have only recently continued or started their respective internships, or they haven't yet established themselves enough to build an Agency of their own from which to conduct any such internships."
"That's all very true, but I simply cannot imagine any alternate options that could bolster our ranks enough in time. For now, simply send a notification to all the Hero school faculties and Agencies, calling for a meeting here in the next couple of days. By then I will have all the details ironed out. From then on, it will simply be a matter of seeing if the Pros and the students are indeed able to operate effectively together in however much time we might have left."
"Very well, ma'am. I'll start writing up the announcements and sending them out at once." With that, Madame President's assistant gave a departing bow and made his way out to get back to work, leaving the Commission head alone in the dim light of her office once again, simply letting out another truly exhausted sigh in her solitude, silently hoping to herself all the while that she wasn't simply grasping for a desperate pipe dream. As far as she could see, their entire society as they knew it would depend on it.
Monday, January 26th
Yuuei Academy, Class 1-A Homeroom
After having gotten the last couple of days to fully rest up after what he and his classmates had all recently had to do across the globe, Nikolay woke up bright-eyed and ready for a whole new school day, fully energized for what felt like the first time in months. When they had all turned in to their homeroom to begin the day, he was already busy getting all his books set up on his end of his and Mina's double desk, completely blind to how his girlfriend noticed something new in his book bag.
"Hey, Kolya-kun, when did you get the new notebook?" she asked excitedly, already plucking it out to take a look for herself, before Nikolay grabbed it himself.
"Oh, it's something Dad gave me the night we'd all come back from the mission. Apparently, ever since I had that episode with my Quirk during the Joint Training Exercises, he wanted to do a little investigating into our family tree that…well, that he couldn't really carry out himself. So he told me he asked that Nighteye Hero from the yakuza raid mission to investigate instead, being a detective now and everything. This is everything he was able to put together regarding my mom's family line and their respective Quirks. Dad never told me about them before, and honestly now I'm pretty sure it's cause he didn't know about them, either."
Naturally, the news of their foreign friend getting new info about his family, and with it a whole new slew of Quirks to know about, had piqued Mina's interest, as well as that of their classmates immediately surrounding them, as they were already starting to close in, eager to hear more, or even take a look at the notes scribbled inside for themselves. But it was the mentioning of Izuku and Mirio's former internship mentor, that had the freckled young man come hurrying over, wide-eyed and curiosity-stricken. "Are you serious, Kolya-san? Tunguska-sensei said Nighteye-sensei found all of this info?"
"Honestly, I think the more mysterious question is why he'd want to give you all this out of the blue like that. Sensei told you it was only after what happened at the Exercise?" Tenya asked inquisitively; Momo, Kyouka and Fumikage all already nodding in agreement.
Perusing through the pages, Nikolay pointed out the listing of Quirks and Hero names along the family tree of his mother for all to see. "That's what he told me. Take a look at the circled name just two spaces above my mom's Hero name, Gamayun; the Hero named Quickdraw. Doesn't the Quirk description sound kind of familiar?"
Immediately upon reading the description of said Hero's Gatling Gun Quirk, Eijirou lit up with realization: "Yeah, that sounds a lot like that Kinetic Gatling move of yours!"
Just like that, more and more of the other students saw the proof for themselves, while Mina similarly chimed in: "Yeah, and that powerful scream of yours, and the way you talked about how to perfect your ability to fly; those both sound just like what it says about your Mom's Quirk!"
Nodding enthusiastically, Nikolay continued: "That's right, and then the name just above Quickdraw, Re-N-Force; his Bone Reinforcement Quirk description sounds very similar to how my Quirk was forcefully holding my bones together to help me keep fighting in St. Petersburg. That's way too many similarities to just be a coincidence."
"So what exactly does all of this mean?" Denki asked, with many of the other students virtually echoing the same question.
At that, Nikolay could only shrug his shoulders in resignation. "That's what I'm still trying to figure out. Dad suggested I'm subconsciously emulating my relatives' Quirks in a way that still is solely born from my own, but no matter how many times I keep running the idea through my head, it doesn't make any more sense, because I'd never even heard of these Heroes before. Still, some of the Quirks written down here sound so cool, I can't help but want to try and see if I can do the same with them, but I wouldn't even know how to start trying that."
"Well, with the way some of these Quirks on here sound, I don't think it's possible. That Heartbeat Sensor one sounds like a totally different ballpark." Minoru concluded with a dismissive shrug, with Tooru and Mashirao voicing the same sentiment.
However, while some of Nikolay's friends were expressing either doubt or plain goodhearted encouragement; Izuku and Bakugo were exchanging a silent but unmistakable glance towards each other; the hotheaded young Hero having stayed at his desk, but keeping an open ear on the conversation. Both boys could tell the other was thinking the exact same thing:
This notebook, as desperate as it was, was Oleg's attempt to see if Nikolay could indeed be able to unlock any of these ancestral Quirks born from his familial branch of One For All, or at least find a way to replicate them through the properties of his own. Now that the young Russian had a whole list of them to choose from, it would just be a matter of seeing what he could do if he pushed himself hard enough.
And it was with that knowledge in mind, that Izuku ultimately declared: "Well, if we ever get the time to train enough, Kolya-san, I'd be more than happy to help you try and practice, see if any of these can come through with your Quirk if you want."
"I really appreciate that, Midoriya-san, I'd honestly been thinking about running the idea by you myself when he'd first given this to me. Spasibo." Nikolay answered with a smile of gratitude, while Mina was likewise smiling brightly. "That's so cute, you guys. You two are almost like brothers now."
Even Ochako couldn't help but giggle in agreement ("Oh, wow, when you think about it, Mina-chan's kinda right!"), causing both Nikolay and Izuku to smile in flustered embarrassment, cheeks turning red, just as the door to their classroom opened, spurring all students back to their desks while Aizawa stepped in.
No sooner than the students had all greeted their homeroom teacher a good morning, the perpetually tired-looking man started: "After these last few days to ease back into your school routines, I'm sure you're all eager to return to your regular internships. Well, I've got an announcement that should make you all pump your brakes for a minute. A couple days ago, every Hero school in Japan, as well as every Pro Hero Agency, was given some news, courtesy of the Hero Public Safety Commission. In light of the extensive resources and efforts that were needed to stop Humarise's plans in so little time, a new wide-reaching initiative has been proposed and…subsequently approved by all parties involved."
Already seeing the curiosity and anticipation on his students' faces all around, Aizawa's permanently dour face expertly hid his own personal doubts of what he was about to tell them: "Starting today, all your current Pro Hero internships are, at least temporarily, to be replaced by a new initiative being called the Team-Up Missions Program. This program will involve all of you being selected at random alongside a set number of fellow students to serve as your teammates, and then given the address and identity of a similarly selected Pro Hero, that will serve as all your mentors."
The whole class erupted with a multitude of questions and exclamations, primarily revolving around "But our internships barely even really started!" Of course, others were far more excited by the idea of getting to learn under potentially multiple new Pros potentially every day.
As for Nikolay, he found himself caught right in the middle. After what felt like so much time, he'd finally found himself…not feeling as intimidated in Endeavor's presence. To now know he was liable to get shifted over to someone else so soon after that couldn't help but leave him thinking all that emotional effort had now been for nothing. Of course, Mina's enthusiasm was enough to get him to quickly soften up to the possibilities real quickly.
Amid the noise, Tenya quickly had his hand up. "Sensei, is there any way of knowing how long any of these Team-Up internships are liable to last?"
"Frankly, that will be up to the Pro Hero you're assigned with. If they feel you've learned whatever lessons they have in mind, you'll receive a message from the Commission letting you know of your next Team-Up Mission for the next day. Otherwise, if they feel you have more to learn before they're satisfied, they could easily write to the Commission to keep you on for another day, if not more. Take that as incentive to keep giving your all and more if you don't want to risk yourselves getting pinned down and left behind."
With that possibility in mind, Nikolay was the next to bring his hand up: "If that's the case, Sensei; then if we're getting messages that send us to new Team-Up Missions each day, then does that essentially mean we'll never be learning here at Yuuei for the foreseeable future?"
That distinct possibility gave Tenya and Momo visible pause, and had even managed to get the rest of the class to noticeably quiet down. As exciting as getting to team up and learn under different Pros every day sounded; the thought of essentially never getting to have peaceful school days with each other altogether couldn't help but instill a bizarre feeling of homesickness.
However, Aizawa's expression and body language never changed: "For the most part, your schedules between your Team-Up Missions and school will be the same as it was with your regular internships, where they'll be separated by a day so you can still keep up with your normal educations."
Most of the students, especially the girls, all let out a collective sigh of relief before Tsuyu raised her hand next: "You said earlier that this program is involving Agencies and Hero schools from all over the country. Does that mean there's a chance any of us could end up teaming up with students from those other schools like Shiketsu High or Ketsubutsu Academy-kero?"
"That's right, and it also extends to students within non-Hero Course classes as well, whether it be Support Development or Management Courses."
As soon as Aizawa clarified this, the excitement among the students intensified that much more. In fact, Nikolay already found himself getting playfully poked in the ribs by both Mina and Denki. "You hear that, Kolya-kun? Isn't that exciting? We'll get to work with all those other students from the exam and make new friends at the same time!" "Yeah, how funny would it be if you and Todoroki got paired up with that Yoarashi guy from Shiketsu again?"
"Hehe, yeah…funny…that's one word for it." Nikolay answered with a clearly fake-sounding chuckle, able to remember all too clearly what a near disaster it had been, trying to work with Shoto and Inasa Yoarashi during the Provisional Hero License Exams all those months ago. Looking his way, he could see that Shoto, even for as stone-faced as he always was, couldn't hide the consideration in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Eijirou now had his hand up. "Excuse me, Sensei; but since Maja-san is with Class B today, I thought one of us should ask: if we're all going to be part of this new program, then what does that mean for students like her who don't have their Licenses? I mean, her taking action during the whole Humarise battle was out of necessity if nothing else."
That distinct reminder gave several of the other students a jolt of sympathetic remembrance, while Aizawa answered: "Well, I'm certain Vlad King is having this very same conversation with his class as we speak, but Kieslowska is hardly the only student to have been accepted into a Hero school rather late into the year in this country, and the Commission is likewise aware of this. That's why all students who fall into that category are being given time to catch up on their studying and on-campus training, so that when the announcement for a day is given, they can all participate in a more condensed version of the License Exams you all took, so those who make the cut can participate in the program properly with everyone else."
This miracle of an announcement had many of the students feeling a spike of adrenaline, as they could now only imagine just how that had to pale in comparison to the anticipation Maja herself had to be feeling right now, knowing for a fact she was being given her miracle shot, just like Toshinori had said she would in the aftermath of the Humarise battle.
With another piercing glare to incentivize his students to settle down, Aizawa concluded: "The Commission informed all teachers and applicable Agencies of this program back on Saturday, in order to allow for time to prepare before we let you all know of this. This very same announcement is being given at all schools in the country right now, so it won't be long before you'll all be receiving your first Team-Up assignments on your phones. I suggest you all change into your Hero costumes ASAP so you can get to the trains you need in time."
Like a starting gun had fired, the students all rushed to grab their costume cases and similarly dashed for the changing rooms; all of them chattering and borderline cheering with excitement at the thought of something so new along the way.
"Oh, this is gonna be SO awesome! Yeah, I wonder who my teammates are gonna be! What about your first mentors?! That's where the real excitement is!"
Such exchanges were bouncing back and forth around Nikolay as he finally was able to let his apprehension give way to his own instinctive excitement, smiling in time for Eijirou and Izuku to see, much to their shared relief. "Looks like you're really settling into the fast-paced Hero rhythm at last, man!" "Yeah, I was pretty sure the idea of us all scattering to learn with new Pros would have you feeling nervous still."
Recognizing his own speedy shift into a more at ease state of mind, Nikolay said: "Oh…yeah, I guess I usually would be, huh? I don't know, I guess it just kind of hit me. See, my dad actually texted me earlier this morning, just saying something big was going to be announced today for Pros and Hero students alike. I don't get why he wouldn't just tell me this was it from the start."
"That's easy, Kolya!" Oleg's voice suddenly sounded from right behind Nikolay's back, causing him and several of his classmates to jump, not having expected a man his size to be able to sneak up on them so successfully, even with the clamor of all their collected running footsteps echoing down the hall. Grinning as bright as the glowing disk behind his head, the older Russian Hero continued: "The announcement of an opportunity like this is one of the most exciting for kids in general, let alone Hero students like all of you. What kind of father would I be if I just spoiled the whole surprise for you, and rob you of the chance to share in this unbounded excitement with all your friends?"
To see that excited glimmer in his son's eye, and the smile still on his face that so perfectly complimented those on the faces of his classmates, filled Oleg with a burning sense of fatherly joy.
Understanding and appreciating his father's reasoning, Nikolay's eyes widened with an idea: "Hey, Dad, if I understood the way Aizawa-sensei explained this program right, then does that mean you'll also be taking on randomly selected students daily on your own, like as though you weren't permanently teamed up with Fatgum?"
It was no surprise that the opportunity to work and learn under Tunguska alongside his friends in the same capacity as all their previous internships, had Nikolay smiling with just as much anticipation as the likes of Eijirou and Ochako, who had both overheard the same question they themselves were about to ask.
Seeing this, Oleg answered while still smiling: "No, this program is intended to move the students around for the sake of their education, not the Pros themselves. We still have our jurisdictions, after all. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give any group of Hero students assigned to me from any school, any less of a thorough education than I would if it were any of you. But neither does that mean I'll be going easy if you were to end up my Team-Up student for a day either, Kolya."
"Of course not, Dad." Nikolay answered just as the whole of Class 1-A finally reached the changing room doors, hurriedly filtering in to get changed. They all seemed to come out in full costume in what felt like record time, as even Oleg found himself having to do a double take at how quickly they'd all emerged.
PING!
And not a moment too soon, as with a distinct electric ring emanating from all their phones at once, there was no point wondering what it had to be, as every one of the kids instantly went for their phones to get their first Team-Up assignments ever.
A cacophony of excited cheers, with some sprinkling of surprise and confusion here and there, rang out as everyone took in their respective details and immediately called them out, mainly to hook up with their respective teammates.
"We'll do our best, no matter what you have in store for us, Tunguska-sensei!" Mashirao, Rikido and Yuga announced eagerly once they'd confirmed their shared info on their phones, teaming them together under Tunguska and Fatgum by extension; their enthusiasm clearly much appreciated by Oleg himself. Seeing it for himself, Nikolay patted his father on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Dad. I know we'll end up a team before long, I can feel it in my gut."
"WOOOOOH! TODAY'S FINALLY MU LUCKY DAY!" Minoru suddenly cried out with tears streaming from his eyes, holding up his phone like it had just bestowed him a heavenly gift. Just behind him, Mina and Momo stood with very grim looks of despair on their faces, having confirmed their misfortune in having their perverted little classmate as a team member. The only solace was that their assigned mentor was to be Yoroi Musha, Yuga and Tooru's previous internship Pro, and a master of equipment and Support Item utilization.
"I don't recall hearing of any Pro Agencies at this address before. How about you, Deku-kun?" "Actually, I don't know, either. Maybe it's a brand new one. Does it ring any beels for you, Kacchan?"
At the same time, Izuku and Ochako both looked quite confused as they saw the info on their phones, while Bakugo found himself unwillingly between them, sneering in distaste at his two assigned teammates. "No, dammit! As if having some random address with no clue who we're meeting there wasn't annoying enough, I gotta be stuck with you two as well? Tch, just make sure you both stay the hell outta my way, got it?"
While Bakugo's abrasive answer long since stopped getting under either of his teammates' skin; Mina's whispering words stabbed right into Ochako, as she couldn't help overhearing the exchange, and was already leaning in with a devious smile. "Ooooh, this could be your lucky day, Urara-chan! You and Midori-kun getting to work in the field together at long last? Don't let this chance pass you by, girl!"
All the while, Nikolay found himself teamed up with Tenya and Fumikage, the three boys showing their phones to confirm. While they were both classmates he had far less overall experience working alongside in the grand scheme of the year, it was actually the identity of their assigned Pro Hero that really had thrown the three of them off; as Nikolay asked: "Ms. Joke? Wasn't that the teacher from Ketsubutsu back during the exam?"
Nodding in thought, Tenya answered: "That's right. Perhaps all of her students have been given assignments and have thus left her the freedom to take us under her wing for the day."
While Tenya and Nikolay both looked to be quickly warming up to the idea of who was going to be teaching them, Fumikage's brow simply furrowed further. "This feels like a great mistake. A Hero that centers around something as jovial as laughter hardly sounds like an appropriate fit for me…but I suppose if the die is cast, I must simply follow fate's intended course, for better or for worse."
With Fumikage's reluctance being the one exception, spirits were virtually soaring as Tenya and Momo urged the rest of their classmates along so they could make it to the Musutafu train station in time. With addresses spanning the whole of Japan's main island to go, there was barely anytime for everyone to say their momentary goodbyes and wishes of good luck, but the atmosphere among them all was so abuzz with their excitement, no such words truly needed to be said to be felt.
Of course, that didn't stop Mina from seizing the chance to pounce on Nikolay's back with a tight embrace and a glowing smile while he was about to leave with Tenya and Fumikage, and she with Momo and Minoru.
"I can't wait to hear what you guys get to do later, Kolya-kun. Please try to get as much details from Ms. Joke about her whole deal with Aizawa-sensei as you can for me? I just gotta know!"
Nikolay could barely even finish laughing whilst saying "Okay, I'll try"; just the sight of his head nodding being enough to convince Mina to let her boyfriend go and send him off with a brief sweet giggle-filled kiss on the cheek before finally rejoining her own teammates, waving goodbye further as their train departed, with his own team's taking off not long after.
Shimane Prefecture, Matsue City
Time was truly on the side of Nikolay and his team, as it wasn't even an hour by the time their train finally reached its destination, and even less time after that for them to find the personal Hero Agency of Ketsubutsu Academy's Ms. Joke. A standalone office building with a large sphere adorned with a giant smiley face on the roof was rather hard for even a blind person to miss.
However, even the shared relief at having made it to their meeting place on such good time wasn't enough to not leave Tenya scratching his head in curiosity. "Strange, Ms. Joke's Agency isn't even in the same prefecture as Ketsubutsu Academy itself. It hardly seems the most efficient arrangement between two such serious careers."
"Yeah, plus didn't she or Aizawa-sensei say their Agencies were next door to each other? Unless she moved locations since…whenever that would've been, I don't see anything next door that looks like another Agency." Nikolay said in agreement, unable to help but look down both sides of the street; Tenya and Fumikage naturally doing the same.
And it was because none of the three boys were looking at the front door of the Agency, that the next time they turned that way, they were all met with the up-close sight of the mint-green-haired, orange bandana-clad Ms. Joke herself, adorned in a pair of goggles with large eyes on springs attached to the lenses, thus making them jump out so suddenly as to make all three young Heroes leap back with startled gasps.
"Well, a rolling stone gathers no moss, and with a hairdo like mine, I can't afford gathering much more!"
Having gotten the reaction of surprise from her three assigned pupils she'd been looking for, the female Pro Hero took off her gag goggles, laughing heartily in satisfaction while they tried to make their hearts all stop threatening to seize up. "Besides, I like keeping my Pro work a couple stone's throws away from my school work! It's what your run-of-the-mill Villain would least expect, after all. Glad you boys were able to find the place so easy! Glad to see Eraser's got you all as naturally high strung as I'd expected, too! That makes breaking those tough exteriors all the more fun!"
Once the initial shock had finally worn off, Tenya hurriedly stood himself up straight, fussing over his partners to do the same and look as presentable as possible before finally addressing their mentor for the day. "Thank you for taking the time to teach us, Ms. Joke-sensei! I am Class 1-A president Iida Tenya, Hero Name-!"
"Ingenium!" Ms. Joke suddenly interjected, leaving Tenya visibly dumbfounded, having braced himself for the fellow Hero school teacher to be perfectly proper in her manners. But she seemed to just ignore such a reaction, as her focus was already on Nikolay and Fumikage next to him. "And you must be Tokoyami Fumikage-kun, Hero Name Tsukuyomi; and Nikolay Bezpalov-kun, Hero Name Solovei. I'm pronouncing that right, right? I remember you three from the License Exam."
As soon as Nikolay and Fumikage similarly gave their greetings and thanks for her patronage, Ms. Joke practically twirled on her heels before taking off in a clearly exaggerated march down the sidewalk, eagerly urging the three boys to follow. "Well, let's not all be standing on ceremony here! It's just about time for me to conduct morning patrols, and what better way for us to get to know each other, and for me to see what you can do and where you all need some buffering, than by going together?"
None of the three boys protested, Tenya immediately putting on his costume's helmet while Nikolay donned his goggles, before they all proceeded to keep pace with their mentor for the day through the bustling streets of Matsue City.
"So, I got a good view of what you could all do with your Quirks, but why don't you give me a little rundown of all exactly what you can do?" Ms. Joke soon offered the boys a chance to let her know what she was working with.
Being the class representative, Tenya obviously went first: "Well, my Quirk, Engine, allows me super speed and enhanced strength to go along with the momentum it gives my fighting style. My quirk has actually been passed down through several generations of my family, Pro Heroes of considerable reputation all, and all with the same honorary name of Ingenium. In all honesty, my brother has been the last to wear the mantle with full honors, but…recent circumstances have left me with the responsibility of wearing it in his place. I can only hope to be able to wear it with pride and do it justice if I truly earn it once we all graduate."
Ms. Joke let out a prolonged, high-pitched whistle in response. "Well, if you do your Hero work with anywhere as much intensity as you're carrying in the way you walk and talk right now, then you really are a perfect student to lead Eraser's class. Try to loosen up a little and not treat every question or conversation like you're at a job interview, okay, Ingenium-kun?"
Once again, Tenya's body language showed he was completely blindsided by such an answer from a Pro, while Fumikage took the awkward silence as his opportunity to speak: "With the aid of this cloak, my Quirk, Dark Shadow, allows me to weaponize the darkness I eternally carry within myself as a means to deliver swift and merciless justice on those deemed deserving of its wrath. From the deepest shadows and from the heavens, I descend on swift wings on all criminals and Villains that should find themselves unfortunate enough to land in my sights."
Ms. Joke had to immediately put her gloved hands to her mouth in order to muffle the laughter she could no longer contain, freezing Fumikage and his teammates dead in their tracks, looking on in disbelief while she tried to regain her composure. As she tried to catch her breath, she finally answered: "I'm sorry…I'm sorry! I just…wasn't expecting one of Eraser's students to sound like they were still neck deep in Chuunibyou Syndrome, especially this late in a school year with him looming over your shoulder. Normally he'd have ironed that wrinkle out. You must really give him a good impression, Tsukuyomi-kun; you certainly have with me! Plus, I thought I glimpsed that Quirk of yours shrinking away when exposed to bright lights back at the exam. Doesn't exactly sound like the swift and merciless delivery of justice fits as a literal day job, huh?"
While Nikolay didn't want to think she was deliberately trying to mock Fumikage, he could still see that the crow-headed boy was visibly perturbed by her words. So in order to try and take some of the heat off of him, the young Russian decided to chime in: "Well, my Kinetics Quirk basically allows me to absorb kinetic energy from any and all vibrations, no matter how big or small, and convert it into widespread or pinpoint shockwaves from out different parts of my body on command. I mainly use it to help me maneuver through the air, but it's definitely been a lot of help in fights, too."
Ms. Joke snapped her fingers through her gloves, as though a memory had just occurred to her. "That's right, I remember my student, Shindo Yo-kun, had a real stick in his craw when he heard about Yuuei having a student with a Quirk like that. His Shockwave Quirk is a lot like yours, only he can just channel it through the ground so far. Methinks he's a bit jealous. Maybe if you're both lucky, you could end up teaming up one day and you can help teach him some of your tricks, Solovei-kun."
Nikolay was visibly unsure of how he could possibly teach anyone else how to expand their Quirks when he was even now still trying to test the possibilities of his own. But before he could answer in a way that would humor her, Tenya suddenly spoke up again: "Forgive my impudence, Sensei. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we're a little curious as to what your Quirk can do exactly."
But just as the Pro Hero teacher raised a finger in preparation to answer, she came to a stop, forcing the trio to do the same, allowing them to focus and just barely hear what sounded like an alarm bell going off around a street corner.
With an excited smile on her face, Ms. Joke suddenly reached into one of the pockets of her baggy pants, producing what looked like a grey respirator with two small cylinders protruding from the face of it, both adorned with little smiley faces, before swiftly fitting it over her mouth and nose.
"Well, looks like you're all about to get your answer firsthand, boys! Depending how many targets we could be looking at, I might get to see you all in action, too! Let's go!"
The four Heroes took off around the corner like a flash, Tenya sprinting like the wind alongside the impressively fast Ms. Joke who was practically prancing down the sidewalk with long-reaching strides as she ran; while Nikolay and Fumikage both took to the air side-by-side, giving them the perfect vantage point to spot a handful of ski-mask wearing thugs scattering from the shattered storefront of a convenience store, carrying duffle bags of food and money alike.
"EVERYONE, PLEASE GET DOWN!" Tenya called out, spurring many of the civilians between him and the criminals to get down flat to the ground, giving him the perfect opening to spring up off a nearby fire hydrant, and then just as quickly ricochet with a kick off the corner of a nearby building, sending his kicking foot driving hard into the nearest criminal's chest, sending him sprawling back into the other thug right behind him, laying them both out just long enough for Tenya to quickly pin them down and restrain them.
At the same time, Nikolay quickly drew out two of his smaller tuning forks and, after sending two moderate charges of kinetic energy down his arms into them, swift6ly tossed them with precise turns of his wrist, allowing them to swiftly shoot through the air at the right angles to slam into the asphalt on both sides of a stopped car the third and fourth thugs were in the middle of trying to jump over in order to aid their escape. This allowed their respective stores of kinetic power to burst through the ground upon impact, launching both hapless thieves high up into the air, where Fumikage immediately sent Dark Shadow's extending arms out from beneath the cover of his billowing cloak, snatching them both in mid-air like a hawk to its hapless prey, before just as swiftly slamming them both flush to the road below, likewise pinning them down for when the police would arrive.
And lastly, as the one remaining thief saw his partners so swiftly taken down by what looked like a bunch of kids, and thus then saw Ms. Joke confidently striding towards him, he drew out a collapsible baton from under his trench coat, making an aggressive beeline towards her.
In fact, his panic had driven him into such a state of tunnel vision, he didn't even see how she so expertly managed to pull out a fake banana peel from another of her pockets and tossed it low to the ground so he could step on it and nearly get sent slipping and sliding, just barely managing to keep his balance whilst his attacking charge had gotten disrupted.
But such a ridiculous slapstick sight was enough to send Ms. Joke into a fit of bellowing laughter, the sound coming out amplified yet distinctly directed through the cylinder protrusions of her mask, which were right now pointed directly at the criminal himself.
Even as he struggled to try and stop slipping on his feet, all of the thief's aggression suddenly gave way to an overwhelming sense of amusement, as his startled cries started turning into uncontrollable laughter of his own. Even when he finally managed to at last get his feet off the peel and finally stand still, he couldn't get himself to stop laughing.
Literally. Even as his mind was quick to realize his circumstances, it was as though his body was physically unable to stop laughing, to the point he even found it difficult to catch his breath. His eyes soon began to sting with the tears of laughing so uncontrollably hard for so long. That alone made it impossible for him to see when Ms. Joke finally closed the last of the distance with an impressive leap, before finally tackling him to the ground, both hands behind his back and swiftly cuffed together.
In a matter of seconds, a snatch-and-run/robbery had been thoroughly foiled, as the police were quick to arrive on the scene and quickly take all of the captured thieves into their cars and into custody for processing. The civilians all around, recognizing their green-haired local Pro, were all already applauding and echoing their gratitude and support to Ms. Joke as she removed her mask, smiling and thanking the public as her three students quickly returned to her side. "Ah, the sound of laughter really is the sweetest sound when on the job. Even the gratitude of the public comes second. You boys did well, acting as fast and coordinated like that as you did. Let's head down to the station, fill out the incident reports and get back to work? The day's still young, so if anybody's thirsty, tea and juice is on me."
Thankfully, such a straightforward incident meant equally straightforward paperwork, so the four Heroes were back out on the street from the police station as quickly as they had arrived. Once Ms. Joke had bought them all drinks as promised, they were back out on patrol; and she finally addressed Tenya: "So, did you get the answer to your question, Ingenium-kun?"
"Yes, Ms. Joke-sensei. Our classmate, Midoriya-san, had heard of you and mentioned your Quirk back during the exam, but I couldn't really imagine what that looked like, to be able to incapacitate people with your own laughter."
Smiling in satisfaction, she answered: "Well, wide Quirk variety is just one of the most entertaining parts about Hero work, as you boys are all quickly going to find out now that this program is going on. I've never been very good at prolonged fights, but I've always personally prided myself on being funny. With a Quirk like mine, I can get anybody's outer shell to break and get them to laugh. The mask just helps make it so I don't accidentally affect a whole crowd instead of just my intended target."
"I don't remember seeing Eraserhead-sensei laugh at you back at the exam, though." Fumikage suddenly pointed out, causing Ms. Joke to momentarily lose her balance in her march, only to very quickly swing her whole body back so she could regain her footing. "Yeah, good ol' Eraser's always been a real stick in the mud. But that's the thing about sticks, they also break, and one way or another, I'm gonna get him to as well."
"Then what, you'll both get married after that?" Nikolay suddenly asked on a whim, looking just as surprised with himself as his teammates and even Ms. Joke herself, looking back at him with a surprised grin. "Oh, so you were really listening in on that back then, huh, you curious little thing?"
Nikolay, not wanting to push his luck with her good graces, answered: "Not all that intently, but it's not like any of us had ever heard a Pro Hero teacher talk like that to him before, so it's kind of hard to just forget that. I mean, is there actually something going on between you two, or was that whole thing just you joking around like he'd said?"
The young Russian boy felt like he might as well have just stuffed his boot into his mouth when Ms. Joke actually started approaching him, her smile never once flinching as she leaned in, looking him dead in the eye, only to then start chuckling and mussing up his hair through his hat.
"I wonder if this is really you asking me something so personal…or maybe a certain little friend of yours that couldn't be here to ask me herself…like that pink frizzy-haired little cutie from the exam."
Nikolay felt his heart drop into his stomach, with even Tenya and Fumikage unable to hide their respective flinches of surprise at just how swiftly Ms. Joke had managed to deduct the truth behind Nikolay's probing questions with ease.
Still grinning from ear to ear and stifling a giggle of amusement, she continued: "Yeah, I was able to overhear you kids back out front of the stadium back then, too, and I heard how that cute little pink girl was swooning like crazy listening to me poke and prod at old Eraserhead like that. I also saw how you two especially were practically glued to each other throughout the exam to come, too. It's no wonder she'd probably ask you to try and get to the truth the moment she found out you were coming to learn under me today. We ladies have a sixth sense about these things, and it goes both ways, obviously. Please, stop me if I'm wrong or going too fast for you."
Nikolay could only bring himself to feebly nod in confirmation, swiftly following up with: "I'm sorry for asking something so personal, Ms. Joke-sensei. I know it's none of my—I mean, none of any of our business."
Ms. Joke replied with a good-natured dismissive wave of her hand: "Oh, don't beat yourself up about it. If kids weren't allowed to be curious and ask questions, then life would be so much more boring and predictable. So I'll do you a solid and give you the real truth if you still want it: I'm a firm believer in the idea that the way to see the truth of a person, who they really are deep down inside, is to get them to laugh from the bottom of their heart.
"So far, Eraserhead's the only one who's managed to resist every attempt I've made to get him to laugh. Obviously that just makes him all the more enticing to try and get to crack, and I'm not gonna just use my Quirk on him to get a laugh, cause then it wouldn't be real. But one day, I will get him to laugh of his own free will, and when I see who he really is through that; then I'll know for sure if we're as meant to be as I used to imagine we were when we were just starting out. You can go ahead and tell your little pink friend all that when you get back tonight, I'm sure that'll send her into a real tizzy."
For the next few hours, Nikolay could only continue to silently hope that Ms. Joke's answer would be enough, as he and his teammates still had their actual Hero work to focus on. Thankfully, Matsue City was busy enough to give the three boys plenty of chances to showcase their skills at apprehending criminals and saving civilians from potential accidents. After a while, Ms. Joke all but forced her three pupils to let her treat them to lunch, which they all proceeded to enjoy from atop one of the taller trees in one of the nearby parks, which still allowed them a decent vantage point over all activity around them.
As she took a hearty slurp of some especially stretchy udon noodles, Ms. Joke finally broke the peaceful, if not slightly awkward, silence: "I have to say, you boys do Eraser some credit as a teacher. You've given me practically nothing to teach you as far as field work in incident resolution goes."
"Thank you for such considerate words, Ms. Joke-sensei. I have no doubt Eraserhead-sensei will be grateful for such a compliment." Tenya immediately answered, instinctively bowing his head so far forward he almost risked losing his balance and falling out of the tree, if not for Nikolay and Dark Shadow quickly hooking their arms around both of his and pulling him back up.
Chuckling at the class president's over-the-top display, Ms. Joke continued: "Well now, that's not to say I haven't seen where you could use a little improvement. You boys are doing just fine when it comes to taking action, but a Hero needs to be just as good at dealing with the public on a personable level. You know, be approachable and able to put people's minds at ease so they're more willing to engage with you, rather than feel intimidated that they'd set you off. For example: Ingenium-kun, you really need to learn how to ease your body language, because right now you not only move like a robot, but you give the impression that you're just one twitch away from driving that foot right into someone if they approach you wrong. Loosen up a little, maybe even lighten up personality-wise, don't be so damn deadly serious and high-strung sounding, and you could very quickly come to be a real popular one, maybe even worthy of that family legacy of yours."
Having long since grown used to his own classmates telling him to loosen up, to now hear it from a Pro gave Tenya visible pause, while Ms. Joke had already turned her attention to Fumikage. "I might as well just be repeating myself when it comes to you too, Tsukuyomi-kun. Only whereas Ingenium-kun here seems like he's one muscle spasm away from pulling a muscle where he shouldn't, you just are too insistent on this grim, dark and brooding persona of yours. I'll bet more than a couple people might have even mistaken you for a Villain when they first caught sight of you, if they didn't know you already. I could definitely see you being a Hero that sends little kids running, screaming and crying without meaning to. Learn to start looking at the world with a little less shadow everywhere, try to smile more often, it could really do you wonders in endearing yourself to people."
Fumikage bowed his head, either looking as though he was deep in thought or deeply insulted, only muttering out a barely perceptible "Yes, Sensei" before continuing to eat his meal.
Finally, she turned her attention to Nikolay. "And as for you, Solovei-kun; you may not be as intense as Ingenium-kun or over-the-top serious as Tsukuyomi-kun, but you've gotta learn to start walking with your head held high, not always reeling yourself back whenever strangers approach you. As an aspiring Hero, people will be expecting you to approach them and any situation with gusto, and the withdrawn or nervous puppy-style demeanor isn't going to inspire a whole lot of confidence in you. All in all, what you three boys are in real need of, is learning how to look at the funny side of things. You do that, and all your perception issues from the public will vanish like magic, I can guarantee it."
"And how exactly would you suggest we start learning to do that, Sensei?" Nikolay asked, having to practically fight to remind himself to speak with a little oomph in his voice after what she'd just pointed out.
Ms. Joke hurriedly downed the last of her udon, letting out a deeply satisfied sigh before proceeding to flip off of the tree branch and landing clean on her feet, urging her three students to rejoin her. "I'm glad you asked, because as it just so happens, my surprise bout of time away from school to train you boys has given me an additional time slot for by far my favorite part of walking this local beat: entertainment hour at the children's wing of the hospital! I do it once every week, and getting to see me an extra time is bound to brighten up their smiles even more, and this time you can all be a part of my routine! After all, laughter is truly the greatest medicine, wouldn't you all agree?"
Needless to say, Nikolay, Tenya and Fumikage were equally dumbfounded that this was what Ms. Joke was about to have them all do. Even after discussing amongst themselves how on earth they were supposed to entertain children, or how they were supposed to partake in an act they knew nothing about, they could still scarcely know how to begin asking Ms. Joke what they were supposed to do, even once they'd gotten to the hospital itself, an expansive multi-story building just across from the north entrance of the park.
Ms. Joke's familiarity with the staff clearly spoke to just how long and often she had been coming here to entertain the children in their own wing, as all of the staff greeted her with the familiarity of next-door-neighbors, with the excitement at seeing her joined by the three new young faces in tow to match.
When they'd finally reached the designated hall wherein nearly two dozen children in matching hospital gowns, ranging in ages from possibly five years old to twelve; they all likewise greeted Ms. Joke's arrival as though she were Santa Claus arriving in person on Christmas Eve, they were so happy to see her, with her smile being no less bright and sincere in return as she took the time to introduce her three momentary students. "I hope you all are ready for some real side-splitting laughs today, boys and girls, because I brought some helpers along today! These are Ingenium-kun, Tsukuyomi-kun and Solovei-kun. What do you say we all help them ease in, feel welcome, and have some fun together, huh?"
Of course, finding themselves the focus of so many young and impressionable eyes was the last thing the three students had expected when they'd woken up this morning, but that didn't diminish the weight of the fact that Ms. Joke was giving them this chance to not only begin their training in loosening up, but also to help bring smiles to these children; the single most deciding demographic for their potential futures as Pros going forward.
Thankfully, Ms. Joke's introduction got the kids all good and hyped up to see what she and her students had in store for them today, and she herself was especially ready to get the ball rolling, as she proceeded to open up with a lightning round of rapid paced jokes and accompanying visual gags that almost bordered on magician's parlor tricks, from pulling chocolate coins out from behind their ears, getting Tenya with a joy buzzer when acting out a first meeting, or pulling out a toy bunny from out of Fumikage's cloak, which proceeded to hit him in the face with a spray of seltzer water; all of which were able to get delighted laughs out of the children without fail. Her skills at showmanship were clearly top notch from what the three boys could see.
When it finally came time for the three young Heroes themselves to finally take the impromptu stage, it was Tenya who decided to take the initial brunt of the audience's judgment for his teammates, resigning himself to the first possible performance idea he could think of, something he remembered always being able to make him laugh when he was a little kid, pointing a rigid finger at Ms. Joke herself.
"YOU! You call yourself a Pro Hero?! You may have convinced all these children you are a Hero, but I remain unconvinced! If you want to prove your mettle, then answer me this one question first: what is your REAL name, so-called Hero?"
Nikolay and Fumikage both couldn't help but watch in the same kind of bewilderment that kids all had, wondering if this was indeed part of their president's act, or if he'd actually gotten a screw loose somewhere in his head.
But Ms. Joke, after a momentary look of confusion, suddenly donned a cocky smirk, brushing a lock of her minty hair from her face and looking Tenya dead in the eyeholes of his mask before she took a deep breath:
"Jugemu Jugemu Goko no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo no Suigyematsu Unraimatsu Furaimatsu Ku Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yabura Koji no Bura Koji Paipo-paipo Paipo no Shuringan Sharingan no Gurindai Gurindai no Ponpokopi no Ponpokona no Shokyumei no Chosuke!"
Nikolay looked like he'd just gotten slapped across his face multiple times in all directions to hear Ms. Joke suddenly recite what sounded like a rapid-fire wall of nonsense, while at the same time, Fumikage finally recognized just what classic comedy routine Tenya and their mentor were doing, while the kids were all still watching in rapt awestruck attention.
Tenya, clearly undeterred, steadied himself as though he'd just weathered an intense blow. "What a coincidence. My name is also Jugemu Jugemu Goko no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo no Suigyematsu Unraimatsu Furaimatsu Ku Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yabura Koji no Bura Koji Paipo-paipo Paipo no Shuringan Sharingan no Gurindai Gurindai no Ponpokopi no Ponpokona no Shokyumei no Chosuke!"
Without warning, Tenya suddenly dashed towards Ms. Joke, somehow managing to restrain the use of his Engine so that while his legs were moving as fast as they normally would with the use of his Quirk, his actually speed was the same as a regular person jogging.
"Here I come, Jugemu Jugemu Goko no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo no Suigyematsu Unraimatsu Furaimatsu Ku Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yabura Koji no Bura Koji Paipo-paipo Paipo no Shuringan Sharingan no Gurindai Gurindai no Ponpokopi no Ponpokona no Shokrumei no Chosuke!"
With a single preparatory crack of her knuckles, Ms. Joke suddenly took off in her own mad dash, ready to meet Tenya's mock charge head-on, with all of the watching children by now cheering wildly for the play battle that was to come.
"Bring it, Jugemu Jugemu Goko no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo no Suigyematsu Unraimatsu Furaimatsu Ku Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yabura Koji no Bura Koji Paipo-paipo Paipo no Shuringan Sharingan no Gurindai Gurindai no Ponpokopi no Ponpokona—
"GYAAH, I BIT MY TONGUE!" Tenya suddenly exclaimed in pain, causing him to lose his footing and go stumbling forward, just in time for Ms. Joke to reach behind her back and pull out a full-on pie from what seemed like literally out of nowhere, driving it straight into his masked face and landing him flat on his back, eliciting laughter and cheers from the kids all around.
She proceeded to quickly help Tenya back onto his feet, before pulling out a seltzer bottle from behind her back, using the high pressure spray to clean his helmet mask off, before quickly ushering him back, laughing all the while. "Good one, Ingenium-kun, you beat me to the punchline by a hair!"
Of course, what she didn't know; that being that Tenya, in his rigid and tense body language at the prospect of carrying out this legendary act, actually had legitimately bit his tongue by accident; wouldn't hurt her.
Despite the pain in his mouth, the knowledge that he was to have managed to somehow pull through and actually get genuine laughter out of the kids was enough to leave Tenya smiling brightly in self-actualization under his helmet, as he quickly returned to his teammates, giving Fumikage the chance in the nonexistent spotlight.
Much like his president before him, Fumikage's demeanor made no attempt at changing from the deathly serious and intimidating air that Ms. Joke had criticized to begin with. In fact, unlike Tenya, Fumikage didn't even bother trying to do anything funny to try and offset his off-putting appearance; instead opting to simply make a statement to his young audience, Dark Shadow beginning to spill out from within the confines of his cloak as he spoke forebodingly:
"You all should take to heart the dark reality of the world you'll one day be stepping back into. We live in a society filled with those that would seek only to do harm to innocents like yourselves, and it falls to Heroes like us to ward them off back into the darkness from whence they came. That is our sworn duty, not to dance and entertain you all like puppets. I was born of the darkness, so I know all too well the depths of depravity and cruelty that dwell deep within every human soul, just waiting to come out! That is my burden to bear, so that none of you may find yourselves on its receiving end! Keep that in mind, and remind yourselves to always walk on the side of justice, if you do not wish to find yourselves one day in my sights."
So much sincerity had come pouring out of Fumikage's declaration against being forced into this position, that to suddenly hear more and more of the kids laughing in response had left him looking utterly speechless and in disbelief.
What he hadn't truly realized, was that while he was going on and on, Dark Shadow had decided to take it upon itself, to essentially start performing shadow puppet tricks right behind his back, completely undoing the intended blood-chilling effect Fumikage had really been going for. And so, just as Tenya had left the spotlight with satisfaction on his face, Fumikage had left with an angered scowl, while Ms. Joke was still laughing alongside her adoring audience, silently urging Nikolay to finally take his place.
The poor young Hero felt like his feet were made of cement as he tried to breathe in deep and step out to where all the kids could see and hear him clearly. He could feel all of their gazes upon him like little icepicks slowly but surely picking away at his attempt at a personable exterior. Thinking about where he was and how much his stomach was twisting and turning, it felt utterly absurd how he could go into a battle with no hesitation these days, yet feel like he was about to keel over when doing something public like this. He couldn't even gather his thoughts enough to wonder if this was what everybody would describe stage fright as feeling like, or if this was just how it was for himself.
But, nevertheless, seeing the expectant looks on all their faces, and the intent in Ms. Joke's gaze as she wanted to see how he would be able to heed her earlier advice, Nikolay forcefully cleared his throat, lifted his head up high, and proceeded to try reciting any number of the old jokes his father used to tell him years back to get him to smile, or at least the ones he could remember from the disparate times he'd been in the mood to listen:
"So, a factory worker in a Western country has his Russian colleague come over to his home to show it off. As they travel around the place, the Westerner is so excited. He tells his colleague: 'Here is my wife's bedroom, my eldest daughter's bedroom, my youngest son's bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, a dining room, and even the guest bedroom.' Seeing all of this, the Russian colleague says: 'Well, it's basically the same size as mine, only we don't have the internal walls.'"
However, no matter how much energy he tried to put into his patchwork comedy routine, even trying to add a little more physical energy into it by physically acting out each scene he could think of, none of it was landing with the kids the way his teammates' acts had done. He was being met with simply confused or disappointed silence; and seeing Ms. Joke's smile falter as she looked to the whole of the crowd to find so much as one kid laughing, really did not help, thus leaving it to her to salvage the end of their impromptu little performance while Nikolay forced himself out of the center of the hall and back to the corner with his two teammates, looking utterly crushed and disappointed in himself.
A disappointment that followed him like a storm cloud all the way from the hospital and back to the train station, even when Ms. Joke decided to ultimately bid the three boys farewell, and left him with these words of encouragement and a friendly pat on the back: "Try not to let this hang over you, Solovei-kun. Not everybody hits it out of the park the first time. You clearly know what you personally find funny, so try to work with that, practice it all you can, and I know that you'll eventually be able to make anybody laugh with ease."
Those words, and the lead weight in his chest, stayed with Nikolay the whole way back to Musutafu City and Yuuei, wherein his team returned to their homeroom class, to find all the rest of their classmates had already since come back from their assignments as well, and were all currently regaling each other with stories of what they'd gotten to do today; though even that didn't stop Mina from greeting his return with a joyous hug the moment they saw each other.
"Wait, are you for real, Urara-chan? You three were meeting with Mirko-sensei?! But that address you showed isn't even close to her Agency!" Mina exclaimed immediately after in excited bewilderment upon Ochako revealing who she, Izuku and Bakugo had been sent to train under for their first Team-Up. Smiling in mild embarrassment, the rosy-cheeked girl answered: "Well, it's true. I think I overheard her muttering something to herself about needing to stretch her legs away from a sedentary office, but honestly, everything went by so fast while we were there, I could've heard wrong."
"Well there's one thing that's without question: she definitely preferred me over the likes of Round Face and Deku by a damn country mile! I'll bet she's probably even thinking of replacing you with me full-time, Raccoon Eyes!" Bakugo boasted, just one twitch away from actually smirking in satisfaction, while Mina only gave him the satisfaction of a mocked expression of insult for a second, before breaking out into laughter, and Izuku calmly chimed in: "Well that's no big surprise, Kacchan. The way you're both constantly aching to hit something or someone, you two would make a perfect internship pair."
Listening to all of this, which thankfully helped to get his mind off his own lingering issue, Nikolay opined: "Well, the fact that Mirko would even be open to participating in something like these Team-Ups in the first place really says a lot about what an effect you've had on her as an intern, Mina. You've really managed to soften her up."
Mina couldn't help but smile with an even deeper air of giddiness at the idea, before hurriedly shaking her head in order to get her focusing again. "Well, me and Yaomomo's day actually didn't go as bad as I'd thought it would. That Yoroi Musha is really crafty and clever. I never even really thought I'd need to use Support Items before, but he definitely got me thinking."
Overhearing her partner bring up their experience, Momo nodded in agreement before saying: "Yes, and he was certainly very kind to help incentivize Mineta from doing anything less than savory with any girls from now on."
To illustrate her point, she suddenly produced a small remote with a single button from out of her costume, before then pointing towards Minoru, who was in the middle of recounting the day with a similarly eager Denki and Hanta. "Notice anything different about his costume?"
Upon looking closer, Nikolay and Izuku soon spotted what looked like a thin collar around Minoru's neck. "What, is that some kind of shock collar?"
Mina answered Nikolay with a single satisfied nod. "Exactly. So now, any time he gets any ideas about doing anything perverted, just one push of a button and he gets a little jolt, thankfully nothing too serious. We're hoping he'll get the idea soon, then he won't have to wear it, and then the rest of the girls won't have to worry anymore."
"But what's to stop him from just taking it off when nobody's looking before that happens?" Eijirou suddenly asked; leaving Mina and Momo both momentarily silent with the realization they hadn't even considered that. To have Minoru be stuck with that thing for the rest of his school life would just be inhumane. Just like that, the girls' solution to avoid getting peeped, flirted or hit on had been promptly shut down.
"Well, our day training under Tunguska-sensei and Fatgum actually went way better than we expected, too." Mashirao suddenly jumped into the shared conversation, with Rikido and a sickly-looking Yuga both smiling at his sides.
"Yeah, not only did Fatgum-sensei love my baking, but he even helped me come up with some better ways to fight faster the next time I'm in Sugar Rush mode. Gotta capitalize on the time I get the best I can, you know."
"Oui, and Tunguska-sensei…*ulp*…helped me come up with some more wide-range and effective ways of using all the lenses in my costume for my Navel Laser…perhaps made me practice it a little too much, actually."
While Nikolay instinctively went to grab his personal tea thermos to help settle Yuga's clearly upset stomach, Mina suddenly caught sight of something that had her smile brimming with curiosity: "Hey, Kolya-kun, what's that piece of paper taped to your back?"
Nikolay fidgeted with surprise, having still not thought to change out of his Hero costume and back into his unfirom once they'd returned to school. Scrambling to reach behind his back, he quickly pulled said paper away once he could feel it in his fingertips, and hurriedly unfolded it to see what it was, only for Aizawa to swiftly snatch it up, having crept into the scene from virtually out of nowhere.
The unamused look in his tired eyes only seemed to darken as he hurriedly read whatever was scribbled into it, before just as quickly handing it back to his Russian student. "Well, Bezpalov, it sounds like while Joke was pleased with your partners' progress today, she still thinks you're in need of further training, so she wants you back for further Team-Up work, alongside whichever new students will get the same assignment with you."
Nikolay felt the dread he'd only just started to forget come rushing right back as he saw that his homeroom teacher was indeed telling the truth. But despite how clearly worried her boyfriend was looking, Mina still couldn't help but keep grinning in excitement for him, laying a reassuring arm over his shoulders so she could read right along with him. "Hey, maybe you made a really good impression on her after just one day, huh? I'll bet she probably won't ever want to let you go. Ooh, that reminds me, were you able to get any of those juicy details I asked for? What did she say?"
But despite his girlfriend's attempts to lighten the mood, Nikolay's mind was still awhirl, even after school had officially let out, and he'd gotten changed out of his costume and headed back to the dorms, where their Class B schoolmates, and even Oleg, had already long since gathered so the two Hero Course classes could have a celebratory feast to commemorate their first Team-Up day, and fill each other in on exactly what they'd gotten to do and with who, while Oleg simply wanted to share in the satisfaction of congratulating his son and students on such a big first step.
And it was seeing Nikolay's persistent emotionally distant state, especially amid the flurry of excited chatter, feasting and partying among all his classmates, when he should have been eagerly recounting his day, that finally made it really occur to Oleg and Mina especially that there was a lot more going on with him than they had initially thought, and not in a good way. Soon, more of their friends were quick to notice this as well.
"Kolya, son, what's going on? Is everything alright?" "Yeah, you know you can tell us anything, Kolya-kun. What's wrong? I would've thought you'd be super happy and partying with all of us."
Knowing he couldn't simply just try and play off his emotional demeanor now that his father and girlfriend had addressed him on it, and more of his friends were watching him with concern in their faces, Nikolay simply sighed in defeat and asked the one question that had been echoing about in his chest ever since the hospital: "Be honest, please…do any of you think I'm…funny? At all?"
The only thing missing that would've perfected the way the whole party went dead silent at such a random question, would've been a literal scratching record. Instead, Nikolay was met with an uncomfortable quiet as all his friends looked at him in disbelief, before Oleg finally asked: "Why on Earth would you ever question whether or not you're funny, Kolya?"
"Because today, Ms. Joke had the three of us perform for a bunch of children at the local hospital, to try and help us practice how to be more personable to the public. Iida-san and Tokoyami-san both managed to get the kids to laugh, and one of them without even meaning to. Meanwhile, I ran through every single one of the old jokes you used to tell me way back when, Dad, and I couldn't even get so much as a pity chuckle, not even out of Ms. Joke herself."
As Nikolay explained all of this, and Tenya and Fumikage subsequently confirmed the story, Oleg looked especially embarrassed. His taste in humor was a far cry from what anyone in Japan would have considered funny, so he could hardly say he was surprised they would fall flat, especially to a bunch of children. More than anything, he was now silently just kicking himself for not having had any better jokes to have told.
But, resolving he could simply blame himself once he'd tried to help his son, Oleg instead answered: "That's nothing to be disappointed in yourself for, Kolya. Humor is one of the most subjective things there is. Just because I find something funny doesn't mean anybody else does. Surely those kids would all still recognize that you tried your best with what you knew, but it's not the end of the world."
"But saying that still doesn't help the fact he didn't pass Ms. Joke's test, Tunguska-sensei." Ochako suddenly chimed in; Eijirou not far behind. "Yeah, maybe that's the reason she's holding onto him when everybody else is going to get new Team-Up assignments soon."
"How about instead of moping about it, you try actually thinking about stuff you think is funny if it's so damn important?" Bakugo suddenly barked out from a corner of the commons area, scowling at the fact he couldn't help but be forced to overhear this drop in mood. "For example, whenever I see that stupid nerd Deku fall flat on his face, it makes me laugh on the inside."
"Kacchan…" Izuku muttered in slight embarrassment. However, Bakugo's leading example soon started spurring more of the other students to start throwing out examples of their own; from Minoru expressing his appreciation for any number of worn out ecchi manga clichés, Kyouka and surprisingly Kinoko Komori admitting a flustered appreciation for parody songs, Ochako for dad jokes, Tsuyu for puns, Maja and Denki both for slapstick, Setsuna for prop and gag comedy, Fumikage and Shihai Kuroiro for morbid or black comedy, Eijirou and Tetsutetsu for subversive comedy like muscular men in drag, even Monoma for scathing roasts; and Shoto, Tenya and even Pony Tsunotori for traditional rakugo comedy.
But, seeing that none of these examples were doing anything for Nikolay's indecision, Mina naturally stepped in, sitting right next to him on the sofa with that constant supportive smile. "Well, you know me, I usually find pulling pranks and practical jokes to be something that makes me laugh the most. Even just getting my friends or even total strangers to smile is enough to get me going."
Leaning his head back with a tired sigh, Nikolay finally responded: "Look, I get what you're all trying to do, but I don't know anything about how to set up pranks, perform any kind of standup or comedy sketches. The truth is that I…I may have been brought to laughter whenever I've done stuff with all you guys, but I've never actually stopped to think about what makes me myself laugh…and if I can't figure that out, then how can I possibly be able to get those kids to laugh along with me?"
This admittedly left everyone at a momentary silent loss as to how to respond to that…until Shoto suddenly chimed in: "Well, surely there must be something that was able to make you laugh even before you came here and met all of us. What would that be?"
Looking deep in thought for a minute, Nikolay finally answered: "Well, there were a fair few comedy movies I'd seen a long time ago that had been able to get me to laugh pretty hard. But I couldn't reenact those on the spot in front of an audience, especially if whoever I'm teamed up with doesn't know the material."
"I'm not suggesting a live performance. What about something you could somehow record in your off-time with anyone here who's available, and putting that together to show to Ms. Joke and those children at a later time, thus taking the pressure off your shoulders." Shoto finally clarified.
For once, Nikolay looked as though he'd just been stricken with the most obvious inspiration yet, especially as Mina, Izuku, Eijirou and Ochako all likewise exclaimed in support: "See? It looks like you've got that noodle of yours running at full power with ideas already!" "Yeah, and it's not like you actually have to go straight back to Ms. Joke tomorrow! For all we know, you could have a good couple of days to put something together with anyone who's actually off from Team-Up work." "Heck, any of us who would have work could even still help out when we get back." "Yeah! It could be a lot of fun! Like being in our own movie!"
As all the rest of the students who were interested expressed as much willingness when the chance presented itself, Nikolay could only smile and nod in gratitude, already getting a firm idea of just what it was he could do with all of them to help finally redeem himself, make those children laugh and pass Ms. Joke's test. All he would need was time.
Tuesday, January 27th
Unfortunately, time was the one thing he wouldn't have, for the first thing he saw that next morning upon waking up was the notification that he was to return to Matsue City, this time teamed up with Setsuna from Class B and Minoru. Thankfully, the majority of their day was spent on patrol, and with a minimum of incidents or general problems to resolve, that left Nikolay with plenty of time to not only come up with an idea for when they would inevitably return to the hospital, but to also fill his teammates in on exactly what he had in mind.
Thus it was that, after Ms. Joke got a semi-successful round of entertaining not only the children but this time even some of the adult patients with her masterful comedic skills, with just more than half of them actually laughing; it ultimately came time for Nikolay to put his own fledgling skills at improvised performing and direction to the test by essentially reenacting an abridged version of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'; something his teammates were both thankfully passably familiar with; with Setsuna particularly standing out as the Black Knight, a role she naturally played to perfection with her Quirk.
This time, Nikolay's idea was enough to finally get a genuine hearty and raucous laugh out of Ms. Joke by the time it was over, but to his growing despair, still none of the watching patients laughed even once through the whole thing. This time, even his teammates and Ms. Joke couldn't hide the worry on their faces, having all likewise found the entire experience to be quite hysterical. This dead silence simply made no sense. Even the fact that Ms. Joke wasn't able to knock the entire audience dead at the start was cause for considerable concern.
Sadly, the doctors were more than a little strict with keeping to the scheduled times for entertainment for the patients, willing to bet that the Heroes had sadly arrived on an off-day, expressing confidence that they would do better next time. Needless to say, Nikolay was certain this result meant he was to come back and be subject to this spirit-crushing humiliation all over again.
Such was the state of his spirit when he and his teammates had finally returned to Yuuei later that afternoon; the young Russian barely having time to thank Setsuna for her help and bidding her a good rest of the day, before he and Minoru were approached by Mina, as though she'd just been waiting for their return. "So? How'd it go, you guys? I'll bet you knocked all their socks off with the laughs this time!"
Even Minoru couldn't bring himself to break the bad news, knowing by now how much his foreign teammate had been banking on this, and thus left it open for Nikolay to tell his girlfriend the truth. "I don't know what else to do, Mina. I did exactly as you all suggested and went with something I know I personally found funny, even if I didn't have time for putting it together like I'd wanted. You should've seen it, I thought we all actually did really good…and I still couldn't even get a chuckle out of any of them. Even Ms. Joke couldn't get any laughter out of half the audience. I'm almost willing to bet they knew I was coming and were brought so low that even she couldn't help. What about you? You, Sero-san and Shiozaki-san went to learn from Kamuy Woods today, didn't you? Surely that had to have gone way better."
Mina couldn't hide the utter surprise on her face to hear that Nikolay's day hadn't gone any better than yesterday, but she didn't let that stop her from keeping pace with him as he strode forward purposefully, while Minoru for once decided to give them their space and simply head back for the dorms. "I see what you're trying to do, Kolya-kun…but if you really don't wanna talk about it anymore, then that's okay…but where exactly are we going, before I start?"
"Our live performance might have been a dud, but the time spent on the trip back did give me a chance to think of something else…but I'll need to swing through the Support Department and throw a suggestion out before I can do anything about it." Nikolay explained; the clear motivation just bristling under his voice enough to leave Mina with the beginnings of an appreciative smile, glad to see that even when emotionally down in the dumps, he was still managing to pick himself back up.
After recounting her exhilarating day of learning not only to somehow expand her already impressive break-dancing-style move set when using her Acid Slide, but also to be able to master her maneuverability when flying through the air after launching herself off ramps and rooftop edges; as well as watching Hanta and Ibara Shiozaki almost constantly get tangled up in each other's Vines and Tape when following Kamuy Woods on patrol through his webs of branches; Mina and Nikolay soon found themselves in the all-too familiar halls of Yuuei's Support Course building, with the looming iron double doors to the student lab fast approaching.
Of course, Mina was all too excited to go in, but Nikolay quickly held out a hand, motioning for her to wait. "Remember what happened to Midoriya-san the first time we came here? Who knows what Hatsume-san could be cooking up in there?"
After ten seconds without the door getting blasted off its hinges, Nikolay let out a sigh of relief; enough of a sign for Mina to practically throw the doors open with an excited giggle, catching him by surprise. "Mina, we still should at least knock!"
But his mild chastising was instantly drowned out by the sound of his girlfriend letting out a ringing squeal he momentarily mistook for a genuine scream as he rushed in after her. "ARE YOU ALRI-?!"
"MELISSA-CHAN!" Mina squealed further in ecstatic recognition as, to hers and Nikolay's mutual surprise and following joy, they were met with the sight of both Mei Hatsume and the long blonde-haired, bespectacled Melissa Shield from I-Island; both brainiac inventors currently in the middle of adorning Izuku in a suit of armor covered in pointy-edged plates that looked even bulkier and stiffer than Tenya's armor, and thus even more out of place on the freckled young Hero. But they weren't the only ones in the lab, as they were also joined by the Support Department's lead teacher, Power Loader, as well as a similarly smiling Ochako, Toshinori and Oleg, whose prosthetic left arm was currently sitting on one of the work benches.
Even despite the bright smile on Melissa's face upon seeing another two of her friends again for the first time in months, the poor older girl barely even had time to respond before she found herself almost getting tackled by Mina in an ecstatic diving hug, while Nikolay was still reeling from her presence here from out of nowhere. "Oh my God, it's so good to see you again! How have you been? How's your father doing? Oh, wait, first I should say I'm so sorry I never texted you for all these months! I know Mina said she's been managing to keep in touch, but that's still no excuse on my part!"
As Ochako embarrassedly tried to get Mina to finally release her embrace on their mutual American friend, bowing her head repeatedly in apology all the while, Melissa could only giggle in amusement at everyone's energy while answering and readjusting her glasses. "It's wonderful to see you all again as well! My Papa is doing wonderfully, too, and I know he'll appreciate you all asking. As for keeping contact, it's really quite alright, Bezpalov-san. Ashido-san has kept me fully informed of just how busy you've all been staying since leaving I-Island, and it's not exactly like I've been much better at keeping in touch with all of you, myself, so I should apologize as well. I've been going through quite a few changes myself, quite recently, in fact."
Rummaging through a pocket in her skirt, Melissa suddenly produced a small square disc that suddenly projected a holographic ID with her picture, next to a sigil that looked like a Tesla coil with angelic wings. Smiling triumphantly, despite none of the Heroes in front of her but Toshinori recognizing it, she explained: "I only just finally graduated from my high school back on the island, and was shortly after accepted into the most reputable Support Development-based college in all of the United States, the very same one my Papa attended when he was my age!"
"Oh my gosh, that's so cool, Melissa-chan! Congratulations!" "Yeah, that's amazing! But won't you get in trouble if you're all the way out here in Japan and not at your school right now?" Mina and Ochako both exclaimed at the news, both girls' eyes practically gleaming with admiration while Melissa still had that heartwarming, humble smile, even in the face of Ochako's understandable questions.
"Oh, not at all. I've made a considerably good impression with all my teachers already with my inventions and grades, and when I heard the news online about this new Team-Up Missions program you're all to be a part of, I just couldn't help but want to have a part in it, myself. Plus, it would make for a good excuse to visit Uncle Might, too. My teachers were all very understanding and gave me permission to participate with Yuuei Academy's Support Department for the next week. I only just got here a few hours ago, but Power Loader-sensei and Hatsume-san have been very kind in showing me around."
Suddenly, Melissa's eyes lit up as she motioned towards the awkward suit Mei was still in the middle of trying to fit the rest of Izuku into, completely oblivious to his visible awkwardness within it. "In fact, Hatsume-san and I have been test-running some of our respective costume ideas on Deku-san for a little while now, but there have also been plenty of Support Item ideas I've been tinkering with for a while now that I've been eager to run by all of you, and I'm more than happy to take on any possible ideas you or any of your schoolmates may have had in mind as well."
Ochako, every now and then glancing in concern as to whether Izuku would even be able to move around in the test costume, let alone get back out, quickly regained her own smile of eagerness at the mention of Melissa's open offer. "It's true. I've only just given Melissa-san the rough sketch of what I had in mind, but since I've been interning under Selkie with Tsu, I've been considering getting a deployable wing-suit function added to my costume to help me with more aerodynamic maneuverability and speed if I ever end up in a wide-open environment where I can't really use any elements to steer myself at a moment's notice."
Following his student's example, Oleg then added: "And from where I'm concerned, it's actually malenkaya Shield herself who had some ideas for adjustments or additions to my prosthetic she wanted to try implementing, so I'm just waiting to see what exactly she has in mind, rather than risk being overly surprised."
With the sound of a piercing hiss of hydraulics releasing, the armor on Izuku finally opened back up, allowing him to hastily climb back out, while Mei was already in the process of scouring through the somehow even bigger pile of inventions (more than likely all of her own design), for something else to test out. "I'll admit, the newcomer's babies are nothing to scoff at, but I'm on the verge of my magnum opus of the day, I can just feel it in my gut. I have just the perfect baby of mine in mind to really knock your socks off this time, Midoriya!"
The look on Nikolay's face clearly showed some unmistakable concern as to whether there was some genuine hostile rivalry between Mei and Melissa, even if the American girl herself looked simply as though this were a very fun competition between them. Naturally, Mina was just giggling in adoration at what she saw as an unbreakable friendship between two like minds in the making.
"Now remember, Hatsume, this whole project is for all departments of all Hero schools and professional agencies to learn and work off of each other, it's not a contest." Power Loader interjected firmly. "Now, we were supposed to be getting a student from the Support Course at Shiketsu High out here to learn with us today, and it's already nearing sundown. Where the heck is he?"
"Here I am, Power Loader-sensei!" An unfamiliar young boy's voice suddenly announced from just outside the laboratory doors, spurring everyone to attention.
Filling the doorway was a bookish-looking and sunlight-deprived young man with ratty-looking black hair and sleep-deprived icy blue eyes, dressed in the typical uniform of Shiketsu High, albeit with a set of mechanical-looking spider legs projecting from his back, as they were actually carrying him through the air as they did the walking for him.
Nikolay and his fellow Hero Course students couldn't help but stare in wonder at this strange new face, while Power Loader let out a sigh of exasperation. "Ah, yes, it's good of you to join us, even if there isn't even an hour of the school day left. I trust you understand this means you'll need to be kept here an extra day so we can actually give you the most education we can."
Even though the new boy had no visible controls in his hands to show how he was controlling the mechanical appendages, he was exhibiting masterful control over it, as he maneuvered them to give his body the appearance of bowing in apology. "Yes, I understand, and I sincerely apologize, Sensei. I got so wrapped up in my latest project back at Shiketsu, I completely lost track of the time as a result. I promise it won't happen again. I can contact my school and let them know I'll be staying here through the night to make up for it if I have to."
With a dismissive wave of his hand, Power Loader sighed, muttering to himself: "Great, another student with an obsessive single-focused mind. Now I've got two Hatsume's to deal with."
Before then clearing his throat and donning his more professional and approachable tone: "Well, no harm done now that you're here. Why don't you introduce yourself to us, first and foremost?"
Finally recognizing the presence of so many other people he hadn't even taken the time to acknowledge, the young student removed his school's beret and once more used his appendages to bow his body in greeting. "Hello to you all. My name is Kaikou Bando of Shiketsu High School. Thank you all for accommodating me into your school's prestigious Support Development Course for the sake of the Team-Up Missions project. I promise I'll do my best to make your hospitality worthwhile."
Naturally, with introductions having finally been started, teachers and students alike greeted the boy known as Kaikou with friendly bows and attempts at handshakes on Oleg's part. However, Mei was once again simply too embroiled in what she was doing to even notice the boy's presence, much to Power Loader's bristling annoyance, before he then shook his head to get back to his proper demeanor. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaikou-kun. Why don't you take some time familiarizing yourself with our lab and your partners before you try getting started with any ideas you may have in mind. If these accommodations are too small, we have a much larger adjoining lab and hangar you can work in. It may in fact be for the best with the assignments I have in store for you."
But while Power Loader was already eagerly trying to usher Kaikou along to see the aforementioned larger lab, Toshinori confirmed Oleg was okay staying behind while he retired to the faculty dorms for the evening, and Melissa returned her attention to continue conversing and sharing ideas with her young Hero friends in the lab next door, with Oleg himself quickly following after with his prosthetic arm in tow; Kaikou himself was currently eyeing Mei, as she was currently tinkering with one of her more moderately-sized inventions that looked like a set of lifting weight attached to a steel jack-in-the-box.
He proceeded to awkwardly clear his throat in an attempt to get her attention, but to no avail. Understanding all too quickly that she was within her own little world, he decided to try inching in so she could at least potentially spot him in her peripheral vision. "Good evening. I'm your new partner from Shiketsu High, Kaikou Bando. May I ask your name?"
He could certainly hear that Mei was muttering at a rapid fire pace to herself as she worked her gadget with a pair of soldering irons, but she still acted as though she hadn't heard a word he'd said.
Thankfully quick to understand futility when he saw it, he proceeded to turn himself around so he could rejoin Power Loader, only for one of the mechadandrites on his back to accidentally nudge another of Mei's old inventions off the edge of the nearby pile, sending it falling to the floor with enough height to undoubtedly break it. But it was with impressive agility that he managed to maneuver one of the mechanical legs to grab it out of the air, thus keeping it intact as he placed it back where it was.
"Very nice. Are those legs part of your Quirk, or did you make them yourself?" Mei suddenly spoke up from behind Kaikou's back, causing him to momentary flinch in surprise, turning around to see the pink-haired inventor was finally looking at and addressing him…or rather, eyeing the metallic limbs with clear curiosity; the smirk on her face showing she clearly liked what she was seeing.
"Oh, no, I built these myself. The Support Department at Shiketsu is rather big, in height as well as area, and these help me to get around there much faster than just my own two feet. They save me time and energy that could be spent building, fixing or improving things around the lab."
Kaikou could clearly see he'd piqued Mei's interest with that first sentence, as she was practically leaping from her work bench, eagerly getting a closer look at the mechanics of his arachnid-like invention. "Very nicely put together, both sleek and functionally effective. I like the way you think, kid. My name's Hatsume Mei."
"Kaikou Bando," the young Shiketsu boy repeated under his breath, unsure if she even heard him with how loud her voice naturally was. But the fact she was finally acknowledging his existence was at least a good first step towards his time here being spent more productively. "I thought I overheard Power loader-sensei mention your name just a minute ago. It sounds like you get pretty wrapped up in building new Support Items too, like me. Would it be okay if I looked at any of yours?"
Naturally, Mei wasn't about to turn down the chance to have her work evaluated by a fellow inventor, as she was practically dragging Kaikou by the sleeve of his uniform towards a sizeable armored suit standing tall in the distant corner, standing at about ten feet tall with an egg-shaped body. "This is one of my most ambitious babies to date! I call it 'Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Eggman', but it's a work in progress, name and mechanics both! I've managed to stabilize a renewable power source to keep it energized, and I've gotten its mobility mechanics to about 67% fluidity without seizing up.
"However, I've also built it for multi-travel functionality, where it can switch between traveling via land, sea and air; as well as carrying a multi-purpose arsenal in both its four limbs and its torso, and I can't figure out what I'm overlooking to be able to activate either of those multi-facet functions without risking cutting off at least one node to the power source, and effectively crippling one of the limbs and all its attached functions in the process. I've shaved off any excess space; everything's been perfectly proportioned and wired through to make for maximum potential efficiency. But no inventor worth their salt turns down a challenge! I know I'll figure it out, and when I do, this baby will be selling on the professional Support market like shaved ice on a hot summer day at the beach times a billion!"
While Mei was going on, Kaikou had taken it upon himself to approach the sizeable mechanical body; feeling along its welded seems with his fingertips as though he were reaching out and touching a Renaissance-era sculpture. His eyes, once utterly exhausted, now looked reignited with inspiration as he scanned it from top to bottom, using the mechanical limbs to carefully climb his way up so he could get a proper view at its construction from every angle without risking knocking it over. By the time Mei had finished her speech, he practically had his ear flush to the chassis, as though he were listening for something. She could already see the unmistakable glint of enlightenment flash across his eyes when he finally stepped away from her dangerous-looking baby.
"So? From one inventor to another, what do you think? From the onset, looks virtually flawless, right?" she asked, grinning confidently to herself, before Kaikou suddenly held a hand out. "Do you maybe have a sketchpad and a pencil I could borrow? I think I might have some ideas you could try. It would be easier than explaining it, believe me."
Understandably intrigued, Mei went back to her regular workstation and pulled out a half-full sketchbook and a pen, handing it to him and watching with building curiosity as he hurriedly scribbled out a list of notes, and then drawing up what looked like a blueprint to go along with it. After several minutes of this feverish drawing and writing, Kaikou let out a sigh of relief as he finally handed it back to her. "Take a look, please, and tell me what you think. It could be a plausible course for improvement, right?"
He watched as Mei's yellow cross-haired eyes scanned through everything he'd put down as though she were a machine herself. But, after another several minutes of waiting and watching her witch her gaze from the sketchbook to her machine and back, he saw how she too was suddenly stricken with a jolt of what probably did genuinely feel like enlightenment, as she looked at him in disbelief.
"You're right…sure, some of these ideas could risk counteracting each other if they were all included, but with the right sequence of adjustment, installation and rewiring, this could make my baby run at up to 95% efficiency! How the heck did you come up with these when everything looked so perfect at the start?"
Kaikou's eyes nervously tried to avoid Mei's piercing stare as he scratched at the back of his head. "Well…see, that's…actually my Quirk in action. I-I call it Mechspeak. For as far back as I can remember, it's as if I can somehow hear the silent voices of any complex or even simple machines I come across, and they all inherently know what can be done to make them work even better than they already do. I've never been good at wording those suggestions and ideas, but so far, every time I've implemented them on anything I've built or even partially worked on, it hasn't managed to steer me wrong yet."
The silence in the lab was so heavy that one could hear a pin drop, before Mei asked, her voice uncharacteristically restrained. "You're saying…you can actually talk to machines? Your babies talk to you?"
Kaikou instinctively began fidgeting with his fingers. "Well, I can't talk to them, naturally, but yes, they do talk to me. I honestly haven't come across one that's been worked to real perfection yet. If I did, I'm sure I'd hear nothing."
In that one moment he'd looked away, when he looked back, Kaikou was nearly knocked off his mechanical legs as Mei practically dove in so she was right in his face, smiling ecstatically from ear to ear. "THAT'S PERFECT! YOU HEAR WHAT THEY WANT, AND MY QUIRK LETS ME SEE DOWN TO THE MICROSCOPIC LEVEL TO GIVE THEM THE FINEST TUNING THEY NEED! CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE THE AMAZING KIND OF BABIES WE COULD MAKE TOGETHER?!"
Mei naturally didn't even wait for him to respond, as her mind was already running with inspiration to implement the suggestion Kaikou had drawn up for her. Meanwhile, the poor Shiketsu boy himself was as still as stone where he hung in the air, his pallid face now as red as a tomato and hot as a pepper, as her words continued echoing endlessly in his head. Of course when she said 'babies', she was referring to her inventions, but to anyone who didn't know her well, it might as well have sounded to him like she was all but asking him to marry her on the spot so they could make their own the old-fashioned way. That implication, along with the fact she'd unknowingly given him a close-up view down her tank top to her sizable cleavage, altogether left him with his heart rapidly hammering away at his chest, unable to find words.
If he was going to be here in Yuuei for potentially a few days, he was going to have to work up the willpower and courage to not let Mei Hatsume fluster him like this again; otherwise he was as good as doomed.
Meanwhile…
With the privacy granted by their new lab, Melissa was quick to dig into her backpack, and soon had a whole assortment of variously shaped and sized grenade-like tools set up across the workbench for her friends and Oleg to observe, while she was just as quick to finally get to work disassembling the older Russian's prosthetic so she could start implementing some of the vague ideas she had in mind for it.
Despite how laser-focused her hands were on her work, though, she was still able to split her mental focus enough to still speak with all the young Heroes gazing upon her recent inventions with curiosity. "I still have only rough drafts for some of my ideas related to some of your classmates' more…unique Quirks, but at least for those who have a distance capability, I was able to scrap together some potential throwable Support Items to assist in that. For example, tools that can absorb any quantity of your Kinetics you would want to channel into them, Bezpalov-san, which you can then use as fully-powered shockwave grenades or mounted into corners as potential traps if need be. I've made some with similar mechanics that could be charged with your Solar Quirk, Tunguska, and be used as possible flash bangs or wall-mounted momentary directed blasts for the same ambush-like purposes. However, the one I must admit I'm most proud of as of right now, are the ones I made with your Quirk in mind, Ashido-san. I had to do a lot of research and go through some considerable trial and error, but I believe I have managed to craft remote grenades out of material strong enough to actually hold up to the most powerful acid recorded on the periodic table."
Nikolay and Oleg both looked quite intrigued by the projectiles Melissa had presented with their Quirks in mind, but Mina looked especially amazed, unable to take her eyes off of hers. "Wow…I don't even know what type of acid that would be, Melissa-chan. I don't think I've even managed to get up to one that strong with my Quirk so far."
Of course, Melissa was unperturbed, smiling just the same. "Well, it still doesn't hurt to have on hand for when the day may come, right? I'm hoping you'll all have a chance to properly test out the tools I have in mind for you; hopefully even the ones you have in mind to ask me, Hatsume-san and Kaikou-san for."
With the mention of their own ideas for further development, Mina suddenly shot a hand up into the air in her excitement. "You know, now that you mention it, Kolya-kun actually recently made a breakthrough with his Quirk's ability to help him fly…as in, like, it literally can make him fly like a jet now! He's been working super long to try and channel his Quirk out through other parts of his body to help him move around faster and sharper; do you think there's any adjustments you could make to his costume to help make that happen? I'm just thinking he could be like Iida-san for the air!"
Melissa looked simultaneously impressed and intrigued by what Mina was describing, but before she could say yes or no, Nikolay suddenly cleared his throat to get her attention. "Actually, while I can definitely appreciate the idea…there's actually something else I had in mind right now I was hoping you could help me with. My current Team-Up instructor has basically given me the assignment to get people to laugh from the heart, but so far everything I've tried on a whim has fallen short. The only idea I have left is to use my time away to try and put something together ahead of time that is bound to make people laugh, like making my own home movie. I don't want to make things awkward and cumbersome by asking for things like cameras and equipment…but maybe you could make me something capable of recording sight and sound that can always go with me wherever I go without encumbering myself?"
When Melissa, and even Mina and their friends looked surprised by such an unorthodox request, Nikolay feared he had gone looking to the wrong person for help. Thankfully, though, Melissa's eyes glimmered with inspiration but a moment later. "Yes, something like that could actually be quite easy. I'm thinking something along the lines of—!"
SLAM!
Suddenly, the door to the lab swung open, slamming hard against the wall, startling everyone, only to find it wasn't one of the teachers barging in, but rather it was Maja, still in her Hero costume, and barely managing to stay on her feet as her head hung and her shoulders heaved, the young Polish Hero the very picture of exhaustion, only regaining a semblance of energy when she lifted her head and realized who was here and where she was, especially embarrassed by the presence of a face she didn't know at all.
"Oh, crap, I'm sorry! I've been training in Gamma Gym all day today, so I've been practically sleepwalking since I got out, and I just assumed I'd headed for the dorms! I'll leave you guys to it."
But just as she began to take her leave with an apologetic bow, Mina suddenly rushed over, hooking her arms around Maja's, pulling her further inside. "Wait, Maja-chan, we've got someone to introduce you to finally! Remember how we told you about that I-Island place? Well, can you take a wild guess who this is?"
Maja's face quickly lit up with realization as she thought back to the stories she'd been told since she'd come to Yuuei. At the same time, Melissa was likewise looking at her with deep curiosity, having dedicated all the students of Class 1-A to memory, and thus instantly realizing this was someone completely new. Meanwhile, Izuku was quick to break the ice between them. "Melissa-san, this is a relatively new classmate and friend of ours, Maja Kieslowska-san from Hokkaido."
"Yes, more specifically a town called Gagaringrad, filled with Russian and Eastern European expatriates with Quirks." Nikolay clarified further, seeing her eyes light up with a realization of her own.
"Oh, is this the girl you told me about in your emails, Ashido-san? The one who used to work for a Villain hiding out in her town, but ultimately broke free of his Quirk's power and helped you all to save her friends, family and neighbors?"
Mina nodded enthusiastically, overjoyed that Melissa remembered, while Maja froze with surprise that this other clearly foreign girl she'd been told of had likewise been filled in on her situation as well.
In the strangest way, that recognition on both their parts made the following introductions far less awkward, as Melissa and Maja met each other officially with a friendly handshake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Kieslowska-san." "And you too, Melissa-san. I've never really known Support developers back home, and I've barely had any reason to come here before, but I'm admittedly really curious to see what you'll come up with while you're here, assuming it's going to be for a while."
Melissa gave Maja a happy nod. "I appreciate you saying so. I do hope you'll forgive me for being forward, but as a Support Item developer, I'm always eager to learn what I can of any new Quirks I come across. Ashido-san only gave me a rudimentary explanation of what you can do, but would you be comfortable telling me all you can about it yourself?"
Maja slightly squirmed as Melissa was already closely observing her costume, especially the attempted intricate curling of the copper wire vambraces and grieves upon her forearms and shins. "Well, sure. My Quirk is Wax, in that I can liquefy and solidify my arms and legs like candle wax in a few different ways, mainly either to bulk them up to help guard me better, or to enlarge my hands and feet for hitting, or stretching my limbs out so they can reach farther ledges or strike out at farther targets, though I can also spread the Wax that runs from my arms and legs across my body, which is how I make the bulk of my costume, as you can see, as well as to also make a little mask for myself if I were ever up against someone with some kind of gas-based Quirk. Of course, I could also take handfuls and throw them at others if I wanted, as well as have it run from my feet to help me slide around faster than just running. I c an also shed a sheen of my Wax to make an instant decoy of either myself or someone else if someone is after me, and if I focus hard enough, I can even have puddles of my Wax I leave behind project out into some pretty big spikes, although my Quirk isn't infinite. I can only spread out and use up the Wax stores in my so much before I run out, though usually, if you just give me a meal with a lot of fatty meat in it, it'll build my stores back up pretty quick."
Melissa had her thumb and index finger flush to her chin as she continued to observe and listen intently, her inspired brain practically alight within her head. "Fascinating, I actually haven't come across that kind of Quirk yet. Is your Wax and its effects able to apply to the rest of your body or your hair as well?"
Maja's shoulders dropped as she let out a disappointed sigh, instinctively feeling at the dried melted wax-textured turquoise hair atop her head. "Unfortunately, no, and believe me, I've tried practicing, but it never goes any further inward than my shoulders and my hips. But these copper wire vambraces and grieves have helped me to at least get my Wax to melt down just a few seconds faster than they normally would, so that way I can at least whip out an attack just that much faster than my target would normally expect. The original version for my arms had a little spout at the end to project a flame, but it ended up making my Wax melt too much, so these are, I guess, like a 2.0 version."
Just like that, Melissa went digging through her backpack, pulling out her own notebook, setting to scribbling down all of her thoughts into it as her friends, old and new, watched in curiosity. "I'm just putting thoughts to paper right now, there's no guarantee they could effectively pan out, but how would you feel if I were to try making some further improved version of those copper attachments for your costume, Maja-san? I could even see about helping your Quirk training along by making similar add-ons for your soles, your shoulders, maybe even one to go along with your hair? Maybe even a utility belt? I could run some of the ideas for that by you, and you can tell me what you think would work best for you or not."
Seeing the encouraging smiles on her friends' faces, Maja felt her heart lift with gratitude for just what she was suddenly being offered, especially from someone who had only just met her five minutes ago. "I…er…y-yeah, sure, those all sound great. I'm sure you can explain exactly what you're thinking they'll all be able to do for me, but…what the heck, practice makes perfect, right? My Quirk has gotta expand somehow someday."
"That's the spirit, Maja-chan!" Mina and Ochako both almost perfectly echoed off each other at their Polish friend's acceptance, while Melissa suddenly tore another page from her notebook away and suddenly held it out to Nikolay. As he looked, all he could see was what looked like two tiny glass dish-shaped objects with a whole bunch of annotated notes in English all around them.
Looking to Melissa so she could see he needed an explanation, she gladly provided: "This was what came to mind when you asked me for something that could help you record things for your Team-Up assignment. Think of them as something similar to contact lenses, only they'll have all of the similar functions of a camera and a wide-reaching microscopic microphone as well. You just wear them as you go about your day, and with a blink, you can turn the recording function on and off at will. Even better, when you think you've got enough material, you can place them on a pad wirelessly connected to any household computer, and you can transfer all the footage captured on them into said computer, just like as though they were a two-piece external hard drive or a USB. I could most likely have these made for you within a couple hours if Hatsume-san and Kaikou-san are not preoccupied with other work at the moment."
Nikolay looked as though he were being given a godsend when he least expected it, before finally nodding his head repeatedly in his relief and enthusiasm. "Yes, that sounds perfect, Melissa-san, thank you! Bolshoi spasibo!"
Just like that, Melissa was off like a shot back to the precious lab, having just finished screwing back in the last component for Oleg's prosthetic arm after having finished scribbling down her notes beforehand. Looking about, Nikolay could see how happy his father and all his friends were, not just for him being given the chance he'd been looking for to accomplish his assignment at last, but also just to have Melissa around altogether, and already having extended her services to help so many of them progress that one step further in the way only she could. "You see, Kolya? Everything ultimately falls into place as it should, so long as you never let yourself lose spirit."
Nikolay couldn't have agreed with his father's words of encouragement more; the older man reattaching his fake arm with a grin of satisfaction and eagerness to see what changes the young genius had made.
As for Nikolay, the only thing he could hope for was that applying contact lenses wouldn't hurt as much as he'd heard they could, and that he would for once get a break from the Team-Up Missions work so he could actually put these little gadgets to good use…of course, any of those hopes paled in comparison to that which lingered the heaviest in his gut:
'Please, let whatever I'm able to put together be enough to finally get those people to laugh for real.'
Thursday, January 29th
Matsue City
Fortunately, time was on Nikolay's side, as he never got the call to go work under Ms. Joke again the next day, leading him to simply assume that some of her students at Ketsubutsu had not gotten Team-Up assignments of their own, thus keeping her confined to her school. That was ultimately a blessing in disguise as far as he was concerned, as he'd now been given plenty of opportunities to put Melissa's contact lens cameras to good use. He was quick to discover that they indeed worked exactly as she'd proposed they would, and after some helpful assistance in helping him apply them the first time around, he was essentially off and about, ready to put his last desperate idea to action. By the time he'd finally gotten all he could possibly get out of them, though, he was in greater need of eye drops now than he ever had been in his life before. It was on that evening he finally understood why people like Tenya simply chose to stay with glasses.
But dry eyes aside, when the following morning came, and he finally got the message on his phone asking him to return to Matsue City, he was more ready than he possibly could be otherwise. While there was some initial awkwardness upon learning his teammates this time around with Ms. Joke would be Class B's skeletal-faced Juzo Honenuki and speech bubble-headed Manga Fukidashi, the three students were more than ready to once again try their best to work together and give their all so that Ms. Joke could pass them all this time.
Thankfully, she had been more than ready to take them on, as this time around she was waiting for them at the train station itself, visibly surprised when she saw Nikolay carrying his personalized DVD player that looked like an old fashioned tripod film camera over his back, coupled with the driven fire in his green eyes. After the last two days of seeing him in action and trying so hard while looking like a deer in the headlights, it was impossible for her not to ask just what he had in mind.
"I have to admit this is not what I had in mind when I tasked you with discovering your inner laughter so that others could laugh with you, Solovei-kun. But if you're really feeling so sure about it, how can I say no?" That was her initial answer when she'd finally managed to stop her instinctive reaction of laughing when Nikolay had filled her in on his whole idea. But the fact she wasn't turning it down outright was about all the blessing he could ask for.
By contrast, Juzo looked especially uncomfortable with the idea of trying to entertain children and get them to laugh, while Manga was positively bouncing with excitement at the thought.
"Well, the day's still young, and it's not exactly like you can just haul that thing around you all carefree when we're out on patrol and possibly facing down Villains, Solovei-kun. So what do you all say we get the showbiz part of the job under our belts first? Nothing like some hearty laughter to get you reeling through the rest of the day, eh? Especially for those kids!"
Naturally none of her pupils were going to disagree with a professional, so Ms. Joke for the third time took the lead of their patrol along the way to the hospital, every step threatening to weigh on Nikolay's focused mind like an anchor, but he refused to let the last two days' failures intimidate him more than they already had.
But any thoughts of possible further failure or miraculous success were quickly all forgotten, as the Heroes once more stepped out to the front of the hospital, and were met with the last sight they'd ever expected to see: that of multiple ambulances, police cars and news vans parked en masse, with other local Heroes and police officers dressed in either simple gas masks or hazmat suits hurriedly evacuating patients and staff alike, stretching from corner to corner of the front courtyard entrance.
While Nikolay, Juzo and Manga watched in wide-eyed and worried confusion at this turn of events, none of them looked and saw how Ms. Joke's once irremovable smile began to visibly lower at the sight of this.
The senior police officer in charge of this operation quickly took notice of the Heroes and hurried over; a notable gait in his step, as though he were sleep deprived while doing so. "Ms. Joke-san, thank goodness you Heroes all made it! We have a serious situation here!"
At just the word, Nikolay and his teammates felt themselves instinctively tense up in preparation. Every instinct in all three of their bodies was screaming that this had to be a Villain attack. Fortunately, Ms. Joke was just as quick to completely get serious as she motioned for the young Heroes to stand down. "What exactly is it?"
The officer motioned for one of the doctors to come join them before returning his attention to the Heroes. "It's not a Villain attack by any definition I've seen, but we do have an individual inside the hospital whose Quirk is going completely out of control; a patient."
Finally joining up with the small gathering, the doctor in question continued: "Yes, his name is Kanjou Suguru. He was admitted here just two days ago to recover from…self-inflicted injuries. However, we've only just come to discover he has some kind of powerful and wide-reaching emotion-based Miasma Quirk, as since around the time of your previous visit here, more and more of our patients and staff have been inflicted with an ever-worsening sense of lethargy, apathy, depression and complete energy deficiency, almost as though the very light of emotion, and by extension that of the body, was just being sucked away moment by moment.
"As a result, his Quirk has only continued to grow stronger and stronger in its power and its area of effect, to the point you can physically see it from out here. It's honestly only by a miracle that the police and other local Heroes were able to make it in time to assist in evacuating everyone, but Kanjou-san has kept himself isolated in his hospital room on the seventh floor, and no one has been able to even get close to it without the miasma of his Quirk completely draining them of every form of strength a person has. However, there's no telling just how far the effect of Kanjou-san's Quirk could reach if nothing is done."
Looking to the hospital for themselves, the four Heroes could all clearly see what the doctor meant, there was a haze that could just barely be perceived by the naked eye shrouded over the whole building, though from the distance it was difficult to tell if it was indeed spreading.
However, thinking back to the last time they'd been here, the doctor's description of the sequence of events began to make sense, as Ms. Joke realized. "That explains why my usual routines were only getting half the crowd to laugh, when it normally knocks them all dead."
Looking to her three students, Nikolay felt a jolt rush through him, seeing intensity in her eyes that he'd never seen before as she addressed them, donning her respirator all the while. "As a Hero dedicated to bringing laughter and smiles to everyone, it's bad enough to know that someone is miserable, but when it starts to affect all the people around them, there's no way I can just stand aside and do nothing."
"I'm not sure that one respirator will be enough to protect you from his Quirk, Ms. Joke-san," the head police officer spoke up. "Even with the full hazmat suits, we've barely been able to enter the affected area for more than a handful of minutes before we have to be dragged out by someone from the outside."
"Then we'll just have to close the distance as fast as we can." Juzo Honenuki suddenly surmised, his previous nervousness having now given way to his own Heroic seriousness, with Manga quickly following his lead. "Yes, if you just give us the room the patient is in, we can get in there and neutralize him before his Quirk spreads any further and affects anyone else."
"Now hold on, boys." Ms. Joke suddenly intervened, holding out three other respirators in her free hand for her students to take. "If this person's Quirk is affected by his own emotions, and he was brought here for injuries he gave himself, then that tells me he must be suffering from the worst kind of sadness. Just rushing in there and arresting him like a common criminal isn't going to help anybody, least of all himself. Even in confinement, he would just spread this emotional miasma of his there next, and we'd be right back where we started. As Heroes, our sworn duty is to help all the people we can in whichever way we can…and right now, to me that means doing everything in our power to try and lift his spirits, in order to cancel out his Quirk."
As the three young Hero students adorned their respirators, they all thankfully looked to understand where she was coming from, as Juzo nodded. "Okay, Sensei…then if we want to get to him and try to help before his Quirk can drain us, then I think I might know the best way to do that. I could use my Quirk to soften the walls for us to slip into. Luckily the area of affect actively follows me as its focal point wherever I move to."
Nikolay began to nod in understanding of where his new teammate was going, as he then added: "And with us inside the walls, I can use my Quirk to help launch us up so we can make it straight to the seventh floor in a matter of seconds instead of minutes."
An exclamation mark and a light bulb filled Manga's speech bubble head as he concluded: "And I could even use my Quirk to give us a little extra protection on the way there. Every added minute we have before his Quirk can start to drain us is precious in this case."
Even with her respirator obscuring her mouth, the boys could all see Ms. Joke approved of their plan by the light in her eyes. "Alright, then it sounds like we know what to do. Time is of the essence here, boys, so let's get to it!"
As soon as the doctor gave them the exact room Kanjou Suguru was in, as well as a map of the floor plan so they could know exactly where that was, the four Heroes were on the move, picking out the best direction to enter the hospital from so they would be as close to his room as possible.
With not a moment to lose, and keeping a hand held to one another so they could move as one fully connected unit, Manga proceeded to put his Quirk to use, applying the sound effect for tickling upon himself and his teammates in order to keep them all laughing, while Juzo quickly used his Quirk to soften the walls, allowing them to just run right through them as though they were but a sheet of thicker water.
As soon as they knew they were directly beneath the hospital room in question seven floors above, Juzo once more used his Quirk to soften the ceiling above them. With that, Nikolay focused and fired one of the most powerful concentrated Kinetic Blasts from out his feet yet, in order to allow him to lift his teammates and teacher along with him as they phased through ceiling and floor and on and on, mentally counting up the floors they were passing through, until they all finally knew they were about to enter the patient's room at last.
At that same moment, Manga shouted out the sound effect for 'Bounce', slapping the word that emanated from him into the ceiling at the same time Juzo deactivated his Quirk, thus causing the four of them to spring off of the rubber-like ceiling and meet the now solidified floor in some less than perfect rolls, rather than crashing painfully into the ceiling.
"Who are you people? Are you Heroes? I can't believe you were actually able to make it up here." The sound of a morose young man's voice was the first thing that greeted the Heroes. Rising to their feet as Manga finally undid his tickling effect on them, they were met by a man who looked to be just in his early twenties with long, unkempt-looking blonde hair, who looked especially gaunt, as thought he hadn't eaten in a good few weeks, and both of his forearms were under heavy bandaging. But what actually stood out the most, was just how utterly dead and empty Kanjou Suguru's purple eyes looked, as his momentary surprise gave way to a depressed resignation, which seemed to make the miasma haze radiating from him actually intensify.
"I guess they all must've told you about me, huh? Why wouldn't they? This whole mess is my fault. I didn't mean for it to happen, my Quirk just does what it does, I can't control it like everybody else can theirs…*sigh* but why does anything I say matter anymore? You're Heroes. All you need to hear is that someone is adversely affecting others, and now you've come here to punish me like you would any actual Villain out on the street. Hell, I'm sure a lot of the people staying here who got evacuated are probably thinking I'm a Villain already anyway."
Suguru bowed his head, as though he were exposing his neck for the literal executioner's axe. Seeing this and hearing the utter defeat in his voice, Ms. Joke stepped forward, already beginning to feel her sight start to blur with a tired dizziness as a result of his Quirk. "That couldn't be further from the truth, Kanjou-san. Nobody out there thinks you're a Villain, least of all us. We were told why you were brought here, and that's why we've come here to help you. We know this isn't truly your fault, you don't want to hurt anybody. You're no less important than anyone else to us. Please, let us help you."
"How exactly do you plan to do that?" Suguru asked, clearly not expecting any of them to have an answer.
SHHK!
The very first thing Ms. Joke did was to pull back the blinds from the window that had cast this room into darkness, letting the morning sunlight in, providing a lovely view of the deep blue skies and the lush greenery of the park below.
"By helping you to remember what it is to laugh genuinely from the heart! As long as one can smile and laugh, then there is always hope in life! Let us help you to remember that wonderful feeling!"
Rather than reflexively retreating from the sudden sunlight, though; Suguru was indeed looking outside from his bed…before his face began to tense up and turn into an embittered grimace, clutching his sheets tight. "How; by trying to entertain me with cheap parlor tricks and Saturday morning cartoon-level gag routines? I've heard all about your little shows you put on here, and you can do me the kindness of just not even bothering. If you really do care about helping me, then please have enough respect to not patronize me by treating me like a child."
Nikolay and his teammates were all visibly taken aback, not having expected this young man to be so defiant and stuck in his misery before Ms. Joke even truly had a chance. Even she looked quite taken aback, before his eyes intensified with determination, and she began rummaging through her pockets before pulling out a small cylinder she quickly screwed into an empty port in her respirator, taking a deep breath of whatever was inside.
"That's not my intention, Kanjou-san. I'm not blind to just how deep somebody's sadness can go. But just as I said before, everyone still has what it takes to find something they can laugh with joy for if they look hard enough. Sometimes, though, a little outside assistance is all that's needed to break through the darkness and lift our hearts back up to the light…like so!"
With that, the two cylinders normally lining Ms. Joke's respirator redirected so that they were facing towards Suguru himself, as Ms. Joke suddenly broke into a near hysterical fit of laughter, amplified through her respirator to almost be echoing to and fro through the entire room, forcing her three students to start laughing uncontrollably right alongside her, unwitting pieces to her admittedly desperate attempt to at least try and crack through Suguru's despondent, near defiant emotional shell. What they hadn't been aware of, was that in only the most drastic measures, she kept a cylinder of nitrous oxide, laughing gas, on her, and this was now the result of her using it, almost as though it were a concentrated power boost for her Quirk. In the instances she'd had to use it, it never failed.
But as she and her students continued to simply ravel in this atmosphere of uncontrollable laughing, she could still see Suguru in his bed, not laughing. He didn't even look like he was on the verge of cracking the beginnings of a smirk. Instead, he simply watched this display with utter apathy. It was as if the miasma of his Quirk was actually a perfect counter to her unstoppable force of laughter; a fact she came to realize with a growing weight in her chest when the laughing gas in her respirator finally began to wear off.
As her students finally were able to stop laughing together and instead try to catch their breath, they all saw how Suguru's demeanor was beginning to radiate not just that depressed malaise, but now even a growing sense of contempt for what they were trying to do. As his dead eyes shifted to Ms. Joke especially, she could just feel the cold dagger he was staring into her as he finally spoke up:
"Laughter…of all things, don't talk to me about laughter. What could there possibly be in the world we live in that's worth laughing about? Nobody ever gets to actually live the lives they want anymore. The society we live in exists just to crush hopes and dreams, molding every person with even the slightest hint of individuality into just another faceless cog in an unfeeling and uncaring machine in all its aspects, from civil servants, lowly cubicle workers, entertainers, even all the way up to so-called Heroes like you.
"The truth is that, everybody looks up to people like you, when in reality, you're all just as fake as everybody else, just playing your part that this society forced you into, and deluding yourselves into thinking it's all good. You don't know anything about what I've been through to put me here, and yet you just approach me in the blind delusion that you can somehow magically fix my issue the same way you think you can fix everybody else's, because the truth is that you Heroes see me as just yet another faceless piece in a puzzle you think you've got all figured out."
Suddenly, the haze about Suguru began to intensify more and more by the second, as the four Heroes could all physically feel their once-building adrenaline get sapped right out of them, making it noticeably difficult to stay standing straight. All the while, Suguru continued, his voice growing louder and more hoarse with anguish as tears began to run down his face.
"Well I'm sick and tired of feeling that way, of feeling like I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life working a meaningless job and killing my hopes and dreams just to be able to barely afford to keep a roof over my head, or to provide for a family that feels nothing more for me than any random stranger out there. No matter how hard I worked or tried to please people, it was never enough. My parents always fought and just ignored me and what I wanted to do with my life; the people I called my friends just leeched off of me for their own benefit without ever even listening to me enough to remember my name…even the one woman I loved, someone who seemed so far above my league, never even gave me the time of day despite how much I did for her, instead choosing to see someone else, someone wealthier, behind my back and laughing at me all the while about what a free spirit he was, as if just to rub in my face how much I'd given up of myself because that's what everyone I knew, what society told me I needed to do in order to succeed!"
By this point, the entire room had turned into a foggy mess of his Quirk's miasma, the respirators having been virtually worthless in protecting the Heroes from its affects. As Suguru saw them fall to their knees in a desperate attempt to try and retain what strength and energy they had left as he poured his shattered heart out, his voice turned as frigid as ice.
"The truth is that life as we've all been taught to know it is nothing but a sham. Nothing we've been taught to think matters truly matters. Nobody has any genuine feelings for anyone else, no matter how much they say they do. We're all just wearing the masks we're told to wear, and slowly but surely circling the drain of oblivion as we waste away in pointless toil, using momentary and superficial distractions to keep us from acknowledging that simple unavoidable truth all the while. Everything we do is worthless, everyone we think cares about us is just looking for something or someone better to latch onto like the parasites they are, and stringing us along the way until that day comes, and there's no joy or laughter to be found in anything."
Having finally reached the end of his defiant speech, Suguru sounded anything but triumphant. If anything, he collapsed back into his bed with a sorrow lining his voice as though he were simply reiterating a truth even he himself didn't want to accept, and that as soon as the Heroes before him would accept that same horrible truth, they would somehow be grateful to him for opening their eyes.
"You're…wrong…"
A distinctly accented young man's voice suddenly broke through the impenetrable silence that had been left in the wake of Suguru's words, catching him by surprise as he looked down the length of his hospital bed, just to find Nikolay struggling to pull himself back onto his feet, using the bed frame as a support, his eyes aflame with stubborn denial behind his goggles.
But that surprise didn't last, as Suguru just sighed in yet further disappointment, not even bothering to show his disdain by rolling his eyes at such adolescent stubbornness. "Of course, that's what society and those Hero schools out there tell kids like you to think, that there way of viewing the world is the only right one, and that if anyone steps out of that framework, then they're surely the ones in the wrong. How typical."
"That's not the reason." Nikolay answered, refusing to break eye contact with Suguru as he finally got back onto his feet, now reaching behind for the player on his back. "The truth is…for the longest time of my life…I felt just the same as you do, Kanjou-san. I thought that life…was completely pointless…but I was able to find…that smile, and that laughter…that Ms. Joke is talking about, when I thought it didn't exist anymore. And…I think…you can, too; no matter how much you think it's dead…and gone."
Now, Suguru's despair was beginning to give way to genuine anger, as he clutched his sheets in a white knuckle grip, gritting his teeth in both anger and pain at such words being thrown his way by someone like Nikolay. "What do you know about anything in the world, someone so young as to have not even a fraction of life experience to talk to me like that? You should learn to recognize your place in the world and stop regurgitating all the big words and platitudes those textbooks and talking heads crammed into your skull, you stupid child!"
With as thick as the miasma had now grown, even just the act of getting the projector to stand up and face the wall opposite the bed was leaving Nikolay heaving with exhaustion. But, if nothing else, it was the utter denial in Suguru's words that somehow managed to keep him fired up all the same, as he now began digging into one of the inner pockets of his costume, before finally pulling out a single disc and pushing it into the projector.
"You're right…I am just a kid still…I'm not a Pro Hero by any definition…I shouldn't have the kind of experience you're talking about, the kind that adults have…but I do…all the same. I know how it feels…to feel like you've lost everything and couldn't do anything to make it any better, like life has no meaning. Yet I'm still here right now, working with Heroes, and I want to try and help you…because I was still able to regain my smile, my laughter, my joy, even after everything, thanks to my friends…and if I can have real friends, and regain what I'd lost for so many years, then you can, too. Just give me…this one chance… to show you what you can still gain in life…if you don't give up, and pursue what… you want."
With the last bit of strength he could spare away from keeping himself upright, Nikolay pushed the play button, and finally collapsed at the foot of the hospital bed; none of his teammates or Ms. Joke able to summon the strength to try and help him back up, the miasma had now become so thick.
As the projector/player powered up, and the frame of light suddenly illuminated the wall in front of him, Suguru let out a scornful sigh. It was clearly too much to expect that naïve kids like this would be convinced of his view on life with just words. It was the kind of torturous lesson that could only be learned firsthand. The boy would undoubtedly learn it in time, so he could at least take some satisfaction in that. As of now, he could at least indulge the young fool and see just what it was he had in store that he was so convinced could help the man make an impossible emotional turnaround.
Suddenly, the plain white frame gave to a high-definition video that looked to be coming from a first-person perspective, even more free-moving than a typical handheld. It looked to be moving through a grassy field, like somewhere on a school campus. Then, a crudely edited in title card suddenly projected that simply read: 'TO MY FRIENDS'
As soon as the title card disappeared, the camera took a quick turn and nearly passed over something standing out from the backdrop of trees, before turning back and stopping then zooming in, showing none other than Mezo standing tall with his Tentacles outstretched at both his sides, where Kouji and Rikido were holding his hands and helping him to swing his extended arms in a loop, so that Minoru and Eri could both use them like jump ropes; the single-horned little girl giggling in delight every moment of it, while Mexo's barely visible eye made it impossible to tell if he was annoyed, or secretly enjoying being a part of this admittedly adorable display of childhood innocence.
TCCHT!
After that, the footage suddenly cut to a very tightly organized dorm room, where the person manning the camera (Suguru could only naturally assume it to be Nikolay) was peeking through a crack in the door, to find Tenya standing by himself, dragging his feet and swinging his arms like a turn-keyed robot as he marched back and forth across his room in what seemed to be warmup exercises, before ultimately coming to a stop and stretching his legs.
"Alright, maneuverability practice time. I'm all limbered up, I've got the blood really flowing, I've seen this routine practiced too many times to count. I should have the calculations all right for how far to spring back. Ready…and…GO!"
Coiling his upper body back like a spring ready to release, Tenya suddenly kicked himself u pinto a mid-air rolling spin, just like how Mina often liked to begin her break-dancing routines. It was with remarkable precision that Tenya, for how much bigger and broad-shouldered than her, was able to land clean on his feet.
By all accounts, it would have looked like he'd perfected it…until it became clear that his body had completely locked up, and his already rigid face was now turning bright red with restrained pain at having pulled something he shouldn't have, and was unable to do anything about it. Listening close, Suguru could barely hear Tenya manage to whimper: "How…does she make this…look so easy?"
TCCHT!
The footage suddenly cut again, this time to what was clearly outside of this selfsame dorm building, where the camera operator was strolling around once more, before rounding a corner and looking up to find Minoru planting his hairballs on the brick wall as handholds to help himself climb all the way up to what Nikolay knew as Tooru's dorm room.
"Mineta-san, what're you doing up there?" Just like that, Suguru's assumption had been proven correct at the sound of Nikolay's voice being the most up-close out of all the voices he'd heard so far.
"Don't pull me away from this now, Bezpalov! Didn't you hear? All the girls are gathered in Hagakure's room! Who knows just what they might be up to in there? It's my sworn adolescent duty to see this veritable nirvana for myself! If you were smart, you'd join me!"
Before Nikolay could even think of another way to tell him to get down before he'd fall and bust his ass, Minoru pulled himself up to look through the window, and instantly let out the girliest-sounding scream imaginable, losing his grip on his hairballs and practically leaping back through the air so he would crash land into the foliage of a nearby tree.
The way the camera footage shook made it clear Nikolay was rushing over to make sure his classmate was all right, before the peppy sound of Tooru's voice suddenly echoed down: "What's the matter with you, Mineta-kun?! Can't we have five minutes alone without you peeping?"
Naturally, the sound of her voice calling from the window prompted Nikolay to look her way so he could try and apologize on Minoru's behalf, but the moment the camera settled on the now open window, he was met with the vision of all seven girls of Class 1-A looking down from on high, their faces all ghostly white with what the boy only knew now to be exfoliating masks, but in the heat of the moment, saw as making them look like actual phantoms, thus causing him to leap back with a girly-sounding scream of his own.
TCCHT!
When the footage cut, this time it changed to an up close view of a door, but with a heavily pounding music emanating from the other side. As the camera moved in to signify Nikolay reaching to either knock or open it, the rage of Bakugo's voice could be heard echoing from the side, and rapidly closing in. "WOULD SOMEBODY TELL THAT DAMN CRAPPY HAIR TO SHUT THAT SHIT OFF, OR AT LEAST TURN IT DOWN?!"
But just as he was saying so, the door finally opened, and inside was none other than Eijirou and Tetsutetsu doing what could only be assumed to be their idea of what disco dancing was, clapping their hands in the air and actually bumping hips with each other before getting side-by-side, smiling from ear to ear as they psyched each other up for what had to be the chorus of the song they were grooving it to.
"IT'S FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCA! IT'S FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCA! DAMN, THIS SONG IS SO GOOD! REALLY GETS THE SWEAT PUMPING, RIGHT?" "YOU GOT THAT RIGHT, MAN! WHO SAYS MEN DON'T KNOW HOW TO DANCE?!"
The two practical brothers in mind and spirit were completely oblivious to the fact they now had an unwitting audience as they continued to dance like there was no tomorrow. Nikolay couldn't even begin to say anything to try and get their attention, only able to watch dumbfounded as his two friends kept on dancing to The Village People, before the camera slowly panned over, to find Bakugo was now an unwilling part of the same audience, all his anger momentarily diffused as he simply stared on as though he couldn't comprehend what the hell he was supposed to be looking at.
TCCHT!
The next frame to follow was of Kyouka in her room with a microphone stand in front of her, though she was currently just looking in bewilderment at the nearby keyboard, behind which stood Momo, only she was not dressed in her typical uniform or frilly casual clothes. Instead, she looked as though she had just raided Kyouka's own closet, as her typical ponytail was instead styled as a pair of medium-sized twintails, decorated with safety pins and random badges, while also wearing what looked like a punk rock t-shirt under a sleeveless denim vest covered in band patches, a red plaid skirt with a loosely hanging leather belt, black thigh highs with strategically placed little holes, and finally a pair of what looked like black army boots.
The silence that hung between them, on top of Mina behind the drums and Denki on the other guitar, all of whom were staring at their vice president in total awe, would have been funny enough…until Momo nervously cleared her throat and tried to strike what could have only been called a punk rocker pose, complete with a threatening (if it weren't shaking) extended fist, and literally said as though she were trying to recall lines on a flash card: "W-what, too much for you? Y-you all don't like what you s-see? W-well…well…well, why don't you take it up with…t-this?"
Everybody on the screen besides Momo proceeded to completely lose it, all of them collapsing to the floor in tears of laughter; Mina barely able to compose herself enough to say: "Please…please, Yaomomo…for the love of God…tell me this is disguise practice for you! You look like a punk rock princess!"
"If I say yes, could you please stop laughing?"
TCCHT!
This time, instead of changing to somewhere completely different, they were still within Kyouka's room, having thankfully run all the laughter out of their system, as everyone was standing ready at their respective instruments, even though Denki looked to Kyouka with clear concern: "Are you really sure you wanna try this, Jirou? What if you end up throwing out your voice?"
Having finished fine-tuning her guitar, Kyouka looked especially eager as she answered: "Well, if I do, it won't last forever, and if anything else, it could make my growls sound even better. There's only one way I'll be able to get proper practice at performing more extreme genres going forward, and this is where I have to start. Okay, everybody ready? Death metal practice, take one! One, two, thr—GWAAK!"
At the last possible second before everyone would have started playing, and as Kyouka was almost trying to scrunch up her neck in preparation to try and deliver her first ever death roars from the core of her stomach, a wayward housefly came practically dive-bombing in from out of nowhere and straight into her throat, sending her gagging and sprawling to the floor.
TCCHT!
This time, the footage did indeed change settings, this time to the inside of the 1-A dorm commons area, where Ochako and Tsuyu were sitting together with a fully inflated balloon in each of their hands, a small canister of helium sitting on the end of the sofa, and a package of empty balloons right next to it. Both girls were smiling with eagerness as they brought the pinched ends to their mouths. "Alright, Tsu, you ready?" "Ready-kero."
At the word, both girl clasped their mouths to the balloons, which all proceeded to quickly deflate into them, with Tsuyu especially showing the effect, as her neck actually began to inflate to being nearly twice the size of her head, like a bullfrog that was about to croak, until she actually began to float higher and higher into the air by her inflated neck, to which Ochako couldn't help but start laughing, her voice now more than ten octaves higher in pitch, before then realizing her friend was still lifting higher and higher, prompting her to finally get serious, speaking despite her voice still being extremely high. "Tsu, hurry up and croak before you get too high up!"
But as Ochako quickly took away her own gravity in order to float up after her friend, in the last second before Nikolay's point-of-view left the sofa to follow after them, neither she nor Tsuyu noticed how Denki and Hanta's heads poked out from behind a corner leading into the boys' wing, eyeing the balloons and helium canister.
TCCHT!
This time, the camera was right back outside the dorm building again, in just about the same spot as when Minoru had tried scaling the wall of the girls' wing. Except this time, it was Denki and Hanta, having both tied themselves up at the waist to two large clusters of helium-filled balloons that were already beginning to take them up into the air.
"You guys, are you really sure you should be doing this? What if Aizawa-sensei sees you, or the girls do and just decide to tell him anyway?" Nikolay called up to the; their responses barely able to be heard from the distance they already were. "Don't worry about it, Kolya-san, what could possibly happen? We've got everything at hand to keep any accidents happening or anyone catching us, you'll see!"
FWOOOSH!
It was as though the two boys were just begging for the universe to prove them wrong, as a suddenly large gust of wind came flying past, picking up the balloons and yanking Denki and Hanta away with them. Hanta naturally tried to throw an extensive line of his Tape for one of the trees in order to anchor himself, but the wind simply picked that up and sent it slapping straight into Denki's face, now anchoring the two boys together as the wind continued to carry them around in a spin like a mid-air teacup ride.
TCCHT!
Next, the camera was moving into the 1-A dorms dining area with Denki and Hanta both on the peripherals walking in with it. Looking around, nearly everyone in Class A was seated either at the dining tables or the sofas, munching down on what looked like cinnamon rolls or some other square/circle shaped pastries, while Maja and Rikido were both standing shoulder-to-shoulder, working at the kitchen.
"Wow, something smells really good!" Denki exclaimed upon taking a sniff of the air, while Hanta had spotted a platter with just a couple of those same pastries lying untouched. The way his eyes just lit up the moment he took his first bite was all the convincing Denki needed to rush over and grab his own, while Nikolay lingered on the one remaining for a second longer. "These are new, Sato-san."
"Oh, I actually helped Sato-san on this one." Maja answered, smiling in satisfaction with a twinkle in her pink-blue eyes. Wiping his hands on his apron, Rikido was smiling in gratitude for everyone's collective compliments as well. "Yeah, Maja-san said she'd been dealing with a sweet tooth earlier, so I thought I'd help her with that, but she had something specific in mind, and helped me pull up a good recipe with what we had available. What'd you say they're called again?"
"Drożdzówka, it's something my mom made all the time when I was little, and the best part is that you can make them with just about any filling, so we just kinda threw in a little bit of everything so everybody can be satisfied." Maja explained, watching Nikolay intently as he eyed the last one. "Oh, right. I may have gotten a little greedy when they first got out of the oven and had more than my fair share."
"Hey, no harm done, you've got me curious now." Nikolay answered as he finally went to reach for it, only for the last pastry to practically vanish off the platter, spurring him to follow and see Bakugo had swooped in and snatched it on his way out the door. "Then don't get lead in your feet and move like you've got a purpose next time!"
PHOOM!
The instant he proceeded to spitefully take as big a bite as he could into it, the Polish pastry in his hand practically exploded in a cloud of extremely fine powdered sugar, leaving him standing in bristling silence, his hand and face now dusted completely white, while Maja and Mina both broke into hysterical laughter, with Rikido, Eijirou, Denki and soon even Kyouka and Nikolay joining in.
"Oh man, I was just waiting for someone to get the prank one; I just didn't think it'd be you, Bakugo-san! Oh, that is just too good!" Maja gasped between her laughter, as Bakugo slowly turned his head to the whole crowd of his classmates, his red pupils constricted to mere pinpricks.
TCCHT!
The moment the footage changed, the whole hospital room was practically lit up like the sun had decided to plant itself right inside. But as soon as the light began to clear, the footage showed the inside of Yuga's dorm room, where he was dressed in a getup of frilly dress shirt and pants that were even tighter than usual, and all of which managed to somehow sparkle brighter than he normally did. But what made the display even more outlandish, was that Izuku was right beside him, looking very awkward in a very similarly overwhelming bright getup at Yuga's instruction, standing before the large mirror opposite the door.
In the reflection, Nikolay could barely be seen, similarly dressed as well; he and Izuku looking sorely out of place dressed in such flashy opulence that looked more natural in a 1970's dance club. All the while, Yuga looked as though he were simply loving every moment of this. "You see now, don't you? Nobody may be able to match my level when it comes to flash and grace, but with the right eye, the deftest touch and honest effort, anyone can at least begin to approach excellence."
"I don't know, Aoyama-san, these feel…a little stiffer than they did at the beginning." Izuku answered in an attempt to not try and hurt Yuga's feelings, while Nikolay began anxiously tugging at his collar. "I know what you mean…plus, is it just me, or is it starting to get a little harder to breathe than it was?"
Yuga flicked his wrists upward, before stepping his way towards the mirror past his two friends, giving a masterful ballet dancer's twirl before striking a pose that somehow managed to make him sparkle that much brighter. "Come now, you two, it may not be the kind of ensemble you're used to, but if you do not practice and grow accustomed, you will never truly be able to look your absolute best when you need it. I've tried my hand at it for years, and now you must admit it looks as natural as my very skin, wouldn't you? How could anyone see elegance like this and possibly think otherwise?"
But as Yuga made another twirl so that he could actually look at his reflection, and Nikolay's point of view followed him, they were met instead with the unmistakable face of Mirio Togata poking out of the mirror where Yuga's head should have been, effectively planting his own head on the reflection of Yuga's more slender body, grinning brightly in amusement as he suddenly called out: "THE LANDLORD WANTS HIS RENT, BOYS," causing all three boys to simultaneously scream as Nikolay's camera view showed he clearly fell back onto the floor.
TCCHT!
"Tokoyami-san, are you in there? I was hoping we could exchange notes on our art history homewo-!"
As Nikolay's footage approached and knocked upon the door to Fumikage's dorm room, he found it to have not been completely latched, as the thing just came swinging open, revealing Fumikage sitting with his head bowed and his arms angrily crossed over his chest, with Mashirao sitting right beside him, similarly keeping his arms crossed, but blushing in embarrassment instead. The reason for this being that Dark Shadow and Eri were both happily playing with Fumikage's feathered head and the blonde bush of fur on the end of Mashirao's tail respectively.
Standing in the doorway and seeing the whole thing, even through the screen, anyone watching who made the mistake of looking Fumikage in the eye as he looked at Nikolay in return, would've felt as though he were trying to make their heads explode, especially when one could actually hear Dark Shadow starting to hum musically along with Eri as they kept styling both boys.
Finally, Fumikage barely muttered under his breath: "Why, why, why did Dark Shadow have to discover its creative side? Bezpalov, you don't speak a word…to anyone of this."
TCCHT!
At that point, Nikolay upon the hospital bed was about ready to announce that had been everything, but when the footage suddenly continued after the next cut, he was stricken silent, even with his exhaustion, and could only watch as the next bit of footage recorded to play pulled away to show his own face as he lay asleep upon his bed…or at least if one looked closely enough they would have seen it was him, as his face was thoroughly painted to resemble that of a calico cat, with one standout mark of strawberry pink lipstick in a kiss mark upon his cheek where the camera had pulled back from, all before he was suddenly stirred awake by the sound of Mina's giggling; the volume making it instantly clear she was now the one wearing the recording contact lenses as she knelt on top of him in his dorm room as he slept.
As the recorded Nikolay tiredly got out of bed in order to freshen up in preparation for the day, Mina's recorded point of view kept switching from his departing back as he made for his bathroom, and the small laptop sitting on the mattress beside where he'd been sleeping, still showing the editing session he'd fallen asleep working on in order to make this whole home movie to begin with. And that's when his cry of surprise echoed through his room, prompting Mina to hurriedly hide the black marker barely visible in her partially obscured hand into her pocket as she broke out into highly amused fit of laughter. "Don't get upset, Kolya-kun! Girls find you cute all around already, now they'll think you're irresistible! Everybody loves kitties, remember?"
TCCHT!
Just like that, the home movie finally came to an end, leaving the hospital room once more in deafening silence. Remaining where he lay, Nikolay couldn't believe that little incident from earlier this morning had actually been recorded, only now realizing that Mina had to have hurriedly edited it in while he'd been feverishly cleaning his face of her little art project.
Meanwhile, Suguru continued to sit in total silence, remaining fully unmoved by everything he had just been made to witness. How this stubborn young so-called Hero thought that a home movie of a bunch of Hero school kids simply acting like kids was supposed to help him recover from his suffocating despair was a question he couldn't possibly fathom the answer to, and he was just about ready to lambast Nikolay for wasting his time as such.
Until, he heard the beginnings of a snickering, not from Nikolay, but from Ms. Joke herself, having somehow found the minuscule reserves of strength left to prop herself into a sitting position, and had thus allowed herself to see the whole thing.
Of course, knowing of her, Suguru couldn't pretend to be surprised she found the whole thing so funny as to laugh when she virtually no energy left. However, he then heard both of the other boys beyond his field of view starting to genuinely chuckle between themselves as well; Juzo and Manga having at least collapsed to a position where they had a view as well. For them, having gotten to see Maja pull a successful prank on an arrogant loudmouth like Bakugo was one of the best things they could have asked to see. Of course, all the instances of seeing their Class A rivals fumble and get thrown off their game were a great deal of entertainment as well.
As the three Heroes' laughter actually began to pick up in volume, even despite his Quirk's miasma not having weakened at all, Suguru was about ready to outright scream for them all to stop pretending. But when he felt the foot of his bed begin to shake from Nikolay's shoulders heaving as he too began to laugh, that just sent the young adult over the edge; reaching out and grabbing Nikolay forcefully by his right arm and rolling him onto his back so he could look him in the eyes as he told him to shut up.
When he saw the tears streaming down Nikolay's fair face as he couldn't stop himself from laughing, it struck a chord deep within Suguru he hadn't expected at all, loosening his hold on the young Hero as he slowly reeled back, trying to understand exactly what he was seeing. There couldn't possibly have been anything so profoundly moving in this little gag reel of a home movie that could have been able to get the boy to laugh this hard…and yet, even through the blinding pessimism of his own eyes, Suguru couldn't pick up on anything rehearsed, pretentious or fake about Nikolay's current emotional state.
As he began to think about it more and more, one recurring thought began to make itself known to him, something he found himself initially trying to ignore: 'If this kid and his partners aren't faking this…then what does it mean? What does it say about me that I still feel nothing…and yet it's the sight and sound of this naïve brat laughing himself to tears that's getting to me?'
He watched as the morning sun reflected now on all the laughing Heroes around him; how their collective enjoyment and laughter was actually managing to pull them out of the effects of his Quirk. As he saw the light glint off of Nikolay's tear-stained cheeks, the young Hero began desperately trying to wipe them away with his hands; his laughter soon becoming interspersed with what Suguru couldn't mistake for anything but choking sobs.
This made even less sense, as he saw Nikolay continue to bounce back and forth between his tears and his laughter, sending his mind reeling even further. 'Now what is he doing? There was nothing to laugh at there, but there was even less to shed tears for, either. Could it…have something to do with what he was saying earlier? About…knowing even a bit of the sadness I feel?'
As if to just answer that unasked question, a realization sparked across Suguru's mind, shaking him from head to toe. 'Laughter and tears, two diametrically opposed emotions, yet so often come together, in harmony and in conflict. And this kid…it's like he's going through both at once, trying to keep up the laughter, but also not trying to shove aside whatever brings the tears at the same time. People are typically fake enough they can't even pretend to have one genuine emotion, let alone trying to balance two.'
"Spasibo…"
The sound of Nikolay's voice, barely perceptible beneath his laugh and sniffling sobs, stirred Suguru out of his deepening thoughts, only to see the boy wasn't speaking to him. In fact, he didn't seem to be speaking to anyone here. He was still simply looking up at the ceiling, burying his palms against his weeping eyes as he began to repeat himself in silent gasps. "Spasibo…Papa…Mama…vsye…spasibo vam… ogromnoye spasibo vsyem vam. Thank you so much."
For reasons he himself couldn't explain, Suguru could feel chills running across his skin as he heard the boy thanking someone or something he couldn't see with the kind of wrenching emotion that even one as jaded as himself could only know came from the bottom of his heart, laughter and tears alike. 'It's like…like he's thanking life itself…but for what? Just for…bringing him here after who-knows-what he's gone through before? Is…is that actually possible, to be thankful for the good and the bad things in life all the same? To relish in tears and laughter?'
Suddenly, he couldn't help but start seeing flashes of his own memories playing out before him, each one stinging like an ice pick to the brain. The disapproving scorn of his parents as they told him to let go of that which gave him joy and the childhood friends he really had, all so he could pursue a real career; the manipulative and deceitful people he'd been fooled into calling his friends in the years that followed; the woman who gave him the one spark of genuine joy he thought he'd ever have again, and who took it away just as fast…and most of all, how through every step of it, from disappointment to crushing disappointment, he'd always tried so hard to keep the laugh he himself once had.
And it was with the recollection of how hard he had he had fought; seeing the memory of his bright-eyed childhood self looking up to him with saddened disappointment and sympathy, and especially when his eyes sank to the bandages around his forearms; that he finally realized that he could no longer remember when he had lost his laughter and the smile that had always come with it, and had instead chosen to let the despair those in his own life had inflicted upon him, completely consume who he used to be and throw off his internal balance.
That realization led Suguru to realize he himself had now begun to shed tears once more, his simmering anger now completely forgotten. Now, his sadness was no longer for the miserable life he had let the world force him to lead, but now it was solely for himself and what he had so foolishly surrendered in the process; that wonderful sensation of being able to laugh and shed all the weight of the world off his shoulders whenever he did.
'Maybe the kid's right after all…if he also forgot how to laugh or smile…but discovered how to again, and actually make so many real friends along the way…then…maybe…maybe…'
*pffft*
Nikolay's heartfelt laughter and tears of all-around gratitude fell silent in his ears, as he suddenly began to hear the sound of Suguru faintly snickering and trying to stifle a laugh where he sat. As soon as he heard this, so too did Nikolay suddenly realize he could feel his strength and natural energy returning to him; his teammates and Ms. Joke not too far behind, as they all likewise began to pick themselves back up once they could hear Suguru's attempts at choking down laughter quickly break away.
At last, the young adult man finally began to let out full-volume laughter from the pit of his gut, sounding exceptionally genuine, with a bit of raw physical strain that Ms. Joke could especially pick up. Clearly the poor man had gone so long without the kind of joy in his heart that could inspire the kind of laughter she relished in, but he was clearly trying to get the feel for it again…and that, in itself, spoke volumes to the female Pro Hero of just what had really been accomplished here today, far beyond saving all the people of the hospital and potentially the next several city blocks, from being sapped into an apathetic lethargy akin to paralysis.
As for what Suguru was feeling, as tears of an indescribable relief mingled with those that remained borne of his sadness as he continued to laugh, he felt a deeply penetrating pain within his chest, but in the strangest way, it was a pain he could have honestly described as pleasant: the pain that came to remind one that they are still well and truly alive.
Soon enough, he was finally able to regain some composure, enough with which to at least properly wipe the tears from his eyes. As soon as he did so, Suguru lifted his head to see the four Heroes all back on their feet around him, all looking at him, not with resentment or distaste as he had assumed after what his Quirk had done to them, but instead with relief and support, all knowing deep down what a turnaround he was in the process of making.
Knowing now that his emotional state had been lifted enough for his Quirk to finally lose its effect upon the whole hospital, Suguru let out a shaky sigh, sounding like a man who finally felt free of all pain for possibly the first time in his life. Lifting his gaze once more, he looked Nikolay straight in the eye, the foreign boy having by now removed his respirator alongside all his fellow Heroes, and smiling with that very same indescribable depth of feeling that Suguru had witnessed and was now experiencing himself.
"Thank you…for helping me remember…what it feels like."
Nikolay bowed his head in acknowledgment of what the young man had to be experiencing after all of this. "It's yourself you should be thanking, Kanjou-san. You're the one with the strength and the will to want to change and be happy again; you just needed the little nudge to look for it."
Laying back in his bed as he nodded in agreement, Suguru sighed in true exhaustion, unable to look any of the Heroes who had come all this way for his sake in the eye. As his chin quivered with emotion, he spoke barely above a whisper: "You know…before I'd first been sent on this downward path…the one thing that always gave me the most joy, the thing I loved to do more than anything…was making people laugh. I always wanted to be like those standup comedians you'd see on TV. Even near the end, I told myself it would be the best way I could protect my laugh, my smile, even after everything that had happened to and been taken away from me…while also being able to bring that same smile, that same kind of heartfelt laugh, to others. That was all I ever wanted, ever since I was a kid."
Out of nowhere, Ms. Joke suddenly offered Suguru an open hand, causing him to look at the smiling Hero in confusion before she said: "Well, it's never too late to start…if you'd be willing to let me give you a helping hand along the way. Everybody's always in need of a good laugh and it's not like I can be everywhere to provide it to everyone all at once. Although, with an assistant…maybe…"
"You…you're serious, Sensei?" Manga asked, to which she nodded wholeheartedly before returning her attention to Suguru again. "As a heart attack, Fukidashi-kun. As for you, Kanjou-kun, they said your Quirk essentially amplifies all of your emotions, not just sadness. If making others laugh can make you so happy, then there's really no end to the amount of good we could do for people by working together…once you're cleared by the police for this little mishap and given leave by the doctors for your injuries, of course."
CLAP!
Suguru's lethargy seemed like it never existed with how fast he had risen from his bed and met Ms. Joke's offered hand with a firm clasp of his own, prompting a strong, heartfelt, borderline overly enthusiastic handshake. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much! I won't ever forget this! I promise I won't let this all have been for nothing! I'm sorry for having put you and all the other doctors and patients through all this unpleasantness."
"Please, don't beat yourself up about that, it wasn't something you were doing on purpose." Nikolay interjected, motioning with his hands for Suguru to tone down any sense he had of guilt. "Everybody has their low moments, even the strongest and most admired Heroes out there. It's just a matter of finding the strength to pick yourself back up once you've let it out of your system. Trust me, I know."
The fact the patients, doctors and police officers that had previously gone into the hospital were regaining their energy and emotional uprightness, had told them all that the Heroes had somehow succeeded even before they had all emerged out the front doors in symbolic triumph.
Amid the flurries of thanks from everyone as they began to make their way inside to get the patients back into their rooms and get things all up and running again, Nikolay's heart was feeling light as a feather in his chest. However, even despite having managed to essentially save Suguru in the most unorthodox way he could have imagined, when he felt Ms. Joke's gloved hand tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention, he instinctively felt an apprehensive twist in his gut, until he saw the light in her eyes.
"You boys all did astoundingly well today. Nobody had a minuscule part in what was accomplished here; everything was all part of the grand whole that has managed to save someone who was in the greatest need of saving, so you all deserve to pat yourselves on the back for that. Solovei-kun, I have to confess I wasn't sure where that plan of yours with the home movie was going, but by God, it worked. You've certainly got a talented eye for finding funny stuff when you need it."
Chuckling awkwardly, Nikolay answered: "Thank you for saying so, Sensei, but it was honestly just blind luck on my part. As for the plan, I really didn't know for certain it would work. I just put that together based on the advice my friends gave me, just going for what I personally find funny; something I admit I wasn't even sure of myself, at the start."
However, his own self-doubts did nothing to dim Ms. Joke's mood as she once again mussed up his hair by doing the same with his hat. "Ah, go ahead and be modest if it fits you best. I've got a pretty good idea what turned Kanjou-kun around, even if you might not. It's exactly like what I'd taught you and your first team at the start: sincerity in what you present to others, especially when it comes to the things that make you happy, can bring the most honest laughter and smiles out of people more than anything else, and seeing how reliving those experiences you had with all your friends made you react, essentially sent him on the epiphany he needed to try and bring out the laugh he thought he'd lost in turn. It may not have been what you'd intended, but the result is the same."
With that, she finally took her hand off Nikolay's head, forcing him to readjust his hat while she stretched herself out with a satisfied groan. "We've all still got a long day and the rest of our patrol to get to…but I think it merits saying you've finally passed my training, Solovei-kun. Keep this all in mind with you wherever you may end up going and whoever you may end up learning from going forward, okay?"
Nikolay looked like he had shooting stars in his green eyes, his face lit up so bright with the knowledge that he'd finally passed. "YES, SENSEI!"
As Ms. Joke beckoned her three students to follow her on the rest of their patrol, she suddenly looked back to Nikolay and gave him a devious smirk. "and since this may be the last we see each other, do me a favor and ask Eraserhead to marry me the next time you see him, 'kay?"
Nikolay had to stifle a chuckle, having had that awkward reminder of just who his mentor was here crow-barred back to the forefront of his mind. "Yes, Sensei…though I think it won't mean as much coming from me…or maybe it'll mean just as much."
That got Ms. Joke almost doubling over with laughter, while Juzo and Manga figured this was some kind of inside joke they didn't need to be a part of, and instead leaned in to speak to their Class A teammate: "Hey, Bezpalov-san, you think it's possible you could make a copy of that home movie for Class B? Monoma has been feeling especially testy these days, so maybe it'll be enough to pick his spirits back up."
Nikolay felt a natural sense of unease at the thought of Monoma being perked back up to his scathing insult-slinging ways because of him, but right now he was just in such high spirits, he didn't let it weigh him down. "Sure, I don't see why not. I might even go ahead and show it to my class tonight anyway. I'm sure…most of them will get a good laugh out of it, too."
As he would come to find out later that night at the Class A dorms, virtually his whole class had really good senses of humor to seeing how they were portrayed on-screen; all save, naturally, for Bakugo, who essentially spent the rest of the movie night threatening to blow the entire dorm building to kingdom come if anybody dared to laugh at his having gotten pranked by Maja of all people.
Hero Public Safety Commission Headquarters, Tokyo
"It looks as though the Team-Up Missions Project is churning out better results than I had initially expected, Madame President. My apologies for having ever doubted it."
In the dim light of her personal office, the head of the commission and her assistant were currently looking over all the statistical results of the first four days of her newly implemented program. While some team-ups were taking a bit longer than she had projected to pass their students to further their training in other fields, for the most part this was the best she could have hoped for, regarding something like this had never been attempted before, let alone on a nationwide scale.
But as she turned her attention to some of the more recent student documentation lying on her desk, she spared only a momentary glance to her assistant, noticing that his injured hand had already completely healed over. Granted, four days was a good amount of time for most lacerations to at least scab over, and then some people had faster healing metabolisms than others, even before the onset of Quirks, so it wasn't something she paid any further mind. If anything, his hands both being in regular condition again would just help him do his work with the efficiency she needed from him.
"Yes, this was just about the best we could have asked for within just the first week, especially with it having been announced and implemented on such short notice. Now the next big hurdle we need to worry about is the students who still don't have their Provisional Licenses. If we want to have as many new Heroes fully trained within our ranks as I feel we'll need when the day eventually comes, we need to give them their chance to test for their own Licenses sooner rather than later…perhaps even within the next few days."