Welcome back to "Through the Rough"! After an exciting school festival, we're gonna relax a bit before concluding this season. The next few chapters are going to be diving into some big plot points for the next season, including something that'll involve a really key character.
Let's dive on into this and have some fun before we get to the Season 6 finale! Enjoy!
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"Mmm…" Rebecca moaned, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She blinked a couple times, focusing her vision as she looked down to spot her boyfriend snoozing in her arms. His own were wrapped around her as well. Normally, she would've gone ahead and panicked. But now, she just smiled warmly. She kissed his forehead, snuggling close to him.
With the ordeals of yesterday and beyond finally behind them, they could now start to focus on future endeavors. At the school itself, Shota was organizing a stack of papers in the locker room alongside Witch, whose helmet sat upon her desk. She smiled.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" the Erasure Quirk user asked upon noticing her expression.
"After how the festival went yesterday, I'm quite hopeful for the future," she replied earnestly, "Eri's newfound smile will be like a light of hope that everyone will turn to," she mentioned on, "Your class' future seems rather exciting," she finished, causing her fellow teacher to let out a huff. Just then, the door was slid open.
"Oh, good morning," Shota greeted, only to blink in surprise. Witch looked over as well, only to slightly widen her eyes at the sight of Sister and Hermit alongside All Might, Power Loader, Mei, and Naomasa.
"Pardon the intrusion…" the detective said apologetically as he walked in, removing his hat.
"Detective Tsukauchi," the Sorcery Quirk user greeted, bowing politely, "It's been a while," she noted aloud.
"Do you have news to share about the League?" Shota inquired curiously, narrowing his eyes.
"No, this is for a different matter entirely," Naomasa confirmed.
"Whatever do you mean?" Witch asked.
"Witch…" Sister chimed in, getting her attention. She was a bit shocked to see the grim expressions upon the faces of her fellow Shining Star Heroes. "The secret's out," the Heal Atomizer Quirk user confirmed to her colleague's shock. She then lowered her head ashamedly.
"Let's talk somewhere private," the detective advised, "I'd like for you to tell me everything you can about Project Edens," he requested.
"…Of course," the Sorcery Quirk user responded after a moment.
"Project Edens?" Nox's voice inquired from within the ruined church, as Loid was there to meet with her.
"Correct," he replied, "It was a file I discovered while planting cameras around the school grounds during our visits," he explained, handing the archbishop a folder he pulled out from his coat, "I made a copy to deliver to you, noble Saintfire," he mentioned. She set the folder down onto a table, opening it to reveal the information inside.
"I'm surprised none of this was redacted…" she admitted after a moment, closing the folder, "You've done well, Twilight," she affirmed, handing the folder back to the Disguise Quirk user, "You, your wife, and your daughter," she listed off.
"Thank you, Saintfire Nox," he responded gratefully as he bowed his head, "Incidentally…" he continued.
"Yor has succeeded in her mission to kill Chisaki, yes," the archbishop confirmed to his surprise, "However, she'll be on another assignment for the time being," she pointed out, "I'd look at it this way," she kept going, turning to him and giving off a soft smile, "When she returns, you'll have something to look forward to," she noted.
"Um, okay…" Loid uttered in reply, unsure as to what she was trying to say.
"Still…" Nox began, looking out at the dawning sky, "If this information does come to light, then it will shake up much of the world as we know it," she pointed out, "especially in this country," she added.
OPENING
Insert "Fleeting Lullaby" by Ado
A spotlight shines upon a stage, where Kyoka, Rebecca, Momo and Homura are. Kyoka wields her bass, Rebecca's sitting at the drums, Momo readies her hands to play the keyboard, and Homura grips her electric guitar tightly. As Kyoka starts signing, more lights flash on, revealing the rest of Class 1-A as they're about to perform.
We cut to Shoto and Katsuki struggling with the provisional license course as Homura watches on alongside All Might and Endeavor. She glances toward the Flame Hero curiously, while a memory of Valkyrie crosses her mind. In the meantime, we get images of Madame Kurenai with her cronies, Garrot, Baku, and Nino; the latter of which appearing reluctant. There's also a shot of the current Shining Star Heroes, who're standing in front of the safe door found at the Hassaikai headquarters.
There's another scene of the League of Villains lurking in the shadows, with Dabi taking note of a particular news broadcast on a TV. Elsewhere, Shura finds himself being confronted by the Oceans 6. He sneers as he readies his Quirk, but is suddenly stopped when Nero appears behind him and slams his head into the ground. He goes through a flashback of his own where as a young boy, he was crying in the corner.
Next up, we see Izuku and Rebecca hopping around in pursuit of Gentle Criminal and La Brava as they bounce about on the way to U.A. Already there is Eri, who's with Mirio and the others who were a part of the raid mission. They and the rest of Class 1-A are about to perform as they head off to the stage inside Gym Gamma.
We go through several scenes of the class in separate groups, with Katsuki and Eijiro arguing over the special effects as the others sigh, Mina practicing the dancing with the class, especially Shiki as Ochaco watches on with a blank jealous stare, and Kyoka, Momo and Homura tuning their respective instruments. The Earphone Jack Quirk user worriedly looks at the clock, hoping that Izuku and Rebecca can make it in time.
As the opening winds down, we see shots of Deadend Crow, God Acnoella, Poseidon Nero, Saintfire Nox, Elsie Crimson, and finally, Tomura Shigaraki. We also get to see the lineup of the top ten pro heroes of Japan: Eraser, Kamui Woods, Crust, Holy, Mirko, Justice, Edgeshot, Hawks, and Endeavor. As the ceremony goes on, an ominous figure watches on curiously.
The song concludes with Izuku and Rebecca holding hands as they run ahead with smiles on their faces, heading for what they hope is a bright future.
END OPENING
"Mmm~…" Rebecca moaned contently as she ate her breakfast at the common room tables.
"Someone's in a great mood…" Mina commented, seated across from her.
"Who wouldn't be after that awesome concert we pulled off?" Toru inquired rhetorically.
"Yeah, definitely!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user agreed, "I'm feeling totally pumped after how our show got Eri to smile!" she pointed out, "So I wanna keep up that energy for the rest of the year!" she declared firmly as she stood up.
"Then that means we oughta' do the same!" the invisible girl concluded, getting up onto her feet herself.
"Yeah!" Mina agreed, standing up from her seat.
"Plus Ultra!" the three girls exclaimed with fist pumps. From afar as he was washing his dishes, Izuku smiled. Both he and his girlfriend were in much better spirits. And from yesterday, their relationship was made all the stronger.
"Hey, did ya hear the rumors?" Eijiro's voice chimed in, getting his attention as he saw him talking amongst some of his other classmates, "Apparently, the teachers are thinking about setting up a Halloween night for the school," he told them.
"Really?" Rikido said as he arched an eyebrow.
"Why wait until now though?" Minoru wondered.
"It's likely because of the school festival," Tenya chimed in with a chopping motion of his right hand, "Not only was it more important, but the success of it likely played a factor in discussing future holidays," he mentioned, "Not of course counting ones like Christmas and New Years," he added in explanation.
"I wonder if trick-or-treating's gonna be like us going from dorm house to dorm house…" Denki inferred curiously.
"Would we even have time to come up with costumes?" Weisz wondered aloud.
"Either way, it'd be fun if it turns out to be true!" Eijiro exclaimed, "You'd wanna join in, Bakugo?" he inquired of the Explosion Quirk user, who was finishing his breakfast.
"Humph," he huffed, "You wouldn't catch me dead with trying to pull off some stupid crap like that…" he grumbled out.
"Right, 'cause we'd totally beat you," Minoru proclaimed confidently, making him growl.
"You wanna say that again?! I'll kill you!" he yelled out, with everyone in the common area laughing nervously.
'Halloween, huh?' Izuku noted to himself, 'I'd definitely wanna do something for that,' he affirmed inwardly. Back at the school, Mei was looking back and forth nervously between the teachers and the Shining Star Heroes in the development studio. What she and Power Loader had discovered was something that excited her so much, it actually scared her. Witch noticed the discomfort in her expression.
"Perhaps we should have Lady Mei leave the room to us," she suggested after a moment, much to the Zoom Quirk user's surprise as she blinked.
"Oh, n-no!" she stammered out, waving her hands, "I wanna know what's going on with this Project Edens stuff, too," she affirmed, even as her arms were trembling with nervousness.
"Huh…" Sister sighed out with her arms folded over her chest, "So where should we start?" she inquired.
"How about with what's in this file," Naomasa responded, holding up the folder labeled 'EDENS 1-4', "Something that stands out right away is the lack of redaction in this information," he noted, putting the folder down and opening it to reveal its contents. The Shining Star Heroes all tensed up upon seeing what was written. "This speaks of an incident twenty years ago, where it's said that Ziggy had fought a villain on the outskirts of Tokyo," the detective told those in the room, "During their battle, there was an attack in which a hospital was completely destroyed, taking over three hundred lives," he explained on.
"The Hina Hospital Massacre…" Shota said, narrowing his eyes.
"So you know about it?" Sister inquired of the Erasure Quirk user.
"Bits and pieces," he responded, "What else is in the file?" he inquired of Naomasa.
"Well, aside more details regarding the attack and the following incident…" he continued, flipping through more of the papers before finally arriving to what appeared to be blueprint images. All Might and Shota widened their eyes. "This file contains blueprints for what appears to be android creations that Ziggy was specializing in," the detective told them, "More specifically…" he continued, turning his gaze to the Shining Star Heroes, "the three of you, along with Valkyrie," he finished.
"I guess that only leaves us with one question," Power Loader realized, stepping forward, "Are you not human?" he inquired of the trio before him.
"…We used to be…" Hermit answered ashamedly, lowering her gaze.
"Dammit…" Sister muttered out in frustration, "I knew someday, someone was gonna find out the truth…" she grumbled on, "But I didn't think it'd be a damn file spilling our secrets," she mentioned.
"Ziggy must've kept it here in case we were to receive any sort of injury that required repairing," Witch concluded.
"H-Hold on a second…" All Might stammered as he stepped forward, getting their attentions, "Then it's true?" he inquired of them, "You're actually androids?" he questioned on.
"More specifically, we're androids with the memories of our previous lives as humans implanted into us," the Sorcery Quirk user added in her answer, much to everyone's shock.
"Hey, Witch…" Sister uttered out.
"There's no point in hiding the truth anymore, Imoto," the Sorcery Quirk user insisted to her shock as her eyes widened, "You as well, Inja," she mentioned to Hermit, who trembled a little.
"Imoto? Inja?" All Might listed off in confusion.
"Those are our real names…" Sister confirmed to his shock. Witch put her right hand over her heart.
"My real name is Kokai Majo," she told the group before her, "Twenty years ago, the three of us, along with Valkyrie, were involved in the Hina Hospital Massacre, where we were killed…" she explained on as those in front of her listened intently. They were about to hear a chillingly true story.
X
FLASHBACK
Wearing a formal business outfit and glasses, a nervous Kokai tensed up as she sat in the waiting area of the local hospital. She had somewhat of a bulge in her belly, which she looked down at. Having a child, especially in an age where superheroes were starting to emerge, was somewhat frightening. Being Quirkless, she didn't know what she would do if her child managed to even have a power for themselves.
"Don't worry, it'll be alright," a voice assured, getting her attention as she looked over to see a well-dressed man with short, neck-length green hair, dressed in a suit himself.
"Yari…" Kokai uttered, letting him sit down next to her.
"I think we'll be getting called over soon," he told her, "Checking in was somewhat of a hassle…" he admitted aloud.
"I'm sorry…" the spectacled woman apologized to his surprise, "If I actually was thinking about this, I would've just scheduled an appointment at a smaller office…" she pointed out. Her husband let off a small grin.
"Don't be sorry, Kokai," he insisted to her surprise, "Remember, I'm the one who recommended we go to this hospital for anything," he noted, "Even if it's something we could do elsewhere, I think we'd both want the best service possible to see how healthy our child will be," he told her, placing his hand against her growing belly. She gave off a little smile.
"We might've gotten too dressed up for this…" she said, blushing a little.
"Perhaps…" Yari agreed, chuckling with her.
"Mister and Missus Majo!" the front desk receptionist called out, getting their attentions as they looked over, "Doctor Kitsune will see you now!" she confirmed. The married couple smiled, standing up from their seats, ready to follow one of the nurses. Suddenly though, a pair of figures rushed by them.
"Oh, sorry!" a frantic Inja apologized as she turned and clapped her hands together. She was wearing a U.A. High uniform, having her hair in pigtails. "Hey, slow down, Kira!" she shouted to her companion, who was a young man of short height with two-toned, black-and-white-striped hair, "We're in a hospital, you know!" she pointed out, hurrying after him.
"You're the one that needs to pick up the pace, Inja!" he insisted in response, "We gotta learn more about this Ether-type research before anyone else!" he yelled excitedly.
"Hey, settle it down!" one nurse advised, causing the pair to come to a halt, "The research center's on the second floor," she told them, "Behave, and you'll get as much of a look into our findings as you deserve," she promised.
"Y-Yes, ma'am…" the pair stammered in response, walking off carefully.
"So those were UA students?" Kokai inquired.
"Yes," the nurse responded, "We only recently started looking into Ether-type Quirk research, but some of our findings have piqued interest, even from the younger generations," she explained, "Considering how Ether-types work, even without genetic relation, we could theoretically give a person the potential to have a Quirk of their own," she told the couple.
"How fascinating," Yari commented.
"Let's take this conversation elsewhere," the nurse advised, "We wouldn't want to take too long today, would we?" she implied with a giggle.
"Oh, of course," Kokai responded, following her alongside her husband down the hall.
"Why can't we just take the elevator, Kira?!" Inja inquired of her schoolmate as they sped-walked towards the stairs.
"It'd take too long!" he argued in response, "And besides, it's only one flight!" he added. As they headed to the stairwell door, a figure stepped out from one of the nearby rooms, only to almost get bumped into by the two-toned-haired boy, who barely screeched to a halt in time. "Uh, sorry!" he stammered in apology.
"Don't go running in a hospital, you brats!" the woman shouted, holding onto an I.V. as she stood outside the room.
"W-We won't!" Inja assured in a stutter, "Kira, come on…" she beckoned quietly of her schoolmate, grabbing him by his hand and dragging him off without another word.
"Geez…" the woman grumbled out.
"Ah, it's good to see you up and about, Miss Aiburi," a voice chimed in, getting her attention as she turned to see a man with short, curly brown hair and dark sideburns, wearing a lab coat over a simple green dress shirt and pants with a belt.
"Doc Piero…" Imoto greeted as he approached, chuckling a little.
"You can call me Shi if you want," he assured, "I always like to be personal with my patients," he mentioned with a smile.
"Your work did wonders, doc," the white-haired woman noted, "I don't feel any pain at all," she pointed out.
"Be that as it may, you are going to have to stay here for a while before you get discharged," Shi stated seriously, "It's just policy after all," he added as he shrugged.
"Eh, that's fine," Imoto replied, "I kinda wanted to stick around for a bit anyway," she admitted, "Maybe hit on a few of the nurses here and there…" she suggested with a smirk.
"Ohohoho!" her doctor laughed, "Well, you might get a taker or two…" he remarked. The white-haired woman smiled.
"You know…" she began, causing Shi to perk up, "I was trying to get onto the nursing track," she confessed to his surprise, "That Recovery Girl chick's all the rage amongst the top healers in the world," she pointed out, "I might not have a Quirk, but I can at least try to be the best nurse I can be," she affirmed, closing her left hand into a fist. Her doctor grinned.
"And I'd be glad to help with that," he assured to her surprise, "Well, don't go trying to raid the vending machines for something," he advised, heading off down the hall, "I'll be seeing you after visiting my next patient," he told her.
"Uh, right…" she responded, blushing a little. She grinned though, excited for what could turn into a future prospect. Up on the second floor, Inja and Kira stood outside the room labeled 'RESEARCH CENTER'.
"We finally made it," the latter noted, smiling widely, "Whatever we can see, we'll get to be taking a look into the future of this world!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Mm-hmm," his pigtailed schoolmate agreed. Walking past them and heading down the hall was Shi, who chuckled at how enthusiastic the two U.A. students were. He then made his way to another door, slowly sliding it open.
"Hello, hello!" he greeted, getting the attentions of those inside. One was a dark-skinned man with long, white hair in a ponytail with locs, and a matching goatee, along with a tattoo upon the right side of his neck. He was sitting upon the bed, while on a stool beside him was a tall yet slim woman with a similar dark skin tone. She had salmon pink eyes and matching hair that flowed down, wearing a black leather jacket over a white tank top and jeans with sandals. Both of them perked up upon spotting the doctor.
"Doctor Piero, hello," the woman greeted, standing up and bowing to him politely, "Thanks for coming to meet us today," she said with gratitude.
"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Pahikaua," Shi responded as he chuckled, "Now then, this is your partner here?" he presumed looking over to the man seated on the bed, "Mister… Kapa Yoroi?" he read off from his tablet in his right hand.
"That's right," the man answered.
"Interesting…" the doctor uttered curiously, rubbing his chin, "Your family's name is Japanese, yet your first name is… Hawaiian, I believe…" he pointed out.
"Mahi and I were born into similar Japanese-American families," Kapa told him, "Though she's more Hawaiian than me," he mentioned as he glanced over to the pink-haired woman with a grin, only for her to frown.
"Don't try making small-talk after what you pulled back there…" she grumbled out.
"Do tell, what exactly happened?" Shi inquired, "I know there was a police report saying that almost… fifteen men ganged up on you?" he read from his tablet, "Wait, that can't be right…" he said, scrolling through his patient's file.
"No, that's the truth," Kapa confirmed, "Fifteen or so punks ran up on me, so I made sure to do what I could until the police arrived," he explained, much to the doctor's shock.
"That didn't mean you needed to use your Quirk on them!" Mahina shouted.
"It's self-defense, Mahi," her partner argued, "How else was I supposed to protect you from those catcallers?" he inquired rhetorically, making her blush a bright red.
"Y-You…!" she growled out with embarrassment. Shi laughed at the pair for a moment. Back on the first floor, the nurse had just finished applying the gel to Kokai's bare belly as she held her shirt up. Yari held her hand, sharing a smile with her.
"Okay, now to get to looking," the nurse with them declared, readying the transducer. She placed it against the green-haired woman's belly, making her giggle a little from the feeling. Slowly, the nurse rubbed the transducer around, looking at the nearby monitor. "Where are you, little one~?" she sang in question.
Kokai smiled as she glanced at the monitor herself. The idea of having a child was something she dreamed of, yet dreaded out of worry because of the superhuman society she and her family lived in. She then blinked as she noticed something.
"Is that our child?" Yari asked upon spotting the image coming into focus upon the screen.
"Yep!" the nurse confirmed in response, letting off a smile, "Congratulations, you two!" she complimented, "You're going to have a lovely baby girl!" she affirmed.
"A… girl?" Kokai repeated in surprise. The nurse blinked in realization and gasped.
"Oh, shoot!" she yelped, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to spoil it for you!" she stammered apologetically.
"No, it's fine," the green-haired woman assured, looking down at her belly, "As long as I know my child is growing healthily in me, whether they're a boy or a girl…" she continued, "I'm happy," she said.
"Hm," her husband chuckled. Just then, there was a slight rumble that the trio in the room felt.
"What was that?" Kokai asked.
"Not sure…" the nurse responded, putting the transducer away, "You two stay here for a few minutes," she advised, "I'm gonna make sure everything's going okay," she told them, leaving the room. Another rumble shook the room again, even stronger than before.
"Yari?" Kokai said, quite confused and panicked.
"Don't worry, it'll be alright," her husband assured with a smile. Another rumble was felt throughout the hospital. And it was the strongest one yet. The whole building collapsed on itself as onlookers outside watched on in horror. One in particular dropped to his knees in disbelief.
"No…" he uttered, tears flowing out from his mask before he screamed with dismay.
Ziggy had been engaged in a battle against a powerful villain. Their clash was being led away from the city into the outskirts, but before they could reach an area of relative safety, the villain tricked Ziggy into deflecting an attack that ruptured the hospital's foundation, making it crumble in on itself. All 326 people inside were found dead.
END FLASHBACK
Shota, Power Loader, All Might and even Mei's eyes were widened with disbelief as they looked at the Shining Star Heroes before them. All three of them had ashamed looks upon their faces. Naomasa was the only one who appeared composed.
"So… how was Ziggy able to resurrect you, in a manner of speaking?" he asked of the trio.
"…Project Edens was initially his dream to create androids to work as sidekicks and allies for law enforcement," Witch explained, "The Hina Hospital Massacre expedited it, however…" she mentioned.
"Even though we all died, Ziggy was able to find our bodies," Sister continued, "He had this weird ability with his gravity, able to see the memories of others, even if they were dead," she told the group.
"Wait, what?" Power Loader said in confusion.
"I've never heard of Ziggy having such an ability…" Shota admitted, narrowing his eyes with skepticism.
"I know it sounds far-fetched, but it's true," Hermit confirmed to the teachers.
"It wasn't just that innate ability of his," Witch mentioned, "Ziggy used much of the technology he had access to in order to transplant our minds into these android bodies, while also making sure to match our appearances to the best of his ability," she explained on.
"So then… when did you find out the truth?" Mei wondered curiously to the surprise of the Shining Star Heroes. The Sorcery Quirk user took a moment to think before taking a deep breath.
"Right as soon as we awoke…" she answered.
X
FLASHBACK
Opening her eyes, Kokai gasped to find herself in a vat, seemingly dressed in nothing but black undergarments. The last thing she remembered was the ceiling of the room collapsing as her husband went over to shield her. After that, everything was a blur.
'Where am I?' she wondered inwardly, 'If… I survived that ordeal…' she continued through her thoughts, 'then… did Yari…?' she started to inquire of herself, looking around. She couldn't tell where she was. It was far too dark. 'What happened…?' she asked inwardly, looking to see the injuries to her body.
The first thing she noticed was her shrunken belly. Her eyes widened with horror as she reached down to it with her trembling hands, only to spot something else. There were significant lines in her arms and fingers, though they didn't look like stitches. In fact, she could see the lines along other parts of her body, even down to her toes.
'What's happened to me…?!' she wondered, trembling with fright. And then, she saw something. It was a figure approaching the vat, being none other than Ziggy himself. 'The Demon King Hero…?' she uttered through her thoughts.
"I can't believe one woke up so soon…" he noted, quickly typing a code on the keypad upon the vat. In an instant, it opened up, with the greenish fluid flowing out as Kokai's feet touched the floor. She stepped down, breathing somewhat heavily. "You're Kokai Majo, correct?" the Satan Gravity Quirk user inquired, looking at the label upon the vat, "I'm glad to see that you're awake…" he pointed out.
"What is this place…?" she asked as she took a few steps forward, only to widen her eyes. Surrounding her were three other vats. Inside were Inja, Imoto, and Mahina. Each of them were dressed in undergarments like hers, having significant lines along their own bodies as well. "What… is happening…?" she inquired, trembling with fright.
"Please…" Ziggy pleaded to her, getting her attention, "I will explain everything…" he promised, lowering his head in shame. Moments later, he had taken Witch to a console, showing her several schematics of her body upon the monitors. Her eyes were shaking.
"Is that… me?" she questioned.
"Yes…" the Demon King Hero answered, "In spite of me being able to remove the rubble and salvage you and everyone else…" he continued, "you all died before I could save you…" he finished grimly.
"We… died?" Kokai repeated in confusion, "W-Wait…" she stuttered, "Then… how am I…?" she started to ask, only to look up at the monitors again to see her schematics, "I'm… a machine?" she guessed, quite shocked.
"The appropriate term would be android," Ziggy responded, "It took me a while, but I was able to build this body for you based on what I could tell from your appearance," he explained to her, "The same goes for the three there," he added, gesturing towards the other vats.
"But… how do I have my memories?" the green-haired android inquired, looking at her hands, "How am I able to remember that I had a life… a family before all this…?" she questioned on, tearing up as she grabbed her head and trembled.
"I was able to transplant your memories into this body," the Demon King Hero replied, "My Quirk grants me the ability to see into the memories of the people I'm closest to, even ones they've forgotten themselves," he explained further, "I made sure those memories were placed in your new body," he affirmed to Kokai, "As successful as this is…" he continued, turning to the green-haired android. To her surprise, he got down onto his hands and knees, bowing his head. "I'm truly sorry…!" he apologized, tears pouring out from his eyes, "It's my fault you died back then…!" he whimpered out in admittance, "I have no right to ask for your forgiveness!" he added emphatically, trembling with sadness.
"Ziggy…" Kokai uttered out. She looked back at the three women still asleep in their vats. She then blinked in realization. "Are… the four of us the only ones you were able to bring back like this?" she inquired. Perking up, Ziggy got onto his feet, wiping his masked arms.
"No…" he answered, "Everyone in the hospital has been provided with an android body," he confirmed to her, "However, you and those three others are further along in the assimilation process," he told her, "I think it's because your bodies were mostly intact when I found you, along with your minds," he mentioned in explanation.
"And what about my unborn daughter?" Kokai asked to his surprise, turning to him with a dark look in her eyes, "What is her fate?" she questioned on. The Demon King Hero lowered his head.
"Come with me," he requested. Moments later, the green-haired android followed him down the hall. Her body didn't feel any different from what it was normally like, even if she was a machine now. She wondered if the same could be said for her husband. "Here," Ziggy said, enticing her to come to a stop. She widened her eyes and gasped.
In front of her was a small vat with what looked to be a little robot inside, sleeping as tubes were plugged into its body. She slowly approached it, dropping to her knees and trembling. Her eyes welled up again with tears as she reached out to it.
"I did everything I could…" the Demon King Hero affirmed, "With no memories, there's only so much of this little one that'll resemble what would've been your daughter," he mentioned sadly. Kokai just wrapped her arms around the vat tightly.
"Have… you named her?" she asked, much to the Satan Gravity Quirk user's surprise.
"No… not yet…" he responded, "Would… you like to?" he presumed. Sniffling as she pulled herself back, the green-haired android nodded. She smiled a little. She was alive. Her husband was, too. And so was their daughter.
"Pino," she said, "Her name will be Pino," she confirmed, cradling the vat holding the tiny bot.
END FLASHBACK
"Wait… you're Pino's mom?!" Mei inquired in shock, widening her eyes. Witch simply nodded.
"I'd prefer to not have that disclosed to her," she told her colleagues.
"We'll honor your request, rest assured," All Might promised.
"But now there's a few more questions we'd like to ask," Naomasa chimed in, "What happened to the other three-hundred-and-twenty-one people involved in the massacre?" he inquired on. The Shining Star Heroes all turned to each other nervously.
"Most of them had… unsuccessful transfers…" Hermit confirmed in reply.
"Meaning…?" Shota started to ask.
"They weren't the way they were before," Sister said, "They were just machines without any sort of memory of their past lives," she explained.
"Ziggy worked tirelessly to perfect the process," Witch noted, "He had thought that if our transfers were so successful, surely there was a way for others to be as successful if not more so…" she pointed out, "That's when he noticed a clear discrepancy," she mentioned.
"A discrepancy?" Power Loader repeated.
"We didn't have Quirks," Sister confirmed in response, much to everyone's surprise, "That's what made the transfer process go so smoothly for us," she added, folding her arms over her chest.
"Wait…" All Might uttered, widening his eyes in horrified realization, "Then… does that mean…?!" he started to assume.
"I assure you, our Quirks were granted to us thanks to Ziggy's help," Witch affirmed, clearing his worries instantly.
"How?" Mei asked.
"Our Quirks are technically Ether-types," Hermit pointed out in reply, "With his own research combined with what was salvaged from Hina Hospital, he was able to implant Ether energy into our bodies, allowing us to gain powers," she explained further.
"Sorcery, Heal Atomizer, Master Code, and Soul Blade," Sister listed off, "Call 'em artificial or whatever, but they're Quirks that we pulled together ourselves," she stated.
"And since Pino was still an unborn child at the time, she had no Quirk of her own," Witch added, "As for the others that Ziggy tried to resurrect in a manner of speaking…" she continued, lowering her head as tears were welling in her eyes, "He kept their android bodies stowed away until he could somehow discover how to successfully transfer their memories," she explained, "Ziggy never told any of us where they were," she mentioned, "Even if we were to find them, it wouldn't matter," she said grimly, "Their memories are lost…" she affirmed on.
"Witch…" All Might uttered.
"I guess that means you figured it out based on Valkyrie, yes?" Shota presumed of Naomasa, who merely nodded.
"The officers and I on the scene that day decided not to make a big deal out of Valkyrie Yuna's autopsy," he told the group, "We wanted to give her and her friends the peace of mind they needed," he added.
"I assume that also means Young Kogetsu doesn't know the truth…" All Might chimed in.
"I'm so sorry…" Witch apologized as she trembled, getting their attentions, "Ziggy's wish was for Project Edens to be a journey into the future for our society," she pointed out, "And yet, it's a reminder of his greatest failure up until his passing…" she added through her tears, "Even so…" she continued as everyone looked on at her sympathetically, "I thanked him for giving me the chance to do something with my life… along with everyone else he was able to bring back…" she admitted.
"Kokai…" Hermit whimpered out.
"Damn it…" Sister cursed as she trembled a little, "Don't make me start crying, too…" she grumbled out.
"It must've been hard to keep such a secret for so long…" Power Leader realized. Mei looked over at the file on the workbench intently. She walked over and opened it up, looking at the blueprints and notes for Witch and the others.
"The heck are you doing, kid?" Sister inquired of her as she wiped away a tear pricking her right eye.
"Students of the Support Course are supposed to be there to help heroes, and Ziggy was the top brass in terms of people who supported them," the Zoom Quirk user responded, "He might've not been able to do it, but I'm going to do my very best to see his wishes through," she vowed firmly, much to the shock of the Shining Star Heroes.
"H-Hatsume…" Power Loader stammered out, "Look, that's nice and all, but—"
"Ziggy didn't have the time to think it through because he was busy being a hero!" his student interjected to his surprise, "I'll pull all-nighters, I'll tinker, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure those other victims can have lives again," she listed off in declaration.
"Lady Mei…" Witch uttered out in awe.
"I doubt that you came by just to talk about that file in particular…" Shota noted to the detective, looking over to him, "Is it about that door we found?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes curiously.
"No, it's more related to this," Naomasa confirmed in response, looking at the other schematics, "Rumors have started circling about androids starting to come out of the woodwork," he told the teachers, "Obviously, you have your robots at UA," he pointed out, "so it's not impossible for someone with the greatest intelligence to create androids that don't even look much different from humans," he mentioned on thoroughly, "At least… not at first…" he added grimly. Everyone perked up.
"What do you mean, Tsukauchi?" All Might inquired.
"After looking into more details about the Hina Hospital Massacre, there were at least ten bodies that weren't found," the detective explained in response, "In all likelihood, they were dead, but were taken by someone else before being found by Ziggy," he noted.
"He never said he lost anyone…" Hermit pointed out.
"True," Naomasa replied, "It's only a theory, but…" he continued, "I believe that some of the androids that Ziggy had obtained were specifically made to be allies for villains," he said, much to everyone's shock, "There's one in particular that fits that bill almost perfectly," he mentioned, lowering his gaze for a moment, "The Eternal Titan, and one of the Oracion Seis…" he kept going, "Deadend Crow," he stated.
X
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~…" Rebecca hummed, sitting at her desk and writing in her notebook. The day had gone by relatively quick. With news of the potential Halloween party for next weekend coming up, she was excited to be celebrating.
It was one of her favorite holidays, allowing her to dress up like the people she most admired. And with the recent school festival done, she had an idea as to who she wanted to be. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" she called out, sliding her swivel chair back and standing up. Entering her room was her boyfriend.
"Hey," he greeted, "So… what'd you wanna meet about?" he inquired as he approached.
"Well, Halloween's on the horizon!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user pointed out in reply, "And considering how UA's thinking of pulling off a festival like last time…" she continued, reaching into one of her drawers for something.
"You're not gonna make me dress up like Tiger again, are you…?" Izuku guessed, grimacing a little. All of a sudden, he felt something come atop his head, making him yelp. His girlfriend snickered.
"Take a look!" she insisted, stepping aside for him to peek forward at the mirror. He blinked in surprise to find the straw hat atop his head, along with the red band upon it.
"This is…" he started to realize, adjusting the hat a little.
"Yep!" Rebecca confirmed, "You're gonna be none other than Luffy for Halloween!" she declared as she pointed at her boyfriend.
"Since when did you start deciding who or what I'd dress up as for Halloween?" he questioned to her, sounding somewhat exasperated.
"We both know you would've just gone as All Might like every other Halloween…" she muttered in response, making him flinch.
"S-So…" he stammered out, "are… you gonna go as Nami or something…?" he presumed, blushing at the thought of the Cat Leaper Quirk user wearing some more revealing clothing.
"Nah, it's probably gonna be too cold for that…" she answered as she shook her head, "And besides, I already had an idea in mind!" she affirmed, grabbing her notebook from her desk and showing him what was inside. He blinked in surprise at the rough sketch of figure with bat-like wings and fangs.
"What's that?" Izuku asked as he got a closer look at the drawing, narrowing his eyes.
"Most of our concert got inspired from that One Piece movie, and that's why Kyoka was all dressed up for it!" his girlfriend explained, "So, I'm going not just as Uta…" she continued, "but a vampire version!" she declared, showing her teeth and holding her hands up menacingly.
"Well, that sounds like a great idea," the One For All inheritor confirmed, "Although, I doubt it'll be easy to get costume materials within a week…" he pointed out worriedly.
"I'll worry about that," Rebecca affirmed with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Just count on me for this one, 'kay?" she advised, giving her boyfriend a wink. He blushed a little, but then chuckled.
"Sure thing," he replied. At that moment, there was another knock at the door.
"Hey, Rebecca!" Toru's voice called out, "It's almost time for the movie!" she noted excitedly.
"Be right there!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user responded, sharing a giggle with Izuku. Moments later, they were down in the common room with their classmates.
"Popcorn?" Minoru said.
"Check!" Denki confirmed, holding a few bowls in his arms.
"Drinks?" Mina inquired.
"All set here!" Ochaco answered, grabbing some liter bottles of soda.
"We also have water and healthier energy drinks!" Tenya pointed out.
"Don't forget the candy!" Toru chimed in.
"At least provide your classmates a healthier option, Hagakure!" the Engine Quirk user insisted of his invisible classmate.
"Ugh…" Katsuki groaned out, "Can we just start this damn thing already?" he asked in annoyance, "Some of us wanna get to sleep…" he grumbled out.
"Sure thing, gramps…" Denki joked in response, only to immediately regret the comment as he heard the angered growling coming from the Explosion Quirk user.
"Feels like it's been a while since the last movie…" Hanta commented.
"Yeah, we need to start watching these more often…" Eijiro insisted.
"So long as everyone's not dealing with other stuff, then we can do at least two movies on weekends!" Rebecca affirmed in response.
"Of course, there's the potential Halloween event next week," Momo noted, "I'm sure most of us are excited to be participating in that," she mentioned on.
"Do some of you have costumes picked out?" Toru inquired curiously. Izuku smiled. Everyone was in good spirits after the success of the school festival. And now, they had the chance to relax and unwind a little.
"Okay, let's get started!" the Cat Leaper Quirk user declared, hitting the play button on the remote in her hand. The movie began, being titled 'The Avengers'. It started with Loki arriving on Earth and attacking Nick Fury along with agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to obtain the Tesseract from them, while also using his scepter to control the minds of some agents, including one known as Clint Barton.
"Mind control, huh?" Denki noted.
"Talk about a creepy power…" Kyoka muttered quietly. As Loki got away with the Tesseract, Nick declared an emergency. The Earth was at war. And as such, a counterforce needed to be assembled. The opening theme played as the title appeared upon the screen.
"Mmm, I'm so hyped!" Ochaco exclaimed, trembling with excitement.
"Me too!" Shiki yelled out. It wasn't long before the movie got rolling with a reintroduction of characters, starting with Natasha Romanov, who took down a few smugglers while bound to a chair.
"My word…" Homura uttered in amazement.
"A sexy and super awesome hero…" Minoru noted as he nodded, "That's so perfect!" he exclaimed as he drooled a little.
"Ugh…" Kyoka groaned with disgust. Afterwards, the movie continued with reintroductions to characters like Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark.
"Wait, that's not the same guy who played him…" Hanta pointed out upon seeing the former character on the screen.
"Yeah, I think it was due to conflicts or something along those lines…" Rebecca responded, "I think the guy here's okay though…" she affirmed, grimacing a little. Her boyfriend noticed, wondering what was bothering her. After getting the team together somewhat, Steve, Natasha and Tony went to capture Loki in Germany, as he was plotting to gather materials necessary for his plans. Though he was captured, it seemed as if he planning on it all along.
But as he was being returned to the group's base of operations, they were ambushed by none other than Thor, who wanted to take his brother home to Asgard and give up on his ambitions. Of course, that led to Tony fighting the God of Thunder in an effort to take Loki back. Through a fight sequence filled with surprises, the group settled their squabbles and brought the God of Mischief to the Helicarrier, which was essentially a floating fortress for S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Is it just me, or does this story feel… safe in a way?" Tsuyu inquired of her classmates with a finger upon her right cheek.
"It is pretty paint-by-numbers…" Eijiro admitted in reply, "But I think what happens is what makes it so good!" he pointed out. After a long while of exposition and interactions between characters, showing their growing mistrust of each other. It all cultivated in a huge argument between the heroes, leading to them being ambushed by Loki's controlled goons, including Clint.
"Whuh-oh…" Mina uttered out. Things went from bad to worse as during the attack, Bruce turned into the Hulk, rampaging through the Helicarrier before having to face off against Thor. All the while, Tony and Steve were working to make sure the ship stayed airborne as its turbines were being attacked.
It was chaotic. And ultimately, it cultivated in the character of Phil Coulson winding up killed by Loki before his escape. Eijiro was actually tearing up at the scene along with Minoru, while Toru sniffled. Meanwhile, Shota had just entered the dorm along with Witch, Sister, and Hermit, looking over to see the students watching the movie.
"There was an idea…" Nick began, talking about the concept of the Avengers as he addressed those still present on the damaged Helicarrier. Hearing about it, Izuku was left to wonder if he and his classmates were similar in their journeys together to become heroes. To fight the battles that others never could.
Rebecca leaned up against him as he blinked in surprise, looking over to see her smile. He smiled back warmly, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. The movie continued with the team pulling themselves together and confronting Loki in New York. His plan was to open a portal that would bring forth an army known as the Chitauri. And they rained down upon the city, along with their giant Leviathans.
"Oh man…" Hanta uttered in shock.
"How are six guys supposed to fight all of that?" Ochaco wondered aloud.
"You'll see," the Cat Leaper Quirk user assured in response. By the time the team finally came together, Bruce returned, having reverted back from the Hulk. However, a Leviathan was fast approaching.
"That's my secret, Captain," he told Steve, who requested that he get angry, "I'm always angry," he confirmed, right before transforming back into the Hulk and smashing down the monstrous beast almost collided with him. With its death, the team had finally come together: Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Hawkeye, and Captain America. Working as one, they fought off the Chitauri with all their might. They also took care of Loki, as the green beast was quick to swing him around like a ragdoll, smashing him against the floor.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" a good amount of those in the room laughed heartily.
Even as a missile was sent toward the city for fear that things were getting too dire, Tony was quick to redirect it into the portal leading to the aliens' mothership. With it destroyed, all of the aliens on Earth fell. And like that, Loki's plan was forever ruined as he found himself surrounded by the heroes.
"If it's all the same to you…" he began to his foes, "I'll have that drink now…" he confirmed. After a bit of exposition to neatly wrap things up, the movie closed on the idea that the Avengers would come together again when the world needed them. However, there was a post-credits scene that piqued the interest of a few. The alien that Loki had spoken to earlier in the film appeared, addressing his master about the failure of Earth's conquest. Whoever it was in the chair stood up.
"To challenge them… is to court death…" his liege told him, lowering his head. He turned to the camera slightly, giving off a grin. After that, the credits rolled.
"Oooh, that's so exciting!" Ochaco proclaimed excitedly, "Wait, who even was that?" she asked after a moment.
"Who knows?" Rebecca responded with a cheeky shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh, you…" Kyoka grumbled as she grinned, shoving her friend playfully from behind, making her giggle.
"We're finally done with the first phase," the Cat Leaper Quirk user confirmed, "So from now on, we'll push through all the others!" she declared for the class.
"Yeah!" they exclaimed in agreement. Watching them from afar, the Shining Star Heroes smiled. Witch especially felt grateful. However, a sense of guilt crossed her mind as she frowned a little.
'Rebecca…' she uttered inwardly, 'I hope you can understand when the time comes…' she noted to herself, seeing her laugh with her friends.
ENDING
Insert "Shikisai" by Yama
Opens with Rebecca waking up for the day in her dorm room, tiredly crawling out of her bed. She makes it to the bathroom, only to widen her eyes with terror at the sight of how messy her hair is. Luckily, a comb is passed to her from Tsuyu, who she thanks.
Later that morning, Rebecca enjoys her breakfast before being given a cup of tea made by Momo. What follows is her going over to play a video game with Mina and Toru on the Switch before they have to go class. It rains on the way, though Rebecca forgot her umbrella. Thankfully, Mezo comes over, using his patagia to shield her from raindrops.
In the classroom, she talks with both Tenya and Shoto about studying, asking them for pointers. As Shota walks in to start class, she scurries back to her seat, only to find a note there. She opens it up and smiles to see that it's from Izuku, who she shoots a smile toward.
In the afternoon during lunch, Kyoka saves her a seat in the cafeteria. She's also kind enough to shoo away a pesky Minoru, though he was only making sure Rebecca didn't touch a piece of gum left under the table. As the class returns from lunch, the Cat Leaper Quirk user trips by accident, only to end up caught by Mashirao's tail. The two of them share a smile and then a laugh.
During hero training, Rebecca gets the chance to spar against Ochaco, Hanta, and Homura. She weaves past the Zero Gravity Quirk user, evades the tape of Hanta, and then closes in to land a kick on the crossed blades of Homura, who cracks a grin. The four of them continue as All Might, Witch and Shota watch on.
Yuga later offers Rebecca some cheese as a snack, which she happily accepts. She also goes the development studio with Weisz and Denki, as the three of them are met with an explosion as a dirtied Mei laughs sheepishly. With a long day nearly done, Rebecca returns to the dorms to find Koji there with his bunny in hand, allowing her to pet it warmly. She then goes over to Rikido, asking him about a favor.
Once dinner's over, Rebecca puts on an apron and starts baking, whisking eggs and mixing flour with water. Fumikage and Eijiro watch on curiously with intrigue, followed by Katsuki approaching. He takes a taste of the batter to Rebecca's shock and anger, only for her to realize that she almost missed adding some vanilla. After a little while, she pulls out a baking sheet from the oven with several cookies upon it, decorating them for Halloween.
As the class goes ahead and partakes in her baked goods, the Cat Leaper Quirk goes over and offers Izuku a treat in the shape of a heart. He smiles and blushes, eagerly eating it. Afterwards, the whole class gets themselves ready for a movie night. Shiki floats over with a bowl of popcorn and other snacks, landing on the couch between Ochaco and Momo. With the remote in her hand, Rebecca presses the play button… and the screen goes black.
END ENDING
Wow. This was a heavy chapter. And it's going to get heavier in the coming ones, especially with what I've got in mind.
I'm sure you have some questions, so feel free to drop them in your reviews. Thanks for reading, guys! I appreciate your continued support!