-Subchapter 2: Internships from a Different Point of View-
Mei Hatsume, much to her disappointment, had only one offer. Needless to say, despite having Goku and Izuku to piggyback on, it didn't pay off. However, there was something fishy about the one offer she has. It's apparently a collaboration between the Principal and Power Loader...? This should be interesting. However, she could not be prepared to see an older woman alongside Nezu and Power Loader as she entered the Principal's office.
"Impeccable timing, Hatsume," Nezu said, a bit subdued as he had prepared tea for the four of them.
"Hmm? What's going on here, Principal?" Mei naturally asked, as she looks at the older woman. "And who is she?"
"This is the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission. She's here to oversee our meeting before we start your internship," Nezu told the Support Student.
"You may just call me 'Madam', Ms. Hatsume," the President spoke, with absolute calmness and authority in her voice. "This meeting is because you will be exposed to secrets that we've hidden from the public for fifteen years. Not a soul aside from me and a select few Commission Agents, Mr. Nezu, Mr. Maijima, and Mr. Son knows the full extent of Son Goku, and if you are to be entrusted, you will need to not speak to anybody about this."
For the first time in her life, the pink-haired support student was at a loss of words. She couldn't even find the words to reply to such an offer. The middle-aged president looked at her, though after some time, the student swallowed her pride.
"Okay..." Mei said, as quiet as possible. "Okay, I'll sign what NDA you have..."
"That's all I needed to hear." Kinoshita slid an NDA form to Mei, who signed it. After all's said and done, then came the most shocking information that will come to the young girl's life.
"Son Goku was never born on Earth. In fact, he came from outer space." Those words from the middle-aged woman sent cold sweats down Mei's face. She felt clammy.
"Son-kun... is an alien...? Surely, you're joking...!" Mei asked, hoping whatever information came from the President was a joke. However, Nezu stepped in.
"Indeed... Son Goku is an alien. Though the trouble we've hit involves the pod he came here in," The mouse-thing principal said. "While the pod is still in working condition, we had barely scratched the surface of that contraption's full capabilities."
"The only thing that we know is that its technologies are truly beyond even I-Island's best," Power Loader continued on. "It's hull is virtually pristine despite hitting reentry speeds, and it's well insulated, to the point that Son was unharmed aside from a bump on his noggin'."
"If a Villain managed to get this pod before we got to it, there's no telling how they could have reverse-engineered its capabilities to their own benefits. And that's not to say if his true nature were to have been revealed. My predecessor and I took a huge risk in allowing the alien to be raised by Mr. Son, but it was well worth the risk," Meri concluded.
This revelation blew Mei away. Not only was one of her partners an alien, but he came in something that sounded like it was something outright out of science fiction. However, then an opportunity presented itself. If she could reverse engineer the pod, then she could have a myriad of gadgets she could fabricate, many of which would be lightyears ahead of Earth's technological level. That being said, however, she still felt nervous, truly as if the weight of the world bore on her shoulders. But, with a smile on to her face, she lit up in determination.
"I'll gladly accept this task, Madam and Principal. Because the greatest inventors will always start with the biggest boom!" The pink-haired girl affirmed.
"That isn't true, Mei. You can't just blow up Son's space pod just because of a motivation quote," Loader said with a glare. The principal side eyed Nezu, a bit doubtful.
"Are you certain that Ms. Hatsume can help you with this task?" She asked him.
"I have no doubt about that, Madam President. Ms. Hatsume's skills as a mechanic is incredible, even compared to the Third Years, dare I say she's second only to Power Loader. However, he and I will keep her on track." Nezu nodded.
"I know you know what you're doing, but I'm still nervous about this entire project. Because I don't know what will happen if Son realizes he wasn't born on Earth," The President said.
"Despite my life starting out as a test subject, there's always been a curious thing about humans. Your species' spirit of humanity, the good and the bad, are as infectious as the Black Death. I have no doubt that Son Goku had that same infection of humanity coursing through him as it had to me, nurtured by his adoptive parents' care and his own curiosity. However, I also feel that he will need to learn the truth about his existence, or else he'll feel an emptiness he will never fill. I just hope we have enough information we can make a valid assessment," Nezu told his side of the argument. The President can only make a small smirk.
"I hate that you always come up with good assessments, Nezu. However, at this point, I trust your judgement more than anyone else's involving this case. If you'll excuse me, I will need to return back to the office. Hawks apparently took a student under his wing."
"Of course, Madam President! I'm glad we were able to arrange this meeting and I hope he is doing well over there," Nezu bowed, with Meri doing so before taking her leave. As soon as the door closes, he starts to smile, as he looks at Mei and Power Loader. With a nod, they got to work, and despite knowing what is going to lie ahead, Mei couldn't help but gasp when she sees the Pod for herself. This is going to be an interesting week that she couldn't have ever anticipated.
Despite the concerns he had for his friend, Izuku shook it off as he walked towards an unassuming home. Even though the green-haired student has 108 different internship options, All Might was successful in convincing him to go for his former teacher, an elderly Hero who went by the name "Gran Torino". Soon, he was at the door of the former teacher.
"Hello...?" Izuku knocked on the door. There was no response. "...Hello...?" He knocked again. No response. Upon opening the door, his eyes shift around, but then sees a horrifying scene. It was an old man, dead with a pool of blood around him.
"Oh my God!" He exclaimed, his face instantly going pale. "H-He's... dead!"
However, as the teenager shrieked the declaration, the old man got up. The "blood" on his body was just ketchup and he had a grin on his face.
"Eh? Whose dead?" The elder hero asked as he looked at the green-haired boy. This reaction only elicits a greater scream from the teenager, while the elder tried to keep himself together.
"I'm just tugging at your cape, Toshinori. I still got a few years left in me," Torino said, groaning as he got up and dusted himself off. "Besides, after what you've showcased at the Festival, I'm... curious. Did he actually teach you that well?"
"Erm... I'm Izuku Midoriya... Actually, it was a classmate of mine," Izuku replied. Torino cranes an eyebrow as this kid explained. "Between then and the Sports Festival, Son Goku taught me a lot about my Quirk, and he helped me realized how I needed to grow." After he said it, he breathed in and concentrated, before Full Cowl 5% manifested. The old man chuckled, deciding to shelf his forgetful elderly persona for at least a little bit.
"So it seems... Never thought I'd see the light of day where a stranger could comprehend One For All more than a Bearer. But, I should be thankful, because we can skip right to the juicy part! You might be able to call upon One For All without killing yourself, but you're still just a neophyte!" And just as Torino ended his sentence, he leaps around the room. Despite the 5% Full Cowl upgrade, the sheer speed of this old man was truly incredible.
"Considering how you and that young fire spitter fought, I truly doubt he had taught you how to use One For All indoors!" Torino challenged the boy. And thus, the most intense game of Tag started.
Indeed, despite the growth of strength and speed, the young One For All user cannot hope to match the experience of Torino's jumps. However, the old man would note that the kid had both the drive and inspiration, and there were a few feints that got him really close to being caught by Izuku, even if there's a few times the Full Cowl state had dissipated, he had been able to reactivate the power. Unfortunately for the green-haired teen, he wouldn't be able to catch his newest teacher before there was a break called. They both panted, a glint of respect coming from the elder's eye.
"Not bad at all, boy. Don't expect success on the first try, but you got plenty close. But now... the most important part of training: A break!" Torino declared. "Come and get yourself something to eat."
In the man's freezer, was microwave taiyaki. The teenager did as the package told him, and meticulously placed them on a plate in the microwave, setting a timer for it.
"Perhaps I am prying too much, but had Son known about One For All? Or was it a lucky guess?" The elderly Hero asked.
"Um... well, you could say it's a lucky guess," Izuku said, a little nervous. "But the truth of the matter was that Son looks much stronger than he lets on. So when he fights us, he has to hold back his true strength, otherwise he's afraid that he'll seriously harm someone." This answer gave Gran more intrigue.
"So, if I'm reading you right, boy, he taught you how to more efficiently use One For All because he constantly has to keep himself in check?"
"That's... exactly how it is," his protégé replied.
The elder was at a loss of words. It's clear that Izuku is speaking the truth. It's also clear that Goku was pretty damn powerful, and as he saw on TV, when he allowed himself to get into the fight, it usually ends with his opponent being sent flying towards the edge. He's like an All Might, but instead of fighting with 100% strength, he paces himself before tapping more into his fighting prowess. In addition, unlike that meathead, whose answer to a problem is usually to punch it as hard as possible, that kid's able to move and strike with deceptive efficiency either by punch or by kick, though he is also prone to just throwing punches when he starts to tire out.
"What a weird kid that Son is..." His train of thought's interrupted when the microwave announced it's finished its task. "Alright, kid, let's get those delectable taiyakis out!"
Upon grabbing the taiyaki, the old man frowned as he immediately knew that it was still cold.
"Throw them back in the microwave. They're still frosty in the center." All the while, Izuku was handling the head of his taiyaki and it lightly burnt his fingertips. "Danged microwaves... They're so useful, but equally so useless."
With the burn and the icy coldness of these microwaved treats, Izuku was thinking. Had it not been for his friend helping him control his power output, would he have used these taiyakis as his example...?
After having their snacks, their training started again. Slowly, but surely, the green-haired teen started to go faster, even started to get stronger as well, as his Full Cowl lasted for longer periods of time. Soon, he is able to match Torino's speed, which ends with Izuku finally tagging Gran, causing him to launch into his couch. The Hero-in-Training looked shocked, while after a little bit of groaning, the elder was guffawing.
"It looks like our little game had come to end a little early!" He proclaimed. "How much power were you able to channel, my boy?"
"I... I think I was tapping into about 8% of One For All more reliably," Izuku said. His master had grinned.
"You still got a long ways to go before you'll truly have One For All, Midoriya, but I'm glad I'm not wasting my time on a no-hoper. Also, if I see that monkey-tailed boy, I'm gonna personally thank him for teaching you something that blockhead should have taught you from the beginning! For the rest of today, we'll begin training in parkour running techniques, so you can take advantage of what you can use! We'll also go on our first patrol starting tomorrow, so what's your Hero name?"
"Eh...? I go by 'Deku'." Deku said.
"Deku..." The elderly hero repeats to himself. This new user of One for All is indeed a strange boy, but he's got a lot of spirit. That'll help when All Might is no longer able to be a Hero.
During the first night at Torino's residence, Izuku felt something... different with this dream.
He saw a strong man, full of darkness within his heart, alongside a more frail man, with light holed up in his heart. He saw as the pleas from the frail man fell short, as the stronger man shoved him out of the way, with the palms of his hands fixed upon two other peoples' heads. One had horns on him and wanted them gone, while the other had none and wanted a power. With this power crackling a deep red around the three, their abilities (or for one, lack thereof) was switched around, as the two bowed before the giant man. And soon, the scenery switches to a featureless room, full of seats, and the frail man looked at Izuku, the young teen's heart panged with fear. What surrounded the man are clouded beings, the only thing visible was their eyes, which glowed an ethereal white, in addition to a cloudy Toshinori Yagi, whose form is easily blown away.
"So, you're Izuku Midoriya...?" the man said, with a smile forming on his face. "The ninth bearer of One For All, the opposite of my brother's Quirk."
"W-W-Wuh?! W-Who are you?!" Izuku was asking, fear not only for the man, but one who knows about One For All.
"I was the first bearer of One For All, Izuku Midoriya. Or rather, I am Yoichi Shigaraki."
"First bearer of One For All... Shigaraki..." The young teen repeated to himself, as if he was digesting their meaning.
"Wait, like the Villain that attacked the USJ?" The white figure shook his head.
"No. He is only a pawn of a bigger picture he has yet to see. The truth is... my brother, All For One, is still alive. And your friend, Son Goku, is in danger if he has his way."
"Goku-kun...?" Izuku felt himself blanch. "Surely, you must be mistaken. He's one of the strongest in my class!"
"I do not doubt his strength nor do I doubt his shining resolve. But as we speak, my brother covets the young man's power, and he will do anything he can to get his hands on him."
"Though why are you telling me this, and why at this moment?" the green-haired boy asked another question.
"Because you will be able to help him, long after your predecessor's embers are smoldered. The bond you two have forged is as impenetrable as the thick walls that held me so long ago." He said, as his fingers trace along the wall right behind his chair, feeling the little bump where, in life, it was the boundary between a metal vault door and the concrete walls. "For now, continue your training. You've made incredible progress for as much power as One For All had gathered."
After that, Izuku felt himself fall, eventually waking up on the couch Torino assigned as his bed. He felt sweat on his forehead as he was taking in quick breaths, before he focused and slowed himself down.
"W-woah..." He quietly said to himself. "That dream... What does it even mean?"
He soon started to fall asleep again, slowly as the livid vision crept its way into his mind. The cryptic warning, his friend in danger... Perhaps All Might could help him once this was all finished?
He has no idea what the Hell's going on here. That idiot Deku was actually a formidable opponent against Icy-Hot, and that's not to say about what ever Monkey had done to get that powerful. Hopefully, this trip down to Hiroshima will help him surpass all those fools, so that he can truly be the Godly Explosion Murder Hero he's destined to be. It's... weird. Katsuki Bakugou, the Lord Explosion Hero, going down to Hiroshima, where one of the most horrifying weapons of the Pre-Quirk Age was used by the Americans: the Atomic Bomb. He doesn't dwell on it too much, however, as he finally approaches a modest looking building on the outskirts of the city. The only reason why he knew it was her "agency building," which is really just a hotel, was because it had a small flag, colored and decorated with lunar rabbit motifs.
"Is this dump really all that she's got, even though she's the number seven hero?" he remarked in disgust. Perhaps Monkey tricked him by having him go to this dump. However, as soon as he enters, he sees an uninterested rabbit hero, sitting on the couch of the hotel lobby with a bowl of lettuce, eating each leaf as if they were potato chips.
"What's it you want, rug rat?" The Rabbit Hero speaks in a dead monotone, barely keeping her eyes off the TV, and chewing on her lettuce.
"I want you as my training dummy, bunny bitch!" Katsuki got into his fighting stance. She takes her eyes off the TV for just a second, if only to smirk at this brat's determination.
"If you were serious about coming here, then you wouldn't have lost to that monkey kid, now would you?" She spoke with a sly tone.
"I am serious! And you should be if you don't want to end up dead!" The Explosion Student launches himself at Mirko. However, with a yawn, she leaps over her opponent and lightly kicks the student, launching him and causing him to crater in the wall. She looked bemused as he swiftly picked himself off the ground and gave her a glare.
"So, you wanna prove yourself that way..." Mirko said to herself, before she let out her own twisted grin, meeting him eye to eye, shifting into her own fighting stance. "Alright, pipsqueak! If you really want to intern under me, you're gonna have to beat me!"
"Gladly," a low hum escaped from Katsuki, as he started to go on the offense.
Mirko used her superior agility to blindside her child opponent, though before long, he was able to react with a counterattack, actually landing a decent Explosion on her back, staggering her a bit. However, whatever attack that the ashen bomber could land, she can easily counterattack with a knee before flicking him away with her shin, or a spinning kick, or the odd low sweep. But he wouldn't give up. He cannot allow himself to be submissive to this bitch. That was when he considered to feign his attack, with Mirko ready to tank yet another attack, but then he yelled out his next attack.
"Flashbang!" The bomber's words rang out as he flashes his explosive payload only a foot away from Mirko's face, causing her to yell in pain as she covered her eyes, rendered temporarily blinded.
"No fair, brat!" she yelled out, but she still used her rabbit hearing to keep track of Katsuki, as one of her kicks lands true on one of the brat's arm. However, soon, she feels a powerful explosion on her abdomen as she feels herself flying and roughly landing on her couch, causing the backrest to break in two.
The fight ended, with the bomber started to pant and held exactly where Mirko kicked him in the arm. It was seriously painful, but he powered through it. The arm didn't break, but it felt like it would snap in two if it took another blow from her legs. As for the bunny bitch herself, she got up, rubbing her back. It turned out that part of the wall behind the couch also got an indent of the Rabbit Hero's upper back. She then looked over to her now newly dubbed protégé with a prideful grin.
"Well, well... You actually got some fight in you, Bakugou," She said with a low growl, her smirk wide. "How well are you able to keep up with rabbits? Because I don't just stay in Hiroshima for my exploits, I go all around Japan!" For the ashen bomber, he gives her just as wide a smirk, their red eyes meeting each other's again.
"Well enough, you bunny bitch," was his response.
"Heh. Well said, rug rat. We'll see if that's true soon enough. However, if anyone asks, you're just a fanboy." Mirko picked up her bags, and starts to go out the door.
"U-um, Ms. Mirko, you do realize you'll have to pay for someone to fix up the hotel furniture," An older man said nervously. While he is taller than the 5'3" Rabbit Hero, her very presence makes him feel small.
"Charge it to my secretary and treasurer, big guy," Mirko dismissively shooed him away. "Room 421, the one with the rabbit ears. Can't miss her."
With the two exiting the hotel, they head out into the countryside.
For Momo Yaoyorozu, she had her reasons for going for a Hero well known for rescues. True, with more eyes on her and her relatively amazing fight with Son Goku, that meant more combat-oriented Heroes were willing to intern her. However, she recognizes that, as much as her further honed techniques would make her a more capable fighter, she always wanted to rescue others in need. For goodness sakes, part of the reason she wanted to train with Denkiken for those four weeks was because she wanted to better her ability to rescue her friends, even if her Quirk was rendered useless. Though it's weird having the agency right in the middle of the Shopping District of Tokyo, she can see merit in its location, considering how extreme some disasters can be when a particularly nasty earthquake or a tsunami come in. Urban rescue, especially in natural disasters, is its own beast. The orange ponytailed girl, Itsuka Kendo, was a bit surprised to see Momo.
"Oh, so you went with Uwambi as well, Yaoyorozu-san?" Itsuka said. "With how well you fought, I'd thought you would go with someone like Death Arms or Gang Orca."
"That is true, Kendo-san, though when it comes to Heroes, I'm interested with what Uwambi-sensei can teach us," Momo replied. "I want to help people out, no matter if I have a Quirk or not. Though I'll admit firsthand, it was exhilarating being able to fight against Son-san to an extent."
"I hear you, and I'm lowkey envious that you got to fight him. Though I would have loved to shut Monoma up about how he'd 'defeat that monkey if I had his Quirk' ever since Son fired that beam out from his hands."
"Oh, I hadn't expected you two to be here so early!" A feminine voice spoke, as she revealed herself. With three snakes on the top of her head and a purple dress accentuating her figure, she looks at the two girls. "Yes, you two are absolutely perfect for what I want! However, before we begin, I'll need to have you sign some release forms. I'm sure you'll understand."
"I do, Uwambi-sensei," Momo responded respectfully. Creating a small pen, she starts reading over the terms of the release form.
"An eager woman you are, Yaoyorozu-san! I like that about you," the snake-haired Hero said, as she handed Itsuka her release form. "If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. I'll be around if you need me."
During this time away from Uwambi, Momo particularly looks at the part where it specifies "Ad Exposure". Wait, why is that thing in a release form such as this...? As for her partner in crime, she scoffed at that part. To the orange-haired martial artist, it was obvious why Uwambi has such a clause in the form. However, she looks as her partner gets up to go to Uwambi to ask the question.
"My sincerest apologies, Uwambi-sensei, but I have a question about this form." She then points towards the "Ad Exposure" clause. "Why would such a clause be necessary in this release form?"
"Ah, Yaoyorozu-san, I can explain why. Part of the internship process is learning how to appear and appeal to the public. You will learn how to read and in return, influence the public through exposure from mass media. As you can see, even the best of the best needs some media savviness to survive and thrive in our culture. I hope that explains why I have the clause in our form."
"...That makes sense. I'm sorry for doubting you," Momo bowed in her apology.
"No, no, it's fine, my dear! As I said, I'm here to help clear things up for you. Any other questions we need to address?"
"That was my only question. Thank you for clarifying the clause with me."
"Excellent! Whenever you're ready, hand in your forms to me and we'll get started as soon as possible!"
As soon as the forms were processed, Uwambi started preparations. Initially, Momo was excited. Yes, having to do something involving mass media is unusual, but she can see the positives of using the media to her advantage. A lot of movements had started because of mass media's seemingly infinite reach into the human subconscious speaking to the ideologies of peoples from different bands of life, unifying to fight off evils that a single person alone couldn't fight. Her imagination is going further and further, thinking about all the wonderful lessons she can learn!
...Only for said imagination to be splatted unceremoniously when she was told to hold a bottle of shampoo. And to pose in order to give her now tornado hair some bounce. And for Uwambi to declare that the two had done a masterful job. This is going to be a painfully monotonous week full of vapid bull... At least she got her Yaoyopedia. During her off time, she could try her hand at making electronics. Silicon chips, wiring on top of PCB, tiny sensors capable of transmitting and receiving data through radio waves, that'll help her get through the week. It's one thing to make bo staffs and cannons, it's another thing entirely making something as precise as a small handheld device.
A.N.: Admittedly, the reason why it's taking so long to release these chapters nowadays is because I'm trying to find an actual job. Main problem is that there's really not many good jobs out there, especially for people who live in a rural town without much in the way of transport, in addition to no driver's license. The smaller problem is that I'm tossed between having a Two Heroes chapter or skipping to the Kiyashi Ward and just pretend the movies don't exist. Finally, I would much rather have a name for the Madam President, instead of simply called "Madam President". In-Story, no one's going to call her by her true name, most likely to make tracking her as hard as possible. However, I think I may go for Meri Kinoshita. Similarly to how the MHA-Doom Crossover gave her a name by splicing her Japanese and English names together, though I'm using the English first name, just slightly corrupted and using her Japanese last name.