"Are you sure that you two are alright?" Tenya said as he kept his eye on the three-third years.
"Yes, thank you," Izuku said. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."
"My apologies, Tenya Ida," Tenya said with a polite bow. "This is Eijiro Kirishima and Denki Kaminari. We came with as backup when Melissa informed us that you and your lady friend may be in trouble."
"That was very nice of you," Mei said.
"What was all that about?" Momo said.
"We had just come from a meeting with Thirteen about the Spheres," Mei said. "Oh yeah," she hugged Momo, her face lighting up. "Thirteen said we can test the Spheres during your guy's rescue training on Friday. She Is willing to review the data and offer her suggestions; if they work as we say, she may even endorse them."
Momo affectionately returned the hug. "That is great."
"Um, Mei, those three?" Melissa said.
"Oh, those assholes were trying to bully themselves into our lab," Mei said, releasing Momo. "They were trying to say it was a privilege to show them; it seemed like shit was going to go down, so I sent the signal. We didn't know their quirks; I didn't think it was like that time, but better safe than sorry."
"Good thinking, Mei," Melissa kissed her on the cheek.
"I'm sorry "that time?" Kyoka said.
"Rather not talk about it," Melissa said, and Momo nodded. The others saw deep emotions cross the four's faces. Mei absently rubbed her shoulder, and they saw Izuku hold his wrist.
"Sorry, didn't mean to pry," Kyoka winced.
"No, it is fine," Izuku said with a smile.
"Why would showing your lab to other students be such a big thing?" Denki asked.
"Inviting another inventor is like inviting someone to come rummage around your underwear drawer," Mei said. "Or more like we don't want them to try and steal our stuff."
"Imagine if Mr. Aizawa put a problem up on the board and said the first one to solve it gets a million points and doesn't have to do homework all year," Melissa said. "Would you let anyone come walking in where they could see the research or progress you have made with the problem."
"I get it now," Denki said. "It is a personal space that you have to trust the people you are letting in, and in your guy's case, they can try and steal your invention from you, costing you money."
"Exactly," Mei said, smiling.
"We have a huge pot of stew at home if. You would all care to join us?" Izuku offered the group.
"That sounds nice," Toru said quietly.
"I would like that very much; it would be nice to get to know you two better," Ochaco said with a bow.
"I would like to join as well," Tsu said. "I also wondered if I could talk to you about improving my suit."
"I wouldn't mind hearing some ideas for support gear," Denki said.
"I just want to hang with some friends," Eijiro smirked.
"Enjoying a nice meal and friendly companionship sounds very nice indeed," Tenya added.
"Then let's head home; the more, the merrier," Mei said with a smile," food, friends, and making babies sounds like a great night to me."
Ochaco, Kyoka, and Tsu all blushed. Denki nearly fainted, Eijiro's eyes widened, and Tenya stepped back. "Now see here, Ms. Hatsume…"
"Making babies is what she calls making inventions," Melissa said quickly. Everyone visibly relaxed. Toru was sputtering, looking back and forth.
"I don't think I am ready," Toru finally said.
Momo laughed and explained what Mei meant again, causing Toru to relax as they walked towards their home.
Izuku steps next to Tsu, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I was wondering if it was possible to do something with my suite, Kero," Tsu said. "Due to my quirk, I am very susceptible to the cold and was interested in something to help regulate my temperature. Also, if it gets too hot, then dehydration is a real concern as well."
"To be honest, the answer is yes, no, and kind of," Izuku said, Tsu's head tilted to the side in confusion. "The No is that there isn't much with what is currently available. Maybe we could add some things that would help a little, but they would add bulk. We could do it easily, but you must sign with our support company exclusively."
"You have your own company?" Ochaco said, shocked.
"Yup," Mei said, grinning. "That is how we got our place and personal lab; according to U.A.'s rules, you have to have a company that has put items to market or has signed people to exclusive contracts."
"Who do you have?" Eijiro asked.
"Me, of course," Melissa said, "because of the suit they built, Momo, and they signed Midnight."
"Wait, do you have our professor as a personal client?" Denki said, shocked.
"No freaking way!" Mina said, "I watched that press conference. That suit looked so awesome, and she was saying how she didn't have to tear her suit anymore, and I offered some of the best protection on the market." Izuku and Mei smiled.
"Am I a personal client?" Toru asked. "You did make my suit."
"No, I filed for a personal exception with the principal and Power Loader," Izuku said. "We kept your suit in line with what every other student can order and have made with the support course; the difference, of course, is turning Invisible for you."
"As a safety concern, it was easy to get a variance, and after the suit is made, there is no worry of our technology getting out unless your suit gets stolen or something," Mei added. "But it is the same risk we have if that were to happen to Momo's suit."
"Then can I sign up to be a personal client," Toru said, fidgeting.
"Of course," Izuku smiled. Toru did her best to not let her smile run away with her.
"I am interested as well," Tsu said. "What does that entail?"
"Do I have to sign some contract for support gear?" Denki said.
"No, we can help you design it, but we won't be able to build it with any of our tech," Mei said. "I am confident that the material in the support course would be more than adequate to build what you have in mind. It is all top-of-the-line material, but someone else may be assigned to build it."
"So what if we want you to do it," Kyoka said.
"Well then," Mei looked to Momo.
"Then you have some options," Momo said. "You can pay for the design and creation, then the item is yours, and we can sign a maintenance contract. The other option is that we sign an exclusive contract where you agree to only every use of tech and support items; in return, we get a percentage of future earnings to recoup our initial cost and to pay for our future services."
"That sounds complicated," Ochaco said.
"No, not really," Tenya said, adjusting his glasses. "Most agencies will hire support engineers to work for them; they are paid a salary, and the agency foots the bill for all the materials. They can also contract out to an established support company, which sends a bill every month. They also have items you can order that are not tailored-made but just bulk items such as handcuffs, tear gas, belts, replacement or consumables. Then there are other support companies you got to for exclusive gear and personal items; they are couture items designed, created, and manufactured by that support company exclusively for that hero."
Everyone was looking at Tenya wide-eyed. "That hero then signs a contract promising them a percentage, normally a few percentage points, but it could be much higher if the hero cannot do their job without the item. Often, that company hopes that something the design for the hero will catch the eye of other heroes, and then other heroes will come to them for a similar item, the same item or their own personal item."
"How do you possibly know all of this?" Denki said, stunned.
"My brother is the pro hero Ingenium," Tenya said. "He is a great inspiration to me and employs over 60 sidekicks; I remember when they switched from an outside company to an in-house one. It was a very long discussion with them talking over the pros and cons."
"Um, I think I will stick with workshopping something and going the free route," Denki said.
"Depending on what you need, that is the best route right now," Melissa said.
"So what percentage of my future earnings would I have to offer, ribbit," Tsu said. "I don't think I could afford Midnight levels of gear. And what if I want to break the contract later."
"If I remember, it is 5%," Izuku said, looking at Momo, who nodded. "And if you break the contract, then you have to surrender the suit," Again, Momo nodded.
"Can I buy it and keep it?" Tsu said.
"Yes," Izuku said. "You just have to pay full price. But that is established at the time of the suit being made."
"So what if she wants ten suits in different colors," Mina said, her mind already racing at all the ones she would want.
"Same 5%," Mei said. "The goal is to build a relationship with the hero and keep improving the suit so they never want to leave. Imagine if you supply the suits for Tenya's brother's agency?"
"I think I am in the wrong business," Ochaco said, getting a laugh. "But all I do is remove gravity from an object."
"Come again?" Izuku and Mei said coming to a dead stop.
"My quirk is zero gravity," Ochaco said innocently; she grabbed a rock, activated it, and just nudged it up, and it started floating away till she pressed her fingers together, releasing it.
Mei was breathing hard, and Izuku stepped forward. "I am guessing weight matters?" Ochaco nodded. "Does time?"
"More the weight than the time," Ochaco said. "But time does play a factor. Why?" she said, a bit worried.
"How would you like to make a lot of money," Izuku said.
"Are you serious?" Ochaco said, shocked.
"Excuse me for one moment," Izuku said, grabbing Mei, Melissa, and Momo. They walked away and huddled up, each looking at her occasionally.
The Huddle
"I mean, this way, we won't have to go through all the expense of building a rocket pad," Melissa whispered, looking to Ochaco.
"We can just have her release the gravity and have the EVA Units fly it up," Mei said, looking at Ochaco.
"With the projected earnings just from the other projects," Momo whispered, looking at Ochaco.
"What is your weight limit?" Izuku asked her.
"About 2,500 lbs," Ochaco said nervously.
"It is more than enough," Izuku whispered. The rest of the group was highly confused. "Let's make the offer," the girls nodded.
Ready Break
Izuku walked over; he coughed in his hand. "Ochaco, we are willing to offer you 732 Million yen for 15 minutes of your time."
Ochaco nearly passed out; Tenya caught her as she wobbled.
"WHAT?" the others yelled.
"Perhaps we should continue this inside," Momo said as they weren't far from the lab.
The Lab
"What an amazing home you have," Tenya said, as he admired the furnishing and the clean lines.
After Ochaco had some water, she just stared at them. "Ok, you are telling me that you want to pay me 732 MILLION YEN for 15 minutes of work?" her mind flashed to how much that would help her parents. It would be a game-changer. "Doing what? I assume negating gravity on something?"
"Yes," Izuku said, taking a seat. "A special communication satellite. Something we have designed that will revolutionize communications, but more importantly, as of right now, there is no way for it to be jammed."
"What makes it so special?" Mina said.
"It is subspace communications," Mei said. "It bypasses electromagnetic interference and travels much faster; even if you are on the other side of the world, it would be the same as if they are in the next room. Also, how it is transmitted allows it to penetrate where normal transmissions cannot, underground or deep sea, for example. Once we get everything up and running you could communicate with a colony on the Moon or Mars in real time."
"How in the world do you have that much money?" Kyoka said, stunned. "I mean, you are first years like us."
"Izuku and Mei created some inventions already that have sold extremely well and have some huge items that are coming to market very soon," Momo said.
"Yes," Ochaco said. "Hell yes…" Ochaco started to cry. "You have no idea what this means to my family." Mina and Toru hugged her. "My parents are struggling to get by, which will lift such a burden from them and me. Our construction business is struggling so badly, and I wanted to get licensed to help them, but they wouldn't let me. They told me to follow my dream." Ochaco wiped at her eyes. "That is what I was talking about at lunch. When can we do this?"
Izuku looked at his phone, then looked like he was running some calculations, "Next weekend?"
"Do you already have the satellite built or something?" Eijiro said.
"Yes, it is just sitting in the factory," Mei said, smiling. "We were working on getting all the other parts in order, but we didn't want to sell them to anyone else. Want to keep this baby in-house."
"Does it matter if it works?" Tsu said, as she rubbed Ochaco's back.
"No," Izuku said, "as soon as she negates the gravity and maintains it for the allotted time, she will be paid." Izuku walked over and knelt in front of Ochaco, taking her hands. "After this is done, I have an idea for project that we can work on together. And if it works, when it goes to market, we can offer you a percentage of the sales; that way, you can take care of your parents now and not later."
Ochaco looked at him, stunned; she looked at Toru, then to his girlfriends, "I get it now; this is how you get kissed," she said looking at Izuku.
"Bruh," Denki said. "One quit seducing all the girls in our class, and two, what the hell are you talking about."
"One of the biggest expenses in shipping anything is the weight," Izuku said. "Ochaco can negate the gravity on something if I can figure out a way to replicate that process just a bit…"
"That would make cargo lighter," Mina said, snapping her fingers. "Then shipping things would be cheaper and save on fuel costs. Holy shit that would make so much damn money!"
"Can you even do something like that?" Tenya said, his eyes wide.
"I don't know," he said. "I think so, but either way, if it works..." he looked to Ochaco.
"Okay, I need a moment," Ochaco said, standing and walking towards the balcony. "He is dangerous," she said to his girlfriends.
"We noticed," they all said deadpan.
The group all gathered around and ate dinner after Ochaco came in. She agreed that after the satellite, she would think about it as she had some questions and concerns, but it was all too much to go over now. Everything relaxed more as they laughed and talked, but the hero course couldn't stay long. They had homework left unfinished. Izuku and Mei sat with Tsu and detailed what they could do with the school option and what they could do for her if she wanted to sign with them; they gave her and Toru contracts to look over before they all left. Mina was surprised when Mei pulled her aside and offered her a contract. Mei talked about her suit, which was acid-resistant, but that didn't mean that it would hold up in a prolonged fight. Mina blushed and took the contract. Momo and Melissa returned to get their kisses before leaving for the night.
After they left, Izuku looked about ready to pass out, "Come to bed, my Izuku," Mei said, pulling him to their room; "tomorrow is another day. "You planning on talking to anyone else tomorrow?"
"I was thinking of Setsuna Tokage of 1-B, but I will send a request to meet with her in the morning," He yawned, asleep before Mei even slipped into bed next to him.
The Next Day
Mei and Izuku came walking into class, greeted by hearty hello from their classmates. Mei set her bag down and walked to Maeda, "Hey, you're interested in design, right?"
Maeda looked at her, "Yes, I want to design hero suits."
"Excellent," Mei said, jumping up and down. "I would like to offer you a commission."
His eyebrow raised, "I am listening."
"You see, one of our subsidiaries has just got into the hero suit business; right now, the major signing has done her stuff, but there are some small ones that will be coming aboard, and I want you to design something for them," Mei said smiling.
"Is she a hero?" Maeda asked.
"A hero in training," Mei said. "A first-year and a friend; if she signs with us, I want you to help design her costume."
"I want 200,000 yen, and I retain the rights," Maeda said.
"No way, Jose, I am buying the design," Mei said. "You will be credited as the designer."
Maeda looked at her, the fact that she didn't blink at the price but knew enough not to surrender the rights. "What if I say no?"
Mei shrugged, "Too bad, so sad, but I can tell you that you are missing out on a chance for bigger opportunities. If you do a good job, you may even have a chance to design for an actual pro," Mei smirked.
"What is the name of your company?" Maeda asked hesitantly.
"Bishamon,' Mei said, her hand on her hip.
"No way that company that Midnight just signed with!" Maeda said, jumping out of his seat. "You are saying that your company makes her suits?" Mei nodded; he looked to Washu, who rolled her eyes and nodded. "Ok, deal!"
"Great, I will send you a contract," Mei spun on her heel and walked away.
"Toru?" Izuku said.
"Toru," Mei responded. "Tsu has her look, and Mina does as well, but I bet she and Maeda would hit it off. We can build the stuff, but we are not designers."
The day passed smoothly; Izuku had done as he said and sent a meeting request to Setsuna, who agreed to meet him at the 1-B dorms after class; for Mei, it gave her a chance to head to the 1-A dorms. She walked in and found Melissa and Momo waiting with the other people from the day before. Mei set her bag down and collected her hug from Momo and kiss from Melissa before she sat down and pulled out her homework.
"Where is Izuku?" Toru asked.
"Talking with some girl from 1-B," Mei said, doing a little happy dance when Melissa handed her Strawberry Milk.
"Oh god, he is going after more," Denki said dramatically.
"I hate that guy," Mineta muttered from the couch.
1-B
Setsuna was not exactly sure what she was expecting from a Support Course student, but Izuku was not it. He had a good build from what she could tell, pretty green eyes, and a pleasant smile, overall he was handsome. Itsuka and Tetsu were in the common room to keep an eye on things.
"So, did you see me from across the quad and come to confess your undying love," Set said after they sat at the table.
"To be found out so quickly," he responded with a heavy sigh, his hand on his chest; Set's eyes widened. "But no, my girlfriends might murder me if that was the case. And I like life," he said with a smirk.
"Wait, how many girlfriends do you have?" Set said in shock.
"Three," Izuku said like it wasn't such a good thing; he heard someone spit out their drink and start coughing. He looked over and saw a boy with wild silver hair on the couch; a girl with orange hair in a side ponytail was patting his back.
"Okay, how did you pull that off?" Set asked, her head tilted to the side.
"That is a story for another day," Izuku smiled. "I wanted to have this meeting to talk to you about your hero costume. I was the one that worked on it."
"Oh, that was you," Set smiled. "You did a good job, and it worked great."
"Glad to hear that, but I can do better," Izuku said. He reached into his bag and pulled out two sleeves and some pieces of fabric.
"What do you mean?" Set said, looking at the cloth.
"From your file, your quirk allow you to break parts of your body away? Is that correct?" Set nodded. "And it isn't at a set interval, so one time, it may be at the wrist, then next to the forearm?"
"Correct," Set said; Itsuka and Tetsu were listening, as were Awase and Togaru from the kitchen.
Izuku grabbed a piece of cloth that looked like her suit, "To make your suit work, it easily breaks away," he pulled it apart, "When you reattach it does so through a series of interlocking scales." He handed her the arm sleeve. "Would you put that on?"
Set did as she was told, "My concern is that one, a villain can easily tear your suit," he grabbed the fabric and tore the chunk away. "I don't like the thought of that happening in other areas," Izuku and Set blushed. "The suit provides basic protection from blades but is not as good as some of your classmates; also, needle-like strikes have a better chance of penetrating."
"What can you do about that?" Set said.
"That is the rub," Izuku said. "With the tools I have to work within the support course, not much. But unlike anyone else in my class or this school, my partner and I have our own hero suit business," Izuku pulled out a folder with the Bishamon logo. "I can design a suit that will work with your quirk and provide you better protection than what your current costume is offering."
"I sense a but coming," Set said.
"To do that, you must sign a contract with us," Izuku said. "The terms are as such: as long as you are signed to Bishamon Protection, we will be entitled to 5% of your earnings once you go pro. Now, this can avoided by paying for the suit outright. But by signing with us you will never have to pay for new suits or even variants of your suit."
"What if she signs the contract and breaks it before then?" Itsuka said, kneeling on the couch.
"Then she has to either pay us for the suit or surrender it," Izuku said. "Failure to surrender has all kinds of penalties and fees, as you would expect."
"If you can make such a great costume, why not do it for free," Togaru said. Izuku looked at the tall boy with what appeared to be a praying mantis quirk.
"The simple answer is, do heroes get paid," Izuku said. "This process and fabric we created took time and money; why don't they give you clothes or food for free? You notice I am not saying that you have to be a certain rank to have our suits. We need to eat and are not just in the Hero Costume business. Hero Costumes are one of the most expensive items a hero must handle; what happens when a suit gets torn or ripped during battle?"
"They have to pay to get it repaired or re made," Awase said walking over. "But if she signs with you then that won't matter." Izuku nodded.
"Her hero suit is fine but can be better; it is like buying anything. There is this model and the other model. What do you want to pay for? I am not telling her to pay me now; she can wear the suit for three years, make changes and then, on graduation day, hand it back and tell me to fuck off." Izuku said.
"Then why are you here?" Tetsu said. "Why make her the offer?"
"Because she is working towards being a hero. I don't know her, but I would like to know her. I wanted to be just like you, but someone told me I could help more people do what I am doing," Izuku said. "I am sure there are people who want her to come home at the end of the day, friends and family. I am sure that one day a husband or wife, maybe both, will be waiting for her to come through that door; I want to do what I can to help her do that."
"How do you know this will work?" Set asked.
"How do you know you will become a hero?" Set smiled. "The process uses a sample of your DNA to create the suit, so it is like your skin; that is how I know it will work. The process is simple: give a sample and stand in some liquid, then you will have a new suit. Come try it out, if you don't like the suit, leave it, like it, you can wear it. Here is a sample of the fabric; test it for tearing, stabbings, or whatever you like. If I don't hear from you by Monday, I will assume you are rejecting my offer and will return the sample," Izuku said. "I will send you a link to one of our customers who needs to expose her skin to use her quirk. You will have access to it for 24 hours." He handed her the fabric. "Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Setsuna." He bowed, turning to leave.
"You ever even invent anything we have even heard about?" Togaru yelled after him.
Izuku pointed towards the laundry area, "That thing you use to wash your clothes since you have been here. And somethings I hope you never do." The 1-B students looked at each other confused.
Izuku went to the 1-A dorms, where he was greeted with a cheer that made him laugh. After recounting his meeting with Setsuna, he could work on his homework and was happy to be treated to a spaghetti dinner courtesy of Sato and Fumikage. Mei and Izuku couldn't stay long due to the lab work they needed to complete and prepare for the USJ tomorrow. Toru handed them her signed contract before they left; her parents were coming Saturday to meet him. Melissa and Momo walked them out; after they said their goodbyes, he took Mei's hand as they went home.
That night, they did not find restful sleep, plagued by nightmares; Mei woke up with a scream caught in her throat, covered in sweat. She looked next to her and saw Izuku tossing in his sleep, but he wasn't covered in blood like he had been in her dream. She touched him gently, and he bolted awake; she saw tears on his face from thanks to the light coming in from bedroom window. He looked and saw her and just wrapped her in his arms.
They just held each other; little did they know that the same thing was happening across campus. Momo awoke in tears when she realized she was in her bedroom, and she scrambled to try to get out of bed. Her feet tangled, and she fell to the floor but didn't let it stop her; she got the door and threw it open, running into the hall in her nightgown.
She raced down a flight of stairs and reached the first door. Before she knocked, she heard Melissa sobbing. The door was locked, and Momo knocked quickly. "Melissa, it is me," she said. "Please open the door!"
Much like Momo had just done, the door opened, and Melissa's tear-streaked face greeted her. Momo just stepped in and hugged her, closing the door with her foot. "So much blood," Melissa whispered. "So much blood, and I couldn't do anything."
"I know," Momo said without thinking; they stopped and looked at each other. "Izuku was bleeding…"
"So was Mei…" Melissa added.
"and the laughter," Momo said.
"He just kept laughing," Melissa said shocked. Melissa grabbed her phone and called Izuku.
"Melissa?" they heard his voice, but he didn't sound like they had woken him up. "I know this is weird, but are you and Momo okay?"
"I tried calling Momo, but she didn't answer," they heard Mei say.
Melissa switched it to the speaker, "I am right here," Momo said. "We are fine. Did you two have a nightmare."
"Yes, there was so much blood," Mei said. Melissa looked at Momo in shock.
"You girls were dying, and I couldn't get to you,"Izuku said. "Someone was laughing and laughing."
"You were dying, and we couldn't get to you," Melissa said. "Mei?"
"I couldn't get to him, and the man just kept laughing and laughing," Mei added.
"We are coming over," Melissa said, hanging up the phone. "Grab your uniform," Melissa said.
Momo nodded but stopped and kissed Melissa, "I will meet you at the door," Momo grabbed Melissa's robe to cover herself. "I will give it back later."
They were out the door in 3 minutes and at the lab in 7; they had run the whole way there. When the door opened, they rushed into Mei and Izuku's arms. It was 2 am. After they calmed themselves, they all sat down and talked. The girls had the same dream that they had been attacked, and somehow Izkuku had been hurt, and there was so much blood; there were these villains all around, and they were fighting to get to him, but they couldn't get through.
Izuku's dream had the villains, but he was useless; the girls were being swarmed under, and he begged him for help as things happened, but he failed them. The only parts they had in common were the villains the man laughing, and they all agreed he had red eyes and the cold yellow eyes floating in the darkness.
"If the nightmare was about the attack on the island, I might be able to understand," Momo said. "A similar experience. But this was not that."
"I know this goes against science, but what if it was some type of warning," Melissa said.
"I don't know what it was," Mei shuddered. "But I was so scared."
"Then let's not dismiss this," Izuku said. "I may not be practical, and it may be silly, but we will prep the best we can." The girls looked at him. "We can change Melissa's loadout for tomorrow, Momo. We can add some stuff to your pouches and some tech to your belt. Mei and I will bring some weapons with us as well." The girls nodded. "Now, let's all go to bed."
Momo blushed, "We need to try and get some rest," Melissa said. "This way, if we are all together, then if we have a nightmare again, we are together."
"That would make me feel better," Mei said.
"I like the thought of being in the arms of the people most dear to me," Momo said.
Izuku tried not to stare too hard at Momo and Melissa in a couple of his t-shirts as they used them for nightshirts, but he did appreciate seeing them in their underwear for a moment. They climbed into bed, and after they all made themselves comfortable and wrapped themselves in each other's embrace, they all got some more sleep.
When the alarm rang, the girls all went to shower and bathe. Izuku got to work and changed Melissa's loadout on the armor. He had Hephestas create some telemetry bracelets for the group and gave him instructions on what to do if he lost telemetry on them. When he went to shower, Mei and Melissa ensured that Izuku hadn't installed some program to have the armor take over and evacuate, just the girls. They did find one, but they didn't get upset as they knew it was just him.
Momo was in the kitchen making breakfast. She smiled slightly despite the night's trouble before waking up with them, which made her feel a warmth she enjoyed. Now cooking for them, she was thankful for the lessons the cook gave her and for EVA and her assistance. She marveled at the upgraded unit, then all the other things that had been created that she knew about, and wondered at the things they hadn't shown her yet.
"Hephestas, can you hear me?" she said.
"I can hear you, Momo Yaoyorozu," the voice responded from a speaker on the counter.
"I don't know if I can give you orders or if you will understand me," Momo said. "I love them so much; please promise me you will do what you can to ensure they are safe."
"That order is within the scope of your authority, "Hephesatas responded. "I will do everything I can to ensure the safe return of all four of you. If I can ask a question?"
"Go ahead," Momo said as he set the platter of bacon and ham on the counter.
"Each of you have made the same request and have used this word, love," Hephaestus said. "In each request, it is that I protect the other three; is that what love is?"
Momo paused and leaned on the counter, "it is a part of love. We will strive to do everything we can to survive, but when you are in love, you wish for their survival, sometimes above your own."
"Interesting," Hephesats said, then there was silence.
Sitting around the table as they ate together and talked about the precautions they were taking today helped banish the last horribleness from the night before. Though they were still weary, being together helped make things better. They shared a hug and kisses when they separated. The girls had to report to class before changing their hero costumes and meeting them on the bus. Izuku and Mei had to get their things loaded and wait.
The Bus
"Izuku, are we moving too fast?" Mei asked. "Not as a couple, we have lived together our entire life, but with the technology."
"I don't know," Izuku said. "The subspace communications will change a lot but not the world overnight, and we won't be announcing its existence anyway. But honestly, I think we crossed that bridge the day we agreed to help Melissa."
"We could walk away with that and find ourselves in some textbooks," Mei sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know we are taking precautions and trying to think about it before doing it, but I get scared. I get scared that we will push too far and that someone will come and take you, Melissa, and Momo from me."
"I am scared of losing you all, but then I get worried because I stopped creating because I was scared of going too far. If I had kept pushing, I wouldn't have to worry about losing any of you," Izuku said, slipping his arm around her. "It is just a snake eating its tail."
"I get that; I think about the same thing," Mei said. "Last night sucked but waking up together, the four of us felt good. I think I am in love with Momo, like love." Mei squeezed him. "In my dream, losing her hurt just as bad as losing your orMelissa."
"That is not something I can tell you what to do," Izuku said, "But you know you have my support no matter what."
"On a side note," Mei said. "I want to take over a whole heroics class. Let us build what we want for them, outfit them with our gear, and watch them go."
"I know," Izuku says. "I see them and look at their quirks, and all these ideas run through my head, I mean, with Ida's suit…"
"Oh no, freaking kidding," Mei sighed. "All that armor, it doesn't do much for protection, but if we got a hold of it, the shit we could with that." Izuku laughed. They started talking about each student and suggesting hero gear until Aizawa called their attention.
"Are you two planning more trouble for my class," Aizawa said. "Before the others arrive, we must discuss that bracelet you made for Toru. I talked with Nezu and Power Loader; they filled me in on your quirk, Mr. Midoriya. Are you aware that you made quirk-suppressing cuffs?"
"I didn't at the time, but the thought crossed my mind," Izuku said.
"We talked about it, and we are going to add them to Junkyard Support, but we are looking into manufacturing them ourselves," Mei said. "They still need some refinement, but there are some interesting applications for the technology."
"We could make them a disc that can be fired, negating the need for the police or pro to get in close," Izuku said.
Aizawa shook his head, "You say this so casually. You two do understand that once this technology gets out, there will be villains who will use it as well."
"Well, that Is something we are working on as well," Mei said. "You try to open them, and they fry. X-ray they fry."
"We are very conscious of this technology getting out there and into the wrong hands, but that is inevitable with any technology," Izuku said. "But does the worry outweigh the usefulness and benefit of the technology?"
"I hate to say this, but us heroes may just be keeping the place warm for you two," Aizawa said.
Mei smirked, "That isn't so bad, but you know your costume is getting a bit shabby, and that scarf could use an upgrade."
"I may even be able to work something up to help with your dry eye," Izuku smirked. "We have some ideas that we would love to pitch you. Can we set up a meeting for this weekend, maybe?"
Aizawa laughed, "You two support course students with a nose for business. But seriously, these things can put your names on people's radar, people that you don't knowing your names."
"We do and are taking precautions against that," Izuku said.
"We have been attacked once," Mei said. "We almost lost everything; we won't let that happen again."
"I won't press you for details," Aizawa placed a hand on their shoulders. "Tell me about this experiment that you will be running today; thirteen was excited."
Mei and Izuku's eyes lit up, "We call it the sphere…"
A few moments later
"If you can make them have some camouflage, they would be great for surveillance at night, and it would make them quiet. They would be great for getting eyes on targets before a raid…" Aizawa's mind was running a mile a minute as he thought of ways they could use this.
Girl's Locker Room
"I thought Mei and Izuku were going to join us," Mina said.
"They are waiting at the bus," Melissa said over her shoulder. "They had to get their gear together for the tests they are running."
"They are exciting, Kero," Tsu said. "I am going to sign with them. I know that they will take good care of me."
"They will," Momo said.
"We didn't see you two this morning?" Ochaco said, zipping her suit.
"We woke up early and went to have breakfast with them," Melissa said. "I wanted to go over the loadout for my armor. Since this is rescue training, I want to try some things before using them in the field.
"That is so freaking cool," Toru said, smiling as she rubbed her bracelet. "So you can change your armor depending on the situation?" Melissa nodded.
"It is all a matter of programming," Melissa said. "As it advances, we hope we can change it on the fly in the field. We are almost there, well, they are almost there."
"Do you think they will make those suits available for everyone," Mina said. "I guess it wouldn't work for me and my acid, now that I think about it."
"Or my invisibility," Toru said.
"The more we talk about it, the more it won't work for many of us," Ochaco laughed.
"Fear Robo Frog!" Tsu said making everyone laugh, they were all smiling as they walked out the door.
"Are you sure about taking that job they offered?" Mina asked Ochaco.
"I would be dumb not to," Ochaco said. "That would relieve my parents and me so much stress and worry. I couldn't even explain it." Ochaco paused. "Momo, Melissa, how do they do it?"
"Their minds don't work like ours," Momo said. "They see or dream of something and can figure out how to do it."
"Imagine being in love with two people who don't just dream of protecting a city but of changing the world and are smart enough to pull it off," Melissa said. "Then they get you thinking about it, and next you know," she shrugged.
"Sounds nice, kero," Tsu said.
They encountered the boys as they were about to exit the building; pleasant hellos were exchanged, maybe some glances here and there, but aside from the scowl of Bakugo and Shoto being distant, everyone seemed excited about the day ahead. Once they saw the bus, Izuku and Mei were talking with Aizawa. Melissa and Momo recognized the look on their faces as the topic of creating something had somehow come up.
Aizawa turned and faced his students with his normal glare, but his eyes were still twinkling with all the possibilities these Spheres had; it reminded him of being young and dreaming of being a hero of all the fantastic things he wanted to do and accomplish.
Such A Pleasent Ride
"Most of you know Mr. Midoriya and Ms. Hatsume already; they will join us in our training today. They will be testing a device with great potential, and we will help provide data," Aizawa said. "They will not go into the rescue scenarios but may ask for feedback. Please help them out. Mr. Midoriya."
"Hello," Izuku said with a polite bow. "Many of you know me already, some of you I haven't had the pleasure of being introduced to officially, but I am Izuku Midoirya, and this is my partner, Mei Hatsume."
Mei bounced forward and waived happily, "Nice to meet all of you!"
"The Spheres will be out of the way, mainly transmitting data for us to review later; some of you we may want to connect the spheres to so they can relay their information to you in the hopes it will help with your training simply providing you more information," Izuku said. "if they break or fall and stop working just ignore them we will retrieve them later do not worry about them. We want to thank you all in advance for helping us out today. We have 15 thousand Yen gift cards for all of you to Jungle, and we will buy pizza for everyone's dinner."
Mei smiled at some cheers from that. "Denki, Tenya, and Fumikage, if you wouldn't mind sitting with me on the bus, we would like to attach some spheres to you for them to relay data. You are not obligated to do so, but if you hear me out, I would appreciate it." Mei bowed, and the boys nodded and followed her onto the bus.
"That is all we will do our best to stay out of everyone's way. Thank you so much for allowing us to accompany you during your training." Izuku bowed and boarded the bus.
"I am not about to turn down a gift card," Sero laughed.
"And Pizza?" Mineta said. "Works for me."
"I wonder what these spheres do?" Mezo said to Sato as they boarded the bus. The two future heroes saw Midoriya sitting towards the middle of the bus, walking over and taking the seat before him.
"Excuse me, Midoriya," Sato said. "If you don't mind me asking, what these Spheres do?"
Momo and Melisa were the last to board. They were sad they couldn't sit with their significant others, but Mina called Melissa to sit with her. She wanted to talk about games, and Momo smiled when Ochaco and Tsu invited her to join them. What surprised them was that Bakugo had taken a seat next to Izuku.
Sato and Mezo were getting more excited as they heard about what the Spheres were designed to do. They started asking questions when Bakugo sat down next to Izuku and glared at them. They were asking something when Bakugo said, "You two need to shut up."
"No, they don't," Izuku said, surprising the boys. "Finish the question."
"Do you think these things can do everything you want them to?" Sato said, looking at Katsuki; they could hear little pops from his hands.
"Yes, but the problem is, are we trying to have them do too much of certain things and not enough of what they need, which is why we are running the field test? I can think of a hundred cool things to add, but does it need to do those 100 things well or just 20, but do them great?" Izuku said.
"Do you need a knife that cuts well and opens wine or bottles while playing music," Sato said.
"Or do you just need that knife to be great at cutting things," Mezo said. "I get it, thank you." The two boys turned around as Bakugo ground his teeth and glared at Izuku.
"Now, what do you need," Izuku said, looking at him calmly. Izuku remembered when they were little how scary, he thought Bakugo looked when he was mad, but it didn't bother him after the Island.
"First, who the hell do you think you are talking to like that," Bakugo hissed. "You are just some support course nobody, that their claim to fame will be that you made these gauntlets for the next number one."
Izuku rubbed his hand over his eyes, "Did you make the quirkless loser some goddamn super suit so she could play hero! That bitch doesn't deserve to be here.."
"What the fuck did you just say?" Izuku said glaring at Bakugo.
"You fucking heard me, Deku, that quirkless whore doesn't deserve to be here. She is fucking up my story that…" Bakugo didn't get to finish that statement when Izuku just shoved him out of the seat onto the floor. He crashed into Sero, who knocked Mineta into the side of the bus, and everyone froze.
"What is going on back there?" Aizawa roared.
"Say that shit again," Izuku stood up and was standing over Bakugo. "Open that dumb ass mouth of yours and say that again about her, and I will make sure that has to be implanted with new teeth to ever fucking chew solid food again."
Sato grabbed Izuku and started to back up as Bakugo got to his feet, ready to go; Sero grabbed him and pulled him back, trying to hold Bakugo back. "Chill, Chill," Sero said.
"Fucking let go of me," Bakugo thrashed; Koji, who had been sitting in the back, grabbed Bakugo and pulled him back farther.
"Do open that dumb ass mouth again!" Izuku shouted. "Do it, and I will shut it. You dumb turd burglar, your fucking story, your story, it is all of their stories; the suit doesn't make her a hero. Her heart does, you dumb fuck!" Izuku was struggling against Sato's grasp as everyone was keeping them apart.
"Let me fucking go, damn it," Katsuki bucked violently. "Fucking stupid rock head, stupid lame ass tape dispenser, you are fucking jokes now let me the fuck go. I am going to kick his ass, you stupid ass Deku; you can make anything to compete with me; I thought you knew better; I will fucking remind you now. Let me the fuck go."
Izuku was trying to push past Sato and Mezo, who had gotten in the middle. Melissa climbed over a seat and grabbed his hand. Standing beside him, Tsu saw his other hand change; it was black with a red crystal in the center.
"Izuku," she yelled, and he turned to look at her. "Calm down, alright, you have to calm down."
"MIDORIYA, TAKE A SEAT AT THE FRONT OF THE BUS!" Aizawas bellowed. Tsu watched as the metal hand changed and looked normal again; she reached out and lightly grazed it without thinking, which felt natural. "BAKUGO EITHER YOU CALM DOWN, OR YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF OUT OF THE HERO COURSE SO DAMN FAST THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO RECEIVE TREATMENT FOR WHIPLASH! NOW SOMEONE EXPLAIN!"
"Mezo and I were talking to Izuku when Bakugo sat beside him and told us to shut up and turn around. Izuku told us to finish our question, and when we did, we turned around," Sato said.
"Then he started saying that Midoriya was support course nobody and wanted to know if he designed Melissa's suit, saying he should have just been happy designing Bakugo's bracers. Bakugo then started to insult Melissa, calling her a loser, a bitch," Mezo gulped. "then he called her a whore, and Izuku shoved him."
Tenya sighed, "One could have hoped that the first lesson took the slightest of footholds. But it should have known that was a folly on my part. Nevertheless, if I must repeat the lesson, I shall do so with a bit of enthusiasm this time."
Aizawa glared at Bakugo; he turned to Midoriya, "Take a seat; I understand your reaction," he refocused his attention on Bakugo. "I am half considering about sending you back to the school, but then Vlad would have to deal with you to make up this training. We will discuss this incident during the battle trials and this superiority complex one we return to campus. Say one more word towards Ms. Shield or anyone else in this class: derogatory in any fashion. You will find yourself suspended, barred from the Sports Festival, and facing possible demotion to General Studies," Aizawa stared at Bakugo, watching the weight of his words fall upon the young man. "Now sit down!"
Bakugo glared at Aizawa; the teacher could see the struggle not to make some retort; he flopped into a seat, clicked his tongue, and stared out the window.
"Were you about to fight for my honor?" Melissa whispered; Izuku nodded. "That is fucking hot," she leaned in close as she said it. "I am going to make sure I reward you this weekend." Kyoka's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
The rest of the ride was short and thankfully without incident; when they arrived, they saw Thirteen standing outside with a motorized pallet jack beside her. Izuku immediately walked over to her, "I have the data collection station set up like you asked," she said. Offering his thanks, he took the jack to the bus so Mei and he could begin offloading their gear.
Aizawa was trailing up behind him, "Where is All-Might?" Aizawa said, looking around.
"The Ito bridge collapsed or nearly collapsed," Thirteen said. "From my understanding, he was on the bridge on his way to work when it happened; thankfully, he prevented it from failing. He is finishing up and will be here soon."
"Well, as far as excuses go," Aizawa sighed. "Now listen up, everyone, this is the Rescue Hero Thirteen. For those of you who may have been living under a rock, she is one of the premier rescue heroes in Japan. She has a wealth of knowledge that she will share with you. Listen and remember what she says because this information will be the difference between someone living or dying." He looked at his class and sighed, seeing Ochaco about to fan girl out. "Thirteen."
"Thank you, Eraser Head," she said, thankful that her helmet had hidden her blush from his introduction. "Does anyone know what my quirk is?" Thirteen, who was holding on to Melissa and Tenya so as not to faint, started to jump up and down enthusiastically, waving her arm in the air.
"Me, Me, I do, I do, Me," Ocahco said; the rest of the class tried not to laugh.
"Yes, Ms. Uraraka," Thirteen said, trying not to laugh.
"OH MY GOD," Ochaco said, "She knows my name, Thirteen knows my name! How is that even possible."
"She has access to our class roster, and I am sure she was prepared for our training today," Tenya said as she shook his shoulder.
"Oh," Ochaco sounded dejected; Melissa bumped her shoulder, telling her to answer the question. "Your quirk is Black Hole," Ochaco said, still beaming at her hero. "It mimics the suction of an actual black hole; it is so strong that not even light can escape it." Thirteen was about to say something when Ochaco continued. "It is a very dangerous and powerful quirk that you were first frightened of when it manifested, but you trained hard for years until you could master it. Through that hard work and dedication, you have shown the world that no matter how dangerous your quirk may be, if you work hard enough, you can master it and use it to save people's lives." Ochaco was beaming, and the rest of the class was in shock. "You are my favorite hero of all time; you inspired me to be a rescue hero. Can I have your autograph and maybe a hug?" Ochaco went to step forward, but she caught the death glare from Aizawa.
"Maybe we can circle back that last part after the training," Ochaco said; she looked down and mixed back into the group, blushing, especially as she heard some snickers from her classmates.
"Yes, Ms Ochaco, we can do that after the lesson," Thirteen said. "She is one hundred percent correct. This is some of the most important training you will have during your entire time here at U.A. You will be called in on rescue missions, no matter your specialty. You must know how to act properly and safely to save people's lives. Whether from a natural disaster, a villain attack, or even a hero battle, these scenarios will save someone's life."
Thirteen walked forward, "This will not be your last trip here to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. You will be here often and cannot graduate from the U.A. unless I sign off that you have completed this training satisfactorily. I want you all to be alert and listening. That is the most important thing you need to learn. In real scenarios like the one we simulated here, there is no time to repeat the orders multiple times because you weren't listening. Today will be a long day; pace yourselves and follow me," Thirteen spread her arms as the massive outer doors opened, "Welcome to my playground, welcome to the USJ."
Mei walked over to Fumikage, Denki, and Tenya, handing them their earpieces; they noticed that Mei had a strange metal belt and backpack on and a black baton hanging from her hip; they saw a lot of strange gadgets on her belt now that they were looking.
Izuku handed Momo a sick stick. Her belt had some capture grenades, and a few of Midnight's gas were to be used as bombs. Izuku had changed her brace to include a hard light shield module. Momo surprised him when she leaned in and kissed his cheek very tenderly. "I agree with Melissa; seeing her ready to defend her honor was very attractive. I want to show my appreciation this weekend as well." Izuku just blushed.
When Momo came walking back, Mina pointed to the baton at her side and said, "What is that?"
"One of Izuku's inventions," Momo said, adjusting her visor. "He asked if I would just wear it to see how best to secure it for being taken into battle."
"Oh, more research," Mina said with a smile.
Once inside the USJ proper, they all stopped and stared at the sheer size of it all; the outside was huge, larger than the six largest stadiums combined, but inside, it was like looking at an entirely self-contained world."
The Hero course was listening to Thirteen, and Mei and Izuku were getting everything ready to go; Mei was checking the connection with the Spheres as Izuku was getting them ready to launch.
The power suddenly failed, "um, sir, is this part of the simulation?" Eijiro said as he looked over the rail. The plaza's center has a purple and black portal seemingly composed of smoke or mist.
Out of the portal stepped their nightmares, the garish laugh, the red eyes, the cold floating yellow eyes, and a new horror of Frankenstein's Monster. Their nightmare had just stepped foot into the USJ.
The Lab.
Hephaestus telemetry readings were suddenly cut off after registering a massive spike in heart rate. The creation pit activated.