A few days later, the students of Class 1-A made their way to the front of the school. They wore warm jackets to brace against the cold, and waited for the busses that would bring the students and teachers to the Training Camp. Most of the kids walked in small groups, talking amongst themselves excitedly. Mostly it was about the potential activities they'd be doing, but a few others discussed other, more random topics.

"Anyone else wondering why we're taking a bus?" Peter wondered aloud.

Azari shrugged, "What do you mean?" He carried an embroidered rucksack as he, Peter, and Wanda walked outside, the latter two to wearing cheap backpacks.

"It's a vehicle meant to take us somewhere," Wanda pointed out. "It's not really all that strange, is it?"

"But this school has giant robots," Peter pointed out.

"...And?" The Class President asked.

Peter sighed, giving up as Luke walked up and patted him on the back. "I know, I wanted to ride a giant robot too," he said, resigned to his fate.

"If you guys really want, I can draw Aegis," Kei offered. "I've gotten better at keeping the giant forms active longer."

"I'd suggest we refrain from using our Quirks outside of the designated areas," Azari said. "Particularly one of your monster's size."

"Yeah, it'd definitely be stopping traffic, wherever it is we're going," put in Ava.

"Oooh my, what do we have here?" A voice interjected. "Is Class A planning a bit of mischief?"

Peter and Wanda groaned, recognizing the oily intonation of Loki, wearing an emerald green coat with a golden scarf. The Class 1-B student began to make his way over, "Ordinarily, I'm all for it, but haven't you disgraced this esteemed academy enough??"

"Bast, give me strength," Azari murmured to himself.

"A little birdie informed me that a few of your rabble are taking extra classes!" Loki smirked, raising his voice as he drew closer to the students. "Does that mean you some of you failed the finals? What? Isn't that weird? But I though they were supposed to be way better than Class B!? I suppose that when you- whoa!!!"

All of a sudden, the young Asgardian appeared to trip and fall forward, landing hard on his face. Just beneath his feet, the holographic image of a world famous shield glittered briefly before vanishing. A little further back, fellow 1-B student James Rogers looked away, whistling innocently.

"What was that!?" Loki's face popped up, seething at the 1-A students. "Which one of you cretins just tripped me!?"

"Kinda hard to trip you when we're standing right in front of ya, dude," Luke said.

"I warned ya about all that grease, didn't I?" Added Peter.

"Don't give me that!!" Loki picked himself up. "Someone used their Quirk! I'm gonna find out who, and I'm gonna make their life an absolute- gak!!!"

Just behind, Sharon stood with her hand raised, having delivered a chop to the back of the head, knocking him out.

"Sorry about him," she said with some exasperation. "My cousin was supposed to be keeping an eye out in case he went off the rails again..."

As if on cue, the redheaded boy walked over. "Sorry, guess my aim's still a bit off," James shrugged cheekily, picking up Loki by his legs as Sharon grabbed under the armpits. Together, they picked up their classmate and carried him towards the arriving busses.

Another pair of 1-B students came over, having watched the proceedings. One was a muscular, albeit slightly overweight boy with a shaved head. The other was a slim girl with short, black hair hidden under a knit cap.

"Hey guys," Said the boy, raising a hand in greeting. "Hope our class clown wasn't giving you too much trouble..."

"Nothing we haven't heard already," Ava replied. "Be sure to thank your Representatives for us."

"Will do," said the girl with a smile. "We didn't get the chance to meet during the Sports Festival, so I thought it'd be nice if we introduced ourselves! I'm Sophia Sanduval, and this is Kenny McFarlane, my boyfriend."

Kenny nodded once, as if to say 'hello'.

"Oh right, I remember you guys," Kei said, recognizing their faces. "You made it to the second round, but didn't have enough points to pass like me."

"Well, Kenny made it that far," Sophia scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I didn't make it into the top 42 during the race... It's something I've been working on ever since then, and I'm hoping to push myself even further during this camp!!"

"That's a good attitude to have," Ava nodded, having been in a similar position following the finals.

"So what kind of Quirks do you guys have?" Asked Peter, notebook in hand. "Unless you're not comfortable telling us?

"It's cool," Kenny replied. "Not all of us are as weird about it as Loki." He rolled up a sleeve and flexed, his arm becoming much thicker and hairier. "I can turn into a 7 foot gorilla, hence my hero name 'Kong.' And she can talk to animals, at least, all the ones she's met so far. So she's going with the name 'Chat'."

"Oh wow!" Peter said, writing in his book. "So you both have powers related to nature! I have a Spider Quirk myself, doesn't let me actually transform into one though. But it's probably for the best, I might look kinda scary, y'know?"

"We should start a club," Sophia joked as Kenny shrunk his arm back to normal size. He glanced over to see a pair of busses approaching the main loop.

"Looks like the busses are here," her boyfriend said, adjusting his coat. "We'd better go join our class. Nice meeting you guys!"

"See you later!" Sophia waved as she jogged after Kenny and joined her fellow classmates.

"Huh, they seemed nice," Wanda noted.

"Yeah, that Loki guy aside, Class B's pretty friendly," said Cho, recalling his shared internship with Teddy Altman.

"Alright everyone, this is no time to be idly standing by," Azari snapped to attention. "Our bus is this way! Line up in you classroom seat order!!"


The bus ride was relatively uneventful. For nearly an hour, the students continued to talk amongst themselves or used their phones to pass the time. One of the subjects brought up was the number of students who'd withdrawn since the school year began.

"Twenty students??" Asked an incredulous Seol.

"That's basically an entire classroom!" Added Nico.

"Is it really all that surprising?" Replied Tandy, thoughtfully. "Since the year began, the school's been directly attacked once, and then tangentially during the internship week. Add on the San Francisco incident which involved members of this class? It's not a great track record for the parents of students. Doesn't matter what course they're in..."

"I can't say I blame them," Danny nodded. "The road we're on is paved with dangers, but the idea of already being targets simply for expressing an ideal is unnerving for any parent or guardian."

"I feel bad for them," lamented Wanda.

"Ah, they're just a bunch of weaklings looking for an excuse to quit before it gets too hard," Flash scoffed.

"You're asking for a mouthful of web fluid, Eugene," Peter warned.

"That sounded kinda dirty," Gwen put in with a smirk, popping her head over the seat back. While the others had a good chuckle, Peter blushed over his word fumble and Flash seethed with anger.

Just then, 1-A's bus pulled over and came a stop, much to the surprise of the students. "Hey dude, why'd we stop?" Pietro called up from his seat.

"Just got word of a villain fight that went through this part of town," replied the bus driver. "The streets ahead are all torn up, it's a mess!"

"Aw man, that means Class B's gonna get there first!" Lamented Sam.

"Good, this means we won't have to wait," Mr. Murdock said, rising up from his seat. "Everyone offload in an orderly fashion! If have a bag, leave it here. You can get it later."

One by one, the students trickled out in mild confusion. Indeed, the roads were covered with debris, pavement was cracked with craters everywhere, and chunks of building lay strewn out in the street and sidewalks.

"So what, are we actually getting involved?" Asked Kamala to her teacher.

"Not exactly," he replied. "We're well past the danger zone, meaning they should be here any-"

As if on cue, the loud roar of an engine cut the teacher off. Mr. Murdock smirked, "Ah, right on time. Stand back, everyone!"

A HUGE, suped-up construction truck made its way over. One could easily mistake it for a monster truck with the huge wheels and equally large frame. A crane with various attachments sat in the bed. A logo with the letters "D.C" were emblazoned on the side door. The truck slowed to a stop before the students, and several figures stood in the open door of the cab.

One of the figures raised a crowbar in his gloved right hand. "Men, introductions!!" He called out. One by one, they leapt out from the cab, landing on the ground and assuming a dynamic pose. They all wore orange work uniforms, with a badge over their chests. Each person called out their name after getting into position.

"Bulldozer!!!" Called out the first, a larger than average man with a muscular frame. A silver construction helmet sat atop his head.

"Piledriver!!!" The second man yelled, landing next to Bulldozer. He wore a red helmet, and was the tallest of the group.

"Thunderball!!!" An African American man was next, swinging down on the cable of crane and landing to the left away from the other two. He wore a lime green helmet.

"And I'm the Wrecker!!!" The last man threw his crowbar high into the air as he leapt down, bouncing between the big wheels until he landed in the middle of Thunderball and Piledriver. His helmet was a shade of purple.

The Wrecker raised his hand up and caught the falling crowbar, pointing it skyward. "And together we are..."

"The Wrecking Crew!!!" The quartet stood in a group pose, a small explosion going off behind them. It was admittedly kind of cool, even if the posing was a bit silly looking. The shockwave of the effect blasted against the students, a few of them bracing against the air until it settled back to normal.

"Was the explosion necessary?" Asked an unaffected Murdock.

"Hey, we wanna make a good first impression!" Said Thunderball with a grin.

"Besides, you've gotta destroy to rebuild!!" Wrecker added on, "It's all part of the process, right?"

Murdock sighed as he addressed his class, "Everyone, you've just met the your chaperones for the next couple of weeks. It's their agency you'll be training out of as we move into the next phase of your development."

A few of the students looked a bit unsure over the prospect. "Is this really a good idea?" Whispered Gwen to Danny, "They've clearly got a couple of screws loose..."

"You're not exactly one to talk, Gwenny," Danny muttered back.

"You know we can hear you, right?" Piledriver deadpanned, much to their shock.

"Right, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we?" Murdock gestured around the wrecked street with his cane, "Class, take a good look around. What do you see?"

"A mess," replied Luke, simply.

"Indeed," Murdock said. "This is what many early heroes didn't take into account during a battle; the aftermath. They're too caught up in the present that they don't always consider the future. Sure, throwing a villain with enhanced durability into a random building might stun him for a minute, but what was in that building? Someone's home? A person's business and livelihood? Maybe it was a dump scheduled for demolition, but rarely do you get that lucky..."

He turned back to his students, "Lives may be saved, but they can just as easily shattered in a moment of recklessness."

"So that was why you gave us restrictions during the dodgeball game," Azari commented, his hand to his chin. "It was not merely to ensure fair play, but to simulate the consequences from a lack of restraint during a battle setting!"

"Go it in one," Murdock nodded. "Thankfully, we heroes have learned from those days, and certain precautions are now in place to limit property damage and other potential casualties."

"That's where we come in!" The Wrecker stepped forward, "As a team that specializes in demolition, we're the first on the scene after a fight like that and we ensure life moves forward again. We clear and repair streets, demolish and rebuild structures, and more importantly, help with search and rescue in especially bad situations."

"We've been on the job for almost 10 years now," added Thunderball. "It's not the flashiest position and it doesn't grab the most headlines, but it's no less important than anything those other mainstream heroes do."

Murdock nodded, "Which is why I've chosen these gentlemen to watch over you for the duration of this camp. There's a lot you can learn from them."

A feeling of respect washed over the class, as they gazed upon the quartet in a new light. Class President Azari stepped forward and crossed his arms in his homeland's salute, "It is an honor and privilege to meet you all. We will be in your care, so please take care of us!"

"Alright, alright. No need to go overboard!" Piledriver scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly at the sudden praise. "Jeez, you're embarrassing us. At the end of the day, we're just a couple of grunts trying to make a difference, just like I'm sure you all will someday."

"In fact, we're gonna give you kids a chance to get a head start on that!" Bulldozer grinned, pressing a button on his belt. At that moment, a tube shot out of the truck, landing on the ground next to him and opening. It was a stack of orange hard hats and work gloves.

"We've cordoned off this entire city block from traffic and bystanders," Thunderball said. "All civilians have been evacuated, so it's safe to proceed on foot."

"So efficient!" Class 1-A exclaimed.

"Wait, why on foot?" Asked Wanda, glancing around.

"Hang on..." Peter began to get a bad feeling in the pit of his gut.

"I am Groot," the trenant teen's eyes widened at the implication.

"No way..." Flash muttered bitterly.

"Uh guys?" Nico said, nervously. "I think we should get back to the bus, yeah? And fast."

"Yeah, let's do that," Seol began to back away.

"It's about 9:30 now," Wrecker checked the watch he wore. "If you push yourselves, you should be done here around noon."

Kei's eyes went wide, "No way... guys!?"

"Let's get back!" Exclaimed Kamala.

"Back to the bus!" Amadeus yelled, "Hurry!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Pietro turned to sprint away.

The rest of Class A began to run back to the bus, looks of terror on their faces, but at that moment, a chain with a wrecking ball at the end sailed in front of them, acting as a barrier between the students and salvation. At the end of the chain, Thunderball held it taunt, a devilish grin on his face.

"Workers who don't make it to the end of the block by 12:30 won't get any lunch!" He warned, further scaring the teenagers as their teacher stepped up into the bus.

"Sorry, ladies and gentlemen," Murdock said, no trace of sympathy in his voice as he stepped on the bus. "But your training camp... has already begun." At that moment, the door closed and the bus was driven away from the work site.

"Did he just... throw us to the wolves?" Asked Sam, turning back to see the Wrecking Crew waiting for the class.

"El Diablo es despiadado," Roberto muttered in Spanish.

"Alright, you all heard the man!!" The Wrecker called over. "Grab yourselves a hard hat and a pair of gloves, you're on cleanup duty today! You'll be under our direct supervision, meaning you have permission to use your Quirks on the job site."

This brought a measure of relief to most of the students. "Oh thank goodness!" Gwen exclaimed, tears of joy rolling down her face.

"Anyone else hate how M.A just springs stuff like this on us?" Asked Sam, walking with the others back towards the equipment. Several hands rose from the group.

"Well, no point complaining about it now," Amadeus said, shifting into his Brawn form and reaching for a hard hat.

"Right!!" Azari quickly took command, "Let us organize based on our Quirks for maximum efficiency! Those of us with enhanced strength, focus on clearing the road first. Poole and Johnson, stay close to dispose of the rubble with your portals. Wanda Maximoff, you and Minoru use your magic to repair the damage to the buildings."

Ava stepped forward, "Pietro, Sam, and myself will scout ahead. We'll check every square inch of this block for damage. Seol, Peter, Kei and Groot, you're on structural support. If you guys see something about to fall over, use your Quirks to keep it standing, at least until the rest of us can get there.

The group nodded at their Vice President. "Everyone else, assist wherever you can!" Azari ordered, as everyone prepared to leap into action, "Class 1-A, let's move out!!!"

From up in the construction truck, a young boy, no more than 7 or 8, glared down at the students from the cab window. He scoffed before bringing his head back inside, rolling up the window.


Seven hours later, the Wrecking Crew surveyed the cleaned area. While a bit of snow had fallen since the students began their work, the streets and sidewalks were now cleared and safe to travel on. "Not bad, kiddos," Piledriver grinned. "But I guess we should've taken into account the fact that you're not pros, and that it would take you longer!"

"Right, a block like this only takes us about 3 hours at most," the Wrecker added.

Standing in place or collapsed to the ground were the students of Class 1-A, completely exhausted from overusing their Quriks. Nearby, Peter collapsed against a public mailbox, sitting down next to an equally tired Roberto and Danny. Flash sat on a set of steps nearby, trying his best to not look as pathetic as his classmates.

"What do you mean, 3 hours!?" Kamala groaned.

"Well, he's not lying," Thunderball replied, a smirk on his face. "And that estimate didn't even factor in our heavy equipment!"

"Are you seriously trying to flex about how much better you are?" Asked an incredulous Luke.

"Yeah, I do not care for these people," Laura chimed in, a deadpanned expression on her face.

"Doesn't this equate to child labor?" Added Sam, laying on his back in the snow.

"So hungry..." Kei moaned, "I feel like I'm gonna die..."

The Wrecker shrugged, taking the complaints in a good natured stride. "But honestly, I thought it would take even longer," he said. "You guys didn't have as hard a time progressing through the zone as I thought you would. You did great! Especially..."

He then pointed at Peter, Danny, Flash, and Roberto. "You four! Were you able to act without hesitation because of prior experience?"

"Something like that..." Peter replied non-committally.

Given the versatility of his Quirk, the boy would occasionally have to double back to help clear debris, before returning to the forefront to ensure safety with the help of his Spider-Sense. Meaning he was completely exhausted, despite his enhanced stamina.

"Well the more experience you gain at a young age, the better you'll be by the time you're ready to strike out on your own!" Bulldozer said, handing out bottles of water for the students. He offered one to the Peter, "I know it's hard work now, but if you're going to be a top pro, you'll need to get used to it."

Peter nodded tiredly, accepting the bottle. "Speaking of 'young age,' who's the kid?" He nodded over to where a young Caucasian boy stood, the same one who was watching them earlier. He wore a yellow shirt under a red coat, jeans, and his short brown hair was covered by a red hard hat that matched Piledriver's.

"Oh that's my nephew, Ricky," the man in question replied. "His school's closed for winter break, so he's spending the next week with us." He waved over to the boy, "Hey Ricky! Come say hello to Class 1-A!!"

Instead, Ricky spat a loogie off to his side and walked away towards the truck, much to the confusion and disappointment of his uncle. "I'm not hanging out with a bunch of losers who wanna be heroes!" The boy growled.

"Kid needs an attitude adjustment," Flash observed.

"Those who live in glass houses mustn't throw stones," Danny replied.

"The hell'd you say, Glowfist!?" Tendrils wiggled dangerously on Flash's shoulders, "I'll kick your ass for that!!"

"Forgiveness," Danny bowed slightly. "It was merely an observation."

"Alright then," Wrecker cleared his throat and pressed a button on his crowbar. The huge truck lowered to the ground, a ramp opened up into the bed for the students to walk up. "Everybody on the truck! We're taking you to our headquarters, where there'll be food, showers, and beds for you all. But first, I believe your teacher has something to say."

"Indeed," said a voice. Mr. Murdock was already seated in the rear of the truck bed. The construction equipment was gone, and a series of chairs with seatbelts was now installed. He waited for his students to tiredly climb aboard, and once everybody was strapped in, a canopy covered the students and the truck began to move.

"Now, before we get to the base, I may as well explain the reasoning for this entire winter camp," the teacher began, palming his walking stick. "As you may have noticed, villains activity has been steadily increasing. From petty crimes, to organized acts of violence and intimidation."

Several of the students sat uncomfortably, thinking back to some of the struggles they'd dealt with so far this year. Namely, the E.D.R attack, the Night of the Sentinels, and more recently, the San Francisco Incident.

"And it's up to you guys as the next generation to respond," Mr. Murdock went on. "So, we'll be countering by becoming stronger than the rest of your peers, both in U.A. and in other schools."

He ran a hand through his hair, "Which is why I've submitted your class to sign up for the upcoming Provisional Hero License Exam in February of this year."

A murmur of excitement passed through the class.

"Holy cow, a Provisional License!?" Tandy exclaimed.

"This early? B-But we're still freshmen!" Kei spoke up nervously.

"That sounds awesome!" Sam beamed, before his face fell. "What's a Provisional License anyway?"

"That's simple!" Ava replied, ready with her answer. "It allows us students to become Provisional Heroes while under the guidance of Pros as we intern! That way, we're able to able to act as Heroes without the risk of being labeled as vigilantes."

"Ava has the right idea," Murdock said, the girl beaming from the compliment. "You'll also be permitted to assist in rescue efforts and during natural disasters without getting into trouble."

This generated further excitement as the teacher went on. "Normally we don't do this until your Sophomore year at the earliest," he went on. "But considering your progress as well as the circumstances you've already been through, I decided to not have you guys be held back just because you're Freshmen."

Murdock half-smirked, "What you did today, was a taste of what's to come all day tomorrow."

Peter gulped, knowing full well that when he smiled like that, something incredibly demanding was in store...

The teacher gestured with his cane, "As you've no doubt surmised, your Quirks themselves haven't improved that much. Which is why we will be working to improve your Quirks starting today."

"And we'll be here to help!" Wrecker called from the cab of the truck.

"Right," Murdock nodded. "In addition to assisting the Crew in regular cleanup efforts, you will be training to further hone your Quirks before the deadline of the Exam. I have every confidence in you all, and have no doubt you wish to do well."

That bit of faith was very assuring to some of his more downbeat students, as anticipation began to grow towards reaching their next goal.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to mention," the teacher smirked once more. "The five of you who failed the Practical Midterm? You'll be taking extra lessons following the day's training. Run by myself and the Class B homeroom teacher."

Following the sudden announcement. Gwen, Amadeus, Nico, Laura, and Sam collectively fell over in their chairs.

"Nooooo!!!" Gwen cried, "I was hoping he'd forgotten about that!!"

"He's our teacher, Gwen," Cho groaned. "Did you really think he was gonna let it slide?"

"Not him, the writer!!" She wailed, tears comically streaming down her face. "He didn't bring it up in 12 chapters! Why must we be dragged through this continuity??"

"These lessons will help you on the long run," Danny cut in, attempting to soothe the excitable blonde. "Think of them less as a punishment, and more of a way to close the gap."

The truck then lurched to a stop as it stood before a black building. It wasn't tall in the traditional New York City sense, but it was wide and nearly took up half a block on its own. A crest with the letters 'D.C' was emblazoned above the massive garage door.

Cho's eyes widened with excitement, "Yes!! I knew it!!!"

Tyrone turned to his classmate, "You know this place?"

"Yeah, this is Damage Control! My great uncle Bruce is in charge here!!" He replied, an air of giddiness about him.

"Your great uncle?" Peter blinked, before it suddenly dawned on him. "Wait a minute... You don't mean-"

"The Incredible Hulk!!!" Cho exclaimed, practically jumping in his seat. "Founding member of the Avengers, former leader of the S.M.A.S.H Agency, and the most powerful man in the world!!!"

"For real!?" Sam's jaw dropped, "What's he doing running an operation like Damage Control??"

"Not sure if that was meant to be a dig at us..." Thunderball muttered from his seat, having overheard him.

The Wrecker turned around to address the boy, "After he retired from active hero work, Dr. Banner wanted to do something about the collateral damage that always happens during a big fight. My guess is with all the messes he made in his early years, he wanted to make up for it somehow."

"But don't get too excited, kid," added Piledriver. "Boss-man's not out here all that often lately. He's been assisting S.H.I.E.L.D with some research project, totally classified."

Amadeus, Peter and Sam were crestfallen, and their expressions reflected as such.

"Alright, that's enough playing around. Get your stuff off the truck," Aizawa commanded his exhausted students. "Once your bags are in your rooms, we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that, you can bathe and get some sleep. Tomorrow your training starts in earnest. So get a move on."

"Yessir..." They replied in dull unison.


After getting their bags situated in the shared rooms, the class eagerly dug into a hearty dinner. It was only mildly soured by Bulldozer informing them that they'd have to start making their own meals the following day; breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Amadeus and Pietro inhaled their bowls of pasta as they sat across from Peter, who was sitting with Wanda and Ava as they ate their dinner. Both boys were practically crying as they ate, given how much their Quirks consumed calories during extended use.

"So, the girls' room is normal sized?" Peter asked.

"That's right," Ava replied, slicing a her steak with a fork and knife. "We're staying in a smaller room, but it's big enough to fit everyone. Apparently both rooms were repurposed offices, so it was luck of the draw that we got this one."

"I'm kind of used to it," Wanda added sheepishly. She looked at her friend curiously, "Wait, is the boy's room bigger?"

"Well I don't know how it compares to yours, but it's definitely bigger than any room I ever stayed in," Peter said.

"Really? I wanna see it! Can I come over and check it out later?" Gwen asked loudly, leaning over Wanda while grinning. Peter chuckled nervously at this.

"Man, it's not fair!" Sam whined as a tear leaked from the corner of his eye. "How come he's getting a harem?"

"Oh, shut up and eat!" Peter exclaimed, blushing nervously before he stuffed the boy's face with food to shut him up. But as he leaned back and looked around, Wade noticed someone out of the corner of his eye.

It was Ricky. The young boy was just standing against the wall, pouting at always. Piledriver asked him if he could bring the empty trays back to the kitchen as he brought out a fresh platter of roasted vegetables. The boy grumbled and picked up the tray, a bitter scowl on his face.

Peter frowned at the kid before turning his attention back to his food.


There was nothing a little hot shower to relax the body, and Peter sighed with contentment as he made his way back to the shared room for the boys. He paused however, when he saw Ricky dozing on a couch inside one of the offices, an open book on the table. The boy seemed to be shivering a bit, understandable given the open window.

Glancing around, Peter crept into the office, snuck past the couch, and shut the window that exposed the room to the cool January air. Making his way back, he picked up a blanket sitting on the couch's arm and gently placed it over Ricky, leaving his head exposed.

He went to close the book, and curiosity got the better of him as he examined the title; 1001 Jokes for Kids. Huh, Peter thought. Never thought a kid like that would have a sense of humor...

"His favorite book," said a voice. Peter looked up to see Piledriver looking in from the doorway, a gentle smile on his face. "Ricky's mom used to read that to him before bed," he went on quietly. "Thanks for doing checking on him, I was just coming up to do that."

"No problem," Peter whispered back, creeping out the door as Piledriver shut it behind him. "He looked a bit cold."

"Not as cold as his attitude earlier," the man replied, regret in his voice as he walked with Peter back down the hallway. "Sorry he was being such a brat earlier..."

Peter replied, walking with Piledriver back down the hallway. "What's up with him anyway?" He asked, "I mean, I don't understand kids all that much, but I recognize hatred when I see it."

The hero paused, as of trying to find the right words. "Well, he doesn't hate you guys specifically, it's more what you represent to him..."

Peter blinked, "I don't follow."

Piledriver sighed, "Right, context. Kind of important for something like this..." He gestured with his head to follow before walking into another office, and picked up a framed photo sitting on the desk. "Everyone knows of the Wrecking Crew as this awesome, 4 person team," the man began. "But once upon a time, there were 5 of us..."

He handed the photo to Peter, who looked it over. It was a team shot of the Crew wearing actual Hero costumes, with the addition of a woman in blue and white with braided brown hair.

"My kid sister, Lizzie Jones," Piledriver said. "She went by the name 'Demolisher', had a Quirk that let her absorb power from machines and convert it into super strength."

"No kidding? Well it fits your 'Wrecking' theme, I guess," replied Peter. "Weird though, how come I haven't heard of her? Where is she?"

The older man's head dipped slightly, "She died, years ago. It was before we made it big on the charts, so most folks don't know about her either."

"Oh wow... I'm sorry," Peter sympathized. "What happened?"

"The job happened," Wrecker put in, walking into the office, having overheard the discussion. "She's coming back from an errand when she ran into this villain on a rampage. Didn't hesitate to leap into action, and called us in for backup. But by the time we got there, he was gone. And so was she..."

"Ricky was only 4 when it happened," Piledriver continued. "I took him in, been doing the best I can to raise him right... But it doesn't stop the him from having that resentment."

"Demolisher died protecting citizens from a villain. For a hero, it was a respectable way to die... an honorable one even," said Wrecker. "But... This is a child barely aware of what was around him, and he couldn't understand why it happened. His whole world had revolved around his mother, and then suddenly she was gone."

"So to Ricky, heroes are people he can't understand and he finds them unpleasant," Piledriver summed up.

"He doesn't seem to like us much either," Wrecker sighed. "Since we're also heroes. But it's not like he's got anywhere else for him to go, so he's stuck."

"It's partly why we joined up with Damage Control," Piledriver nodded. "The gig's less risky for those of us with family. Plus it's steady work, which believe it or not, isn't always easy to come by in this business."

Peter stared at the photo and looked back toward the office Ricky was sleeping in. "Wait, what about Ricky's dad?" He asked. "Is he still around?"

Wrecker cringed, "Oh him? Yeah, he's still alive. But he won't be visiting anytime soon."

Peter tilted his head in confusion.

"He's in prison," Piledriver clarified, a sullen look on his face. "I loved my sister, but she had a lousy taste in guys... Anyway, it's late. You should probably get back to your friends."

Taking that as a sore subject, the boy simply nodded and walked toward the elevator. Poor kid, Peter thought. He's just like me...

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Barber's Chair

• So in place of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, I thought a somewhat lesser known Marvel quartet would serve as a good place holder: the Wrecking Crew. This iteration is based off the Ultimate comics, where instead of being a criminals, they used their powers to earn a steady paycheck as part of Damage Control. Also, their helmets are the color of their regular costumes.

• Similarly to the Pussycats, I've got the Crew operating in sort of a Ginyu Force/Sentai mindset, with poses and special weapons at the ready!

• Typically in the comics, Damage Control would be run either by S.H.I.E.L.D or a figurehead with less than honest intentions (Wilson Fisk or Walter Declun come to mind). So instead, I thought it would be fitting that it would be led here by the hero with perhaps the most property damage to his name lol

• Demolisher is an actual character who briefly filled in for Thunderball in the comics a while back. I figured if the Crew weren't villains in this story, I'd keep the tragic backstory from in the original source material.

• As for Ricky, his father in comics is actually Piledriver. But I'm switching up a few things here, not just to better align with the general plot of MHA. I've got plans for the little guy in the future, and I'm merging his character with another Marvel legacy who's often overlooked these days.