Midoriya Izuku bobbed his head to the beat in his ears as he pulled a white top onto a black mannequin. The top was a mimicry of Kaminari's Hero Costume but with adjustments. First, the sleeves were shortened, cut just below the elbow, and finished with a set of three diodes along the outside of the sleeve. Second, gold lines – protected wires decorated the top; shaped like lightning arcing across the body. Third, white carbon fiber was integrated as armor sparsely as, "Most Heroes don't really wear armor now that I think about it… Or, at least, outright armor… Almost seems traditional, to keep it all hidden…" He paused for a second – a memory of a wound: twisted and deep. A frown soured his face before he shook it away. "If Kaminari wants it gone, he can remove it himself."

Izuku slid back on his stool for a moment before pulling out a long coat from a nearby table. It was black with two lightning bolts decorating its surface. Both, in which, started at his shoulders and descended down the front and back of the coat. The ones in the front ended at the mid-torso while the other two nearly met the hem of the coat's tails. The inside was laced with insulated material as well as a small number of diodes and wirings. It was pulled onto the mannequin with extra focus placed on its cuffs as they lined up with the sleeves.

"It looks cool," commented Jirou.

Izuku nodded, "That's good. Hopefully, Kaminari will like it."

"It's definitely his style," affirmed Shinso.

A chuckle rolled out, "His style's pretty simplistic then."

"Have ya met the guy?" joked Jirou.

Izuku laughed at that, turning off to the side, before pausing. He turned, "When did you two get here?"

"Just now," said Shinso, shrugging.

He blinked, "Oh, okay…" He turned back to his work, "Thought you guys were supposed to come after lunch, why're you here so early?" He paused before tapping on his phone and turning to them, "Cause it's after lunch."

"Yep," said Shinso, tossing a melon pan at the inventor and smacking him in the face. "Oh, crap, sorry."

Izuku bounced the snack in his hand, "It's fine. Thanks."

"So, what's it all for?" asked Jirou.

"Focusing on Kaminari's electric burst. The top and coat are now connected and act as both containers and funnels." Izuku teetered his head, "Which are, or rather, will be connected to the…" His face contorted, "Frankenstein Gauntlets…"

"Frankenstein?"

Shinso tucked his hand into his pocket, "Like that horror story?"

"Eeh? Gross," shivered Jirou.

Shinso turned to Izuku, "American, right?"

"No, English."

"That – you, what?"

Izuku blinked before elaborating, "English as in British."

"Oh."

He then turned to Jirou, "And it's not that scary." He blinked, taking out his earbuds, "Well, maybe existentially… Actually, probably more for me than you."

Jirou's eyes unintentionally caught the movement, "What were you listening to?"

Izuku shrugged, pulling out his phone, "I don't know something I just came across: Ver… Ver-Zach? H… Hiccup?" read Izuku.

Jirou raised a brow, "American?"

"British?" squeaked Shinso.

Izuku pointed at Shinso, "Ha, ha." Overall, he shrugged, "No idea." He let out a breath, "What were we talking about?"

"Gauntlets," said Shinso.

Izuku snapped his fingers, "Right! We have a metal-based 3D printer and most of the parts have been going since… a bit before school started…?"

Jirou raised her brow, "Before? When did you design it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Last night…" He clenched his jaw for a moment to hold back that inconvenient yawn before pushing out a cough. "I don't really remember." He waggled his finger, rolling in his stool, "Though, he wasn't the only I was thinking about…" His face contorted, "That sounded weird." He rolled up to a tarp-covered mannequin. "Ta-da!" he cried, despite not doing anything. "I'm not actually gonna do that yet. I'm gonna save it for Senpai. But I did do stuff."

"You gonna cover up Kaminari's stuff?" asked Shinso.

Izuku shook his head and said, "I only have the one tarp and the gauntlets aren't done yet." His head teetered, "Unless you guys want to, like, stand in front of it? Hm?"

He sighed, "Foul-mouthed Senpai wouldn't be too happy with that, and people are finally showing so… can't risk it."

Izuku turned, "Jirou-"

"No."

In stride, he took it, "Alright." He also noticed the now bursts of people filing into the workshop, "Well, thanks for chatting." He then asked, "Oh, how much was the pan?"

"Huh? Don't worry about it, man," said Shinso.

"Are you sure? You seem really upset when Kaminari gets you," recalled Izuku.

Shinso said, "Usually, cause he forces me – don't worry about it!" as he walked to Fujimori's station.

Izuku turned to Jirou, "How are you feeling about all of it? I know you and Shinso aren't too excited for the tournament."

"So long as I'm not fighting Shishikura or Yoarashi, I think I'll be fine," answered Jirou.

"Yoarashi?"

Jirou smiled, shrugging, "He's an energetic guy – he'd probably wipe the floor with all of us. But, maybe, with the Second Years around, the field will even out."

"Hm."

"What about you? This Field Support thing – I know Uemura isn't the biggest fan."

"It… seems interesting. I don't really know. I need to make more stuff for myself just to keep me safe." He shrugged, "I guess winning seems nice."

Jirou chuckled, "Well, better cover your ears if you're going up against me. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone, so I won't hold back."

"I'm already terrified," said Izuku with a smile and a wave. His hand lowered as he teetered on his stool, "Field Support, huh…? Not too different from what I'm already doing, I guess…" He shook his head, "Though, I would be surrounded by a lot more Heroes, wouldn't I…?" He chuckled to himself, "Then again… If that was my goal, I made a pretty poor life choice…"

"What're you laughing at?" asked Kaminari.

"Just a big joke…" murmured Izuku. He then turned, smiling, "Hi, Senpai, Kaminari."

"Ya-Hallo!" waved Utsushimi

"Yo," greeted Kaminari.

"Well, time for the reveal, right?" Eye contact was made, "Kaminari, don't look at this," and Izuku gestured to the uncovered mannequin, "-it isn't done yet." The blond seemed enraptured, "It's that candy bar you could get, but it's just one candy bar and you got something sweet at home – you don't need it."

"I don't need it," said Kaminari.

"Save that money."

"Money, saved."

"Don't look at it."

Kaminari nodded, "I won't."

Utsushimi looked between the two, "That was totes kinda freaky…"

Izuku rolled in his stool, "Anyway, Senpai, we got your upgrade!" He clarified, "If you want it, we can change it – get rid of it. It's up to you." He sucked in a breath, "Ta-da!" he cried, pulling at the tarp. It, however, got stuck on the shoulders, "Ah, crap." He adjusted and pulled once more, "Ta-da!"

The mannequin wore a mimicry of Utsushimi's catsuit with differences. First, of course, there was some noticeable armor. Though, its material make wasn't obvious as its design was sleeker and came more in line with the overall aesthetic. Second, small, frosted segments popped up throughout the suit – not so much as to be overwhelming but enough to accent. Third, her cuffs were slightly redesigned, but the visual difference was minimal and didn't hint at the new functionality.

"Woah!"

"Also…" Izuku prodded the underside of its right sleeve and the frosted segments lit up at first in red before a minor adjustment turned it to a rotating rainbow. "LED lights for…" He trailed off before frowning and sighing, "I… I got bored… honestly. You know we have a bunch in that cupboard over there. I thought you might like it; I can take it out if you don't."

Utsushimi shook her head, "No! This is super sweet!" She pulled her phone from her pocket, "Aw, I have to post this!"

"Isn't there a media embargo?" questioned Izuku.

She deflated, "Ugh, true…" She still lifted her phone, "I guess I'll snap a few pics to show my friends."

Izuku slid over to the mannequin, "Well, there is one more thing." He adjusted its arms, "It'll be easier to demonstrate. Kaminari, could I borrow your wrists?"

Kaminari nodded, "Uh, sure."

Izuku got Utsushimi's attention, taking a hold of a cuff, "Okay, first, to remove you press this button on the cuff and pull. It loosens and slides right off." He pulled it off, shifting it to show the internal working, "It's based off an interlocking metal bracelet, or I guess like one of those clip-on watches." He shrugged, sliding the cuff onto his wrist, "Now, internally, it's a lot of metal so it's a bit rough going on raw – shut up, Kaminari."

"I didn't say anything!" cried a smirking Kaminari.

His eyes narrowed, "I can hear your thoughts." He turned back to Utsushimi, "But your sleeves are padded so it'll be fine in tandem with your costume. To put them on, just reverse the process. Press the button, slip it on – keep the button down, and push inward. Done."

"Okay," said Utsushimi, focusing intensely on the new tool.

Izuku nodded, pulling on the other cuff onto his opposing wrist, "Now, the new function, Kaminari?"

Kaminari held out his wrists, "Ready."

Izuku demonstrated, "Now, press the button once on both cuffs." He then took hold of Kaminari's arms, "Then, mid to back forearms are the best place to grasp and… Snap." He smacked the cuffs against the outside of the blond's wrists. They clicked before launching around the wrists and the once locked ends snapped together in between. "Handcuffs!"

"What!?" gasped Utsushimi.

While Kaminari grinned, "Holy shit!"

Izuku held a finger, "Now, pressing the button twice in a row will set a timer of sorts into place. Should allow you to apply them a lot faster in a hectic situation."

Utsushimi snapped a picture of the almost elegant-looking interlock, "This is totes wicked, Midoriya!"

Kaminari mouthed 'S' at Izuku before getting kicked in the shins.

"Let me get the key," said Izuku. "To unlock, the slot is the same place as where the buttons would be and turn, done."

"Awesome," said Utsushimi.

"How did you make that?"

Izuku shrugged, "Combined the workings of an interlocking metal bracelet, an oven timer, and a slap-on watch." He blinked, "Conceptually, not physically." He rubbed his arm, "I'm honestly surprised you guys are so excited about it…"

"It's really cool dude," said Kaminari.

"Thanks..."

"Well, mine's on pause. What about yours?"

Izuku explained, "The harness was a bit difficult to put on, so I integrated it into a jumpsuit – kinda like a motorist's jumpsuit." He looked about the room, "But… considering what we're up against I might need some more stuff…" A yawn then escaped from his mouth, tears building up in the corners of his eyes. "Damn."

Kaminari yawned, "Pretty heavy yawn."

"Oh geez, guys," yawned Utsushimi.

Izuku clenched his jaw, fighting off another one, "It's an infection, ah!" He shook his head, "I should get some coffee." He blinked when a beep went off, "Ah, the print's finally done."

Kaminari nodded, "Go grab it. UCC, right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Utsushimi unzipped the catsuit from the mannequin, "I'm gonna go try this on."

Izuku nodded, fighting another yawn, "Yeah, please do that. I need to know if it needs to be adjusted."

-XX-

Izuku wrapped a measuring tape around Kaminari's forearm, noting the information found. "This'll be a minimal baseline for the fitting. The design is meant to be adjustable, so if you gain muscle mass. You shouldn't have to get the whole unit replaced." Off to the side were soldered circuit boards and wires carefully laid throughout a gauntlet base. Each version and color have been carefully collected and neatly placed by a cautious hand. "And I was thinking that to activate the gauntlet it could use a simple pulley-like mechanism attached to your fingers."

Kaminari blinked, "Ooh."

"Yeah, I was thinking a specific hand gesture could work," said Izuku.

"So, one I don't usually make, right?" He rubbed his chin for a moment, "Middle finger-"

"Absolutely not," stopped Izuku.

"Hm…" He snapped his fingers, "Ooh! We learned about this Right-Hand Rule in Physics… Uh, Magnetic force, moving charge, and magnetic field direction."

Izuku nodded, "Yeah, that could work. I'll need a few more measurements."

Utsushimi jogged up to the two, wearing her new costume, "Hey, guys! Sorry, I just had to show this off. Everyone likes the lights, Midoriya!" The lights flashed a warm amber as she adjusted her boots.

"That's good," said Izuku.

She just held out her hand, "I also need the key, Shishikura is stuck in my cuffs."

"Oh, he must be freaking out," chuckled Kaminari before whispering, "Hope Shinso took pictures."

Izuku shared a bemused look before passing the key, "Here."

"Thanks," left Utsushimi as she jogged back over to the exploding voice.

Kaminari's gaze followed, "I love that costume."

Izuku measured the length of Kaminari's hand, "Stop it."

-XX-

Izuku took a power drill and tightened the final bolt into place, finishing the top of the gauntlet with a white, silvery plate. A trapezoidal slot laid around the midpoint of the gauntlet and after slipping the pulley armature onto his fingers, he made the activation gesture. A copper/gold rod shot out the trapezoidal slot before relaxing his hand and reversing the device. He then took the underside of the gauntlet and brought it close to the top. They clicked into place before a whirl of a few screws, tightening the gauntlet into a single whole unit. He then pulled on two tabs to undo the attachment and separated the one into two.

"It sure looks nice…" he murmured. "It's not really suited for shooting lightning or at least not yet…" He looked over his invention, "The underside contains a closed off system that activates in response to connecting to a set of sensors on the other unit… Once registered, the underside activates a pair of drills welded on bolts, forming the gauntlet… Under thick metal and insulative material, there holds the… Franken Device…" His face contorted,, "That's not a good name…" He coughed, "The Franken Device for the… whatever, Franken Gauntlet is a collection of capacitors and limiters… Meant to take Kaminari's lightning and convert it into basically ammunition…" His finger met an indent on the side of the gauntlet's top, "An ultrashort-pulse laser needs to be mounted here… Hopefully, that Requisition Order went through…"

Izuku rolled his stool from his station, turning away, "Now to put it all together…" He turned to the once clothed mannequin only to find it naked. He then caught the flap of a coattail in the corner of his eye, turning to see Kaminari skipping about. Kaminari turned dramatically, throwing it to flutter in the air. "Really?" He sighed, murmuring, "At least it fits." He then beckoned, "Come here."

"I love the fucking lightning bolts. It's a sick-ass coat. I'm gonna get badass gauntlets." He grinned, "I'm gonna shoot lightning!"

Izuku frowned, feeling his chest tighten, "Loving the enthusiasm." He placed the gauntlet into place, and it whirled tight, "But you do know, this might not work, right?"

"Come on, dude. If anything, I should be the one that's pessimistic." Kaminari shrugged, "I mean what's different from last time?"

"Well, I realized a lot from that test. First, lightning is exhibited from every point of your body and in that test, most of it escaped collection. It left your chamber and met the wall and ceiling. While the gauntlet took a portion of your discharge it wasn't nearly enough. Two, maybe, just like Senpai, you are the most important part." He sighed, "Or maybe, I'm wrong. But what's more important is that this," he lightly tugged on the coat's lapel, "funnels your electricity into the gauntlet."

"I don't want to be a downer, but I don't want you to step into that testing range expecting it to work, only for it to not." Izuku scratched his nose, "Just trying to manage your expectations." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't want to disappoint."

"Dude, I told you, failure is a part of the thing – the process."

Izuku sighed, "I know you did. You're just really excited, and it feels like your expectations are really high." He shrugged, "I'm just not used to it."

"What do you mean? What're you not used to?"

"Expectations…?" He rubbed his brow, "No, I can't say that…" He shook his head, "N-No, that wasn't the right phrasing." He crossed his arms, rocking on his stool, "I guess I'm just stressing out about it." He shrugged, "Tournament, everyone watching… Guess I'm just worried about embarrassing myself and you and Senpai."

"Yeah, well, we'll be embarrassed together!" called Kaminari.

Izuku chuckled, "That wasn't as good as yesterday's."

"Quality products take, at least, forty-eight hours to make," said Kaminari.

"That's a terrible business model."

"At least, I have a business model."

Jirou called, "Jeez, Midoriya, it's only your first year, but you're already talking about a Start-Up?"

Ashido cooed, "Ooh, you should call it, Green Mechanics Inc!"

"Green?" echoed Izuku.

"Where could've she gotten that from?" pondered Kaminari.

"Olives?"

"Clovers?"

"Grass?"

Jirou waved her hand, "Seems like you guys were in the middle of something. Everything okay?"

"Midori's just nervous," said Kaminari, reaching out to pet Izuku's head.

His face practically inverted as he ducked away, "Hm, nope." His stool rolled, putting distance between himself and them, "No. I'm good."

Kaminari blinked, "Eh?"

Ashido creeped forward, "Ooh, I bet his hair's really floofy. I want to compare it to mine~."

"That is literally terrifying," said Izuku as he rolled further.

"Don't harass the guy," said Jirou, smacking Ashido's shoulder.

"Yay! Jirou's my Hero!" cried Izuku, clapping.

Jirou's face flushed, "Shut up."

A hand plopped onto his head, causing him to freeze in place. "Eh? What's up, guys?" asked Utsushimi.

Kaminari rubbed his chin, "Ah, only accepting Camie-Senpai, I understand, Mr. Heartbreaker."

"Escape!" said Izuku, rushing away. He ducked underneath a work bench and emerged from the other side, a free man.

Ashido tilted her head, "That fits, too."

"Commitment is scary," affirmed Jirou.

"What's going on?" asked Utsushimi with a confused look.

Izuku sighed, "Please just… ignore them."

-XXX-

Kaminari Denki's grin threatened to split his head into two. The white gauntlet fit snugly on his forearm and flush against his coat's cuffs. The armature on his fingers felt a bit tight, but it felt like it'd go away the longer he wore it. He looked over to the testing range's terminal, spotting Midori, "So, we're only testing the one?"

Midori nodded, "Yep, no point in having two if it doesn't work."

"Which is fine," said Denki.

"I concur," said Midori. "Mr. Abraham, are you reading us?"

"Yes, Mr. Midoriya. Ms. Utsushimi is also here," replied Mr. Abraham.

Midori tapped on the terminal, "Okay, recording begins…" He was locked into a plexiglass chamber once again, "Note One-Two. Testing Prototype Two of the Franken Gauntlet Item, once referred to Lightning Gauntlet in Note One-One. Safety Perimeters, Observation Perimeters, Targeting Perimeters, and Activation Perimeters are the same as before – for details please refer to Note One-One."

Denki's face contorted, "Franken Gauntlets?"

"Shush." He pressed a button on the terminal before an arm slid out, holding the target, "Variation: the Franken Gauntlet has been redesigned and remade for user testing. User, referred to as Subject, is Kaminari Denki, wielding it on his right forearm. Mr. Kaminari's costume has been modified to allow greater control of his electric dispersion. Focusing it into the Gauntlet. Mr. Kaminari is also not in a safety chamber – given the free space to manually fire the Gauntlet." He finished, "The goal of this test is to see if the modification works. Secondary goal is for Mr. Kaminari to shoot lightning."

"Woohoo!" cried Denki, pumping his fists.

"Short discharge: thirty seconds!" He took a breath, "Beginning in 3… 2… 1…!"

Denki took in and released a deep breath. His index finger extended, middle finger bent, thumb rose, and the Stein Gauntlet clicked. The golden rod shot out, nearly meeting his outstretched finger. He clenched his teeth as his body tensed. Once the first spark escaped his skin, his muscles relaxed as electricity roared from his skin. First, it met his top and bounced between himself and the material. He could feel it travel across his skin, escaping through the gold and screeching free. Electricity clawed at the inside of his coat before it was called to the conductive wiring within. He could feel the heat from the forming plasma travel down his arm before leaping into and out of the diodes.

For that one moment, his electricity left him. It was as if his forearm was a dead zone – all the electricity was diving into the gauntlet. His heart nearly skipped a beat when yellow lightning crawled across the rod. Humanly, it wasn't possible for him to truly see the plasma leap into the air. But he did feel it… as it shot to his metal tipped finger. It burned and glowed for barely a second before Denki cried, "Fuck!" All of that growling power was silenced in an instant.

"Kaminari!" Denki heard his gauntlet whirl before its bottom half clanged onto the ground. Its upper unit swung on his fingertip for a moment before it too met the ground. "Are you okay?"

The sting was harsh – only barely numbing but very consuming albeit for that brief moment. There was a redness to the tip of his finger. The pain weakened, becoming a pulsing scratch across his skin, but it was still there. It was like stubbing a toe, skimming a broth with your finger, or touching that recently microwaved bowl. The pain was hell, especially when it just happened, but with a few deep breaths and a moment of calm, it seems to lessen.

Denki released a long breath, "Oof, god… That surprised the Hell out of me…!"

Midori shook his head, "No kidding." He held out his hand, "Let me see it."

"It's not that bad. My Quirk helps," said Denki, showing his finger. "You know, I got struck by lightning when I was a kid. That was way worse." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Actually, I think that was the first time my brain ever fried."

Midori blinked at him, giving an incredulous look, "That's… a lot to unpack. Let's save – let's save that for later."

"Well, like I said, my Quirk helps. Electricity's hot in general – the more I used it; the more resistance I got overall."

"Like calluses or Ashido's Quirk." Denki affirmed with a nod as Midori observed, "The burn's not that bad… Some cool water would do." He cautioned, "Don't use cold water, cool. Cold will agitate it and make it worse. Could even cause scarring, unlikely in this scenario, but you know."

"Right, gotcha," said Denki as Midori crouched over his Gauntlet, "You know your way around burns, huh?"

Midori prodded it, "Yeah, I guess I do…" He then picked up the Gauntlet and stood, looking over it, "I suppose you could say I got my own set of calluses…"

"Is everything okay!?" questioned Mr. Abraham as he jogged into the range.

Denki waved his hand, "Yeah, Mr. Abraham, I just got surprised."

"Geez! You hella worried me!" cried Camie-Senpai, smacking his shoulder.

Now, despite the fact Denki was used to absorbing electricity as easily and commonly as breathing, this basically felt like he received a lightning bolt from God. "S-Sorry, Camie-Senpai…"

Midori turned to Mr. Abraham, "Sorry for not replying to you or notifying you." He gestured to Denki, "Mr. Kaminari's burn is minor. His Quirk's gave him a natural resistance to burns. A minor one, at least." He suggested, "We can use the sink and some aloe to ease it immediately."

Mr. Abraham slowly nodded, "I see you have assessed the situation…" He turned to Denki, gesturing to his hand, "How are you, Mr. Kaminari? May I?"

"Yeah, sure – I'm fine," said Denki.

"It doesn't hurt too badly when I touch it?"

Denki shook his head, "Nope. It stings, but I'm all dandy."

"I see," concluded Mr. Abraham. "I suppose I could forgive the lack of communication…" He put his hands on his hips, "Though, we may have to have a recourse in safety materials."

Midori nodded, "I understand."

Denki couldn't help but frown, noticing a slight one on Camie-Senpai's face. Mr. Abraham noticed them, letting out a chuckle, "Don't worry you two. It won't be much of a lecture – just a bit of a scolding." He coughed, "Ms. Utsushimi, would you please tend to Mr. Kaminari? And Mr. Kaminari, please do see the nurse if the pain returns or worsens. Actually, please do visit her all the same. It may wait until after class if you wish." He explained, "I'll have a short conversation with Mr. Midoriya, and we'll be back in operation soon."

"Okay," said Denki; slowly echoed by Camie-Senpai before they left the range.

-\ XXX /-

AN: Howdy, everybody~. Chapter Twelve is out~! Woo!

Now, in actuality, I initially intended for Compulsion's Season 1 to end here. Classic anime season - twelve episodes. However, during the writing of Chapter 8, especially in its revision, I realized it wasn't going to happen. Not without rushing story beats and fucking up the overall Season. And the last thing I wanted to do is revert back to that previous state of mind. I wanted to take the time - even if it's a slow crawl of a pace with its own set of issues. Thus, a less than clean first season, nice in theory; difficult in execution. Probably not, if I planned things out more thoroughly, but this is the hole - I'm living in it.

Next, I thought it might be good to just put out there that the laser-lightning shooting thing is based off an article by the BBC in 2012. It doesn't have too many details, but it was enough of a backbone. I will put a link here, but depending on the website, it might not show. So, if you google: Lightning gun, it's one of the first articles.

/news/technology-18630622

With that, thank you for reading and criticize away!

Update Window: August 20th - 30th

Intended Due Date: August 20th - 25th