Here it is, the 154th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on schedule. Star and Stripe failed, Shigaraki managed to grab her, steal her Quirk and kill her thus succeeding in one of All for One's two goals regarding Quirks he needed to take. However, Star had one final order for New Order that destroyed it and several of Shigaraki's Quirks in the process and buying the heroes precious time. Now they have to use that as they gear up and prepare for what has to be the final battle in this generations spanning war. That is all the administrative stuff that I have for you, however, and there are no guest reviews that can be responded to or questions to answer so I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. That is all I have for this pre chapter note so that means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 154th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 154: The Time That Star Gave
The reaction to the fight and Star's defeat was almost immediate. The fighter pilots had called into Japan's combat HQ, they'd been in contact prior due to coordinating Star's approach and aid, and informed them of what had happened and Star's death though All Might had already done the latter a few moments prior having witnessed it thanks to his connections with the Guardian Agency.
Additionally, the pilots provided more information that All Might hadn't seen and that had been the path that Shigaraki had taken when he'd fled after New Order turned on him. It was a path that the pilots couldn't follow but the police and heroes could and instantly they did so as to try and find Shigaraki in his weakened state. Alas, all that was found was the typical destruction that he left in his wake before he managed to disappear once again.
That had been the immediate lead that the pilots had provided but it soon got overshadowed by the bigger news from the battle itself, the death of America's top hero, Star and Stripe. The news of that spread quickly and it shook the globe to its core as she was seen as the strongest hero out there but worse were the ramifications of her death.
Everyone now knew that Star had failed to stop Shigaraki and had died in the process leaving the US without their number 1 hero. As Japan was now showing, a country with no heroes was a country that couldn't be defended, already rumblings of increased villain activity were starting to affect America with Star dead, so governments opted to keep their top heroes at home and protect their own citizens rather than send them to help a faraway land, especially an island nation with no land borders.
It was the pragmatic and proper approach in this situation, one made even worse by the fact that All for One's associates in other nations, his friends as he called them, were causing havoc there to occupy those heroes. After all, a nation's heroes had a duty to protect their nation's citizens first so with all that was going on they couldn't afford to help out another nation's citizens right now.
To add to it, All for One had also set off several border issues and international attacks in hot or important zones around the world that stymied the Guardians from deploying to Japan as well as they had to deal with actual international issues and couldn't divert their resources at the moment. It was a clever tactic that had already been in the works before Star's death and now it was really paying off thanks to her failure because Japan had to accept the truth of the matter now, they would have no outside help in this fight.
There was one benefit of the fight that All Might hadn't seen coming, however, data. The X-66s that flew over with Star and then landed in Japan after her death and reporting Shigaraki's escape path had been the latest state of the art fighter jets complete with a whole suite of sensors that had recorded every bit of data that they possibly could during the fight with Shigaraki.
This data included his biological responses during the fight and a detailed analysis of each Quirk that he exhibited during it along with when he didn't use a specific Quirk at the end. The information was handed over All Might and the forces in Japan to help in the fight with Shigaraki and was added to the data that they already had on Shigaraki.
That had been the biggest boon of it all because with all they knew, along with what had been seen by Nezu, Mage, Fei, and All Might, they had been able to come to a determination regarding Shigaraki's current state. It was one that gave them a chance that they fully intended to do all that they could to maximize.
So, the day after Star's death and the information being handed over, All Might was back on campus and had met with all of Class 1-A in their dorm where they'd gathered in their hero costumes, with some either partially dressed or still getting dressed, to hear the updated news in the wake of Star's death. All that All Might was able to get out, though, was that there was now an extension before the final battle when he was interrupted.
"An extension before the final battle?" Bakugo asked All Might when he paused after mentioning it. "What do you mean by that?"
"While Star ultimately lost, the American pilots with her were able to extract some critical and informative information on Shigaraki during the battle." All Might explained. "Between their data and data that we have obtained from other sources in the last few days, we've been able to confirm that Shigaraki's body was supposed to be at 100% tomorrow, ahead of our initial predictions after the disruption to the process that we caused in Jaku. However, thanks to not bothering with protocol and just coming here, the timing of Star and Stripe couldn't have been better and her efforts in the end ensured that we now have at least a week before Shigaraki is back on his feet. This was her final gift to us, a strategic delay."
"In war, even a day or two extra can mean the difference between victory or defeat." Adrien said understanding the importance of what Star had given them. "A seasoned hero like Star and Stripe would know that."
"Her sacrifice has bought us the time we need to make a final plan for Shigaraki and All for One." Izuku said. "She must have had a way to ensure that even if she failed it wouldn't be meaningless."
"She did, initially it was a theory of the Principal's from watching the battle in real time and the data from the American pilots has confirmed it." All Might said. "New Order, rather than becoming one of Shigaraki's many Quirks as he or All for One intended it to be, instead burned through his body like a poison and attacked him from the inside out by attacking his stockpiled Quirks. We don't know how many he actually had stockpiled but we are certain that a good number of them were destroyed by Star's final attack. At least one we know for certain as Shigaraki didn't use it when the pilots tried to keep him pinned but the total number is unknown."
"Then we should go after him." Jiro said. "Right away, he's injured and down several Quirks so now's the time to strike."
"It is the best chance that we'll get." Momo said, she didn't have her belt on though she was wearing the Horse Miraculous glasses over her eyes while Kaalki was hovering over her should as All Might was fully aware of the kwamis so she didn't need to hide around him and neither did Tikki or Plagg who were also out with their holders though none of the other kwamis were present. "Kaalki will help, if we can get even close to his coordinates I can transport all the heroes there in one go with her aid as Cavalerie just like the League of Villains did to us at the USJ."
"We should strike but we need to find where Shigaraki is hiding and we need to do that quickly while we have the time." Marinette said. "There are a few things we still need here though and we can't rush this. If we have a week to perfect this plan then we need to be ready in the next 2 to 3 days after we make final preparations here."
"I agree and I am aware of what you and young Agreste are in need of, the Support Course is hard at work there to finish Agreste's and produce as much of that special energy paste as possible." All Might said. "And you are right, we must make the most of this unexpected delay for it will mean victory or defeat in the end. We cannot afford to lose, Shigaraki and All for One must be defeated. Right now teams are still working on civilian evacuation but every hero who's not doing that or working search and rescue is out on the ground looking for Shigaraki and the League while rounding up the jailbreakers running rampant all over the nation. If we get that in time then we can look to Kaalki's power, young Yaoyorozu."
"Of course sir." Momo said as Kaalki nodded by her shoulder. "We'll keep training until then."
"There is no denying that this has set All for One back but this is All for One that we're dealing with, he's no doubt got some kind of contingency plan in place, likely several plans, so there's no telling what his next move will be." All Might said his fist clenching. "But his response to this could be brutal and we must be ready for it. Regardless of who makes the first move be it us finding them or All for One launching his attack, this will lead to an all-out war that will engulf the whole nation. This is it, both sides know it, so we must win."
All Might paused at that as he looked over the students knowing that they'd be on the front lines. None of them wavered or faltered as they stood there, they were all ready for what was to come so All Might continued reminding them of who the major players were, ones that people in this room would likely end up facing and having to defeat given who they were and their history with those villains.
"Our foes are the most dangerous villains that we've ever seen." All Might said. "Shigaraki may be injured but he's still capable of mass destruction and based on the data we just received he has greater control over Decay now. Above and controlling him is All for One, the patient mastermind who plots from the shadows and has been building to this moment for close to a century. Then there are the key lieutenants. There's Dabi, Endeavor's eldest sone and young Todoroki's brother who's resentment burns as hot as his blue flames which exceed even Endeavor's heat."
This was what Todoroki was preparing for, what he had to deal with and he looked serious as All Might mentioned Dabi. He had to be the one to confront and take down his brother and finally stop his mad rampage.
"Next is Himiko Toga, the girl who's toyed with us time and time again and can transform into anyone so long as she's drunk their blood." All Might continued not stopping and at her name, Ochaco felt her heartbeat pickup because of all of them she'd faced Himiko Toga the most and knew her best, so she knew that she would be the one to deal with her in the coming battle and she already had the beginnings of a plan for that. "Additionally there are at least 6 still unaccounted for Near High End Nomus and the Stain devotee and budding heteromorph symbol, Spinner to contend with."
At this Shoji tensed. He'd known that something like this would come, as a heteromorph who grew up as the only one out in the sticks and born to two normal looking parents he knew the deep prejudices that existed towards those who looked different, hell he had the scars under his mask to prove that, so of course All for One would tap into that demographic. Heteromorphs were a strong source of villains for this war and with Spinner as a senior member they had leader, it would fall to him and Koda to deal with Spinner, Shoji knew it.
"Then there are the remaining members of the Paranormal Liberation Front who evaded capture like their tech master Skeptic." All Might said. "And of course the mass of escaped convicts are still out there and will continue to run rampant causing chaos at All for One's request even if we manage to recapture several between now and then."
"And there will likely be more enemies that we don't know about." Shoji said thinking of the heteromorph masses that could be swayed by someone as manipulative as All for One. "After all that's happened, all that's been revealed, there will be more than we anticipate."
"There is no doubt that there will be more." All Might agreed with a nod. "And to make this worse, the number of heroes that we have ready to deploy is has been cut in half since Jaku so our odds look bleak. Training and skill is on our side for the most part but not the numbers and in war that is as critical as what we bring to the table. Look, I know that Star just died in the line of duty but in order for us to protect ourselves and those that we want to protect in this nation and throughout the world, we must make use of this extension that she gave us to become as strong as you possible…"
"What the hell do you think we've been doing this entire time?" Bakugo asked in his usual fashion, so a loud, angry shout that interrupted All for One. "We've not slouched for a single day."
"You may not have noticed it since you and Deku were off campus doing your own thing for the last month or so." Ochaco said smiling though she was still upset that Deku had gone through all that without them. "But we've been working hard as well."
"And even when you were here, All Might, your visits were brief." Ida added. "So you wouldn't have had time to notice what we were doing."
"Ever since we fought in the Paranormal Liberation War, we've been training intensely just like the Pussycat's taught us." Ojiro said as he pulled on his gi while Kaminari idly played with his tail. "We may not have been in the field like Midoriya was but we've not taking a day off since the last of us got out of the hospital so we've trained as much as we can while we were in the dorms."
"Well more back on my feet, untrained awakened Quirk powers that are based off my old Miraculous Cure do take a lot out of me and it took a week for me to be able to fully train after Jaku." Marinette said smiling. "But as you know, we've come up with a work around to that that was originally meant for Adrien but has now been applied to me as well so that I can use that aspect of my power should it be needed. This isn't mine or Adrien's first rodeo, we've done this before the advent before the incident, and we'll continue to do this after."
"My lady's right." Adrien said grinning. "This cool cat's ready for the fight to come and with my power we're prepared to deal with Decay thanks to your lessons before Gunga and Jaku."
"I may still be getting used to using a Miraculous but Kaalki has agreed to lend me her aid in this battle and together we've been training daily so that I can fully understand what it means to wield one." Momo said her hand over her chest, she was the only one who'd managed to get permission for this as the other kwamis were still in discussion amongst themselves regarding whether or not they should aid but as Kaalki knew Momo well and saw her as her human she'd already volunteered for the battle. "I won't let the trust that has been placed in me by allowing me to use this power down."
"We all intend to stand side-by-side with Midoriya in the coming battle." Tokoyami said stepping forward. "We'll keep fighting until Shigaraki and the others have been defeated and the darkness that has descended upon Japan has been lifted."
"We'll show them no mercy." Mina added with a pout. "They're villains, we're heroes, it's what we do."
"When we're done here, Kacchan, Dupain-Cheng, and the others said they'd spar with me." Izuku said causing Bakugo to glare at him. "With their help I know that I'll complete One for All…"
"What! I didn't say that you damned nerd! When did I say that I'd spar with you?" Bakugo roared getting in Izuku's face. "Did those jailbreakers that you clashed with pop your eardrums or something?"
"Not this again!" Sato shouted trying to stop it. "We need your help Bakugo and you know it."
"I'll do what I can to train Midoriya but be careful, I've only just gotten this sorted out and I really can't break it." Marinette said as she tapped a box that was attached to the left side of her utility belt which itself seemed to have been upgraded recently to hold what looked like several ammo cartridges though All Might had been debriefed on what they were by Mage just before coming here. "It will be a pain in the ass to fix so I need to get used to fighting with it in such a way that minimizes risk to it."
"Mine's getting installed later so I'll go first and then get it done." Adrien added. "Cataclysm requires additional changes to it after all."
"If you will permit me, Kaalki and I shall also spar with you." Momo said. "I need some practice handling the boost she provided because when she's fused into her Miraculous my strength is comparable to Adrien and Marinette's from when they started at U.A. so I could use a sparring partner who can handle that."
"Oh no, you lot are after me!" Bakugo shouted glaring at all of them. "I want to see how my new cluster move works against d…Izuku. If it can take on One for All then I'll be that much closer to murdering Shigaraki and All for One!"
"We'll keep training, don't worry." Todoroki said grabbing his wrist and looking at it. "I'm almost there myself so I will make the most of this time. I need to be ready for when I face my brother."
"Yeah, anyone want to beat me up? I'm totally down for that!" Kirishima said before looking at Momo. "How about you Yao-Momo? I know you need to work on controlling the strength boost that you get from that kwami…"
"Kaalki if you don't mind." Kaalki said imperiously. "If you are to talk to my human about me, use my name."
"Er right, Kaalki." Kirishima said, like most of them he was still getting used to talking to the small anthropomorphic magical creatures. "If you two need to work on your power and strength control then what better way than by punching, kicking, and throwing me. When I'm hard I can take your boosted power, I've shown it with Agreste, so I know I can take yours. Plus, this helps me get even harder in addition to you gaining more control."
"I am down for that." Momo said with a nod. "I am worried about how much force to use with the new strength boost so knowing you can take a hit, I saw you do so from Adrien in Sports Festival and you're stronger than you were then, is comforting. Plus if I can help you get harder in the process, well that makes me happy as it helps my friend out."
"You can help me get…" Mineta began before Marinette calmly kicked him in the back of the head hard enough to send him face first into the ground having already deduced what he'd say the moment Kirishima started obliviously talking about something that Mineta could easily make sexual, especially when Momo innocently played into
"Kirishima, aren't you tired of being everyone else's punching bag?" Sero asked looking at him and ignoring Mineta or the phrasing that had just been used though a calmly smiling Marinette who had her foot on Mineta's back pressing him into the ground helped ensure it and keep him quiet as he groaned on the ground. "I get that Yao-Momo needs to get used to that boost but seriously? Isn't it a bit much?"
"Well then how else am I supposed to make sure that I'm getting harder?" Kirishima asked still unaware of his phrasing. "It's the only way that I know how."
"You need a new word for that Kirishima." Adrien said as Marinette was forced to raise her foot and stomp on Mineta to avoid any more comments, at least Kaminari for all his pervyness wasn't vocal about it though that might be because Marinette was giving him her sweetest smile as she stomped on Mineta for a second time. "Phrasing is bad there."
"We must all do our best to carry on Star's legacy." Ida said loudly and above all the other chatter clearly oblivious to what else was going on. "She's left it to us with her final sacrifice, we have to live up to it and ensure that what she gave us wasn't in vain."
"Loosing that hottie was so bad." Mineta said lifting his head up as Marinette let her foot up, blood running down from his nose and a bruise on his back. "We can't lose anymore."
"Have some respect." Ojiro said as Marinette decided to stomp on Mineta again just to make a point. "Er, is that working Dupain-Cheng?"
"Hasn't yet." Marinette admitted. "But he still needs to be punished for his disrespect."
"Er, ok." Ojiro said unsure what to say to that.
From there they devolved into more chatter, arguments, Mineta stomping when he tried to make things sexual, and training plans all while All Might watched. He smiled, not saying a thing as he thought back on the first day at U.A. and the class that he'd taught back then. They'd been nothing more than zygotes back then but slowly they'd grown into embryos and then been birthed and grown up in the last year.
Now they were spreading their wings and ready to fly into the oncoming war without any hesitation. Even the revelations of young Midoriya, Dupain-Cheng, and Agreste hadn't slowed them down, they'd embraced it all and were gearing up for what was to come.
All for One had made an incredibly stupid mistake in making his move now. This was a mighty class of heroes who were ready for what the world had in store for them and with them they'd finally end this generations spanning war once and for all. All Might was sure of that and with that on his mind, he turned and left them to their planning and training and went back to his own planning for what the battle to come.
The class didn't notice this but it was clear that All Might's message was done and that it was time to get right back to training and that's exactly what they did. Those still not ready got the last things they needed for their morning training session while the rest headed outside and went to focus on what they had to do. It was time to improve their Quirks even more and make sure that they were ready for what every was certain would be the final battle of this war.
However, as they were heading out, Izuku recalled what Dupain-Cheng had said and looked over to her and finally noticed the box at her hip as he'd not seen her pat it a moment ago. It was odd and he had to ask her about it if they were to spar because even if was specially made, One for All was a powerful Quirk so if he hit it it might break like she was worried about and it seemed to be important.
"Dupain-Cheng, do you have a moment?" Izuku asked as Marinette began to head to the door, several had already left to get their training on but she'd not as she'd been helping Momo with her belt and giving her tips for how to properly hit Kirishima having used him as a punching bag and grabbling dummy herself a few times. "Sorry, I know that we need to get going but…"
"It's fine Midoriya." Marinette said with a smile as she walked over to him. "I presume that this is to do with training, especially because we should spar together at some point, so it's fine. In fact I do have a favor to ask you for training."
"It does pertain to training." Izuku said before he fully realized what she'd said. "Wait you want to ask me something as well? What do you want to ask?"
"I was going to ask it when we were out on the training field but this works and I've been asking basically everyone it as it's something that will help me out." Marinette said. "Please mark and leave anything that you damage or destroy with your Quirk."
"Huh?" Izuku asked confused at the request. "I get leaving anything that I damage or destroy, that's usually how it works as the robots here fix things up, but mark it as well? Why"
"So that I know what powers were used to create the damage, Bakugo is very useful in that regard as his damage is clear, but you can be really helpful as well." Marinette said. "Same for Sato, Mina, and Kirishima, well and Momo as well but that's for when she's throwing Kirishima into a wall later as that will work for so long as Kirishima is hard at the time. Naturally, Adrien's the best for this but kinda hard not to be when your Quirk destroys any inorganic material it comes in contact with."
"Yes I do want to spar with Agreste later today, training with him before Jaku was really useful and I need a refresher for when I next face Shigaraki." Izuku said as he planned out his own training regime after sparring with Kacchan before getting back to the topic at hand. "But why do you need this?"
"For my own training of course." Marinette said with a smile. "Remember what you saw in Jaku after Adrien saved your life? What I did to save him from certain death."
"Yeah about that." Izuku said recalling the incident. "I'm sure that you've said it but with the, um, sheer volume of truths you and Agreste dropped on me recently it's kinda hard to remember everything. Especially when you know, you tell me that you're from the past and were blasted into the future by some lunatic in the pre-Quirk days. I already knew of the Guardians, their true nature, and what Mage can do, Kacchan and I were told after Blackwhip manifested, so the magic angle wasn't unbelievable but the whole Miraculouses and kwamis was a lot.
"Perfectly understandable, Adrien and I have been through a lot though technically we were blasted out of the timeline and into a point in the future where we were stuck in stasis until time caught up to us." Marinette said. "But that's just semantics at this point and not relevant. Back to what I did in Jaku, I used my Miraculous's Cure, or at least that's what it was based off because it's technically not the same as the Miraculous Cure."
"Come again?" Izuku asked a bit confused. "If I recall your Miraculous was the Ladybug one, right? The power it gave you was Lucky Charm which Mage encoded into your DNA as your Quirk."
"Correct, that's how I know how to use Lucky Charm so well and how I'm so tough." Marinette said with a nod, Tikki had gone to talk with the other kwamis after All Might had left so she wasn't around at the moment. "All the powers that I had when my Miraculous was active, so that's the enhanced strength, speed, durability, and agility, along with the singular power which was Lucky Charm became encoded into my very DNA."
"Yeah that bit still confuses me." Izuku admitted. "How did Mage make it your Quirk?"
"The Miraculouses are magic so our bodies became saturated with it after a few years of near daily use, plus a few centuries with them active but in stasis." Marinette said. "Apparently that gave Mage more than enough to work with to alter our DNA with his powers to recode it so that our Miraculous powers became Quirks. He's had a long time to perfect it apparently, he did the same with Fei and her Prodigious powers."
"That's beyond me." Izuku said. "She's similar but different to you?"
"Yes, best to leave it at that." Marinette said. "Fei's situation is rather different to mine and Adrien's."
"Understood." Izuku said. "Still, it's hard to believe and the fact that it's only one Quirk is even harder. That enhanced constitution is borderline a Quirk in its own right."
"That it is but we need it to survive the powers we have." Marinette said. "So to explain away why it isn't a Quirk, and with a lot of prep work over the last 200 or so years it seems, Mage used the long and natural history of Quirk Marriages for that. Thankfully it had been established in France over the years without his aid so we just played into as a selectively bred train to make it work with an additional feature for Adrien's from his mother to explain the enhanced senses he has. While we need it to survive our powers, having it also helps explain how I could handle Lucky Charm and Adrien can handle Cataclysm."
"Right I remember and the kwamis were recharged with food so you now have to do the same." Izuku said recalling what Dupain-Cheng and Agreste had explained to him and wishing that he could note it down and analyze the news more as it was fascinating but he didn't have the time. "And when they became your Quirks you could do more with them like changing the item during an activation period, extending the period they were active for, or in Agreste's case covering his whole body in Cataclysm and then manipulating it so long as it was connected to him. It makes sense as they're now part of you and that's how Quirk training would work anyway so to turn it to that, amazing."
"Precisely but let's get back on topic, it's been a while since you had a mumble storm and now's not the time." Marinette said steering the conversation back on topic though it was a good sign that Midoriya was somewhat back to his old analytical ways. "There was one other aspect of my power that I had, something only I could use a it was only available to the Ladybug Miraculous, but which didn't transfer over when it became my Quirk because it was too different from the general power to be believable and that was the Miraculous Cure."
"You mentioned but what does that mean?" Izuku asked. "I'm confused by that."
"Basically when we stopped an akuma in France in the old days, or towards the end an amuck, I'd purify it with my yo-yo and the magic within it." Marinette explained. "Then I'd let the purified butterfly fly away and toss the Lucky Charm item in the air while shouting 'Miraculous Ladybug' and it would explode into a swarm of magical ladybugs that would speed around Paris, or further afield, and put all things damaged by magic back to normal. It was always our final act in those situations."
"Oh I see so…hang on." Izuku said as the description hit him and Dupain-Cheng's earlier statement about remembering Jaku sank in. "That's what you did in Jaku, right? You managed to reverse the damage done to Agreste by one of Shigaraki's Quirks as well as the ground beneath you and restore him to perfect health. That's what it does now."
"Yes, the Miraculous Cure is back but rather than curing magical damage it naturally now cures Quirk damage instead." Marinette said. "Kinda makes sense really seeing as Lucky Charm is now my Quirk and there isn't really much magic used these days other than when Momo activates the Horse Miraculous."
"Of course that's what it would do, magic cure for magic damage so it's now a Quirk cure for Quirk damage." Izuku said thinking on it before furrowing his brow. "But the scope of that, you'd never shown that aspect of your Quirk before and right afterwards you were deathly pale and bleeding out of your nose, eyes, and ears before passing out. If you weren't so panicked about Agreste at the time I'd have thought that it was just part of your power that you never used because of the cost but it's not, is it?"
"Oh it, um, wasn't just there that I was bleeding from apparently, or so I've been told." Marinette said flushing but her statement thankfully went well over Izuku's head. "But you're right it's not part of power, or wasn't part of it until then. What I did in that moment with Adrien dead before me was reach a point of such high level stress that my Quirk evolved, or to use the correct terminology, I awakened it. Lucky Charm evolved to incorporate the cure once more so that I could save Adrien."
"You mentioned earlier that it was awakened, I've heard of that phenomenon but for it to be real, I wasn't sure that was possible." Izuku said. "Fascinating to learn and that it completed the magic of the Ladybug Miraculous in Quirk form. Thinking on it, it makes sense but still the implications are…"
"Oh it's possible to awaken a Quirk, just rare in this time of peace but I wouldn't be surprised if there are already a few awakened Quirks out there and that more will awaken in the final battle." Marinette said interrupting Midoriya before he could mumble up a storm. "But it's not exactly fun and games for me, it was an act of desperation and I wasn't prepared for the toll that it would take on my body."
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
"The reason why I was bleeding was because unlike before when this was magic and so a force beyond my comprehension, and which my body wasn't taking the brunt of, the cure is now part of my Quirk which means that it can only work while I have the energy to keep it active." Marinette explained. "Like with Lucky Charm in general, the cure requires my body's energy to work so the larger the range and greater the Quirk damage that needs to be cured, the more energy I have to expend when I use it and I wasn't exactly focused on that at the time. As such, I overdid it in an area with massive amounts of Quirk damage. That's also why the area it worked on was so small."
"Yes that would explain it and presumably your body has a natural shut off before you die." Izuku said musing on it. "A natural defense against it killing you. That is common with Quirks."
"Yeah that's the theory as to why I didn't die from it but as I was focused on saving Adrien I went plus ultra when I awakened it and went past that threshold hence the blood and passing out." Marinette said. "But yeah, that power is back and I'm getting a feel for the changes but repairing Quirk damage is taxing, more taxing than using Lucky Charm so I'm training to build up my strength there."
"So like what you've been doing all year." Izuku noted. "You've got to increase your natural constitution to handle more of your power so it would naturally apply to your awakened power as well."
"Precisely." Marinette said knowing that Midoriya would get it. "That means eating way too much protein rich foods, working out twice as hard as before, using the cure to clean up our training to get used to commanding it as I have more say over it now so that allows me to work it that way and get used to the drain, all of which is a bitch seeing as I'm still not 100% after Jaku. Of course now that I have this baby I've gotta incorporate it into everything but it will make things at least a little easier on me."
At that Marinette patted the box at her hip again and Izuku was brought right back to his question, what was that box? It was clearly a support item and one that was made specially for Dupain-Cheng down to the ladybug print pattern on it but he had no clue what it was exactly or why she suddenly had it?
"Actually that was what I was about to ask about before we spar later." Izuku said looking at the box. "What is the purpose of your new item? I want to know so I can be careful to avoid it if necessary as I'm not sure it can handle One for All at my current level."
"Please do because it can't handle your Quirk and this thing is custom made by Hatsume and getting her to focus repair it will be next to impossible at the moment." Marinette said. "As for what it is, well it's basically a direct delivery system for the latest type of energy paste that's been developed to maximize my body's energy and prolong how long I can use my Quirk for, as well as recharge time for it. I was actually having it fitted by Recover Girl yesterday during Star's battle with Shigaraki as that was when it was done and until this is over I'm not sure I can remove it."
"Come again?" Izuku asked confused. "Fitted? Direct delivery?"
"Best to show you." Marinette said as she put her whole left hand over the box and gripped it before she pressed the ladybug print belt buckle that Izuku knew was where her costume was based and after the full truth had been revealed her Miraculous with her right hand. "Easier that way as it was made to be worked into my costume."
Instantly Marinette's costume sparkled and shrank back into the buckle starting from her neck, hands, and feet. Instantly Izuku looked away recalling how Dupain-Cheng's costume worked and what she would be wearing under it as it vanished causing Marinette to chuckle.
"Don't worry, I'm not in my underwear." Marinette said. "Kinda got told off for that by Aizawa after ripping my clothes off in class for that training drill so when I had the time I requested a slight change for when I need to be in and out of my costume quickly. Admittedly it's still kinda underwear but it's much more acceptable to be seen in it. Besides, it's not like the class hasn't seen my top half with nothing on but my bra, Todoroki made sure of that."
Izuku peaked back glad that this wasn't a certain brunette as he wouldn't be able to look at her in such attire without going bright red. However, he could manage it with Dupain-Cheng because while she was clearly very attractive, to say nothing about how in shape she was, he didn't see her like that at all and that was before he learned that she and Agreste were an item.
Still, it felt a bit odd to look at her like this even if, as Dupain-Cheng had reminded him, he had seen her in just her bra and pants back in the Sports Festival. Thankfully, it wasn't like that and Izuku breathed a sigh when he realized that Marinette was wearing what had to be a standard sports bra and tight compression shorts of the same material, and print, as her costume.
That was much better for Izuku to see and as he looked he saw her Miraculous had returned to its standby navel piercing form and was glinting in Dupain-Cheng's navel but he also saw something else above and to the left of it. Just behind his classmate's impressive abs was a small tube sticking out of her side and going into the box that she now held in her hand while her belt dangled from it. It was made of the same material as her sports bra and shorts and clearly special.
"Is that…" Izuku began.
"A feeding tube from this box to my stomach, yes." Marinette said calmly. "Mage had to use magic to speed up the healing process yesterday and when this is done I'll probably have a scar from it but it was worth it to be able to use my power for longer during the upcoming war. This box is fully loaded and I have a whole lot more cartages to swap in when they run out, and Momo has even more on her as backups, so it will pump my energy paste directly into my stomach speeding up the process even more. It's the fastest delivery system we could come up with and Adrien will be fitted for one as well though his needs to be fully organic with his Quirk so it's not finished. Thankfully, we have the time for it to be done now."
"That's, um, a bit extreme." Izuku said as he understood what was going on and Marinette touched her piercing with her middle right finger to reactivate her costume. "Just for the battle."
"And the aftermath as my Quirk Cure as I now call it will come in handy then but this is war, we've got to do whatever we can to win." Marinette said as her costume formed over her and she did her belt up. "So I'd do this again in a heartbeat. On that note, come on, let's go. Bakugo's waiting to see if he can beat you again."
With that Marinette turned and headed out leaving Izuku alone in the dorm for a moment thinking one everything Dupain-Cheng had just said to him. It was a lot but the lengths that she was willing to go to so that she was as ready and able for this battle inspired him and reminded Izuku why he was fighting with his friends to win this war. With that on his mind he followed Dupain-Cheng out pumped and ready to use the time that Star had given them to get even stronger for the final fight to come.
Little did any of them know that the evil that had had its tendrils in their school for a while was about to rear its ugly head and a truth once suspected but later dismissed would be revealed. None of them would be ready for what was about to be come within their own walls as they went out and trained for the battle to come.
Dun, dun, dun! I'm sure y'all know what that is and all that is about to come on this front so there's no need to bring it up at all. As for this chapter, it's a straightforward chapter to get things back in the groove after Star's sacrifice, learn a bit about how Marinette is handling things since her Quirk awakened and what she has to do to maximize it in battle, and of course focus on the battle to come as we continue on the crash course for that. There really isn't much more to say after that so I will leave this chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog