Chapter Eleven
"You came back!" Mei beamed.
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "I said I would. Is that so surprising?"
"Come on!" she replied, dodging the question and dragging me into the development studio.
As I was pulled in, I nodded to Power Loader, who was at a desk with his coffee, looking over a blueprint. He nodded back, not saying a word. I found myself thrown once again into a familiar chair, the mad inventress stalking towards me, leg-braces in hand.
"You haven't finished explaining how they work," I pointed out. "And I've got a couple questions myself." She paused, cocking her head. "Like, with my electrical Quirk, would the detection method it uses malfunction?"
Thinking about it for a moment, she shook her head, before leaping forward. However, instead of going low, for my legs, she went high, landing in my lap to explain. "It shouldn't. They read muscle twitches, not neurological impulses, though if I put another baby that I've been working on on you I'll need to scan you first, so after this you'll need to strip!"
"Hatsume," Power Loader warned, though from his bland tone of voice this was already something he'd gotten used to doing. Given that this was day three, that spoke volumes.
"You'll need to take off your shirt," she amended nonchalantly, pausing as she glanced over to the shirtless Power Loader, who remained silent. "Yes!" she cheered to herself.
"I didn't say that I would," I reminded her, causing her to turn a pleading look my way, "But I will. For science."
The pro hero snorted, but didn't comment.
"So, you were explaining the power system?" I prompted, and she nodded, picking up from where she left off, turning over the device and pointing out the tiny details that went into its construction. And there were a lot of details.
It was a good twenty minutes later that she finished up everything. "So, you gonna put on my baby now?" she asked with a grin, and just a hint of pleading.
"Sure," I shrugged, and before I could suggest we head over to the track she grabbed me, yanking me forwards off my chair as she twisted around me, and as we tumbled I could feel something tightening over my legs. I stopped, flat on my back, Mei straddling me, the exoskeleton now in place over my legs. ". . . I'm not even mad."
Shooing her off me, I tried to get up, but when I tried to cross one leg over the other to twist around and stand, I found the exoskeleton didn't want to turn that way. "Okay, first design flaw," I pointed out, even as she, on her knees and with a note-pad pulled out from somewhere, nodded, and wrote something down. Lying back down, I went for a more acrobatic move and kipped-up in a rising handspring that didn't require twisting my legs.
"Ooooh! Do that again!" she cheered.
I stopped, turning to look at her. "Do what?"
"Get up!" she said, "I want to program that in! Can you do it with just your legs? Can you do it with just one leg? I need to know!"
Laying back down, crouching and letting myself fall onto the concrete, I went back to a prone position. She grabbed a camera, setting it down perpendicular to me. Thinking about it I raised my legs high, bringing them down and in, using the force to roll me up onto my feet, then standing to full, though with the item helping I got a few inches of height and a bit of forward momentum I needed to bleed off with a few more steps.
"Perfect!" she cheered, "Now let's go give my baby a real workout!"
Looking to Power Loader, I asked, "Can we use the school's track?"
"What it's there for, but you have class in half an hour," he remarked, not looking up.
"Thanks!" I said, looking forward to this even as I felt Mei jump on my back, one arm going around me to hold onto my chest, her legs gripping tightly to my hips.
"Hei-ho!" Mei cried, pointing past me to the door. "To the track! My baby'll let you carry me easily!"
The teacher shook his head as I took off at a quick jog, finding she was right, for the most part. I could feel a little more pressure on my ankles, but it was negligible, and my steps were easy, even when I broke out into a wide loping gait that ate up the ground. Jumping down the stairs, I grabbed her legs to keep her secure as she laughed in delight, feeling the impact a little more, but it still made things easier.
"Flexibility needs work for close up fighting, and if you want this to work as a strength enhancement, it needs some kind of shoe-piece to fully ground the weight, but looking good so far," I called back to her, turning the corner, getting a 'Gotchya!' in return. A student was walking inside, and froze as we closed, but held open the door for us, and I gave him a quick thanks as I got outside and broke into a full run.
Making it to the track, Mei jumped off, pulling her camera out and jogging to the side. "Go for it! I want a full speed test!" she yelled excitedly, filming me.
Taking a runner's stance, I went for it, pouring on every bit of speed that I had, blasting down the strip of ground in front of me. I still wasn't as fast as Midoriya had been yesterday, but I was close, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was approaching Iida's speed, at least his speed in the fifty meter dash. Even with this, the man could've easily outpaced me if he got going, still gaining speed when he'd hit the end of fifty meters during the test.
Slowing down, I turned around, but found that, as I tried to move around too sharply, I hit the edges of the device's range of movement. Needing to take a wide turn, I tried to run again, switching it up and changing back to the same type of loping strides I used before, more jumping than running. The device worked for those too, giving me more air time and speed than I'd normally have, though I wasn't sure which was best, that or going normally.
Another few runs, trying different things each time, and I returned back to her. "So, what'd'ya think of my baby?" she grinned. "Pretty awesome, ain't it!"
I nodded, "Definitely. As a finished product it'd be good, but as a prototype it's extraordinary, Mei. Needs a bit more flexibility for combat movement, but yeah, it works great. Probably suited to a ranged glass cannon type, so they can get away, or get into position, easily, but one who doesn't have a movement based application of their power at all. Probably not for me though,"
She blinked, "Why not? Are you saying my baby isn't good enough for you!" she demanded, sounding hurt.
I shook my head, "No, here's why." Turning and starting to run, I shifted my legs to lightning, the device melding harmlessly into it but not helping me the second my knees were changed. I didn't overextend myself, like I had during the fitness test, but I was able to move at a good pace, easily twisting on the spot to turn, bouncing back and forth as I made my way to her in a chaotic manner instead of the straight lines I had to with the device. She just stared, wide-eyed.
Returning, and shifting back to normal, feeling my calves tighten a bit, I reaffirmed my decision to train Electrobody, needing to be able to do this without issue by the time the League of Villain attack happened.
"My baby!" she cried as soon as I stopped, rushing to me, kneeling down, and checking them over, unbuckling part of it and staring at the insides. "It's. . . fine?"
"Whatever's on me is fine, or else I would've fried my phone. Not sure if it's stasis or what, but nothing bad happens to anything on me when I shift," I reassured Mei. "But do you see what I mean? I already have a movement ability, and I'm a close combat type, for the most part. Good invention, just not for me."
"Then you're testing something else for me," she shot back up at me, clearly upset. "Just for scaring me."
I shook my head, "I'll listen to what else you have and test it if I want to," I disagreed.
"Deal!" she shouted happily, doing an emotional one-eighty, hands still on my legs.
"Because I find your inventions interesting," I continued, as if she hadn't said anything. "So, let's drop this off, and I'll see you Monday morning."
She gave me a suspicious look, tapping my quads in thought. "You drive a hard bargain, mysterious stranger, but I accept!"
"Mei. . . you forgot my name, didn't you?" I asked, more amused than annoyed.
"Yep!" she shamelessly admitted popping back to her feet. "But I don't need to know your name to have you test my babies! Hey!" she objected as I poked her in the forehead.
"You need to remember it if you want me to keep testing your babies," I informed her with a smile. "So, my name is Denki Kaminari. Try and remember it, will you?"
She shot me a grin, "No promises!" I just stared at her. "I'll try."
I turned around, went down on one knee, hands at my sides as I looked over my shoulder at her, "That's all I ask. Now come-on, we need to get you back to the lab, before we're late and Power Loader restricts the time you have to work for ignoring him."
She gasped, "The Villain!" Jumping onto my back, she pointed forward and cried, "Quick! To the Design Studio!" Laughing maniacally as I took off, darting inside and down the walls, I blew past a yelling Iida, with more than enough time to spare.
"You get what you needed?" Power Loader asked as I dropped Mei off, moving to assist her taking off the exoskeleton.
"Found some flaws, but we didn't have the time to do any kind of stress test," I answered.
Mei nodded as well, kneeling next to me, "They're not for Denki, but I'm sure I'll come up with something that is. . . Hey, wait!" she exclaimed, springing to her feet and turning to face me. "Tomorrow's Saturday!"
". . . Yes?" I asked.
"We could test out more of my babies tomorrow!" she grinned. "We won't have any stupid 'classes' getting in our way!"
I shook my head, "I have plans this weekend, both days. I said Monday and I meant Monday. But I will be here then."
"And my babies will be ready!" she promised right back. "Now get! Momma's got work to do!"
MHA
"Oh my god, I can't believe the news was outside!" Mina cheered as she plopped down next to me in homeroom.
"They were?" I asked, only vaguely remembering the episode. Right, it was the first time we saw Shigaraki, even if indirectly, wasn't it? I'd seen a few people when I'd walked in an hour ago, but not that many.
"They still are!" she replied. "And all because All Might is our teacher! Isn't that cool?"
I shrugged, turning the conversation to what we'd do tomorrow, Mina insisting on another picnic out in the country. We hashed out the details, wrapping things up as Aizawa walked in.
"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results. Sato, Kirishima, you need to think with more than your fists. Jiro, Aoyoma, Tokoyami, Hagakure, good team-work," he noted, voice bland as normal, but with grudging approval. "Midoriya, I'm glad to see you've stopped breaking yourself with your power, at least as much. Keep that up and you'll come up out of the bottom slot in no time."
"Yes, sir!" Deku responded, fist raised in front of him in determination.
"Let's get down to business," Eraserhead drawled, not breaking his lethargic stride. "Our first task. . . will decide your future."
Everyone else tensed, and after his last 'fail this and get expelled' task, along with battle training, I couldn't blame them. However, hearing that line again and knowing what he was referring to, I couldn't help but think, He doesn't act like it, but he's a total drama queen.
"You all need to pick a class representative," he announced, after waiting for an unnecessarily long moment.
Not having another 'do-or-die' task let the class give a collective sigh of relief, though it was short lived. Given this was a hero school, where leadership was something that mattered instead of the overachievers taking over because the rest couldn't be bothered, this was an unexpectedly big deal. Throw in the fact that it was the premiere hero school, and it was no wonder that pretty much every single student started talking about how they were the best choice.
Iida's speech about holding a vote was actually spot on, for once, though in his normal style he assumed everyone would go with it. In his defense, they did. The results though. . .
"A three way tie!" the class chorused.
Was this just a Japanese thing? I wondered, having felt the part of me that was still Denki, or however that worked, pushing me to join in. I'd voted for Momo, but I'd somehow scored two votes, as had Midoriya and Yoayorozu. For better or worse Iida had insisted on a blind ballot, so I couldn't tell who'd voted for whom. Iida, Todoroki, and Ochaco had zero votes, so it was obvious they'd voted for someone else.
"I, um, are you sure there hasn't been a mistake?" Deku stammered, Bakugo growling in irritation.
"All right, my nap's over, who is it?" Aizawa called from his corner, still curled up in his bright-yellow sleeping back.
Looking at the class, none of whom were happy with this, I offered, "If I can, I'll give my votes to Yaoyorozu, I voted for her."
"Ah, well, I voted for you," she called back. "So that wouldn't be very fair."
"Can we have a few more minutes, Mr. Aizawa?" I asked. "Just think of it like hitting snooze."
". . . You have four minutes," he replied from his corner.
Turning to the others, I put forward, "Okay, let's make this quick. Three options. Yaoyorozu, myself, and Midoriya. Vote again and we'll get this done. Unless anyone has a better idea?"
They didn't.
Tabulating the votes, it was a bit better. Momo was first, with nine, I was second, with seven, and Izuku last, with four.
"Good, now we can get back to more important things," Aizawa announced, standing up, still in his sleeping bag.
Deku let out a sigh of relief, Momo looked vindicated, and I. . . really didn't care. With all of the absolute ridiculousness coming our way, who was class president mattered a lot less than how we'd react to the shitstorm that was incoming.
Classes were pretty bland, and I found myself tutoring Mina through most of them just to stay interested. The teachers noticed me doing so, but didn't comment on it. Not sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Then, we were at lunch, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Shigaraki made his move.
Part of me wanted to warn the staff, tell them what was coming, but that was stupid. They almost certainly wouldn't believe me, but actually believing me was almost as bad. There were Quirks that could force the truth, or read someone's history, or any number of things, and there were no restrictions on the heroes to use them on whoever they wanted at all, not having the laws against unreasonable search and seizure that America did.
All it would take was one to be used against me, and the truth of who I was would come out. Mind Defense might help, but I might need Soul Defense, or Trace Defense, or even Destiny Defense to be safe from them all. And even then, if I produced a null response, that could be just as damning. Without the power to fight the heavy hitters long enough to get away, and I had no hope of doing so right now, let alone Sweet Home to get away to, that meant I'd be constantly on the run if I was found out. No, attracting their attention was far too risky.
I could be prepared, the extra nail to stop the want that'd win the battle, but the second I took the world off the pseudo-rails it was on, more akin to deflecting the momentum of the society I lived in than anything else, every bit of early warning I had went out the window. It was best to keep doing as I was: helping others, getting them ready, and then striking back with unexpected force.
Mina poked me in the side, drawing me out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, focusing on the here and now. Mineta had decided to sit over with Kirishima and Bakugo, Jiro having taken his place.
"You were starin' at nuthin' again, hun," the pinkette pointed out. "Momo was askin' why you voted for her."
"Oh, because she seemed like she'd do a good job," I shrugged, looking across the table towards the girl in question. "You're organized, and think things through, but you wouldn't let it go to your head like Iida seems like he would. Why'd you vote for me?"
"Similar reasons," she replied, looking down and to the side. "You didn't have to help Midoriya yesterday, but you did, and the results were undeniable. That is something a leader would do."
I waved away the praise, "He'd figure it out on his own, I'm sure. And besides, I just did that so he wouldn't hit someone too hard by accident."
"Someone being you?" Mina teased.
"Especially me," I stressed, provoking a laugh from the others.
We returned to our meals, except Momo, who declared, "Then I will make sure to-"
Cut off by the sound of an alarm, we looked up as a woman's voice announced, "Warning, level three security breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."
The students, of course, did no such thing.
Standing and rushing past us, the entire cafeteria ran for the door, even as I reached over and grabbed Mina and Toru, calling out "Momo, Jiro, wait."
"Didn't you hear, we gotta go!" the jacked girl shot back, even though she stopped.
"I'd rather not be caught in the mob," I noted, even as the students started pushing and shoving, acting like the scared children they were, instead of the heroes they wanted to be. From the first years I could understand that, we'd been here for less than a week, but there were older students here as well.
We could do something, it should be fairly easy to have Momo create a megaphone and make the announcement, but no one was in any actual danger, and this was Iida's moment to shine. Getting up myself, I looked around, most of the students packed into the exit, but a few were standing around, watching the area.
One, a girl with bright yellow hair, nodded to me, and not really understanding what she meant by that, I nodded back. "Whatever's going on, there's an intruder, likely a villain," I said, explaining my thoughts. "We'd be better served covering their back then getting trapped in the middle of a group. None of our Quirks are the type we can safely use packed together like sardines."
The shrieking from the hall quieted, and I could barely make out Iida's voice yelling, the students calming the hell down. "And they've realized they're students of UA. Does this school not have drills?" I asked rhetorically, looking around.
"No, we don't," a guy with grey scaled skin called, walking over, his head still on a swivel. "You noobs?"
"Hero Class 1-A," I agreed. "At least it's one way to make sure everyone takes it seriously. But. . ." I glanced at the now orderly mass of students that was starting to file out. Motioning to the other girls, we headed after them.
"Yeah. I'm gonna be giving Natsu crap about this for weeks," the other guy smiled, his teeth sharp.
We followed the students out, getting a good look at the press getting rounded up by the cops. "It's the news?" Mina asked incredulously.
"Not unless someone in the news had a Quirk that could dissolve solid steel," I disagreed, pointing at the grey piles of iron-dust.
"Daaamn," the crocodile upperclassman commented.
Glancing at Momo and Mina I quietly added, "You know that bad feeling I had? It's getting worse."