Author's Note 1: My Super Robot Academia is a non-profit fanfiction series.
My Hero Academia is a property of Bones, Funimation, and Kouhei Horikoshi.
Any original characters or concepts are owned by Navek and xpegasus.
Please support the official release.
So before I get into the chapter, I just have something to say since My Hero Academia is officially over at the time of this writing.
(Also to apologize for the two month delay. Your boy recently finished the first draft of his first novel and is gonna start doing the second draft soon).
There's quite a bit of mixed reactions regarding the ending of the series. But regardless of how you or even I feel about it, I just want to give a big thank you to Kohei Horikoshi and his team of editors. For the last ten years, they provided thousands of people around the world a series that's given us so many great characters, so many emotional moments that many us will remember for decades to come.
The fact that he and his team were able to do something like this on a weekly schedule is nothing but astonishing. Sure, it's not a perfect story. Hell, no story is perfect. But I've never regretted picking up the series. And I can only hope to one day make a story that reaches people the same way My Hero Academia did with me and so many others.
Thank you, Kohei Horikoshi, for showing us that we can all be heroes.
Chapter 17: There Are Our Senpais?
Earlier that morning...
"Thank for accepting the position, Mr. Ozutsu," Nezu said as he shook Gunhead's hand.
"Hey, it's not every day you get an offer to teach at U.A. Or shake hands with Acumal himself," Gunhead took a seat in front of Nezu's desk. "And the commute was surprisingly peaceful. I remember hearing that you guys were up to your necks in protesters for that brave little Midoriya kid."
"Well, we finally managed to get rid of them. It wasn't easy considering that Hound Dog's growling and Eraserhead's glaring did nothing. And having Midnight use her Quirk on them would be illegal. So that left us with one option."
"Oh, and what was that?" Gunhead's inner gossip hound was intrigued.
"We simply had to annoy them away. And lucky for us, Present Mic knew just the song to do the trick."
"I have a pen, I have an apple. Uh! Apple-Pen! I have a pen, I have a pineapple. Uh, Pineapple Pen!" Speakers placed atop the walls of UA blared.
"SIX. FUCKING. HOURS!" a man screamed clutching his head in his hands, his sign abandoned on the ground.
"The lyrics have chiseled into my brain," a protesting teen despaired as he slumped against the wall. "I can't take it anymore."
"No! We have to remain strong," said a woman who looked thoroughly distressed. "We cannot allow-"
"Screw this! I can't take it anymore!" the man shouted, throwing up his arms and stomping off, nearly tripping over the many abandoned signs littering the ground.
"Not the song I would've picked, but good choice."
"Well, it did the job," Nezu commented. "So, at least we don't have to worry about them for a good while. Now..." He began typing on his desk computer. "...let's get your identification all up and running."
Present time...
Suffice to say, when Izuku signed up for an after school Martial Arts class...this was not what he, or probably anyone else who walked in expected.
When news of this new class reached the Hero Course, a good handful of students jumped at the chance to learn proper hand-to-hand combat from a seasoned pro. According to Vlad, he was familiar with their new teacher, but didn't say who.
(Under his breath, Vlad scoffed, quietly saying, "Dramatic as always.")
Izuku figured it was time to finally take Katsuki and Vlad's advice, figuring that learning how to fight hand-to-hand would both give him better fighting instincts that he could use while piloting Striker, and another tool in case his machine was ever disabled.
The other students from 1-B that signed up for the MA class included Ochako, Tenya, Kirishima, Kendo, Tsunotori, Kaibara, and Hagakure. Katsuki sighed up as well, and a few students from 1-A, including Yaoyorozu and Tetsutetsu also sighed up. Four students that Izuku didn't recognize was a short yet stocky boy with pale blue hair that introduced himself as Nirengeki Shoda ('Big Man' as Katsuki called him), a blond boy with a big tail named Mashirao Ojiro (Tail, again, as Katsuki introduced him), an excessively pink horned girl named Mina Ashido (Raccoon Eyes), and a boy with braided black hair that Izuku slightly recognized from the Entrance Exam called Hiryu Rin (Scales).
There was also a tall brunette boy from the general course. But unlike the purple-haired guy from the other day, he was far more friendly, introducing himself as Hirotaka Wakamatsu, saying it was cool for them to call him 'Waka' for short.
"Tetsu, this is the guy I was telling ya about!" Ashido said with a ton of energy as she gestured towards Kirishima. The sixteen students were standing in front of Gym Delta a few minutes before the first class as scheduled, and were chatting it up.
"This guy? Come on, Ashido, we're nothing alike."
"Ya, Ashido," Kirishima chastised his old middle school pal.
"You so are!" Ashido said with a pout. "You're both big on being 'manly', you've both got sharp teeth, and your Quirks make you super hard!"
"Phrasing," Kaibara chimed in.
"Oh, they can't be that similar." Kirishima raised his hand up and hardened it. "My Quirk lets me turn my skin rock hard, letting me be the ultimate shield and spear!"
Tetsutetsu raised his own arm, turning it into gray metal. "And my Quirk lets me turn my skin into metal, making me the ultimate defense and offense!"
The two hardheads looked at each other for a second, staring...and then their eyes widened as they both shouted, "WE ARE SIMILAR!"
"Told ya," Ashido said with a cheeky grin.
"So you're Midoriya," Shoda said with a polite greeting to the green-haired boy. "Bakugou's spoken pretty highly of you."
"Aw, Kacchan." Izuku said, genuinely touched while Katsuki just looked away, trying to look cool.
'A tsundere?' Tsunotori thought with a cocked head.
"That sounds like too cute of a nickname for someone so grumpy looking," Hagakure commented, getting a middle finger from Katsuki in response. "See what I mean?"
"Katsuki, flipping off your fellow students is not acceptable behavior!" Tenya chastised with an arm-chopping motion. Yaoyorozu gave a tired sigh.
"Save your breath, Iida. No matter how many times I ask, Bakugou refuses to cease with his use of vulgar language."
"I figured that's just the way he is," Ojiro commented.
"Well...you're kind of right about that," Ochako replied.
"I just got no tolerance for dumb bullshit," Katsuki chimed back.
"Or for calling people by their actual names, apparently," Kendo said, still a bit peeved at her 'Fisticuffs'' nickname.
'Are all the Hero Course guys this eccentric?' Wakamatsu mentally asked himself. While everyone else was chatting, Rin was quiet, looking at Izuku.
"So, this is everyone." The students turned and saw Vlad King walking towards them. "Glad to see so you taking this opportunity."
The clock turned to 4pm, and as soon as that happened, the door to Gym Delta slid open and a voice shouted, "Enter!", spooking some of the students while Vlad just chuckled.
"Hello?" Izuku opened the door to Gym Delta, with a few students from the Hero Course behind him. Sitting in the center of the large gym mats was a lone man with his back towards the door.
"So...you're here." The man stood up, revealing to the students that he matched Vlad King in stature and musculature. He turned around to face the students. They saw that he was a wide-set man with spiky mint green hair. His hero outfit consisted of an open padded vest that showed off his physique, brown pants, black combat boots, and more impressively, a pair of revolver chamber-shaped gauntlets on his wrists and a white mask with four holes in it.
The students were taken aback by the man's intimidating visage...until he started talking. "Awesome! You guys are my first students here at U.A.! Oh my, where's my manners? I'm Gunhead, and I'll be your martial arts instructor." He then held up two fingers in a peace symbol. "Let's do our best, okay?"
'...huh?!'
Vlad just smiled at the befuddled look on the teenager's faces. "Still as eccentric as ever, eh, Banto?"
Gunhead stopped the man and smiled behind his mask. "Seki, you old bloodhound!" He held his muscular arms wide open. "Bring 'er in!"
The two men chuckled and shared a hug.
"What's going on?" Ojiro asked.
"Oh, right!" Izuku had an epiphany. "Back when they first started out, Vlad-Sensei and Gunhead interned under the Bushido Hero, Yoroi Musha." He then looked at his teacher. "Sensei, don't you still go to his monthly tea ceremonies?"
"You're right on the money, Midoriya," Vlad King replied. "The old codger is all about keeping old traditions alive."
"And he can brew a mean pot of ginseng," Gunhead said before clapping and rubbing his hands together. "But you kiddos aren't here to talk about tea."
A minute or so later, the sixteen students were each in a knee-sitting position while Gunhead paced in front of them.
"I'm sure Seki's already told ya this, but a Quirk is no substitution for skill. That's the whole point of you little cubs still need to attend gym class. You might think that whatever power your parents gave you gives you an edge, but if you're not careful, you can end up like this one wind-controlling—"
Vlad interrupted, "I already told my kids about Cyclone Tiger."
"Cool," Gunhead replied with a snap of his fingers. "I suck at telling that story anyway. Moving on!"
Shoda leaned over to Izuku and whispered, "Who's Cyclone Tiger?"
"A hero that retired after he got stabbed."
"Yikes," Shoda whispered.
"Point is, you've all decided to supplement your skills with some super-cool combat moves. I'm willing teach you all my own personal Gunhead-Style martial arts, but that probably won't work with all you." He put his fists to his helmet in an excited fashion. "If you guys ended up developing your fighting style, that would be super-cool!"
'He's so bubbly,' Ochako thought, surprised by how this big guy with an intimidating hero name spoke.
"Oh, my, how rude of me," Gunhead suddenly gasped. "I've been hogging the spotlight, but two of your upperclassmen also decided to help out with this class. Togata, Osagami, you're up!"
"Actually, I'm currently way down, Mr. Gunhead." Everyone looked down and saw...a face in the floor in front of Gunhead. It was a slightly older boy with a wide smile and pure peculiar blue eyes.
"AGGH!" A few of the students reacted in shock.
"The fuck?!" Katsuki shouted.
"(Tintin?!)" Tsunotori screamed in English. But one student wasn't surprised.
"Miri!" Hagakure said with an invisible smile. The older boy's blue eyes turned to the floating gym uniform.
"Hey, Tooru! Glad you could make it!"
"Ya. I'm guessing this is that 'super-secret' project you've been excited about."
"Yup! Right on the money." A hand phased out of the floor to give him a thumbs up.
"You two know each other, Hagakure?" Ochako asked. The brunette assumed that Hagakure's next motion was nodding in agreement.
"Mirio and I have been neighbors since we were kids."
"Aw, how cute." Gunhead said. "But chit-chatting is gonna have to wait, Togata."
"Righty-O!" Togata's face faded into the ground, and the students then saw a shadow of a young man behind a changing curtain. After a minute or so, Togata exited the curtain dressed in a costume that Izuku thought was really damn cool.
It was a mostly white costume complimented by a red cape (with matching red gloves), blue pants, and yellow & green shoulders. He wore a clear yellow visor, leaving his spike-up blond hair free. But the most noticeable part of his costume was the number '1000000' embroidered on his chest.
"Right, so for real; My name's Mirio Togata of Class 3-B! But you can call me Lemillion! Why?" With a big smile, he pointed his thumb at his chest. "Because I'm gonna save 1 million people! And that's a promise!"
Even if he wasn't easily bigger and more muscular than any other student there (though less so than Vlad King or Gunhead), the rest of the students were impressed by Togata's bold statement and the confidence he declared it with. This was what their upperclassmen were like!
"Oh hey, I recognize ya," Katsuki said. Izuku nodded. Mirio Togata was one of the most promising students in recent UA history. He had constantly placed in the top of his year's sports festival, coming in third in his freshman year and taking first in his second year. He remembered when he watched the Sports Festival two years ago. Kacchan must've also been impress-
"You're the dude that flashed his junk on national TV."
...right...that also happened, Izuku thought to himself, feeling embarrassed for Togata. A few of the other students laughed and giggled, and Togata himself had a good laugh.
"Yup. Little Mirio ended up having quite the audience that day!"
In their laughter, no one noticed Hagakure briefly flashing.
"Well, that was quite the entrance, Senpai." An unfamiliar female voice said. The first years looked around to find the source of that voice. Rin was the one who spotted a moving cardboard box near Gunhead. The box was kicked off and a girl in a UA gym uniform flipped upright. She was an athletic yet flat-chested girl with tan skin and black hair in a set of space buns. But her eyes were the most...well, eye-catching part of her, with swirling irises of red, green, and blue. "'Guess I still need to work on mine." She looked at the students. "Sup? I'm Doremi Osagami from Class 2-B AKA the Combo Master! Hope you guys are ready to work up a sweat!"
"Doremi was one of my interns last year, so I asked her to help out with the class," Gunhead said. "And she's got a super awesome Quirk that's absolutely perfect for this!"
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "Isn't the whole point of this to learn not to use our Quirks like a crutch?"
Doremi chuckled. "Well, young grasshopper, why don't you come up and I'll show you exactly what I mean."
"Sounds good to me!" Gunhead exclaimed.
Katsuki made his way to the mat, eyeing Doremi. On the surface, she didn't look particularly intimidating, but he knew that there were a lot of heroes whose unassuming appearances hid monstrous power.
"You kids ready?" Gunhead asked. Katsuki nodded while Doremi gave the hero a thumbs up. "Great! Now, it's just a spar, so no biting, no scratching, no hits to the intimate areas, and make sure you don't break anything." Gunhead's cheerful tone was an odd contrast to his instructions. "Okay, ready," Katsuki took a fighting stance while Doremi remained exactly as she was, "Steady," Katsuki scowled at his senpai's relaxed demeanor, Doremi only smiled, "BEGIN!"
Katsuki rushed Doremi in a burst of speed. Even without his Quirk, Katsuki had spent considerable time honing his muscles and reflexes, and most people would struggle to avoid an attack like that.
Doremi was not most people.
With an almost lackadaisical demeanor, Doremi bobbed and weaved around Katsuki's strikes. Doremi practically danced around Katsuki as his frustrations only grew with each missed attacked.
"Come on!" Katsuki cried. "Stop running away and fight me!"
"Patience, young grasshopper," Doremi said as she evaded another Katsuki's attacks. "It's all part of the process." Doremi's lips curled into a sly smile. "But if you insist."
In an instant, Katsuki's world turned upside-down. He felt like he was floating, and strangely found himself staring at-
'The ceiling?' was all Katsuki could think before he was slammed onto the mat on his back.
"That was amazing!" Ojiro exclaimed, staring at Doremi as she flashed a peace sign.
"I've never seen someone our age perform such a flawless judo throw before," Kendo said.
"S-s-so fast," Izuku said. "If I'd blinked a second later, I would have missed it."
As Kendo stared at Doremi, she placed a hand on her chin in contemplation. "Something about it felt...off, like I'd seen her perform it somewhere before, but I can't remember where."
The world seemed to sway a bit as Katsuki sat up. While being so easily defeated in hand-to-hand was a bitter pill, any doubt he'd had about Doremi disappeared as the room stopped spinning.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him. Katsuki looked up to see Doremi's smiling face. "Not bad for a first spar," she said. "What do you say we try that again, and I'll show you exactly why I'm here."
Hesitantly, Katsuki took Doremi's hand and let her help him up. They assumed their previous positions. "I'm not falling for that throw again; you hear me," Katsuki said, a look of fierce determination on his face.
Doremi chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, I won't be using it."
"Begin!" Gunhead shouted.
Doremi rushed Katsuki in an instant. It was a complete reversal of their previous bought, her on the offensive and Katsuki on the defensive.
However, something was off. Gone were the elegant, effortless movement Doremi used to dance around Katsuki. Her attacks were aggressive, sloppy, and unrefined. In fact, looking at her, one might say she fought like-
"Kacchan!" Izuku shouted. "She's fighting just like Kacchan!"
"Hey, you're right," Ochako said. "That's a pretty good imitation."
Izuku shook his head. "No, that's not it. The way she moves, the way she carries herself, it's more than just copying him. It's like Doremi has become Kacchan."
'The nerd's right,' Katsuki thought as he deflected one of Doremi's punches. 'It's like I'm fighting a mirror, or playing a fighting game where you and your opponent choose the same character.'
Katsuki frustrations grew with every blow they exchanged, it felt like Doremi was mocking him. But as Doremi struck with him with another fierce punch, he saw it, an opening. She'd overextended herself with her last attack, leaving herself wide open.
With a decisive kick, Katsuki swept Dormei's legs out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground.
The room fell silent for as Katsuki stood Doremi as she stared up at the ceiling. "Good job!" Doremi exclaimed with a grin before leaping off the ground and standing straight up. "You're a quick learner, young grasshopper." She turned to the rest of the class. "So, what do you think?"
"A-amazing!" Izuku said. "The way you copied Kacchan, is that your Quirk?"
Doremi gave Izuku a thumbs up. "Yep! I call it Lady See, Lady Do. Basically, if I see someone perform any physical activity, I can do it too. I've got techniques from hundreds of martial artists engraved into my muscle memory."
"Woah, that's so freaking cool," Ochako said. "There are so many cool moves you can teach us."
"True, but there is something much more valuable Doremi can teach you," Gunhead said before turning to Katsuki. "And I think he's already got an idea of what that is."
"Tch, of course I do," Katsuki said. "I was able to knock her down because she overextended herself, the... the same way I did in the first round."
"Which was how she was able to do the super cool judo flip!"
"I know that, goddamnit!"
"I think I understand," Tenya said. "Through copying our movements, Osagami-senpai will allow us to observe the flaws in our techniques, allowing us to more effectively find ways to cover ou weaknesses and improve our strengths."
"Exactly!" Gunhead exclaimed. "But for now, I'm going to see just where all of you are at and make sure you all have a good grasp of the basics before we do anything crazy. So, let's get physical!"
The rest of the class was pretty simple despite the eccentric introductions. The first exercise they did was having the students throw a punch on some training dummies. A few of them like Kendo, Ojiro, and Rin had practiced forms, while others, like Izuku and Wakamatsu, were basically starting from scratch. Even something as simple as throwing a punch was more complicated than anticipated, and Izuku ended up hurting his thumb.
After that, it was few instructions on proper stretching and closing off with a rundown of when they'd meet up (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after the last class of the day) and the katas they would go through at the start of each class.
"You guys can go ahead without me," Izuku said. "I got some planning to do with Maijima-Sensei."
"Alright. Don't stay too late," Ochako said as she and the others started to head out.
"Maybe I'll get some sleep for once." Wakamatsu groaned as he walked out.
As Izuku began to walk...
"Hey, Midoriya, right?" The greenette turned and saw Rin walking towards them.
"Oh, you're from Kacchan's class." The Chinese student had to bite his tongue at his classmate's nickname from his friend.
"That's right. Though we've met before." Rin stated.
"We have?" Izuku asked, getting a nod in return.
"It's not through an audio speaker, but it's hard for me to forget the voice of the man who saved my life," Rin said. Izuku thought for a moment before a feeling of recognition set in.
"Oh, the Entrance Exam!" Izuku said, getting a nod from Rin. He looked down at the other boy's leg. "Well, looks like your leg turned out fine."
"Indeed. Though it would've been worse if you hadn't risked your life to pull me out of the rubble." He gave a nod and placed his hand over his chest. "Regardless of what anyone else says about you, in my eyes, you're already a hero."
"Um...t-thanks," Izuku replied, feeling a bit bashful. Having someone outside of his friend group saying something that nice was definitely a nice change of pace.
"I can give you some pointers in the next class." Rin's smile then turned to a smirk. "But I won't hold back just because I owe you."
Izuku smiled as well. He could use some help, and Rin wasn't looking like he was gonna treat him like glass. "Sounds good to me."
Meanwhile, Tooru and Mirio were having a chat behind the changing room curtain, and Tooru dropped her invisibility.
"Woo. Just need a minute to get my strength back." Hagakure joked while Togata had his arms crossed, his face showing concern.
"You're still maintaining your invisibility like this?" Togata asked. "Tooru, you know that takes power away from the other aspects of your Quirk."
Hagakure said nothing as she looked down towards the floor. "Four of my classmates already know what I look like. And that's four too many."
Mirio's eye widened. "Do they-"
"No. They haven't put it together yet." Hagakure shook as she hugged herself. "But if someone like Kendo or Midoriya saw me, they'd probably figure out I'm related to...her." The normally cheery invisible girl said that like acid had been poured on her tongue.
"Hey, maybe it won't be so bad." Togata put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Your classmates are trying to be heroes too. I doubt they'd be as judgmental as your old classmates."
Hagakure bit her lip. She saw how some of them treated Midoriya. He was just Quirkless...but honestly, Hagakure wished that was all she had to worry about. "I can't risk that. Not again."
She would rather have been born Quirkless than the daughter of one of Japan's most infamous criminals. But she grit her teeth, and her eyes hardened with resolve. Someday, when she had graduated from U.A...when she had made a name for herself, she would show her true face. Hopefully by then, the public would see her for her...and not the monster she shared blood with.
The Love Hunters
"Come on! You're telling me you're not interested in any of the guys?" Tokage asked Jiro as the two girls walked to art class the next day.
"Not really." The purple-haired punk responded, really wishing she was talking to someone else right now.
"What about any of the girls?" Tokage's face suddenly became smug. "I wouldn't blame ya if you checked out my ass. I know I've got some top-tier cake."
"Maybe, but with your personality as the filling, it ruins the whole thing."
"Yikes." Tokage shivered from Jiro's cold bluntness. "You really know how to take a girl down-"
As Tokage turned the corner, she ended up bumping into someone. Tokage looked up and saw she had bumped into a rather handsome-looking male student with short red hair and matching red eyes.
"Oh, crap. Sorry, dude." Tokage said, but the redhead just laughed as he reached up to his hair. He pulled a singular strand of hair off, and it glowed before transforming into a beautiful rose.
"No need to apologize," The redhead said with a charming smile, holding the rose out for Tokage. "After all, bumping into a beauty like you can only be a blessing."
Tokage's face flushed bright red as she began to stutter while Jiro raised an eyebrow. The redhead then took a closer look at Tokage.
"Oh, you got some sharp teeth. Guess I'd better be careful. Wouldn't want those to leave a mark if things get...rough."
Jiro didn't know what was making her cringe more; the cheesy lines this guy was saying, or the fact that Tokage was falling for them hook line and sinker.
"Ah...um...I..." After some stuttering, Tokage fell apart...literally. She turned into a tiny pile of limbs and chunks of flesh. Jiro simply started while the redhead was freaking out.
"Aw, crap! It finally happened!" He shouted as he gripped his hair in panic. "My stupid pick up lines finally killed someone!"
"Dude, relax. It's just her Quirk. She's fine," Jiro explained.
"Oh..." The student's face quickly began to match his hair. "...bye."
The redhead ran away, leaving Jiro confused and Tokage still in a pile. 'Mikoshiba, you idiot!'
Soon enough lunch rolled around, and Tsunotori found herself struggling to decide amongst the myriad of dishes on offer. 'It all looks so good,' Tsunotori thought, so engrossed so didn't notice someone coming up behind her.
"I'd go for the beef curry," came a voice smooth as silk. "It's one of Lunch Rush's favorites." Tsunotori turned and saw someone who just screamed 'Handsome Prince' with their entire being. From their lovely short yet proper dark blue hair and piercing green eyes. They were taller than Tsunotori (though that wasn't saying much considering how short the horse-like girl was) and had a really handsome face.
"Oh...um, thanks," Tsunotori said, getting a chuckle from the handsome student. But then, the princely student placed their hand on Tsunotori's chin, looking her in the eyes.
"You know, a meal is often better with a companion to share it with. So, how would you like to lunch with me, my princess?"
"Woah, woah, woah!" With a red face, Tsunotori pushed the princely student away. "Listen Mis...ter..."
Looking down, she that this princely student was, in fact, a girl, based on the fact they were wearing a skirt instead of pants. "You're a girl!?"
The princely girl giggled at Tsunotori's reaction. "Wow, you caught on quickly. Most people tend to think I'm a boy when they first meet me. Though, that never stops any of my lovelies from falling for me."
"Hey, lady!" The blunette turned and saw Kaibara marching towards her with a furious look on his face. "Pony's already spoken for, so back off!"
"Oh ho! Coming to your lady's defense. How chivalrous." Then, to the couple's surprise, the princely girl placed her hand on Kaibara's chin and gave him the same flirtatious look that she gave Tsunotori. "I like that in a man."
Kaibara's anger evaporated at this unexpected turn of events as a bright blush spread across his face. "Huh!?"
Kaminari watched their interactions with a bemused smile from his front-row seat at his table. But then, the cafeteria was filled with the sound of pounding footsteps, followed by...
"KASHIMA!"
"Oh, Hori! How's it go-" But before the princely girl (now identified as Kashima) could say anything, she was suddenly kicked in the head by a shorter brunette boy with angry brown eyes.
"What did I tell you about bothering our underclassmen?!"
"I...I was just having some fun." Kashima groaned from the floor.
"Well your 'fun' was clearly bothering these two." Hori then turned to the now thoroughly confused couple and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry. Kashima doesn't know when to stop flirting, no matter the circumstances." He then picked up the still woozy Kashima and put her over his shoulder. "Not to mention skipping out on rehearsals to mess around."
And with that, Tsunotori and Kaibara were left baffled as Hori carried Kashima out of the cafeteria, while Kaminari gave a salute to the princely girl in solidarity.
Lessons in Villainy
Tomura Shigaraki slowly opened his eyes. As he blinked away the bleariness, his eyes landed on the digital clock on his night stand.
11:32.
He glared at the clock for a moment, as if trying to intimidate into turning back.
11:33.
With a groan, Tomura figured it was finally time to get up.
The lanky young man reached out a gloved hand that left his pointer and middle finger exposed and grabbed his phone before getting out of bed. Sure, he was in his PJs, but he wasn't going anywhere. Not like he could without covering himself with his old hoodie.
That's kind of how most of his days went. He would just sit around, eat whatever awesome food Kurogiri made, and just play some games. Not like he had anything else to do. He wasn't the idea guy. That was more Sensei's thing.
His mind drifted back to the clusterfuck that was the USJ and his stomach twisted. Bad enough he failed, but the news cycle was having a field day, calling those U.A. brats oh so 'brave' for fighting his League, but that they might be some 'golden generation.'
He probably would've had sympathy for that Midoriya kid getting shit on by the news and social media if he wasn't a cheating little bitch in a bullshit OP mini-boss robot.
But when he walked down the stairs to the bar, he heard...talking? Did they actually have a customer?
"So I say, 'You fool! My hellbeam-empowered physiology makes me impervious to lasers!'"
"Jesus, that's one hell of a bluff."
"That was all I could think of."
Shigaraki came down and saw Hellgaze (now sans his visor and mask, revealing his black & red eyes and sharp teeth) and that American woman sitting at the bar, with Kurogiri serving them sandwiches.
"But I noticed the safety was on, so he pulls the trigger..." Hellgaze paused for dramatic effect. "...and nothing happens."
Kelly laughed while Kurogiri chuckled, letting Hellgaze continue. "To this day, Captain Celebrity still thinks I'm laser-proof."
"Ah, classic," Kurogiri then saw Shigaraki was awake. "Oh, you're awake."
"Yeah..." He looked at the two new entries. "The hell are you two doing here?"
"We're your new roommates, Crusty Boy!" Kelly said with a big smile. "Your mysterious boss hired us to be permanent additions to your little league."
"And it looks like you guys could use it," Hellgaze said as he looked at the bar with disappoint clear in his expression. "Because this is a pitiful excuse for an evil lair. No spikes, no blood-red coloring, not even a decorative skull or two. I know you got to stay incognito, but at least have fun with it."
"I suppose the bar is due for some new decor, although I'd prefer something a bit more sophisticated."
"Whatever," Shigaraki said as he sat down at the bar. He was way too annoyed to argue.
"So, what do you got on tap, Tall, Dark, and Misty?" Kelly asked.
"The usual fair; Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, and Orion. I don't have any foreign brews, unfortunately."
Kelly shrugged her muscular shoulders. "Eh, a beer's a beer. I'll take a Sapporo."
"Same here." Hellgaze said. Kurogiri nodded and started pouring their orders from the tap.
"So...what's your story?" Kelly asked.
"My...story?"
"Yeah, how'd a guy like you end up working for Shigaraki?"
"You guys have it wrong," Shigaraki expressed. "Kurogiri doesn't work for me."
"I am his caretaker, a task given to me by the Master."
"And who's this master?" Hellgaze asked.
"The Master is Tomura's teacher and guardian. He's a rather busy man so he can't be around as much as he'd like."
"So you're, what? A glorified nanny?" Kelly asked.
"That's not what I'd call it," the misty man said as he slid Kelly her beer.
"But you're not denying it." Kelly then took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. "That's pretty damn good."
"Question still stands," Hellgaze said. "How'd you meet this "master" and why'd he assign you to take care of Shigaraki?"
Tomura was actually curious too. He'd never really questioned where Kurogiri or why he was here. Sensei had just shown up one day with the misty man in tow and told Tomura he'd be his new caretaker, and that was that. After a while, Kurogiri had become a constant in his life, and he'd long stopped asking questions about the bartender.
Kurogiri pondered the question as he poured Hellgaze his glass of Sapporo. Really, it should have been a easy question to answer, but the more he thought about it, the harder it became to focus on, his thoughts became hazier and hazier. After a moment, Kurogiri gaze became unfocused, not really staring at anything.
"Um...shades?" Kelly asked, weirded out by this.
Kurogiri went perfectly still, the only movement was the subtle rise and fall of his chest. All the while, beer poured over the sides of the glass and dribbled onto the floor.
"My good man, I like a tall cup of Sapporo, but that's a bit too much." Hellgaze said, becoming concerned for the bartender.
Before Shigaraki even realized what was happening, he hopped over the counter, paying little mind to the growing puddle of beer. "Kurogiri!" he cried, placing a hand on his caretaker's shoulder.
Kurogiri gasped, dropping the glass and splashing beer across his and Shigaraki's pants. He blinked a few times, his senses slowing coming back to him. He glanced at everyone's expressions and then to the mess of beer and shattered glass on the floor.
"My apologies, it seems I let my mind wander as I was pouring your drink," Kurogiri said, turning back to Hellgaze. "What was your question again?"
"...never mind."
"Right." Kurogiri opened a small portal and an ice cold bottle of Sapporo appeared in front of Hellgaze. "Excuse me, I need to clean up this mess." He glanced down at his wet pants and shoes. "And myself." He quickly teleported away, leaving three bewildered villains.
"Uh, what the fuck?" Hellgaze said.
"You wanna explain what the hell that was?" Kelly asked.
"I...I don't know." Shigaraki said, utterly confused.
"You've never seen him freeze up like that before?" Hellgaze asked as he took a sip.
"No...but then again, I honestly don't know that much about Kurogiri."
Hellgaze rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Take some advice from your villainous elder; one advantage heroes often have over our lot is that they tend to build up trust and comradery with each other. While some of the dangerous evil unions were destroyed because those involved fell to their own vices, or knew next to nothing about their teammates." A haunted look passed over Hellgaze's face. "If you and your mysterious master want this League of yours to work, it pays to know who you're going to be plotting with." His face then turned into a smile before placing a hand on his chest. "And with that in mind; you have Taiga Goka at your service."
That night, Shigaraki would contemplate Goka's words, not knowing the effect they would have on the course of his destiny.
Author's Note 2: So we had a bit more of an anthology chapter, and that's kind of how the next few chapters will go.
So before I reveal the title of the next chapter, I just need to do some more housekeeping considering some...'offers' I've been given via PMs.
I've gotten requests from people saying they want to 'adapt' MSRA for their YouTube channels. At first, I thought this was cool. Someone liked my story well enough to want to adapt it in video form. Okay, I don't expect it to be on the level of Big Finish's audiodramas or Audible, but I know there's talented VAs on YouTube that could bring my story to life in a dramatic reading.
When I looked up the channels that offered me this, I was disappointed. What these channels actually do is one of the most creatively lazy things I've seen. More so than any video just complaining that something is 'woke' or any kind of ragebait.
What these channels do is feed fanfics through a Text-To-Speech AI program and just have it blandly read the entire story. These are hour-long videos depending on how long the fanfics are. No changes to the vocal inflictions to make it seem exciting. No background music or boring as hell background music. And no change to the visuals either. It is some of the most boring and creatively bankrupt video formats I have ever seen.
What these people did was basically ask if they could use MSRA as part of their content farm. Hell, I discovered one guy did this to the first five chapters and didn't even ask me for permission to 'adapt it.'
So before anyone else asks me if I want My Super Robot Academia to be 'adapted' for your bullshit content mill, don't even ask. My answer will always be NO!
Unless your 'adaptation' matches the effort xpegasus and I put into making this story, don't bother asking either of us for permission to 'adapt' MSRA for your content mill garbage. And I can't really shame anyone who doesn't ask for premission because anyone making these kinds of videos has already shown that they have no creative integrity.
With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, here's the next chapter title!
Next Time: The Mechanical Marauders rise at Midnight!