Yay, we're back! And for a special treat, here's the FULL chapter!
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
A few days after the festival, Ochako had to check in with Ceres at the UA Development Studio, just to make sure the Omnitrix key didn't have any glitches here or there. Even though Ceres had spent years fighting alongside Ben, developing tech for it was...tricky. Especially since Ben's recreated Omntrix had some technical issues.
More on that later.
Ceres typed furiously, occasionally looking back to the Omnitrix as she worked. There were a few wires connected into some ports (that Ochako had no idea existed) and back to her computer.
Ochako sat, eyes sort of looking around the lab. She couldn't keep up with all the technical jargon and scientific processes that Ceres used so effortlessly.
"So, how's it looking?" Ochako asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, it's installed properly. That's the good news." Ceres explained. "Not seeing any bad news yet, so that's something."
"Ben said you did a lot of the work on the Omnitrix back in the day, and that you'd be done in a few minutes. Any reason why it kinda took longer this time?" Ochako asked.
Ceres let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair. "Well, the thing is, Ben's Omnitrix design for you is a bit more, let's say streamlined, compared to the one Azmuth designed. It functions the same, but there are certain features that are left unguarded or missing a few component parts. It was a bit trickier to work with, which is why I needed more time."
Ochako nodded, feeling a bit relieved that it wasn't anything too serious.
"That and," Ceres pointed over to Mei, who was going crazy with some tech presented to her.
"Mei here has been causing quite a disturbance around here. I swear, sometimes I wonder if I should have just given her her own lab space."
Ochako turned to look at Mei, who was surrounded by wires and gadgets of all sorts, and was laughing maniacally. "She's like some mad tinkerer," Ochako shuddered.
Ceres grinned, "Oh, don't get me wrong, she is a genius, but I've never met someone who's more in need of a nap than me, the queen of '89 hours without sleep'."
"I can only imagine what kind of inventions she could come up with when she's well-rested." Ochako shuddered.
Ceres shrugged. "Honestly, it's probably better not to know." Ceres went back to typing, leaving Ochako alone with her thoughts. So, they wandered to the biggest thing on her mind right now, her new relationship with Izuku. Ever since the kiss, they'd been trying to figure out how to romance, really. Ochako suggested having lunch together, and they both THOUGHT that was a good enough 'first date'.
Then Izuku had suggested they watch a movie together, and Ochako had agreed, not quite sure what the next step was. They had watched the movie, but had hardly paid attention to it- they were too busy trying to hold hands without being obvious and stealing glances at each other. It was sweet, but also a bit frustrating. Ochako didn't want to rush things, but she also didn't want to stay in this weird limbo forever.
"The Omnitrix looks good, Ochako. You should be able to toggle these Plus Ultra forms with no issue."
"Thanks," Ochako said, standing up. "Uh, hey, actually before I go, I have a question."
"Alright. Shoot." Ceres nodded..
"Have you ever been in a new relationship before? And if so, how did you handle it?" Ochako asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Ceres raised an eyebrow. "Where'd this come from?"
Ochako shuffled her feet. "Oh, nowhere. Just, uh, just curious, I guess."
"Ohhhhhh, I get it." Ceres chuckled. "You and Izuku hooked up, didn't you?"
Ochako's face turned bright red. "Y-yeah, we did. How did you-"
"Everyone can see it. Even from space." Ceres joked.
"I'm just...nervous, y'know?" Ochako said. "Like. Really, really stupid nervous. I'm worried that I'm gonna mess up something or say the wrong thing, or move too fast, or not fast enough or-"
Ceres gave a sympathetic smile. "Trust me, Ochako, everyone feels that way in the beginning, but you have to trust yourself and your partner. You're both in this together, and you can figure out how to make it work. You guys are pretty 'in sync' already. After all, didn't you both take down Overhaul together?"
"That's in combat. That's a totally different field than this!" Ochako stammered. "Right?"
"You already have a strong foundation of trust and respect. That's a good start." Ceres smiled. "Just communicate, breathe easy, and enjoy the ride. That's how I started off with my wife."
"Alrighty, that's good-"
Ochako's words were suddenly cut off by an explosion behind her, followed by Mei's maniacal laughing. A massive wave of smoke and sparks filled the room, causing both Ochako and Ceres to cough and cover their faces. Mei stumbled out of the smoke, her hair singed and half of her outfit torn up.
"Whoa, Mei! What happened?" Ceres exclaimed, rushing over to help her up.
Mei rubbed her head, wincing. "Baby blew up."
Ceres shook her head in disbelief. "Can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?"
Ochako winced. "I should...go, probably. Thanks for the advice, Ceres."
"No problem, kid. Good luck with everything!" Ceres waved as Ochako exited the lab, still coughing from the smoke. As Ochako left the lab, she couldn't help but feel a bit better. Ceres' advice had been good, and she felt a bit more confident with what would come next.
But in her confidence, she didn't notice the Omnitrix was sparking.
"I'm dating...Ochako."
All Might stared at Izuku, eyes wide as he continued pouring the tea into Izuku's teacup, almost letting it overflow. "HUH?" All Might yelled, totally overreacting.
Izuku nodded, feeling both nervous and excited to finally say that out loud. "Y-yeah. It's only been a few days, but we're, uh, doing well."
All Might raised an eyebrow, still in shock. "Wow, I didn't see that coming. I would have thought it'd be in another year, but-"
"Huh?" Izuku asked.
"Nothing, nothing." All Might hand waved that away, grabbing some napkins to clean up the tea spill. "But I'm happy for you both. Ochako is a wonderful young lady."
Izuku smiled, feeling grateful for All Might's support. "Thanks. And I'll do my best to make her happy."
"I know you will, kid." All Might said, patting Izuku's shoulder. "So, does anyone else know?"
Izuku's smile faded. "Uh, no, not really. We're trying to lay low before going public about it. But I wanted to tell you first."
"Over your mom?" All Might asked.
"Iiiiii have a feeling she might be asking about grandkids a bit TOO early." Izuku admitted, as he took a sip of tea.
"Ah." All Might realized. "I never really dealt with any relationships, to be honest. Sure, maybe once or twice I had some drinks when I was younger and somehow ended up in bed with someone-"
Izuku leaned to the side and spat out his tea. "HUH?" Izuku yelled, totally overreacting.
All Might chuckled. "I'm just kidding!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"...partially." All Might coughed.
(AN: ALL MIGHT FUCKS AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT)
"But in all seriousness, it's fine that you wanna go at your own pace. Don't rush into the big stuff."
"I know, I know. It's just..." Izuku took a deep breath. "I'm kinda worried I might get too over protective about her."
"Go on?"
"It's just- I care about her so much, and the thought of anything happening to her..." Izuku trailed off, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "I've...kinda seen her die once. And I just don't want anything like that to happen again."
All Might's expression softened. "Ben had a similar problem with Ruby, back when they were around your age. Trusting your partner and collaborating to ensure each other's safety is crucial. It's completely natural to want to protect someone you care about. Just keep in mind not to suffocate or limit them."
"That, yeah, that makes sense." Izuku nodded. "I've never really...experienced this before. Feels like I'm stumbling through the dark."
"That's how it is for all relationships, especially at the beginning." All Might said, a small smile on his face. "But you'll learn and grow together, and that's what makes it all worth it. Trust me- I know a lot of 'power couples'."
Izuku chuckled at that. "Fair enough. We're just gonna try and keep things low-key for a while. You know, get to know each other better, figure out what we want, that kinda thing."
"All wise decisions." All Might said, nodding. "And if there's ever anything you need advice on, don't hesitate to come to me. I may not have had much experience in relationships, but I can at least offer or parrot back from Ben or Ruby or someone else."
"If you don't mind me asking..." Izuku began. "Is One for All the reason you never pursued a relationship?"
All Might's expression grew serious. "In a way, yes. The responsibility of being All Might and passing on One for All was a heavy burden that I couldn't just put on someone else without knowing that they truly understood what it meant. A lot of top pros usually have trouble balancing that, for example, Wash's MANY ex wives."
"He should really stop dating." Izuku frowned.
"Indeed." All Might agreed. "But in any case, I didn't want anyone to get caught up in my...mess. And I wanted to focus solely on being the Symbol of Peace."
"I dunno if I'll go through THAT issue. Ochako's pretty much the only one who can kinda keep up with me thanks to the Omnitrix." Izuku said.
"Also fair," All Might agreed.
"Right now...I just wanna do something nice for her. Our last few dates have been awkward." Izuku said.
All Might looked outside. "Well, we are in the last few warm days, why not take her on a picnic?"
Izuku's face lit up. "That's a great idea! I'll make it a surprise and everything."
"I'm sure she'll love it." All Might beamed. "Make some sandwiches and bring some fruit and drinks. And don't forget a nice blanket to lay on-"
"Uh, the only blanket I have has your face on it." Izuku admitted.
"Knowing her, she'll find it charming."
Ochako was just playing with Ship when she heard a knock on the door. Curious, she got up from the floor where she and Ship were playing and walked towards the door. She opened it to find Izuku, a nervous grin on his face.
"Oh, hey! Was about to text you." Ochako greeted, as Ship slithered up to cuddle Izuku's leg. "What's up?"
"Are you, uh, free right now?" Izuku asked.
Ochako nodded, "Yeah, I don't have any plans."
Izuku scratched the back of his head, "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could go grab lunch together?"
"Oh, yeah. That sounds good, actually. Lemme grab my jacket!" Ochako said, going back in her room. Izuku picked Ship up and started petting the silly little mechamorph. Ochako returned promptly, wearing a new hoodie, a mostly white one with pink stripes on both arms and a pink number 10 on the right side.
"That's new." Izuku noted.
"You like it?" Ochako asked. "Momo made it for me earlier. She saw it in an old photo from Ben's younger days and she decided to recreate it for me. It's soooo nice."
"It looks great on you!" Izuku complimented her with a smile. "Alright, let's head out then."
The two headed down stairs (after giving Ship some goodbye pets), and passed through the lobby area, where Iida, Todoroki and Mina were eating together.
"So, hold on. I was born in July, Iida was born in August, and you were born in...January?" Mina said. "I'm OLDER than you both!?"
"That's how aging works, yes." Todoroki nodded.
"Sorry, just...that MESSES with me, y'know? I thought you guys would be older than me." MIna explained.
"I don't see what the big deal is, we're still in the same grade," Iida countered.
As Ochako and Izuku walked through the lobby area, Ochako couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation. Mina turned around to see the duo heading out.
"Oh, hey you two! Where are you going?" Mina asked.
"Uh just uh going to lunch." Izuku stammered. "That's all."
"Yeah! That's it." Ochako quickly agreed. "See you guys later!" The two hurriedly exited the building, as Mina narrowed her eyes.
"Hm..." Mina hummed, turning to face the other boys. "They're TOTALLY dating."
Iida nearly choked on his food. "W-what!?"
"Mina, I think you're jumping to conclusions," Todoroki suggested. "They're probably just going out as friends."
Mina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, a mischievous grin forming on her face. "Oh come on, Todoroki. I've known those two for a while now, and there's definitely something more going on between them."
Iida regained his composure and furrowed his brow. "Mina, we can't make assumptions without any evidence. It's important to respect their privacy and not speculate about their personal lives."
Mina shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just saying, they seem pretty cozy together. Watch, I bet they'll come back all lovey-dovey."
"They are NOT dating. I've never noticed any romantic tension between them," Iida insisted.
"Well, Iida, I have to admit, I have seen a few moments where they seemed a bit... awkward and blushy around each other," Todoroki confessed.
Iida's eyes widened in surprise. "What? When?"
"Well, there was this one time during training when Ochako saved Izuku, and afterward, they had this lingering gaze and a moment of silence that felt a little more than friendship," Todoroki painted the scene. "but that's just hearsay from me."
Mina's grin grew wider, and she leaned forward, clearly enjoying the conversation. "See, I told you!"
"They are NOT dating." Iida once again insisted.
"Then, how about we follow them?" Mina suggested. "Just to see what's going on."
Iida's eyes widened at Mina's suggestion. "Follow them? Not a good idea. We should respect their privacy."
Todoroki nodded in agreement. "Iida's right. It's not our place to intrude on their personal lives. If they want to share something with us, they will do so in their own time."
Mina pouted, clearly disappointed by their response. "Fine, fine. I guess I'll have to wait for them to spill the beans themselves…"
Iida and Todoroki shared a look.
"Okay. Okay, how about this. We just coincidentally run into them." Iida sighed. Waiting for Ochako and Izuku to admit themselves? They'd probably graduate before then.
Todoroki raised an eyebrow at Iida's suggestion. "Coincidentally run into them? It's still intrusive."
"I know, Todoroki, but...it's my duty as class president to know what's going on with my classmates. And support them. And also see if we need to have some discussions about..." Iida trailed off. "Okay, admittedly, I am curious to see if they really are dating."
"My curiosity is infectious." Mina joked.
"Alright, Iida. If you really think it's necessary, we can try to run into them by chance," Todoroki conceded. "Let's just be...normal about it."
"Oh, so no disguises?" Mina asked.
"That would just make us more suspicious," Iida countered.
"Yeah, but I've always wanted to go undercover," Mina put on some kind of French(?) accent for that last word, "Y'know?"
"What...accent was that?" Todoroki asked.
"Not important right now!"
Izuku and Ochako made their way to a thicket of the woods. Ochako raised an eyebrow. "Hey, this isn't the way to the food court."
"I, uh...know a good short cut?" Izuku stammered, obviously lying. Ochako decided to play along. Maybe Midoriya had a surprise up his sleeve or something. Izuku led Ochako deeper into the woods, and as they approached what should have been a picnic spot. He set up a bit earlier, and made some food with All Might- this was gonna be a nice surprise.
But he quickly found himself confused by the sound of clashing and explosions. Confused, Ochako followed the noise until they reached a clearing. To their surprise, they found Bakugou and Kirishima engaged in an intense sparring session. Bakugou and Kirishima's sparring session was nothing short of impressive. Bakugou's explosive Quirk and Kirishima's hardened body clashed with incredible force. The ground beneath them bore the marks of their fierce battle, as explosions erupted and waves of intense heat swept through the air.
Izuku scratched his head, clearly taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. "Uh, this wasn't what I had planned."
"Uh-huh. Annnnnd what did you have planned?" Ochako asked.
"O-oh! Uh, w-well you see, um..." Izuku stammered, trying to figure out a good cover on the spot.
And he was failing miserably.
Ochako rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's okay. I bet what you wanted to do was sweet."
"I already kinda set it up," Izuku admitted. "I'm kinda hoping it wasn't blown to shreds."
"O-oh," Ochako realized, looking back to the sparring session. She kinda hoped it wasn't destroyed either, but if it wasn't, that'd be a miracle.
"Maybe we can move, there's a lot of ground to cover here..." Izuku said, stepping forward. Kirishima took quick notice.
"Oh, hey Midoriya!" He yelled, blocking an attack from Bakugou. "Whatcha doing all the way out here?"
"O-oh! Uh nothing uh, just didn't realize you were out here," Izuku tried to lie.
"I can tell you're lying," Bakugou called out, "It's not hard to figure out when you suck at it! So, out with it!"
"We're uh..." Izuku was turning red in the face. "Um..."
The bushes rustled behind them. Bakugou frowned. "And tell THEM to come out too! Stop peeping, you weirdos!"
"Let me handle this," Iida whispered, emerging from the bushes and clearing his throat, "Mina! I thought we told you not to-!"
"Ohhhh we are not doing the 'throw Mina under the bus' cover!" Mina protested.
"M-mina?! Iida?!" Izuku yelled.
"I am here as well," Todoroki piped up.
"What?!" Ochako gasped.
"Mina was curious if you two were-" Todoroki began before Mina covered his mouth with her hand.
"Noooooo no no no no, if anyone's explaining it, it's me," the acid hero said.
"Curious if we're what?!" Ochako blushed, taking a small step away from Izuku.
"Well, you see-" Mina took a step forward, and paused. She tapped her foot on the ground a few times, and hummed.
"What's wrong?" Izuku asked.
"Does this ground feel 'soft' to you?"
"Huh?" Kirishima asked, turning to focus on Mina, at the worst time. Bakugou threw another explosion that slammed into the hardened hero-to-be's face.
"Ow! Hey, time-out!" Kirishima called.
"Fine," Bakugou rolled his eyes and let Kirishima deactivate his Quirk.
"So...what do you mean 'soft?'" Izuku asked, glad to change topics.
"Like…literally soft. Feel the ground. Around here it feels, I dunno, less natural." Mina pointed out. Todoroki lifted an eyebrow, before taking a step forward. His eyes widened.
"She's right." Todoroki said, taking a step back. "The ground's off."
"As in, there's something else there?" Iida asked, "Like a hidden door?"
"No, if that were the case, you woulda heard the clang by now...this is...I dunno, just off," Mina shrugged.
Ochako pressed her foot on the ground a few times, testing its stability. "Yeah, it's weird. Wonder what's up with this-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled and gave way, causing a massive sinkhole to form. In an instant, Izuku, Todoroki, Iida, Mina, Ochako, Bakugou, and Kirishima were swallowed up by the unexpected abyss.
They found themselves falling through darkness, a mixture of surprise and panic filling their minds. The sensation of weightlessness surrounded them as they plummeted into the unknown depths below. The group landed with a loud CRASH.
"What just happened? Where are we?" Iida exclaimed, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness around them.
"I...I have no idea on the second question," Izuku admitted, "But I think...Kirishima, how long have you and Bakugou been sparring?"
"Uh, 'bout an hour now?" Kirishima answered, "Why?"
"It's possible the ground was already unstable around here and, with all the explosions going off, you weakened the ground even further. You inadvertently made a sinkhole!"
"What!? Don't put this on me!" Bakugou yelled, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "How the fuck were we supposed to know that we were standing on top of some stupid..." Bakugou's voice trailed off as he looked around, taking in their surroundings. "...what the fuck is this!?"
As the initial shock subsided, the group's attention was drawn to a faint, flickering red light coming from a hanging light bulb in the distance. The metal walls were large and harrowing, towering over them. Ochako's eyes widened as she surveyed their surroundings. "Is this some kind of underground labyrinth?"
Todoroki examined the walls, which seemed to be made of concrete and metal. "It appears so. How long has this been here?"
"If I had to guess, probably from the start of the school." Izuku surmised.
"I guess that makes sense. This must be the foundation or-" Mina paused again. Her ears perked up at the sound of faint mechanical whirring coming from a nearby corridor. Her eyes widened as she sensed something approaching.
"Doooooo you guys hear that?" Mina whispered.
Before anyone could respond, a group of robotic figures emerged from the shadows, their metal bodies gleaming in the dim light. The robots stood tall, their mechanical arms and legs articulated for swift movement. They quickly surrounded the group, their glowing red eyes fixed upon them.
The students all watched as the robots closed in on them, getting ready for a fight.
"Ok. If you wanna fucking go," Bakugou grinned, sparks popping in his palm, "then lets go you walking trash heaps."
The bots beeped, apparently being insulted at being compared to waste. One of the bots skittered forward into view, taking on a familiar, almost-scorpion like appearance. Another rolled up on a single wheel as it took aim with arm-mounted guns, while a third pulled itself and took aim with rocket pods. Oddly enough, though, these robots lacked any proper armor, only showing off their internal workings and metallic skeletons.
"Wait, are these-?" Izuku asked. Before he could wonder further, the bots attacked. Iida sped forth and crashed into the ones closest to him with powerful kicks, denting and snapping their components. Mina let loose torrents of acid to melt them down.
As for Ochako, well, she thought some muscle would be good in this situation, so she dialled up Crimson Rumble. She slammed down on the Omnitrix and began to transform in a flash of pink. She grew larger and, oddly, wider, before an extra pair of arms formed lower on her torso. But then a small tail sprouted from behind her and her body felt oddly soft for a Tetramand's. When the flash faded, she was only sort of Crimson Rumble. A tall, red-skinned, four armed and four-eyed alien yes...but there were also some hints of Yackattack in the look.
"H-huh?!" Ochako gasped, "W-what happened?!"
"You're..." Izuku frowned.
"Crimson Upchuk?" Mina frowned. "I didn't even know you had that one in there."
"I don't like using her around OTHERS, okay!?" Ochako huffed. "And…the name we're using for her is Yackattak. B-but we can discuss names later! What the heck is up with the watch!?"
"Worry about that later." Todoroki stepped forward. "Focus on the machines ready to trounce us."
The students swiftly engaged in combat with the attacking robots. Iida's powerful kicks dealt significant damage, denting and snapping the robots' components. Mina utilized her acid to melt down the robotic assailants. Bakugou's explosions echoed through the underground labyrinth, obliterating the robots in his path. Izuku threw out powerful punches and kicks, shattering the robots' armor and circuits. Todoroki, with his ice and fire abilities, created a barrage of attacks, freezing and melting the robots with precision. Kirishima bulldozed his way through a bunch of the robots, his hardened body withstanding their attacks.
Meanwhile, Ochako found herself struggling to find her footing in this unusual form. The combination of Crimson Rumble and Yackattack seemed to have resulted in a somewhat unstable transformation. She tried to adapt to her new abilities, but her movements felt awkward and uncoordinated. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't land a solid hit on the agile robots.
It's an awkward fusion. Ochako frowned. I can't really move with these small legs, and I don't have much reach...do my tongues even still work?
Ochako opened her maw and a giant fist popped out and socked a robot in the face.
"Did...did you just-?" Izuku asked.
"Punch a robot with your tongue?" Mina finished.
"See, this is why I don't use Yackattack that often!" Ochako defended.
Ochako's tongue shot out again. Now, usually the Gourmands, Yackattack's species, had three tongues that they could use to grab onto multiple objects and eat with ease. But with the added Tetramand DNA spliced, the transformation's tongue had become literally the strongest muscle in her body. It was just really an arm shoved in her mouth.
...gross!
One of the robots got in close and tried to strike at Ochako from behind, taking advantage of her lack of real balance. The scorpion-like bot tried to slash at her back, but its leg actually seemed to sink into her body, like it was made of rubber. The bot blinked before the strike bounced back and forced it off its feet from the bounce. At the same time, the strike threw off Ochako's balance, making her fall over and crush some of the bots under her.
"Whyyyyyyy," Ochako huffed.
Izuku and Mina rushed over to help Ochako back onto her feet. Izuku couldn't hide his concern. "Are you alright?"
Ochako nodded, her face a mix of embarrassment and determination. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...trying to make the best of this. I'll figure it out!"
As the group continued their battle, a larger and more formidable robot emerged from the shadows. Its massive metallic frame loomed over them, presenting a greater challenge than the previous adversaries. The group could probably handle it with ease but Ochako's eyes narrowed as a plan formed in her mind.
"I've got an idea!" Ochako called out. "Watch this!"
Using her tongue, she swiftly wrapped it around nearby pipes, securing herself tightly. She swung her body back and forth, building momentum. With a determined expression, she released the grip on the pipes, propelling herself towards the larger robot like a wrecking ball. The robot, caught off guard by Ochako's unexpected maneuver, attempted to counter her attack. Her reinforced body absorbed the force, and the robot was sent staggering backward from the powerful collision.
Almost like hitting a strike in bowling, the robot flew back into several of its comrades and shattered them all, letting pieces rain down on the stony floor.
"Yeaaaah, that's one way to do it!" Mina cheered, jumping over another quick strike from a bot and landing on its shoulders. She pressed both of her hands to the sides of its head and let out a small shower of acid. The robot's head fizzled and sparked before it began to melt away. The hero who should have been called Alien Queen leapt off the robot and looked at two more who had tried to sneak up on her.
"You guys want some too?" Mina grinned mischievously.
The two machines looked to each other before, in a rare moment of preservation, turned and wheeled away.
Ochako landed on the ground after detaching her tongue from the pipes. She quickly reverted back to human, and frowned. "What is WITH this thing?" She muttered down at the Omnitrix.
"Did something glitch out?" Izuku asked, walking over.
"Impossible. Ceres did a diagnostics on it this morning," Ochako frowned. "It should be running smoothly."
"Then what's the issue? Don't tell me you broke it somehow..." Bakugou frowned.
Ochako tried to retrace her steps. Did something happen inbetwee-
MEI.
"She must've messed with the watch between the diagnostic and when I got it back," Ochako sighed.
"Mei?" Iida guessed.
"Mei."
"How could she even do that!?" Izuku shouted. "She doesn't even know about it!"
"Well, there was an explosion-"
The group ooh'd in realization (except for Todoroki, he didn't know what was up but wanted to feel included).
"So whatever she did must've somehow...I dunno, scrambled your forms?" Kirishima guessed.
"Izuku, forgive me, but you wouldn't happen to know of a time where Ben suffered something like this would?" Iida asked.
"I...get why you'd ask, but I didn't even know this was possible," Izuku said, "I heard one person theorize that, when Ben was upgrading the Omnitrix, he would integrate a hybrid function. They even came up with a list of possible combinations that complimented each other pretty well."
"Was this on a fansite by any chance?" Mina asked.
"Well...I mean yeah, but, like I said, it was just a theory."
"Well, theory confirmed." Ochako frowned, trying to work the dial. "I can't select the aliens with the usual scroll mode. I think it's just like a random selection. How many combinations do I even have-?"
"2432902008176640000." Bakugou answered.
Everyone stared.
Bakugou got irritated. "WHAT!? I know numbers!"
"It's less that and more you just...knew," Mina corrected, "Just, no mental math, just boom."
"It's actually very impressive," Iida said.
"Good! It should be!" Bakugou yelled, crossing his arms.
"Ok so, I could get any two aliens in a fused form," Ochako began, "and there's no way of telling if the powers even work together. I could get Water Hazard and Heatblast..."
"Heat Hazard? Heatstroke?" Mina suggested for names.
"I am not naming every single hybrid."
"Awwww." Mina frowned.
"Let's just try to find a way out of here." Kirishima suggested. "This place has to have one. Like a maintenance exit or something, right?"
"Probably," Todoroki said, lighting his hand up. "Follow me."
As the group continued on through this underground complex, a camera secretly swerved to keep them in focus. Its lens adjusted itself a bit to make sure the group was always on screen, transmitting back to a monitor somewhere deeper in the complex.
"So why were you guys following us?" Izuku asked, breaking the silence.
"We were just uh, doing some exercise! Always good to do that after a hearty meal." Iida lied. Mina rolled her eyes.
"Mina, what were you really doing?" Ochako asked.
Mina took a deep breath. "...okay, so we were following you because we thought you and Izuku were on a date." As soon as Mina finished her sentence, Ochako and Izuku went red, and Bakugou started laughing.
"Seriously?! You thought...you thought...!" Bakugou said between laughs, "Oh, the day he gets a girlfriend is the day I..." the explosive student stopped for a minute, trying to think of a good outlandish event for himself, something he'd never do.
"I did try to talk her out of it, in my defense," Iida said.
Izuku sighed. "...should we?"
"I wanted to keep this under wraps, but I knew people were gonna notice." Ochako frowned. "Just not THIS soon."
Bakugou's face dropped. "...no."
"Nooooooooooo." Mina said, almost shocked.
"Yeah, uh...Midoriya and I are..." Ochako took a deep breath. "...dating." The room fell silent for a moment, before Kirishima broke the silence.
"Finally!" Kirishima exclaimed, hugging Ochako tightly. "I've been waiting for you two to get together for ages."
"How did...how did you-" Bakugou sputtered, just totally mentally blue-screening from that. Izuku...has a girlfriend?!
"Oh. My. GOOOOOD!" Mina cheered, jumping in and hugging Ochako and Izuku, "When did you guys hook up?"
"A...few days ago. So, we're, kinda like, still sorting things out." Izuku admitted. "Which is why we wanted a grace period before we disclosed it with some people."
"But, uh, I kinda knew you'd get snoopy." Ochako added. "Please don't tell anyone yet."
"Oh! Promise!" Mina swore, "Not a peep of this to anyone! If anyone makes the announcement, it'll be you two."
"I will keep this under wraps!" Iida promised.
"I hope this isn't weird for you, Iida. Since...well, you know. We were gonna tell you first." Izuku said.
"It's fine. Honestly, I didn't realize you two were crushing on each other." Iida admitted.
"Really?" Izuku tilted his head.
"Honest."
"...huh."
"Congrats to the both of you," Todoroki nodded. "By the way, we reached a dead end."
"...oh." The group sighed.
Momo walked out down to the common room. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon in the middle of fall, and she just felt parched for a good cup of tea. She looked over to the couches. Jirou was there, one jack plugged into her phone as she scrolled through some social media feeds.
The musical student took notice and pulled out her jack. "Hey Momo, how's it going?"
"Oh, not too bad. Was about to make a cup of tea. Would you care for one as well?" She asked.
"I would love one." Jirou said with a smile. She stood up, and walked over to the kitchen area, where Momo was trying to select a good tea.
I'm weirdly indecisive today. Momo grumbled, digging through the well organized drawer (courtesy of Iida). What do I want?
Jirou watched as Momo looked through the drawer, a smirk slowly forming on her face. Seeing Momo so deep in thought about tea was quite funny.
"Want me to pick?" Jirou offered.
Momo paused. "I...suppose so."
"Sweet." Jirou nodded. She peered over, sifting through the drawer. "Uhh, how about some jasmine tea?"
Momo picked it up. "Oh! I didn't know we had any. You know, that one happens to be my favorite."
"I figured." Jirou answered. "Weird though, seeing as you moved past it a few times."
"D-did I?" Momo nervously chuckled.
Jirou gave a knowing smirk, her gaze fixed on Momo's flushed face. "Yeah, you did. Not very like you to overlook something like that."
Momo picked the box out. "Well, you know, just a bit...foggy up in my head right now." Jirou leaned against the counter, watching Momo scramble to gather the tea supplies.
"Parents on your mind?" Jirou asked.
Momo paused. She glanced behind her for a second, and sighed. "My mom tried calling."
Jirou uncrossed her arms and took a step closer to her friend. "I'm guessing you got a nasty voicemail."
"She's trying to see if I can 'bail' them out, since I have ties with heroes. Their publicist is doing everything they can to keep their involvement with the yakuza underwraps, but they think that bubble will burst soon." Momo sighed.
"What's gonna happen to you if...y'know...they get outed?"
Momo's hands stilled as she carefully set the kettle down, the sound of the water heating filling the air. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before answering Jirou's question.
"I'm... not sure," Momo admitted quietly. "My family's name is important in certain circles. If the truth about their involvement gets out, it could ruin us. Everything we've built, our reputation, my future... I don't know what's going to happen. I'm worried about being tied to them, to that..."
Momo paused. "...I really thought the school festival would help distract me from that. I really, really loved working with everyone, working on the costumes, the music, everything. It feels like that peace was temporary and reality's come crashing back down brutally."
Jirou could see the concern and fear in Momo's eyes as she spoke. She needed to keep cool here. The rocker reached out and gently took Momo's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey," she said, her voice soft and compassionate. Momo's eyes widened.
"Remember what I told you earlier? When you told me all about Eri?" Jirou asked. "You don't have to face this alone. I'll be here for you, no matter what happens."
Momo's breath hitched slightly at Jirou's words. She gave a small, grateful nod, her eyes glistening as she blinked back tears she hadn't realized were there. Without a moment's hesitation, Jirou stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Momo, pulling her into a tight embrace.
There it was.
That crazy thought again. About a safe space being a person. Momo hesitated for a moment, then slowly melted into Jirou's embrace, the tension in her shoulders easing. She closed her eyes, letting herself be held, feeling the warmth and security in the simple act of being comforted by...
...
Maybe friend was a little lackluster of a title now.
"...I think I love you." Momo muttered.
Kirishima stared up at the towering, blank metal wall they'd run into, "Well, if there's no other way, then we can just make our own way forward!"
"Agreed." Izuku said, stepping forward. "Like at the Hassaikai raid, okay?"
"Gotcha!" Kirishima agreed, ready to punch a hole through the wall.
"Oooooor we could have me melt a hole in it?" Mina asked.
"Huh?" Kirishima asked.
"Less noise. Unless you guys want to draw in more of the bots. We still don't know how many are even down here."
"She makes a good point," Todoroki agreed.
Mina grinned as she placed her hands against the wall. Slowly but surely, the metal wall began to melt, creating a hole just big enough for them to crawl through.
"Nice work," Kirishima said, patting her on the back as they crawled through the hole.
As they emerged on the other side, they found themselves in what looked like a laboratory of some sort. Test tubes and beakers lined the walls, and large machines hummed softly in the background.
"Now where are we…?" Ochako asked.
"Wasn't expecting to find the lab of a mad scientist beneath U.A," Iida muttered.
"We weren't expecting to find anything beneath U.A," Mina pointed out.
"Touche."
"Think it goes without saying," Izuku started, "but be careful about what tou touch down here. If this is something from the Support course, then those beakers might be filled with anything from a compound like what Gang Orca's sidekicks use to a sleep gas."
"Figured that," Bakugou scoffed, even as he looked at the nearest test tube. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't the tiniest bit curious as to what the hell it was for.
"Is this like...a secret lab for some illicit testing?" Ochako wondered.
"Doubtful. UA's too goody goody for something that stupid." Bakugou frowned. "If this is some labyrinth under the school, it could just be another support lab or something to whip up something that's a bit too much for upstairs."
"Hmmm...I wonder if this place actually belongs to Power Loader," Izuku thought aloud.
"Still falls under the Support course idea, though," Kirishima said.
"Yeah but...what if this place is his personal support workshop. Kinda like how Mei turns the workshop into her's most of the time."
"It'd make sense. His Quirk is known for digging. Must have stumbled across his secret passage by total accident." Izuku hummed.
"He's gonna be upset by the damage done to the robots, then." Todoroki added.
"Why'd they attack us, though?" Mina wondered.
"Glitch, probably." Iida guessed.
"Either that or they recognized us as intruders," Kirishima guessed, "We're not really supposed to be here, after all."
"Let's just focus on getting out of here." Ochako said. "Maybe there's some stairs or elevator out-"
Something fell in the darkest corner of the room.
"I didn't touch anything!" Mina and Kirishima simultaneously defended. They may have been independently checking out some of the various tubes and beakers.
Todoroki shined the light over at the source of the noise, finding another robot, but this one looked off, even more so than the original wave. It had a dented metallic body and its limbs were all crooked and twisted in unnatural angles. Its eyes flickered with a dim light, making it seem like it was on its last legs.
"Forgot..." The machine spoke. "FORGOT..."
Suffice to say, no one was quite ready for that to show up. Mina tried to silently and slowly back up, thinking that maybe the robot hadn't seen them yet.
Forgot? Ochako thought, What did it forget?
"FORGOTTEN!" The robot suddenly lunged forward towards them all, causing the group to scatter. Ochako immediately slapped it on the back and it started to float aimlessly.
"GO!" Ochako yelled, as the group rushed to a nearby door.
"FORGOTTEN! FORGOTTEN!" the robot raged, thrashing in the air like a wild animal.
The group burst through the door, and into a hallway with a bunch of other doors. Iida slammed the door behind them, and huffed. "I don't think THAT was a glitch." the speedster panicked, before an arm smashed through another door.
"BETRAYED!" Another voice yelled.
"Oh come ON! Mina cried out, "Why are we in a horror game now?!"
"Quip later!" Izuku suggested. "Run!"
The group took off down the hallway, and more and more robotic arms popped out of some doors. Ochako was seriously considering going alien, but would it be worth it? What if fate dealt her another horrible fusion?
When one of the "betrayed" machines began tearing down one of the doors, forcing its way through, the decision was made for her. Better to risk it than do nothing! Just because of the habit, she turned the dial, even though that wouldn't work and she slammed down on the Omnitrix. She felt a bit more confident when she felt diamond-hard crystals cover her body from head to toe.
Yes! Perfect! Ochako thought. In a flash of pink light, Ochako got into a fighting stance as Shardstrike!
"Alright! This is much-!" Ben's successor froze when she heard her voice and noticed that the room seemed bigger, "-better?"
Her eyes were the same as Bittybrain's while now, she was comparatively the size of a ten year old child.
"Shardstrike plus Bittybrain?" Mina asked.
"As long as you can still make crystal weapons, that form ain't entirely useless, Roundface!" Bakugou yelled.
"That is still such a dumb nickname!" Ochako rolled her eyes.
One of the robots busted through the door, and crawled out of the room. "Loathe…LOATHE…"
"Let's just see how powerful my crystals are!" Ochako pointed her fist at the robots. Her arms shifted into "sharpshooters", and fired- a series of bullet sized crystals hit the robot's face, but didn't pierce all that deep.
"Oooooh, crap." Ochako frowned.
The robot's eye shifted and locked onto Ochako, a crosshair locking onto her from the machine's point of view. The machine let out a low rumbling sound, almost like a mechanical growl as it prepared to charge. The scorpion-like machine then rushed at Ochako, thundering towards her with the aim of just trampling her. If range didn't work, maybe melee would! The small but sturdy alien morphed her hands into crystalline blades and readied herself as the machine charged her. She just needed the right...moment! Now! She jumped to the side mere seconds before the robot ran into her. She jumped into its leg from the side and dug her blades into it.
"Ok! I can work with this!" Ochako smirked, quickly using the blades to climb up onto the robot's back and slice open its hull plating, "There we are. Good thing this one still has those Galvan smarts! Soooo if I pull on these-"
She grabbed hold of some of the exposed wires as if they were reins. Fittingly, the machine began to thrash about, trying to throw her off.
"Y-yep! Knew it! Tied to the motor functions!" Ochako yelled, holding on for dear life. One of the other bots tore through a door and raced towards her. Its own crosshair locking onto the smaller hero. It reared back one of its giant arms and thrust it forward to strike, only to get parried by the scorpion-like bot's own limb. The robot would've blinked in surprise, before it was smacked aside by Ochako's new robotic steed.
"Ha! Ok, this form's not that bad!" Ben's successor smirked as she used the form to race after her friends.
"Nicely done!" Iida commented as he ran, "But I do have one very important question!"
"Which is?" Izuku asked back.
"Where are we going?!"
Before anyone could answer, a trio of the rampaging machines burst down the doors in front of the students and cut them off.
"FORGOTTEN," the lead bot droned.
"ABANDONED," the second added.
"DISCARDED!" the third bot blared as it took aim with its minigun arms. The second one took aim as well while the lead bot locked on its rocket pods.
"OUTTA THE WAY SCRAP HEAPS!" Bakugou roared, firing himself forward and landing onto the robot's exposed head. The mechanical eye widened as the explosive student's boots stomped into the machine's head, threatening to snap the head right off the chassis.
"Nice one, Bakugou!" Kirishima cheered, sprinting towards the robots with his hardened body ready for battle.
The robots unleashed a hail of bullets and rockets towards the students, who dodged and weaved around the attacks in a flurry of quirk-powered maneuvers. Ochako fired as many crystals as her tiny body could. Hitting the crystals with other crystals helped 'further' their usefulness by driving them deeper, so that was a win.
"We need to find a way out of here!" Izuku yelled, scanning their surroundings for any possible escape routes.
"Look!" Todoroki pointed towards a door that seemed to lead to a stairwell. "A possible ticket out of here."
"Perfect!" Ochako cheered.
"But we're not gonna get there in time! The rest of 'em will be on us before we even get close!" Mina shouted, throwing out an acidic trap to try and delay them.
"Well, the thing about these bots from what I can tell," Ochako said as she crossed some wires on her robotic steed, making it stop in place, "Their power cores, when mishandled," she fiddled with the machinery of the robot, crossing wires, putting in the wrong spots, "can be quite explosive. Ok! It's on a timer! Make a break for it!"
Iida ran back and picked up Ochako like she was a plushie before making a beeline for, hopefully, the exit. The other bots were charging after them, heedless of the moat of acid Mina had laid out for them. Their wheels and even some of their legs began to melt once they made contact and yet they trudged on.
As they ran, they could hear the ticking of the explosive timer getting louder and louder. Bakugou gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing that they were cutting it close.
"We're almost there!" Izuku shouted, using his quirk to jump over debris in their path.
Ochako began mentally counting down, with the door easily in sight.
6.
Iida reached the door first and threw it open.
Kirishima raced through and rushed to the side. Once everyone else was through, he'd bar the door with his body to block the explosion.
4.
Izuku and Todoroki made it through.
3.
Mina and Bakugou made it through, with Ochako crossing the threshold shortly after.
2.
1.
Kirishima threw the door closed once everyone was in and braced up against it.
0.
There was a deafening explosion, shaking the ground beneath them. The door held, but Kirishima was pushed back a few feet from the force of the blast.
Once the ringing in their ears had subsided, the group looked around. They were in a dimly-lit stairwell, filled with dust and debris.
"Is everyone okay?" Iida asked, looking around at them all.
"I'm good," Kirishima grunted, pushing himself up. Ochako got out of the mech.
"Well, this is the most USEFUL fusion I've gotten so far. That's saying something." Ochako said.
"You've only had two though," Mina pointed out, coughing a bit from all the dust in the air.
"Yeah. And I'm betting my next fusion is gonna be something horrible. Like...Goop and XLR8." Ochako guessed.
"Hope these stairs lead somewhere out of here." Izuku said, looking up. He picked up Ochako, and rested her on his shoulder. "Come on. We've got a long way to go..."
"Yeah..." Ochako looked up at the rising and spiraling staircase. Todoroki took the lead on this again, leading the group up the stairs for what felt like hours.
"Hey. Roundface. Why don't you just use Grey Matter's brains to fix the problem yourself?" Bakugou asked. It was a logical question.
"I dunno. Maybe because I can't REACH the Omnitrix!?" She motioned over to her back-trix.
"So does it just...randomize where that goes?" Mina asked, "Like, Crimson-Attack had the logo on her shoulder."
"Iiiii'm not calling it that."
"YakRumble?"
"Somehow worse." Ochako frowned.
"I mean, if you could control it somehow, it'd be an interesting powerset." Izuku muttered. "Maybe...maybe a secondary Omnitrix or something. A Biomnitrix. You could utilize your 'vocal transformation' technique and then choose the two best aliens for a crisis-"
Ochako hummed. "Yes, yes. That'd be plausible. If I were to construct this hypothetical Biomnitrix, I'd pretty much be in a whole level beyond Class 1-A. That doesn't seem fun..."
Mina gushed. "You two are perfect, oh my god-"
"Minaaaaa," Ochako blushed, while Izuku turned red as well.
"What? It's true!" Mina gushed, pulling the two into a quick hug.
"If we could find a lab without robots, do you think you could walk us through fixing the Omnitrix?" Todoroki asked.
"I dunno. No one here really understands my technobabble." Ochako shrugged. "Not a lot of easy solutions."
"So what, we just need to deal with your random mix-up aliens?" Bakugou asked, "Let's just hope you don't get one that blows up in our faces. Like...the ice moth and walking campfire."
"Big Chill and Heatblast," Izuku corrected, "But...you're right. A fusion like that...well, it could be dangerous. The differing biologies would entirely be at odds..."
"I'd be constantly extinguishing myself. I don't have a regulation like Todoroki." Ochako guessed. "Todoroki's muscles are connected to his quirk. So, he can regulate the intensity and temperature of his quirk by flexing different muscles."
"That's how that works?" Todoroki asked.
"You didn't know?"
"I always assumed it was concentration."
"How did you not know that, Icy Hot?!" Bakugou yelled.
"I can be wrong, Bakugou..." Todoroki deadpanned.
"Be nice to him. He's aloof." Ochako said, as they came across the door at the top. "Ohhh, please let this be a way out..."
"Just in case it's not," Kirishima said, hardening his fists into powerful gauntlets. He was half-expecting a new horde of robots on the other side, "Iida? Open 'em up!"
1-A's class president nodded and quickly opened up the door at the top of the stairs. Once it was open, he too quickly got into a fighting stance. Bakugou was ready to blast apart whatever was on the other side if it decided to pick a fight with him.
Instead, they found another lab- but this one was more like a garage of sorts. Lots of auto parts littered the ground, and there were tools and machinery everywhere. The six of them cautiously approached the garage, unsure of what they were about to walk into.
"Look at these things!" Mina gasped, walking over to a tank-like vehicle.
"How did they get this down here?" Iida asked.
"...think it works?" Bakugou asked with a mischievous grin, "Always wanted to drive a tank."
"If it belongs to Mei, I'd hold back," Izuku suggested.
"Saying I can't handle a little risk?"
"No, I'm pointing out that if you try to start up the engine..."
"I could explode. It's fine, Midoriya." Bakugou scowled.
Izuku blinked. "...huh."
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing." Izuku said, as Ochako's Omnitrix started beeping. She hopped off his shoulder before she reverted back to human.
"Don't worry," Ochako whispered, "I caught it too."
But on that note, the group began to further investigate the garage. The tank seemed to have elements of a monster truck and an excavator built into it. The front tires were bigger than any other car present, supported by a series of treads of the back of the vehicle. There seemed to be a collapsible arm located at the back of the vehicle, currently stowed away though.
While the tank might have been one of, if not THE biggest vehicle in here, it definitely wasn't the only one. One car seemed to be a very western-styled Chrysler Imperial with a tan paint job with two bullseyes painted on the car doors, complete with large S's painted in the middle.
"Huh...who's car is this?" Mina asked about to poke it.
'Wait wait wait!" Izuku warned, "I think that's Mr. Snipe's car!"
Mina let out a small "eep!" as she jumped back away from it. Even she knew that this thing was likely packing so many guns.
"We're in the teacher's garage." Iida said, walking over to All Might's familiar car. "We must be getting closer to an exit at the very least."
"Hey, guys! I think I found Mr. Aizawa's car!" Kirishima yelled. The car was something to behold, covered in various scratches and dents, and a tarp covering the broken window on the driver's side.
"What makes you say it's his car?" Izuku asked.
"Old and beat down. Kinda like him." Kirishima admitted.
"...fair." Mina shrugged. "Just don't let him hear you say that."
"The only reason I'm even saying that out loud is cause I know he's not here," Kirishima said...even if immediately afterwards he looked behind him. Aizawa just had the uncanny ability to simply appear whenever he wanted.
"Anyone else see the problem here though?" Bakugou asked.
"And what's that?" Iida asked.
"Why is the teacher's parking lot connected to an underground maze of killer robots?" Todoroki guessed.
"Icy Hot got it," Bakugou said, "Because what the hell kinda design is that?!"
"Maybe this whole place is one big garage." Ochako guessed. "Because where do you shove the stuff you don't need? In a garage. It checks out with why those robots were mad about being forgotten."
"I knew those robots looked familiar!" Izuku realized, "Those weren't just forgotten experiments! They were the surplus Villain Bots, left over from the entrance exam!"
"Oh yeah! The weird little guys! Wondered what happened to them!" Kirishima said.
"...you fought robots for your entrance exam?" Todoroki asked.
"Oh that's right, you got in on recommendations. Forgot they gave you a different test!" Mina said.
"But...if those were the Villain Bots...weren't we missing one?" Ochako asked.
"Indeed! There was the Zero...point...bot..." Iida said as it donned on him, "The...one that could rival Mt. Lady innnnn height."
"They wouldn't have more than one of those big guys riiiiight?" Mina asked sheepishly.
"I doubt it could fit in here." Ochako began. "At least, not unless it was in pieces."
"Then let's stop stalling. Getting out should be a breeze from here." Iida insisted.
"Ok, so where's the exit 'Master of Directions?'" Mina asked.
"I'm guessing...through that door." Iida said, pointing over to the furthest wall. "...lots of doors today. Let's hope we don't deal with anymore trouble."
WHAM. Something slammed into the door to the stairway.
"...fudgesticks." Iida 'cursed'.
"Guessing my improvised bomb didn't get all of them," Ochako said.
"This is why you leave explosions to ME!" Bakugou frowned, as the knocking got louder.
"Know what? Fair enough!"
"This way!" Iida said before he and the rest of the group made a mad dash for that exit door. The staircase door continued to be knocked on, before a large dent appeared on it, courtesy of the enraged robots on the other side.
"FORGOTTEN! FORGOTTEN! FORGOTTEN!" one bot droned as it slammed its arms into the door, over and over again in an attempt to batter it down.
"He sounds REALLY angry..." Mina flinched.
Izuku's eyes widened. "...oh, crap. We fought the one, two and three pointers...what are the chances Mei messed with the-"
An earsplitting explosion cut him off mid-sentence as the door was forcibly removed from its hinges and hurled into the distance, prompting everyone to scatter to avoid getting decapitated.
A giant mechanical hand pressed against the doorframe and forcefully widened it, giving the newcomer more room to move through into the garage. A metallic foot slammed down into the concrete, cracking the pavement beneath it. Its eyes glowed red, five dots arrayed in an X pattern formed the main array of optics, while a secondary array of three, with two connected to the bottom corners of the X, situated lower on the face. The blocky robot thundered into the parking lot and clenched its three fingered hand into a fist. Its other hand ended in a double-barrel gun of some kind.
"Oh noooo she made it compact!" Mina yelled.
The now downsized, but still just as durable, Executor-type bot locked onto the students, each of its main eyes locking on them and examining them.
"YOU. FORGOT. US," the Executor droned and leveled its arm gun at the group.
Before the thing could start firing, Todoroki slammed his foot on the ground. A wall of ice shot up, blocking the barrage of bullets the hulking war machine had unleashed.
"WHY WOULD SHE MAKE THAT?!" Kirishima yelled.
"It's MEI," Mina stressed the girl's name, "She probably saw it as a challenge and dove into that headfirst!"
"Know what, fair point!"
"YOU. FORGOT. ALL OF US!" the robot roared.
"Who programmed the walking computer with emotions?!" Bakugou asked.
Ochako looked down at the Omnitrix, and activated the faceplate. It glitched out for a second. "Ooooh, please give me something with Next Gen or Magnetta! Just...something I can use to stop this thing!"
Ochako slapped down the Omnitrix, and rocks started running up her arm. Things were looking good at first, but then the tech started to form around her body.
"Wait what," Ochako blinked as the rock and tech awkwardly mingled and meshed together, her metal plating cracking open with lines of magma. As her chest piece formed up, like some sort of rocky armor, her wings emerged from four magma vents on her back, formed out of pure fire. The helmet formed over her head, the cyclopean eye replaced by a glowing orange visor.
"Ok...maaaaybe this can work," Ochako admitted, looking over the form.
"Torchbearer and Shrink Suit?" Iida asked.
"I'm like...Endeavor in a tech suit," Ochako compared, clenching her fists tightly. The tech on her hand morphed into a giant, flaming sword. She grinned.
"Finally! An alien combo that's got complete synergy,." Her flaming wings turned into jet flames and rocketed her into the sky...almost a bit too quickly. She barely had any control over maneuverability.
"Woooooah! Too much firepower!" Ochako gasped, trying to reign it in. SHeslammed into the ceiling; thankfully, her helmet reduced the pain from the blow, but still.
"An overpowered fusion?!" Bakugou frowned. "You're kidding me!"
"Too much thrust, not enough control. Maybe you control how much fire's in your wings!" Izuku suggested.
Ochako wasn't able to try out the advice, though. The compacted droid locked all five of its crosshairs on Ochako and let out a low droning horn. It looked up at the hybrid alien and fired off its hand, connected by a thick industrial cable, grabbing hold of her. It reeled her in, slamming her into the ground repeatedly before it tried to stomp down on her. Ochako morphed her hands into a massive heat-shield that that robot's foot clanked on. Ben's successor grimaced as she brought back the fire sword and lashed out, stabbing the burning blade into the metal leg. The bot must've had pain receptors or something because it backed off. It kicked her away like a soccer ball, looking down and examining the melting stab wound. Ochako fired off four small jets from her back to stabilize herself, landing on her feet.
"Huh...guess I can!" Ochako smirked.
"Keep it up! It probably operates on the same properties as Full Cowling!" Izuku yelled out. Ochako took a deep breath, focusing on controlling the fire in her wings. She felt the heat building up, but this time, she knew how to manage it. With a surge of power, she shot towards the droid, her wings blazing with flames.
The droid tried to swing its massive metal arm at her, but Ochako just dodged with ease. She sliced at the cables connecting the arm to the droid's body with her fire sword, severing them in one swift motion. The arm clattered to the ground, sparking and smoking. The droid let out an ear-splitting screech as it swung its other arm at her, but she easily avoided it too.
The gun on the arm quickly switched out for a much more futuristic one, almost like a tesla coil. Energy swirled around the "barrel" before firing out a stream of cold foam. Ochako spun out of the way, letting the foam fly past her and freeze whatever part of the ground and walls it touched.
"She must be upping the ante for next year's exam." Mina frowned. "Might be overkill!"
She charged forward, her wings leaving a trail of fire behind her. She thrust out her hand, summoning a massive wave of flames that engulfed the droid.
"If you guys wanna take a freeshot-" Ochako yelled. "DO IT NOW!"
Todoroki started things off, firing off a blast of cold to engulf one of the Executor's feet, freezing it in place. Mina rushed in and coated her hand in acid, throwing a nice right hook that melted right through the machine's leg. The attacks to its legs made the robot creak and groan, the weight of its main body starting to put pressure on the now weakened supports.
Izuku sprouted out his Blackwhip and lashed out at the droid's arms, pulling them off with ease. The robot let out another screech as it swung its remaining arm at him, but surprisingly, Bakugou rushed in and hit the robot with an improvised AP Shot.
"T-thanks!" Izuku said, caught off guard. Bakugou just grunted.
Meanwhile, Iida revved up his engines and took off with blinding speed, smashing into the robot's head with a devastating Recipro Turbo. The force of the impact sent the robot flying backwards, crashing into the wall.
"Y-Y-YOU. FOR-FOR-FOR-FORGOT...US," the robot repeated again, sparking and sputtering from the damage.
"Yeah, looks like for good reason if you're going on a rampage," Bakugou scoffed.
Ochako floated towards the robot. "Consider this the end of your beta test." She said, jamming her sword into the chest. The robot's lights slowly started to die and fade away, ending the fight.
"Cool one liner," Mina grinned.
"Really? Heh, it just came to me and-" Ochako chuckled.
"What. Have. You. Done?!" a familiar high-energy voice yelled in an uncharacteristically heartbroken tone. Everyone turned around to see Mei standing in the doorway leading out of the garage.
"Mei?!" the group, sans Bakugou, asked.
"Suddenly things are making sense." the explosive student frowned.
"I was fixing up Buddy-281 and then my alarm went off! You...you killed Buddy-005..." Mei frowned. "How could you be so CRUEL, BAKUGOU!?"
"Buddy?!" Ochako asked.
"Wait, WHY does SHE remember HIS name!?" Izuku pointed out.
"We're…acquainted." Bakugou said, holding up his arm.
"It's the only alien tech Ceres will let me fool around with!" Mei frowned.
"It did not sound very buddy-like to me! It sounded like it wanted to kill you!" Iida said.
"Hey! Buddy-005 is not an 'it!' Buddy's a proud 'he!'" Mei countered.
Bakugou just scoffed. "It was a malfunctioning piece of junk! You should thank me for getting rid of it."
Mei's eyes were filled with tears as she looked around at the wreckage of Buddy-005. "Buddy-005..."
"Shoulda reinforced the steel, damn it! You know what metals can resist my explosions." Bakugou scoffed.
"Well, it didn't come to me at the time!" Mei frowned.
"What, were you distracted by a laser beam or something?"
"YES!"
Ochako blinked, as she reverted back to human. Woah. She's so spaced out she barely registered I was in alien mode. Ochako cleared her throat. "Mei...where are we, exactly?"
"Teacher's lounge."
The group of students blinked.
"The what?" the assembled students all asked together.
"Teacher's lounge," Mei repeated, "What, never been?"
"N-no! This whole place is the teacher's lounge!?" Iida yelled.
"Yeah! A-doyyyyy!" Mei frowned. "Principal Nedzu had this installed a few years back. You guys see the movie theater? All Might just streams C-movies all the time in there-"
"There's a movie theater in here?!" Mina asked.
"Movie theater, parking lot for the super cars, hot springs, loooots of training rooms."
"We should probably let them know about the hole then," Todoroki hummed.
"Hole? What hole?" Mei asked.
"The hole in the ground, dumbass!" Bakugou yelled. "We fell in here because of Nedzu's faulty architecture skills!"
"Oh! Yeah, no, that's on me, actually. Needed to borrow some extra metal! Sorry!" Mei grinned.
"You took the support beams?!" Izuku yelled.
"Hahaha yeaaaaaaah," Mei chuckled.
"THAT'S SO DANGEROUS!?" Iida yelled. "THAT VIOLATES BUILDING CODES ON SO MANY LEVELS!"
"Yeah? Ahhh whatever!" Mei shrugged.
She is gonna be a hazard in the future. Ochako thought.
"Wait, you said Buddy wanted to kill me? Did you run into any other bots?" Mei asked.
"A whole army of 'em!" Mina answered.
"Ohhh, I forgot to finish giving them new armor and programming. Uh, whoops."
"Oh so their rampage is on you?" Izuku blinked. "Why did you forge-?!"
"Wait, was one of you an alien!?" Mei gasped, standing back up.
Delayed reaction of a fish. Ochako thought, as Mei approached her. "Hey, you broke this, by the way. With your explosion from earlier!"
"I did? Wait, is that-?!" Mei gasped in delight, "Is that an Omnitriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiix?!"
"Yeah. And you messed it up. Mrs. Ceres put a lot of effort into the diagnostics, and-" Ochako frowned.
"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL." Mei cut her off, ogling it over and over.
"You...didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
"What? No, no, I did. I messed it up so I gotta fix it, simple as! Now, I miiiight...trigger some transformations while I wooooooork, so brace yourself for that," Mei warned as she carefully looked over the watch.
Ochako heard the Omnitrix make noises she never knew possible. It sounded like a dial up tone on crack; she looked to her friends for help. They just shrugged half heartedly.
"At least fix the issue while you're at it." Ochako scoffed.
"Oh I will! You'll just need to come with me to my workshop!" Mei beamed.
"Can we do it here? Lot of tools."
"Ohhh, true! Lemme improvise a bit." Mei rushed off to grab some tools.
"I don't like that she knows about it now." Iida muttered the second she was out of earshot.
"It's...risky, yeah," Ochako admitted, "I just gotta make sure she doesn't make too many unwanted upgrades."
"I mean, the secret was inevitably gonna get out." Izuku said. "Like with the summer camp and everything."
"Let's just pray the public doesn't find out for a while still." Ochako sighed.
"They shouldn't. You've managed to keep it secret so far, haven't you?" Todoroki asked.
"Yeah."
"Then, I don't see any reason that'll chan-"
"Got the tools!" Mei announced, cutting off Endeavor's son, "Now, lemme take a look at that alien techno-marvel!"
"Just…just fix it please. No modifications." Ochako said.
"OKAY!"
Mei quickly got to work, fixing up the watch the best she could. Sometimes it felt like Ochako should be wearing a welding mask or something when the engineering student made the watch spark a bit.
"Uh, Mei, we, uh, we do owe you an apology," Izuku said.
"What for?" Mei asked, blocking out most distractions, just focusing on her work.
"Uh, wrecking your bots?" Bakugou added.
"OH! Right, right! Well, I can finally fix up the bots now. I just got so buried with other projects I totally forgot about them. Which...yeah, not the smartest move. If I didn't get around to it, they probably would've risen up and brought about a new robot apocalypse or something!"
The students stared.
"That's a joke, right?" Mina asked nervously.
Mei didn't respond.
"...you know, I have heard some of the bots on campus make some snippy comments." Iida realized. "You don't think?"
Bakugou groaned. "No one has time for a bunch of stupid bots."
"Ah I'm sure it's fine!" Mei shrugged, "Speaking of fiiiiiine...THERE! Omnitrix is good as new!"
Ochako held up the device and saw it spark a few more times around the dial.
"Maybe we should just ask Mrs. Ceres," Ochako sighed.
"I did try at least!"
"...I think I love you." Momo muttered.
Jirou froze, her heart skipping a beat as Momo's words washed over her. For a moment, she wasn't sure she had heard right. She pulled back just enough to meet Momo's gaze.
"You... what?" Jirou asked softly, searching Momo's face for clarity.
Momo's cheeks flushed a deep red, realizing what she had just said. "I—I mean..."
Jirou could see the vulnerability and uncertainty in those beautiful eyes. "You...you think you love me?" She repeated, needing to hear it again to ensure she wasn't hallucinating. She was trembling.
Momo was visibly flustered, her cheeks blushing furiously as she realized the gravity of her words. "I...I...I mean, I…" She stammered, struggling to find the right words to backtrack. "I think...I love how you...treat me..."
Jirou felt a pang in her chest at Momo's hesitant words. he gently cupped Momo's face in her hands, forcing their gazes to meet. "Hey," Jirou said, her voice soft yet firm. "Don't backtrack. I just want to understand. What do you mean when you say you think you love me...?"
Momo's eyes flickered back and forth, trying to find the right words. "I...I..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I guess...I mean...that I love how you make me feel. You don't try stepping on eggshells around me because I'm just a class above the rest of you...you listen to me, you make me feel safe. Understood."
Momo's lips quivered.
"Loved." Her voice caught on the last word.
Jirou's heart clenched in her chest. She gently pulled Momo closer, their bodies pressing against one another...
The tea kettle was whistling, but they weren't paying attention to that. Jirou was completely focused on Momo, her eyes locking onto hers in a silent affirmation.
"If that's the case..." Jirou said, closing her eyes. "Then..."
"Then...then what?" Momo asked. Something glistened, Momo saw the hint of tears forming in Jirou's eyes.
"Then...I can finally say it back," Jirou answered, through soft, happy sobs. Momo's heart soared at Jirou's words.
"Then SAY IT-" Momo sounded a little too impatient, but Saphos be damned-
Jirou let out a shaky laugh, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes. "I love you, Momo. I've...I've wanted to say it for a long time. Hearing you say it first is-"
Momo held Jirou close. She held Jirou tightly, her arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace...
She didn't want to ever let go.
She felt safe.
She felt loved!
Ochako shook the sparking watch as the group all walked back to the dorm. "I think she made it worse. I feel like if I go alien now I'll end up as a triple or quadruple fusion."
"Like...HeatDiamondXLR8. That would be a handful." Mina joked.
"Mixing two was crazy enough," Kirishima said, "But having that kinda power does sound a little fun."
"You would say that!"
"And I'd be right," Kirishima smirked.
"...hey, uh. Ochako. Deku. Sorry for...kinda intruding on your personal business." Mina apologized. "I shouldn't have been snooping around."
Ochako and Deku exchanged a glance before Ochako spoke up. "It's okay, Mina. Just...keep it on the down low. When we're comfortable with everyone knowing...you can blab all you want. Okay?"
"Okay. Like you said, only when you're comfortable with it," Mina nodded.
"I'm just kinda glad we're the only couple you can really gossip about." Izuku admitted as the group reached the dorms. The scent of jasmine tea wafted through the air. "I dunno who else would date in our class-"
Just as Izuku opened the door, the group was greeted with an unexpected sight: Momo and Jirou just cuddling on the couch.
The group stared for a moment. Jirou and Momo were in their own little world right now…
"Make that two couples...aaaand I'm not gossiping about either of 'em till they're ready to say it," Mina resolved.
"Let's just walk out and go get smoothies." Ochako whispered, closing the door.
"I'll treat if you want," Izuku offered.