Boku no Hero Academia: Custodian Izuku
Disclaimer: This is a crossover fanfiction story of 'Boku no Hero Academia' and 'Warhammer 40k' (yes, really). I own nothing of the two series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.
I am making this story for the sake of fun, fluff and awesome after writing a one-shot story of the same story concept. If I am able to somehow impress fans of Warhammer 40k or even move someone to tears, even better.
Also, if anyone wants to know how in the world I got this idea in the first place, please refer to the artist, Ryuusei (Mark II), who has made some awesome pictures of gender-bent primarchs. The link is: .us/pools/17320
Please note that while I am familiar with the Warhammer 40k setting, my actual knowledge of it is casual at best. Also, if the genderbent primarchs seem at least a bit OOC, please kindly consider the fact that their bodies (especially the traitor primarchs) have changed drastically after entering Izuku's world.
In case anyone asks how much crack I was taking in to come up with the idea, I am just going to say enough to make even a loyalist Adaptus Astartes trippy.
Chapter 28: Feasts, Code Names and Internships
Since U.A. High School had student dorms, it did not take long for the residents of the Imperial Dorm to hold a feast at the Bloodline Chapel. It also took little effort to invite students from Classes 1A, 1B and 1H, as well as Nekona, to take part in the feast. Unsurprisingly, everyone was eager to start the feast after taking a much-needed proper shower.
As for how such a grand feast could even be arranged so soon after the sports festival, it involved Guilliman's careful planning, Russ, Nekona and even Rikidou's ability to prepare food beforehand with Lunch Rush's help, Dorn and Perturabo's eye for detail, even if it was only for table and seating arrangements around massive portable ovens, stoves and barbecue pits, and a little bit of precognition from both Icarian and Curze.
It did not take long for the feast to become a festival of its own as students gathered around the tables while students from Class V served a variety of dishes. Vulkan manned the barbecue pits while wearing a fire-proof apron that was large enough to properly protect her civilian clothes, which included a pair of shorts and a tank top, from damage. Her fire manipulation ability came into play as she controlled the flames with ease and barbecued the skewered meat and vegetables to mouth-watering perfection. Rikidou, who was eager to expand on his cooking skills further, used the ovens to prepare sweet apple pies, savoury lamb pies and meaty beef pies with a level of skill one would normally expect from a professional chef. Given his usual involvement in Russ and Nekona's rivalry as cooks, it was no surprise that his cooking skills had improved greatly as a result. Russ, ever one who loved good drinks, essentially became a bartender who prepared a wide variety of delicious mocktails in mugs and wine glasses that soon got students asking for more. Her only regret was that she could not use any actual alcohol in the drinks. Nekona, whose ambition was to become a restaurant owner, smiled as she cooked enough tasty pasta and fragrant fried rice for everyone. While the "Big Four Cooks" were cooking, the rest of the students from the Imperial Dorm went about serving the food. Eri was, understandably, given the lightest tasks which she still took seriously to an adorable degree.
It should be noted that the residents of the Imperial Dorm, as well as Nekona and Rikidou, made sure to eat a few biscuits beforehand so that they would not go hungry until they had done their part in serving everyone else. Once everyone else had had their meals and drinks, they took their chance to enjoy their own proper feast.
Russ laughed boisterously as she hoisted a massive mug full of her own "home-brewed" alcoholic cocktail and said, "To a great feast after a fun festival!"
"CHEERS!" yelled a few students who shared her "manly spirit".
Eri was happily eating her apple pie while sitting on Curze's lap. As for Curze herself, she ate the fried rice with the barbecued meat and said, "They go rather well together."
"I'm glad that you have noticed, nya!" said Nekona who then explained, "I prepared my fried rice and pasta specifically to go with the barbecued food that Vulkan has been cooking, nya."
"Bah, I'm more for roasting a whole pig, cow or goat over a fire pit but even I can't argue that properly sharing the different cuts of the meat with so many people could end up being a pain in the arse," said Russ whose tone made it clear that she was merely voicing an opinion rather than try to start an argument with Nekona.
"Knowing you, you would eat a whole pig if you could get away with it," said Lion before taking another mouthful of lamb pie.
Russ laughed as she replied, "Hah, that would make a fun idea for a eating competition!"
"I'm pretty sure not many people would agree to eating a whole pig, even for a eating competition," said Izuku who grimaced at the idea. Regardless of his love for his mother's katsudon and surprisingly large appetite, there was such a thing as way too much pork to be palatable let alone healthy.
Angron, who sat next to Izuku as usual, smirked as she spoke to Russ, "So, looking forward to being out in the field and busting heads?"
Russ grinned wolfishly as she replied, "By the golden throne, yes! It'll be fun hunting down criminals."
Lion rolled her eyes and said, "I'm honestly tempted to feel pity towards any criminal stupid or crazy enough to draw our attention after witnessing our performances."
Curze pointed her skewer at Sanguinius, who was eating pasta with a blushing Ibara and said, "Especially any criminal who draws Sanguinius' attention."
Sanguinius heard Curze's statement and chuckled sheepishly as she spoke, "I'm honestly more worried about the fans I will no doubt face once I'm out in the field."
"Your noble sacrifice of drawing the attention of rabid fans away from the rest of us will be forever remembered, sister," said Russ who spoke with a mock-solemn tone before laughing. Her infectious laughter was soon shared by many others around her, even Ibara who understood Sanguinius' concerns about eager fans in spite of being one herself…
-Afew days later…-
"As you know, pro-heroes have code names which, for those of you who will be taking part in internships next week, you should prepare today if possible. Normally, I would advise you all to choose your code names carefully as they will reflect the image that you wish to project to the rest of the world but, given your circumstances, I'm pretty certain many of you have already decided on your code names for some time already," said Toshinori who, as usual, was in his true form. Though his health had been improving lately, to the point of actually gaining a bit of weight, he was still rather thin. It should be noted that Izuku had used his ability to help heal Toshinori but it mostly accelerated the pro-hero's recovery by improving the functions of the implanted organs.
While most of Class V nodded in affirmative, Eri raised her hand and asked, "Does that mean Class 1A and Class 1B will have to think of code names too?"
Toshinori nodded and said, "Yes, they do." He then clapped his hands and said, "Anyway, without further ado, please write down your code names on the boards so that we can confirm if your names can be used!"
After a short while, Izuku, who was seated in front since he needed to see the board and was shorter than the former primarchs, Alpharius and Omegon included, stepped forward and presented his code name, "As someone who knows about the Imperium of Mankind, of the countless people who have sacrificed themselves to protect the rest of humanity from even immortal horrors in spite of being ordinary men and women with no great power, I have decided to name myself: The Custodian Hero, Guardsman."
Lion raised an eyebrow while Russ smirked and said, "A humble guardsman who aspires to be as heroic as the Emperor's own Custodes. You certainly have ambition, Izuku."
Izuku blushed and admitted, "Actually… I got the idea of being a Custodian Hero after reading a couple of papers about myself and my mom being your custodians."
Sanguinius smiled and said, "Regardless, it is a good name."
"As do I," agreed Vulkan who had a broad grin on her face.
Angron nodded and said, "You may not be a true Custodes, but you are a good custodian."
"I'd argue that Angron is a tad bit biased but, even so, there is genuine truth in her statement," said Magnus.
"Well, I personally think that it is an excellent name for a humble hero who wishes to do all he can to help others," said Toshinori who then gave Izuku a thumbs up and said, "Approved!"
Before long, the other students of Class V who had internships with pro-heroes gave their own respective hero code names:
Angron's code name was: The Star Bear: Ursa. Besides wanting to distance herself from her past as the unworthy primarch of the World Eaters legion, she also appreciated the idea of mother bears being fiercely protective of their young and wished to embrace it.
Russ' code name was: The Battle Wolf: Fenris. Since calling herself a "Space Wolf" would be rather odd to the locals, she decided to choose a different code name while honouring her planet, Fenris.
Lion's code name was The Dark Angel: Caliban. Similar to Russ, Lion wished to honour her tragically-shattered planet, Caliban.
Sanguinius' code name was The Shining Angel: Dante. She wished to honour the chapter master of the Blood Angels chapter, Dante. Besides, using the name of her planet, Baal, might raise a few eyebrows.
Corax's code name was Raven Guard which was an obvious reference to her space marine legion.
Curze's code name was Night Lady which was an obvious reference to her space marine legion, the Night Lords, but with a slight change. The fact that it was an indirect reference to the time when Eri wore "foam armour" of a loyalist Night Lord space marine was not missed by anyone who knew the two well.
Icarian's code name was Storm Bearer which was an obvious reference to her space marine legion, the Lightning Bearers, but with a slight change. As someone with precognitive abilities, she saw herself as a bearer of the "coming storm".
Jaghatai's code name was Star Hunter. She remembered the original name of her legion, the White Scars, before the Emperor found her during her previous life and thought it was an appropriate name to honour them.
Mortarion's code name was Death Guard which was an obvious reference to her space marine legion.
Oboro's code name was Warp Cloud which was a clear nod to his current quirk.
Karutoko's code name was… Waffles. She simply liked waffles and not even Lion wanted to deal with convincing her to get a "proper code name".
It should be noted that the rest of Class V would not be taking part in the internships due to attending different courses (as in the case with the rest of the former primarchs), had not taken part as active contestants in the sports festival and had other obligations (as in the case of Sneek and Kratch) or, in Eri's case, was simple too young.
With the code names decided, Toshinori proceeded to explain, "Now, as you know, the sports festival was not just a chance to show your potential to the rest of the world but also an opportunity to get the attention pro-heroes who may wish to have you as interns. Of course, given your circumstances, you already have the attention of various heroes, including those of the top ten rankings." He then wore a grin as he added, "That being said, I can confidently say many of you will not be surprised by the results."
As Toshinori showed the results, Izuku's eyes widened in shock as he realised that, while Sanguinius had the most offers at slightly over five thousand in total, he somehow got the second most offers at slightly below five thousand instead. In contrast, Corax, who had the third most offers, had slightly over four thousand and five hundred offers. His jaw did a metaphorical drop to the floor as he stuttered incredulously, "H-how did I get so many offers?!"
"Well, in spite of being clearly weaker than Sanguinius, you fought with the kind of genuine courage and conviction that even many pro-heroes would find humbling. In addition, it was you who managed to destroy Sanguinius' weapon," explained Toshinori who then added, "We also noted that many people who want Sanguinius as an intern are also interested in having you, most likely as a 'Plan B' in case she chooses someone else."
Izuku blushed at the idea of being good enough to be a "Plan B" to Sanguinius' "Plan A" and sheepishly said, "I'm… going to spend a lot of time trying to pick a pro-hero that I think will suit me best, aren't I?"
Guilliman could not help but grin at Izuku's comical predicament as she spoke to him, "Don't worry, I can offer you my services to hasten the decision-making process."
"That would be greatly appreciated," said Izuku who dreaded the idea of going through nearly five thousand separate offers. He then had a thought and asked Angron, "Do you want to go over the offers together, An-chan? We can at least try to stay in the same district."
Angron blushed at the idea but did not mind it at all as she bashfully replied, "It's… a good idea."
"Which is basically her saying that she'd love to have you close by during the internship," said Magnus who had a crap-eating smirk on her face.
Angron glared at Magnus and threw a ruler at her while yelling, "Ah, shut the frak up, you nosy cyclops!"
Magnus easily caught the ruler with two fingers and said smugly, "Your response isn't proving me wrong."
"Speaking of sharing the same district, it might be optimal that, with a few exceptions, we each work in a different district to prevent any potential conflict," suggested Icarian who could not help but glance at Mortarion.
Well aware of her bitter feelings towards the Emperor for "stealing" her kill when she tried to slay her cruel adoptive father, Necare, Mortarion rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not planning to hold any festering grudges towards any of you if you happen to do better at heroics than me. I've spent too many years living with the consequences of holding onto such feelings to have any intention of ever repeating them." Her eyes then gleamed with competitive determination as she added, "That being said, I do not intend to be a pushover when it comes to being a competent champion either."
"Neither do I," affirmed Lion.
"You will probably not have to worry about me being in your area as I plan to go to a rural area for my internship," said Khan who clearly wanted to be able to run freely, with permission of course.
"I plan to intern with an underground pro-hero, preferably one who's got experience dealing with the… darker aspects of criminal activity," said Curze.
"Same here," said Corax.
"Actually, I believe that the president of the HPSC has an offer for you two, as well as Icarian, that you might be interested in," said Toshinori who the frowned and added, "While I am certain that she means well in her own way, I am still not comfortable with the idea of you three being essentially…"
Eri tilted her head and innocently suggested, "Assassins?"
Toshinori almost swallowed his tongue at Eri's statement and asked, "H-how do you know that word?"
"Curze-neechan explained it to me," answered Eri.
A moment of thought was all Toshinori needed to realise that Eri learning a thing or two about assassins from Curze was an inevitable outcome before he sighed and admitted, "Yes, in spite of being aware of their past lives, I simply to not like the idea of the three of them becoming government assassins, or even agents for that matter."
"If it makes you feel any better, I plan to make it clear that I will sooner assassinate the entire ruling body of the HPSC than allow myself or any of my sisters and loved ones be placed under their thumbs," offered Curze.
Toshinori resisted the tempting urge to slam his head onto the table as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned, "Please refrain from saying such things in public, Curze. The last thing we need is the government getting even more paranoid about you and your sisters."
Curze raised an eyebrow and used her precognitive quirk to see a vision of the future before replying with a nod, "You have raised a good point, sensei."
"Do I even want to know?" asked Toshinori.
"Do you want to be able to sleep soundly at night?" asked Curze.
"Yes, so I won't ask," answered Toshinori who had a resigned tone in his voice.
"Speaking of internships, will the four of us be having something similar?" asked Dorn who was clearly referring to herself, Vulkan, Ferrus and Perturabo who were all involved with the support course.
"I'm honestly not sure though I can certainly imagine Nedzu wanting to speak to the scientists of I-Island for a possible collaboration with U.A. High School," replied Toshinori.
"A floating sea-faring artificial island isn't anything too impressive by Imperial standards but it could be potentially beneficial to better understand the technology used to keep it afloat and maintain its structural integrity," said Ferrus.
"I'm more concerned about Mei getting onto the island," said Perturabo who could already imagine Mei strapping literal rockets onto the said island to somehow make it airborne.
Toshinori chuckled and said, "I'm sure the scientists of I-Island, one of whom is a good friend of mine, will be able to keep her in check."
Perturabo, Ferrus, Dorn and even Vulkan gave Toshinori a deadpan stare and said in unison, "Please do NOT tempt fate!"
-Later that day…-
After a bit of time, the students of Class V who would be taking part in internships with pro-heroes had made their choices.
Both Izuku and Angron agreed to intern under the same pro-hero, Gang Orca who was the No.10 pro-hero in all of Japan. As for why Gang Orca, whose real name was Sakamata Kuugo was chosen, Angron figured that she could learn a thing or two on how to be a proper champion of humanity in spite of having an intimidating appearance from the pro-hero whose mutations gave him the appearance of a humanoid killer whale with red eyes and sharp teeth. Izuku, on the other hand, wanted to be with Angron but he also wanted to somehow help people who suffer from quirk-related discrimination and felt that Gang Orca would know a thing or two on how to go about doing it. Best Jeanist was another possible choice but both Izuku and Angron agreed that they had little interest in integrating jeans or other clothes made of denim into their hero costumes even for the sake of improving their outward appearances.
Russ chose to intern under Miruko, which was a surprise to no one. In fact, basically everyone agreed that the two would work well together as a duo of "battle maniacs". It was simply a question of whether the two would end up demolishing a whole building by accident.
Lion chose to intern under Sir Nighteye as she felt that his investigative skills would complement well with her combat skills. Little did she realise that the pro-hero actually loved to laugh.
Sanguinius chose to intern under the No.9 pro-hero, Ryuukuu. Sanguinius would have preferred having Hawks as her "mentor" but pro-hero teachers were not allowed to have hero students from the same school as interns. Therefore, Sanguinius decided that Ryuukuu, whose real name was Tatsuma Ryuuko, was the next best choice. Considering that Ryuukuu, a woman with blonde hair, sharp teeth and thin yellow eyes with slit pupils, could transform into a large winged dragon with pale-grey scales while maintaining her original skin, hair and eye colouration, many could see why Sanguinius had decided to choose her. After all, both Ryuuko, while in her dragon form, and Sanguinius could fly. The fact that Nejire was one of Ryuuko's sidekicks and could fly too was an added bonus.
Corax decided to intern under the No.4 pro-hero, Edgeshot, as she found the idea of working with a ninja-themed pro-hero the most similar to her preferred combat style. Edgeshot's real name was Kamihara Shinya and he was a slim and muscular man with grey hair and dark-grey eyes.
Both Curze and Icarian decided to work under the HPSC to both predict for incoming dangers and to work as assassins if needed. Of course, the president of the HPSC and many of her higher-ranking subordinates had agreed that both Curze and Icarian would be allowed to make their own decisions.
Jaghatai, as stated previously, chose to do her internship in a rural area so that she could run freely. This meant that she had chosen a relatively low-ranking pro-hero whose agency happened to be located at her preferred location.
Mortarion, quite unexpectedly, decided to do her internship under Wash. A bit of questioning revealed that she wanted to give her former patron god, Nurgle, the metaphorical middle-finger by committing the "heretical act" of working alongside with a pro-hero whose quirk could be used to wash away filth and prevent infections. Not even Lion could see fault in Mortarion's logic.
Unlike Izuku and the former primarchs who had been given internships, both Oboro and Karutoko did not receive many offers. This was, at least in part, due to their pasts as villains who were admittedly mentally compromised at the time. They therefore both agreed to intern under the same pro-hero, Mister Blaster, whose real name was Sensoji and was actually a former schoolmate of Aizawa Shouta. A large bulky man with broad shoulders and defined muscles, sharp eyes with no eyebrows and a prominent square jaw, Sensoji offered to intern the two partly due to wanting to support Oboro who was his former schoolmate too. Though Sensoji used to be arrogant and self-centred, Shouta had assured Oboro that the Sensoji had improved significantly since then.
It should be noted that a few students from both Class 1A and Class 1B had decided to seek Izuku for suggestions on their internships. As both a nerdy fan of heroes and someone skilled in analysing quirks, it was rather understandable why Izuku was deemed as a suitable source of advice even when compared to the former primarchs. One notable example of Izuku's ability to give sound advice was his advice to Momo and Itsuka to not choose Uwabami for an internship. Given the curvy blonde pro-heroine's preference for modelling over her work as a pro-hero, it was understandable why Izuku had deemed her as a poor choice for someone who wanted to be a competent heroic champion instead of a popular celebrity. Thankfully, both Momo and Itsuka had been given significantly better choices and simply wanted Izuku's opinion about their actual preferred choices after "testing" him with his opinion about Uwabami. Izuku readily agreed that Momo could benefit from learning how to fight with weapons from an old pro-hero named Yoroi Musha, who was the No.8 pro-hero with a long white beard, a bald head and orange eyes with black sclera, while Itsuka could benefit from learning how to use her quirk in unarmed combat from a pro-hero who could create stony shields named Crust, who was the No.6 pro-hero with black and grey hair and a stony crust on the back of his right hand.
On a side note, Nedzu had indeed spoken with the scientists of I-Island for a possible collaboration with U.A. High School and, after considering the impressive support gear used by Class 1H, many of the scientists agreed to it. While inviting all the students from the support course of U.A. High School would not be possible, inviting a few notable students, including a certain Melissa Shield, was another matter entirely. Of course, Vulkan, Dorn, Ferrus, Perturabo, Mei and Maina were among those chosen to visit I-Island.
-Afew days later…-
As anyone who knew about U.A. High School would know, the school was located nearby a train station. It was therefore not uncommon for the people using the station to see students with suitcases that contained their costumes entering the station with their pro-hero teachers, especially during internships. There were even students who, after receiving their provisional pro-hero licences, used the station while fully dressed in their hero costumes.
What was a lot less common though was the sight of tall well-built girls from Class V, plus Izuku, Karutoko and Oboro, walking alongside the usual student interns while carrying what were basically ornate weapons with oversized sheaths. They still brought the usual suitcases though as they needed regular "work clothes" when not using their armour.
Shouta, Toshinori and Kan stood before the students who awaited their instruction. Toshinori smiled as he spoke to them, "Remember to only use your costumes while working alongside with pro-heroes and do try not to lose them either."
"Do not forget that all of you will be representing U.A. High School so make sure to be at your best behaviour," said Kan.
"No promises!" said Russ while wearing a broad toothy grin on her face. A few other students, including Karutoko, Setsuna and Mina, had similar grins.
Shouta sighed as he grumbled, "Just don't do anything reckless, stupid or both. The last thing I want, other than finding out that even one of you got badly hurt or worse for obvious reasons, is seeing you getting arrested by the police on the news."
"Do not fear, Aizawa-sensei. I am sure we will be able to take care of ourselves," said Sanguinius."
Angron nodded and said, "We did train like hell for a reason, after all."
"That does not reassure me at all," replied Shouta who had a deadpan expression on his face.
Toshinori grinned as he slapped Shouta on the back and said, "Chin up, Aizawa-kun! Have a bit more faith in these children."
"Oh, I have faith in them all right," said Shouta who then bitterly added, "As in faith in the possibility that at least some of them will be involved in something utterly frakked up."
Kan had a sheepish expression as he spoke, "Yeah, I'm not going to dismiss that possibility completely either."
Not even the more optimistic students could refute Shouta's statement.
-Over an hour later, at a certain zoo called Oumagadoki Zoo…-
Izuku and Angron entered the zoo after being given special passes by a young woman with black hair named Aoi Hana who was both a staff member of the zoo and a fan of Gang Orca. Understandably, Izuku and Angron attracted quite a bit of attention as they made their way towards Gang Orca who was waiting for them at the aquatic animals section of the zoo.
As someone with good hearing comparable to that of a true killer whale, Gang Orca did not need to turn around to know that Izuku and Angron had arrived as he spoke to them, "I am pleased that you two have accepted my offers, Guardsman, Ursa."
"Will we be helping you give a lecture in this zoo, Gang Orca?" asked Izuku.
Gang Orca nodded and said, "For today, yes. I also want to expose you two to the handling of paperwork and at least one patrol. As for physical and combat training, I happen to know a friend who will let us borrow the training room."
"Then let us get started on our duties," said Angron.
-Less than one hour later…-
"It this therefore vital that we protect not only the habitats that these predators reside in but also the predators themselves from both poachers and those who see them as mindless killing machines," said Gang Orca who was giving a speech on the importance of protecting sharks from both habitat destruction and poaching. After concluding his speech, he asked the audience, "Now, does anyone have any questions about the importance of protecting sharks from the threat of extinction?"
A young child with the horns and hoofed feet of a goat raised his hand and asked innocently, "Can we see Guardsman and Ursa in armour?" He was far from alone in his interest as other children soon started making the same request.
Gang Orca huffed in amusement as he turned to his two interns and asked, "Do you two mind showing them your armoured forms? I may not be familiar with your support gear but even I can tell from a glance that they are more advanced than typical ones."
Angron smirked as she answered, "It's no trouble at all." She and Izuku then nodded at each other before they both raised their respective sheathed weapons. In Angron's right hand was massive single-bladed war axe that was covered in a thick and ornate bronze sheath while Izuku held the same sheathed weapon that he had wielded during the U.A. Sports Festival.
Within less than three seconds, the sheath of Angron's weapon transformed into a set of bronze armour which was clearly inspired by Roman gladiator armour and had a helmet that some would later dub as the "Angry Helmet". Quite notably, the left shoulder pauldron of her armour had the picture of a grizzlybear's head with a white four-pointed star on its forehead. Izuku was also dressed in his own armour and, similar to Angron, had a painting on the left shoulder pauldron. In his case, it was a human skull with a pair of an eagle's wings.
Needless to say, the children, especially the boys and tomboyish girls, got excited as they cheered and said how cool Izuku and Agron looked in their armour. Gang Orca allowed the excitement to last for a few seconds before he cleared his throat and said, "As much as I enjoy impressing you all with the latest support gear worn by my interns, I'm afraid that we must conclude this presentation." Unsurprised by the sounds of children expressing their disappointment, he smoothly added, "Of course, it would be a shame to make them put their armour away so soon after going through the trouble to putting them on in the first place. Therefore, an impromptu photo-taking session is now in session!"
Not surprisingly, many children cheered at the idea of having their pictures taken with Izuku, Angron and Gang Orca. By the time the photo-taking session was over, Gang Orca's planned presentation ended a full half-hour later than originally planned. Even so, no one complained about it as it was undoubtedly a great way to generate good publicity for not only the pro-hero and his interns but also the zoo as well.
Overall, it was a goodstart of Izuku and Angron's internship with Gang Orca.
-Meanwhile, at a certain pro-hero agency…-
Kamui Woods raised an eyebrow as he spoke to his intern, "I get that you're Catholic, but this seems a tad bit… blatant."
Ibara, who was dressed in a costume that was clearly based on the habit of a nun, colouration and head-piece included, tilted her head and said, "I fail to see the issue. It properly covers my body without compromising my ability to move freely should the need arises."
Aware that Ibara was wearing a shirt with long sleeves and a pair of long pants instead of the typical tunic worn by nuns, Kamui Woods nodded and said, "Fair point, though I am curious if there is another reason why you're wearing pants since, unless I'm mistaken, nuns do not typically wear them."
"There is another reason and it has to do with the support gear that has been woven into this costume," confirmed Ibaraas she touched the small metallic cross-shaped accessory which had been woven onto the shirt part of her costume.
"Oh? What kind of support gear?" asked Kamui Woods whose curiosity was piqued.
Ibara smiled as she clasped her hands in prayer and activated her support gear…
-At a certain ship called the Oki Mariner…-
A young woman with blue eyes and shoulder-length light-blue hair named Sirius raised an eyebrow as she looked at Tsuyu and said, "You're… a lot more built that I expected, Froppy." She was not the only one to have noticed the muscles beneath Tsuyu's costume which did little to hide her lean yet attractively curved figure.
Tsuyu, who had chosen Froppy as her code-name, was clearly sheepish in spite of her generally unexpressive face as she explained, "I have been doing a lot of physical training, kero." Left unsaid was the sheer brutality of the training she and the rest of her peers from Classes 1A and 1B had to undergo just to stand a chance of not losing badly while facing any of the infamously strong girls from Class V. It was honestly a small miracle that neither Tsuyu nor her peers from the two hero course classes had suffered any serious injuries during any of the training sessions.
The pro-hero whom Tsuyu had chosen to intern with, a muscular man with the appearance of a humanoid spotted seal and a grey beard named Selkie, grinned as he spoke to Tsuyu, "There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a strong and healthy body. In fact, it's normally an advantage, and not just for hero work either."
Tsuyu nodded as she agreed with Selkie's statement. After all, a strong and healthy body would normally be advantageous in any job that required at least some level of physical labour such as professional sports, construction and even nursing (as anyone who had to help a bedridden patient would attest). Even if the job did not require physical labour, a strong and healthy body would be less likely to fall ill compared to an unhealthy one. Of course, care must be taken to prevent injury or worse while exercisingand proper rest was still important for good health.
"Is there anything you would like me to do, kero?" asked Tsuyu.
"Well, since your body is clearly well-trained, I would like to test your swimming skills against mine," said Selkie.
"You're on, kero!" said Tsuyu who was clearly eager to take on the challenge. Though she was quite certain that Selkie would beat her in terms of swimming skills, she knew that she could learn from the experience and grow stronger from it.
Selkie laughed boisterously as he spoke, "I like your spirit, Froppy!"
-At a certain hero agency called Team Idaten…-
Tensei smiled as he spoke to his brother, Tenya, "So, you've chosen to name yourself Gearshift."
Tenya scratched the back of his head sheepishly and replied, "Well, since you still hold the name, Ingenium, I figured that having a different hero code-name would be a better choice for me."
Tensei did not question the logic in Tenya's decision as he stood up and said, "Well, since you're apparently well-versed in the more physical aspects of heroics, I think I'll start your internship with something that is a lot more tedious yet no less important: paperwork."
Tenya shook his head as he ruefully said, "The number of peers who hate paperwork is simply staggering…"
Little did Tenya and Tensei realise that, in another life, the older of the two would have been attacked and permanently crippled by a certain "hero killer" named Stain. As for why the attack never happened in this particular life, it involved Stain encountering a certain League of Chaos Undivided and, after proclaiming that Katsuki and his former classmates were never fit to be heroes to begin with and would never ever be fit, faced a rather grisly demise.
-At Naruhata…-
Sensoji smirked as he spoke to Oboro, "Never though I would see your ugly mug ever again, Oboro."
Oboro grinned in return as he replied, "Never though I would see the day you're cool with taking in former villains as interns either, Sensoji."
"Well, a lot has happened since the day you… bah, you know what I mean," said Sensoji who clearly wanted to avoid explicitly stating the day Oboro perished while facing a massive frog-like villain that could absorb and release attacks called Garvey.
"I know what you mean and, for all that it's worth, thanks for encouraging Shouta," said Oboro.
"Well, let's get things moving along before we start embarrassing ourselves further," said Sensoji who then motioned to Oboro, Karutoko and a certain third intern named Aoyama Yuuga to follow him while adding, "Come on, I want to introduce you to the rest of Blaster Union before we all get started."
Yuuga, who had been standing behind Oboro and Karutoko, said a silent prayer of gratitude for the chance of continuing to be a hero student. Although Yuuga never had a chance to actually betray anyone at U.A. High School, which was partly due to All For One wanting to eliminate the League of Chaos Undivided first and foremost, he still felt guilty about being forced to serve as his spy. As such, he was determined to prove his worth as a genuine pro-hero as he, Oboro and Karutoko followed Sensoji.
It should be noted that Yuuga had decided to name himself Illumiere, the illuminating hero.
-At the headquarters of the Hero Public Safety Commission…-
The president of the HPSC frowned as she spoke to Curze and Icarian, "Are you certain of your predictions?"
Curze nodded while Icarian replied, "There is a 90% chance that Humarize will strike not only Japan but every major nation around the world within this year."
"Storm Bearer, can you pinpoint the locations of their bases so that we can prevent the attacks from happening?" asked the president.
"It will take a bit of time but, assuming that the information is reasonably accurate, I can assist in narrowing down the possible locations at the very least," replied Icarian.
"I can sneak into a Humarise hideout within Japan to take them out and, if required, assist with interrogations," offered Curze. While she genuinely desired to avoid becoming like her past self, the visions of the attacks caused by Humarise, especially the ones that involved Eri, had been "upsetting" to say the least.
Well aware of what Curze was offering, the president nearly grimaced as she shook her head and said, "While I have no issue with you sneaking into a local Humarise hideout to capture its members, I would rather have them intact. Do not forget that this is a global-scale attack we're trying to deal with here and I have no desire of potentially upsetting any members of the World Hero Organisation (WHO) by letting you use your… 'interrogation methods' on any member of Humarise."
Curze frowned but nodded in acceptance as she did not disagree with the president's reasoning for her decision. Icarian then asked, "How soon do you want us to begin?"
The president did not hesitate as she answered, "Given the prediction that Humarise intends to destroy at least one major city before announcing their desire to do the same to every other major city from around the world for the sake of 'cleansing' humanity of quirks, as soon as possible. I will entrust the capture of Humarise members to you two while I make arrangements to get in touch with the WHO to inform them of the threat." She then sighed as she bitterly grumbled, "I will also have to get All Might and Nedzu involved in this as this is something that none of us can afford to risk being dismissed by the WHO."
Both Icarian and Curze nodded as they agreed with the president's decision.
-In the primarchs' original universe…-
Some would argue that little had changed since the conclusion of the visions that showed the U.A. Sports Festival. To a certain degree, that would be true as the universe was still a grim and dark place of constant war, tragedies and worse.
However, even the smallest of changes could eventually lead to truly monumental events.
For example, a nightsider vox-caster who, in spite of suffering crippling injuries that completely ruined her left eye, ear, arm and leg, was able to endure the pain to send critically vital information to the Imperial Guard. Thanks to the information, the Imperial Guard was able to stop a Chaos cult from successfully summoning daemons which would have ensured their victory in conquering a contested world. When inquisitors asked the nightsider how she was able to endure the pain, she simply stated, "I did it for the friends and family back home whom I cherish." She was later deemed as uncorrupted by Chaos in spite of her injuries and was even given an honourable discharge from the Imperial Guard. She would later become an inspiration for other nightsiders who wish to protect their loved ones from the many horrors that lurked within the nightsiders would then prove their worth to the wider Imperium of Mankind.
Another example was a beastman imperial soldier bravely fighting off an ork nob because he refused to abandon a human child who had shown him genuine kindness instead of the typical fear or disgust most humans would express towards him and his kind. Even though the beastman perished in the end, he was able to protect the child and even slay the ork with a mighty dying blow. His last words to the crying child were, "For you, I die in glory." The child would live on and, eventually, become an Imperial Guard captain with an infamous reputation of protecting beastmen from unjustified persecution.
A recently-formed space marine chapter, the Star Cats, was credited for helping to stopa Tyranid splinter hive fleet. However, unlike most space marines, the Star Cats placed significant focus on making sure that Imperial Guard soldiers were properly supplied with weapons, ammunition, medical supplies and, of course, proper food. In spite of being a recently-formed chapter with no more than two hundred space marines, the Star Cats were effective in not only protecting supply lines and ensuring successful deliveries of supplies but also in ranged fire support and, in spite of wearing pink-coloured power armour with cutesy cat paw-prints as chapter symbols, cat-like stealth. Imperial citizens and soldiers would later learn that the Star Cats had distinctively feline mutations such as the cat ears that belonged to a certain Nekomimi Nekona from the other version of Holy Terra.
While there was a chance that the changes, both great and small, would ultimately fail in preventing the destruction of humanity, only the enemies of the Imperium of Mankind would truly dismiss them as completely meangingless.
-End Chapter-
Author's Notes:
Well, this chapter took longer than expected.
Between holiday trips and getting hospitalised for a heart inflammation issue (I kept working in spite of having a bad stomach flu), I could not do much writing at the end of 2024. Hopefully, I will be able to post more consistently after this. I plan to conclude the internship arc before moving on to the next major arc and then ending the story.
On a side note, nightsiders are an actual abhuman race in 'Warhammer 40k' and there is an artwork of them by Mossacannibalis. Here are the relevant links:
https/warhammer40k./wiki/Abhuman
https/pbs./media/Ge1kyISa0AAJCv_?format=jpg =4096x4096
As for the Star Cats:
A hybridised successor chapter of both the Space Wolves and the lost second legion, the Lightning Bearers, the Star Cats are skilled in not only logistics but also providing support such as medical aid, supplies for war, ranged fire support and delicious food. Besides protecting supply lines and ensuring successful deliveries of supplies, they can be surprisingly stealthy and have even been known to steal enemy supplies. Unfortunately, the Star Cats and the Space Wolves do not get along at all in spite of sharing the same gene sire. Inspired by Nekona, who possesses cat-like features like themselves, the Star Cats use different shades of pink as their chapter colours with a cat's paw print as their chapter symbol. (Yes, this chapter is an expy of the Space Maids by ChumiiCham with slightly less satire.)
Here is a relevant link:
https/pbs./media/GETJV7WWsAANcAI?format=jpg =large
Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!