My Hero Association Chapter-7
Month 1: Week 3:
Unexpected Developments
Deus Ex Machina: Bakugo, Todoroki, Genos, Saitama
Todoroki was still on the fence whether he should undergo any kind of cybernetic-augmentation, but in the meantime, he was practicing a new series of advanced techniques, which he called FlashFreezeFist. As the name would suggest, it was essentially the Icy antithesis to his FlashFireFist attacks, where he essentially shoots a straight-up freeze-ray from his right-fist, instead of a heat-ray from his left. Before, Todoroki always had to channel his ice into the ground he was standing on and spread it from there, which limited the power and precision of his ice-attacks, as well as the speed at which they travelled. But with this new set of ultimate-moves, he could condense his ice-power into a much more potent and effective attack, blasting it through the air from his fist and freezing his targets almost instantly upon impact. He only hoped that mastering this new set of ultimate-moves would give him an edge against Dabi.
"I don't know if I can match him in firepower," he thought to himself. "So the better course of action is to cool him down."
Though it still may not be as strong as his older brother or his father, Todoroki's firepower had also improved, now able to perform the FlashFireFist: Jet-Burn attack, a significant step-up from his Jet-Kindling. With these upgraded techniques, he was finally able to defeat one of the High-End Nomu in the VCS, as well as a Mid Demon-Level monster called the Deep-Sea King. The latter opponent was a hard-fought battle, especially when the system was set to include heavy rainfall in the simulation, which slightly nerfed his firepower, while simultaneously rehydrating the sea-monster, making it 100-Times stronger than it was without the rain. Its speed was also a real problem, as Todoroki was still lacking in that department. But after his third attempt, and with his new FlashFreezeFist: Blizzard-Beam, Todoroki was able to incapacitate the monster from a safe distance, then followed-up with a FlashFreeze HeatWave.
Watching the simulation from the computer-screen in Kuseno's lab, Bakugo frowned as he watched his rival defeat the savage fishman.
Bakugo had tried fighting the Deep-Sea King as well, and although he was able to at least fight him without the rain, once the rainfall was factored-in, the giant sea-monster easily tanked all of his attacks and ripped him to shreds. Bakugo had made 15 attempts, but the Deep-Sea King at his peak was a wall he just couldn't seem to break through. Todoroki, however, was now able to beat him before even taking damage. Even worse, he knew that Izuku would've absolutely stomped the Deep-Sea King without any effort at all.
After a couple of hours training in the VCS, the three heroes set out on their daily-patrol of the city. Everything was quiet for the most part, so they took advantage of the peace-time by going to any sale that was on. This did nothing to improve Bakugo's mood, instead making him feel like a glorified errand-boy. Meanwhile, Todoroki was talking to the Cyborg about what kind of augmentations Doctor Kuseno could give him.
"I don't want my whole body replaced, mind you, but if there's any part of my body that could be enhanced by cybernetics, without interfering with my Quirk, I'm willing to consider it."
"Doctor Kuseno has developed a cerebral-implant that would significantly improve your processing and reaction-speed, and he can easily design cybernetic eyes to enhance your vision. With the data we have collected on your Quirk and overall physiology, modifying them to withstand the extreme-temperatures you generate, and to not interfere with them, should be quite easy. I would also recommend muscle-implants to augment physical-strength, and a skeletal-reinforcement surgery developed by the Hero-Association Hospitals."
"The Hero-Association has hospitals?"
"Yes, one in each city, for treating both injured heroes, and civilians caught up in monster-attacks. It is because of them that the mortality rates for professional heroes and civilians have both gone down by nearly 40% over the last 5-years. The primary exception of course being the destruction of City-A by the aliens."
Todoroki took a mental note of this, and as they were waiting in the checkout line of the supermarket, they heard the sound of the monster-alarms going off again.
"Warning! Warning! A group of Monsters has appeared in City-D! Threat-Level: Demon! All civilians please evacuate to the designated safe-zones and evacuation-shelters!"
Genos, Bakugo and Todoroki all sprang into action, with Genos trusting the check-out clerk to keep ahold of their groceries for them.
"FINALLY, some real action!" Bakugo shouted with a wicked grin on his face. He propelled himself through the air with his explosions, anxious to get to the fight, and to keep pace with the Cyborg.
They arrived in mere seconds, and saw not just a monster, but what looked like an entire army of monsters. They were all humanoid in shape, but appeared to be made out of some kind of crystalline mineral of various different colors, with sharp spikes and jagged edges in various spots. Some of them were bluish-white while others were blood-red like rubies, and some were purple, yellow, and emerald. The crystal-creatures each stood between 7 to 15-feet tall, some of their bodies were disproportioned while others were almost perfectly proportioned, and many of them carried axes, swords, and maces composed of the same diamondlike material as themselves.
The crystal-creatures were storming the city like an army of medieval conquerors, and far in the back, there were three translucent crystal-monsters that dwarfed all the rest, each standing over 20-feet tall. The generals, Bakugo figured. As they arrived, one of the giants began to speak.
"We are The Diamond-Dominion! A mighty race born from the most indestructible substance on Earth! Therefore, it is our right and our destiny to RULE the Earth!"
"In your dreams, rockhead! I'm gonna blast you stupid pebbles straight to hell!" Bakugo screamed, flying directly at the General and unleashing an Explosive-Cannon attack in its face.
The resulting blast sent Bakugo flying backwards and landing right in front of the horde. Not wasting anytime, Bakugo immediately began firing his AP-MachineGun at the first row of enemies blitzing them with hundreds of rapid-fire precision-shots. But then the smoke cleared, revealing that not only was the General unfazed by Bakugo's opening-move, neither were any of his subordinates.
"Stone-Troopers, ATTACK! Bring me that foolish human who dares defy me! Break his fragile body and make an example out of him for the rest of his kind!" The Diamond-General shouted.
(Meanwhile, miles away in City-B)
"Well, this is lame." Saitama muttered to himself, his eyes blank and lifeless as he walked down the streets on his patrol. The city was quiet, with no monsters or natural-disasters, or even armed robbers with hi-tech weapons of any kind. So far, the only action he had was stopping a purse-snatcher, and helping a kid find his mom after he got lost in the local park. The mother wasn't even very grateful to him, instead she just shooed him away once he returned her son to her, like she thought it was his fault she lost him in the first place.
"Eh, whatever." He thought out loud. As he left the park and headed for a local manga-shop, He heard someone call his name from behind him.
"Hey! You're the Class-B Hero Saitama, right? You're friends with MumenRider!"
The stranger was a young man in his early-20s, wearing a green hoodie and black beanie-hat. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, and he wore a massive set of headphones over his ears.
"Uh, yeah, that's me. Do I know you?" Saitama asked.
"No, I'm pretty sure this is the first time we met, but MumenRider mentioned you the last time I teamed-up with him! I'm Forte, Class-A Rank-33!" The hero smiled and stuck out his hand in greeting. The two of them shook hands, and Forte continued.
"I was the hero that woman hired to find her lost kid, but it looked like ya beat me to it! I just wanted to say thanks, and let you know that I'll make sure you get all the credit!"
"Whoa, really? Thanks." Saitama said, though his face and tone of voice gave no hint of excitement, remaining quiet, simple, and phoned-in.
"Uh, you alright, dude?" Forte asked. "You still seem kinda... depressed."
"I'm fine, just bored as usual." Saitama answered. "There's nothing exciting going on today, and even if there was, I just can't get any enjoyment out of it anymore." He stared off into the distance with that blank look on his face.
Forte rubbed his chin in thought, then a mischievous grin came over him.
"Sounds to me like you could use a little music in your life."
"Huh? Music? What're you talking about?" Saitama asked.
"See these headphones I'm wearing? I like listening to music everywhere I go. I even based my fighting-style on how I dance to the rhythm of what I'm listening to."
"You listen to music while you patrol and fight monsters? Does that make it more fun?"
(Meanwhile, back in City-D...)
After Bakugo's opening attacks were brushed off, the battle went downhill quickly.
Bakugo, Todoroki and Genos all let loose with their fire, ice, explosions, and incineration-cannons, not holding anything back, but the Diamond-Dominion's gemstone-like bodies were seemingly invincible. The alarm had classified them as Threat-Level: Demon, but that seemed to be a drastic miscalculation. Bakugo suspected that each and every one of the Stone-Troopers were Demon-Level at least, and the three generals might be even stronger. And with hundreds of Stone-Troopers at their command, these diamond monsters might collectively be Threat-Level: Dragon, or even Threat-Level: GOD.
"None of our attacks are working! We might need to make a tactical-retreat!" Todoroki shouted as he weaved through the battlefield, surfing and skating on ice-slides that he rapidly conjured, while propelling himself with his fire. Many of the Diamond-Dominion's Stone-Troopers revealed that they could fire shards of their crystalline forms as projectiles, and tried shooting Todoroki with diamond-stakes and bullets, but the elemental hero was able to evade and defend, only being grazed by them once.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, Half-And-Half!" Bakugo roared in frustration. "You can go ahead and turn-tail if you want, but I'm WINNING THIS!"
Though he said it with total confidence, in truth Bakugo knew he was running out of options, but refused to run away and admit defeat. He still had one more trick to play. As he rocketed through the streets, blasting one Stone-Trooper after another, and failing to damage them every time, Bakugo built-up more and more of his explosive-sweat into his gauntlets, and once they reached full-capacity, he shot himself back at the same general he attacked before, this time using his Explosive-Speed Turbo to accelerate beyond Mach-7 for a potent dash. He bet on the possibility that he at least dealt SOME minor damage with his initial strike, and hoped that following it up with an even stronger one could seal the deal. He also prayed that taking out one of the generals might scare the rest into retreating, but figured that might be too much luck to ask for.
Despite moving even faster now, the general was able to see him coming, scowling at the hero, but not bothering to dodge or defend.
"That's gonna cost you!" Bakugo thought. He started spinning and creating multiple explosions around himself until he turned into a human ballistic-missile with a flaming spiral trail. Then he thrust both his hands forward, and right as he was about to make contact with the general's face, unloaded his Explosion Quirk, AND both of his gauntlets simultaneously.
"New Ultimate-Move:
Howitzer-Impact...
+ Explosive-Speed: Turbo...
+ Cluster...
+ Explosive-Cannons...
= HOWITZER-IMPACT: OVERKILL!"
A thunderous eruption of fiery-yellow light overtook the neighborhood, and a massive dome of explosive-power rapidly expanded to encompass the city-block, but surprisingly stopped before its destruction could expand any farther. The detonation seemed to shimmer with yellow stars, and when it finally dissipated, everything caught inside the dome was scorched, pulverized, or blown to bits by the Class-A Hero DynaMight's ultimate killer-move...
Everything that is, except for the very creature that he was trying to destroy.
The Diamond-General was still on its feet, and while a massive chunk of its head was blasted off, it appeared unfazed by the injury that would've been fatal for any human. To make things worse, it now held Bakugo by his right-arm, and with marginal effort, the monster crushed his gauntlet, and the sound of snapping bones immediately followed. Bakugo held back his screams of pain, not wanting to give the cursed rock any satisfaction.
"Yours is a very fragile species, and yet you have proven to be quite a formidable warrior. Fast and Ferocious. Against many other types of enemies, you might have won, but unlike your kind, we of the Diamond-Dominion do not have any 'vital-organs' for you to target, and we are virtually immune to nearly all manner of heat and blunt-force based attacks, thus making your assault quite futile. You could say that this was a very poor match-up for you. Soft creatures ought to know their place!"
"Soft? SOFT?! WHO ARE YOU CALLIN' SOFT, YA DAMN SOFTY!" Bakugo roared, and using his free left-hand, fired another explosion right in the general's face, but still the monster didn't budge.
"Hm, interesting. At first I thought it was merely the devices you carried on your wrists that allowed you to fire those blasts you are so fond of, but it seems you can produce them biologically as well. Most humans cannot do that."
The Diamond-General tossed Bakugo aside like a ragdoll, and he fell to the ground with a THUD.
"You must be one of those 'heroes' we have been warned about. If you surrender and pledge your undying loyalty to us, I will not only spare your life, but perhaps even grant you a position of authority among the human-slaves, once the world is ours."
"PISS OFF AND DIE, YA STUPID PEBBLE!" Bakugo retorted, struggling to get back on his feet.
"You First..."
The Diamond-General kicked Bakugo like a soccer-ball, and sent him hurdling back several feet, landing on the hard asphalt and struggling not to scream as his injuries piled-up.
"Damn it! Where's Half-And-Half and the Toaster!" Bakugo wondered. He searched the battlefield, and found his answer. Todoroki was surrounded by a group of Stone-Troopers, getting kicked and stomped on, and unlike Bakugo, he didn't bother hiding how much pain he was in. Genos had lost a limb and was impaled through the stomach by one of their diamond-stakes, and was now being pinned down by one of the other generals.
Bakugo started crawling towards them, using his left-arm to drag himself across the scorched and fragmented road. Then another one of the Stone-Troopers violently dropped its foot down on his back, and Bakugo could've sworn he heard his spine crack.
"No way... This is not... This is not how I die... THIS IS NOT HOW I DIE!"
Bakugo could no longer hide his agony, and let out a wail of pain, but it quickly turned into an indignant and furious scream of blistering RAGE.
"THIS... IS NOT... HOW... I... DIIIIIE!"
In one final, desperate play, Bakugo fired his Landmine-Blast technique, shooting his explosions straight into the ground and causing them to blast back up from all directions. He poured everything he had left into it... But all it did was stagger the Stone-Troopers and get them off his back for a minute. His situation hadn't improved one bit, and now he was even more spent.
"Your tenacity is admirable, but pointless. You should have surrendered when you had the chance." The Diamond-General said, walking towards Bakugo, prepared to finish him off for good.
"NO! I can't die here! I CAN'T! But... I've got nothing else to fight with... There's too many of them... And I couldn't even beat one of them..."
There was only one thing left he could do. Only one. It went completely against everything he was, but there was no other choice. Bakugo swallowed his pride, took in a massive gulp of air...
And he cried out for help.
"SOMEONE HEEEEELP! THIS THINGS GONNA KILL US! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"
As he screamed, Bakugo cursed himself in his mind over and over and over again, his eyes starting to water while his throat grew dry, and his voice cracked.
"Nobody is coming to save you," The Diamond-General told him. "Accept your demise."
As the monster raised up its foot, preparing to squash him like a helpless insect, Bakugo had one final thought...
"Mom... Dad... Izuku... AllMight... I'm so sorry... I couldn't win..."
WOOOSH!
There was a gust of wind and motion, and Bakugo found himself being gently laid down several meters away from where he was. Todoroki and Genos were also moved to safety, and there, standing between them and the Diamond-Dominion, was Saitama, with a far more serious expression than Bakugo had ever seen on him before, his white cape billowing in the breeze.
"Hmm? And who are you supposed to be?" The Diamond-General asked.
"Who am I? Nobody special, really... Just a Hero..."
Bakugo turned his head to get a better view of the scene, and then Saitama addressed him.
"I heard your call for help, Bakugo. You fought hard on your own... Now let me handle the rest."
As he walked towards the legion of diamond-monsters, the Bald-Hero put on a pair of headphones, raised his right hand, and slowly balled it up into a fist, as he listened to the somber opening-lyrics of a song playing through the headphones...
Life is a mystery...
Everyone must stand alone...
I hear you call my name...
And it feels like... Home...
Then, the song kicked into a faster and more playful tune, and Saitama started dancing to the beat.
The Stone-Troopers charged at him, outraged at the sight of the strange man dancing to a song the rest of them couldn't hear. One of them leaped into air and was about to land its axe down on Saitama's bald head... But to Bakugo's complete and utter amazement, Saitama had completely SHATTERED the monster into a million glittering shards With Just One Punch.
The rest of the Diamond-Dominion were just as surprised, but their shock immediately turned into rage, and redoubled their efforts to kill him, but they stood no chance at all. Like a cannonball shot through a normal glass-window, Saitama's punches obliterated every single Stone-Trooper in sight, all the while still dancing to whatever music he was listening to:
Just like a prayer,
Your voice can take me there!
Just like a muse to me,
You are a mystery!
Just like a dream,
You are not what you seem!
Just like a prayer,
No choice, your voice can take me there!
Even the three Diamond-Generals were absolutely annihilated by Saitama's fists. He punched two of them simultaneously, and then dashed in towards the last one, unleashing a mighty uppercut that sent him and the General rocketing straight up into the sky. And then there was a glorious eruption, scattering the monster's diamond-shards across the heavens, refracting the sunlight and glimmering like millions of stars. Up there in the sky, his right-fist raised up and his cape flowing behind him, Bakugo would've sworn he had just seen the Second-Coming of AllMight.
"The Toaster was right... He really is that strong..."
Saitama continued to ascend higher into the air, until Bakugo lost sight of him entirely. Then, a few minutes later, he finally came crashing back down like a thunderbolt, indenting the rocky ground beneath his feet.
"Home again. Cool." He said with an absurd nonchalance. "And Forte was right, it really is more fun when you listen to music. Too bad there won't always be that many monsters to punch."
Saitama walked over to Bakugo, Todoroki and Genos, and after confirming that they were all still alive, he carried the two teenagers to one of the Hero-Association Hospitals, and took Genos back to Doctor Kuseno's lab for repairs.
A Small Difference: Midoriya, MumenRider
Training at Bang's Dojo followed the usual routines, a 10-lap run around the mountain, followed by practicing forms and sparring, with a daily-patrol sometime in-between. Ojiro had significantly improved since they first arrived. He was now able to complete the 10-lap run in roughly half the time, and wasn't nearly as exhausted by it as he once was. He had also memorized all the basic-forms for Bang's fighting-style, having been practicing them as much as he could. When sparring, Midoriya could now see the misty-blue lines trailing from Ojiro's hands as he fought. Even Charanko had seen substantial improvement, his stamina having also increased over the last couple weeks.
Midoriya couldn't help but wonder if he had improved at all these past two weeks. He still couldn't properly wield the Fist of Flowing-Water Crushing Rock, not like Ojiro could. However, his control over One-For-All had slightly increased. When they first arrived in this world, Midoriya could continuously channel 40% Full-Cowling, and boost the energy-level to 65% for about 10-minutes. Since then, he could now continuously use 70% and temporarily boost to 85%. This was quite a substantial power-up, and yet Midoriya still felt like it wasn't nearly enough to make any difference. He thought back to when he attacked Blast, using FaJin to bolster his speed and strength, and how the mysterious hero effortlessly blocked him with one finger.
"No, I'm still nowhere near that level." Midoriya thought to himself. "But I have to keep aiming for it… Because if I can get that strong, if I can reach that level, then Shigaraki won't stand a chance!"
After finishing-up all of the forms and physical-exercises, Midoriya headed out on patrol, this time by himself, as Bang wanted to stay behind with Ojiro and Charanko to oversee their development more. Using BlackWhip to swing from building to building, Midoriya searched for any signs of trouble. With his DangerSense, he detected a simple mugging taking place in the dirtier part of town, roughly 5-miles away from his current position. In a green-flash, he arrived at the scene, spotting a common thug with a switchblade threatening an elderly woman. Before either of them could even see him, Midoriya had already incapacitated the hoodlum, wrapping him up with his BlackWhip and leaving to patrol the rest of the city.
After a few more minutes, he decided it was safe to return to the dojo, and start BlackWhip-swinging back. But just then, his DangerSense was set-off. He changed his direction mid-swing and headed towards the source. As he did this, the sound of a gunshot reached his ears, no doubt being what the Fourth-Holder's Quirk was warning him of. Midoriya hurried as fast as he could, switching to 85% Full-Cowling and half of the FaJin energy he had built-up. He arrived at the spot where the gunshot came from; a jewelry-store. One of the clerks was shot after going for the silent-alarm, but thankfully, nothing vital was hit, and they had already called for police and paramedics.
"Don't worry about me," said the store-clerk, "Chase after those damn thugs! They got away in a black car with red stripes!"
"On it!" Midoriya said, as ran off in search of the jewel-thieves. He tried using his DangerSense, but unfortunately, it could only alert him to incoming physical-threats and hostile-intent from enemies, and unless the jewel-thieves were to attack someone else again, he wouldn't be able to lock-on to their position, meaning that he would have to track them down the old-fashioned way.
Midoriya dashed through the city, looking for any vehicle that matched the description that the clerk gave him, but he was having no luck. The thieves were probably long gone at this point. Landing on the side of the street, Midoriya silently cursed himself. If he had just been a little faster…
"You need help with something?"
Midoriya turned around to see who just spoke to him. It was a young man, maybe 5-years older than himself, riding a bicycle. He wore a green helmet and a set of goggles over his eyes, and appeared to be wearing some kind of armor.
"You're a Hero, right?" The Cyclist asked.
"Uh, yeah, although I'm a little new around here." Midoriya replied. "You can call me Deku."
"Nice to meet you!" The man said with a smile. "I'm MumenRider! Class-C, Rank-1. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well, I was chasing after some jewel-thieves. They robbed a nearby store and got away in a black car with red stripes. I tried chasing after them, but they gave me the slip."
MumenRider pulled out a flip-phone. "I have a friend on the Police-Force who can search their database for any vehicles that match that description. I'm sure they couldn't have gotten far."
"Thanks." Midoriya said.
After MumenRider finished calling the Police and telling them what happened, he hung up and told Midoriya that the Police and DMV would take care of the rest. Midoriya sulked a bit, feeling guilty for showing up late to the scene of the crime. The more he thought about it though, the less sense it made. At his top-speeds, Midoriya was much faster than any car. He should've seen it driving-away when he arrived at the jewelry-store the thieves had robbed, but he didn't. Did the store-clerk give him bad info, or was it some kind of high-tech supercar? Regardless, he failed to catch them.
"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, alright?" MumenRider said to him.
"I… I won't." Midoriya answered.
"I know what it's like to not make it in time, or to not be strong enough to save someone. I know it all too well…"
Midoriya looked at the Class-C Hero's bicycle, wondering if that was really all he had as a pro-hero.
"What did you say your name was again?"
"MumenRider."
"Mumen? As in Unlicensed?"
"Hehe, yeah, it's a funny story, actually. See, I used to ride a motorcycle, but because I was always in such a hurry to rescue people, I racked-up a lot of speeding-tickets, and, well…"
Midoriya laughed. It really was a funny story, but also kind of sad. "Well, I hope that you get your license back one day."
The two of them casually travelled through the streets, on the way back to Bang's Dojo, chatting as they went. MumenRider was pedaling at top-speed on his bike, while Midoriya casually jogged at just 5% Full-Cowling.
"So, how long have you been doing hero-work?" MumenRider asked in-between his panting.
"Only a couple of weeks professionally," Midoriya told him. "But I've spent a little over a year training before joining the Association. How about you?"
"This would be my fourth-year," MumenRider explained. "It took me two-years to finally pass the physical-test, and before that, I just did a bunch of volunteer-work during my free-time."
"That's really cool of you!"
MumenRider laughed. "Not everybody feels that way about me. I get made fun of a lot, for how weak I am."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm too weak to make it in Class-B, so I'm only Class-C Rank-1. I wish I were stronger… I wish I could be more help… But I'm not. At most, I'll only ever make a very small difference…"
Midoriya frowned. He understood how it felt to be powerless, but he was blessed with a power that was one-of-a-kind, handpicked and mentored by The Greatest Hero Who Had Ever Lived. He was so fortunate to have been given One-For-All. He had it easy compared to…
"…But I'm okay with that!" MumenRider said, finishing his thoughts after taking another gasp of air, as he kept peddling alongside him.
"You are?" Midoriya asked.
"Sure! I might only be able to make a small difference, but that's still better than nothing, because Even A Small Difference Can Make All The Difference!"
Midoriya thought about it. He thought about when he, Kirishima, Todoroki, Iida, and Yaoyorozu had gone to rescue Kacchan at Kamino, how they couldn't do anything against All-For-One back then, but still managed to get Kacchan to safety. He thought about all the people involved in the Raid on the Shie Hissaikai. Then he thought about how the power of One-For-All began, as something small, and he smiled.
"Yeah... Yeah, I think you're right," Midoriya replied to MumenRider.
Soon Midoriya arrived back at the foot of the mountain, Bang's Dojo waiting for him at the top. He and MumenRider exchanged phone-numbers in case they needed help or just wanted to hang-out sometime. MumenRider then left to continue his patrol, and as Midoriya waved goodbye, he thought to himself.
"I wonder… If I hadn't inherited One-For-All, could I have still become a Hero like he did?"
How Does the Strongest-Hero Fight? King, Shinsou
Shinsou was getting impatient. It's been two weeks now, and so far, all he had really done was practice Videogames with King. Hearing about all the intense training that everyone else was doing only made things worse. Shinsou was falling behind, he just knew it.
Today it was even more of the same. He and King were "sparring" each-other by playing one of his fighting-games. King was giving him various tips and pointers on how to deliver powerful combos in rapid-succession, while simultaneously reading and countering the attacks of his opponent. Although he paid close attention and made a genuine effort to learn these past couple weeks, as he assumed it must have been some kind of training in disguise, Shinsou began to think it was just a waste of his time. He paused the game and turned to look at King.
"No offense, King, but I didn't join the Association and stuff just so I can get good at Videogames. My friends are all training for fights in the real world, and going on patrol and stuff. It's not that I don't appreciate what you've been teaching me, it's just… unless there's some point to all of this that I'm not getting, could we at least go out on patrol for just a little while today?"
King stared right at him with that stony face that betrayed no emotion. He looked out the window for a few seconds, then looked back.
"Okay, we can have a look around. It would be a good opportunity to field-test your Brainwashing Quirk, too."
King got on his hoodie and cap, and the two of them took to the streets.
Shinsou felt a shiver of excitement and nervousness run through him. If by chance they run into a monster or criminal or something, this would be the first time he ever truly fought someone, not just a training-exercise or sporting-competition at UA, but a real life-or-death battle. This only made him feel even further behind his other classmates, who already had tons of real-world experience.
The city was extremely quiet that day, with no monster-alarms going off or signs of any street-crime. In an attempt to pass the time, Shinsou started up a conversation, hoping he might still be able to learn something from King even if there wasn't any action that day.
"So King, how exactly did you get so strong in the first place?"
Shinsou immediately regretted asking, because no sooner did the question leave his lips that he heard the thunderous rhythm of the King-Engine!
Shinsou shrank in fear. Was King angry at him? But before he could apologize for his inquiry, a deep, computerized voice caught his attention.
"Target located. Class-S Rank-7 Hero: King."
A hulking machine fell from the sky and crashed onto the ground directly in front of King and Shinsou, cratering the street. It was a humanoid robot, standing roughly 15-feet-tall, and made of a shiny scarlet alloy, and had a knightly visage to it. It had a single, cycloptic eye that glowed a burning yellow, and wielded a gigantic sword, the blade of which was made of a golden plasma.
"My moniker is H-5, a machine-god created by the Organization, and a superior model to the machine-god designated G-4. Though my predecessor was destroyed by Class-S Rank-16 Hero: Demon-Cyborg before it could collect sufficient battle-data on its true target, I shall succeed where G-4 had failed. I was able to pinpoint your location the moment you activated your King-Engine. And now that I have found you, I will destroy you."
Shinsou's eyes widened. This giant robot was sent here to assassinate King?! He was hoping to see some action, and now here it was right in front of him! He should have been scared, but he knew there was nothing to worry about. Even if this thing was specifically built to fight him, surely King would be strong enough to beat it. He's the Strongest Hero There Is!
"Ugh, not another one." King said to himself. As always, he kept his poker-face on, using every ounce of his resolve to hide just how terrified he was. He racked his brain for a way to stall for time. He seriously doubted the bathroom excuse was going to work a second time, and Saitama was nowhere to be found. He couldn't rely on Shinsou's Brainwashing, since it only works on living people, and his reputation alone won't be able to intimidate any robot..."
"I'm dead... I'm dead... I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm OH SO VERY, VERY DEAD!" King screamed internally.
(Meanwhile, Over 120-miles away, in some kind of high-tech supercar...)
"HAH-Hahahahahahahaha-HAH! All too easy!" laughed one of the three petty thieves in the car, a skinny man with a blonde mohawk, dark shades and black leather jacket with red hotrod-flames.
"If all the rest of our jobs go this quickly and smoothly, we'll all be enjoying an early retirement within a month!" said the second thief, who was wearing a matching biker's jacket.
The three of them were all members of an extremely dangerous and hot-blooded street-gang, known as The Speed-Demonz. Their founder was a technological genius who specialized in the design and construction of powerful, high-tech supercars, cars that were capable of reaching massively-hypersonic-plus speeds in mere seconds, and could maintain those velocities for extended periods of time. He manufactured and sold his creations to street-racers and many other criminal elements, but made sure to keep the best to himself. The handful of street-hoods that the Founding Speed-Demon employed would carry out various heists and rackets for him, using their technologically-superior getaway vehicles. They would all of course be given a cut, though for many of these crooks, it wasn't just the money that they craved, but also the thrill of getting away with such felonies. Such was the case for these three members of the gang, who had just recently robbed a jewelry-store in City-Z, and thanks to their high-tech muscle car, they had already fled the scene of the crime and had exited the city-limits in a matter of seconds. They were now rapidly crossing the distance between cities, on their way to the Founder's secret garage.
"From here on out," said the one with the blonde mohawk, "There ain't gonna be nothing that can stop us! Nothing and nobody! Not even..."
Suddenly, the supercar's navigation-computer malfunctioned, and without its guidance and obstacle-detection, the three members of the Speed-Demonz couldn't avoid what came next...
(Meanwhile, Back in City-K...)
Shinsou took a few steps back so that he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of King and H-5's battle. There were a few civilians on the streets and sidewalks who noticed the robot as soon as it arrived, (It was kinda hard to miss) and upon hearing the robot announce what it was there for, and seeing that the man in the blue hoodie and baseball cap was none other than King, a crowd quickly formed to cheer the hero on.
"You got this, King!"
"Beat that stupid robot!"
"You're the best!"
"He's the Strongest Man in the World! He'll beat that robot like it's nothing!"
"King!"
"King!"
"KING!"
"KING! KING! KING!"
All the while, King just stood there, hands still in the pockets of his hoodie. Shinsou was stunned. "Does he not even consider this thing a threat? Is that why he won't even take out his hands? Or does he just not fight using his hands? Wait a second, how does he fight, anyway?"
Shinsou read about King on the internet, but while there was plenty of information about the monsters he's defeated, and how he's considered the Strongest Hero besides maybe Blast, nobody seemed to know what his actual abilities were.
"How Does the Strongest-Hero Fight?"
"This Organization of yours? Think you can email them a message for me?" King asked, his voice menacing and cold.
"What is your message?" the robot known as H-5 inquired.
"Please just knock it off. Stop sending these damn robots to kill me."
CRAAASSHH!
In a split-second, H-5 was gone, and all that remained was a fiery crater and tiny machine parts scattered about. It happened so fast that Shinsou couldn't process it at all.
"What the... What just..."
Before Shinsou could finish his question, the crowd of civilians started cheering again, this time even louder.
"He did it again!"
"That's our Hero!"
"You're a LEGEND, KING!"
The crowd nearly swarmed them, but King gave another one of his menacing glares, insisting that he and his sidekick be left alone. They all backed off without question. Satisfied by the robot's defeat, both King and Shinsou turned back and started walking back to the apartment.
"What did you do to that robot?" Shinsou asked. "I couldn't even see what happened!"
"That's because nothing happened." King explained.
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm saying I didn't do anything to that robot."
Shinsou was growing more confused by the second.
"But then... How did the robot just get destroyed like that?!"
"No idea. It just did."
Shinsou stopped walking, completely astonished by what he had just heard. Did he really not know how that happened? Did he really not do anything?
Shinsou thought back to the question he asked himself, and now the answer was clear.
How Does the Strongest-Hero Fight?
He Doesn't.
CSI: ZombieMan, Tokoyami, Hagakure
Instead of going to the Forest like usual, ZombieMan informed Tokoyami and Hagakure that there was a change in plans for the day, as they walked toward a black Association car for transportation.
"There's a crime-scene I need to investigate. This'll be a good learning experience, though, so make sure you pay attention."
"A crime-scene?! Awesome!" Hagakure shouted enthusiastically.
"What happened?" Tokoyami asked.
ZombieMan turned around to face the two kids, a grave expression on his face.
"One of the Class-S Heroes has been Murdered."
"What?!" Tokoyami and Hagakure both exclaimed.
"Yeah, the Hero-Association is trying to keep it quiet for now, due to the panic it'll cause, but…"
"Who was it?! And how?!" Hagakure asked, noticeably frightened at the idea of a Class-S Hero becoming a victim in a murder-case. Any enthusiasm about playing CSI had completely vanished.
"His hero-name was Puri-Puri Prisoner, Class-S Rank-17, and as for how and why he was murdered, and by whom, well, that's what I'm going to find out."
The three of them got in the black car, and they drove down one of the many roads leading out of HQ. After about 40-minutes, they had reached the outer-edges of City-J, and were about to park outside of a local penitentiary.
"Sooo, when you said his hero-name was Puri-Puri Prisoner…" Hagakure said, starting to connect the dots.
"Yeah, technically he was serving a sentence here, but the Association was willing to give him some accommodations in exchange for his help fighting monsters."
"Seriously? They let a convicted criminal be made a Class-S Hero?! While he was still serving a sentence?" Tokoyami could hardly believe what he was hearing, and neither could Hagakure.
"Just goes to show how desperate they've gotten," ZombieMan explained. "The frequency and severity of monster-attacks has been increasing more and more every year. And with only a handful of Class-S Heroes, the Association has been struggling to keep up. So basically, anyone who has the requisite-strength of a Class-S, they're willing to consider hiring. I'm pretty sure that's the only reason they let me join. I may not have a rap-sheet like this guy does, but I'm even more controversial."
"Really? How so?" Hagakure asked.
"Same reason you kids're controversial. In the past, people thought that I was a monster. Some people still do."
The three of them walked into the penitentiary, and were directed to Puri-Puri Prisoner's cell, where his lifeless corpse was found by the morning guards.
It was a gruesome sight to behold. His head was completely obliterated, blood leaking out of his open neck, and there was a massive gaping hole in his chest, his heart having been ripped out. ZombieMan crouched down, and took a few seconds to analyze the body, before telling the kids his initial assessment.
"No ballistic evidence, nothing to indicate any sort of weapon was used. Victim died from having his head chopped off and completely crushed, and his heart ripped-out for good measure. No signs of a struggle. He died before he had a chance to fight back…"
ZombieMan held his cigarette in his right hand and blew out a large puff of smoke before continuing.
"The killer is most-likely male, is roughly 6-feet-tall, and has a fighting-style that prioritizes both efficiency and aggression. Whoever did this had a strong hatred for Puri-Puri Prisoner, but didn't waste any time toying with him, instead killing him quickly and thoroughly."
Tokoyami and Hagakure looked around to cell, trying to spot any extra clues. ZombieMan was right about there being no signs of a struggle, as the rest of the chamber was left tidy and seemingly untouched by any intruder. Puri-Puri Prisoner's cell had a nicer bed, a television, a nightstand, and a bookshelf, all of which were immaculate compared to the bloodstained floor. Tokoyami then noticed a security-camera perched in the corner of the cell.
"Didn't the cameras catch who did it?" He asked.
"Afraid not," ZombieMan responded. "All the security-cameras in this cell-block were turned off, just before the killing took place. And the killer didn't leave behind any fingerprints or DNA."
"Seriously?!" Hagakure exclaimed. "Right when you needed them most, the security-cameras just stopped working?!"
"Yeah, I agree it's a little too convenient for the killer." ZombieMan said. "Whoever did this went to great lengths to cover their tracks, so much so that they may have inadvertently left behind another track that'll lead us right to them."
"Are you suggesting that this was an inside-job?" Tokoyami asked.
"It's possible, though I suppose the killer could've simply hacked the cameras instead. I'll need to investigate the monitor-room to be sure."
ZombieMan stood back up, exhaling another cloud of smoke. Tokoyami had to admit, in that moment he really looked, sounded, and acted like the classic, hard-boiled, seen-too-much detective of old-school cinema. If it weren't for the lethal circumstances, he would've thought this was really cool.
"How are you two so calm right now?! Hagakure shouted, waving her arms out of habit. "A Class-S Hero was just murdered! And then you tell me he was killed super-quickly? What if the killer's still around here somewhere?! We wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Don't be so sure of that," ZombieMan replied. "I mean, no offense to the guy, but Puri-Puri Prisoner was by far the weakest of the Class-S Heroes. And in terms of survivability, I'd say that I'm about as good as they get."
Tokoyami cocked his head, becoming more intrigued. "How do you know that he's the weakest Class-S?"
"A little over a month before you kids showed up, there was a Demon-Level monster called the Deep-Sea King, whom Puri-Puri Prisoner failed to defeat. And since one of the pre-requisites for becoming a Class-S Hero is that you need to be capable of taking down a Demon-Level Threat single-handedly, well, the fact that Prisoner got beaten up by one instead, it calls into question whether he's even strong enough for the position to begin with."
"You think maybe that was the killer's motive?" Tokoyami asked.
"It could be. It could've also have been someone who felt the same way you did earlier, that a convicted felon shouldn't be allowed to be called a hero, but then took their frustrations over the edge. Or perhaps even a combination of both…"
ZombieMan was silent for a long time. Tokoyami could almost see the gears turning in his head, as he examined every single inch of the corpse and the cell. Finally, ZombieMan spoke again.
"Generally, there are three things that a person needs to commit a crime; means, motive, and opportunity. There's one person I know who checks all three of these boxes, but unless I can find some forensic-evidence linking him to this, then it's only a theory…"
"Really? Who is it?" Hagakure asked.
"SweetMask, Class-A Rank-1." ZombieMan stated.
"What?!" Both Tokoyami and Hagakure had heard that name before.
"That's Aoyama's teacher!" Hagakure said. "What makes you think he would do this?!"
"SweetMask always hated Prisoner, and was always vocally against him being made a hero, let alone a Class-S Hero. Even before the Deep-Sea King incident. That's the Motive. As for the Means, well, like I said, Prisoner was the weakest of Class-S, and SweetMask is only Class-A Rank-1 by personal choice. He could move up to Class-S any time he wanted."
"Really? Then why doesn't he?" Tokoyami asked.
"Apparently, it's so he can use his Class-A Rank-1 position to prevent anyone ranked below him from ever rising to Class-S, unless they meet his standards first. For that reason, people call him The GateKeeper of Class-S."
Tokoyami thought back to some of the things Aoyama told them all about SweetMask, how he's a perfectionist who had little patience for those he considered disgraces to the word "Hero". It almost reminded him of the Hero-Killer Stain.
"Then there's the question of Opportunity." ZombieMan continued. "In addition to his rank, SweetMask has an executive-role and is basically the poster-boy for the Hero-Association. He's got plenty of connections, so it's plausible that he could've pulled some strings, or called in a favor to get in here and kill him, without being caught on camera."
"Okay, but… do you really think that he's capable of murdering someone like this?" Hagakure asked. "Killing monsters is one thing, but killing another human…"
"I don't know for sure," ZombieMan said "Like I said, it's only a theory. However, I wouldn't completely put it past him. He might act like Prince Charming for the media, but SweetMask can be extremely ruthless when he sees something he considers evil go unpunished. There isn't much info about his past, either. I'm betting the "Mask" part of his hero-name isn't just to sound cool…"
ZombieMan exhaled another puff of smoke, and looked to Tokoyami and Hagakure. "One of your friends is training under him, right? What was his name again?"
"Aoyama." Hagakure said.
"Right. Tell him to keep his eyes and ears open around SweetMask. But whatever you do, none of you are to question him about it. Even if my hunch is correct, we need more evidence to back it up, and his public-image and connections would make him difficult to convict, or even arrest."
Tokoyami and Hagakure both nodded their heads in understanding, and after ZombieMan wrapped-up his CSI work, the three of them left the prison, Hagakure was dropped-off at Bomb's Dojo, and ZombieMan and Tokoyami traveled out to the Forest, where their usual training commenced.
A Surprise Team-Up: Ashido, Jiro, Uraraka
"For the last time, I don't have a crush on that Idiot!" Jiro shouted back at her friend. Her EarJacks were pointed in her direction, threatening to be used against her. She and Ashido were out on patrol again through City-C, and once again, Ashido was teasing her about Kaminari.
"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that." Ashido jested again avoiding a playful swing from her friend.
"Just pay attention to what's happening around you. We're still on patrol." Jiro huffed, turning her attention back to her surroundings, but also desperate to change the subject.
"Nothing's happening, though! If something were, we would have heard the alarms by now." Ashido complained while stretching her arms. As if on cue, the monster-alarm blared over the city-wide speaker-system. Jiro turned her head towards Ashido.
"You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?" Jiro remarked before pulling out and checking her phone. Child-Emperor was able to install a version of his satellite threat-detection device in their phones. The designated danger-area was a couple of blocks from them, and the Threat-Level was Tiger, something they could definitely handle if they worked together. The two of them quickly ran off towards the danger. Apparently, the monster had broken into a grocery-store and was ransacking the place for food. It was a giant bear, but unlike normal bears, it had a long tail, tapering out into a scraggly mess of fur. The fur in question was a pitch-black color, with spiky ridges on top.
The bear seemed to be growing in size as well. As it ate, its muscles expanded, and its sharp claws lengthened. Ashido whispered to Jiro, asking what the plan was, but the bear heard her, turning around and roaring in their direction. Ashido nearly jumped out of her skin, and Jiro took a step back but remained steadfast against the creature. Seeing that they didn't run away, the bear took a step towards them, roaring at them again in hope that they'd flee. When that didn't work, it began charging at the two heroines in full force. Ashido used her Acid-Veil to defend them both from the incoming assault. She was then quickly pulled back by Jiro, who was using one hand to grab her by the arm and pull her away, and the other to fire a powerful sonic-blast that sent both of them flying backwards, away from the charging bear.
"There're still civilians in this place!" Jiro noted. "We have to lure this thing away!"
Ashido nodded, and the two of them dashed for the exit, looking back and making sure that the bear-monster was still chasing after them. Upon leaving the grocery-store, they continued to guide it away until they reached a less crowded section of City-C. The two heroines then spun around to engage the violent bear-monster.
Ashido shot her Sticky-Acid onto the ground in front of it, but the bear continued forward, only slowing down from the substance. Jiro used her HeartBeat-Surround, further destabilizing the ground underneath the creature's feet, throwing it off balance, and landing in the gooey muck. The bear continued to make progress towards them though, until it was suddenly hit in the head by a massive rock thrown at it. Surprised by the action, the two girls and the monster turned to see Uraraka standing there.
"Uraraka!" Jiro and Ashido shouted simultaneously
"Hey girls! Looked like you could use some help!" she replied.
The bear-monster reeled from the impact of the rock. It growled at the newcomer, and raised its tail over its head like a scorpion. Its thorny tail began shooting multiple spiked hairs at Uraraka. She quickly attempted to dodge, but there was no need, as Ashido's Pressurized Acid-Shots completely destroyed the spikes before reaching her. Uraraka then joined her friends in a triangular defensive-formation. The bear-monster was seething with rage, and charged again at the three girls. It leaped at them, plunging down with one of its clawed hands outwards. Jiro used her Quirk again to propel it back with a sonic-blast. The bear-monster then landed in Ashido's Sticky-Acid, immobilizing it for the time being.
"We can't count on that holding it for long. So what's the plan?" Jiro asked. Both she and Ashido turned to Uraraka, who gave a confused look back.
"Why are you looking at me?" she asked.
"Because you're the most combat-oriented out of all the girls. At least the ones here." Ashido replied back, earning a nod from Jiro as well. Uraraka let out a sigh and got to thinking. Given the powers they had available, along with her handicap… Suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head.
She quickly began to inform the two on what she was planning, but just as she finished explaining, the bear-monster broke loose from Ashido's Sticky-Acid and onto the undamaged street again. However, as expected, it focused on the closer target, that being Uraraka. She feigned tripping and falling back from the bear's charge, which left it exposed to Ashido's Pressurized Acid-Shot: Maximum-Acidity, which went straight into the monster's eye.
The acid caused it to reel-back in pain, swiping and rubbing its face on the ground, anxiously trying to get rid of the substance. With the monster blinded, Phase-1 was a success, and they could move on to Phase-2. Uraraka capitalized on the opening to rush in and touch the bear-monster with her Quirk. The bear-monster started levitating off the ground, flailing about, trying to regain footing. However, Uraraka wasted no time, and fired one of her grappling-hooks to latch onto the monster, and started spinning it around her like a tetherball.
"Jiro! It's yours!" She shouted as she let go of the bear-monster, sending it flying in Jiro's direction. Jiro extended out her arms, and her wrist-amplifiers blasted a powerful soundwave eclipsing the beast, killing its momentum and disabling its hearing. With its hearing and vision both disabled, they could advance to Phase-3 of Uraraka's plan. She released her Quirk on the monster, and it began to fall to the ground.
"Ashido, you're up!" Jiro shouted, and Ashido went to work; just as the bear-monster was falling, she bombarded it with all that was left of her Sticky-Acid: Maximum-Adhesivity before it hit the ground, slamming into the concrete hard. The adhesivity of Ashido's ultimate-move, combined with the impact of hitting the ground, rendered the bear completely immobile, its entire body completely glued onto the cratered street.
Ashido and Jiro took tentative steps towards the creature to make sure it was knocked-out, but also not killed. It didn't seem to be moving, but the shallow up and down motion of its chest confirmed that it was still alive. Ashido was beaming with ecstasy as she threw her fist in the air triumphantly.
"ALRIGHT! We did it!"
"Of course we did!" Jiro said, before getting startled by four explosions of concrete around them. She panicked and hugged Ashido in fright, thinking that another, stronger monster had arrived. However, they both let out a sigh of relief when the dust cleared, and they saw that the thundering noise and explosion of rubble was just a result of the Uraraka's rocks hitting the ground, after she released them from the effects of her Zero-Gravity.
"Damn! How heavy are those things?" Jiro said, unwrapping herself from Ashido and walking over to examine the compressed stones.
"They're 75-tons each." Uraraka managed to say between deep breaths. She tried standing back up, and almost slipped, but was helped up by Jiro, who buckled under the unexpected weight.
"Before you say anything, I'm under the effects of 5-Times Gravity at the moment." Uraraka clarified.
"Oh yeah, that would explain it." Jiro said.
"What!? I know you said that's how your hero trains you, but this is a real situation here. You could've gotten seriously hurt because of that." Ashido said as she gestured towards the bear.
"No, it's fine. She may be brutal, but she knows how weak I am, so she wouldn't let me endure this without some safety precautions. The same effect that increases my gravity also acts like a barrier to protect me from attacks." Uraraka explained.
"You're not weak, Uraraka, you're awesome! I mean, you came up with a game-winning strategy and fought a giant bear-monster, WHILE levitating those heavy rocks, WHILE ALSO being weighed down by 5-Times-Gravity! That's insane!" Ashido told her.
"Agreed! Now, we should probably call someone to collect that bear." Jiro remarked.
"Don't bother." Uraraka muttered, her expression saddening.
"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Jiro questioned.
"Just... don't say anything, alright?" Uraraka told them, and then as if on cue, another loud feminine voice shouted down from above them. It was Tatsumaki.
"I'm disappointed in you, Uravity! I can't believe you needed help to fight such a pathetic monster." The girl in green snapped her fingers and the monster was totally annihilated in front of them, shocking the two girls who've never seen her do it before.
"Hey! We all need help sometimes." Ashido defended.
"I don't! Only weaklings depend on others! Anyways, Uravity, are these two friends of yours?" Tatsumaki asked. Jiro muffled Ashido's retort with her hands, and Uraraka nodded her head.
"Hmmph! You've got some low standards. C'mon, we're going."
Tatsumaki used her telekinesis on Uraraka, lifting her up and carrying her away.
"What a bitch! I can't believe she's the Number-Two-Hero of this world." Ashido thought, which Tatsumaki was able to hear with her telepathy. She wanted to flatten the girl like a pancake, but willed herself not to. She was used to hearing people think those things about her.
There was, however, something in the pink-girl's mind that Tatsumaki found much harder to ignore. Right when Ashido thought about the Esper's position as the Number-Two-Hero, she had briefly thought about the Number-One... and a mental image of Blast came to her mind, along with two other individuals that Tatsumaki didn't recognize. They were two men of imposing stature and build, one with blond-hair and a jovial smile, the other with red-hair and a scowl.
"She actually saw Blast?! When? Where? WHY?!" Tatsumaki wondered. She remembered her brief conversation with him just two weeks ago. For whatever reason, Blast wanted her and all the other Class-S Heroes to personally train these kids. But she was getting sick of playing baby-sitter, and she didn't like being kept in the dark, either. Blast said that he trusted her to train Uraraka, but he didn't trust her enough to tell her why...
Memories Best Forgotten: Tatsumaki, Uraraka
Continuing on with their training in the wasteland, Uraraka noticed that for some reason, Tatsumaki didn't seem to be very focused. The stones that she would often throw at her, didn't come quite as fast, and she wasn't shouting any critiques or huffing at the sight of her struggles. In fact, ever since their brief encounter with Jiro and Ashido, Tatsumaki appeared to be lost in thought. This finally came to a head when suddenly, the stones stopped flying at Uraraka, simply frozen in midair. Then Tatsumaki floated down and got right in Uraraka's face.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?" She asked.
"Huh?!" Uraraka wasn't sure how to respond.
"You and your friends! You all just showed up out of nowhere, and all the Class-S Heroes get pressured into taking you all on as students! Why?! Where'd you even get these lame powers of yours, and why is it so important that I train you?!"
Uraraka stuttered as she tried to come up with an explanation. It suddenly dawned on her that for this entire time, she never really told Tatsumaki anything about herself besides the mechanics of her Quirk. And likewise, she didn't really know anything about Tatsumaki.
"Well, it's… kind of a long story…"
Tatsumaki sighed. "Yeah, go figure. Alright, stand still…"
The Esper closed her eyes, and placed her index and middle fingers on Uraraka's forehead. In that moment, Uraraka felt a weird sensation permeating her brain.
"What are you doing to me?"
"I'm reading your mind," Tatsumaki told her, "It's faster this way, and I don't like listening to long stories."
Uraraka wasn't surprised that Tatsumaki had mind-reading powers. She was the strongest Esper in the world, with all kinds of psychic abilities. What did surprise her though, was the realization that this was the same thing that Blast did to Deku. That explained why Blast immediately halted his hostilities on them; he read Deku's mind and saw that they weren't enemies.
For the next 15 seconds, Tatsumaki probed through and read all of Uraraka's most prominent memories, and what she saw shocked her. The girl had memories of a completely different world. An alternate version of Earth with seven continents instead of one. A world without Monsterization or Esper powers, and instead 80% of the human race had bizarre mutations called Quirks, many of which were weak or downright useless, while others were genuinely powerful. It was a world chock-full of Heroes and Villains.
Tatsumaki searched for an explanation of how Uraraka and her friends ended up here, which led her to a collection of memories starting from 16-days-ago. Apparently, they had all been teleported away from their own universe by some Mysterious Cube… a very familiar-looking Cube…
And Blast was there!
Tatsumaki then frantically searched the girl's memories for any information she might have on Blast's whereabouts… but unfortunately, Uraraka was in the dark even more than she was. In fact, just last night, she and her classmates had a conversation about how mysterious and elusive Blast was, and she was planning to ask her if she knew anything!
Watching more memories of Uraraka bonding with her classmates, Tatsumaki discovered that she was deeply in love with the green-haired boy she called Deku. Apparently, Deku was the strongest member of their group, and the chosen-successor to the Number-One-Hero of their world. What's more, it was his responsibility to defeat an arch-villain threatening to destroy that world. She saw and felt how devastated Uraraka was when she read the letter Deku had left behind for her, telling her that he was leaving to face Shigaraki by himself.
The entire reason why Uraraka was willing to put up with Tatsumaki's training and condescension, was because she wanted to get stronger, not for her own sake, but for Deku's. She didn't want him to have to worry about her anymore, and she didn't want him to have to fight his battles alone…
One thing led to another, and pretty soon, Tatsumaki was reading ALL of Uraraka's past. Her encounters with a shapeshifting serial-killer named Himiko Toga, her time working as a sidekick to another heroine named Ryukyu, all her time spent at a massive Hero-Academy, how she first fell in love with Deku, all the way back to Uraraka's earliest childhood memories…
She saw a flashback of when Uraraka was just a little girl. Apparently, her family had a ton of financial troubles, and her entire reason for wanting to become a hero… was so she could make enough money to give her parents a better life.
Seeing how much Uraraka loved her parents, and how much they loved her, Tatsumaki reeled-back and floated away from the girl, staring at her with widened eyes and breathing heavily before turning around to hide her face.
"What's wrong?" Uraraka asked. She had never seen Tatsumaki like this before. She was usually super-sassy and constantly annoyed at everyone, but now she seemed almost… afraid? But why?
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
At this point, the dark-grey clouds overhead had started to release a growing stream of rainfall. But even as the gentle raindrops escalated into a heavier downpour, Tatsumaki continued to hover in the air, facing away from Uraraka and not saying anything.
"Ms. Tatsumaki, what's the matter?!" Uraraka asked her again. "What did you see? Did I do something wrong?!"
Tatsumaki clenched her fists and grinded her teeth. She still refused to turn around and look Uraraka in the eyes.
"You're So Lucky."
"…Huh?" Uraraka was growing more confused by the second. What was she talking about?
"You Idiot!" Tatsumaki screamed, startling Uraraka and causing her to flinch. "You're So Damn Lucky, And You Don't Even Realize It!"
Finally, the Esper turned back around and looked directly at Uraraka, with a pained expression on her face that Uraraka had never seen her with before. There were multiple drops of water running down both of Tatsumaki's cheeks, but with the heavy rainfall that had appeared, Uraraka couldn't tell if they were simply raindrops, or if they were…
"I'm so glad it's raining right now…" Tatsumaki thought. "I can't let anyone see me like this…"
"Whatever I did to upset you, I'm sorry!" Uraraka stammered, "I swear it won't…"
"SHUT UP!" Tatsumaki screamed, before grabbing Uraraka with her telekinesis, and quickly flying her all the way back to the Hero-Association HQ. She irreverently dropped Uraraka onto the ground, right in front of the main entrance. Their training had ended a whole hour earlier than normal.
"Go find someone else to train you!" Tatsumaki shouted, "I don't want to ever see you again!"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Uraraka was completely stunned. What the hell did Tatsumaki see in her mind to tick her off this badly?! What did she do to offend her?!
"You heard me! I don't want to ever see you again! Besides, I only ever agreed to train you for a week, and it's been two weeks now, so I don't owe you anything!"
Tatsumaki flew away, and Uraraka's mind swirled with even more questions, including and especially…
"Now What?"
Tatsumaki returned to her home, a large penthouse on the top-floor of a skyscraper in City-C. Using her telekinetic force-barriers, she was protected from the rain, but not from the salty drops of water running down her face. She opened the balcony doors with her powers and rushed inside before anyone could see her. It was an irrational fear, she realized, as her penthouse was at the top of a 50-story building, so she was too high up for anyone in the city to see her clearly. But just being outside at all while she was in this state, was unacceptable. She couldn't ever show weakness. She couldn't ever let anyone see her this way.
The Esper swiftly entered through the glass balcony doors and landed onto the floor of her penthouse. It was big and cozy, but not quite as lavish as one might expect. When Tatsumaki had purchased this penthouse, she had removed and replaced most of the furniture and decorations. She thought all that stuff was pretentious and decadent, things that rich people used to impress those who visit their homes. But Tatsumaki was impressive enough by herself, and hardly anyone ever came to visit her…
Uraraka had everything that Tatsumaki wished she had, but didn't. And she had no idea just how lucky she was.
Finally hidden away from any prying eyes, Tatsumaki cried into one of the pillows of her bed. She had been trying to ignore it, to deny it, but seeing all of Uraraka's memories reminded her just how alone she was. And the worst part was that she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
Deliberations: Class-1A
With another day complete, and with the third week in this Other-World now beginning, the Class all gathered in the common-room once again to discuss their experiences. Midoriya told them about the criminals he fought, and his conversation with MumenRider.
For a few moments, Uraraka forgot about her troubling day. Hearing Deku's wholesome story made her smile. She was sure that if he hadn't inherited One-For-All, he would've stuck to his dream and become a hero anyway, just like MumenRider did. That was what really made Deku so amazing. Weak or Strong, Class-C or Class-S, he never gave up on his ideals, and he always did his very best to help everyone. He was a genuine Saint, a wonderful friend, and whenever she was around him, he made her feel like everything was right with the world. All her sadness and worries vanished…
"Uraraka?"
Ever since she first met him back at the UA entrance-exam, Uraraka knew that Deku was amazing, and the more she got to know him, the more she couldn't imagine her life without him…
"Uraraka?"
Every late-afternoon when she returned from her training, no matter how tired or stressed she was, just seeing Deku at the end of the day, made it all worth it…
"Uraraka!"
Jiro snapped her fingers in Uraraka's face, interrupting her daydreaming, and finally getting her attention.
"Earth to Uravity! Did you get any more answers from Tatsumaki today? About Blast?" Jiro asked.
Uraraka was so flustered and embarrassed, it took several seconds for her to form a cohesive sentence.
"Uhm, right, about that…" Uraraka gulped. "The thing is, well… Tatsumaki, sort of… she said that…"
Uraraka clenched her fists and steeled herself.
"Before I had a chance to ask her more about Blast, she started asking me a bunch of questions instead. Then she used her powers to read my mind, and get all the answers from my memories… and then after that… she told me to go find someone else to train me, and that she didn't want to ever see me again."
"WHAT?!" The entire Class was in uproar at this news.
"Why would she feel that way after reading your mind?" Midoriya thought out loud.
"Yeah, why would she do that?" Kirishima asked.
"If that's the case, who will you be training under now?" Tokoyami pondered.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Uraraka shouted back, more frustrated with herself than with her classmates' stressful barrage of questions. "I have no idea why. She read my memories, and then suddenly she wanted me gone."
Uraraka took a deep sigh, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. She told me to find another teacher, but who else is there?"
Midoriya held his right hand up to his chin and started muttering under his breath, thinking about different heroes in this world that Uraraka could potentially learn from. After a solid minute of being lost in thought, Midoriya decided to just go with the simple answer.
"If you can't find anyone else, you could always train with me and Ojiro. I'm sure Bang wouldn't mind having another apprentice, and since you've already learned some martial-arts from GunHead back home, I bet you'd get the hang of it quickly!"
"You… You really think so?" Uraraka asked.
"I know so!" Midoriya told her, now grinning with confidence and enthusiasm.
Uraraka blushed, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Seeing Deku's optimistic-smile always did this to her, and the thought of training alongside him every day…
"I'll call Bang just to be sure." Midoriya announced.
"Okay!" Uraraka said, too flustered to think of any other response.
Midoriya called Bang on his phone and let him know what had happened, then told him his idea to let Uraraka join the dojo. Bang agreed to it immediately, but also suggested that he go speak with Tatsumaki himself.
"I'm one of the very few people she respects enough to actually listen to." Bang explained. "Even if I can't change her mind, at the very least I can find out why she expelled your friend."
"Thanks, Master Bang, I owe you one!" Midoriya said before hanging-up. He told Uraraka and the rest of the class the good news, and after thanking him for all he'd done, Uraraka turned in for the night. Many of the other classmates followed suit, but before Aoyama could go to bed, Hagakure took him to the side and told him all about her CSI mission with ZombieMan and Tokoyami earlier that day, how a Class-S was murdered, and that ZombieMan considered SweetMask a suspect.
"He told me, to tell you, to keep your eyes and ears open while you're with him, but don't ask him about it, like, at all. Like, don't even mention Puri-Puri Prisoner to him, let alone question him about his murder. And don't go out of your way to spy on him or anything, just… tell us if you see or hear anything that seems off."
Aoyama nodded; unsure what else he could say after hearing all that. He already knew that SweetMask had extremely high-standards, and was critical of several Class-S, AND was quite ruthless against monsters, so he understood why ZombieMan would think it was him. At the same time though, he wanted to believe that it wasn't him, that he wouldn't betray the trust of the Association like that, and that the grace and virtue he displayed was more than just a fraudulent persona concealing a wicked heart. And yet how fitting it would be, for him to have been paired with such a person…
When Bakugo and Todoroki didn't return from their day's training, Midoriya started to get worried. He checked his phone for any text-messages or voicemail, and then his eyes went wide.
"Guys, Kacchan and Todoroki are in the hospital!"
Some Author's Notes:
This is MY FAVORITE Chapter I've written so far, because this is where it really, REALLY starts to diverge from Lumpeistbark3's original work, and it truly becomes my own story. I did take inspiration from elsewhere, though. For example...
1. When Saitama shows up to save Bakugo and friends, it's obviously meant to reflect the moment when he answered Suiryu's cry for help in the canon manga and anime. I knew there needed to be a scene where Bakugo finally sees how friggin' strong Saitama is, and I wanted it to be as epic and heroic as possible, but then also goofy and satirical, which leads me to the second note...
2. The song that Saitama dances to when he clean-sweeps the entire Diamond-Dominion is "Like a Prayer", the song that plays during the opening fight-sequence from Deadpool & Wolverine. That was BY FAR the FUNNIEST opening-sequence of ANY SuperHero Movie I've ever seen in MY ENTIRE LIFE, and it gave me the idea of Saitama dancing to that same music while he casually massacres an army of Demon and Dragon-Level monsters. And speaking of...
3. The Diamond-Dominion is loosely inspired by the Petrosapien race from Ben10, the same alien-race as DiamondHead.
I'm especially proud of the two mini-chapters with MumenRider and King, and how I connected them like I was writing an episode of Phineas and Ferb! Rofl!
What was YOUR Favorite-Part of this Chapter, and Why? Post a Review and Let Me Know!
I'm gonna try to crank-out at least 1 Chapter per Month, or ideally 2 Chapters per Month. Easier said than done, but I'll give it a shot.
And THANK YOU ALL AGAIN for All the Incredible Support You've Given Me! GodSpeed!