The remainder of the elevator ride down to the Research and Development wing was rather uneventful. Momo had eventually figured out the implication of the relationship between Moss and Mei and stayed silent for the rest of the ride, while Eijiro and Mina were more than happy to keep chatting about the entrance exam and their contributions to the effort against the robots therein. Daisuke merely listened in, leaning up against the walls with his eyes closed as he let the others carry the conversation. It was Shoto who threw a small wrench in things during the final thirty seconds of the ride, bringing the overall jovial atmosphere down immediately.

"…I have a question," the boy said at the first lull in conversation, giving Eijiro and Mina no opportunity to keep talking. "You said our classes had a low number of applicants for the Support Course this year, continuing the downward trend. What is that number, exactly? Will we be working alongside them?"

Moss and Mei exchanged a look. With an unspoken dialogue, they decided that it was the young woman's turn to answer.

"Well, you know. It's, uh. Zero."

Daisuke opened his eyes as the elevator hit the bottom of the shaft with appropriate timing. He blinked twice, giving Mei an incredulous look.

"Zero? Here, at U.A.? I mean, I know that people from the Support and Business Courses don't tend to get famous like Hero track students from U.A. do, but the name still carries weight and opens a lot of doors. No one at all is taking this job on this year?"

"No one," Moss confirmed. "As for the Business Course? Three. Things are dire, man. I have a feeling that's a big part of the reason for this mentorship program and putting the two of us in it. If you guys told us to get bent and you wanted a 'real' hero mentor, we'd be in serious trouble moving forward. Mei and I actually already have some pretty sweet offers on the table to start teaching here after we graduate next year, since Power Loader's retiring. The entire Support Course structure is getting that desperate."

"Desperate is the right word," Mei agreed as the elevator doors slowly slid open. "We're even doing Hero Suits in-house now. The five of you will get priority on that as a bonus incentive. Hopefully we're not giving you all enough bad news that you're thinking of ducking out. Please don't. We need you!"

The two Juniors exited the elevator in short order and spread out to either side of the door, prompting the underclassmen to follow. Daisuke once again brought up the rear, looking at the cavernous underground base that they had been ushered to.

"I'm not going anywhere, and I doubt the others are, either. This is… wow. I wasn't expecting this…"

Deep beneath U.A. University, though it was incredibly unclear just how deep, was a cavernous room that could only be described as a warehouse. While the semi-publicly accessible 'workshop' somewhere above was lined with shelves of equipment ripe for the taking and not much else, the real Research & Development Department was anything but a simple set of displays. Seemingly endless stretches of workbenches with attached computers and other monitoring equipment, expensive-looking machinery, and racks of weaponry both high-tech and medieval were all within the immediate area surrounding the elevator. The ceiling was incredibly high and lined with industrial lights, bathing the entire cavern in a warm glow. All in all, the place felt less like a cold, lifeless machine shop and more like an underground city than anything else.

A large directory not unlike one that could be found near a mall entrance stood before the group, labeling different areas of the workshop with arrows pointing in their general direction. The map was divided into clearly marked, color-coded sections detailing various different areas like the main computer room, vehicle bay, weapons development and testing facilities, support item storage and testing, and various other departments. Three exits, two leading to specific towers above ground and one leading to the training city, were marked with red circles upon the map. Overall, the space seemed to stretch beneath the entirety of U.A.'s campus and was incredibly overwhelming to all of the first-year students who had entered.

"…I agree with Dai on both accounts," Momo said quietly. "You could live down here…"

"We do," Mei said cheerily as she skipped over to the map and pointed out a small section labeled 'DORMITORIES'. "We do technically have rooms up on the same floor as the others, but we don't really use them for much other than visiting our classmates and public parties. Power Loader lives down here with us, and you guys can take some of the spare rooms whenever you'd like. I know you probably want to be around your classmates especially near the beginning of the year, but you'll always have a place underground with us if you want it."

Shoto stepped forward toward the map and squinted, as though he was trying to commit parts of it to memory immediately.

"A tempting offer. I'll take you up on that with some frequency."

Moss scratched at his scalp through his shaggy hair and shrugged.

"I mean… if Endeavor demands access, we can't exactly deny him. Being the #2 hero in Japan and a U.A. alum carries a lot of weight, you know."

"It would still make his life more difficult," Shoto pointed out. "I'll make sure that my actions don't fall back on you."

"Thanks," Mei replied. "We've got enough going on down here without having to deal with him. Then again… Power Loader would probably handle any grievances. Don't get on his bad side."

"How do we get on his bad side?" Eijiro asked. "You know, so we can avoid doing those things."

"Pretty simple," Moss answered. "Just don't question his authority down here. He's basically a god in the workshop, so if he tells you to do something, do it. Otherwise, you'll be fine."

"Seems like that goes for all of the professors," Mina mused as she joined the others gathered around the map. "We here for the tour? Or just to see the entrance?"

"A bit of both," Mei let on as she began jabbing specific regions of the map. "We're gonna hit here, here, and… here."

Momo raised a brow as she followed Mei's finger to the final location. It wasn't at all something she had expected to see… and yet, it made so much sense that it would be there.

"…Automaton Assembly Bay?" the girl asked. "Does that mean that the very robots we fought against in the entrance exam were built here?"

"Where else?" Moss asked rhetorically as he waved the group to follow him. "It's actually pretty straightforward, once we've got a design hashed out. The hard part is making them difficult enough to test you all, but not so hard that they're a wall for newcomers or too easy in general."

"You did a pretty decent job," Eijiro complimented as he followed Moss, walking past a few worktables and attached monitor setups. "They were satisfying to smash, but also did a little bit of damage to us. That being said… it looks like your so-called 'Zero-Point' model could use some work."

"…yeah, about that," Mei chimed in, turning to walk backwards and face the boy. "What's their deal, anyway? Midoriya and Bakugo? They hit that thing way, way harder than should be possible for untrained heroes. I tested that monstrosity myself with heavy weapons fire and couldn't even make a dent. They do still drug test you guys, right? U.A. can't be getting that desperate…"

Shoto raised a brow, looking to Momo for an answer.

"…drug test…?"

"You didn't take one?" Daisuke asked, already figuring out the answer as he put forth the question. "Wait. You two were recommendation students, right? They probably didn't even bother…"

"They did not," Momo confirmed, looking almost embarrassed. "I… sorry, Dai. I had no idea that they tested for such things, or that we were able to bypass it."

"Neither did I," Shoto agreed. "What sort of drugs are they even testing for…?"

Moss let out a mirthless chuckle, continuing to lead the group as he spoke.

"All the classics. Y'know, the sort of things they don't want the top hero academy in Japan being associated with. Weed, cocaine, anything else you might see in an after-school special. There's also been a rise on Quirk-enhancing drugs lately. The kind of shit most people don't even know exists, because if they did… it would create a whole mess of problems for both the public and hero worlds. That's why Mei asked- the kind of performance those two kids put on is exactly the sort of thing you'd expect to see from someone experimenting with some fun stuff."

"Kats doesn't seem like the type," Daisuke defended immediately. "If anything, he'd call that cheating and get really pissed off at even hearing the suggestion. Midoriya… too much boy scout energy. I can't see him even looking at a needle with curiosity."

"Dai's right," Mina confirmed. "There's absolutely no way, for either of them. I might not be completely innocent, but those two? Not a chance in hell."

Moss looked over his shoulder at Mina, giving her a serious look.

"If that means you smoke every so often, then that was your life before U.A.. Don't fuck up your hero career over something like that. They will screen randomly, and unless it's at the start of summer and you're not planning on being on campus at all, don't risk it. Take it from me. It sucks, but it's how it is. Seen two people kicked from our class already over drugs."

Eijiro let out a nervous laugh and put an arm around Mina's shoulder.

"Yeah, uh… noted. We'll both make sure we don't cross any lines. And there's definitely nothing in the dorms!"

Momo cleared her throat, choosing to ignore the comment as the group made a turn toward another directory that indicated the living quarters were close by.

"…going back to what was said earlier. The… the substances that you lost classmates over. Quirk-enhancing, or…?"

"One of 'em, yeah," Mei answered, finally watching where she was going once again. "She was falling behind the rest of the class and turned to less than legal means to try to catch up. Aizawa caught her. No amount of crocodile tears earned her spot back. It sucked, too, since she was a friend. But… the rules are clear. It's all in the handbook, even if the Quirk-enhancing nature of what she used wasn't explicitly spelled out."

Daisuke let out a massive sigh, walking a little faster to make sure he was in Moss' peripheral.

"Is this another reason I'm here? You're worried I might turn to the same thing in order to get a boost?"

Moss looked over, keeping his expression totally neutral as he led the way through a rather plain-looking wooden door.

"…yeah. You're a sharp one, y'know that? I do want to say, though, these are conversations we were going to have one-on-one later. I'm not trying to pull one over on you."

"I didn't think you would," Daisuke replied as he looked at the hallway the group had found themselves in. The light blue paintjob was peeling slightly, and a single solid horizontal white stripe lined just a few inches below the ceiling. Though the area was in slight disrepair, it at least smelled nicer than the rest of the workshop, which had a distinct stench of oil and metal. "I don't like talking about Quirks, but… I'm also not the type to hide. I'd rather we all be open and honest about it if it has to do with why we're here."

"Gotcha," Moss acknowledged. "We'll be up front from here on, then. Things are gonna get pretty awkward from time to time, both with us and your classmates. Be ready."

"We're already there," Momo said sheepishly. "Where are we headed to, exactly…?"

"Our dorm," Moss answered. "And then over to see the boss himself. This should be good…"

Author's Note:

Back to Bakugo next time.

-RD