Hello everyone!
I'm back with another chapter and thanks for your feedback about the X-Men involvement. (I'll say it once again just in case tho. Don't worry, I don't have Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, or another character like that around the corner now and I won't have them around the corner in the future either.)
In either case, I'm sorry for being super late on this one AND I'm sorry for the reviews I didn't respond to yet!
I do have an announcement, that kind of covers what I've been up to so stick around for that, but now, ENJOY!
In a small, empty room covered by the Highbreed alien technology, Yaomomo was sweeping metal shards into a dustpan with a tired expression and a faint light from the lanterns on her face.
"Almost done…"
Since Kirishima was off resting in his home, herself and Tennyson were required to have a long night. Holding out her hand, she created a plastic container and poured the shards before putting them in a garbage bag and tying it up.
"That should be the last of it."
She got up. Moving over to the wall, she opened a panel, while taking out her phone.
"Are you ready, Brainstorm?"
Despite a faint initial static from the other side, his voice came through smoothly.
"In due time, Yaoyorozu." He responded with a suave but also a little condescending tone. "My intellect is assuredly superior to any other being on this planet; however, as you're aware, any brilliant success is preceded by painstaking, intricate hard work."
The buzzing of lightning continued, as Brainstorm was most likely using his electricity to interact with multiple control panels.
"I am." She responded, before sitting down and looking at her brace. "I would like to inform you that the repair of the lower levels is finished."
"Oh…" Brainstorm stumbled. "Splendid! Then I shall double my efforts–"
She heard, only for several lightning bolts to pass by her in the dark!
*Buzz!* *Buzz!*
They landed in front of her, and formed into Megawatts.
*Buzz?* They opened their hands.
Yaoyorozu held up hers. "I'm sorry, however we require another moment of your time."
Mere hours had passed since their rescue of the creatures. They were understandably anxious and impatient but… unfortunately their asks were of no help.
Brainstorm's voice came from the phone again.
"Make your attempt now, Yaoyorozu!"
She flipped up the switch. After a momentary flickering, the lights came on… illuminating the Highbreed spaceship at Shiromaru Mine.
Yaoyorozu lifted the phone to her ear. "Very well done."
"What can I say… that hasn't already been said?" Brainstorm said with pride. "I'll now be making my way towards your position."
"Understood."
She turned off the call… before taking a look around.
It was the location of their first excursion. Back then they were trying to prevent the ship from launching, and they had succeeded with Midoriya punching to the side of the engine. Today though… was a different day.
She closed the panel, and spotted Megawatts jumping with glee from her peripheral vision.
"Now remember, you have to stay here–" Yaomomo said, but they quickly left her behind. She pursed her mouth.
"...*if* you want to stay safe." She shook her head. It was still a little hard to accept that some of these foreign life forms… could have such hyperactive interactions akin to kindergarteners. Her ears then picked up tapping sounds from behind her, before a green flash briefly lit up the area.
"Still getting used to things?" Tennyson asked.
She nodded her head. "Yes." She gestured to the semi-operational spaceship with lightning bolts jumping from light to light. "Our operations still feel quite puzzling… in terms of legality and all. However, I'm beginning to enjoy how high maintenance it seems."
"Really?" Tennyson crossed his arms. "Believe it or not, things used to be much less than that back in the day." He shrugged. "Good call on using this place to house the Megawatts."
Yaomomo tilted her head to the side, but then shook it dismissively.
"No problem." She said and put her hand on her hip. "B-But I'm curious… how did 'things' work 'back in the day'?"
Tennyson looked up.
"Mostly just one bad guy having an evil plan, punching the bad guy until his plan goes away and then just… leaving things as is, back on the road."
Her eyes widened in horror.
"Is that it?" She apprehensively asked.
"Pretty much."
"I-I see…" She said, attempting to wrap her head around that information. The fact that Tennyson used to be that careless, and yet for everything to still work out… It…
She shook her head. Right, she shouldn't take up any more of his time.
"In either case, do you think we should do anything else?" She looked over to him, and spotted Tennyson pursing his mouth.
"Dunno…" He shrugged.
Yaomomo's eyebrows pursed concernedly. There should've been something.
"How much were you able to get back?" She asked quickly.
Ben shook his head. "Not much. Brainstorm can flip the switches, turn the knobs, but too bad he can't bring charred systems back from the brink."
Yaomomo's eyebrows went up. She had no idea the damage was so extensive.
"So far, we have the detention system online. But no weapons, shields… or even engines on this ship." Ben said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Worst part is that the communication system's undamaged, but I had to keep it disabled."
She pursed her mouth. "I agree, it would be troublesome if there happened to be a backdoor for the Highbreed."
"The rest I'm definitely gonna have to work on bit by bit." Tennyson added. She put a hand on her chin.
"Could I help?" Yaomomo asked. "I… Though it's not much, I have an allowance to buy parts–"
"No." Ben cut in, rather sharply by accident, and waved his hand. "This… is my area of expertise."
She tilted her head. "Perhaps… it is."
Ben didn't pick up on the pensive resonance in her tone.
"Now… the night is still young."He continued. "I think I'm gonna stick around… rather than sleeping." He yawned. "Who knows what these nutjobs are gonna be up to."
He patted his hands.
"I understand, I'll continue to help out then." Yaomomo responded to him, before looking up.
Ben huffed, before sitting.
"Thanks…" He said with an exhausted grin. "We need to monitor them…" He started to yawn, before putting his head on the floor. "...at least a little while… longer…"
His eyes closed. Yaomomo also rubbed her eyes.
"What time is it actually?" She checked her phone.
2 A.M.
She sighed, before looking down at him.
"Come now, Tennyson." Yaomomo said. "We are better off getting back home."
However the shapeshifting her only settled into more of a peaceful expression.
"Awwww, please…" He rolled to his side. "Five more minutesssss…"
She couldn't help but grin.
He opened his eyes ajar, and smiled back at her as well.
"Alright." He got back up, fixing his hair. "Fair enough, let's get back."
The two walked to the entrance and walked down the pathway. Ben raised his hand towards the ship, revealing a small switch.
Yaomomo tilted her head as Ben pressed down on it and the lights around the engines and the rest of the ship flickered, before the pathway rose back up over the door and a small clicking sound echoed.
Yaomomo noted how it sounded like a car being locked after parking, as Ben threw the key and caught it.
"Courtesy of Brainstorm." He remarked before putting it in his pocket, and then walking out the mine with Momo.
"TEN! Isn't that crazy!?" Inko Midoriya exclaimed.
"W-Well… yeah…" Midoriya replied, with his eyes and focus on the grilled fish and vegetables in front of him. Since his right arm was still in a cast, even grabbing a bite to eat was challenging.
With his friends gone to track down the Forever Knights and Stain, Midoriya couldn't help but feel like he'd been confined to quarters! He wanted to be out there, right now!
His glass was sliding away from him as the sheer force he used was tilting the table.
"That's how many times I passed out after the cavalry battle… even though the last two were probably because of dehydration."
Midoriya shrugged. "Kinda sounds to me like you were more heroic than I was out there."
"Don't mock your mother." Inko deadpanned, before sighing. She turned to the bronze medal on the table. "Suddenly finding out you had a power like that… I'm glad you have a quirk, but did it HAVE TO be so dangerous?"
Midoriya's eyebrows went up.
"Of course I'll keep supporting you…" His mom continued, clearly noticing. "But, I am still your mother, I'm going to worry."
Midoriya nodded, as he resumed trying to eat his food… while staring at his bandaged right hand.
"ONE hundred percent!" He recalled his memory of fighting Todoroki, and how badly his body got messed up after that.
He winced instinctively.
"So." His mother put down her fork, and grabbed the plate from in front of Midoriya, starting to cut his food for him. "What's the plan for the fancy bronze medal tonight?"
With his side of the table suddenly freeing up, Midoriya chose to grab his glass instead.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "You said it was movie night?"
"Yeah. Did you pick something?"
Midoriya put his drink down.
"No…"
Unfortunately, any protests he had today had earned him nothing. The team had set their plans down, trying to find a way to track the knights by visiting all of their familiar locations without him.
All of their words were the same as the doctor's.
…
"Just take it easy for a few days man, man!"
"It's more important to take care of yourself now, Midoriya, and allow yourself time to heal."
"Yeah, leave it to us!"
…
He huffed in exasperation and his right leg started to shake anxiously where he sat.
"We still haven't heard from Kevin…"
He gritted his teeth, and descended further into his thoughts.
"It was already hard to keep Iida in the dark about the Plumber stuff." He gritted his teeth. "Now Ingenium's hurt, badly and I…"
He couldn't help but pause.
"Oh, this isn't fair." He cried out internally.
All Might hadn't contacted him since the festival either, and his mom had hid all his weights so he had nothing to keep his mind busy with!
"I need to know–!"
All of a sudden, a faint, familiar tune came to him.
"Hey, Izuku!" Inko said. "I think that's your phone."
And Midoriya didn't need to be told that twice.
"Yeah, it is." He bolted out of his seat and ran to his room. Just like he thought, it was Tennyson!
"Yes!" He opened it up, before looking back and closing his room's door.
"Hey, Midoriya. Sorry I couldn't call last n–" the voice came through but All Might's pupil had no patience with pleasantries.
"Yep I hear you, Tennyson! Now, tell me… everything."
Ben 10: Hero Force
Chapter 37
Name of the Game
Couple days later, Midoriya was running to school with an umbrella in hand. Recovery Girl had finished healing him, and the period to take it easy had come and gone. Once again it was time for classes–!
"Good morning, Midoriya!"
He stopped and looked back, right as someone zoomed right past him with such wind!
"Iida?" He exclaimed as it was their class president, wearing a green poncho, rain boots and running with way more stiff manners than usual.
"Why are you moving so slowly?! You're going to be late!"
"Slow–? L-Late?!" Midoriya did a double take before following after him. "There's still ten minutes until the first bell–"
"EXACTLY!" Iida responded. "Ten minutes early is when an U.A. student should be at his desk, ready to learn!"
Considering that the class president got him to run, it didn't take long to arrive at the school. Midoriya started shaking his umbrella, as Iida opened a locker and placed his boots inside. He looked at his friend from the side of his eye.
"Iida–"
"If it's about my brother, there's no need to worry!" Iida responded as he took off his hood and hung it up. "I apologize if I may have worried you needlessly."
Iida then walked away to their class. But Midoriya… he couldn't help but stare after him. Putting away his umbrella, he got a move on. Unfortunately he wasn't able to catch a glimpse of him again.
However, as he reached the classroom, he got to see someone else by the door sill.
"O-Oh, hi, Todoroki."
The dual-haired teen's pupils descended on him. With a blank expression, he nodded.
"Good morning to you too, Midoriya."
Midoriya, even though the ice and fire teen seemed way less aggressive to him now, couldn't help but still shrink at his presence.
Regardless though, Todoroki didn't notice and remained as forthright as ever.
"You look like you don't have your cast–" He said, only for Uraraka to join them.
"Good thing Recovery Girl could heal you, huh, Deku…" She said with her hands on her backpack straps.
"She almost didn't!" He laughed with one hand on his hair. "I got scolded pretty bad… and even when she did, I still got this."
He then lowered that hand, and showed the scars running across from both sides of his right hand. It matched the small scar by the side of his eye.
Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I heard you required surgery from her."
Uraraka's eyebrows pursed.
"Does it hurt?"
"No." Midoriya replied as he opened and closed his hand to demonstrate. "It's just going to be a little disfigured, I guess."
His expression turned serious. It was true that his hand didn't hurt… unlike all the smacks in the head he got when Recovery Girl decided he was well-enough to get an earful, but it still made him huff.
"It was probably well-deserved..." Midoriya thought. "I let go of my restraints, only to put myself out of action. They could have definitely used my help."
He lowered his hand, and Todoroki expressionlessly watched him.
"At least you weren't permanently hurt." He said, tilting his head.
"Yeah." Uraraka put one hand on her hip. "I don't know, but you definitely looked scary, Deku."
Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, and Todoroki shrugged at the comment, while the rest of the class were singing a completely different tune about the same events.
"It's so weird that people recognize us from TV." Ojiro leaned on his desk, and turned to his side–
"I know, right! People wanted to talk to me on my way here!" Ashido responded with both hands raised and a wide grin!
"Me as well." Shoji agreed.
"Oui."
"..." Koda sheepishly smiled, looking appreciative but also a little embarrassed.
"At least you guys got fans." Kaminari said, pointing to himself with his thumb. "You won't believe what they told me…"
Almost instantly Mineta and Sero opened their mouths.
"Don't worry about it, shock boy…"
"STOP!"
Jiro grinned with arms crossed, as did Tennyson while leaning back on his chair. He just felt proud, since he could finally enjoy the fun of fans along with his entire class.
As Midoriya then came around to his seat, still glancing to the right side of the room, he heard a growl from Bakugo before looking away tiredly.
"Seriously, just one festival and suddenly all of us are like celebrities."
Bakugo's eyebrows twitched.
Yesterday
"You threw down with Bakugo mid-air!? That's so cool, Tsunotori!" Kirishima raised his fists with the light in his eyes shining.
"Yes. It was very hard…" Pony replied, nodding her head. "Many times I thought I was going to fall."
"You did."
The pair turned back to him. Bakugo scoffed. "You fell many times already, horn girl! AND I was going easy!" He roared with explosions in his hands!
Pony flinched, but Kirishima nonchalantly shrugged.
"Oh, come on, Bakugo. We're gonna catch up." he said. "We're going to school right now to do just that."
"That's the problem, shitty hair. We're playing CATCH-UP–!" He roared again and Pony turned her wide-eyes to Kirishima, right as a couple of fans showed up.
"H-Hey, you're from the U.A. Sports Festival, right?" A group of girls exclaimed, swooning.
Bakugo scoffed. "What if we are–?"
Kirishima put his arm around his shoulder.
"We are!" He declared, earning a deadly glare that made Pony back away. The girls also seemed to sour because of that, and so they all turned to Kirishima.
"Could we get a picture?"
Kirishima shrugged. One of them immediately started to set up a selfie for all of them and Pony to fit in.
Bakugo stood on the side and crossed his arms.
"Just tell me when you're done with the riff raff."
"Alright." Kirishima gave a thumbs up. "Message received, Explosion Boy–!"
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!" Bakugo roared as one of the girls raised the camera up high!
"Saaaaaaay, Explosion Boy!"
They took the photo with a smile, as Bakugo growled to himself. He closed his eyes. "Not yet."
Bakugo gritted his teeth.
"This school really is amazing." Mineta said with stars in his eyes, and Tennyson couldn't help but agree and nod–!
Mr. Aizawa slid open the door.
"Morning." he said and everyone suddenly bolted to their feet by their desk.
"Good morning, Mr. Aizawa!"
The teacher walked towards the bust in front of the class' chalkboard, and almost instantly, everyone noticed the same thing.
"Ribbit?" Asui put her finger under her chin. "Mr. Aizawa, you don't have bandages anymore."
"The old lady went overboard in her treatment." Aizawa rubbed under his eye. "However, don't be concerned over me, as we'll have a big class today. About Hero Informatics."
A chill ran up everyone in the class.
"Informatics? Wait a minute… Could it be?!" Kaminari thought.
Ashido pulled on her cheeks.
"The infamous pop quiz right after the festival?! Mr. Aizawa, NOOOO!"
"If it's about hero laws, I'm toast!" Sero gritted his teeth.
However, Aizawa didn't have any papers in his hand, nor did he reach for the chalk next to the board.
"Codenames." He stated blankly, writing the same thing on the board. "Today you will select your hero identities."
Everyone gasped. They felt an energy welling up in them–
"OH YEAH! THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!" They jumped to their feet.
Even the three on the left seemed really glad now. However, with his eyes glowing, Eraser Head's hair rose.
"Quiet down."
Instantly everyone went back to as they were. Eraser Head gathered his hands together.
"This is *related* to the pro-hero draft picks that I mentioned on the day of the festival. Like I said, seeing your performance, there was a chance for some heroes to be interested in you and put in their request." He said. "Normally students don't have to worry about the draft until their second and third year, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to first years like you, they are investing in their future as well as yours."
Many in the class then started to stand taller and prouder–
"*Any*... and all of the offers however can be rescinded if their interest in you happens to die down before graduation."
Mineta, as he shivered in his seat by the mere thought, tapped his fist to the desk. "Selfish adults."
Kaminari clenched his fists too. "So we're gonna have to just continue proving ourselves?"
"Correct." Aizawa nodded, before grabbing a remote from the bust. "Here are the totals for anyone who got offers."
Class A No. of Offers
Tennyson: 3123
Todoroki: 2856
Bakugo: 1201
Iida: 791
Yaoyorozu: 672
Kirishima: 508
Uraraka: 368
Midoriya: 268
Ashido: 220
Jiro: 114
Kaminari: 35
Tokoyami: 14
"Wow." Jiro exclaimed. "Favoritism much though?"
"It's been more spread out in past years." Aizawa gestured to the board. "But there is still a massive gap between the leaders and the rest."
"Dang, you guys…" Ashido still marveled. "Look at all those offers!"
"I know, right?!" Uraraka seconded as he shook Iida by his shoulders. "We actually have offers, they want us!"
"It's in tiers, sort of…" Ojiro said.
"With two leaders walking in front of the competition…" Tokoyami said with eyes closed and arms crossed.
"And the five bottom is just pickin up the scraps." Jiro put a hand to the side of her face.
"At least you had scraps to pick up, ribbit." Asui stated with her expression unchanged but puffs of steam coming off from her head. "Only those of us who made it to the final event got offers."
"Plus Tokoyami." Sato said, before sighing. "Even just getting there must've meant a lot." he tapped his fist on the table just like Mineta. "That's so unfair!"
Yaoyorozu huffed as well, as her eyes were focused on her fifth slot. She kept up a polite smile.
"Your results are amazing, Tennyson. As well as yours, Todoroki." She said, before turning to her side. "You must be proud."
Todoroki was looking at the board, as his eyes then met hers. His gaze narrowed as his crossed arms rested on the desk.
"They probably submitted those offers because of who my father is." he said.
Tennyson then leaned back.
"I mean, for me, pride's just one way to put it." He said, slyly turning his gaze to his front and left. "It's mostly just nice to be number 1."
Bakugo's head instantly cocked back with anger and grumbling between his teeth. However Tennyson, expecting this, just leaned forward with a sly smile, moving his eyebrows up and down at him.
Midoriya kept his focus on the board though.
"Two-hundred and sixty eight offers… Despite everything, I still got that much." He muttered, before looking down at his scarred hand.
"Putting these results aside." Aizawa stated, pressing both of his hands on the bust as all eyes turned to him. "Regardless of whether or not anyone submitted an offer for you, you will all be participating in internships with the pros."
"You've already got to experience combat with real villains during the attack on the USJ facility. But there are still more layers to being a hero."
"Rescuing…" Aoyama muttered, as Shoji leaned forward. "Reconnaissance and patrolling…"
"Interning with a real hero will be the most direct and simple way for you to experience all the different avenues at the same time. Up close and personal."
"And we're definitely gonna need hero names for that!" Kirishima raised his fist.
"Now things are getting real." Jiro added, unable to help herself from feeling fluttery.
"These hero names will most likely be temporary." Eraser Head clarified. "However, you must still be careful. Otherwise–"
"YOU'LL HAVE HELL TO PAY LATER!"
Kaminari, Sero and Mineta immediately perked up as the 18+ Hero: Midnight entered the class!
"Should they resonate with the public, these codenames could be bound to you for life." She said, body swaying from one side to the other while her hands assembled behind her head.
"Pick something proper, lest you want to be stuck with something completely indecent."
"Midnight!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Exactly." Eraser Head replied, as she lowered her arms and took her place by his side. "And hence why it will be Midnight who gives final approval over your names." He grabbed his sleeping bag.
"Yes, your Mr. Aizawa is talented in many things." Midnight said with a smile. "But naming isn't one of them."
Almost everyone had to do a double take.
In Shota Aizawa's case (Years ago)
"Huh?" A young Hizashi Yamada snapped his fingers. "So, you haven't decided on a codename yet?"
As others in their class were presenting, the two chatted at their desks from the back of the class.
"It doesn't matter what I'd pick anyway. I don't want to be in the spotlight." The young Aizawa said.
"Then…" From behind his orange sunglasses, Yamada raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you wouldn't mind if, say, I were to pick your name?"
Aizawa shrugged.
"Sure."
"Really?! Then..!" Yamada rose from his seat, stretching right before striking a pose! "How about Eraser Head!?"
Aizawa rolled his eyes.
"Sure."
The scowl on his face grew.
"Even so, I will leave you with this." Eraser Head stared back at his class. "The name you give yourself is important. It is a wish, reinforcing your image now, and especially establishing what kind of hero you want to be in the future."
Tennyson's eyes widened ever so briefly.
"Future, huh." he repeated, before crossing his arms and staring at his own lap conflicted. "Thanks for the tip."
Many of the others leaned forward, staring off either straight at their boards as if the gears in their head went into overdrive, or off into the horizon, going into a trance-like state.
"Take All Might, if you still need an example." he remarked, and… Midoriya felt his mouth open.
"What kind of hero do I want to be in the future…"
Ben's mouth pursed. He looked around and saw many of his classmates writing… while Iida didn't react at all.
He just wore a frown on his face–
Jiro then passed him a board and a marker, right as its hesitant squeaks were heard from all throughout the class.
However, he didn't bother taking off the cap and just tapped the end of it on the board.
"Do I really do that?" He asked himself, before puffing up his chest and stubbornly writing down.
"Yes." he stated. "Yes, I do."
Little did he know, with her marker down, Yaoyorozu had looked over. The inner parts of her eyebrows lifted up, as she looked down on her board.
Her hands couldn't help but shake, ever so slightly.
"So, children. Which one of you dashing rouges is ready to share?" Midnight raised her hand as Eraser Head put on his sleeping bag to settle in the corner.
"Wait a minute, we're going to present?" Kaminari exclaimed.
"Of course dear! What kind of hero would pick a name, but not want it to be spoken publicly?" Midnight said with a sultry smile.
Kaminari opened his mouth… but couldn't come up with a retort. Midnight brought her hands together.
"Now, I won't ask again, people."
Ben looked around himself and saw no one volunteering. They just seemed embarrassed, with eyes averted from the teacher and boards attempting to be covered with their chests. He thought about himself… but immediately he felt the nerves as well.
"I can't blame 'em…"
His name was already picked out, or should he say it's been picked out for a while now, but… how could he explain it? Was there even any way to do it without raising suspicion?
"Or rather, could I?"
His eyes narrowed. What would his name mean to others… beyond just himself–?
Midnight put a hand on her hip. "Well children. I'm gonna have to start somewhere–"
"It's no problem!" Aoyama immediately raised his hand. "Moi can go first."
Midnight let him stand up and walk onto the podium. He was brimming with his usual sparkling confidence. Murmuring buzzed until he could put his board on the bust.
"Here I go everyone…" The dazzling blonde opened his eyes and raised the board up high!
"Shining Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling!"
"It's a sentence?!"
Somehow small glimmers appeared from beside him. However, the class was just speechless!
Aoyama closed his eyes back down though, and flipped a lock of his hair up.
"It's symbolic of the shining dream I have for the bright future…"
Ben tilted his head.
"What do you mean symbolic… It's a sentence!"
Midnight grabbed the board from Aoyama's hands.
"It'll be better this way. Take out the 'I' and shorten 'can not' to 'can't'." She said, before taking a second look at the board. "So, 'Can't Stop Twinkling', would that work?"
The shining blonde snapped his fingers. "Beautifully so, Mademoiselle. A future where light illuminates all… It's perfectly put into words!"
Ben looked at the rest of his classmates, checking to see whether he had gone insane or not. But no, most of the class were still dumbfounded by a sentence being okay… or Aoyama's mannerisms in general.
"It's like if All Might wasn't All Might, but 'I'M HERE!'" Ben shook his head. "Guess it's okay though(!)"
And Midnight must have noticed it as she then took the chance to stand behind the bust.
"Like your homeroom teacher said everyone, your name can be your most valuable possession as a hero, you better make sure it means something, either about yourself, what you stand for, or both." She then raised her hand. "And Aoyama's is okay, because it does that very well!"
Aoyama put a hand in front of his chest and did a gentleman's bow in response.
"So, who's next?" She asked, and… amongst the apprehension, from behind the class, one hand raised.
"Yes, Todoroki!"
Everyone's eyes simultaneously widened. Even Ben took his hand off his chin and looked back as, with his usual muted expression, Todoroki walked to the bust.
He placed the board facing towards them with no sense of bravado.
"Shoto"
Approaching from behind him, Midnight leaned forward and looked at the board with her hands on her hip. "Just your name? Is that it?"
He raised his head. Yaoyorozu, Midoriya and Ben all perked up.
"I know what kind of hero I want to be. And… I'm not sure if any virtue, or quirk would cover it. So, for now, I'm presenting myself." He stated with a melancholic air to himself, however it didn't seem as if it was out of sadness.
Ben leaned forward. He just didn't get that cold and angry feeling from the recommended student any more.
Todoroki glanced at his teacher again. "I can change my name if I end up feeling differently later. Is that right?"
"Of course." Midnight said, and as she did, Todoroki left back for his seat. The class felt like a stone sank to their stomachs, meanwhile Bakugo crossed his arms and scoffed. Murmurs broke out again, as Sato leaned towards Uraraka.
"That's quite the unique name…"
"It definitely is! Just like Todoroki here, kids, try to think outside the box!" Midnight snapped her fingers, somehow picking up his words amongst the noise. Her apprehensive tone was left for a smile.
As he then sat down, Yaomomo turned to her right. "I think it was a fine name, also."
Todoroki's gaze met with hers and he responded with a nod.
"So, who's next?" Midnight asked, thinking that the un-intended pessimistic tone from the fire and ice teen got everyone nervous. But that wasn't what they were thinking at all.
"Since the first two were so different, I don't know if mine feels right–!"
"Ribbit." Asui raised her hand though. "Is it okay if I'm next?"
Midnight immediately pointed to her. "Come on up!"
And with the presenting of the name she had in mind since grade-school, Rainy-Season Hero: Froppy, energy welled-up back inside the room and the names just kept on coming.
After she sat down, Kirishima took his turn!
"Well, no use in waiting around!" He showed off his board at the bust.
"Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"
Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Red Riot, huh. Is that a reference to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, perhaps?"
Kirishima put a hand on his hair. "Yeaaaaaaah. Maybe it's kind of old school, but I know I wanna be just like him!" He palmed his fist.
His teacher then looked even more interested, but ultimately gave an approving nod.
"If you're bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up to." She gave him a coy look. "Are you *really* ready for such a challenge?"
Kirishima raised his arm and flexed.
"I am."
Everyone filled to the brim with determination and spirit. Hence some of the names came easy.
"Tentacle hero: Tentacole"
"Tape Hero: Cellophane"
"Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi"
One after the other, Shoji, Sero, Tokoyami came up and presented their names. And after them, Jiro raised her hand.
"Oh? You got one, Jiro?" Kaminari lifted his head up from his board.
"Yeah." She said as Midnight gave her permission to stand up. "I think, at least."
Kaminari raised an eyebrow, and put on a sly smirk. "Is it, Reverb?"
Jiro's eyebrows went up, as he pressed.
"Or something else that has to do with echo?"
Jiro immediately wore her deadpan expression as one of her earphone jacks raised. But she then stopped and retracted it.
"I'm… not going to dignify that." She looked away, before getting up. She just wanted to get this over with.
Kaminari reached out. "Hey, Jiro–"
She quickly got on the podium.
"I'll be the Hearing Hero… Ambience"
"Now that's a good one too." Midnight said with her approving tone, to which Jiro felt her chest swell up. It made her settle more on the name–
"That's not a bad name!" Tennyson raised his tone. Jiro just rolled her eyes. She took her place again. Kaminari seemed rather surprised.
"Huh." He said. "Guess I was way off."
Jiro raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but sneak a look at Kaminari's board in the meantime. He had nothing written down, and Kaminari pulled his board closer to his chest. However, he noticed the grin spreading over Jiro's face and knew she saw it.
"It's harder than I thought…" He said with a nervous smirk. "It's like, names about you guys' quirks pop in my head like that, while I can't find any for myself…"
"And so… what? You had a name picked out for me too?"
Kaminari shrugged.
"Yeah, I mean, kinda." He said, not really taking note of the sarcasm. He took one of his hands off the board and raised it. "I was thinking much more dramatic, hear me out. What about the Sound Hero: Encore!"
Jiro's eyebrows raised.
"I…" She leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. "I don't know–"
"That's not a bad name either!"
Hearing that, Jiro's earphone jacks levitated as she turned around.
"Not really asking you, Tennyson!"
And Ben just gave a shit-eating grin in response.
"Sorry. Go on." He said, and as the good names went on with glee, he just sat back and got involved… only with the controversial names.
"Okie dokie, then let me go next!" Ashido then jumped to her feet. Without wasting a second, she showed her board.
"Acid Hero: Alien Queen!"
Four students in the class simultaneously jolted.
"Alien Queen?" Midnight echoed it.
Ashido opened her arms to her sides. "Yeah! Why not?"
"I could think of a few reasons." Ben thought to himself.
"Is it like that horrible monster with the acidic blood from the movies? I don't know about it." Midnight stated, but Ben raised a hand to his chin.
Now that he thought about it, this… probably wasn't a bad thing, in case of any more of his friends finding out about their operations.
"Uhhhhh..." Ashido muttered in the meantime. "Well, the monster does have a name…"
Midnight crossed her arms. "I understand that. However, this isn't like Kirishima." She said. "If people were to associate your name with that of the monster, like I did, it wouldn't be very favorable for your hero image."
Ashido opened her mouth again, but only to pout.
"Dang it." Her head hung low–
"But , you said our hero names should have our wishes for the future." Tennyson lifted his hand with a sly smile. "What if that's what she's doing?"
Her head cocked to the side curiously. Ben nodded. Now, it wasn't time to idle around.
"Hey, Ashido!" He called out. "Where did the 'Queen' part of the name come from?"
The two immediately locked eyes and Ashido quickly adjusted to his energy. She scoffed. "Oh, because this 'queen' is gonna get herself an agency after graduating! Did you even need to ask that?"
"Nope, I sure didn't." Ben shook his head and played up the theatrics. "And what about–"
Midnight cut him off as someone else had raised their hand. "Yes, Yaoyorozu?"
Ben paused ever so briefly. He turned around to see her speak.
"And may I ask, why did you choose the word 'Alien', Ashido?"
The pink-skinned girl looked up as she lost her smile, since she wasn't expecting Yaomomo to participate in this!
"Oh… Well… Uhhhhh…." She mumbled, brushing her hand through her air.
She spotted Yaomomo's eyes narrow.
"Because… it felt like the most tame word, you know?" She responded and shrugged. "Like, Monster Girl wouldn't fly all that well and I just wanted it to be about how I looked. And I chose 'alien' since… It fits perfectly."
Ben felt surprised, as he continued listening to her.
"It just means I'm different, I guess, *without* being dangerous." Ashido finished, and Yaomomo nodded. Keeping as straightlaced of an expression as possible, she turned to their teacher.
"So her name does reflect what she wants for the future." She raised her hand.
Ashido's eyes, as well as Tennyson's and Yaoyorozu's, turned to Midnight.
"Well?" Tennyson asked.
And seeing all the eyes on her… she couldn't help but call it.
"Fine, kids." Midnight held up her hands. "You got me."
"Yeah!" Ashido pumped her fist–
"But I still suggest you drop the 'Acid Hero' part." Midnight added. "At least that should be reasonable."
Ashido nodded.
"Alright, then it'll be…" She rubbed her hand under her chin.
"Taffy Pink Hero: Alien Queen!"
Midnight gave a thumbs up, and Ashido pumped her fist.
"The Improv Queen strikes back." She heard Kirishima say to her from his seat.
"Oh, you have no idea, Kiri." She responded under her breath. The happiness that her name was accepted was evident from her face.
Ben turned around and nodded.
"Nice assist." He said under his breath.
Though she felt surprised, she responded with a nod. "You too."
Midnight, though her arms were still crossed, shook her head and gave an eye-roll.
But Ben really couldn't care. If there was anything as good as giving people what they want… it was him getting what he wanted.
He just leaned back with hands behind his head, satisfied by helping out his friend.
"Teenagers…" Midnight muttered in the meantime. "Anyway, who's up next?"
With a hand slamming on his desk… Bakugo had put his hand up. Midnight, as she always did, obliged… and as if it was a roar, Bakugo announced his name.
"King Explosion Murder!"
Ben deadpanned.
"*I* am going to say that's a tad too violent." Midnight added.
He dropped the board and opened his arms wide. "Huh?! What do you mean!?"
"Hey man, why don't you be Explosion Boy?" Kirishima raised his hand, and Kaminari started giggling along with several others.
"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP, SHITTY HAIR!" Bakugo quickly snapped at him though. "WHY DON'T WE GO OUTSIDE AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHY 'MURDER' IS IN THE NAME!"
Ben just averted his gaze. Nope, there was no way he wanted to get involved with this hot mess, and because of that, Bakugo's time behind the bust was short lived. As he was then made to rethink his name, others just kept on taking turns. First one was Ojiro.
"To my ever-growing skills." Ojiro said confidently as his tail raised next to his head.
"Martial Arts Hero: Tailwind!"
Midnight put her hands on her hips. "No surprise with that one."
Sato followed him up.
"I think it's a little unoriginal, but..." He said with a hand behind his neck, as he held the board with his other hand.
"Sweets Hero: Sugar Rush"
"There's nothing wrong with remaining true to yourself." Midnight said, as she approved the name.
Koda continued, getting up with only a few words followed by Mineta.
"Petting Hero: Anima"
"Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juice"
Both got approved in an instant. Even Kaminari, in the meantime, came up with his own name.
"Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt!"
The proud blonde, electric teen tapped the board with his name on it. "Electrifying, don't you think?"
"It already makes *me*, tingly." Midnight said, rubbing her hands on her arms.
He sat down, crossing his arms and just leaning towards Jiro, who leaned away and rolled her eyes. Ben nodded.
"My turn." He grabbed his board–
"Actually." Uraraka raised her hand. "Can I go next?"
Midnight allowed her up.
"Ah…" Ben thought to himself exasperatedly. "Right. Raise the hand…"
Uraraka turned her board towards them.
"This… is what came to my mind. I hope it's good."
"Weightless Hero: Uravity."
"Oooooh, I just love that one." Midnight clapped her hands. Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief.
From the corner of his eye, Ben then caught Midoriya smiling. He looked at his board before putting it down.
"Well, Midoriya?" He asked. "Do you perhaps want to present?"
"O-Oh, yes." He responded, getting up. His smile vanished, as he took in the seriousness of the subject.
"This is it. It has to be." He thought, and showed his board. A collective gasp, barring Midnight, Tennyson and Bakugo, rippled across the class.
"Not quite what I expected." Ben thought before the rest of the class piped up.
"Are you sure about it, Midoriya, ribbit?" Asui asked.
Mineta doubled down. "Yeah, it can literally be your hero name forever."
"I know." He answered. "I used to hate it. But then, someone told me that a name is what we make of it. They gave it a different meaning, and…" He blushed, and averted his gaze.
"...so, now I really like it."
He looked at all of them though, and even if his expression was a bit of a nervous mess, Midoriya declared his name, loud and clear for everyone who may have tried to ignore it.
"Deku: The Number One Hero."
Bakugo faintly raised his head from his board, both in confusion and fury. "What the…"
"Wow, talk about goals." On the other hand, Kaminari joked while glancing over at Jiro, to no avail.
"It is… very ambitious." Momo put a hand on her chin, keeping her opinions quiet.
Midoriya, however, stood tall.
"It makes me sure of what I want to do, going forward." He declared, looking at all of them and Ben could only feel pride rising from inside.
Todoroki looked deadpan and expressionless in his usual way, however his head tilted, feeling curious and Yaoyorozu… felt a weight in her stomach.
She had her eyes descend to her own board.
"Everything Hero: Creati…"
One hand went to the side of her face… while the other picked up the eraser. Another then raised his hand.
Midnight allowed him up. Ben grinned to himself.
"Okay, NOW, my turn."
Yaomomo looked up at him as he proudly put his board on the bust and declared his name.
"Hero of Heroes: Ben 10,000."
Many questions arose.
"Ten thousand?" Asui exclaimed curiously.
"I mean, why not?" Sato played devil's advocate. "The guy already started to catch forms in the festival anyway."
"Fortune does favor the prepared mind." Tokoyami shrugged, however Midnight was far less dismissive.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "It's good to aim for the stars, but the people won't forget it if you can't deliver."
"Pretty sure." he responded. "Beyond just the future, I know I didn't come to this school to stay where I was. I have someone to be, and I plan to deliver, one way or another."
Yaoyorozu lowered her head. Putting down the eraser, she picked up the marker.
"Oh, cut the crap…" Bakugo rolled his eyes, but Midnight caught that.
"Language, Bakugo." She took a firm stance. "He's right to a certain extent, you only have three years here."
As Ben sat back down, she put both hands on the bust.
"Don't just settle on completing the schoolwork, become a hero that can surpass your own expectations at every turn. In today's society, those are the people who stand out!"
"Yes, Ms. Midnight!" Everyone repeated at the same time, and Yaomomo followed that up by raising her hand.
"Ooooooh, now we're down to the last three!" Midnight exclaimed before gesturing her up!
"I also have someone to be." Yaomomo thought to herself. With a determined posture, she came forward. "Someone I should be."
Calmly her board tapped on the bust as it was set down.
"I've been looking forward to your name." Midnight teased her quietly and yet, Yaoyorozu didn't react. Her mouth remained unsmiling.
She turned the board.
"Everything Hero: Genesis"
Many of them then remarked on how stylish that name was, though she paid no mind.
However when she spotted Tennyson straighten up… she felt her clasped mouth loosen.
He raised his hand,
"Well, Genesis… That's a bombastic choice." He seemed to be able to say. "What changed your mind?"
Yaomomo lowered her head.
"Exactly what you said." She answered. "We can't say where we are… so I thought I could use an upgrade… just like you did."
Her gaze narrowed as thoughts went by.
"Genesis…" The thoughts went by. "The beginning of an idea or movement."
Tennyson though seemed to not take notice of them.
"O-Oh. That sounds good." He said, watching as she sat down, before looking back ahead to the bust.
She put her hands together and concentrated on them.
"I…" She felt her muscles tense, but as if it was just a lightning strike, it quickly subsided. She took a deep breath. "I truly hope I won't bring shame upon it."
After that, there was only one last name to go.
"Tenya"
"You're using your first name too?" Midnight exclaimed as Iida also came up to the board.
"Yes." he affirmed, hiding his expression behind his glasses. "I am."
Ben tilted his head–
"Finally."
The class perked up as a collective.
"And here I thought, you'd never be done." Aizawa said as he opened his eyes from his sleeping bag.
"Ribbit, Mr. Aizawa, we aren't done though. Bakugo still couldn't present a proper name." Asui raised her hand.
"COULDN'T!?" A roar from the other side of the room shook the class.
"Yes." Aizawa nodded. "However, you've used up all of your time."
He gestured to the clock hanging from the side of the room. Half of the class time before lunch had gone by.
"Even though this is a lead-up to your internships, we can't use up more time and have your first day back be a stroll while your peers are hard at work. Bakugo, you're going to have to pick a name and inform us again."
Bakugo just looked away, crossing his arms.
"For now, we're going to talk about *where* you're gonna go!" Midnight chimed in before Aizawa took his place in front of the class. He cleared his voice.
"Long story short, they will last for two weeks." He rested his hands on the bust. "Those of you who got offers will be able to decide where you go from those lists. Those who didn't will get an entirely separate list, composed of around 40 agencies that have agreed to take people in from your class."
Midnight then assembled her hands.
"The most important part about these agencies though, is that they all have their own specialties, mostly set by the hero that's the face of the brand." She said. "For example, if you want to learn combat on the field, then a rescue hero like Thirteen wouldn't quite fit, don't you think?"
The class instinctively nodded, and so Aizawa took the reins again.
"Do your research based on this throughout today, and fill out the form that will also be provided by tomorrow. If you still find yourself struggling to find information about a specific agency, don't be afraid to ask us."
"Yes, Mr. Aizawa!"
"Now, get ready for your regular schedule and… keep an eye out for what you'll have after lunch." He said, with a groan being just barely suppressed, before ultimately leaving the classroom.
Midnight watched him leave.
"The lists and forms will be put on your desk during lunchtime." She said with a smile, before ultimately leaving as well.
"After lunch?" Mineta was the first to exclaim nervously. "Wait, what *did* we have after lunch?"
However, all of the class were acclimated to the schedule by now, and they knew there was only one answer.
Ben assembled his hands, as his gaze drifted to the wall next to him that housed all the costumes.
"Hero Training."
After lunch, the entirety of Class 1-A had gathered in their changing rooms, dressing up, and talking about future prospects.
"I wanna fight crime and bad guys in a big city." Kirishima said, before looking down. "But… hopefully in a city close by here." He closed the locker.
"Oh for sure. Big city for me as well." Sero said, putting on his helmet. " I wanna zip from building to building, rescuing people. Maybe dive into some burning buildings, classic hero style."
Kaminari shook his head, a little taken aback."Well… I don't know if tapes and fire are a good combo, but sure."
"I just know I'm gonna intern with Mount Lady!" Mineta pointed to himself with his thumb. Kaminari felt himself blushing.
"Yeah, that's no surprise." Sato said. "What about you, Midoriya?"
Tennyson's eyebrows rose, and Bakugo's eyes instantly turned to him. Midoriya locked the gym locker though, not reacting one bit.
"Hey Midoriya." Ojiro then tapped him on the shoulder, making him snap out of it.
"O-Oh, sorry, I… I don't think I know quite yet."
The two, now with their hero costumes on, made their way outside.
"I mean, there are two hundred sixty eight heroes who made offers for me. If I were to try to pick one, I would first have to know their and their agencies …"
The door closed behind them, leaving Ben and the rest unable to hear more.
"Can any of you get a read on what he says?" Mineta asked.
"Maybe every tenth word?" Kaminari replied, as the two also headed outside.
Ben closed the door of his locker, and then spotted Todoroki. He took a glance around, and saw that they were about to be the only two left.
"You comin, man?" Kirishima asked, and Ben shook his head.
"You go on ahead."
Kirishima nodded. "Alright, Bakugo, should we go?"
The ash-blonde turned to him before huffing exasperatedly, but still followed. As everyone had left, Todoroki got in the middle of the room. Ben sat down.
Taking one misty breath, half ice and half fire teen closed his eyes and activated his left side. A chilling cold surged and covered half of his white suit with hard ice! His eyes opened, flexing as he made sure his joints hadn't frozen… right before making eye contact with the transforming hero.
He stood still as a statue for only a second, before taking note of Ben's presence.
"So, I take it, you're ready? Fire and Ice Hero: Shoto?" The transforming hero put one hand on his hip.
Todoroki looked down, before meeting his gaze again.
"Just Shoto." He replied. "And yes."
The two exited the room. They were told to head to the bus stops after getting ready, and so that's where they were going.
However, the last thing Ben could really tolerate was the silence… and Todoroki apparently felt the same way.
"Why… would you stay inside..?" He asked. "...When I was using my quirk in the changing room. It must be cold."
"Eh." Ben crossed his arms behind his head. "I'm wearing a jacket."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "I… don't know whether a jacket would make that much of a difference."
"It's hyperbole, number 2." He responded. "Either way, I can handle it." He closed his eyes.
"I'm aware. Hence your name, Ben Ten Thousand…"
He spotted Tennyson's hair standing on edge the second he heard that.
"...am I right?" He asked.
"Yeah." Tennyson shook his head. "Sorry, it just still makes me giddy that I could put this name on it, finally."
Todoroki nodded.
"I understand. It is a powerful name, and… feels like it fits considering the names you put on your forms."
He, of course, straightened up with pride–
"However, be careful."
That pride went out the window, as he looked at his friend.
"During this class, I had a feeling that people got more annoyed than usual, due to your interference." Todoroki said. "And I sat behind you, Tennyson, saw as you wrote your name, but then chose to idle."
Todoroki pressed. "Why did you idle?"
He pursed his lips.
"Because I want to see others make their marks." Tennyson replied. His hands became fists behind his head. "Otherwise, when I start running, it gets hard to see the walkers."
Shoto's eyebrows went up, as Tennyson averted his gaze. "And nothing I *can* do, can change that."
They crossed back down, skeptically.
"You said I have people who could care about me, this class." He stated. "And yet… if I become a part of them, I see that I'm not becoming a part of us." He said. "You are not part of your own rules."
Tennyson sighed.
"No, Todoroki, I want to be. Sorry…" He replied, lowering his head and itching the back of it.
He shook his head.
"... but my road has to aim higher than Rome."
After brandishing their hero costumes once more, they took a trip on the bus. Some students felt an eerie tone as déjà vu struck at them, while it struck the rest of them only when they arrived. A very familiar dome, and very familiar distinguished rescue areas came into their view…
"What!?" Mineta's jaw hit the floor.
Tennyson seemed very unsurprised, but Todoroki stepped forth, looking around curiously.
"That's right. The USJ is fixed." Eraser Head declared, while from the corner of the entrance's walkway… a very muscular and gas-masked individual jumped down, hiding away from the students.
His knuckles cracked. "And you kids… are gonna be the ones needing the rescue."
And that's the end! What did you think?
So, originally this chapter was going to continue onto the rescue exercise, but I figured it's probably best to keep this on the shorter side instead and give the hero names of 1-A the bravado they deserve. Plus we just had plenty of action last time.
As for the names, I did tweak some of them a little bit. The most surprising part though, was definitely realizing: "Wait… Do some of these kids really have titles in front of their name, and some don't?!" XD
So I decided to mess around with those as well. And for Ben's and Yaomomo's names… I know they're questionable, but let me cook for a bit.
Speaking of 'a bit' as well, the announcement:
There will be a hiatus, after the next 2 chapters.
I hope to dive into the reasons in the next couple of chapters more, but basically I'm just in a very busy period in my life. All with my master's studies, writing the thesis, and trying to find an internship, I just need to take some time to take a step back and put everything in order.
Thankfully I managed to write the next chapter during this long period, so that will come out on time. But the chapter after that still isn't finished yet, so there might be a delay like this one. Butx2, if it's any consolation, I do want to announce a time frame to my hiatus as well when Chapter 39 comes out.
For now, have a great day and see you on the next one.
Reply to 'Guest' Reviews
Some1call4MR-E: X-men as a TECHNICALITY, exist within Hero Academia already, but their just never MENTIONED openly… Many 'newbie' author's use the excuse of "spider abilities" to FORCE the existence of Spider-man into the REGULAR category, mostly through "spidey" Midoriya, how 'pathetic' is that, ya'know? Anyway, there is nothing saying that the, the Character's of X-men, cannot exist within hero academia, even as just a part of the world, and not a crossover. So TECHNICALLY speaking, someone, somewhere, would end up with an X-men like ability, a living, comic book power, through no fault of their own...perhaps even a backstory too.
DBZpower197: Yeah, I've always been a fan of the X-Men and I just liked how the early days of Quirks kind of lined up with the Human/Mutant relations, so I figured I can sprinkle it in a little more than usual.
Tiger1301: Knew it
DBZpower197: :D
Guest: First off, you're doing a great job writing, if your plan with the Kirishima vs Sir Morton fight and subsequent X-23 vs Sir Morton fight was to make us readers ultra angry with Sir Morton, you succeeded with me, good job. I'm surprised you made Wolfram a Forever Knight, or at least Forever Knight adjacent, it does make some sense though. I see that Tensei has relatively the same injuries as canon and Kevin is trying to help and fix him up in his own way, how nice of Kevin. As for the inclusion of X-23, I'm kinda on the fence about it. There is definitely narrative potential with her inclusion, but she is also something that I personally didn't have strong emotional connections to. Her story is a darker one and I didn't grow up knowing her story, reading comics, or watching tv shows and movies with her in them so her presence and reveal here isn't as impactful to me as say someone from Spider-Man's section of the Marvel universe would be, friend or foe regardless, since I grew-up reading Spider-Man comics and watching Spider-Man shows and movies. This is VERY MUCH A ME THING NOT A YOU THING, I'm sure you've incorporated her story into your tale very well. I'm just personally not familiar enough with it to really appreciate it like someone who is perhaps a die-hard fan of X-23. This comment is also not a pseudo-petition for you to add a Spider-Man character into your story. Please forgive the lengthy comment, I am a very long-winded person when it comes to notes and also I'm composing this comment while tired.
DBZpower197: Yeah, I just wanted Sir Morton to be this absolutely arrogant, irredeemable racist knight, since I felt it would contrast well with Enoch's calmer and composed stature. Also, I'm so glad you caught Wolfram being a Forever Knight adjacent character, I feel like that wasn't brought up by the reviews that much!
As for X-23, I'd say that's fair. Even from the beginning I knew that adding in more X-Men influence was very much a "me thing", and it could mess up the Ben 10/MHA crossover aspect. But that's also why I kinda let Kirishima be the one to lead the chapter, Forever Knights be the antagonist, and Megawatts be the macguffin. I knew the X-23 part was mainly there to cater to myself and the little amount of people who'd fully get on board with it, so I wanted there to be a lot of other stuff for everyone else to enjoy as well.
Also trust me, the long review is fine. Hell, I live for long reviews! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it!
Captain Rex: Going to read this now. I have been in a My Hero Academia mood lately, especially since I am writing my own My Hero Academia crossover
DBZpower197: Thanks, and good luck on your crossover!