Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.
FreakyFreek - I know what you mean about the Ochako syndrome. I guess Lewis and Fuyumi are the same in some ways. And I honestly think the Pussy Cats would try to adopt Lewis into their team and Pixie Bob would try to make him where the uniform. As you said, I'm trying to eventually reveal the consequences of the interview, but in this chapter there will be more reactions. Finally, I think that the meeting with Toga will definitely scar Lewis considering it was his first near death experience (except for the villain attack). Thanks for reading.
Djinn - Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're right about the interview having reached more people than expected. The Stain arc is coming up and mix that with the interview...well let's say it's going to be tough for Lewis. I've racked my brain trying to come with the names however, I think I seen them in another fanfic. Thanks again.
wellingtonlucas282 - Thank you so much as always. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
kunanonyatakanok - Thanks, maybe I should get a job as a psychiatrist...on seconds thoughts that sounds like a bad idea.
DipstickMadden - Of course, hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Lelouch of Zero - Yay! Another cat lover! Ahem- I get what you mean about harems and it is tricky to find a right balance between story and romance. I am planning to do more non-canonical chapters where Lewis has to do various things (I'm planning later in the story a chapter where Lewis has to take his drunk teachers back to their houses) so its possible I can have some romance chapters. Anyway Lewis can be strong and he would need to be in future events. Thank you for reading.
Davidab931 - Oh my God! I can just imagine the looks on the students faces walking in and just seeing Aizawa, Shinso and Lewis covered in cats. That would be hilarious.
kynan99 - No problem I hope you enjoy the next one.
ryyaikki - You're too kind, thank you so much!
EnderBlazeHybrid - Yeah, Toga is a very...disturbing person. I'm not quite sure if Lewis would immediately seek help and I think he would try his best just to forget about it. However, I think he will eventually. Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it. It does seem like most of the world is against Lewis, but as long as there are some of the world supports him he could do anything.
Guest - Fuyumi and Rei are two characters I have been wanting to write for a while now. There are both very sweet and gentle despite Endeavour's treatment. I also think Lewis will be Fuyumi's go to person on advise to help reconnect her family since both of her siblings seem reluctant to do so. Also I finally I get to write Lewis with cats. Thanks so much.
Blaze1992 - Hello again, I recognise your user name from my Fairy Tail fic. Just like him, objects he appears and disappears can't be seen. That's why Lewis has to flick is hand in a circular motion so his fingers cover his palm. You're right about the use of smoke grenades and such. I believe I go into it more in chapter 2. Thank you so much, I'm glad that you like both stories. I do have some ways to go in being a writer, but it's reviews like yours that help me get better and better. Thanks again.
Thank you all for reviewing :)
Language keys:
"English"
"Japanese"
Quirk analysis
Chapter 18: Hero Names
Lewis listened to the rain hitting the fabric of his umbrella as he walked to school.
He didn't pay much attention to the route or anything else as his mind drifted back to the events of last night. The knife pressed to his throat, the creepy girl who held him hostage...her... drinking his blood as it seeped out of his opened hand, and that face. It haunted Lewis throughout the night, causing him to be in a zombie-like state. The patched up wounds on his arm and on his throat still stung despite Lewis doing everything to treat them. He was able to cover the cut on his neck with his uniform but there was nothing he could do about his hand. He just hoped that nobody would notice the bandage wrapped around it.
He snapped out of his daze when he noticed that he stepped into the U.A gates, not remembering the journey there. He made his way inside the glass building, shook off the rain off his umbrella and made his way to his locker.
"Fleetwood."
Lewis turned to the door to see Midoryia and Iida walking through the front door. The green haired teen waved as he took down his umbrella, however Iida barely looked over at him. He was briefly stunned by Iida's appearance as he wasn't expecting him to come soon after the Stain incident, but he quickly got over it.
"Morning Midoryia," Lewis greeted with a tired smile before turning to his other friend, "morning Iid-" Iida brushed by him, placed his raincoat in his locker and made his way to class without saying a single word, "Iida?" Lewis questioned as he watched him leave.
He turned to Midoryia, who was just as confused as Lewis, with a questioning look.
"Is he alright?"
Midoryia nodded, "He was a while ago. In fact he seemed pretty eager to get here."
"Really? I didn't think he would to come in today. Did I do something to offend him?" Lewis asked in concern, earning an awkward look from Midoryia.
"W-well..." he stammered.
Lewis eyes widened in shock at his hesitation, "What did I do? We haven't seen or contacted each other in three days."
Midoryia waved his hands frantically in front of him in panic, "I don't think it was direct or on purpose...but...well you know that interview you did."
"I was forced into it but yes."
"Well...I didn't think there was anything wrong with what you said. Villains are people too and they need help and stuff but it was just... bad timing that's all."
"Bad timing?" Lewis asked before it slowly dawned on him, "oh no, the day I said that villains needed to be treated better was the day that Iida's brother was almost killed by a villain," he said, leaning on the lockers in despair, "but I didn't mean-"
"I know," Midoryia sadly said.
"I was just-"
"I know."
Lewis held his head in his hands, "I'm the worst," he mumbled miserably.
"No you're not," Midoryia reassured, "It was just bad luck that's all. If you talk to Iida after class maybe you two can work things out."
Lewis sighed, "I suppose."
"Great," the green haired teen cheerfully said before he noticed Lewis' bandages, "What happened to your hand?"
Lewis briefly panicked when he asked that. He knew he should tell somebody what happened but...he just can't. He just wanted to forget it ever happened and just continue with his life. He probably won't see...her again anyway so there's no problem. Right?
"Oh I err... was practising with one of my razor cards and accidently cut my palm," Lewis half-lied, "Don't worry it's not deep and I've cleaned it up."
Midoryia looked unsure for a moment before he nodded, "Alright just try and be careful next time," he caustioned.
"I will," Lewis promised as he made his top hat appear in his locker and placed his umbrella inside.
Midoryia gave a bemused expression when the umbrella sunk into the hat before adopting a curious look, "Fleetwood, can I ask where you send the objects to?"
"How do you mean?"
"Well since you're quirk only allows you to travel to places you know, does that mean you have a designated place for objects ready for you to make them appear?"
Lewis laughed, "Have I really not shown you yet?" he asked as he held his top hat out to Midoryia, "put your head inside the hat."
"...excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"I don't think I can fit in the-"
But before Midoryia can finish his sentence, Lewis placed his hat over his head and pushed it down. Miraculously, the hat was able to fit not only his head, but also his entire upper body leaving behind the hilarious sight of a hat with two legs.
Midoryia blinked for a second before looking around his surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of large bunker filled with shelves of wire baskets each labelled neatly and categorised in alphabetical order. He could see a whole range of things like medical kits, cleaning supplies, pens and paper, books on a number of subjects and many other things. The larger stuff that couldn't be fit in the baskets were given its own place on the far side which included his umbrella (still slightly wet) a vacuum cleaner and a small bed. He looked down and saw that his body was halfway through a portal in the floor.
When Lewis took the hat off Midroyia, he rolled his eyes in amusement as he saw he was already noting it down in his notebook.
"I see so you created this room so you would know exactly the location of any object you desire instantly," Midoryia muttered.
"Yep, my uncle and I created it a few years ago," Lewis explained as he placed his hat back in his locker, "I'm really good at remembering where everything is so all I have to do is flick my hand and any handheld object would appear. Anything larger I would have use either my hat or any other portal I created."
"Does that mean you can also use it to transport people in danger?" Midoryia asked in excitement, "It's like a portable panic room."
"I suppose it is," Lewis answered.
"So where is the bunker then?" Midoryia questioned.
Instead on replying, Lewis turned around and headed to class, "We should be getting to class," he said from over his shoulder.
Midoryia hurried after him with his notebook in his hands, "Wait. Please tell me," he begged, "Is it in England? Was I in England? I just travelled to the other side of the world and I don't feel any side effects."
"Yeah, I'm an airline's worst nightmare," Lewis joked.
Class 1A
Lewis sat down at his seat after a failed attempt to talk to Iida. He tried to talk to him on the way to the back of the class, but he just stared on straight ahead and pretended he wasn't there. Lewis sighed and held his head in his hands.
"Morning Fleetwood," Ochako greeted from her seat next to him before leaning towards him, "what's wrong between you and Iida?" she whispered.
"It's...nothing. Please don't worry," Lewis told her hesitantly, earning a concerned look from the brown haired teen.
He saw Shoko enter the classroom and gave her small wave, "Good mornin-"
"What happened to your hand?" she suddenly asked, causing Lewis yelp a little at how unexpected it was.
"A-accident when practicing with one of my cards," Lewis explained as she leaned in close to expect it, "I should have been more careful."
"Yes, you should," Shoko coldly said, but Lewis could tell she was just concerned for him.
She reached into her pocket, pulled out a green object and held it out to him. Lewis was confused at first until she opened the object to reveal an old-style flip phone. He didn't know they made those anymore.
"Number," she plainly demanded.
Lewis eyes widened in realisation, "Oh you got a phone it's very...nice. Why did you get that make?"
Shoko shrugged, "They tried to sell me the latest model but I didn't need any of that stuff," she explained.
"You had a choice, that's nice," Ochako muttered bitterly, overhearing the conversation.
Lewis gave her an apologetic look before turning back to Shoko, "Alright then. But why did you choose that colour? I didn't think you liked green."
Shoko momentarily met Lewis' green eyes before looking away, "It was the only colour they had. Number," she told him hastily.
'Was...she embarrassed by that last question?' Lewis asked himself as they exchanged numbers.
The door to the class slammed open and Bakugo stormed in, muttering bitterly under his breath. Yesterday, Lewis wondered if Bakugo would still be angry when they returned to classes and it would seem that he was. Bakugo growled as he saw Lewis and Shoko and aggressively stomped to his seat. Sero, who was in the seat diagonally from Bakugo, noticed the angry student.
"Bakugo you're not still angry at Fleetwood and Todoroki, are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jiro, who was in the seat in front, nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you got first place and at least you didn't embarrass yourself like Karminari."
"You didn't have to bring that up," the blond teen muttered, remembering his match with Shiozaki.
"Shut up!" Bakugo shouted back, "I ain't angry at gaijin and icy hot bitch, I'm angry because I have to sit with a bunch of losers!"
Momo sighed from her seat at the back, "Can you please not use vulgar language, Bakugo."
"Shut it! I didn't tell you to-" Bakugo's furious shouting came to an end when he noticed Shoko standing over him with a cold expression, "what do you want icy hot bitch," he snarled.
The other students got nervous when they saw Shoko looking like she was going to confront Bakugo. She has never approached him (or anyone) directly before and was wondering if she was going to start a fight with him. However, Shoko said something that none of them were expecting.
"I want you to stop calling Fleetwood that word," she plainly demanded, surprising everyone especially Lewis.
Bakugo blinked in shock before standing up and furiously getting into her face, "What did you say!"
Shoko barely flinched as he shouted in her face, "It's rude, racist and he has done nothing to deserve it. So apologise to him."
"Why the hell you care!? That fucking Gajin hasn't complained!" he turned sharply to Fleetwood, "you getting others to fight your battles now, you spineless piece of shit!"
Lewis ignored him and turned to Shoko, "It's fine. I honestly don't mi-"
His attempt to calm things down was stopped immediately by Shoko sending him a scornful look. Lewis gulped and backed away.
"You can take on Bakugo in a fight, but you can't talk back to a girl," Sato said to Lewis with a small sweat drop.
"You're so whipped," Mineta said out loud, squeaking in fear as Shoko sent him an even harsher look.
She glared back at Bakugo who was glowering at her, "Stop calling him that," she firmly demanded.
"Why don't you make me, icy hot bitch," Bakugo growled back.
"You know she has a point, Bakugo," Kirishima piped up from his seat, "You really should stop calling him that."
"Huh!" Bakugo cried angrily at him.
"I agree," Momo said, "such name calling is unsuitable against a fellow classmate."
"Then what the hell should I call him then!"
"You can try his name," Jiro snidely said.
"Like hell I will!" Bakugo responded, making Jiro roll her eyes.
'And here I thought somebody was actually going to call me by real name,' Lewis thought, thinking of all the nicknames everybody calls him.
The classroom door slid open and Aizawa dragged himself in. The bandages wrapped around his face were gone revealing his tired appearance once again. Although, Lewis did spot a scar underneath his left eye from the villain attack. He lazily looked over the class and his stern gaze fell upon Shoko and Bakugo,
"Todoroki, Bakugo in your seats," he commanded as he made his way to the podium.
The two shot each other another glare before they did what Aizawa told him. Lewis whispered his thanks as she sat down, earning a small hum in reply.
Seeing that he's got his class attention, Aizawa started, "Now today's class is going to be special," he announced instantly worrying everyone that it would be another assignment, "it's time for you to pick out your hero names."
The mood completely shifted into excitement at the mention of choosing their hero names. Hero names or code names are a vital part in becoming a pro hero. It's the name the public would know you by and will look up to. A title that you want symbolises who you are and how you want to present yourself to the world. It is an important aspect of heroism that can date back to first action comics.
'This is so cool!' Lewis thought happily.
...Yeah it's also really cool.
Aizawa sent a glare which silenced the class again, "This is related to the draft nominations by pros the other day. The nominations will truly start mattering only after you've some experience and your adaptable fighting ability is judged during your sophomore and senior years. In other words, your nominations you're getting this year are more akin to expressions of 'interest' in your future potential and it's not rare that that interest dries up by graduation," he said before glaring at Lewis, "Although, it would seem some of you have begun remedying this by making yourselves spectacles in front of the whole world."
The whole class turned around to look at Lewis.
Lewis frowned in irritation, "Isn't against school rules to single out students," he said in a deadpanned tone.
"I never said it was you, Fleetwood," Aizawa replied, a hint of humour in his voice, before turning to the front board where a projection lit up showing a bar graph, "the tally of the nominations is as follows. Typically the results are more balanced, but this year all the attention leaned to two people."
The class was shocked with the results. Only ten students had nominations with the majority going to Todoroki and Bakugo (4,123 and 3,566 respectively) while the other eight barely had over 400. To Lewis' surprise, despite getting third place he had only got 203 nominations and placed behind Tokoyami, Iida, and Karminari.
"Damn, Todoroki and Bakugo got so many," Kirishima muttered in disbelief.
"Yeah, I bet Bakugo could have gotten more if he didn't have to restrained. Must have scared them off," Sero commented.
"PROS AIN'T GONNA BE SCARED!" Bakugo shouted angrily.
"Wait, why did Fleetwood get so little?" Sato questioned, glancing back at him in concern.
Mina nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he got third place and he's got less then Karminari."
"Ha!" Bakugo cried with a triumphant smile, "heroes probably saw how useless he and his quirk was."
Lewis gave him a light glare before turning back to the board, slightly saddened by the result. Sure he didn't really care for the population contest, but he thought he had at least a bit more. He looked at Aizawa and his teacher met his gaze. He motioned with his hand that he would explain later and Lewis nodded in understanding.
"Based on this," Aizawa continued, "Regardless of whether or not you received any nominations. I'll be having you all go get some so-called 'work-place experience'. Since you all, unfortunately, dipped a toe in the world of the pros, I think that experiencing the activities of heroes first-hand will prove to be more fruitful training then before."
"And because of that we need hero names, huh?" Sato said outload excitedly.
Ochako nodded in agreement, "Things've gotten fun all of a sudden," she said, here voice slipping into her Kansai accent for a moment.
"Of course, placeholder names are fine," Aizawa droned on, "but you need to pick something appropriate-"
"Because if not, it'll be hell from there!" Midnight declared as she sauntered into the room unexpectedly, "the names you come to be known by the world as now. In many cases, they stay that way after becoming pros," she explained as he flicked her long dark hair and stood at the podium.
'How long was she waiting out there?' Lewis pondered.
"She's right," Aizawa said as he got out his sleeping bag from under his desk, "I'll be having Ms Midnight evaluate your naming. I'm not good at that sort of thing. The way your futures end up will approach the image projected by the names you choose. It's all down to the old phrase, 'names and natures often agree'."
And with that he got into his sleeping bag, laid on the floor, and drifted off to sleep, making Midnight roll her eyes at the sight. She handed out white boards to everyone and told them that they had 15 minutes to come up with a name.
Lewis stared at his board thoughtfully. He has thought of hero names when he was younger, however they weren't great names (Teleport Boy, Vortex, Everywhere Man to name a few). Now he has the opportunity to come up with a proper name that other people will know him by.
'This is going to be hard. I'm not great at puns or play on words. However, I really dislike anything too generic. It needs to be special to me. What do people know of me?' he wondered before sighing in irritation, 'They know that I can disappear and that I wear cat ears,' he mumbled bitterly, 'Disappear and cats. Disappear and cats. Disappear and cats!' he gasped in realisation, 'I've got it! I mean it's simple, but still recognisable and, thinking about, I do share similar traits. We both teleport, my mask kind of looks like its smile, when I overuse my quirk we both go slightly insane, I even share its name with its creator. It's perfect! Also I might as well lean in with the cat idea."
He began to write down his name suggestion before smiling proudly to himself. Lewis glanced over to his left and saw Shoko's board. He was quite surprised to see that she had only put he own name and turned to her with an inquisitive look.
"You're going with your name?" Lewis asked, catching her attention.
She shrugged plainly, "Yes, it's fine. Unless you can suggested something."
"Oh well..." Lewis thoughtfully hummed, "Ice and fire, ice and fire," he muttered to himself before he thought of something, "what about Elduris?"
"Elduris?" she repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I combined the Icelandic words for fire, which is eldur, and ice, which is ìs. The reason I chose Icelandic is because Iceland is known as the Land of Ice and Fire and your the Woman of Ice and Fire. Plus, it sounds like a name J.R.R Tolkien would come up with for an elf who are known for being beauti-" Lewis stopped himself before he embarrassed himself, "I mean- for being calm and collected. Yeah that's what I was going to say," he lamely finished with a flushed face.
Shoko stared at Lewis for a few seconds before looking down at her board, rubbing out her previous name, and wrote Elduris in its place. She gave Lewis a small smile.
"Thank you," she told him before looking back to the front.
Lewis smiled as well before looking back and jumping in surprise when he noticed Midnight was standing next to him. She hugged herself, squirming slightly as she blushed and licked her lips.
"Oh youth," she moaned happily as Lewis gave her an odd look.
Fifteen minutes later and it was time to present their hero names. Aoyama volunteered to go first and, as everyone predicted, his hero name was just as ridiculous as he was.
"Mes amies, I am the Sparkling Hero: I Cannot Stop Twinkling!" he announced dramatically, earning a groan from the rest of the class .
"It's a whole sentence!" some shouted at him.
Midnight told him to shorten it by taking out the 'I' and contract the 'Cannot' to 'can't' to which the blond boy agreed. Lewis had to admit that he wasn't expecting much from his flamboyant classmate. Next, Mina came to the front and presented her name.
"I'm next, call me The Ridley Heroine: Alien Queen!" she declared.
Midnight instantly denied the name, "You're aiming for the image of a super acidic blood thing! Absolutely not," Midnight told her, much to Mina's dismay.
"What!? But it's such a good one," she whined before turning to Lewis, "Neko chan help me."
Lewis smiled awkwardly, "Well first of all the Alien Queen appeared in the sequel which was directed by James Cameron, not Ridley Scott. So you should be called The Cameron Heroin."
"That's the opposite of helping, Neko chan," Mina crossly said.
"R-right sorry," Lewis apologised, "what about Xeno? It's from the Greek for foreign or alien and so any relation to the Xenomorphs is just coincidental."
Midnight looked at Mina' pleading eyes and reluctantly sighed.
"Fine," she agreed, making the student jump in joy and go back to her seat.
She mouthed the words 'thank you' at Lewis to which he replied with a bashful look. The look disappeared as soon as he noticed Shoko's glare.
Soon all the students came up and showed off the names they gave themselves. Asui came up with The Rainy Day Heroine: Froppy. Then Kirishima came up with Red Riot, Jiro with Earphone Jack, Shoji with Tentacle, Sero with Cellophane, Ojiro with Tail Man, Sato with Sugar Man, Karminari with Charge Bolt, Hagakure with Prism, Momo with Creatie, Shoko with Elduris, Tokoyami with Tsukuyomi and Mineta with Grape Juice.
It was Lewis' time to present and he made his way to the front, "Well, I hope this name is alright," he said presenting the board to everyone, "call me The Disappearing Hero: Cheshire," he announced anxiously.
Midnight chuckled lightly, "Like the cat from Alice in Wonderland. I can see the connection, so you finally gave in to the feline motif."
Lewis shrugged, "It's better than Cheer-wood, I guess" he said, making some of the students laugh.
"Great name, Fleetwood," Kirishima said as the other students agreed, making Lewis smile happily.
"Are you sure want to be known as The Disappearing Hero?" Midnight asked in concern, "It may imply you disappear when danger comes along."
Lewis thought for a moment before smiling confidently, "I'm sure. I think it sounds cool."
"Doing something because it's cool isn't rational," Aizawa mumbled from within his sleeping bag.
Lewis raised an eyebrow, "Isn't getting another teacher in just because you don't want to do the subject just as irrational," he counted.
Aizawa didn't respond to his remark, "Don't pretend your asleep, I know you heard me," Lewis crossly told him.
Midnight gave his name a go ahead and he went back to his seat. As he walked down the aisle he spotted Midoriya's board which read 'Deku' the name that Bakugo uses to insult him. Lewis gave him a confused look to which he replied with a reassuring smile.
'Well, if you're sure,' Lewis thought as he continued walking, 'I guess if he owns it then it doesn't become an insult. Way to stick it to Bakugo,' Lewis mentally said as he sat back in his seat.
(A.N: For all my American readers. The 'shire' part in Cheshire is pronounced 'shear' as in 'to shear a sheep' not 'Shire' where the Hobbits live. It's the same with other English counties like Leicestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The 'shire' part is where we get the word 'sheriff' from, interestingly enough.)
"Fleetwood outside," Aizawa called out to him and motioned to the door. Lewis briskly followed him, eager to know what he has to say.
The rest of the class looked over their lists of work study nominations that Aizawa gave them, trying to decide who they were going to. One of these students was Mina who looked over her list wearily. She didn't get any nominations despite being in the final event and was a little bitter about it. However, she tried not to get her down and looked over the list again.
She gasped when she remembered something and pulled out her phone, "Oh my God, I totally forgot. Neko chan and I went to a cat cafe yesterday and-"
"Wait," Jiro interrupted, "I thought he was tutoring you," pointing an accusatory earjack at her.
Mina grinned at her, "It was reward because I did an awesome job. But I honestly think it was more of a reward for him. Look at how many cats are on him " she said, showing everyone the photos she took.
The 1A girls instantly gathered around and began cooing over the pictures.
"That's so cute," Hagakure squealed.
"So many cats," Jiro muttered.
"How many are actually on him?" Ochako asked.
Mina thought for moment, "About nine or ten."
"Oh my," Momo murmured.
"He really does live up to his name, ribbit."
"May I see?" Shoko's monotone voice surprised the girls. She has never made an attempt to join them before and were briefly stunned by her presence.
Mina's eyebrows raised slightly before hesitantly showing her phone to her, "Err...sure."
Shoko leaned in slightly and inspected every single photo she showed her. To their surprise, Shoko's cheeks flushed slightly before she nodded in thanks.
"Can you...send them to me?" she requested hesitantly.
Mina's eyes lit up, "Sure I'll send the-"
"Excuse me," another emotionless voice interrupted.
The girls yelped in fright before looking around to see Yui Kodai standing by her seat.
"Where did you come from?" Mina asked in shock.
"Class B," she plainly replied, "Photos of Fleetwood and cats. Please show me," Kodai requested.
Mina frowned, "How did you know? I said that like 20 seconds ago."
Kodai kept on staring at her, "Please show me," she repeated.
Showing her the phone, Kodai hummed as she looked at the photos with red cheeks. She gave Mina a serious look.
"I'll give you ¥10,000 for all of them," she offered, causing Mina to sweat drop.
"I'll can just send them to you," Mina said, slightly freaked out by what was happening.
Kodai frowned in determination, "¥20,000."
"Please stop offering money," Mina pleaded.
Outside the Classroom
Aizawa leaned against the wall while Lewis stood before him. The teacher's eyes saw the bandage wrapped around his hand and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. Lewis looked down at his hand before giving Aizawa a sheepish look.
"I cut it by accident with one of my cards. It's not as bad as it looks," he told him the half-lie.
Aizawa hummed and Lewis thought he had seen through lie. Luckily, he nodded as he accepted the story and Lewis sighed in relief mentally.
"After class go to the old lady," Aizawa ordered.
"Oh I don't want Recovery Girl's quirk to waste her quirk on it," Lewis said.
"Still get it checked out," his teacher pressed and Lewis reluctantly agreed, "You're wondering why you got so little nominations."
"Yeah, don't get me wrong I'm happy to get them and I shouldn't really care anyway, but..." Lewis trailed off, trying to find the right words.
Aizawa pulled out his phone, tapped if a few times before showing it to Lewis, "This is how many nominations you received before the Sports Festival ended," he said showing him that there were 1205 hero agencies that requested him, "and this is two days after your interview," he said swiping the phone to show number he had now.
"1002 hero agencies pulled out," Lewis stated in disbelief, "just because I gave an interview."
"It would seem that they don't want a potential hero that is critical of the government," Aizawa sighed as he put his phone away, "hero agencies are always competing with each other so they can't take the chance hiring somebody who could potentially cause trouble for them. You're already a media pariah just after one day."
Lewis sighed in despair, "I sorry Mr Aizawa, I honestly didn't want to cause trouble," he apologised, 'It's like some god is trying his best to make my life miserable or something,' he thought bitterly.
(A.N -Victor whistles innocently-)
"Don't be. This is actually a good thing," Aizawa said, surprising Lewis.
"Good thing?"
Aizawa hummed, "Those hero agencies pulled out for one of two reasons: either they care too much about their image or they do not agree with your views on villains. This means those agencies are not worth your time and are not going to teach you anything substantial. This means that the hero agencies left are serious about their profession and do not care about public image. That means that those 203 nominations are going to benefit you more then the 1002 who pulled out. If you've done anything, you've made it easier to choose where to go on your work study."
Lewis blinked in disbelief before a smile spread across his face, "Wow...that's...that's really good."
"However, you still have to choose which out of the 203 nominations you want to go to," Aizawa reminded, "take your time, do your research and choose wisely. You got that."
"Yes sir," Lewis nodded firmly.
"Good. Also today, report to Principal Nezu's office during your lunch break. He's heard of your extra curricular club you want to set up and wants to know more. He had Lunch Rush send some food up so don't worry about not eating."
Lewis gasped happily, "Brilliant. Oh but I don't have a presentation prepared."
"Don't bother with one," Aizawa told him as he began to take his leave, "It's an informal meeting so just tell him what's it's all about."
"Right, thank you sir," Lewis excitedly said as his teacher made his way to the Staff Room.
Aizawa waved lazily over his shoulder, "Thank me by getting your hand checked out. The last thing I need is extra paper work because you died of gangrene," he called out, causing Lewis to chuckle.
Lewis looked down at the list of nominations, but not out of misery but out of pride. He knows that these agencies are going to be a great step into becoming a hero.
The door to Class 1A slid open and, much to his surprise, Kodai stepped out, looking at her phone intently. She looked up at him, gave him a nod and then made her way back to her class, leaving behind a bemused Lewis.
"I...didn't see her go in," he uttered to himself.
Principal Nezu's Office
The room seemed comically large for an occupant who was so small.
It had everything you would expect from a headmaster's office: shelves full of files, a large oak desk, and some office supplies. Although at the far end of the room was a large window which gave an impressive view of U.A's entrance. Judging by the the height and the position, Lewis guessed that the office was located in the middle of the bridge that made up the 'H' shaped building.
Principal Nezu warmly welcomed him in and told him to take a seat on the one of the long sofas in the middle of the room and help himself off to the assortment of food on the table before him. Lewis explained the club he wanted to create while they ate and had tea and, judging by the small smile on his furry face, Nezu seemed to like the idea.
"I must say Mr Fleetwood that you're club sounds very interesting," Nezu said as he nibbled on a block of cheese, "I understand that hero students are isolated among the rest of the students and I believe this would be a good way to bridge this division. However, I'm not quite sure how I feel about a first year student leading the club."
Lewis nodded in understanding, "I can have a teacher check over the lesson plan before every meeting. Also my uncle can advise me on any police protocols and self defence. Not only that but I'm a licensed first aider."
"I can see that you have been putting your skills to good use," Nezu observed as he calmly sipped his tea.
Lewis was confused at first before he looked down at his hand in realisation, "Oh right, I did it yesterday by accident," he explained once again.
"I was actually referring to the one on your neck," Nezu said as he raised an eyebrow.
Lewis jumped in his seat and pulled up his collar, "Oh..right...that was the same card. It flew out of my hand and nicked my neck. It's only a small cut so I forgot," he lied.
Nezu frowned sceptically and placed his cup on the table, "I see. Mr Fleetwood are you sure it was your card or is there something else you want to tell me?"
Lewis gulped as he knew he had been caught. He knew that he should tell them, but there was something in the back of his mind telling him that he shouldn't and that it will be too much of an inconvenience for everyone. He was already suffering the consequences of his interview, he can only imagine what would happen if the media finds out that he was held hostage. He would be in the news again and he hated nothing more then being the centre of attention. And what would happen to U.A? No doubt that they will start criticising the school for not keeping their students safe. No, he needed to deal with it himself. It'll be fine.
Lewis shook his head and gave the principle a reassuring smile, "No it was my card. I'm sure."
Nezu's beady eyes stared at him for a few seconds before he sighed in reluctance, "If you are sure, Mr Fleetwood."
"I'm sure," Lewis told him.
"Very well. Mr. Fleetwood I approve of the creation of your club. I think it would be very beneficial for the non-hero students," he told him, much to Lewis' joy, "I will arrange a room for you at the beginning of the next semester."
"Next semester?" Lewis questioned, "I was kind of hoping sometime sooner."
Nezu shook his head, "I'm sorry, Mr Fleetwood, but since your work study and exams are coming up, I can't allow you to get distracted. Use this time to find people who would like to join and then use your summer to come up with lesson plans," he advised.
Lewis saw that he made a good point and nodded in agreement, "Of course. Thank you, sir."
"Not at all," Nezu happily squeaked, "Mr Hound Dog had kindly volunteered to chaperone the club so meet him in his office and he will help with organising everything."
"Hound Dog," Lewis mused, "Is he the teacher that was chasing the squirrel across the school grounds the other day?"
"Yes that's him," Nezu confirmed cheerily, as the mouse/dog/bear thing nibbled his block of cheese again.
'What a weird world we live in,' Lewis mentally sighed.
U.A Hallways
Lewis left Hound Dog's office with a smile on his face as he gave the dog faced man a wave goodbye. Once you get past the growling, barking and the occasional drool flying about, Hound Dog was a kind person who really cares for the students, making him perfect for his role as the school's guidance counsellor.
He was tall, muscular man with a long dog-like snout and wild blond hair. His face is covered by a black muzzle and he wore a fur lined hero suit which gave him a feral appearance.
"Thank you for all your help, Mr Hound Dog," Lewis said as he exited his office.
"You're very welcome," Hound Dog replied from his desk, "MAKE SURE YOU COME TO ME IF YOU NEED HELP! ARF! ARF! ARF!" he shouted as he got into another barking fit.
"I will," Lewis promised as he closed the door behind him.
Happy that the club was going to happen, Lewis walked down the hallways with a spring in his step. He pulled out the list of 203 nominations from his bag and looked over them. He recognised one name from the list like Mirko, who seems to not have given up on him, but the rest are either he had vaguely heard from the news or don't know them at all.
'Let's see, Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu...Ninja Hero: Edgeshot... Killer Whale Hero: Gang Orca...the Wild Wild Pussy Cats,' he thought, listing off each nomination, 'huh, what's this?' his eyes fell on one particular name on the list, 'Sir Nighteye Agency. I wonder what they specialise i-"
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" a preppy feminine voice said from behind him followed by numerous pats on the back.
Snapped out his thoughts immediately, Lewis turned around to see a pair of bright blue eyes, filled with excitement, staring back at him. He yelped in fright and back away from the girl who didn't seem to understand concept of personal space.
She seemed to be slightly older than him, had very long periwinkle blue hair that reached to her knees, fair skin and the brightest smile Lewis has ever seen. She wore the U.A school uniform and it took him a moment to realise that she wasn't as tall as him, but she hovered in the air by a golden spiral of energy. He yelped again as she got into her face once more and gasped in joy.
"Oh wow I knew it was you," she rapidly said while Lewis was frozen in shock, "I saw you in the Sports Festival and I was totally supporting you during the last round and it was so awesome how you just walked out of your battle. In fact you were awesome throughout the whole thing. What's your quirk? Is it some sort of teleporting quirk because I didn't even see you move? Why did you seem nervous giving your speech? What's your favourite colour? How did you know that those robots were going to tip over? Why are you so tall? How did you know where the mines were? Who were you with during the cavalry battle? What part of America are you from? Why did you dress up as a cheerleader? By the way it totally suited you. Why did you walk out of your last battle? Can I try on your glasses?"
She shot question after question at the catatonic Lewis who still hadn't recovered. If she was at the interview then he knew he would have fainted on the spot.
He gulped shyly and looked away from her face, "My quirks Disappear, yes it is a teleporting quirk, I wasn't aware I was giving a speech and so I was unprepared, my favourite colour is blue, the 0p robots had three legs and so I knew they would be unstable, nutrients probably, I have a good memory, I was with my classmates Asui and Shoji, I'm from Oxford, England not America, to stop my females classmates embarrassing themselves, thank you I guess, I didn't want to continue fighting Bakugo, and yes, you can," he answered her as he took off his glass and handed it to her.
She took the glasses, put them on instantly and began to look around her through his glasses, making small gasps in wonder. Lewis had to admit, from what he can actually see, that she looked cute in glasses.
"Wow, so this is how you see the world," she chirped before turning back to him, "and you answered all my questions. Hardly anybody does that or they just ignore me."
Lewis frowned slightly, "Oh I'm sorry to hear that."
She waved a hand dismissively, "Don't be," she told him before gasping suddenly, "You totally have to meet my friends. They will love to meet you."
"Well, maybe after scho-"
Lewis didn't finish his sentence as the excited teen, landed on the floor, grabbed his wrist lightly and pulled him along the hallway.
"Come on, it'll be quick," she urged him as they turned a corner.
"But I have classes in a few minutes," Lewis said, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as he was blindly dragged through the school.
"Mirio! Tamaki! Look who I found!" the hyper teen cried as she dragged Lewis towards to two blurry people down the hallway, "It's him from the Sports Festival. He's so tall and look he let me borrow his glasses," she said as she pointed to her faces.
One of the blurry people, whose only distinguishing features that Lewis can pick out were his short blond hair and his height, laughed in amusement while the other blurry person turned to the wall and pressed his head against it.
"Nejire, he doesn't belong to you. Put him back where you found him," the one against the wall grumbled.
'What am I? A lost toy," Lewis thought with a sweat drop.
"I also think you should give him back his glasses before you get a headache," the blond blurry person said.
The now named Nejire shook her head frantically, "No I won't-ow," she cried in pain as she rubbed her head.
She quickly took off the glasses and place them back over Lewis' eyes. Now that his sight has been restored he had a better look at the two people. The blonde one who spoke before was an older teen with rather simple facial features, fair skin and was about as tall as he was. The other was a shorter teen with messy dark hair, pale skin and rather shape facial features. His thin eyes were covered by his bangs, has pointed ears and his shoulders were hunched as he pressed his forehead against the wall. The two seemed to be total opposites with the blond being energetic and friendly, while the other was more aloof.
The blonde stuck out his hand for Lewis to shake and gave him a warm smile, "Hi my name's Mirio Togata and that over there is Tamaki Amijiki. Sorry about Nejire, she's...excitable," he said as Lewis shook his hand.
"It's fine, I'm Lewis Fleetwood. It's nice to meet you all," Lewis said happily, causing Nejire to squeal and hug his side.
"See, isn't he the cutest," Nejire said as Lewis' face went beet red, "he was also the person who dressed up as cheerleader."
Mirio laughed, "Oh right, you're cheer-wood. Those were some impressive moves you did out there. I remember doing something similar during our Sports Festival. Man, that was embarrassing," he cheerily said.
"Please don't remind me," Tamaki muttered, "dressing that way in front of millions of people makes my stomach hurt," he groaned as a depressed aura surrounded him.
"Is...he alright." Lewis asked in worry.
"He's fine," Mirio told him, unfazed by his friend's groans.
"I want to go home," Tamaki complained.
"He does this all the time," Mirio continued.
"...right," Lewis said, unsure what to make of these three.
He felt a finger prodding his cheek rapidly and turned down to look at Nejire who stared at him curiously.
"Hey, you'll be getting near your work studies. How many nominations did you get? Have you picked where you're going to go?" she asked innocently.
Lewis rubbed the back of his head anxiously, "I got 203 nominations and I'm just checking my options right now," he said, holding up the list for them to see.
"Only 203 despite getting third place," Tamaki said, glancing up at him.
"That sucks," Mirio added with a small frown, "do you mind if we take a look at the list. Maybe we can help you chose where to go."
Lewis' eyes widened happily, "That would be really helpful. Thank you," he said as he gave Mirio the list.
Mirio and Nejire looked over the list of nominations intensely before Nejire gasped in joy.
"No way, Ryukyu nominated you," she happily said, "I intern there. We can work together."
"Is Fat Gum on the list?" Tamaki asked from the wall before he sighed, "who am I kidding, of course he it is. He would want to replace a useless intern like me," he grumbled.
Lewis frowned in concern, "I don't think he is," he reassured him.
"Doesn't matter. It's only a matter time before he will replace me," he muttered, the depressing order getting bigger.
'I never felt more empathetic to another human being,' Lewis thought, secretly happy to found somebody that's suffers anxiety like he does.
Mirio beady eyes fell on one name of the list that surprised him, "Huh, Sir nominated you?" he asked out loud.
Lewis looked over curiously, "Yeah, I don't recognise the name. Have you heard of the agency?"
Mirio looked up at him with bright smile on his face, "Heard of it. I intern there. Sir Nighteye is really strict but he's a amazing hero. If he chose you it must mean he sees potential in you and I don't think he's ever nominated a first year for a work study before," he energetically explained.
"Really?" Lewis asked in interest.
"Yeah, Sir's taught me a lot about how to improve my quirk. You should totally do your work study there," Mirio encouraged.
Nejire pouted and tugged at his sleeve in annoyance, "Hey, I wanted him to do his work study at Ryukyu's. I saw him first," she complained, causing Mirio to laugh.
"Whoops, sorry Nejire. I got overexcited."
Lewis hummed in thought when he mentioned Sir Nighteye, 'If he recommends going to his then it must be good. Plus he can teach me how to improve my quirk and then I'll be able to figure out what happened to my hand during the cavalry battle,' he thought, although there was one thing that concerned him.
"Err...Togata," he started, but the blonde teen instantly stopped.
"Call me Mirio. Don't worry about being formal," he said as he gave him back his list.
Nejire jumped towards and looked up at him with a bright smile, "And you can call me Nejire or senpai or Nejire senpai. Oh, oh can you please call me senpai one time, please," she eagerly requested.
"Err...senpai," he hesitantly said before she hugged his waist in a big hug and squealed in delight.
"That was so cute," she happily said as Lewis, once again, blushed bright red.
Lewis looked up at Mirio once again, "M-M-Mirio you mentioned that Sir Nighteye is strict. Does that mean I have to do a test or anything."
Mirio shrugged, "Probably not. However, Sir may be serious but he also admires humour so if you want to get on his good side do something funny."
"Funny?"
"Yeah, however I don't think you need to worry about that. You already demonstrated that by being cheer-wood and everybody saw that," Mirio continued with a thumbs up.
"Great," Lewis thought miserably.
Mirio laughed at his expression before frowning in concern, "Anyway shouldn't you be getting to class?"
Lewis eyes widened in shock, "Damn, I completely forgot!" he cried.
"When does it start?" Mirio asked.
"Five minutes ago," Tamaki piped up, making Lewis freeze in shock.
...
...
...
"Oh no," Lewis uttered.
School has ended for the day and Lewis and Jiro were walking to the exit.
Lewis looked at the ground gloomily as they walked. Jiro noticed this and rolled her at his attitude.
"Are you still depressed about late? I honestly think Ectoplasm let you off lightly," she said.
Lewis sighed, "I know, but it's embarrassing having a teleportation quirk and still be late. It's like you mishearing something," he replied, making Jiro chuckle.
Jiro glanced at him before she nervously played with one of her ear jacks with her finger, "Hey Fleetwood," she started, trying her best to act confident, "do you want to do something lik-"
The door to the right slammed open, surprising both of them, and Hatsume jumped out and grabbed Lewis' arm.
"Perfect timing as always, Guinea Pig," Hatsume said, before she pulled him into the Support Studios.
"Wait Hatsume!" Lewis cried before the door slammed behind him, leaving Jiro alone in the hallway.
Jiro blinked and stared at the door for a few seconds before she sighed in irritation.
"See you tomorrow, I guess," she muttered before she started walking again.
In the Support Studio, Hatsume dragged Lewis towards a table covered with a white sheet and grinned manically at him.
Lewis recovered and gave the mad inventor a scornful look, "Hatsume I was in the middle of a conversation. If you wanted to talk to me you just have to ask," he said before cringing when he smelt something horrible, "And what's that smell?"
"That's the smell of genius," Hatsume declared proudly.
Lewis sighed and held his nose, "When was the last time you had a bath?" he asked her. He would usually avoid a question so embarrassing, but Lewis felt like he had to ask for her sake.
Hatsume hummed in thought and Lewis could now see how greasy her hair and clothes are, "When was the Sports Festival?"
"About three days ago."
"Then about a week."
"A week!"
"How do you think we feel," Power Loader called out from his office in a side room.
Hatsume blew a raspberry, "Who needs to wash when I have babies to make," she said as she grabbed hold of the white sheet, "behold your new costume!" she proclaimed as she pulled the sheet off the table.
Lewis looked down in awe at his new costume laid out on the table. The most notable thing was the different colour scheme. The trench coat, gloves, shoes and top hat were a dark blue with golden edges along the coat. The vest was a dark purple while the body suit was a slightly lighter blue equipped with knee pads. The hat holder (cat ears) were upgraded so it came down over his ears and hopefully will help with the Phineas Gage Problem. It actually looked like a profession hero suit and was much better than the last one.
"What do you think?" Hatsume asked, "I've strengthened the boots, created a lighter but more durable material for the coat, body suit and hat and the vest is not only stab and bullet proof, but is light and you won't hinder your movement. I'm personally proud with your cat ears. It measures your heat rate and chooses the appropriate music to play. If your heart rate rises it will play a faster that matches the BPM and when your heartbeat slows down it will do the same. That should help your problem."
"Hatsume thank you so much," Lewis said gratefully, "did you come with the colour scheme?"
She shook her head, "Nah, another person did that. Can't remember her name though."
"It was Yuyu Haya from the third year Hero Course," Power Loader called out again.
"That's the one," Hatsume said, "she was passing by when she saw your original suit and redesigned it for you," she explained.
"Really? That's nice of her," Lewis said, making a mental note to thank her later.
Hatsume nodded with a wide grin, "She said that if she saw a Pro Hero dressed in those colours she would throw up on sight."
"Oh...she was doing it out of pity," Lewis sighed, "I really need to stop making decisions at three in the morning."
"So, do you like your new baby?" Hatsume asked eagerly.
Lewis smiled and looked over the costume again, "I love it. Thanks so much. I'll try it on tomorrow when I have enough time."
"Great!" Hatsume cried as she turned around, "Now back to work."
"Oh no you don't," Lewis said as he got in front of her, "you need to take a shower and then get a nights sleep. It's not healthy to keep doing this."
"Hah! I don't need those things. I know what I'm doing," Hatsume said as she try to get past him
Lewis got in her way again and gave her a stern look, "Hatsume if you don't have a shower now I will not endorse your products when I become a Pro," he told her, causing her yellow eyes to widen in fear.
"What!? But you promised! You can't do that!" she cried before she turned towards Power Loader's office door, "Power Loader tell him he can't do that!"
The Support teacher popped his helmet head out of the door, "Fleetwood, if you manage to get her to a single drop of water I will personally make any support equipment for the rest of your Pro Hero career," he said in a serious tone.
Hatsume gasped and turned back to Lewis who was now holding a towel and two bottles of soap. He forced them into her arms and pointed to the door, "Use the showers in the changing rooms or no endorsement," he demanded.
The invented looked at the towel and bottles in her arms before frowning and pouted in annoyance.
"Fine," she grumbled as she began to stomp out of the studios.
"How do your parents put up with you not washing yourself?" Lewis asked.
"They gave up years ago," Hatsume crossly replied as left through door.
Power Loader and Lewis sighed, "Of course they did," they chorused.
Front Entrance
Lewis walked towards the exits, exhausted after a busy day. He passed by the lockers and stopped when he saw Iida, retrieving his stuff from them. He had yet to talk to Iida successfully and now it was the perfect chance since everyone has almost left and walked up to Iida calmly.
"Hi Iida," Lewis called out in an even voice.
Iida looked around and frowned slightly when he saw Lewis before turning back to his locker.
"Fleetwood," he plainly replied, causing Lewis flinch slightly at his tone.
Lewis sighed, "Look Iida about the interview-"
"I think you made your points clear," Iida interrupted, not bothering to look around, "there is really nothing else to discuss."
"But there clearly is something. It was so sudden and I was under pressure. I shouldn't have mentioned those things," Lewis explained before Iida slammed his locker shut.
"But you meant it, didn't you," Iida said, "every last word. You meant what you said about the treatment of villains."
Lewis closed his eyes wearily, "Yes, yes I did and I still firmly believe in them."
Iida sharply turned to him and glared accusingly, "So what does that mean? You think my brother almost getting murdered was because nobody cared for the Hero Killer's feelings? You think he deserved it."
"That's not what I meant," Lewis firmly argued, "my parents were killed in a villain attack, remember. I know more about what you're going through more than anyone in our class and possibly more than you."
Iida hummed in irritation and turned to the door, "Perhaps its best we don't talk to each other, Fleetwood."
"That's not fair. Can we please just discuss this," Lewis persuaded.
The spectacled teen opened the front door, stopped and turned his head back towards him. Lewis' face fell in despair as Iida glared with fury in his eyes.
"I don't think there's anything else we need to talk about. Goodbye, Fleetwood," he firmly told him before walking out the door.
Lewis watched as the door swung shut and sighed.
"Great. Another problem."
And that's the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.
First of all I hope you like Lewis hero name. You have probably guessed what it was going to be with the amounts of hints I laid down. Shoko's name was made up by me so I'm not quite sure if it's good or not. I thought it sounded elegant. Mina and Toru's hero names are ones I stole from another story. They were just too good not to use. Sorry Epsilon110.
Anyway I improved the new costume by actually using a proper colour scheme so I hope you like it.
Hope you liked the chapter.
Thank you :)