Izuku was very curious about how his Collection would interact with Neito's Copy. These quirks were similar, and yet each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Midoriya's quirk was a zero sum game and Monoma's wasn't. One worked the best on enemies and the other on allies. At their core they were still using other quirks as basis.
Izuku knocked on the door and entered his classmate's room. He expected more hero merch.
"Hi again. What can I do for you?" The blond was posing in front of the mirror.
"I want to study your quirk and test our quirk interactions, if that's okay with you."
"Yes! Finally!" Neito turned towards Izuku. "I thought you'd never ask. I'll help in any way I can."
"Sweet. I want you to tell me everything about your quirk." Green head prepared to jot down the notes.
"It triggers when I touch a person. It can work on skin, hair or more exotic body parts like horns." He mimicked Pony's shooting gesture. "One time I shoved my hand in a person's mouth and it worked too. I can copy up to 2 quirks, which is 1 more than when I was little. I can only use one quirk at a time though."
"Judging by how many quirks you take with my help; my guess is that 5 quirks is your maximum. Does your quirk work if you touch a separated strand of hair or something like that?"
"Well, I can copy Setsuna's quirk from a separated part, but Pony's detached horns are a no go for me." The boy shrugged from disappointment. "As for hair or nails, definitely no. It would be nice if I could just stack dozens of quirks in this manner, but that's simply impossible."
"How unfortunate. You can copy Mutation types, right?"
"I can, but…" Monoma took a deep breath. "It's weird. Weird to suddenly have a third arm or eyes at the back of my head. Other quirk types don't inflict the same unsettling feeling."
"I suppose that makes mutation types less desirable." Izuku scratched his head with a pen. "When I took Explosion from Bakugou, I had knowledge on how it works from seeing him for a long time, but it was still a shot in the dark. I wanted to scare him away but ended making a blast too powerful for him."
"Same thing. If only quirks came with nifty instruction manuals." Monoma grinned.
"But that would suck out the fun of researching them."
Both boys laughed at this statement.
"My copies last for about 8 minutes. This limit has been steadily increasing ever since I was a child. Anything else?"
"One more thing: I can feel some kind of energy flowing from bodies to objects and vice versa when using Collection. Does Copy feel similar?"
"Indeed, although in my case Copy doesn't move the energy, but touches it a little bit."
"Good to know. Now let's start experimenting!"
Their first instinct was to Copy the Collection, but to their surprise it failed. Neito's quirk simply couldn't replicate the energy. Was it the same reason Izuku couldn't remove his own quirk? Then they did the opposite: let Midoriya take Copy and try to use it on Monoma who had Attraction. This also did not work. Izuku had the same feeling of body rejection when he tried to consume 2 regular quirks. They hypothesized that Copy uses the same "slots" as Collection, even if temporarily. This would mean that the quirk's effectiveness depends to how many slots a person has. To verify this hypothesis, they summoned Ochako. She took Copy and then added Attraction to her Zero Gravity. Anything else was causing overload. The conclusion was simple: Neito was the best person for his quirk because of the way his body worked. Midoriya thanked his friends and went to do his home tasks.
After tending for her seedlings and showering, Ibara went to Katsuki's room to knock on his door. He opened it halfway through.
"What?" The ash blond was in the middle of studying.
"Hello, Bakugou-kun." Shiozaki bowed. "I couldn't help but notice that other students in our class avoid you."
"Like I care about what those extras do. What do YOU need from me, Weed Head?"
"I wish to understand why you reject people around you." She tried to sound stoic despite her classmate's threatening tone. "Most of our class are trying to have each other in good graces."
"I don't need anyone's good graces. Not from Deku, or Ginger." He pointed at the girl. "Or you! I'll leave all of you in the dust."
"Pride is a sin, Bakugou." Ibara crossed her arms. "It's bad for your soul."
"Shut up!" Katsuki screamed at her. "Go pester someone else." He slammed the door into her face.
"My Lord." She asked her head. "Please forgive this misguided soul and help him get back to the right path. I'm afraid he's not listening to me."
Ibara went to her room to pray for everyone's happiness and wellbeing. She made sure to ask for those who lost their quirks to not suffer.
Shouto received a call from his sister Fuyumi.
"Hi."
"Hi, baby brother. How's it going?"
"Fine."
"Are you making friends, Shouto?"
"I'm not here to make friends." He was annoyed. "I'm here to become the Number One hero."
"Come on, we've talked about this." Fuyumi sounded concerned. "Everyone needs friends to be happy."
"I appreciate your concern, but I don't need it."
"Work with me, please. Did you at least learn anything interesting about your classmates?"
"Midoriya can take away and grant other people quirks, but he can only use one other quirk. His power is volatile, but it can be very high in right circumstances. Tsunotori has excellent mobility and ranged damage. Yaoyorozu…"
"That's not what I meant! I wanted to know about their hobbies, talents and whatnot. You know I am not good at hero things."
"Those aspects are irrelevant." The brother deadpanned. "The only thing about them that matters is how strong they are compared to me."
"Please, Shouto. Try to befriend at least one or two guys. For me, at least." Fuyumi pleaded.
"No promises." He hanged the phone to return to his homework.
Hitoshi was welcomed into his home by his parents.
"I still can't believe you managed to get into the Hero Course, son!" His father hugged him very tightly.
"All it took is just a little creativity, he he."
"Still, we are proud of you." His mother hugged even tighter. "Are your classmates treating you well?"
"Yeah, but I haven't told them everything about my quirk. They think it has a different activation criterion."
"Are you afraid they'll avoid you?"
"Yeah. Plus, I need every advantage I can get until the Sports Festival."
"Did you make friends, son?"
"Midoriya is a friend. He has a stigmatized quirk too, so we get along."
"Midoriya? The one who steals quirks?"
"That one, yes. But he isn't all that scary once you get to know him."
"I'm glad for both of you. Now, let's go the kitchen. The dinner is getting cold."
Ochako was really nervous with her new phone. Fatgum-sensei told her not to worry about it, but how could she not? Everybody else in her class had smart phones, so she was likely the poorest person among them. It took her a great deal of courage to replace SIM cards and officially declare the new device as main one. Now, Uraraka wasn't tech illiterate. She saw her friends use their phones many times, so she understood everything.
What? Midoriya wanted her help? Of course she would help him. He is such a great guy: kind, clever, generous. If she wasn't so focused on studying and her future career, she might have even asked him out. Yeah, totally.
The revelation that she had 3 quirk slots really upped her mood when it occurred several days ago. Zero Gravity was great, but it had its shortcomings and limitations. If the brunette could get 1 or 2 more decent quirks earlier than current pros, then she would crush the ratings! Ochako really hoped that quirk redistribution program would stick around, even if it meant owing Izuku big time.
The first thing she did with the brand new phone was photo herself in front of a mirror and send it to her parents (they had cheap smart phones for work reasons). At first they thought she borrowed it, then wondered if she got a very rich friends at UA but couldn't figure out the real reason. Her mom and dad were surprised that a school would go out of its way to get her a phone, but Toyomitsu-sensei's explanation made sense. As much as they hated to admit it, they weren't supplying their daughter with everything she needed. Ochako reassured them that they are doing great and she will do great too.
Itsuka was sparring with Denki. He wanted to date her, but her types were people who can defeat her in a battle. Kaminari wasn't that, but he was willing to do his best and learn, which the girl found commendable. So far, his movements were sloppy and predictable. Every exchange ended with Denki's face on the ground. After the spar was over she helped him get back on his feet.
"You know, at this rate I might begin to enjoy getting punched and kicked." He giggled.
"You better not. Pain is a deterrent that people learn to avoid."
"I mean, my quirk causes headaches and turns me stupid when I use it. I can't exactly avoid pain if I want to use it."
"That sounds terrible. Is that why you wanted me to teach you karate?"
"That, and I appreciate having a hot teacher."
Kendou slapped his face, leaving a noticeable mark.
"Ouch! That hurts even more that when Jirou stabbed me with her jacks." Kaminari rubbed his cheek.
"Then don't make these stupid jokes." Itsuka channeled her inner mother.
Pony was watching some magical girl anime and dragged Izuku into it. He wanted to ask her about Horn Cannon, but she was adamant about her idea. Midoriya wanted to analyze this title from a super power perspective. Reality may not have magic, but it could learn to imitate its effects.
A little girl got convinced (forced) to become a magician by a sentient wand. Now she, the wand's former user and two other girls in an identical situation had to cooperate. Izuku felt a bit sad for the protagonist. She was weary of the wand and had to become a hero against her will. A normal school girl in daytime, a collector of cursed cards at night. All because the wands got fed up with their previous owners. Heroes should be willing to do their job, not get coerced into it! At least the girl got used to this and went out of her way to help when her friends needed it the most.
Pony was mostly gushing over slice of life moments, cute character designs and epic fights. She squealed when one of the characters got dressed up as a French maid and especially during a kiss scene. Izuku had to agree with that one. The other magical girl reminded the boy of Katsuki. Clever, strong, arrogant, thinks she is better than the main character. They did make peace eventually though, so not all stories end badly. He got so interested that he decided to watch the rest of the anime some other day. There was still homework, training and personal entertainment to do over Sunday.
Fumikage come home to meet his parents.
His father Kage was a very tall individual with completely human appearance, black hair and red eyes. He worked in an independent broker in stock market, and quite good one at that. Some people speculate that his quirk helps him, but no. His quirk is [Shadow Puppet, the ability to change the form of his shadow at will. He was often staying late for his job
Tori the mother had a head similar to her son's, but white instead of black and with blue eyes. Her quirk [Claw] was a transformation type that turned her normal feet and hands into bird claws. She was a housewife and always ready to help her children.
While the parents weren't as edgy as their child, they were quite superstitious. Kage avoided buying an apartment on the 4th floor, despite it being named differently. Tori purchased only the sturdiest combs and avoided red pens like plague etc. They also shared a fascination over Tarot cards, believing them to be a source of ultimate knowledge. That could explain why the father was always so good with his stock interactions.
"Hello, mother." Fumikage greeted her.
"Hi, mom!" Dark Shadow popped out.
"Hi. Nice to see you two." She hugged them both. "How is school? Are you making friends?"
"So far Kendou-san has helped train my body. Midoriya, Monoma and Yaoyorozu are very open and helpful individuals as well. I sense we will share a big sense of comradery."
"We found another sentient quirk!" DS was beaming from excitement.
"Really? Tell me."
"His name is Holy Diver. He looks so cool, like a golden scuba diver. HD doesn't talk, but I can sense he is very confident in himself. I could never imagine something like this happening. Do you think he likes me, Fumi?"
"How am I supposed to know that? I've seen him as much as you have."
"What about the user?" Tori asked.
"Brando seems like a confident and cheery person at first glance, but I have a bad feeling about him. It's like he harbors deep darkness within his soul."
"You're exaggerating, Fumi. Mom, how do I make another quirk like me?" Dark Shadow asked.
"I don't know, honestly. But I can tell how I made your father like me. Perhaps that could help."
Setsuna and Fujimi went to a dinosaur museum together. They quickly bonded over their shared passion for those prehistoric lizards. Turns out they both had similar issues with their quirks in the past. Tokage as a kid would constantly fall apart when sleeping or getting distracted, which scared her a lot. She would even forget her body parts and waste a lot of energy on growing new ones. Romero, on the other hand, has been a disaster when he was little. He had next to no control over the virus, so people around him would turn into monsters all the time. He would turn himself by accident too. It took a lot of discipline and inspiration from All Might to get both aspects of Walk the Dinosaur under control. The lizards of 1A fist bumped to commemorate their friendship. Romero joked that if hero business doesn't work out, he can always become a mascot of paleontology.
First thing Setsuna did when coming home was bragging about her boyfriend. Not just any guy, but THE quirk thief. How could anyone be cooler than that. Elder Tokages had two different reactions. Her mom said she'd welcome Izuku with open arms and that she's glad her daughter found someone. Meanwhile, her dad tried to pull the "shovel talk" card but got snapped out of it by his wife. They told her they can't wait to see Midoriya in person.
Camie and Tenya were on their way to Iida house to pick up Tensei. The girl was making selfies in different angles, which was quite annoying for the boy.
"Want this?" She pulled out a lollipop from her pocket. "It's with cherry."
"No, I take great care of my diet."
"Your loss, fam." Camie opened it up and put it in her mouth. "Why do you think Yaomomo wanted to talk with Daigo privately? Do you think she wants to confess to him?"
"I have no idea." Bespectacled boy shook his head. "I didn't hear any of them expressing feelings towards the other. The only thing Brando-kun told about Yaoyorozu-san is that she is rich and likely inexperienced in fights."
"But I need to know for certain. She said she wasn't interested in our classmates, but that sounded fishy to me. Then she said we should be careful around Daigo because he is greedy. *Giggle* Maybe she wanted to get rid of competition this way."
"You should not assume so little of our representative! In any case, this is none of our business."
"You're no fun. You know that."
First thing Momo did after entering the car telling her driver to find Sunshine orphanage on the GPS. The location was set to Hosu City. Then she called her mother to explain why she wasn't going home immediately. It was enough to say that she would spend time with her classmates. Yaoyorozu had to immediately shut down the idea of her mother joining them on a helicopter.
"I wanted to apologize, Brando-san. I didn't know my behavior came out as flaunting." She said after ending her call.
"Apology accepted."
"Wait, really?" She didn't expect this to end so quickly.
"Yeah, I mean." Daigo snickered. "It's clearly your parents' fault for not teaching you humility, not yours."
"My parents are great people!" Momo went into defensive mode. "And they taught me how to behave myself."
"Behave around other rich guys, I imagine." He shrugged. "The kind that buys a new car every week."
Momo couldn't help but recall all those family meetings and gatherings. She lived a sheltered life, so it was hard to emphasize with people from different social circles. For the most part she imagined everyone around her had the same resources as her.
"I'll try to do better." She bowed while sitting.
"I hope so."
Momo and Daigo came first. The limousine stopped in a poor city district. Sunshine was small and very old building but it looked like it was renovated recently. The UA students entered the orphanage and saw the overseer. She was a woman in her 40s, with eyes so tired that she could rival Aizawa-sensei.
"Daigo! You're back, and you brought a friend. Please, help me. Kids have been misbehaving ever since you moved to UA dorms. I think they are in the main hall."
"Moved?" Momo thought.
Children were playing around with their fancy quirks, like mouth cannons or extendable wings. They were causing all sorts of havoc in the area. Growing up without parents and with powerful quirks molded their mindset. They would only listen to people who were demonstratively stronger than them, like All Might or Miruko. Daigo was the one keeping them in line due to lack of better alternatives.
Holy Diver clashed its fists together to grab everybody's attention.
"All right, little shits." Brando said in commanding tone. "Stop doing stupid things. Sewa needs her remaining nerves in tact."
"Dio! We missed you." A girl with flowers sticking out of her hair ran to hug his legs.
"How is UA? Have you kicked ass yet?" A boy with short black hair asked.
"I've punched that guy in the face like you told me! He won't ever disrespect me again." Another kid with scaly skin boasted about.
No one seemed to care or notice Momo at first, so she was taken by the caretaker for a talk.
"Greetings. My name is Ai Sewa, I'm the overseer of this place." The woman bowed despite being older.
"Momo Yaoyorozu, I'm Brando-san's classmate." She couldn't help but return the gesture.
"Is he behaving well? I was worried he might lash out onto others due to his life here."
"No, he is fine. I didn't even know he was living here."
"I guessed as much. *Sigh* Daigo always hated being here, away from his mother and his home. He said he'll rise to the stop no matter what. I tried my best to make him feel comfortable, but between him and all the other kids, I don't think I did a good enough job." Ai wiped incoming tears with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have burdened you with that information."
"It's okay." Yaomomo made a weak smile. "It helps put things into perspective."
She then put her hand her hand on Momo's shoulder.
"I presume you his friend if you came here?"
"Uhh… yes."
"Thank you for being with him. I hope he can starts anew in UA. Sunshine reminds him too much of his past."
"Wait, what happened to his parents and home?"
"He didn't tell you? I suppose it's too traumatic for him. Six years ago a pyromaniac called Firefly was on the loose. He was apparently obsessed with flames and thus set various buildings on fire, including Daigo's old home along with the mother. His father left the family and died in a traffic accident."
"Oh my God!" Yaoyorozu was taken aback. She would have never expected so much misfortunes to fall on one person. Her mind began imagining what she would have done without her loving parents, without her home, without anything…
Her train of thought was interrupted by arrival of Iidas and Utsushimi. Ai greeted the long awaited hero and took everyone to see the kids. Holy Diver was throwing knives at a board for kids' amusement, which caused Tenya to run and scold his classmate for giving a bad example for the youth. The children started to yell back at him to defend their friend. Camie calmed everyone down by creating a mini aurora borealis in the room. After he illusion vanished, Tensei took the attention of children by telling them stories and jokes he learnt as pro hero. Everyone is Hosu loved the Turbo hero, including residents of Sunshine. Ingenium agency donated some money to help with expenses and its numerous sidekicks visited this place every month. Today was special as kids got to see the man himself face to face. They started talking about going to heroics to be as cool as Tensei once they grow up. Daigo told Tenya to be more like his brother, which he wholeheartedly accepted.
Camie took Momo aside to ask her something. The girl with flowers in hair asked those two if they are dating Dio (she showed them Daigo's photo). The blonde laughed at the bluntness of the question and replied with an ambiguous "Maybe", while the brunette started blushing instead of answering. Another girl almost blasted Utsushimi for "stealing her crush" but got stopped by by Sewa. The woman apologized for the situation took the little attacker away.
"Fam, I need to know why you dragged Dio into your car." Camie put her hands on her hips.
"What a cool nickname." She though at the same time.
"I wanted to apologize. I didn't know how much I hurt him."
"Hurt him?"
"Yes. When he said he helps the caretaker here, I assumed it meant voluntary work. I didn't know he is an orphan!"
"He offhandedly mentioned something like that when we were playing cards. I guess it's not something he wants to talk about. That explains we asked about gold that one time." Utsushimi put her index finger on her chin. "Does this mean you weren't trying to snatch him before others get the chance?"
"What?!" Yaoyorozu got flustered again. "No! I mean, I was worried for him, that's all. I'm not sure if I feel that way towards him."
"You don't sound convincing, Momo." Camie replied. "Tell you what: I'm going to wait for a week to ask him out. You better be sure in your response."
"But what if he asks you first? Or someone else asks him?"
"I'll gladly accept his first move, but I won't hold it against anyone if they got him before me. It's not like he's the only hot guy in the world."
The day was ending. Iidas left some merchandize for the kids (who started fighting over it) and left. Momo agreed to take Camie home and Daigo stayed in Sunshine for a few more hours before heading back to UA. The crowd of journalists was already gone by that time.
Monday has arrived and class 1A reunited once again. Everyone was excited about the rescue training that would occur after the normal lessons.
Author's notes: Please leave comments.
Kage (影) Shadow
Tori (鳥) Bird
Ai (愛) Love
Sewa (世話) Care