Ginny McAllister
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
- Location
- Pacific NorthWet
Check the last line. It's got a repeated phrase.
A Hero and a 1/2
- Thread starter Corwin of earth
- Start date
- Crossover Superhero
I have fixed it, thank you for pointing it out.
Chapter 14: Waiting for News
There's a tense quiet unique to a hospital at night. A mixture of doctors going through their rounds, speaking in hushed tones to not disturb their sleeping patients, Interns silently panicking because they forgot how to perform basic procedures, and family members waiting for news of loved ones.
The waiting room, like all of its ilk, was uncomfortable, the light too bright, the chairs too small, and it was crowded with too many people. Soun's face was covered in tear tracks, and his clothing was a crumpled mess. Beside him, Genma sat in stark contrast, his face showing nothing but stern resolve, though the broken armrests on his chair betrayed his true feelings. Ranma had fallen asleep from exhaustion. His head lay on Akane's shoulder. Usually, her sisters would have teased her for that, but Kasumi wasn't there, and Nabiki would only stare at the door. She had claimed the chair closest to it, hoping to get the news sooner. Dr. Tofu stood too restless to sit, his hands constantly fiddling with his glasses. Inko had been sitting beside him but had left with Eri after they heard that Izuku would be fine.
A nurse had urged the rest of them to go home as well. Telling them that it would be hours before there would be any news and that they would be better able to help if they had been rested when the time came. Ranma, while still asleep, had blown a raspberry at the notion.
Eventually, the door opened, admitting a doctor. Ten eyes instantly locked onto her, each brimming with hope and fear.
"You're waiting for news about Kasumi Tendo, right?"
Akane elbowed Ranma in the ribs to wake him. Only to have her arm trapped under his as he snuggled closer to her, lightly snoring all the while. (She would deny to her dying day that she thought it was cute).
"Yes, we are," Genma said, "how is she doing?"
"She's out of surgery and asleep. Thankfully the bullet was stopped by one of her ribs, though the rib was badly fractured. She will have to stay in the hospital while she heals so we can monitor it for infection. And even after she can leave, it will be several months before she fully recovers. But she should fully recover."
A wave of relief swept through everyone listening. Soun stood, straightened his clothing, and bowed to the doctor.
"Thank you for caring for my daughter." Stifling a yawn, he looked around to see that everyone else seemed as tired as he felt. "And I believe it is past time that many of us were in bed."
"Yes," Genma agreed, "we should all be getting home."
"I will call UA to inform them that Akane and Nabiki will not be attending tomorrow," Soun said. "I do not think they should have to deal with school on top of everything that happened today."
"I will do the same for Ranma." Genma nodded.
"There will be no need, for I AM HERE!"
Ranma, startled awake, jumped from his chair and wrapped his arms around Akane, frantically looking around for the source of the sound. Akane yelped in surprise at having her arms full of boy and turned to Nabiki, her eyes silently pleading for help.
Nabiki just laughed; it rose from her belly. It was like a dam had burst, all the joy and relief, grief and fear that had built up inside her. All spilled out in one torrent of laughter that morphed into sobs as tears rolled down her face. A pair of arms embraced her. She grabbed back with all the desperation of a drowning woman. Her chest shuddered with each sob, each one weaker than the last until, at last, it stopped.
Looking up, she was surprised to see not her father or sister. But the broad smiling face of All Might. Her cheeks burned with shame.
"I-I'm sorry, it was most improper of me-.
She stuttered to a stop when All Might brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"There is no need to apologize. You have been through a trying experience. Anyone who would judge you would be a true villain, and I would be forced to apprehend them."
Turning to face everyone, All Might took a step back and bowed.
"I apologize for intruding at this unpleasant time when I heard about what had happened; I felt compelled to come and offer what aid I could. I shall speak with principal Nedzu tonight and inform him of the situation."
"Thank you," Soun said, returning the bow.
"There's no need," All Might said, "now, go home and rest. There will be heroes watching to ensure that nothing will disturb you."
Akane was the first to leave, still carrying Ranma, who had fallen back asleep. Followed by Soun supporting Nabiki, with Genma and Tofu taking up the rear.
All Might finally let the smile drop when they had all left the room. With his strength waning day by day, it became ever harder to bear the weight. But these were still the hardest moments, looking at family grieving because he couldn't save them. And all he could do was smile.
The waiting room, like all of its ilk, was uncomfortable, the light too bright, the chairs too small, and it was crowded with too many people. Soun's face was covered in tear tracks, and his clothing was a crumpled mess. Beside him, Genma sat in stark contrast, his face showing nothing but stern resolve, though the broken armrests on his chair betrayed his true feelings. Ranma had fallen asleep from exhaustion. His head lay on Akane's shoulder. Usually, her sisters would have teased her for that, but Kasumi wasn't there, and Nabiki would only stare at the door. She had claimed the chair closest to it, hoping to get the news sooner. Dr. Tofu stood too restless to sit, his hands constantly fiddling with his glasses. Inko had been sitting beside him but had left with Eri after they heard that Izuku would be fine.
A nurse had urged the rest of them to go home as well. Telling them that it would be hours before there would be any news and that they would be better able to help if they had been rested when the time came. Ranma, while still asleep, had blown a raspberry at the notion.
Eventually, the door opened, admitting a doctor. Ten eyes instantly locked onto her, each brimming with hope and fear.
"You're waiting for news about Kasumi Tendo, right?"
Akane elbowed Ranma in the ribs to wake him. Only to have her arm trapped under his as he snuggled closer to her, lightly snoring all the while. (She would deny to her dying day that she thought it was cute).
"Yes, we are," Genma said, "how is she doing?"
"She's out of surgery and asleep. Thankfully the bullet was stopped by one of her ribs, though the rib was badly fractured. She will have to stay in the hospital while she heals so we can monitor it for infection. And even after she can leave, it will be several months before she fully recovers. But she should fully recover."
A wave of relief swept through everyone listening. Soun stood, straightened his clothing, and bowed to the doctor.
"Thank you for caring for my daughter." Stifling a yawn, he looked around to see that everyone else seemed as tired as he felt. "And I believe it is past time that many of us were in bed."
"Yes," Genma agreed, "we should all be getting home."
"I will call UA to inform them that Akane and Nabiki will not be attending tomorrow," Soun said. "I do not think they should have to deal with school on top of everything that happened today."
"I will do the same for Ranma." Genma nodded.
"There will be no need, for I AM HERE!"
Ranma, startled awake, jumped from his chair and wrapped his arms around Akane, frantically looking around for the source of the sound. Akane yelped in surprise at having her arms full of boy and turned to Nabiki, her eyes silently pleading for help.
Nabiki just laughed; it rose from her belly. It was like a dam had burst, all the joy and relief, grief and fear that had built up inside her. All spilled out in one torrent of laughter that morphed into sobs as tears rolled down her face. A pair of arms embraced her. She grabbed back with all the desperation of a drowning woman. Her chest shuddered with each sob, each one weaker than the last until, at last, it stopped.
Looking up, she was surprised to see not her father or sister. But the broad smiling face of All Might. Her cheeks burned with shame.
"I-I'm sorry, it was most improper of me-.
She stuttered to a stop when All Might brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"There is no need to apologize. You have been through a trying experience. Anyone who would judge you would be a true villain, and I would be forced to apprehend them."
Turning to face everyone, All Might took a step back and bowed.
"I apologize for intruding at this unpleasant time when I heard about what had happened; I felt compelled to come and offer what aid I could. I shall speak with principal Nedzu tonight and inform him of the situation."
"Thank you," Soun said, returning the bow.
"There's no need," All Might said, "now, go home and rest. There will be heroes watching to ensure that nothing will disturb you."
Akane was the first to leave, still carrying Ranma, who had fallen back asleep. Followed by Soun supporting Nabiki, with Genma and Tofu taking up the rear.
All Might finally let the smile drop when they had all left the room. With his strength waning day by day, it became ever harder to bear the weight. But these were still the hardest moments, looking at family grieving because he couldn't save them. And all he could do was smile.
Last edited:
Chapter 15: Three Musketeers
Kasumi woke to chirping birds and beeping electronics. Staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling, she tried to remember how she got there. Slowly at first, memories arose, a gun, pain, fighting, an ambulance, doctors, a mask over her face, and darkness.
She tried to push herself up, but the pain in her stomach stopped her.
"Ah, miss Tendo, you're awake. Don't try to move on your own. You're still recovering from surgery. The muscles in your abdomen will need to heal some before you can put any stress on them."
The nurse was tall with a cat-like face covered in light gold fur. She spent several minutes running checks on Kasumi while explaining in a light, cheerful tone everything she was doing.
"Now, some visitors are waiting to see you if you're up to it."
Kasumi nodded.
The nurse smiled and stepped out. Barely a minute later, a flood of sound descended on her, followed by her sisters. Nabiki was speaking about a mile a minute, her face in the characteristic smirk she wore whenever she was teasing Akane. But by the tightness around her eyes, Kasumi could tell she was faking, putting up a front of normalcy to hide her true feelings. Akane didn't notice and was loudly denying everything Nabiki said. She really should have learned by now that all that did was encourage her. Behind them stood their father. His eyes were red, and tears poured down his face.
"Nabiki, stop teasing Akane." The muscles in her diaphragm ached slightly from the exertion. But the looks of joy on her sisters' faces were more than worth it.
Ryoga was lost again. Or, rather Ryoga was lost. The word 'again' implied periods of time that he wasn't lost. He new he was somewhere in the hospital (he'd found an outlet to plug his GPS in, but that didn't exactly help get around inside a building.) Turning another corner in the forlorn hope that it would take him to his destination when he was surprise by a familiar face.
"Ranma!"
Turning, Ryoga's one time schoolmate's face lit up with joy.
"Ryoga! Man, how've you been. I haven't seen you since pops dragged me off to China."
Some part of Ryoga was angered by this.
'He walks out on a man to man dual and now he acts like nothing happened?'
But mostly he was relieved. Someone who already knew. He didn't have to choose between spending hours wandering aimlessly or humiliating himself to ask for help.
"I've been fine. I'm looking for Kasumi Tendo's room, do you know were that is?"
Surprised Ranma asked. "You know Kasumi?"
"No, but I tried to help her after she was hurt and wanted check up on her."
Surprise turned to shock.
"Wait, you're the Hero mama talked about. Who save her and the girls from those thugs?"
Cheeks burning Ryoga scratched his head.
"I'm not a hero, I was just in the right place at the right time."
Ranma who wasn't listening to a word he said, latched onto his arm and started dragging him off.
"Come on, it's just over here!"
Groaning Ryoga surrendered to his fate.
'I should have just asked a nurse!'
Detective Taro Sasaki Scratched his head and yawned. He was two pots of coffee past midnight with no end in sight. At first, the case had seemed simple. Breaking and entering, assault, and a few other minor charges. All of them with witness testimony, physical evidence, and even some video to back them up. All he had to do was write it up and send it off to the courts to handle. But then, things had gotten complicated fast. The perps had turned out to be Yakuza, Yakuza with a big expensive compound in the middle of a residential district. A compound with a vast underground lair where they had been performing human experiments. Not to mention that they had only discovered this because some vigilante had set the compound on fire.
The issue was that there was simply too much evidence. If you'd asked him a week ago, he would have said that it was impossible to have too much evidence. Usually, it was the opposite. Ledgers full of documents recording the revenue from protection rackets, prostitution, and drugs. Others detailed expenses, bribes, money laundering, and expensive medical equipment. He didn't want to know what that last one was for, but he had a grim certainty that he would by the time he was done with the case.
He was overseeing a search for secret tunnels in one of the bedrooms when he was approached by one of the techs.
"Sir, I apologize for disturbing you, but I've found something of interest."
"What is it?"
"We've found what appears to be blood stains on the ceiling in one of the common rooms."
Taro raised an eyebrow. (He'd spent a whole week as a child practicing it in the mirror after seeing a detective do it on tv.)
"How do you get blood stains on the ceiling?"
"A punctured artery would do it," the tech replied. "One of those will send blood everywhere."
"How deadly is that?"
"Very. If the bleeding isn't stopped, a person will be unconscious in seconds and dead shortly after."
Taro rubbed his eyes and sighed.
"Alright, take a sample, see if you can get a DNA match. Then start checking every wall, floor, and ceiling for more."
"Yes, sir!"
The tech rushed off. Turning back to the room, Taro called to the one officer who was not either crawling under the bed or inside a closet.
"Find anything?"
"Yes, sir! There's a safe behind the painting and what looks to be an escape tunnel under the rug."
Groaning, Taro reached for his phone to call for more backup and to report a possible homicide.
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The sun was just barely above the horizon, gilding the beach a dark bronze. In the days since the attack, Akane had felt restless and angry. Her only respite those few hours a day she spent visiting Kasumi in the hospital. Today she had woke around four and, after an hour of tossing and turning, had made a post asking if anyone knew a good place to train at five in the morning. Surprisingly Izuku replied, mentioning a beach that was usually empty early in the morning. So she had put on a tank top and shorts, laced up her running shoes, and set off in the predawn light. When she arrived, she was only half surprised to see Ranma and Izuku waiting for her.
"You couldn't sleep either?" She asked.
"No," Izuku said. "These last couple of days, all I can think about is how little I could do. All my life, I wanted to be a Hero, But when the time came, All I could do was distract one guy until I lucked out enough to catch him off guard."
"I couldn't even do that," Akane said. "I was stopped by the one with the force field. All I could do was watch while everyone else fought. I never want to be stuck like that again. I need to get better. I need some way to make up for my weaknesses, so I'll be ready next time."
Ranma shrugged and spoke with forced nonchalance. "I can't say I feel anything like that, but I'm always up for some training."
"Oh, knock it off!" Akane laughed. While throwing sand at him with her quirk. Ranma responded by tackling her to the ground and messing up her hair. Izuku soon joined them in a wrestling, laughing pile of limbs.
There, on a beach that used to be covered in trash, three friends made a pact. It wasn't written in blood, bound by law, or even spoken. But it was binding nonetheless. To never turn their backs on each other, to be together through thick and thin, All for one, and one for all.
She tried to push herself up, but the pain in her stomach stopped her.
"Ah, miss Tendo, you're awake. Don't try to move on your own. You're still recovering from surgery. The muscles in your abdomen will need to heal some before you can put any stress on them."
The nurse was tall with a cat-like face covered in light gold fur. She spent several minutes running checks on Kasumi while explaining in a light, cheerful tone everything she was doing.
"Now, some visitors are waiting to see you if you're up to it."
Kasumi nodded.
The nurse smiled and stepped out. Barely a minute later, a flood of sound descended on her, followed by her sisters. Nabiki was speaking about a mile a minute, her face in the characteristic smirk she wore whenever she was teasing Akane. But by the tightness around her eyes, Kasumi could tell she was faking, putting up a front of normalcy to hide her true feelings. Akane didn't notice and was loudly denying everything Nabiki said. She really should have learned by now that all that did was encourage her. Behind them stood their father. His eyes were red, and tears poured down his face.
"Nabiki, stop teasing Akane." The muscles in her diaphragm ached slightly from the exertion. But the looks of joy on her sisters' faces were more than worth it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryoga was lost again. Or, rather Ryoga was lost. The word 'again' implied periods of time that he wasn't lost. He new he was somewhere in the hospital (he'd found an outlet to plug his GPS in, but that didn't exactly help get around inside a building.) Turning another corner in the forlorn hope that it would take him to his destination when he was surprise by a familiar face.
"Ranma!"
Turning, Ryoga's one time schoolmate's face lit up with joy.
"Ryoga! Man, how've you been. I haven't seen you since pops dragged me off to China."
Some part of Ryoga was angered by this.
'He walks out on a man to man dual and now he acts like nothing happened?'
But mostly he was relieved. Someone who already knew. He didn't have to choose between spending hours wandering aimlessly or humiliating himself to ask for help.
"I've been fine. I'm looking for Kasumi Tendo's room, do you know were that is?"
Surprised Ranma asked. "You know Kasumi?"
"No, but I tried to help her after she was hurt and wanted check up on her."
Surprise turned to shock.
"Wait, you're the Hero mama talked about. Who save her and the girls from those thugs?"
Cheeks burning Ryoga scratched his head.
"I'm not a hero, I was just in the right place at the right time."
Ranma who wasn't listening to a word he said, latched onto his arm and started dragging him off.
"Come on, it's just over here!"
Groaning Ryoga surrendered to his fate.
'I should have just asked a nurse!'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detective Taro Sasaki Scratched his head and yawned. He was two pots of coffee past midnight with no end in sight. At first, the case had seemed simple. Breaking and entering, assault, and a few other minor charges. All of them with witness testimony, physical evidence, and even some video to back them up. All he had to do was write it up and send it off to the courts to handle. But then, things had gotten complicated fast. The perps had turned out to be Yakuza, Yakuza with a big expensive compound in the middle of a residential district. A compound with a vast underground lair where they had been performing human experiments. Not to mention that they had only discovered this because some vigilante had set the compound on fire.
The issue was that there was simply too much evidence. If you'd asked him a week ago, he would have said that it was impossible to have too much evidence. Usually, it was the opposite. Ledgers full of documents recording the revenue from protection rackets, prostitution, and drugs. Others detailed expenses, bribes, money laundering, and expensive medical equipment. He didn't want to know what that last one was for, but he had a grim certainty that he would by the time he was done with the case.
He was overseeing a search for secret tunnels in one of the bedrooms when he was approached by one of the techs.
"Sir, I apologize for disturbing you, but I've found something of interest."
"What is it?"
"We've found what appears to be blood stains on the ceiling in one of the common rooms."
Taro raised an eyebrow. (He'd spent a whole week as a child practicing it in the mirror after seeing a detective do it on tv.)
"How do you get blood stains on the ceiling?"
"A punctured artery would do it," the tech replied. "One of those will send blood everywhere."
"How deadly is that?"
"Very. If the bleeding isn't stopped, a person will be unconscious in seconds and dead shortly after."
Taro rubbed his eyes and sighed.
"Alright, take a sample, see if you can get a DNA match. Then start checking every wall, floor, and ceiling for more."
"Yes, sir!"
The tech rushed off. Turning back to the room, Taro called to the one officer who was not either crawling under the bed or inside a closet.
"Find anything?"
"Yes, sir! There's a safe behind the painting and what looks to be an escape tunnel under the rug."
Groaning, Taro reached for his phone to call for more backup and to report a possible homicide.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun was just barely above the horizon, gilding the beach a dark bronze. In the days since the attack, Akane had felt restless and angry. Her only respite those few hours a day she spent visiting Kasumi in the hospital. Today she had woke around four and, after an hour of tossing and turning, had made a post asking if anyone knew a good place to train at five in the morning. Surprisingly Izuku replied, mentioning a beach that was usually empty early in the morning. So she had put on a tank top and shorts, laced up her running shoes, and set off in the predawn light. When she arrived, she was only half surprised to see Ranma and Izuku waiting for her.
"You couldn't sleep either?" She asked.
"No," Izuku said. "These last couple of days, all I can think about is how little I could do. All my life, I wanted to be a Hero, But when the time came, All I could do was distract one guy until I lucked out enough to catch him off guard."
"I couldn't even do that," Akane said. "I was stopped by the one with the force field. All I could do was watch while everyone else fought. I never want to be stuck like that again. I need to get better. I need some way to make up for my weaknesses, so I'll be ready next time."
Ranma shrugged and spoke with forced nonchalance. "I can't say I feel anything like that, but I'm always up for some training."
"Oh, knock it off!" Akane laughed. While throwing sand at him with her quirk. Ranma responded by tackling her to the ground and messing up her hair. Izuku soon joined them in a wrestling, laughing pile of limbs.
There, on a beach that used to be covered in trash, three friends made a pact. It wasn't written in blood, bound by law, or even spoken. But it was binding nonetheless. To never turn their backs on each other, to be together through thick and thin, All for one, and one for all.
Chapter 16: Elections
The class was abuzz with rumors when Mina arrived. Students not showing up was perfectly normal. People got sick or had family stuff. But three students being absent at once, and then all returning on the same day a week later? That was unusual. and Unusual things aroused suspicions, made people curious. And when people couldn't get answers to their questions, they made up their own.
Mina ignored the more salacious things she heard. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Saotome and Tendo were dating (no matter how much they denied it.) But Midoriya? No, there wasn't anything but wishful thinking backing that bit of gossip up.
The truth was probably something boring and mundane. But her classmates would spin up ever more unlikely possibilities until they learned the truth or got bored and moved on to something else.
Mina's musings were interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Kan, who short order turned the classroom from organized chaos to organized learning.
"Now, it has come to my attention that my class lacks one essential component, a representative. You have half an hour till your first class, take this time to talk amongst yourselves and then vote on who it will be."
Mina turned around to face Tsu as several people started loudly calling for people to vote for them.
"So, who're you gonna vote for?"
"I'm not sure, ribbit. Maybe Ida?"
"Ida? He is very rules-minded. I was thinking of Shiozaki. She seems calm and level-headed."
Looking to her left, Mina said.
"And what about you, Koda? Who are you voting for?"
"I'm voting for Todoroki."
"Todoroki? He doesn't seem the type, spends most of the time off brooding in a corner."
"Yeah, but you remember that time when everyone was bothering Tendo and Saotome about that whole engagement thing? He stood up to everyone and told them to stop. I think that's the sort of thing a class rep should do."
Mina blushed at the memory. It wasn't her proudest moment, to say the least.
"Ida and Shiozaki also tried to stop them," Tsu said.
"Yeah, but nobody listens to Ida, and Shiozaki just sat on the sideline. Todoroki got into the thick of it and made them stop."
Mina went silent, thinking about what Koda had said. When Mr. Kan called for everyone to vote, it was a close thing. But with a margin of one vote, Shoto Todoroki was elected class representative along with his deputy Ranma Saotome.
"So, what does a deputy class representative do exactly?" Ranma asked while sending pointed glares toward the two traitors who voted for him.
"The role of a class representative is to represent their class, to be the link between the students and the teachers. They are also expected to take the lead in group activities. As my deputy, you will aid me in my duties and take over for me if I am not available." Todoroki rattled off in a bored tone of voice.
"Huh," Ranma said, "that doesn't sound very exciting. I wonder why everyone was so interested in it?"
"It looks good on a resume,"
"Is that it? Well, I hope it doesn't take up too much time. Pops'll get on my case if school stuff cuts into my training."
Ranma looked over and saw Todoroki staring at him with an oddly intense expression.
"What?"
"Nothing," Todoroki shook his head.
"Okay, you want to join us for lunch again?"
". . . Sure."
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Shoto didn't know what to think about his new deputy. Saotome had always been something of an enigma. On the surface, he acted like a delinquent. His uniform was never done up correctly, he wore his hair long, and he never acted respectfully toward the teachers. But he never caused trouble in class. From all appearances, he got good grades. But now and then, he'd make an offhand remark that aroused Shoto's suspicions. He'd been building a picture in his head of his classmate, and the more he filled it in, the more it looked like a mirror.
Standing in line for lunch, Shoto felt the urge to speak up, to ask if Saotome had gone through the same 'training' as he had. If he had the same unwanted ambition on his shoulders. But with each passing second that he delayed, his trepidation grew.
'What if I'm wrong? What if I'm just imagining it?'
By the time they'd joined Tendo and Midoriya, he'd talked himself out of saying anything. Sitting down, he morosely picked at his food as the others talked about some meet-up they had planned at the beach. For a moment, he considered asking if he could come. But he dismissed it. It would be a waste of time when he should be training his quirk.
"Hey, Todoroki, want to join us?"
"wha-what?" Shoto spluttered, having been caught off guard.
"We missed the first hero lesson while we were away," Tendo said. "So we're planning to meet up this weekend to get some training done, so we don't fall behind. So I asked if you want to join us? With who your father is, you've got to already know a bunch of stuff."
"Wait, who's your father?" Saotome asked.
"You don't recognize his name?" Midoriya asked. "Enji Todoroki, the number two hero? The Flame Hero: Endeavor?"
"Oh, him." Ranma turnned a quizical look at Shoto. "He's your father."
"Yes."
"You don't look like him." Saotome turned his attention back to his lunch.
"That's all you've got to say.' Shoto couldn't help but ask.
"I've never paid that much attention to the top heroes. Besides, he always seemed like a jerk," Saotome said.
"Ranma!" Tendo cried.
Midoriya, who had just taken a drink, sprayed orange juice all over his tray.
Shoto laughed, drawing shocked stares from Tendo and Midoriya.
"So, you gonna join us for this weekend?" Saotome asked.
"Yes"
Shoto still had no idea what was going on with Saotome. But he had decided that he wanted more of it.
Mina ignored the more salacious things she heard. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Saotome and Tendo were dating (no matter how much they denied it.) But Midoriya? No, there wasn't anything but wishful thinking backing that bit of gossip up.
The truth was probably something boring and mundane. But her classmates would spin up ever more unlikely possibilities until they learned the truth or got bored and moved on to something else.
Mina's musings were interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Kan, who short order turned the classroom from organized chaos to organized learning.
"Now, it has come to my attention that my class lacks one essential component, a representative. You have half an hour till your first class, take this time to talk amongst yourselves and then vote on who it will be."
Mina turned around to face Tsu as several people started loudly calling for people to vote for them.
"So, who're you gonna vote for?"
"I'm not sure, ribbit. Maybe Ida?"
"Ida? He is very rules-minded. I was thinking of Shiozaki. She seems calm and level-headed."
Looking to her left, Mina said.
"And what about you, Koda? Who are you voting for?"
"I'm voting for Todoroki."
"Todoroki? He doesn't seem the type, spends most of the time off brooding in a corner."
"Yeah, but you remember that time when everyone was bothering Tendo and Saotome about that whole engagement thing? He stood up to everyone and told them to stop. I think that's the sort of thing a class rep should do."
Mina blushed at the memory. It wasn't her proudest moment, to say the least.
"Ida and Shiozaki also tried to stop them," Tsu said.
"Yeah, but nobody listens to Ida, and Shiozaki just sat on the sideline. Todoroki got into the thick of it and made them stop."
Mina went silent, thinking about what Koda had said. When Mr. Kan called for everyone to vote, it was a close thing. But with a margin of one vote, Shoto Todoroki was elected class representative along with his deputy Ranma Saotome.
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"So, what does a deputy class representative do exactly?" Ranma asked while sending pointed glares toward the two traitors who voted for him.
"The role of a class representative is to represent their class, to be the link between the students and the teachers. They are also expected to take the lead in group activities. As my deputy, you will aid me in my duties and take over for me if I am not available." Todoroki rattled off in a bored tone of voice.
"Huh," Ranma said, "that doesn't sound very exciting. I wonder why everyone was so interested in it?"
"It looks good on a resume,"
"Is that it? Well, I hope it doesn't take up too much time. Pops'll get on my case if school stuff cuts into my training."
Ranma looked over and saw Todoroki staring at him with an oddly intense expression.
"What?"
"Nothing," Todoroki shook his head.
"Okay, you want to join us for lunch again?"
". . . Sure."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shoto didn't know what to think about his new deputy. Saotome had always been something of an enigma. On the surface, he acted like a delinquent. His uniform was never done up correctly, he wore his hair long, and he never acted respectfully toward the teachers. But he never caused trouble in class. From all appearances, he got good grades. But now and then, he'd make an offhand remark that aroused Shoto's suspicions. He'd been building a picture in his head of his classmate, and the more he filled it in, the more it looked like a mirror.
Standing in line for lunch, Shoto felt the urge to speak up, to ask if Saotome had gone through the same 'training' as he had. If he had the same unwanted ambition on his shoulders. But with each passing second that he delayed, his trepidation grew.
'What if I'm wrong? What if I'm just imagining it?'
By the time they'd joined Tendo and Midoriya, he'd talked himself out of saying anything. Sitting down, he morosely picked at his food as the others talked about some meet-up they had planned at the beach. For a moment, he considered asking if he could come. But he dismissed it. It would be a waste of time when he should be training his quirk.
"Hey, Todoroki, want to join us?"
"wha-what?" Shoto spluttered, having been caught off guard.
"We missed the first hero lesson while we were away," Tendo said. "So we're planning to meet up this weekend to get some training done, so we don't fall behind. So I asked if you want to join us? With who your father is, you've got to already know a bunch of stuff."
"Wait, who's your father?" Saotome asked.
"You don't recognize his name?" Midoriya asked. "Enji Todoroki, the number two hero? The Flame Hero: Endeavor?"
"Oh, him." Ranma turnned a quizical look at Shoto. "He's your father."
"Yes."
"You don't look like him." Saotome turned his attention back to his lunch.
"That's all you've got to say.' Shoto couldn't help but ask.
"I've never paid that much attention to the top heroes. Besides, he always seemed like a jerk," Saotome said.
"Ranma!" Tendo cried.
Midoriya, who had just taken a drink, sprayed orange juice all over his tray.
Shoto laughed, drawing shocked stares from Tendo and Midoriya.
"So, you gonna join us for this weekend?" Saotome asked.
"Yes"
Shoto still had no idea what was going on with Saotome. But he had decided that he wanted more of it.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
This has been an odd read... It's entertaining for sure, and I'm loving how you've integrated the two worlds. But the eclectic way the PoV shifts around seems off... yet also has a charm that makes me curious to see what happens next.
Also, I was laughing my ass off at how the Yakuza creeps got their teeth kicked in.
Also, I was laughing my ass off at how the Yakuza creeps got their teeth kicked in.
I am happy to hear you're enjoying it. That PoV shifts at first were a result of my inexperience, but I started to lean into it when I discovered that I'm better at improvising than I am at planning. Seriously, there's been four or five times were I've to throw out plans I'd spent ages working on because when I sat down to write them some random idea would pop into my head and it would be better than my plans!
So I've given up the wheel to my subconscious mind, I know the destination, but as for how we're getting there, I've got only the foggiest outline.
Chapter 17: A Day at the Beach
The beach was unusually quiet for the weekend. Shoto had expected it to be crowded with families enjoying the weekend. But instead, there were only a few runners on the sand.
"This place used to be covered in trash." Tendo had explained when they arrived. "Then some local people started cleaning it up a couple of months ago. But most people haven't noticed, so it's still pretty empty."
It was rather beautiful, Shoto had to admit. Golden sand unmarred by litter, the water was a clear blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Unfortunately, he couldn't properly appreciate it, as he was too busy trying not to get kicked. Shoto had suspected that Saotome had gone through similar training to himself. He had quickly been proven wrong when Their first spar had ended seconds after it began, with Saotome pinning him to the ground with his arms twisted uncomfortably far up his back. Shoto had had some hand-to-hand training from his father, but most of his training had revolved around using his quirk. Meanwhile, Saotome was a martial artist who had spent years training to fight without his quirk.
The following spar was lasting longer, but Shoto was painfully aware that was only due to Saotome going easy on him. Blocking a punch that was so telegraphed that it should have been sending up smoke signals (he would have resented it if he hadn't known that there was no way he could have seen it otherwise.) He tried to repay it in kind, only for Saotome to effortlessly dodge it.
"Hey, you're pretty good at this," Saotome cheerily said.
Shoto was utterly baffled by Saotome's ability to give out compliments with such utter sincerity that it was impossible to tell whether he was mocking you or not.
Shaking his head, Shoto tried to press the attack, only to be rebuffed by a smiling Saotome who didn't even bother to block but only leaned to the side, causing Shoto to miss by centimeters each time. At one point, he even yawned! Growling in frustration, Shoto threw himself Saotome to tackle him to the ground, only to eat sand when Saotome went from standing entirely at ease to somersaulting over Shoto's in a fraction of a second. Shoto tried to push himself up, spitting sand from his mouth, only for a pair of feet to plant themselves between his shoulder blades and pin him to the ground again.
"You've got a good grasp on the basics but not much else," Saotome said. "Your quirk lets you attack from a distance, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Shoto wheezed.
"Thought so. You kept attacking even though I was too far away for you to hit me," Saotome continued. "Also, you don't commit enough. I would have barely felt it if you had managed to hit me."
It stung his pride, but Shoto accepted what Saotome had to say. He could only use his ice on the right side of his body. If someone attacked from his left, he would have to be able to defend himself with just his bare hand.
But Saotome still hadn't explained one thing.
"Why are you standing on me?" Shoto asked.
"Why haven't you pushed me off," Saotome said. (Shoto could hear the smirk in his voice) "The spars not over until one of us gives. Are you saying that you can't?"
Shoto knew that Saotome was trying to piss him off. Unfortunately, that didn't stop it from workings. With a cry and a heave, he threw Saotome off his back and scrambled to his feet.
"That's more like it!"
'The worst part,' Shoto idly thought. 'Is that he's being sincere.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Akane took a break from helping Izuku with his form to take a look at how Todoroki was fairing against Ranma. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he was holding his ground. Though from personal experience, she knew that it was due more to Ranma going easy on him than Todoroki's own skill. Something about how he was fighting bothered her, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Turning back to check on Izuku, she saw that he had finished the basic kata she had taught him and had started scribbling in one of his innumerable notebooks. Looking over his shoulder, she saw that under a rather good sketch of Todoroki, he was writing down notes on his fighting style and how it differed from Ranma and Akane's styles. Looking back at Todoroki, with the insight from Izuku's notes, she could see what had bothered her.
"He's overcompensating."
"What?" Izuku asked.
"Todoroki's used to fighting with his quirk. Now that he isn't, he's trying to compensate for it, but he's overdoing it."
As she spoke, Ranma took advantage of Todoroki losing his balance after a kick to sweep him off his feet and pin him to the ground.
'At least he's not standing on him this time,' Akane thought. Before turning back to Izuku.
"Anyway, I've been thinking about what you said about your quirk," Akane said.
"Yes?"
"You said that it gives you a huge burst of energy to strengthen yourself."
"Yeah, but it's hard to control how much I use. And if I use too much, my body can't handle it, and I hurt myself."
"Yes, I was thinking about it, and I may have an idea that could help with that. When I use my quirk, I can't move just one bit of the air. I have to move it all. That's why it takes so long for me to bring it up to speed. The energy gets spread across all the air in my range, so each bit of air only gets a tiny bit." Akane said.
"For you, it's the opposite. You've got too much energy all at once. So maybe instead of just your arm, you spread it to other parts of your body that you're not using so that there's less of it in your arm."
"I already did something like that," Izuku said. "When I was fighting that Yakuza."
Akane had been shocked when it came out during the police questioning that their attackers were Yakuza. She'd always thought of Yakuza as something out of history books, not something that existed in the here and now.
"I knew I only had one shot at beating him. So I was focusing so much on getting the punch right that I unconsciously on my leg and back as well as my arm," Izuku continued.
"and did that help?" Akane asked.
"Well, I didn't break my arm. But I was so exhausted afterward that I collapsed."
"That's great! So all you need to do is work on your stamina and-" a cry cut off Akane. Turning, she saw that Ranma had tripped Todoroki again, but Todoroki had managed to drag him down with him. And they were wrestling back and forth in the sand until they hit the edge of the sand and tumbled down the slope straight into the water.
"This place used to be covered in trash." Tendo had explained when they arrived. "Then some local people started cleaning it up a couple of months ago. But most people haven't noticed, so it's still pretty empty."
It was rather beautiful, Shoto had to admit. Golden sand unmarred by litter, the water was a clear blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Unfortunately, he couldn't properly appreciate it, as he was too busy trying not to get kicked. Shoto had suspected that Saotome had gone through similar training to himself. He had quickly been proven wrong when Their first spar had ended seconds after it began, with Saotome pinning him to the ground with his arms twisted uncomfortably far up his back. Shoto had had some hand-to-hand training from his father, but most of his training had revolved around using his quirk. Meanwhile, Saotome was a martial artist who had spent years training to fight without his quirk.
The following spar was lasting longer, but Shoto was painfully aware that was only due to Saotome going easy on him. Blocking a punch that was so telegraphed that it should have been sending up smoke signals (he would have resented it if he hadn't known that there was no way he could have seen it otherwise.) He tried to repay it in kind, only for Saotome to effortlessly dodge it.
"Hey, you're pretty good at this," Saotome cheerily said.
Shoto was utterly baffled by Saotome's ability to give out compliments with such utter sincerity that it was impossible to tell whether he was mocking you or not.
Shaking his head, Shoto tried to press the attack, only to be rebuffed by a smiling Saotome who didn't even bother to block but only leaned to the side, causing Shoto to miss by centimeters each time. At one point, he even yawned! Growling in frustration, Shoto threw himself Saotome to tackle him to the ground, only to eat sand when Saotome went from standing entirely at ease to somersaulting over Shoto's in a fraction of a second. Shoto tried to push himself up, spitting sand from his mouth, only for a pair of feet to plant themselves between his shoulder blades and pin him to the ground again.
"You've got a good grasp on the basics but not much else," Saotome said. "Your quirk lets you attack from a distance, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Shoto wheezed.
"Thought so. You kept attacking even though I was too far away for you to hit me," Saotome continued. "Also, you don't commit enough. I would have barely felt it if you had managed to hit me."
It stung his pride, but Shoto accepted what Saotome had to say. He could only use his ice on the right side of his body. If someone attacked from his left, he would have to be able to defend himself with just his bare hand.
But Saotome still hadn't explained one thing.
"Why are you standing on me?" Shoto asked.
"Why haven't you pushed me off," Saotome said. (Shoto could hear the smirk in his voice) "The spars not over until one of us gives. Are you saying that you can't?"
Shoto knew that Saotome was trying to piss him off. Unfortunately, that didn't stop it from workings. With a cry and a heave, he threw Saotome off his back and scrambled to his feet.
"That's more like it!"
'The worst part,' Shoto idly thought. 'Is that he's being sincere.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Akane took a break from helping Izuku with his form to take a look at how Todoroki was fairing against Ranma. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he was holding his ground. Though from personal experience, she knew that it was due more to Ranma going easy on him than Todoroki's own skill. Something about how he was fighting bothered her, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Turning back to check on Izuku, she saw that he had finished the basic kata she had taught him and had started scribbling in one of his innumerable notebooks. Looking over his shoulder, she saw that under a rather good sketch of Todoroki, he was writing down notes on his fighting style and how it differed from Ranma and Akane's styles. Looking back at Todoroki, with the insight from Izuku's notes, she could see what had bothered her.
"He's overcompensating."
"What?" Izuku asked.
"Todoroki's used to fighting with his quirk. Now that he isn't, he's trying to compensate for it, but he's overdoing it."
As she spoke, Ranma took advantage of Todoroki losing his balance after a kick to sweep him off his feet and pin him to the ground.
'At least he's not standing on him this time,' Akane thought. Before turning back to Izuku.
"Anyway, I've been thinking about what you said about your quirk," Akane said.
"Yes?"
"You said that it gives you a huge burst of energy to strengthen yourself."
"Yeah, but it's hard to control how much I use. And if I use too much, my body can't handle it, and I hurt myself."
"Yes, I was thinking about it, and I may have an idea that could help with that. When I use my quirk, I can't move just one bit of the air. I have to move it all. That's why it takes so long for me to bring it up to speed. The energy gets spread across all the air in my range, so each bit of air only gets a tiny bit." Akane said.
"For you, it's the opposite. You've got too much energy all at once. So maybe instead of just your arm, you spread it to other parts of your body that you're not using so that there's less of it in your arm."
"I already did something like that," Izuku said. "When I was fighting that Yakuza."
Akane had been shocked when it came out during the police questioning that their attackers were Yakuza. She'd always thought of Yakuza as something out of history books, not something that existed in the here and now.
"I knew I only had one shot at beating him. So I was focusing so much on getting the punch right that I unconsciously on my leg and back as well as my arm," Izuku continued.
"and did that help?" Akane asked.
"Well, I didn't break my arm. But I was so exhausted afterward that I collapsed."
"That's great! So all you need to do is work on your stamina and-" a cry cut off Akane. Turning, she saw that Ranma had tripped Todoroki again, but Todoroki had managed to drag him down with him. And they were wrestling back and forth in the sand until they hit the edge of the sand and tumbled down the slope straight into the water.
Ginny McAllister
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog
- Location
- Pacific NorthWet
The more I think about it, the more Todoroki seems like a superb training partner for Ranma. Probably half of Ranma's (half, get it?) special techniques are heat or cold based, or trained using heat or cold. The chestnut fist, soul of ice, the tornado. With Todoroki around, I can imagine alternate ways to discover those through empowered sparring, particularly with Akane already having a whirlwind quirk.
Chapter 18: Panda Girl
Shoto's back ached from the fall, and his chest ached from being fallen on. His arms were being rubbed raw, and sand was getting everywhere. But none of it mattered because he was finally landing hits on Saotome. His view alternated between blue and gold as they rolled around, hitting, kicking, and headbutting. He just about had Saotome in a chokehold when they struck the water. Normally, Shoto would continue fighting, unwilling to give up a chance at victory. But something so surprising happened that left him reeling in shock.
Ranma . . . Changed was the only word for it. One second Shoto was wrestling with the tall black-haired boy he had come to know and want to strangle. The next, he had been replaced with a short red-haired girl.
"Ugh, why now?" She whined in a petulant tone.
Shoto realizing that he still had his arms crushing her against his chest. He threw himself back, instinctively activating his quirk to propel him further away, leaving a trail of ice in his wake.
"Wha-?" Shoto stared dumbfounded.
"Stupid curse, I can't even go to the beach anymore."
"Sa-Saotome?" Shoto asked.
"Yeah," the girl answered.
"What happened to you?" Shoto desperately asked.
"That is a long story," Saotome said.
What followed was (despite hearing parts of it twice so the Midoriya could understand) the most disturbingly fascinating thing Shoto had ever heard. Shoto had never been to China, and up until now, he hadn't known anyone who had. Despite being the closest place in the world to Japan, it had the exotic wonder of a far-off land in the minds of most Japanese people. But the stories he heard from Saotome put even his wildest childhood imaginations to shame. At the end of it, all Shoto had come to two conclusions. The first was that his childhood had been nothing like Saotome's, and the second was that he was glad it wasn't
"Is there some type of cure?" Shoto asked.
"There could be," Saotome said. "But the best chance to find one would be back in China. And that would mean dropping out of school and running away from home."
It was a daunting prospect to give up on everything, family, friends, and his career. All in search of a cure that might not even exist. Shoto couldn't say whether he would be able to do it or not, and he had far less to give up than Saotome.
"What are you going to do?" Shoto asked.
"I'm gonna finish school, then I'm gonna head back to China to try and find a cure," Saotome said.
"What about being a hero?" Shoto asked.
"Eh, I guess I could do that too." Flashing a familiar grin that looked strange on the wrong face, Saotome started heading back to where they had left their things. "Now, come on, we've got training to do."
"Wait a minute," Midoriya said. "Are you Panda Girl?"
"What? No! Of course not! Why would you think of something as ridiculous as that?" Saotome asked. Badly trying to act nonchalant.
"Well, you look just like her. And in the video, she mentions an engagement. And talks about China. Here I'll show you."
But before he could, he was pounced on by a blur of red hair, trying to wrestle the phone from his hands, loudly denying everything all the while.
Shoto turned a bewildered look on Tendo, silently begging for an explanation. Tendo just shrugged.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sekijiro Kan sat in his office going over the paperwork for the upcoming trip to the USJ. It was still several days away, but he liked getting things ready early rather than putting them off until the last minute. His eye caught the name of one of his problem students. It wasn't that they were problems (Sekijiro was of the opinion that there are no bad students, only bad teachers.) No, the problems were what his students were forced to deal with.
Tendo, perhaps was best off of the four. He wouldn't have thought anything was out of the ordinary if it wasn't for the engagement. But an arranged marriage was not a good sign in and of itself. He had asked her about her home life after the engagement had come out. She had denied anything was wrong, but children sadly would often cover up their problems out of fear of judgment. He had done some investigating and found no signs of abuse, but he still worried.
Todoroki's refusal to use half his quirk was also worrying. Such things were usually a result of trauma. That, along with the scar on his face, pointed in an unpleasant direction. He had rebuffed Sekijiro's tentative attempts to probe for answers, and Sekijiro feared pushing harder would only drive Todoroki away.
Midoriya's problem was comparatively simple if no less of a burden. A Quirk he could barely control that injured him every time he used it with the legacy of the world's greatest hero on his shoulders. He could understand why All Might had chosen him, but still, a part of Sekijiro resented All Might for forcing that burden onto one of his students, even if Midoriya wouldn't have been his student without All Might's quirk.
And then there was Saotome, who seemed to have all the problems of all the others rolled into one. An engagement he had no say in, a dangerous quirk that he struggled to control and used as little as possible.
So many problems heaped on children still so young. But despite all their problems, or maybe because of them. They had all come together as friends, supporting each other through their various challenges.
His musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. Quickly jotting down a note to check if there were any extra-curricular activities that might appeal to the foursome, he rose to answer the door. Opening it, he saw an empty hallway. Looking around, he heard a polite cough.
"Ah, principal Nedzu. I didn't see you there."
"That's quite alright, kan. If I could speak with you privately, something delicate has come to my attention."
"Of course, sir, step right in," Sekijiro said. Making way for the diminutive principle. "Would you some like tea?"
"No, thank you," Nedzu said. "I wish to talk to you about some of the students in your class."
"Saotome and Tendo?"
"yes, along with Midoriya and Todoroki," Nedzu said. "It's not uncommon for students to have problems with their quirks. But three in the same class is rather exceptional. Throw in an arranged marriage, and you have the recipe for something unfortunate. Inui has been hounding me about it, not to mention all the drama with 1-A."
"I was just thinking about them, actually. They've formed a strong friendship that has helped Midoriya improve by leaps and bounds. Even with what happened last week," Sekijiro said.
"Ah, I'm glad you brought that up. Inui has been keeping a close eye on them, and seeing how they have helped Midoriya has given him an Idea. He wants to form a social club for those students who have trouble with their quirks, especially those with animalistic quirks. So that they can help each other. He, of course, would be in charge due to his experience handling his own quirk. I quite like the idea. But before I give my approval, I want to sound out the students in question for their opinions," Nedzu said.
"Midoriya will definitely go for it. I can't say for sure about Saotome or Todoroki. I'll offer it to them and let you know what they say, Sekijiro said.
Shoto sat in his room alone. The day had been filled with surprising revelations that he was still coming to terms with. The stories he had heard sounded like the plot of some over-the-top martial arts film, not something that really happened. But the pictures Saotome had shown them (not to mention his transformation) had been enough proof to convince him. Right now, he was looking for evidence for the one strange story that hadn't been told by Saotome.
He carefully typed "Panda girl" into the search bar and tapped the magnifying glass icon. The first results were all cartoon pandas wearing bows. But after scrolling a bit, he came to a video. Opening it, he saw a panda and the body of a girl, their heads obscured by the pictures of anime characters. After another bit of searching, he was able to find the original. And just as Midoriya had said, the girl in the video like just like Saotome had at the beach. Absent-mindedly, he opened another video. This one had the Panda's head replaced with Endeavour's, and Saotome's with that of All Might. He was enraptured by the sight of Pandeavour (as someone in the comments had dubbed him), tried and failed to catch All Might (he'd checked, but sadly no one had come up with a silly name for him), only to just fall short each time.
Though he didn't notice it, a smile had appeared on his face. And video after video, it grew and grew.
Ranma . . . Changed was the only word for it. One second Shoto was wrestling with the tall black-haired boy he had come to know and want to strangle. The next, he had been replaced with a short red-haired girl.
"Ugh, why now?" She whined in a petulant tone.
Shoto realizing that he still had his arms crushing her against his chest. He threw himself back, instinctively activating his quirk to propel him further away, leaving a trail of ice in his wake.
"Wha-?" Shoto stared dumbfounded.
"Stupid curse, I can't even go to the beach anymore."
"Sa-Saotome?" Shoto asked.
"Yeah," the girl answered.
"What happened to you?" Shoto desperately asked.
"That is a long story," Saotome said.
What followed was (despite hearing parts of it twice so the Midoriya could understand) the most disturbingly fascinating thing Shoto had ever heard. Shoto had never been to China, and up until now, he hadn't known anyone who had. Despite being the closest place in the world to Japan, it had the exotic wonder of a far-off land in the minds of most Japanese people. But the stories he heard from Saotome put even his wildest childhood imaginations to shame. At the end of it, all Shoto had come to two conclusions. The first was that his childhood had been nothing like Saotome's, and the second was that he was glad it wasn't
"Is there some type of cure?" Shoto asked.
"There could be," Saotome said. "But the best chance to find one would be back in China. And that would mean dropping out of school and running away from home."
It was a daunting prospect to give up on everything, family, friends, and his career. All in search of a cure that might not even exist. Shoto couldn't say whether he would be able to do it or not, and he had far less to give up than Saotome.
"What are you going to do?" Shoto asked.
"I'm gonna finish school, then I'm gonna head back to China to try and find a cure," Saotome said.
"What about being a hero?" Shoto asked.
"Eh, I guess I could do that too." Flashing a familiar grin that looked strange on the wrong face, Saotome started heading back to where they had left their things. "Now, come on, we've got training to do."
"Wait a minute," Midoriya said. "Are you Panda Girl?"
"What? No! Of course not! Why would you think of something as ridiculous as that?" Saotome asked. Badly trying to act nonchalant.
"Well, you look just like her. And in the video, she mentions an engagement. And talks about China. Here I'll show you."
But before he could, he was pounced on by a blur of red hair, trying to wrestle the phone from his hands, loudly denying everything all the while.
Shoto turned a bewildered look on Tendo, silently begging for an explanation. Tendo just shrugged.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sekijiro Kan sat in his office going over the paperwork for the upcoming trip to the USJ. It was still several days away, but he liked getting things ready early rather than putting them off until the last minute. His eye caught the name of one of his problem students. It wasn't that they were problems (Sekijiro was of the opinion that there are no bad students, only bad teachers.) No, the problems were what his students were forced to deal with.
Tendo, perhaps was best off of the four. He wouldn't have thought anything was out of the ordinary if it wasn't for the engagement. But an arranged marriage was not a good sign in and of itself. He had asked her about her home life after the engagement had come out. She had denied anything was wrong, but children sadly would often cover up their problems out of fear of judgment. He had done some investigating and found no signs of abuse, but he still worried.
Todoroki's refusal to use half his quirk was also worrying. Such things were usually a result of trauma. That, along with the scar on his face, pointed in an unpleasant direction. He had rebuffed Sekijiro's tentative attempts to probe for answers, and Sekijiro feared pushing harder would only drive Todoroki away.
Midoriya's problem was comparatively simple if no less of a burden. A Quirk he could barely control that injured him every time he used it with the legacy of the world's greatest hero on his shoulders. He could understand why All Might had chosen him, but still, a part of Sekijiro resented All Might for forcing that burden onto one of his students, even if Midoriya wouldn't have been his student without All Might's quirk.
And then there was Saotome, who seemed to have all the problems of all the others rolled into one. An engagement he had no say in, a dangerous quirk that he struggled to control and used as little as possible.
So many problems heaped on children still so young. But despite all their problems, or maybe because of them. They had all come together as friends, supporting each other through their various challenges.
His musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. Quickly jotting down a note to check if there were any extra-curricular activities that might appeal to the foursome, he rose to answer the door. Opening it, he saw an empty hallway. Looking around, he heard a polite cough.
"Ah, principal Nedzu. I didn't see you there."
"That's quite alright, kan. If I could speak with you privately, something delicate has come to my attention."
"Of course, sir, step right in," Sekijiro said. Making way for the diminutive principle. "Would you some like tea?"
"No, thank you," Nedzu said. "I wish to talk to you about some of the students in your class."
"Saotome and Tendo?"
"yes, along with Midoriya and Todoroki," Nedzu said. "It's not uncommon for students to have problems with their quirks. But three in the same class is rather exceptional. Throw in an arranged marriage, and you have the recipe for something unfortunate. Inui has been hounding me about it, not to mention all the drama with 1-A."
"I was just thinking about them, actually. They've formed a strong friendship that has helped Midoriya improve by leaps and bounds. Even with what happened last week," Sekijiro said.
"Ah, I'm glad you brought that up. Inui has been keeping a close eye on them, and seeing how they have helped Midoriya has given him an Idea. He wants to form a social club for those students who have trouble with their quirks, especially those with animalistic quirks. So that they can help each other. He, of course, would be in charge due to his experience handling his own quirk. I quite like the idea. But before I give my approval, I want to sound out the students in question for their opinions," Nedzu said.
"Midoriya will definitely go for it. I can't say for sure about Saotome or Todoroki. I'll offer it to them and let you know what they say, Sekijiro said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shoto sat in his room alone. The day had been filled with surprising revelations that he was still coming to terms with. The stories he had heard sounded like the plot of some over-the-top martial arts film, not something that really happened. But the pictures Saotome had shown them (not to mention his transformation) had been enough proof to convince him. Right now, he was looking for evidence for the one strange story that hadn't been told by Saotome.
He carefully typed "Panda girl" into the search bar and tapped the magnifying glass icon. The first results were all cartoon pandas wearing bows. But after scrolling a bit, he came to a video. Opening it, he saw a panda and the body of a girl, their heads obscured by the pictures of anime characters. After another bit of searching, he was able to find the original. And just as Midoriya had said, the girl in the video like just like Saotome had at the beach. Absent-mindedly, he opened another video. This one had the Panda's head replaced with Endeavour's, and Saotome's with that of All Might. He was enraptured by the sight of Pandeavour (as someone in the comments had dubbed him), tried and failed to catch All Might (he'd checked, but sadly no one had come up with a silly name for him), only to just fall short each time.
Though he didn't notice it, a smile had appeared on his face. And video after video, it grew and grew.
Chapter 19: Happi Wrench
Kurogiri calmly wiped down the bar as Shigaraki threw a tantrum. He suppressed a wince as chairs and tables disintegrated. They were cheap and easily replaced, but the cleanup would be a pain.
"Enough, Shigaraki," the voice of All-For-One wrong out. "This is just a minor setback. There will be other opportunities."
A group of Yakuza, of all things, had attacked the home of a UA student. The school had raised its security in response, making Shigaraki's plan to attack the USJ unfeasible. Thus the need to buy new furniture.
"Take this time to prepare. You have the advantage of the first move. If you play it right, there will be no need for a sec-."
All-For-One's voice was interrupted by a knock at the door. Shigaraki spun around, eyes wide, ready to lash out. Kurogiri opened a portal to one of their other safe houses. If needed, he could move himself and, more importantly, Shigaraki to safety at a moment's notice. Moving over to the door, he cracked it open and looked through. All he saw was the empty alleyway the bar opened onto.
There was a polite cough from below. Looking down, he saw the shortest, most shriveled old man he had ever seen.
"We're closed," he said.
"Not even for family?" The old man asked.
Baffled by this seeming non-sequitur could only let out a startled "What?" As the old man somehow squeezed through the gap in the door.
"Shigaraki, my boy! It's been too long!"
"Uncle Happi?" Shigaraki said, a look of wonder and joy on his face.
"Happosai? Here? Kurogiri, get Shigaraki out of there now!"
At All-For-One's command, he instinctively opened a portal under Shigaraki's feet to whisk him away. But Happosai had grabbed his charge and swung him around in a hug just in time to avoid it.
What followed was pandemonium.
Akane could barely keep from squealing in delight. She was wearing her costume! It looked just like her drawings, an emerald vest with tassels to flutter in the wind over a long wide-sleeved maroon shirt, a knee-length ruby skirt with more tassels over black stockings. The shirt and stockings were made of thick wool to protect from wind chill, and the vest had large pockets to store things in. In her (admittedly biased) opinion, it was the greatest costume ever.
Taking a deep contented sigh, she looked around the bus. They were traveling to a special facility for their heroics class. Mr. Kan said they could wear their costumes, but they might not be suited for the activities they would be doing. Naturally, everyone had changed into their costumes. Why wouldn't they? Their costumes were amazing!
Iida, Honenuki, and Aoyama wore suits of armor. However, Aoyama's looked more like a fairy tale knight, while the others were more high-tech looking. Koda's costume reminded Akane of a boy scout with a red and yellow color scheme shorts and backpack. Komori looked really cute in her polka-dot dress.
Asui, Sato, and Ashido were wearing skin-tight leotards in different colors and styles. Asui's was green with two broad black stripes down her chest, with a headpiece and large gloves that emphasized her frog-like appearance. Sato's was yellow and reminiscent of All Might's costume. Ashido's had a splotchy pattern of purple and green, which left her arms uncovered and had a fur ruff around the neck.
Shiozaki had a white toga, Monoma looked like a magician, and Kaminari looked like a rock singer. To nobody's surprise, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had a similar look. Tough cloth with metal fittings, red and black, and green and silver, respectively. The main difference being that Kirishima bared his chest and Tetsutetsu his arms.
Shishida had also gone bare-chested, his costume consisting of boots, pants, a collar, and sunglasses. Shoji's costume covered everything but his arms. It was all in shades of blue, with two lines of white buttons down his chest and a band that reminded Akane of a wrestling champion belt around his waist. Tsunotori was wearing a cute dress. Akane wouldn't have realized it was a hero's costume if it weren't for the bits of horse tack.
All these fantastic costumes, with varied esthetics and styles, yet everyone boldly projected the image of a hero. And then there were her friends. Izuku's would have been alright (if a bit plain), but his mask made him look like a demonic rabbit. Todoroki's was just a tracksuit and a utility belt! Looking at it in a vacuum, Ranma's wasn't bad, a Chinese-style red shirt with gold ties, a black belt, and black pants with bronze-colored bracers on his arms. But it looked so much like the clothes he usually wore that Akane couldn't help but be irritated by it.
Akane's mussing were interrupted when the bus rolled to a stop. They had arrived.
Eri pocked her tongue out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on getting it just right. Ever so carefully, she rubbed the crayon up and down, leaving green spikes where there had been plain white. Once she had finished, she carefully returned the crayon to its proper place in the box before pulling out a black one. This time instead of spikes, she drew long, flowing lines that reminded her of a waterfall. Once it was to her satisfaction, she returned the crayon to its friends and closed the box. Picking it up (it was so big she needed both her hands.) She walked over to the shelves and put it back in its place. Only when everything was back in its proper place did she turn back to her creation.
The bottom of the page was brown and covered with black horizontal lines. Above it stood several figures. Two had green hair, one short and spiky, the other long and flowing. There was one with brown hair, one with blue, and a bunch with black. Sitting in the center of the page was one of the black-haired ones. This one had the longest hair of them all. And sitting in its lap was a small figure with silver hair and one long horn.
Looking over it, she nodded in satisfaction. Walking over to the table, she added it to the pile of completed drawings. Beside it sat a book with a picture of a princess in a dress on the cover. Someone had used a pen to draw a horn on the princess's forehead. Eri had been told that you weren't supposed to draw on books, but Mrs. Yuuki had said that it was alright. So Eri had taken her crayon and added horns to all the pictures inside the book as well. Picking up the book, she walked over to the giant fluffy beanbag and dived in, wriggling around to get herself upright; Eri opened the book. She couldn't read the words, but she enjoyed just looking at the pictures.
She spent a while just flipping back and forth through the book, looking at the pictures and making up her own story about what they showed until the door opened and Mrs. Yuuki walked in, and behind her was-. It was the long-haired man! (Eri had never learned his name, but he was the nice man who had told her stories and had made the floating pictures).
"Hello, Eri," Mrs. Yuuki said while crouching down. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything."
Eri shook her head.
"That's good. I've come because Mr. Tendo here has something he wants to offer you."
Crouching down beside Mrs. Yuuki, Mr. Tendo smiled. "Hello, Eri. Do you remember me?"
Eri nodded her head. How could she have forgotten him?
"Like Mrs. Yuuki said, I have something I want to offer you. Or rather, there's something I'd like to ask of you. You see my daughters, you remember them, right?" ERi nodded again. "Well, they're all grown up and are getting ready to move out and start living on their own. So I've been left all alone, and I've been feeling lonely without them. And I know that Mrs. Yuuki has been trying to find a home for you. So I was hoping that maybe you would like to come and live with me? That way, I wouldn't be alone, and you'd have a home."
Eri stared wide-eyed, her mouth open in shock. "I-I can?" Eri asked Mrs. Yuuki.
"If you want to." Mrs. Yuuki answered.
Eri jumped out of the beanbag, tripping slightly on the edge but recovering and wrapping her arms around Mr. Tendo's leg.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She shouted.
"Enough, Shigaraki," the voice of All-For-One wrong out. "This is just a minor setback. There will be other opportunities."
A group of Yakuza, of all things, had attacked the home of a UA student. The school had raised its security in response, making Shigaraki's plan to attack the USJ unfeasible. Thus the need to buy new furniture.
"Take this time to prepare. You have the advantage of the first move. If you play it right, there will be no need for a sec-."
All-For-One's voice was interrupted by a knock at the door. Shigaraki spun around, eyes wide, ready to lash out. Kurogiri opened a portal to one of their other safe houses. If needed, he could move himself and, more importantly, Shigaraki to safety at a moment's notice. Moving over to the door, he cracked it open and looked through. All he saw was the empty alleyway the bar opened onto.
There was a polite cough from below. Looking down, he saw the shortest, most shriveled old man he had ever seen.
"We're closed," he said.
"Not even for family?" The old man asked.
Baffled by this seeming non-sequitur could only let out a startled "What?" As the old man somehow squeezed through the gap in the door.
"Shigaraki, my boy! It's been too long!"
"Uncle Happi?" Shigaraki said, a look of wonder and joy on his face.
"Happosai? Here? Kurogiri, get Shigaraki out of there now!"
At All-For-One's command, he instinctively opened a portal under Shigaraki's feet to whisk him away. But Happosai had grabbed his charge and swung him around in a hug just in time to avoid it.
What followed was pandemonium.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Akane could barely keep from squealing in delight. She was wearing her costume! It looked just like her drawings, an emerald vest with tassels to flutter in the wind over a long wide-sleeved maroon shirt, a knee-length ruby skirt with more tassels over black stockings. The shirt and stockings were made of thick wool to protect from wind chill, and the vest had large pockets to store things in. In her (admittedly biased) opinion, it was the greatest costume ever.
Taking a deep contented sigh, she looked around the bus. They were traveling to a special facility for their heroics class. Mr. Kan said they could wear their costumes, but they might not be suited for the activities they would be doing. Naturally, everyone had changed into their costumes. Why wouldn't they? Their costumes were amazing!
Iida, Honenuki, and Aoyama wore suits of armor. However, Aoyama's looked more like a fairy tale knight, while the others were more high-tech looking. Koda's costume reminded Akane of a boy scout with a red and yellow color scheme shorts and backpack. Komori looked really cute in her polka-dot dress.
Asui, Sato, and Ashido were wearing skin-tight leotards in different colors and styles. Asui's was green with two broad black stripes down her chest, with a headpiece and large gloves that emphasized her frog-like appearance. Sato's was yellow and reminiscent of All Might's costume. Ashido's had a splotchy pattern of purple and green, which left her arms uncovered and had a fur ruff around the neck.
Shiozaki had a white toga, Monoma looked like a magician, and Kaminari looked like a rock singer. To nobody's surprise, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had a similar look. Tough cloth with metal fittings, red and black, and green and silver, respectively. The main difference being that Kirishima bared his chest and Tetsutetsu his arms.
Shishida had also gone bare-chested, his costume consisting of boots, pants, a collar, and sunglasses. Shoji's costume covered everything but his arms. It was all in shades of blue, with two lines of white buttons down his chest and a band that reminded Akane of a wrestling champion belt around his waist. Tsunotori was wearing a cute dress. Akane wouldn't have realized it was a hero's costume if it weren't for the bits of horse tack.
All these fantastic costumes, with varied esthetics and styles, yet everyone boldly projected the image of a hero. And then there were her friends. Izuku's would have been alright (if a bit plain), but his mask made him look like a demonic rabbit. Todoroki's was just a tracksuit and a utility belt! Looking at it in a vacuum, Ranma's wasn't bad, a Chinese-style red shirt with gold ties, a black belt, and black pants with bronze-colored bracers on his arms. But it looked so much like the clothes he usually wore that Akane couldn't help but be irritated by it.
Akane's mussing were interrupted when the bus rolled to a stop. They had arrived.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eri pocked her tongue out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on getting it just right. Ever so carefully, she rubbed the crayon up and down, leaving green spikes where there had been plain white. Once she had finished, she carefully returned the crayon to its proper place in the box before pulling out a black one. This time instead of spikes, she drew long, flowing lines that reminded her of a waterfall. Once it was to her satisfaction, she returned the crayon to its friends and closed the box. Picking it up (it was so big she needed both her hands.) She walked over to the shelves and put it back in its place. Only when everything was back in its proper place did she turn back to her creation.
The bottom of the page was brown and covered with black horizontal lines. Above it stood several figures. Two had green hair, one short and spiky, the other long and flowing. There was one with brown hair, one with blue, and a bunch with black. Sitting in the center of the page was one of the black-haired ones. This one had the longest hair of them all. And sitting in its lap was a small figure with silver hair and one long horn.
Looking over it, she nodded in satisfaction. Walking over to the table, she added it to the pile of completed drawings. Beside it sat a book with a picture of a princess in a dress on the cover. Someone had used a pen to draw a horn on the princess's forehead. Eri had been told that you weren't supposed to draw on books, but Mrs. Yuuki had said that it was alright. So Eri had taken her crayon and added horns to all the pictures inside the book as well. Picking up the book, she walked over to the giant fluffy beanbag and dived in, wriggling around to get herself upright; Eri opened the book. She couldn't read the words, but she enjoyed just looking at the pictures.
She spent a while just flipping back and forth through the book, looking at the pictures and making up her own story about what they showed until the door opened and Mrs. Yuuki walked in, and behind her was-. It was the long-haired man! (Eri had never learned his name, but he was the nice man who had told her stories and had made the floating pictures).
"Hello, Eri," Mrs. Yuuki said while crouching down. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything."
Eri shook her head.
"That's good. I've come because Mr. Tendo here has something he wants to offer you."
Crouching down beside Mrs. Yuuki, Mr. Tendo smiled. "Hello, Eri. Do you remember me?"
Eri nodded her head. How could she have forgotten him?
"Like Mrs. Yuuki said, I have something I want to offer you. Or rather, there's something I'd like to ask of you. You see my daughters, you remember them, right?" ERi nodded again. "Well, they're all grown up and are getting ready to move out and start living on their own. So I've been left all alone, and I've been feeling lonely without them. And I know that Mrs. Yuuki has been trying to find a home for you. So I was hoping that maybe you would like to come and live with me? That way, I wouldn't be alone, and you'd have a home."
Eri stared wide-eyed, her mouth open in shock. "I-I can?" Eri asked Mrs. Yuuki.
"If you want to." Mrs. Yuuki answered.
Eri jumped out of the beanbag, tripping slightly on the edge but recovering and wrapping her arms around Mr. Tendo's leg.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She shouted.
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Chapter 20: The USJ
Shigaraki's life had not been filled with sunshine and happiness. Most of what he could remember was squalid and harsh. But there had been a time filled with fun and games. It was so long ago that it had begun to fade from his memory, and he half suspected he had dreamed the whole thing.
A time when Uncle Happi had come to visit and taken him on wild adventures through cities and forests, hunting for hidden treasure, and when they found it, they would have to run from the people who wanted to take it from them. And though it had sometimes been close, they had always escaped.
Until one day, when Uncle Happi stopped visiting, his life became grey and empty. He had asked Kurogiri and All-For-one, but they had denied remembering any of it and said that Shigaraki must have imagined Uncle Happi.
But he had proof; hidden away in his room was one of their treasures. He had known better than to tell them, though. Kurogiri would have taken it away. But as the years passed, he began to doubt himself.
Maybe he had just imagined it all? What proof was one worthless trinket? He did not want to accept that the happiest time of his life was just the result of a child's overactive imagination. But as he'd become a man, he had come to terms with it. Uncle Happi had only ever been a child's imaginary friend, and just like all other childish things, he would have to be left in the past, only a memory in the mind of the man that Shigaraki had become.
Except here he stood, solid and real, looking just like Shigaraki remembered. At first, he was happy and relieved. But as he registered All-For-One's words, it was replaced with feelings of betrayal and anger.
Kurogiri had lied to him; All-For-One had lied to him for years. He looked around the bar; it was like he was seeing for the first time, and in a way, he was. The blinders had been lifted from his eyes, allowing him to see the truth. Reaching up, he gripped his father's hand (or was it his father's? That could be another of All-For-One's lies) with all five fingers. He felt it crumble to dust.
Kurogiri tried to catch him in a portal, but some half-forgotten memory guided him, skills left rusty after years of disuse. Still, they were enough to escape. Leaping over fallen tables and broken chairs, he rushed for the stairs as Uncle Happi kept Kurogiri busy. His room was just like he had left it, his possessions scattered all about, but none of them mattered. They were just All-For-One's carrots, rewards to keep him compliant. Opening his closet, he threw the clothes on the ground. He didn't need them. He would get other clothes, clothes that he would pick. Feeling around the back panel, he found the compartment he had carved out all those years ago. Reaching in, he pulled out his treasure, the only thing that was truly his.
It was a necklace, a gold chain, and a locket. Flipping it open, he looked at the pictures inside. On one side was a woman. She had long black hair and a white cape, her face had a warm smile. On the other, a boy, Shigaraki had once thought it was a picture of him. But while the resemblance was strong, the eyes were wrong. Perhaps these were relatives of his? A cousin, or maybe a brother?
His musings were cut off by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They were too heavy to be Uncle Happi. Searching for a way out, his gaze landed on the window. Throwing it open, he pulled himself out. The fall looked manageable, but childhood instinct urged him to look upward instead. There were handholds carved into the wall. They were made for smaller hands than his, but he soon made it onto the roof, where Uncle Happi was waiting for him with a smile on his face.
"Shigaraki, you made it. Good."
Shigaraki, the name sounded strange coming from him.
"You used to call me Shigi," he said. Fastening the necklace around his neck, careful never to touch it with more than four fingers at a time.
"I thought you might not like being called such a childish name," Uncle Happi said. A note of surprise in his voice.
"No," Shigi said. "I like it."
As they ran across rooftops, he had no idea what his future would hold. But he knew he would have his uncle by his side, and that was all that mattered.
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Sekijiro carefully counted his Tired and dirt-covered students to make sure that none had been left behind. Before taking his seat at the front of the bus. He was exhausted, but it was the satisfying exhaustion of a job well done.
The day had started well. The students had been excited about the trip and had spent the ride happily chatting and speculating about what they would be doing. After they arrived, they listened attentively to everything he and Thirteen had said.
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"Welcome to the Ruins Zone," Thirteen said. "Scattered throughout it are dummies like this." Thirteen gestured to a dummy lying on the ground beside her. "They represent injured people. Each one has a note detailing the injuries the person has suffered. In the future, you will have lessons on how to identify injuries. But for the moment, just read the note." She reached down and carefully lifted the dummy into her arms.
"Now come close, and I'll show you how to carry an injured person. Then each of you will take a turn to practice before we begin."
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They hadn't had any trouble with the Ruins Zone. Well, other than the usual difficulties with learning something new.
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Koji hurried from building to building. There weren't any animals in the USJ, so he couldn't ask them for help. Panting for breath, he ducked into the door of what looked like a corner store. Sitting behind the counter was a dummy. Rushing over to it, he pulled off the note taped to the head and read it.
Head Injury.
He racked his brain, trying to remember what to do for a head injury.
"Head injury, head injury, what did she say?"
"Don't move it."
Koji whipped around. Standing in the doorway was Todoroki.
"Moving the person can exasperate the injury and cause more damage. Instead, you bring the medic to the injured person, or in this case, one of the teachers," Todoroki said.
"Ah, thank you."
Koji pulled out the radio that they had been given at the beginning of the exercise.
"I-i have a person with a head injury at the corner store by the office building. I need a medic to come and treat them."
"Good job Koda," the voice of All Might answered him."I will be there shortly."
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There had been a close call at Mountain Zone. But they had handled it with little difficulty.
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Pony glared up at the cliff. They were supposed to climb it to rescue some "trapped hikers" at the top. Thirteen had outfitted them with climbing gear and had given a demonstration of how to use it. Shoji and Saotome had quickly taken the lead, with Saotome boasting that he didn't need the harness, and were halfway up, while everyone else was only a quarter of the way. That was, everyone except her. Her hooves just couldn't find a grip on the rocky surface. Snorting in frustration, she made another attempt, scrambling at the cliff face for purchase. She slid back down.
She felt something tug on her head. Reaching up, she felt around. The guide rope had gotten wrapped around her horn.
'Wait, my horn!'
Struck with inspiration, she detached her horns and slid one under each hoof. Then she began to lift, slowly at first, but as her confidence grew, so to did her speed. Soon she was level with Saotome and Shoji, and then she was past them, the summit in sight. But as she approached it, she didn't pay enough attention to controlling her horns, and they started to wobble.
Down on the ground, Sekijiro was watching her intently. At UA they approved of boldness, Their motto was Plus Ultra, but there was a difference between boldness and recklessness. And as soon as Tsunotori was no longer at risk of breaking her neck, he would be explaining that to her in excruciating detail.
Tsunotori seemed to stumble in the air, and then she was falling. Sekijiro felt his heart stop in his chest as she tumbled through the air. He ran towards her, even though he knew there was nothing he could do. But there was someone else who could. All Might crossed the distance to the falling girl in a single bound and wrapped his arms around her.
When they hit the ground, a plume of dust obscured them from sight. Sekijiro charged straight into it. When the dust had cleared, he saw All Might holding an uninjured Tsunotori in his arms.
He was flooded with relief that almost instantly turned to anger. But he restrained himself. Now was not the time for shouting.
"Tsunotori, what were you thinking?"
"I-I couldn't climb the cliff. My hooves kept slipping."
"So, instead of asking for help or finding a different path up the mountain, you decided to try and fly up without any safety gear?"
The girl hung her head in shame. "I was frustrated. I wasn't thinking."
Sekijiro took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
"Next time, let us know beforehand, and we'll get you a parachute."
She started at him, mouth hanging open in shock.
"What?"
"This is a UA, Tsunatori. We expect our students to use their quirks to their fullest. Plus Ultra, remember? Now back at it, try over to the right. It looks less steep."
"Yes, sir," she smiled and rushed back to the cliff.
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The students had the most difficulty with the Landslide Zone.
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Juzo swam through the softened earth into the half-submerged building. He popped his head out, took a deep breath of the stale air, and looked around. Three dummies were sitting against the wall. Taking another deep gulp of air, he dove back under the earth and swam out. On the other side, Asui and Aoyama were waiting. Asui used her tongue to lift him out onto the solid ground.
'There's three of them down there," he panted out before collapsing onto the ground.
There were dozens of buried buildings. They had all agreed that digging them all out would take too long. So Juzo and Monoma copying his quirk, had been drafted to check each building for dummies. And only after finding them would the other students start digging.
Having caught his breath, Juzo set off for the next building as Asui and Aoyama started digging with the shovels Thirteen had supplied. As he walked, Monoma came running with a water bottle. His five-minute time limit meant that Monoma had to come and recopy Juzo's quirk between each building. Taking the bottle, Juzo sucked down gulp after gulp of wonderfully cool water.
"How many are left to check?" he asked.
"Just the one," Monoma answered. "I'll handle it. You get some rest."
Juzo sagged in relief. Juzo was a good swimmer, but twenty minutes of diving would leave anyone tired.
"Thank you."
Monoma clapped him on the back.
"I'm not doing it for you. This puts me in the lead, sixteen to fifteen."
Juzo laughed and headed off in search of a good seat. Finding a small boulder half buried in the ground, he flopped down onto it. It was near the building that Saotome and Kirishima were excavating. He watched as they worked together to uncover the doorway. He felt an urge to go and help them but resisted it. His arms shook from exhaustion, and his legs throbbed at the mere thought of more work. Besides, he'd already done his part. Saotome and Kirishima were managing fine without him. There was no need for him to do any more work.
Groaning, he pushed himself to go lend a hand.
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But they had persevered. And had not missed a single dummy. Turning back to his tired class, he felt pride swell in his breast.
"Well done."
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All-For-One wallowed in pain and anger, his constant companions for eight long years. But above and beyond them was sheer disbelief. All his plans and ambitions, his revenge, and his successor all ripped away in a matter of minutes by Happosai. Not All Might, not Endeavor, or even Sir Nighteye, but Happosai? That annoying thief whose only skill of note was his ability to run away?
'I should have killed that midget years ago.'
It wasn't the end. He had backups and contingencies. He would have his revenge. On All Might, on Happosai, and on the world. It was all for him, after all, all for one.
A time when Uncle Happi had come to visit and taken him on wild adventures through cities and forests, hunting for hidden treasure, and when they found it, they would have to run from the people who wanted to take it from them. And though it had sometimes been close, they had always escaped.
Until one day, when Uncle Happi stopped visiting, his life became grey and empty. He had asked Kurogiri and All-For-one, but they had denied remembering any of it and said that Shigaraki must have imagined Uncle Happi.
But he had proof; hidden away in his room was one of their treasures. He had known better than to tell them, though. Kurogiri would have taken it away. But as the years passed, he began to doubt himself.
Maybe he had just imagined it all? What proof was one worthless trinket? He did not want to accept that the happiest time of his life was just the result of a child's overactive imagination. But as he'd become a man, he had come to terms with it. Uncle Happi had only ever been a child's imaginary friend, and just like all other childish things, he would have to be left in the past, only a memory in the mind of the man that Shigaraki had become.
Except here he stood, solid and real, looking just like Shigaraki remembered. At first, he was happy and relieved. But as he registered All-For-One's words, it was replaced with feelings of betrayal and anger.
Kurogiri had lied to him; All-For-One had lied to him for years. He looked around the bar; it was like he was seeing for the first time, and in a way, he was. The blinders had been lifted from his eyes, allowing him to see the truth. Reaching up, he gripped his father's hand (or was it his father's? That could be another of All-For-One's lies) with all five fingers. He felt it crumble to dust.
Kurogiri tried to catch him in a portal, but some half-forgotten memory guided him, skills left rusty after years of disuse. Still, they were enough to escape. Leaping over fallen tables and broken chairs, he rushed for the stairs as Uncle Happi kept Kurogiri busy. His room was just like he had left it, his possessions scattered all about, but none of them mattered. They were just All-For-One's carrots, rewards to keep him compliant. Opening his closet, he threw the clothes on the ground. He didn't need them. He would get other clothes, clothes that he would pick. Feeling around the back panel, he found the compartment he had carved out all those years ago. Reaching in, he pulled out his treasure, the only thing that was truly his.
It was a necklace, a gold chain, and a locket. Flipping it open, he looked at the pictures inside. On one side was a woman. She had long black hair and a white cape, her face had a warm smile. On the other, a boy, Shigaraki had once thought it was a picture of him. But while the resemblance was strong, the eyes were wrong. Perhaps these were relatives of his? A cousin, or maybe a brother?
His musings were cut off by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They were too heavy to be Uncle Happi. Searching for a way out, his gaze landed on the window. Throwing it open, he pulled himself out. The fall looked manageable, but childhood instinct urged him to look upward instead. There were handholds carved into the wall. They were made for smaller hands than his, but he soon made it onto the roof, where Uncle Happi was waiting for him with a smile on his face.
"Shigaraki, you made it. Good."
Shigaraki, the name sounded strange coming from him.
"You used to call me Shigi," he said. Fastening the necklace around his neck, careful never to touch it with more than four fingers at a time.
"I thought you might not like being called such a childish name," Uncle Happi said. A note of surprise in his voice.
"No," Shigi said. "I like it."
As they ran across rooftops, he had no idea what his future would hold. But he knew he would have his uncle by his side, and that was all that mattered.
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Sekijiro carefully counted his Tired and dirt-covered students to make sure that none had been left behind. Before taking his seat at the front of the bus. He was exhausted, but it was the satisfying exhaustion of a job well done.
The day had started well. The students had been excited about the trip and had spent the ride happily chatting and speculating about what they would be doing. After they arrived, they listened attentively to everything he and Thirteen had said.
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"Welcome to the Ruins Zone," Thirteen said. "Scattered throughout it are dummies like this." Thirteen gestured to a dummy lying on the ground beside her. "They represent injured people. Each one has a note detailing the injuries the person has suffered. In the future, you will have lessons on how to identify injuries. But for the moment, just read the note." She reached down and carefully lifted the dummy into her arms.
"Now come close, and I'll show you how to carry an injured person. Then each of you will take a turn to practice before we begin."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They hadn't had any trouble with the Ruins Zone. Well, other than the usual difficulties with learning something new.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Koji hurried from building to building. There weren't any animals in the USJ, so he couldn't ask them for help. Panting for breath, he ducked into the door of what looked like a corner store. Sitting behind the counter was a dummy. Rushing over to it, he pulled off the note taped to the head and read it.
Head Injury.
He racked his brain, trying to remember what to do for a head injury.
"Head injury, head injury, what did she say?"
"Don't move it."
Koji whipped around. Standing in the doorway was Todoroki.
"Moving the person can exasperate the injury and cause more damage. Instead, you bring the medic to the injured person, or in this case, one of the teachers," Todoroki said.
"Ah, thank you."
Koji pulled out the radio that they had been given at the beginning of the exercise.
"I-i have a person with a head injury at the corner store by the office building. I need a medic to come and treat them."
"Good job Koda," the voice of All Might answered him."I will be there shortly."
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There had been a close call at Mountain Zone. But they had handled it with little difficulty.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pony glared up at the cliff. They were supposed to climb it to rescue some "trapped hikers" at the top. Thirteen had outfitted them with climbing gear and had given a demonstration of how to use it. Shoji and Saotome had quickly taken the lead, with Saotome boasting that he didn't need the harness, and were halfway up, while everyone else was only a quarter of the way. That was, everyone except her. Her hooves just couldn't find a grip on the rocky surface. Snorting in frustration, she made another attempt, scrambling at the cliff face for purchase. She slid back down.
She felt something tug on her head. Reaching up, she felt around. The guide rope had gotten wrapped around her horn.
'Wait, my horn!'
Struck with inspiration, she detached her horns and slid one under each hoof. Then she began to lift, slowly at first, but as her confidence grew, so to did her speed. Soon she was level with Saotome and Shoji, and then she was past them, the summit in sight. But as she approached it, she didn't pay enough attention to controlling her horns, and they started to wobble.
Down on the ground, Sekijiro was watching her intently. At UA they approved of boldness, Their motto was Plus Ultra, but there was a difference between boldness and recklessness. And as soon as Tsunotori was no longer at risk of breaking her neck, he would be explaining that to her in excruciating detail.
Tsunotori seemed to stumble in the air, and then she was falling. Sekijiro felt his heart stop in his chest as she tumbled through the air. He ran towards her, even though he knew there was nothing he could do. But there was someone else who could. All Might crossed the distance to the falling girl in a single bound and wrapped his arms around her.
When they hit the ground, a plume of dust obscured them from sight. Sekijiro charged straight into it. When the dust had cleared, he saw All Might holding an uninjured Tsunotori in his arms.
He was flooded with relief that almost instantly turned to anger. But he restrained himself. Now was not the time for shouting.
"Tsunotori, what were you thinking?"
"I-I couldn't climb the cliff. My hooves kept slipping."
"So, instead of asking for help or finding a different path up the mountain, you decided to try and fly up without any safety gear?"
The girl hung her head in shame. "I was frustrated. I wasn't thinking."
Sekijiro took a deep breath and forced himself to relax.
"Next time, let us know beforehand, and we'll get you a parachute."
She started at him, mouth hanging open in shock.
"What?"
"This is a UA, Tsunatori. We expect our students to use their quirks to their fullest. Plus Ultra, remember? Now back at it, try over to the right. It looks less steep."
"Yes, sir," she smiled and rushed back to the cliff.
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The students had the most difficulty with the Landslide Zone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juzo swam through the softened earth into the half-submerged building. He popped his head out, took a deep breath of the stale air, and looked around. Three dummies were sitting against the wall. Taking another deep gulp of air, he dove back under the earth and swam out. On the other side, Asui and Aoyama were waiting. Asui used her tongue to lift him out onto the solid ground.
'There's three of them down there," he panted out before collapsing onto the ground.
There were dozens of buried buildings. They had all agreed that digging them all out would take too long. So Juzo and Monoma copying his quirk, had been drafted to check each building for dummies. And only after finding them would the other students start digging.
Having caught his breath, Juzo set off for the next building as Asui and Aoyama started digging with the shovels Thirteen had supplied. As he walked, Monoma came running with a water bottle. His five-minute time limit meant that Monoma had to come and recopy Juzo's quirk between each building. Taking the bottle, Juzo sucked down gulp after gulp of wonderfully cool water.
"How many are left to check?" he asked.
"Just the one," Monoma answered. "I'll handle it. You get some rest."
Juzo sagged in relief. Juzo was a good swimmer, but twenty minutes of diving would leave anyone tired.
"Thank you."
Monoma clapped him on the back.
"I'm not doing it for you. This puts me in the lead, sixteen to fifteen."
Juzo laughed and headed off in search of a good seat. Finding a small boulder half buried in the ground, he flopped down onto it. It was near the building that Saotome and Kirishima were excavating. He watched as they worked together to uncover the doorway. He felt an urge to go and help them but resisted it. His arms shook from exhaustion, and his legs throbbed at the mere thought of more work. Besides, he'd already done his part. Saotome and Kirishima were managing fine without him. There was no need for him to do any more work.
Groaning, he pushed himself to go lend a hand.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But they had persevered. And had not missed a single dummy. Turning back to his tired class, he felt pride swell in his breast.
"Well done."
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All-For-One wallowed in pain and anger, his constant companions for eight long years. But above and beyond them was sheer disbelief. All his plans and ambitions, his revenge, and his successor all ripped away in a matter of minutes by Happosai. Not All Might, not Endeavor, or even Sir Nighteye, but Happosai? That annoying thief whose only skill of note was his ability to run away?
'I should have killed that midget years ago.'
It wasn't the end. He had backups and contingencies. He would have his revenge. On All Might, on Happosai, and on the world. It was all for him, after all, all for one.
Chapter 21: Ucchan?
Throughout Japan's criminal underworld, the news spread. A jewel thief told his fence, who passed it on to the crooked cop he bribed to look the other way, who told the pickpocket he drank with at the bar. It was slow at first, but by the end of the week, there wasn't a crook in the country who hadn't heard.
"Hapossai is back."
For most, it was just a bit of gossip, nothing to get worked up over. But for some, those who had suffered the thief's attention in the past, it was a call to arms. Decades may have passed, but they still held a burning hatred for him. And for those, a second rumor was spread. The League of Villains. It was something new, a gathering of all who would see the status quo destroyed. And on the top of their hit list were All Might and Happoasi.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The halls of UA were abuzz with excited chatter. From 1-A to 3-K, everyone was waiting with bated breath for the Sports Festival. Everyone except for Shoto, that was. His feelings were a mix of fearful anticipation and quiet dread. It was his first real opportunity to prove himself, to show in front of thousands of people that he could be a hero without his father's quirk. But if he failed? He tried not to think about it. He had to win. Any other result was unacceptable.
As usual, he was sitting in the cafeteria with Saotome, Tendo, and Midorya. They were happily discussing the Sports Festival though Midorya was unusually quiet.
"I've watched it the last several years. The first part is usually a race through an obstacle course, though they change the obstacles each year. The second is always different. Last year, it was a king of the hill. And the final is always a fighting tournament," Tendo explained.
"Doesn't sound too hard," Saotome said.
''We'll, that's just for the first years. The second and third are much more difficult."
Shoto tried to focus on the conversation to distract himself, but the subject matter just reminded him of what he was trying to ignore. Thankfully the bell soon rang, sending everyone back to their classrooms. However, when they approached the door, their path was blocked by a student.
He was average looking, with dark brown hair. If it wasn't for the hair's unusual length, Shoto doubted he would be able to pick him out of a crowd.
"Ranma Saotome!"
He glared at Saotome.
"yes?" Saotome said; he looked like he was trying to remember where he knew the student from.
"For your crimes against me, I shall crush you in the finals of the Sports Festival. And all the world will see you for the honorless cur that you are!"
So saying, he turned around and started to stomp off when Saotome spoke.
"Wait. . . Ucchan?"
Ucchan? Turned around; his face was a rictus of rage.
"Do not dare call me that! Be glad that fighting is forbidden within these halls, for I would have my vengeance now if I could."
"Well, why don't we go outside then?" Saotome asked while gesturing toward a window.
Shoto stared at him incredulously. That was not the appropriate response. Now Shoto didn't know the proper response to being told that the only thing preventing you from being attacked was the rule against fighting in the halls, but it wasn't that!
"I will gl-ack!"
Ucchan (Shoto needed to learn his actual name) was cut off by a giant hand grabbing him around the waist and carrying him off.
"Kuanji, what are you doing out here? We'll be late for class!"
Shoto heard a faint cry of "Saotome!" Echo down the halls.
"Ranma, what was that?" Tendo asked.
"I don't know." Saotome scratched his head.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Me and Ukyo were friends years ago. But then we moved. I haven't seen him since I was seven," Saotome explained.
"You don't have any idea?" Midoriya said.
"No, my last memory of us together is him chasing after me and pops waving goodbye."
"Huh," Tendo said. "Well, whatever his problem is can wait. We need to get back to class."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shigi used his quirk to dissolve the lock on the door. He opened it slowly and carefully to not make any noise. Slipping in, he closed it behind him equally as carefully. The only light came from the street lights visible through the windows. Tiptoeing his way through the maze of bookshelves, he soon found his goal. Sitting down at a desk, he booted up the computer.
He and Uncle Happi had spent the last three days on the run from All-For-One's minions. Shigi had never known just how great All-For-One's reach was. Another deception from his erstwhile master. But Shigi was free from his clutches. And with Uncle Happi's help, he would destroy All-For-One, undo all his achievements, and thwart his every plan. But to do that, he needed information.
He opened a browser and typed into the search bar 'Tomura Shigaraki.' He had cast aside the name, just like he had done with all of All-For-One's other 'gifts.' But there was a possibility (however slight) that it was his real name. Scanning the results, he was unsurprised to find nothing relevant, most of them about an anime character. Next, he tried 'All-For-One,' but all he got were advertisements for special deals on hair and nail products. After another few attempts with nothing to show for it, he pulled out his necklace and opened the locket.
A white cape, a red belt, yellow gloves, and a black body suit. It wasn't much to go off of, but it was all he had. Typing the description in, he clicked over to the image results. She wasn't in the first set of pictures or the second. He scrolled and scrolled, picture after picture passed under his eyes. Some were photos, others were artworks, heroes, real and fictional.
'Not her, not her, not her, no- it's her!"
It was the right outfit, the right face, even the right hairstyle. Hand trembling, he clicked on the image. It expanded, and details appeared beneath it, including a name.
Nana Shimura.
He types it into the search bar. There wasn't much. A hero name, a birth date, and that she had died under mysterious circumstances. However, in one of the few photos of her, there was another hero, Gran Torino, according to the caption. There was little more available about him than there was for Shimura, but Shigi did find that he was still alive and living in Yamanashi prefecture. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to start.
Shutting down the computer, he crept back to the door and headed out into the night. The stars were drowned out by the city's light, leaving the sky a blank canvas for him to draw upon. All his life, he had had a purpose, to kill All Might. With the return of Uncle Happi, he had abandoned it, like his name and possessions. For the last few days, he had followed Uncle Happi, relying on his skills to escape All-For-One's grasp. But now he was ready to start walking a new path. He did not know where it led; there was no one to guide him. But as he walked into the night without a proper name or goal, He felt the surest he ever had.
"Hapossai is back."
For most, it was just a bit of gossip, nothing to get worked up over. But for some, those who had suffered the thief's attention in the past, it was a call to arms. Decades may have passed, but they still held a burning hatred for him. And for those, a second rumor was spread. The League of Villains. It was something new, a gathering of all who would see the status quo destroyed. And on the top of their hit list were All Might and Happoasi.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The halls of UA were abuzz with excited chatter. From 1-A to 3-K, everyone was waiting with bated breath for the Sports Festival. Everyone except for Shoto, that was. His feelings were a mix of fearful anticipation and quiet dread. It was his first real opportunity to prove himself, to show in front of thousands of people that he could be a hero without his father's quirk. But if he failed? He tried not to think about it. He had to win. Any other result was unacceptable.
As usual, he was sitting in the cafeteria with Saotome, Tendo, and Midorya. They were happily discussing the Sports Festival though Midorya was unusually quiet.
"I've watched it the last several years. The first part is usually a race through an obstacle course, though they change the obstacles each year. The second is always different. Last year, it was a king of the hill. And the final is always a fighting tournament," Tendo explained.
"Doesn't sound too hard," Saotome said.
''We'll, that's just for the first years. The second and third are much more difficult."
Shoto tried to focus on the conversation to distract himself, but the subject matter just reminded him of what he was trying to ignore. Thankfully the bell soon rang, sending everyone back to their classrooms. However, when they approached the door, their path was blocked by a student.
He was average looking, with dark brown hair. If it wasn't for the hair's unusual length, Shoto doubted he would be able to pick him out of a crowd.
"Ranma Saotome!"
He glared at Saotome.
"yes?" Saotome said; he looked like he was trying to remember where he knew the student from.
"For your crimes against me, I shall crush you in the finals of the Sports Festival. And all the world will see you for the honorless cur that you are!"
So saying, he turned around and started to stomp off when Saotome spoke.
"Wait. . . Ucchan?"
Ucchan? Turned around; his face was a rictus of rage.
"Do not dare call me that! Be glad that fighting is forbidden within these halls, for I would have my vengeance now if I could."
"Well, why don't we go outside then?" Saotome asked while gesturing toward a window.
Shoto stared at him incredulously. That was not the appropriate response. Now Shoto didn't know the proper response to being told that the only thing preventing you from being attacked was the rule against fighting in the halls, but it wasn't that!
"I will gl-ack!"
Ucchan (Shoto needed to learn his actual name) was cut off by a giant hand grabbing him around the waist and carrying him off.
"Kuanji, what are you doing out here? We'll be late for class!"
Shoto heard a faint cry of "Saotome!" Echo down the halls.
"Ranma, what was that?" Tendo asked.
"I don't know." Saotome scratched his head.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Me and Ukyo were friends years ago. But then we moved. I haven't seen him since I was seven," Saotome explained.
"You don't have any idea?" Midoriya said.
"No, my last memory of us together is him chasing after me and pops waving goodbye."
"Huh," Tendo said. "Well, whatever his problem is can wait. We need to get back to class."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shigi used his quirk to dissolve the lock on the door. He opened it slowly and carefully to not make any noise. Slipping in, he closed it behind him equally as carefully. The only light came from the street lights visible through the windows. Tiptoeing his way through the maze of bookshelves, he soon found his goal. Sitting down at a desk, he booted up the computer.
He and Uncle Happi had spent the last three days on the run from All-For-One's minions. Shigi had never known just how great All-For-One's reach was. Another deception from his erstwhile master. But Shigi was free from his clutches. And with Uncle Happi's help, he would destroy All-For-One, undo all his achievements, and thwart his every plan. But to do that, he needed information.
He opened a browser and typed into the search bar 'Tomura Shigaraki.' He had cast aside the name, just like he had done with all of All-For-One's other 'gifts.' But there was a possibility (however slight) that it was his real name. Scanning the results, he was unsurprised to find nothing relevant, most of them about an anime character. Next, he tried 'All-For-One,' but all he got were advertisements for special deals on hair and nail products. After another few attempts with nothing to show for it, he pulled out his necklace and opened the locket.
A white cape, a red belt, yellow gloves, and a black body suit. It wasn't much to go off of, but it was all he had. Typing the description in, he clicked over to the image results. She wasn't in the first set of pictures or the second. He scrolled and scrolled, picture after picture passed under his eyes. Some were photos, others were artworks, heroes, real and fictional.
'Not her, not her, not her, no- it's her!"
It was the right outfit, the right face, even the right hairstyle. Hand trembling, he clicked on the image. It expanded, and details appeared beneath it, including a name.
Nana Shimura.
He types it into the search bar. There wasn't much. A hero name, a birth date, and that she had died under mysterious circumstances. However, in one of the few photos of her, there was another hero, Gran Torino, according to the caption. There was little more available about him than there was for Shimura, but Shigi did find that he was still alive and living in Yamanashi prefecture. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to start.
Shutting down the computer, he crept back to the door and headed out into the night. The stars were drowned out by the city's light, leaving the sky a blank canvas for him to draw upon. All his life, he had had a purpose, to kill All Might. With the return of Uncle Happi, he had abandoned it, like his name and possessions. For the last few days, he had followed Uncle Happi, relying on his skills to escape All-For-One's grasp. But now he was ready to start walking a new path. He did not know where it led; there was no one to guide him. But as he walked into the night without a proper name or goal, He felt the surest he ever had.
Chapter 22: The Sports Festival
It was the day of the Sports Festival, and the school was in chaos as students and staff rushed to finish the final preparations in time. In a side room of the stadium, the first-year students waited for the opening ceremony to begin. Most were chatting or using their phones to pass the time. In all the hubbub and commotion, no one noticed four students quietly slipping out into the hallway.
"Alright, Shoto," Tendo said. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"You know about my father," Shoto said, "the number two hero." He snorted. "He wants to be number one, but he could never beat All Might, so he devised a plan. You know what quirk marriages are, right?"
"No," Midoriya said.
"Yeah," Saotome said, a grim look on his face. "It's not so common now, but it used to be. If some guy wanted his kids to have strong quirks, he'd find some girl with a quirk that complemented his and force her to marry him."
"My father's quirk is limited. He can only burn his flames so hot without injuring himself, so he found a woman with an ice quirk to balance it out."
A flame started burning in his left hand, as his right was covered in ice.
"Did he give you that scar?" Saotome asked.
"No," Shoto sighed. "That was my mother. In my memories, she's always crying. She told me my left side was ugly, and then she poured boiling water on me."
Tendo and Midoriya stared at him aghast.
"I will not give my father what he wants. I will become the Number One without his quirk." He closed his left hand into a fist, snuffing out the flame. "And the first step to that is winning the Sports Festival. I appreciated our time together, so I am warning you. If you end up against me in the final, I will crush you."
"What makes you think you'd be the one winning?" Saotome said. "You haven't won a single one of our spars."
Shoto joined Tendo and Midoriya in staring at him in disbelief.
"What? Just cause your daddies the number two; you think you can waltz in and take the trophy? If you make it to the finals, you better use your fire. Cause if you try to fight me with half your strength, I'll knock you out of the competition faster than you can blink."
Turning, he stomped back to the waiting room. Before Shoto could process what had happened, Midnight's voice rang out, calling the students to take their places.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kasumi sat in the crowded hospital common room surrounded by her fellow patients. Tofu's book sat in her lap. He'd been visiting every day since she had been in the hospital.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the television as the first students started making their way onto the track. The announcer called out each class as they came into view.
Eri sat between Soun and Inko, the nice green-haired lady on the couch. A giant mountain of tissue boxes was on the table in front of them. They watched the big tv as a loud man talked about the people on the screen.
"Izuku!"
"Akane!"
Eri tried to pat both adults' arms as they burst into tears.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All-For-One glared at the monitor. He was sure that one of those children was the new bearer of his brother's quirk. If he was lucky, they would reveal themselves. And even if they didn't, it would be far from a waste of time. The next generation of heroes was parading themselves before him. He would see all their strengths and weaknesses; some might be worthwhile additions to his collection.
The UA sports festival had once been a much smaller, more private affair, mainly students and their families, with a few Pros scouting for talent. It was in large part his efforts that had turned it into what it had become. Instead of infiltrating the school or subverting its computer systems, he could switch on the television and learn everything he wanted.
Those had been the days. He'd felt invincible back then, ruling Japan from the shadows. No one could stand against him, and anyone who showed potential would only add to his strength. Anything he wanted, he could reach out and take. The little people thought that the rise of quirks had brought the end of the Yakuza, but in truth, it had been him, just one of the many obstacles that had fallen before him in his unstoppable rise.
There had been only one flaw, one fly in the ointment. His brother's quirk, One-For-All. The only thing he couldn't take. But it had been a minor nuisance. None of its bearers had been a real threat until All Might. It was painful to admit, but he had underestimated All Might. He had thought him little more of a threat than his predecessor. But Toshinori Yagi was not Nana Shimura.
She had been a pest, nipping at his heel and making messes he had to clean up. He had been a force of nature. He had methodically crushed All-For-One's followers one after the other until he had had to intervene personally. That had been a mistake, one he was still paying for. The fight had left All-For-One a crippled shadow of his former self. It was only due to the timely aid of one of his followers that he escaped death. At the time, the doctor had been just one of many loyal servants. But as the years passed, and he proved himself ever more valuable, while All Might destroyed more and more of his network, he had risen to become All-For-One's, right-hand man.
"Alright, Shoto," Tendo said. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"You know about my father," Shoto said, "the number two hero." He snorted. "He wants to be number one, but he could never beat All Might, so he devised a plan. You know what quirk marriages are, right?"
"No," Midoriya said.
"Yeah," Saotome said, a grim look on his face. "It's not so common now, but it used to be. If some guy wanted his kids to have strong quirks, he'd find some girl with a quirk that complemented his and force her to marry him."
"My father's quirk is limited. He can only burn his flames so hot without injuring himself, so he found a woman with an ice quirk to balance it out."
A flame started burning in his left hand, as his right was covered in ice.
"Did he give you that scar?" Saotome asked.
"No," Shoto sighed. "That was my mother. In my memories, she's always crying. She told me my left side was ugly, and then she poured boiling water on me."
Tendo and Midoriya stared at him aghast.
"I will not give my father what he wants. I will become the Number One without his quirk." He closed his left hand into a fist, snuffing out the flame. "And the first step to that is winning the Sports Festival. I appreciated our time together, so I am warning you. If you end up against me in the final, I will crush you."
"What makes you think you'd be the one winning?" Saotome said. "You haven't won a single one of our spars."
Shoto joined Tendo and Midoriya in staring at him in disbelief.
"What? Just cause your daddies the number two; you think you can waltz in and take the trophy? If you make it to the finals, you better use your fire. Cause if you try to fight me with half your strength, I'll knock you out of the competition faster than you can blink."
Turning, he stomped back to the waiting room. Before Shoto could process what had happened, Midnight's voice rang out, calling the students to take their places.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kasumi sat in the crowded hospital common room surrounded by her fellow patients. Tofu's book sat in her lap. He'd been visiting every day since she had been in the hospital.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the television as the first students started making their way onto the track. The announcer called out each class as they came into view.
"Leading the way, it's the heroics department! 1-A!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Eri sat between Soun and Inko, the nice green-haired lady on the couch. A giant mountain of tissue boxes was on the table in front of them. They watched the big tv as a loud man talked about the people on the screen.
"Following right after, it's 1-B!"
"Izuku!"
"Akane!"
Eri tried to pat both adults' arms as they burst into tears.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All-For-One glared at the monitor. He was sure that one of those children was the new bearer of his brother's quirk. If he was lucky, they would reveal themselves. And even if they didn't, it would be far from a waste of time. The next generation of heroes was parading themselves before him. He would see all their strengths and weaknesses; some might be worthwhile additions to his collection.
The UA sports festival had once been a much smaller, more private affair, mainly students and their families, with a few Pros scouting for talent. It was in large part his efforts that had turned it into what it had become. Instead of infiltrating the school or subverting its computer systems, he could switch on the television and learn everything he wanted.
Those had been the days. He'd felt invincible back then, ruling Japan from the shadows. No one could stand against him, and anyone who showed potential would only add to his strength. Anything he wanted, he could reach out and take. The little people thought that the rise of quirks had brought the end of the Yakuza, but in truth, it had been him, just one of the many obstacles that had fallen before him in his unstoppable rise.
There had been only one flaw, one fly in the ointment. His brother's quirk, One-For-All. The only thing he couldn't take. But it had been a minor nuisance. None of its bearers had been a real threat until All Might. It was painful to admit, but he had underestimated All Might. He had thought him little more of a threat than his predecessor. But Toshinori Yagi was not Nana Shimura.
She had been a pest, nipping at his heel and making messes he had to clean up. He had been a force of nature. He had methodically crushed All-For-One's followers one after the other until he had had to intervene personally. That had been a mistake, one he was still paying for. The fight had left All-For-One a crippled shadow of his former self. It was only due to the timely aid of one of his followers that he escaped death. At the time, the doctor had been just one of many loyal servants. But as the years passed, and he proved himself ever more valuable, while All Might destroyed more and more of his network, he had risen to become All-For-One's, right-hand man.
"And now a speech from this year's representative, Katsuki Bakugo!"
He was dragged out of his thoughts by the annoyingly loud announcer. He turned his attention back to the monitor. He didn't want to miss a thing.
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Chapter 23: Three. Two. One. GO!
It was seconds into the race, and it had already turned into chaos. Half of the runners were frozen, and the other half were slipping and sliding on the ice. Izuku was among the latter, barely keeping his feet under him as he stumbled forward.
But there was something he could do about that. He pulled on One-For-All as weakly as he could. It was still a raging torrent of power that would break him in half with a single wrong move. He pumped all he could into his arms. He took the remainder and shifted into his legs, spreading it as thinly as he could. He flexed his leg. Gravel sprayed behind him as the world blurred. When he could see clearly again, his view was filled with a familiar face filled with shock and anger.
Sorahiko groaned as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. He'd been running what should have been a simple errand that had dragged on longer than anticipated. He'd hurried back to not miss the Sports Festival. He'd probably missed the opening, but that was fine; nothing important ever happened there. No, what mattered was the students. They were the future. Though one was of more interest to him, Toshinori's successor.
Sorahiko hadn't had the chance to meet the boy, but what he'd heard hadn't endeared him. A fifteen-year-old with no experience, his only qualification being foolish enough to run into a fight despite being unable to do anything, was not a worthy successor. But he'd once thought the same of Toshinori, so he'd reserve his judgment until he'd seen the boy in action.
Reaching his landing, he paused to pull out his key. Turning it in the lock, he pushed the door open and froze. The television was on. Someone was in his apartment, and they had gotten in without unlocking his door.
'It can't be a robber. They would steal the television, not watch it. An Ambush? But who would come after me? All-For-One's gone. It's been years since any of his followers have done anything.'
He closed the door to keep them from realizing he'd noticed them while going over a mental list of anyone who might have a grudge against him. He loudly stepped into the kitchen, grumbling to himself, and rummaged around for a minute before quietly creeping into his living room. A tall man was sitting on his sofa, watching the Sports Festival.
He crept forward to get a better look at the intruder when his toe banged into the corner of the doorframe. He managed to keep from crying out in pain, but the sound of the impact was enough to alert the intruder. The man leaped to his feet and spun around.
The man looked like a vagabond. He had wild, unkempt hair that hadn't been washed in a month and ragged, torn clothing that smelled like it had gone longer than the hair without cleaning. His eyes had a manic gleam to them, and his face had so many wrinkles and creases to make Sorahiko feel young and handsome in comparison.
For a moment, Sorahiko thought he might be a simple homeless man who had wandered into what he assumed to be an abandoned apartment. But the words that came from the man's mouth squashed that idea as soon as it arose.
"Gran Torino," He pulled out a necklace from inside his shirt. Opening it, he revealed a portrait that knocked the breath from Sorahiko's longs. "What do you know about Nana Shimura?"
Inko sat petrified in terror at watching her son dodge around the debris raining down from the giant robots. She had known this day would come ever since her son had come to her with tears of joy because he could be a hero. That her baby would go through hardship and danger, and there was nothing she could do but watch and pray that he would come through unhurt.
During the opening, she had been comforted by thoughts of his teachers, all heroes, ready to intervene and save him. But now, as he barely escaped one danger, only to be confronted by another in the form of a giant pit, all she felt was the ice-cold fear she could not contain.
She felt small hands place something in her lap. She tore her eyes away from the horrors on the television and looked down. Eri had given her a fresh box of tissues. She had an expression of thoughtful concern that looked absolutely adorable on her. Smiling through tear tracks, she pulled Eri into her lap and hugged her tight.
The track came to a sudden stop at a sheer drop into a massive pit; islands connected by tight ropes spanned the gap to where the track resumed.
Ranma was running along as if he was still on solid ground, while Todoroki had built a massive ice bridge that spanned the entire pit. There was no way Izuku could catch up by following them; he didn't have Ranma's balance or bridge like Todoroki. He'd have to make his own way across.
Drawing on One-For-All as lightly as he could, he pushed into his legs, reversing what he'd done before, moving the excesses into his arms. Slowly and carefully, he bent his knees and pushed off. The ground cracked under his feet as he was flung into the air. As his momentum was used up and gravity began to drag him back down, he took a moment to get his bearings and, to his horror, realized he wasn't going to make it to the other side. He would come down two meters short of where the track began again.
So far, Ranma had been disappointed with the Sports Festival. Oh, the giant robots had looked intimidating, but they had crumbled quickly against Shoto. Dodging the falling debris had been a bit tricky, but not nearly enough to actually challenge him, and now a rope bridge? Ranma mimed a yawn as he ran across it.
He was almost all the way across, with only an island and two tightropes between him and the next section of the course, when he heard an oddly familiar scream of terror from above. Looking up, he saw Izuku plummeting down into the pit.
Reacting instantly, he dashed to the nearest rope. With a swipe of spectral claws, he detached it from the island, wrapping it around his left arm. He dove down into the pit. He swung under the next island, avoiding crashing into the pillar that supported it by centimeters. He kicked off of it to alter his trajectory, putting him just barely close enough to grab Izuku by his collar. Pulling the other boy close, he let go of the rope just as they hit the peak of the swing and came down right on the pit's edge. Looking back, he saw the others trying to find a way across without the rope he'd cut. Giving them a wave, he started running for the finish line, a grin on his face, until the mine exploded.
"And some quick thinking from Todoroki puts him in the lead, with Saotome and Bakugo on his heels."
Izuku took a moment to look ahead. Sure enough, he could see Todoroki's two-toned hair in the lead. Unfortionitally, being in the middle of the pack, he couldn't recognize anyone else in the press of bodies.But there was something he could do about that. He pulled on One-For-All as weakly as he could. It was still a raging torrent of power that would break him in half with a single wrong move. He pumped all he could into his arms. He took the remainder and shifted into his legs, spreading it as thinly as he could. He flexed his leg. Gravel sprayed behind him as the world blurred. When he could see clearly again, his view was filled with a familiar face filled with shock and anger.
"-And Midoriya jumps to the head of the pack, only to collide with Bakugo as he tries to do the same!"
Izuku ignored Kachan's rantings as he rolled to a stop. Mentally thanking Ranma for all the falling practice, Izuku pushed himself back to his feet and rejoined the race. He didn't have time to focus on Kachan. He needed to catch up with Todoroki.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorahiko groaned as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. He'd been running what should have been a simple errand that had dragged on longer than anticipated. He'd hurried back to not miss the Sports Festival. He'd probably missed the opening, but that was fine; nothing important ever happened there. No, what mattered was the students. They were the future. Though one was of more interest to him, Toshinori's successor.
Sorahiko hadn't had the chance to meet the boy, but what he'd heard hadn't endeared him. A fifteen-year-old with no experience, his only qualification being foolish enough to run into a fight despite being unable to do anything, was not a worthy successor. But he'd once thought the same of Toshinori, so he'd reserve his judgment until he'd seen the boy in action.
Reaching his landing, he paused to pull out his key. Turning it in the lock, he pushed the door open and froze. The television was on. Someone was in his apartment, and they had gotten in without unlocking his door.
'It can't be a robber. They would steal the television, not watch it. An Ambush? But who would come after me? All-For-One's gone. It's been years since any of his followers have done anything.'
He closed the door to keep them from realizing he'd noticed them while going over a mental list of anyone who might have a grudge against him. He loudly stepped into the kitchen, grumbling to himself, and rummaged around for a minute before quietly creeping into his living room. A tall man was sitting on his sofa, watching the Sports Festival.
He crept forward to get a better look at the intruder when his toe banged into the corner of the doorframe. He managed to keep from crying out in pain, but the sound of the impact was enough to alert the intruder. The man leaped to his feet and spun around.
The man looked like a vagabond. He had wild, unkempt hair that hadn't been washed in a month and ragged, torn clothing that smelled like it had gone longer than the hair without cleaning. His eyes had a manic gleam to them, and his face had so many wrinkles and creases to make Sorahiko feel young and handsome in comparison.
For a moment, Sorahiko thought he might be a simple homeless man who had wandered into what he assumed to be an abandoned apartment. But the words that came from the man's mouth squashed that idea as soon as it arose.
"Gran Torino," He pulled out a necklace from inside his shirt. Opening it, he revealed a portrait that knocked the breath from Sorahiko's longs. "What do you know about Nana Shimura?"
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Inko sat petrified in terror at watching her son dodge around the debris raining down from the giant robots. She had known this day would come ever since her son had come to her with tears of joy because he could be a hero. That her baby would go through hardship and danger, and there was nothing she could do but watch and pray that he would come through unhurt.
During the opening, she had been comforted by thoughts of his teachers, all heroes, ready to intervene and save him. But now, as he barely escaped one danger, only to be confronted by another in the form of a giant pit, all she felt was the ice-cold fear she could not contain.
She felt small hands place something in her lap. She tore her eyes away from the horrors on the television and looked down. Eri had given her a fresh box of tissues. She had an expression of thoughtful concern that looked absolutely adorable on her. Smiling through tear tracks, she pulled Eri into her lap and hugged her tight.
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"Coming around the bend, Saotome has taken the lead from Todoroki, with Iida, Tsunatori, and Sero on their heels!"
Izuku panted as he tried to catch back up with Ranma and Todoroki. He'd had to use One-For-All to get out of several close calls with falling debris, and he was feeling the strain. He had his eyes locked on Ranma's pigtail. Keeping his eye on the prize, like All Might had told him to. So he was caught entirely off guard when he slammed into Tsunotori, knocking both of them to the ground and almost off a cliff. Automatically apologizing to Tsunotori, he scrambled to his feet.The track came to a sudden stop at a sheer drop into a massive pit; islands connected by tight ropes spanned the gap to where the track resumed.
Ranma was running along as if he was still on solid ground, while Todoroki had built a massive ice bridge that spanned the entire pit. There was no way Izuku could catch up by following them; he didn't have Ranma's balance or bridge like Todoroki. He'd have to make his own way across.
Drawing on One-For-All as lightly as he could, he pushed into his legs, reversing what he'd done before, moving the excesses into his arms. Slowly and carefully, he bent his knees and pushed off. The ground cracked under his feet as he was flung into the air. As his momentum was used up and gravity began to drag him back down, he took a moment to get his bearings and, to his horror, realized he wasn't going to make it to the other side. He would come down two meters short of where the track began again.
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So far, Ranma had been disappointed with the Sports Festival. Oh, the giant robots had looked intimidating, but they had crumbled quickly against Shoto. Dodging the falling debris had been a bit tricky, but not nearly enough to actually challenge him, and now a rope bridge? Ranma mimed a yawn as he ran across it.
He was almost all the way across, with only an island and two tightropes between him and the next section of the course, when he heard an oddly familiar scream of terror from above. Looking up, he saw Izuku plummeting down into the pit.
Reacting instantly, he dashed to the nearest rope. With a swipe of spectral claws, he detached it from the island, wrapping it around his left arm. He dove down into the pit. He swung under the next island, avoiding crashing into the pillar that supported it by centimeters. He kicked off of it to alter his trajectory, putting him just barely close enough to grab Izuku by his collar. Pulling the other boy close, he let go of the rope just as they hit the peak of the swing and came down right on the pit's edge. Looking back, he saw the others trying to find a way across without the rope he'd cut. Giving them a wave, he started running for the finish line, a grin on his face, until the mine exploded.
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Chapter 24: The Finish Line
Deep inland among the Bayankala Mountains lived the Joketsuzoku. Thanks to their remote home and martial traditions, they had lived unconquered for uncounted centuries. The land they lived on had been claimed by countless Khans, Kings, and Emperors. But the Joketsuzoku had never recognized their rule, and none had had the strength to force them.
They had weathered the rise of quirks like they had so many other storms, with strong spirits, endless determination, and brutal violence, even as the country had buckled and broken under the strain of revolution and civil war. They continued living as they always had. This did not mean that they lived in squalor and poverty. The creature comforts of the modern world were in abundance in the village. And the greatest of them was the giant television that hung on the wall of Kelun's house. It was a gargantuan thing, spanning half the length of the wall and a third of its height. Half the village was gathered around it, watching the UA Sports Festival.
The Sports Festival had been popular among the Joketsuzoku since they first learned about it, and every year since, they had gathered to watch it. Few could understand the announcer. There being little need to learn Japanese so far from the coast. But they didn't care. What mattered was the screams of the crowd and the strength of the competitors. And what a competition it was. The first event was almost over, with the competitors making their way through the final obstacle, a minefield.
Off in the corner, Shanpu was trying to ignore her great-great-grandmother. She had known that she would have to deal with Kelun's nagging when she returned from Japan without killing Ranma, but that didn't make getting hit with a stick any less annoying.
"Why was I cursed with such a disrespectful granddaughter? Why, back in my day-"
Shanpu had considered ripping the stick from Kelun's hand and snapping it over her knee. She had refrained because no matter what her Great-Great-Grandmother said, Shanpu did respect her, and to act so cruelly towards her elder would be a shameful act unworthy of a mighty warrior like Shanpu. But mainly because Shanpu hadn't tried because she wasn't certain she could do it. Kelun had taught students for decades before Shanpu was born and had been one of the village's strongest fighters long before that. While age had taken its toll on her, she was still far beyond Shanpu in skill and cunning.
A sharp prod to the back of her head reminded Shanpu that she was not alone. Turning, she quickly bowed.
"My apologies Great-Great-Grandmother, I was distracted. The shame of my failure has been weighing my mind."
Behind her bangs, Shanpu rolled her eyes in annoyance at having to put up with the old windbag.
Kelun snorted. "And well, it should. To think, my own Great-Great-Grandaughter abandoning her quest after administering the kiss of death. If my Grandmother were alive to see this." She shook her head while tut-tutting.
'Oh no, she's starting again.' Shanpu desperately tried to think of something to distract Kelun before she went off on another tirade. 'Think, think, what can I -The pervert!'
"I would have succeeded if it weren't for that old midget," She blurted out.
"What midget?" Kelun asked.
"He said his name was Happosai."
There was a loud crack. Shanpu jerked her head up so fast that her neck popped. Kelun had squeezed her staff so hard that it had snapped in two.
"Did you say, Happosai?"
Shanpu faintly heard the cheering at the end of the race. But all she could pay attention to was the burning fury in Kelun's eyes.
Izuku lurched toward the finish line as fast as his throwing legs could handle. Nothing was broken (thanks to Ranma), but his muscles burned from the strain One-For-All had put them under. Each step was agonizing as he tried to find one muscle that wasn't screaming in pain. The minefield had turned out to be an unexpected boon, forcing everyone else to go slowly to avoid setting off a mine.
His legs could barely hold him as it was. Another jump would leave him unable to walk, an all-or-nothing gamble. If it had been any other time, he might have risked it. But the stakes were too high. If he lost here, he'd be just another face in the crowd when he needed to stand out.
He took another glance ahead and was awestruck; Kachan was flying! Explosions from his hands propelled him up and forward. Izuku looked down at his own hands. Memories of a fall played through his mind, of how he'd slowed his descent with a flick of a finger. Once more, he called on One-For-All. He swayed slightly as his already overworked muscles were flooded with energy. He directed the tiniest bit he could into the very tips of his index fingers and thumbs. He pressed them together and flicked. There was a crack of thunder, and he was thrown tumbling head over heels through the air.
Ranma had only one answer to that. 'Finally, a challenge!'
They were nearing the finish line, and Ranma was trying to disengage long enough to make a run for it when he heard a distressingly familiar scream approaching at high speed. He had barely enough time to look over his shoulder before a human-shaped missile struck him and his erstwhile opponent. Ranma instinctively rolled with the impact, which was a mistake as it set off all the mines he had so carefully avoided, turning their fall into a bounce as the explosion launched the three of them into the air and across the finish line.
"Wha-where am I?"
Her last memory was the start of the race, and now she was- At the end?
"How did I get here?"
A girl with short brown hair stood beside Akane, looking just as bewildered as Akane felt.
"I take it that you two are just as confused as I am them." A deep voice said from behind them.
Turning around, Akane saw a boy with a black bird's head.
"Tokoyami, it happened to you too?" The girl asked.
"Yes, Uraraka," Tokoyami said, "and I believe I know the cause." He pointed toward one of the students milling around the arena. He had dark purple hair that stuck out in every direction and a tired expression. "My last memory is of him talking to me."
"I remember him!" Uraraka gasped, "He tapped me on the shoulder and said something!"
Taking another look at the boy, Akane realized that she, too, recognized him. Akane squeezed her hands into fists. She wished she had her bokken with her.
"I don't know about you two, but I don't like having somebody playing with my mind. What do you think about teaming up to take him down in the next event?"
They had weathered the rise of quirks like they had so many other storms, with strong spirits, endless determination, and brutal violence, even as the country had buckled and broken under the strain of revolution and civil war. They continued living as they always had. This did not mean that they lived in squalor and poverty. The creature comforts of the modern world were in abundance in the village. And the greatest of them was the giant television that hung on the wall of Kelun's house. It was a gargantuan thing, spanning half the length of the wall and a third of its height. Half the village was gathered around it, watching the UA Sports Festival.
The Sports Festival had been popular among the Joketsuzoku since they first learned about it, and every year since, they had gathered to watch it. Few could understand the announcer. There being little need to learn Japanese so far from the coast. But they didn't care. What mattered was the screams of the crowd and the strength of the competitors. And what a competition it was. The first event was almost over, with the competitors making their way through the final obstacle, a minefield.
Off in the corner, Shanpu was trying to ignore her great-great-grandmother. She had known that she would have to deal with Kelun's nagging when she returned from Japan without killing Ranma, but that didn't make getting hit with a stick any less annoying.
"Why was I cursed with such a disrespectful granddaughter? Why, back in my day-"
Shanpu had considered ripping the stick from Kelun's hand and snapping it over her knee. She had refrained because no matter what her Great-Great-Grandmother said, Shanpu did respect her, and to act so cruelly towards her elder would be a shameful act unworthy of a mighty warrior like Shanpu. But mainly because Shanpu hadn't tried because she wasn't certain she could do it. Kelun had taught students for decades before Shanpu was born and had been one of the village's strongest fighters long before that. While age had taken its toll on her, she was still far beyond Shanpu in skill and cunning.
A sharp prod to the back of her head reminded Shanpu that she was not alone. Turning, she quickly bowed.
"My apologies Great-Great-Grandmother, I was distracted. The shame of my failure has been weighing my mind."
Behind her bangs, Shanpu rolled her eyes in annoyance at having to put up with the old windbag.
Kelun snorted. "And well, it should. To think, my own Great-Great-Grandaughter abandoning her quest after administering the kiss of death. If my Grandmother were alive to see this." She shook her head while tut-tutting.
'Oh no, she's starting again.' Shanpu desperately tried to think of something to distract Kelun before she went off on another tirade. 'Think, think, what can I -The pervert!'
"I would have succeeded if it weren't for that old midget," She blurted out.
"What midget?" Kelun asked.
"He said his name was Happosai."
There was a loud crack. Shanpu jerked her head up so fast that her neck popped. Kelun had squeezed her staff so hard that it had snapped in two.
"Did you say, Happosai?"
Shanpu faintly heard the cheering at the end of the race. But all she could pay attention to was the burning fury in Kelun's eyes.
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Izuku lurched toward the finish line as fast as his throwing legs could handle. Nothing was broken (thanks to Ranma), but his muscles burned from the strain One-For-All had put them under. Each step was agonizing as he tried to find one muscle that wasn't screaming in pain. The minefield had turned out to be an unexpected boon, forcing everyone else to go slowly to avoid setting off a mine.
"Satome and Kamakiri are battling for the lead, With Todoroki and Bakugo hot on their tails!"
Izuku glanced ahead, seeing blue claws clashing with white blades, before focusing back on where he was putting his feet. Time was running out, and Izuku was falling behind. Just passing wasn't good enough. He had to win. All Might was counting on him! But what could he do?His legs could barely hold him as it was. Another jump would leave him unable to walk, an all-or-nothing gamble. If it had been any other time, he might have risked it. But the stakes were too high. If he lost here, he'd be just another face in the crowd when he needed to stand out.
He took another glance ahead and was awestruck; Kachan was flying! Explosions from his hands propelled him up and forward. Izuku looked down at his own hands. Memories of a fall played through his mind, of how he'd slowed his descent with a flick of a finger. Once more, he called on One-For-All. He swayed slightly as his already overworked muscles were flooded with energy. He directed the tiniest bit he could into the very tips of his index fingers and thumbs. He pressed them together and flicked. There was a crack of thunder, and he was thrown tumbling head over heels through the air.
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Ranma grinned as he deflected a strike from his opponent. The push and pull of attack and defense were so ingrained into Ranma that he could fight while asleep. But to do the same while running a race, maneuvering to block his opponent from pulling ahead as he did the same, made even more complicated by the need to avoid the mines?Ranma had only one answer to that. 'Finally, a challenge!'
They were nearing the finish line, and Ranma was trying to disengage long enough to make a run for it when he heard a distressingly familiar scream approaching at high speed. He had barely enough time to look over his shoulder before a human-shaped missile struck him and his erstwhile opponent. Ranma instinctively rolled with the impact, which was a mistake as it set off all the mines he had so carefully avoided, turning their fall into a bounce as the explosion launched the three of them into the air and across the finish line.
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Akane snapped awake. Her arms were sore and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotten."Wha-where am I?"
Her last memory was the start of the race, and now she was- At the end?
"How did I get here?"
A girl with short brown hair stood beside Akane, looking just as bewildered as Akane felt.
"I take it that you two are just as confused as I am them." A deep voice said from behind them.
Turning around, Akane saw a boy with a black bird's head.
"Tokoyami, it happened to you too?" The girl asked.
"Yes, Uraraka," Tokoyami said, "and I believe I know the cause." He pointed toward one of the students milling around the arena. He had dark purple hair that stuck out in every direction and a tired expression. "My last memory is of him talking to me."
"I remember him!" Uraraka gasped, "He tapped me on the shoulder and said something!"
Taking another look at the boy, Akane realized that she, too, recognized him. Akane squeezed her hands into fists. She wished she had her bokken with her.
"I don't know about you two, but I don't like having somebody playing with my mind. What do you think about teaming up to take him down in the next event?"
Chapter 25: The Cavalry Battle
In the aftermath of the unexpected three-way tie, Present Mic announced a brief intermission before the second event. During this, the stadium was cleaned up and transformed by Cementos from a racing track into an arena. And the support students put on demonstrations of their creations to entertain the audience. Grappling hooks and jet packs were displayed alongside power armor and net guns. Everyone agreed that it was a great show, though the younger watchers were disappointed by the lack of explosions.
As this was going on, those students who had suffered injuries were being treated by Recovery girl. Most of it was the usual aftermath of a race, scrapes, bruises, and the occasional sprained ankle. And then there was Midoriya. Recovery Girl tutted in annoyance as the boy moaned in pain. Every year there was some foolish student hopped up on hope and adrenaline to feel any pain who pushed their body to its limit to win the first event, only to collapse as soon as they crossed the finish line. She sympathized with them. She had once been a young student filled with the need to prove herself. But there were only so many times she could see the same sequence played out year after year until she felt the urge to beat some sense into their heads.
Out of all the hard-headed fools she had had to deal with over the years, Midoriya was average. He had pushed his body well past the point where any reasonable person would have stopped, but he hadn't suffered anything worse than overworked muscles. He didn't even need her quirk to recover, just some time to rest. She gave him a peck on the top of his head anyway. Not for All Might, though she respected him and understood his desire for a successor. But because when she had looked into the boy's eyes behind tears welling from the pain, she saw a fire burning. Whatever you wish to call that need, drive, or passion. She knew it well. It was why she was still here, looking after reckless children years after she should have retired.
"Hurry along now. You don't want to miss your place."
She waited for him to finish thanking her before moving on to the next patient. She sighed wistfully as he hurried off. She didn't miss being young. She remembered well the pains of youth, but it would be nice to be able to run again.
The crowd cheered as the winners of the obstacle course streamed back into the stadium. Most were from heroics, but a few were from support, general studies, and even one from the business course. When they had all taken their place in the arena, Midnight strutted out in front of a large screen to explain the second event, The Human Cavalry Battle.
Each of the forty-two students got points based on the order they crossed the finish line. The forty-second got five; The forty-first got ten, and so on. Except for the three that had tied for first place, they each got three million. The students would form teams with one rider carried by the rest who wore a headband with the combined total of all the member's points. The goal was to steal others' headbands while protecting their own. After fifteen minutes, the sixteen contestants with the most points would head to the finals.
Teams were already forming as soon as Midnight had finished explaining the rules. Izuku looked around, trying to find someone familiar. Akane had already formed a team with three students from 1-A. Ranma had teamed Kamakiri along with Shishida and Asui.
"Midoriya!" A boisterous voice called.
Izuku turned and saw. "Iida?"
The tall boy had his usual look of focused determination as he approached.
"I would like to join your team!" He said, thrusting out his hand.
"I- don't have a team yet, but I'd be happy to start one with you," Izuku said.
"Hey, have you got room for me?" Tsunotori called as she ran up to them. "Everyone else is already teamed up."
"Yeah, we've got room," Izuku said. His brain was already running through the potential strategies for using their quirks together. But they'd need one more, someone who could take the force the He and Iida's quirks put out. Scanning the shrinking pool of people who hadn't teamed up yet.
"Hey, Tetsutetsu! Come join us!"
Izuku didn't know Tetsutetsu very well, but from what he'd seen at the USJ his quirk was just what they needed. When the silver-haired boy arrived Izuku began to explain his plan.
"Tsunotori, you'll be the rider. Use your horns to keep anyone from getting too close. Mine and Iida's quirks let us move super fast, so we'll be in the back, like jet engines. That's where you come in Tetsutetsu, a normal person's body couldn't take the stress from the both of us pushing on them. But with your quirk, you should take it without any issue."
Izumi waited a moment for them to object to anything. When none of them did, he kept on explaining.
"Now I've got some ideas for some strategies we can use-"
Shoto examined his team, Bakugo, had shown himself to be an able competitor in the obstacle course, along with his powerful quirk had been enough for Shoto to overlook his personality. Not that it had been easy and after several minutes of arguing Shoto had decided it wasn't worth it and had let the brat be the rider to get him to stop throwing a tantrum.
Thankfully the other two members were far easier to get along with. Honenuki's quirk was a good compliment to Shoto's along him to trap their opponents and melt obstacles out of their way. The two of them were in the back to guard their flanks, with the final member Monoma in front. His copy quirk let him use any of their quirks as needed. Making perfect to be the tip of their spear.
Taking it all in he felt confident in their ability to win. But as he glanced around at the competition and saw Saotome smiling at him, he couldn't stop himself from shivering even though he wasn't cold.
'Saotome has a magnetic personality,' Tsu thought, 'you're either pulled in or you're pushed away.'
Tsu had always enjoyed people-watching and Saotome was always in the middle of something worth watching. It wasn't something he did, his mere presence seemed to be enough to provoke people. From Iida's disapproval of his dress, speech, and general attitude. To how he somehow got Todoroki to be social. And now with Kamakiri, twenty minutes ago they were trying to rip each other apart with their quirks. And now they were acting like they were the best of friends.
"With me and Tagaru," Saotome said while gesturing to Kamakiri, "we've already got the most points, so we don't need to go chasing after other headbands. But it also means that everyone will be gunning for us. Tagaru, you and Shishida should take the sides and scare off anyone who gets too close. I'll be the rider 'cause I'm the best fighter," Kamakiri snorted in outrage but didn't object. "And Tsu, you've got the most important job, you need to catch me if I fall."
Despite the flippant way he explained it, the plan was a sound one. Saotome had been in the lead the entire race, and she'd seen his fight with Kamakiri at the final stretch. If it wasn't for Midoriya he easily could have taken first place, without a tie.
Shishida despite his friendly nature could be terrifying when transformed. In their first heroics class, she'd seen him go up against Shiozaki, watching him rip apart her vines had been quite the sight. And Kamakiro could give him a run for his money with blades and glaring eyes.
"Take your positions!" Midnight called.
Akane felt some trepidation as she looked around at the competition. It was always hard to fight with allies, to properly take advantage you had to work together, and coordinate attack and defense. That was hard enough with someone you knew. But doing it with strangers, with only enough time to give a basic rundown of each other's quirks?
She wasn't Ranma or Izuku, who could come up with plans and strategies on the fly while fighting. She was about to dive into the deep end and only time would shew whether she'd sink or swim.
She started to push on her air. It would be tricky to manage, she had to keep it far enough out that it didn't pick up any of her teammates, but close enough that she didn't lose control of it.
AN: and with this we're all caught up, from now on new chapters will be coming once a week. If you have any questions I would be glad to answer them.
As this was going on, those students who had suffered injuries were being treated by Recovery girl. Most of it was the usual aftermath of a race, scrapes, bruises, and the occasional sprained ankle. And then there was Midoriya. Recovery Girl tutted in annoyance as the boy moaned in pain. Every year there was some foolish student hopped up on hope and adrenaline to feel any pain who pushed their body to its limit to win the first event, only to collapse as soon as they crossed the finish line. She sympathized with them. She had once been a young student filled with the need to prove herself. But there were only so many times she could see the same sequence played out year after year until she felt the urge to beat some sense into their heads.
Out of all the hard-headed fools she had had to deal with over the years, Midoriya was average. He had pushed his body well past the point where any reasonable person would have stopped, but he hadn't suffered anything worse than overworked muscles. He didn't even need her quirk to recover, just some time to rest. She gave him a peck on the top of his head anyway. Not for All Might, though she respected him and understood his desire for a successor. But because when she had looked into the boy's eyes behind tears welling from the pain, she saw a fire burning. Whatever you wish to call that need, drive, or passion. She knew it well. It was why she was still here, looking after reckless children years after she should have retired.
"Hurry along now. You don't want to miss your place."
She waited for him to finish thanking her before moving on to the next patient. She sighed wistfully as he hurried off. She didn't miss being young. She remembered well the pains of youth, but it would be nice to be able to run again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The crowd cheered as the winners of the obstacle course streamed back into the stadium. Most were from heroics, but a few were from support, general studies, and even one from the business course. When they had all taken their place in the arena, Midnight strutted out in front of a large screen to explain the second event, The Human Cavalry Battle.
Each of the forty-two students got points based on the order they crossed the finish line. The forty-second got five; The forty-first got ten, and so on. Except for the three that had tied for first place, they each got three million. The students would form teams with one rider carried by the rest who wore a headband with the combined total of all the member's points. The goal was to steal others' headbands while protecting their own. After fifteen minutes, the sixteen contestants with the most points would head to the finals.
Teams were already forming as soon as Midnight had finished explaining the rules. Izuku looked around, trying to find someone familiar. Akane had already formed a team with three students from 1-A. Ranma had teamed Kamakiri along with Shishida and Asui.
"Midoriya!" A boisterous voice called.
Izuku turned and saw. "Iida?"
The tall boy had his usual look of focused determination as he approached.
"I would like to join your team!" He said, thrusting out his hand.
"I- don't have a team yet, but I'd be happy to start one with you," Izuku said.
"Hey, have you got room for me?" Tsunotori called as she ran up to them. "Everyone else is already teamed up."
"Yeah, we've got room," Izuku said. His brain was already running through the potential strategies for using their quirks together. But they'd need one more, someone who could take the force the He and Iida's quirks put out. Scanning the shrinking pool of people who hadn't teamed up yet.
"Hey, Tetsutetsu! Come join us!"
Izuku didn't know Tetsutetsu very well, but from what he'd seen at the USJ his quirk was just what they needed. When the silver-haired boy arrived Izuku began to explain his plan.
"Tsunotori, you'll be the rider. Use your horns to keep anyone from getting too close. Mine and Iida's quirks let us move super fast, so we'll be in the back, like jet engines. That's where you come in Tetsutetsu, a normal person's body couldn't take the stress from the both of us pushing on them. But with your quirk, you should take it without any issue."
Izumi waited a moment for them to object to anything. When none of them did, he kept on explaining.
"Now I've got some ideas for some strategies we can use-"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shoto examined his team, Bakugo, had shown himself to be an able competitor in the obstacle course, along with his powerful quirk had been enough for Shoto to overlook his personality. Not that it had been easy and after several minutes of arguing Shoto had decided it wasn't worth it and had let the brat be the rider to get him to stop throwing a tantrum.
Thankfully the other two members were far easier to get along with. Honenuki's quirk was a good compliment to Shoto's along him to trap their opponents and melt obstacles out of their way. The two of them were in the back to guard their flanks, with the final member Monoma in front. His copy quirk let him use any of their quirks as needed. Making perfect to be the tip of their spear.
Taking it all in he felt confident in their ability to win. But as he glanced around at the competition and saw Saotome smiling at him, he couldn't stop himself from shivering even though he wasn't cold.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Saotome has a magnetic personality,' Tsu thought, 'you're either pulled in or you're pushed away.'
Tsu had always enjoyed people-watching and Saotome was always in the middle of something worth watching. It wasn't something he did, his mere presence seemed to be enough to provoke people. From Iida's disapproval of his dress, speech, and general attitude. To how he somehow got Todoroki to be social. And now with Kamakiri, twenty minutes ago they were trying to rip each other apart with their quirks. And now they were acting like they were the best of friends.
"With me and Tagaru," Saotome said while gesturing to Kamakiri, "we've already got the most points, so we don't need to go chasing after other headbands. But it also means that everyone will be gunning for us. Tagaru, you and Shishida should take the sides and scare off anyone who gets too close. I'll be the rider 'cause I'm the best fighter," Kamakiri snorted in outrage but didn't object. "And Tsu, you've got the most important job, you need to catch me if I fall."
Despite the flippant way he explained it, the plan was a sound one. Saotome had been in the lead the entire race, and she'd seen his fight with Kamakiri at the final stretch. If it wasn't for Midoriya he easily could have taken first place, without a tie.
Shishida despite his friendly nature could be terrifying when transformed. In their first heroics class, she'd seen him go up against Shiozaki, watching him rip apart her vines had been quite the sight. And Kamakiro could give him a run for his money with blades and glaring eyes.
"Take your positions!" Midnight called.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Three!"
Akane felt some trepidation as she looked around at the competition. It was always hard to fight with allies, to properly take advantage you had to work together, and coordinate attack and defense. That was hard enough with someone you knew. But doing it with strangers, with only enough time to give a basic rundown of each other's quirks?
"Two!"
She wasn't Ranma or Izuku, who could come up with plans and strategies on the fly while fighting. She was about to dive into the deep end and only time would shew whether she'd sink or swim.
"One!"
She started to push on her air. It would be tricky to manage, she had to keep it far enough out that it didn't pick up any of her teammates, but close enough that she didn't lose control of it.
"Go!"
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AN: and with this we're all caught up, from now on new chapters will be coming once a week. If you have any questions I would be glad to answer them.
Class 1-A
Homeroom teacher:
Shota Aizawa AKA Eraser Head
Students:
1. Yosetsu Awase
2. Ochaco Uraraka
3. Togaru Kamakiri
4. Ukyo Kuonji
5. Shihai Kuroiro
6. Itsuka Kendo
7. Yui Kodai
8. Kyoka Jiro
9. Hanta Sero
10. Nirengeki Shoda
11. Kosei Tsubaraba
12. Setsuna Tokage
13. Fumikage Tokoyami
14. Toru Hagakure
15. Manga Fukidashi
16. Katsuki Bakugo
17. Kojiro Bondo
18. Reiko Yanagi
19. Momo Yaoyorozu
20. Hiryu Rin
Shota Aizawa AKA Eraser Head
Students:
1. Yosetsu Awase
2. Ochaco Uraraka
3. Togaru Kamakiri
4. Ukyo Kuonji
5. Shihai Kuroiro
6. Itsuka Kendo
7. Yui Kodai
8. Kyoka Jiro
9. Hanta Sero
10. Nirengeki Shoda
11. Kosei Tsubaraba
12. Setsuna Tokage
13. Fumikage Tokoyami
14. Toru Hagakure
15. Manga Fukidashi
16. Katsuki Bakugo
17. Kojiro Bondo
18. Reiko Yanagi
19. Momo Yaoyorozu
20. Hiryu Rin
Due to IRL stuff I will not have much time or motivation for writing for the next couple weeks. Updates will be irregular, and likely infrequent until the second week of April.
Thanks. Social anxiety + major holiday is not a fun mix.
Chapter 26: Jousting
AN: This chapter was delayed by, a major holiday, the flu, missiles, writer's block, and the flu again. But it is finally done. It's going to take me a bit to get back into my usual writing schedule, so chapters may be a bit irregular for the next couple of weeks, but unless something unexpected comes up it shouldn't be nearly as long a wait.
Izuku's plan was simple, stay out of the way. Ranma's team was a tempting target with all their points. Everyone would be targeting them, meaning Izuku's team should be easily overlooked in the confusion. If it were anyone else, Izuku would have been worried about them, but he knew Ranma would welcome the challenge with open arms.
Unfortunately for Izuku, he wasn't the only one to think of this. And for those who had chosen to forgo Ranma's gold, his silver was the obvious choice.
"Left!" Tsunotori shouted. She had fallen back on her mother tongue in the chaos and confusion. Fortunately, English was one of the standard subjects taught in Japanese schools, so while none of her teammates were fluent, they understood her. and Awkwardly sidestepped to avoid Shiozaki's vines, only to go "Right!" to dodge Akane's team as they charged after another team. Unfortunately, this caught them in the rolling ball of fighting surrounding Ranma.
Tsunotori screamed as Kacchan blasted through the air in front of her, missing her face by centimeters, only for him to collide with Ranma coming the other way. For a moment, the world ground to a halt. Everything was frozen in place, like someone had hit the pause button of the universe, letting Izuku see every detail, from Kacchan's snarling face distorted by Ranma's foot to the sun glinting off of Tetsutetsu's hair. And then it was over. A giant tongue wrapped around Ranma's stomach and dragged him off. Kacchan, trailing explosions and expletives, chased after him.
"Is that allowed?" Iida yelled over the crowd's cheering.
"It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here before they notice us," Tetsutetsu said
There was a sudden chill in the air and a sound like ice cracking.
"Todoroki's blocked our escape, hasn't he?" Tetsutetsu asked.
"He has," Iida answered.
Glancing over the taller boy's shoulder, Izuku saw a massive wall of ice splitting the arena in half.
"It was a good plan, Midoriya," Tetsutetsu said, "But we've got nowhere to run and no way to hide."
"Then we need to push through," Izuku said.
Someone else might have questioned their sanity, but Sorahiko was too old to waste his time on time pointless existentialism. So what if his current situation felt absurd? Life was absurd. So he did the logical thing when confronted by the disheveled and unstable-looking grandson of his long-dead friend; he broke out the beer.
With the Sports Festival playing in the background, he began to coax out the boy's story. It was both easier and harder than he had expected, easier because the boy eagerly answered every question Sorahiko asked and several he hadn't. It was like a dam had broken, and every unspoken thought he had ever had poured out of his mouth.
The hard part was keeping himself from visibly reacting; All-For-One and Happosai were names he had hoped never to hear again. Having their survival casually revealed by Nana's grandson was more than enough to shatter his composure. His only comfort was that they seemed to be at odds with each other.
Eventually, Shigi (Sorahiko was sure that was a fake name, but given the current situation, he wasn't going to challenge him on it.) tired of his own story and began asking questions of his own, questions that pained Sorahiko to answer.
"You know about All-For-One, but what do you know of One-For-All?"
"One-For-All?"
"It's a Quirk that can be given by its owner to another person. And with each transfer, it grows in power. Its wielders have always opposed All-For-One and his goals." Sorahiko took a sip of beer to steady his nerves. "Nana was the seventh. She was one of the best heroes I've ever known. All-For-One killed her for interfering with his organization."
At his words, there was a hiss and a splash. Careful not to make any sudden movements, he glanced across the couch. The can in Shigi's hand had disintegrated, soaking him in beer. Reaching down, Sorahiko grabbed another can of beer and handed it to the bedraggled boy.
"Don't worry about the mess. I'll clean it up later."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was a jolt of pain down Mei's arm, waking her from a dream. Her shoulders ached from a heavy weight. Her surroundings were a blur of flying sand and bright flames.
''Wha-?"
"Hatsume," A gruff voice said.
"Yes?"
And she dreamed again.
She walked, ran, jumped, and ducked. All without thought, until.
A flash of light and pain, followed by a tingling sensation, something she is intimately familiar with from working on her babies' electronics.
With a gasp (half from pain and half surprise), she returned to reality. Shouts and explosions assaulted her ears, but all she heard was a high-pitched whine that sent shivers of dread down her spine. Slowly at first, but then franticly, she checked all her equipment.
"Aaaaah, my babies!" She cried.
They were all fried, wires melted, switches welded shut, and scorched circuit boards. They were all broken beyond repair.
Someone was talking to her, but that didn't matter. She needed to know what had gone wrong. Bucking off the weight from her shoulders, rush off in search of a workbench.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinso cursed as the Support girl ran off. It had been a mistake to grab the boy with the lightning quirk. It was far more trouble than it was worth, repeatedly shocking him and dragging his attention away from the competition to maintain his control.
And now it had cost him a member of his team, just as those stuck-up Heroics students were harassing him. He was barely avoiding the grasping arms of the shadow monster before. Now, there was no way he could stop them. He felt that old anger rise, once it had been fiery and passionate, but the years had turned it cold and bitter. Another defeat, another humiliation, all because he'd been born with a "villainous quirk." He made one last desperate attempt to fight back, but the monster was too fast, easily slipping past his arms and reaching toward his head.
The beast froze, claws centimeters from his face, before slithering back to its master. Climbing back down to the ground, he checked the scoreboard. Fourth place wasn't the best, but it got him into the finals, and in the end, that was all that mattered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izuku's plan was simple, stay out of the way. Ranma's team was a tempting target with all their points. Everyone would be targeting them, meaning Izuku's team should be easily overlooked in the confusion. If it were anyone else, Izuku would have been worried about them, but he knew Ranma would welcome the challenge with open arms.
Unfortunately for Izuku, he wasn't the only one to think of this. And for those who had chosen to forgo Ranma's gold, his silver was the obvious choice.
"Left!" Tsunotori shouted. She had fallen back on her mother tongue in the chaos and confusion. Fortunately, English was one of the standard subjects taught in Japanese schools, so while none of her teammates were fluent, they understood her. and Awkwardly sidestepped to avoid Shiozaki's vines, only to go "Right!" to dodge Akane's team as they charged after another team. Unfortunately, this caught them in the rolling ball of fighting surrounding Ranma.
Tsunotori screamed as Kacchan blasted through the air in front of her, missing her face by centimeters, only for him to collide with Ranma coming the other way. For a moment, the world ground to a halt. Everything was frozen in place, like someone had hit the pause button of the universe, letting Izuku see every detail, from Kacchan's snarling face distorted by Ranma's foot to the sun glinting off of Tetsutetsu's hair. And then it was over. A giant tongue wrapped around Ranma's stomach and dragged him off. Kacchan, trailing explosions and expletives, chased after him.
"Is that allowed?" Iida yelled over the crowd's cheering.
"It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here before they notice us," Tetsutetsu said
There was a sudden chill in the air and a sound like ice cracking.
"Todoroki's blocked our escape, hasn't he?" Tetsutetsu asked.
"He has," Iida answered.
Glancing over the taller boy's shoulder, Izuku saw a massive wall of ice splitting the arena in half.
"It was a good plan, Midoriya," Tetsutetsu said, "But we've got nowhere to run and no way to hide."
"Then we need to push through," Izuku said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone else might have questioned their sanity, but Sorahiko was too old to waste his time on time pointless existentialism. So what if his current situation felt absurd? Life was absurd. So he did the logical thing when confronted by the disheveled and unstable-looking grandson of his long-dead friend; he broke out the beer.
With the Sports Festival playing in the background, he began to coax out the boy's story. It was both easier and harder than he had expected, easier because the boy eagerly answered every question Sorahiko asked and several he hadn't. It was like a dam had broken, and every unspoken thought he had ever had poured out of his mouth.
The hard part was keeping himself from visibly reacting; All-For-One and Happosai were names he had hoped never to hear again. Having their survival casually revealed by Nana's grandson was more than enough to shatter his composure. His only comfort was that they seemed to be at odds with each other.
Eventually, Shigi (Sorahiko was sure that was a fake name, but given the current situation, he wasn't going to challenge him on it.) tired of his own story and began asking questions of his own, questions that pained Sorahiko to answer.
"You know about All-For-One, but what do you know of One-For-All?"
"One-For-All?"
"It's a Quirk that can be given by its owner to another person. And with each transfer, it grows in power. Its wielders have always opposed All-For-One and his goals." Sorahiko took a sip of beer to steady his nerves. "Nana was the seventh. She was one of the best heroes I've ever known. All-For-One killed her for interfering with his organization."
At his words, there was a hiss and a splash. Careful not to make any sudden movements, he glanced across the couch. The can in Shigi's hand had disintegrated, soaking him in beer. Reaching down, Sorahiko grabbed another can of beer and handed it to the bedraggled boy.
"Don't worry about the mess. I'll clean it up later."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was a jolt of pain down Mei's arm, waking her from a dream. Her shoulders ached from a heavy weight. Her surroundings were a blur of flying sand and bright flames.
''Wha-?"
"Hatsume," A gruff voice said.
"Yes?"
And she dreamed again.
She walked, ran, jumped, and ducked. All without thought, until.
A flash of light and pain, followed by a tingling sensation, something she is intimately familiar with from working on her babies' electronics.
With a gasp (half from pain and half surprise), she returned to reality. Shouts and explosions assaulted her ears, but all she heard was a high-pitched whine that sent shivers of dread down her spine. Slowly at first, but then franticly, she checked all her equipment.
"Aaaaah, my babies!" She cried.
They were all fried, wires melted, switches welded shut, and scorched circuit boards. They were all broken beyond repair.
Someone was talking to her, but that didn't matter. She needed to know what had gone wrong. Bucking off the weight from her shoulders, rush off in search of a workbench.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinso cursed as the Support girl ran off. It had been a mistake to grab the boy with the lightning quirk. It was far more trouble than it was worth, repeatedly shocking him and dragging his attention away from the competition to maintain his control.
And now it had cost him a member of his team, just as those stuck-up Heroics students were harassing him. He was barely avoiding the grasping arms of the shadow monster before. Now, there was no way he could stop them. He felt that old anger rise, once it had been fiery and passionate, but the years had turned it cold and bitter. Another defeat, another humiliation, all because he'd been born with a "villainous quirk." He made one last desperate attempt to fight back, but the monster was too fast, easily slipping past his arms and reaching toward his head.
"Time's up!"
The beast froze, claws centimeters from his face, before slithering back to its master. Climbing back down to the ground, he checked the scoreboard. Fourth place wasn't the best, but it got him into the finals, and in the end, that was all that mattered.
Hiatus
Back for now
Things were resolved quicker than I expected. I have started working on the next chapter, if nothing interferes it should be out in a week or two.