Chapter 8: Strange Happenings
Not everyday at UA was dedicated to heroic studies due to the dual class format UA had adopted. Some days were just flat-out normal.
Ben had a feeling today would be one of those days.
The second day of school meant that All Might would be taking his turn with class 1-B. While Ben wished his friends the best in their own quests to become heroes, it didn't stop him from being bored. Finally being able to use the Omnitrix without having to worry about the ramifications of his actions was exhilarating, and anything else seemed dull in comparison.
But, true to his word, Ben had not used the watch a single time outside of UA's campus and even then, he had only transformed when given explicit instructions to do so. He had slogged through the first day's homework the night before without the assistance of Gray Matter. If he couldn't access his Galvan form during an exam, then generating a reliance on artificial intelligence did not seem like a smart move. That didn't stop Ben from lamenting that his homework, which took hours, could have been reduced to minutes.
After his normal morning routine of washing up, eating, and getting to school, Ben made his way to class. Ben didn't have any real complaints about the condo he and Grandpa Max were provided; it was plenty spacious, full of modern technology and gave the two Tennysons their own privacy. However, the closeness of the condo to UA meant that Ben only had a five minute walk to class. With nothing to do in the mornings, Ben knew that getting to the class far too early was going to be commonplace in his UA career.
Ben was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the massive crows that surrounded the UA entrance gate. Ben looked forward, saw the crowd, but his brain filtered out that particular piece of information to allow Ben more daydreaming. He moved closer and closer to the crowd, until some people in the back took notice of a young boy wearing the UA uniform, oblivious to what was to come.
The reporters were on Ben in seconds. Like a pack of scavenging hyenas, they surrounded Ben and stuck microphones right into his personal space and began firing questions left and right.
"Young man, have you had a class with the number one hero All Might yet? If so, what is he like? If not, why?"
"Sir, could you spare a few thoughts on All Might? How do you think the number one hero is adapting to this new teaching position?"
"Aren't you a bit young to be going to high school?"
"Tell us about All Might! Is it true that the reason for his recent decline in hero work is due to him preparing to teach? Isn't this a danger to the safety of Japan?"
The shift from a lazy morning to a press conference was more than sufficient to snap Ben to reality. Suddenly surrounded on all sides, with anxious and expecting faces all around him, Ben tried to give good answers.
"Uhh, I did, he's cool I guess? Err, he's still new so I don't know how good of a teacher he is. I have no idea on how him teaching affect's Japan's safety, sorry." Ben's mediocre responses only served to fire up the crowd more. The mass of bodies pressed closer and closer, and Ben's feelings of nervousness were now being replaced by actual fear. He couldn't transform here, he would break the contract and be harming civilians! But he couldn't move! As microphones began to literally prod at his mouth, Ben ducked his head down, crouched, and thrusted his hands to his sides in a desperate bid to get just a little bit of space back. Then, the noise died down just a bit, and some space was being made. Ben looked back up to see a very familiar face.
"Shoji!" Ben cried in relief. While still as expressionless as ever, his classmate's massive size and large wingspan made a net of sorts to force the news crews back. They were obviously a bit intimidated by Shoji's size and mutation quirk, and were not nearly as quick to interview him.
"Hello Tennyson. Are you alright? You looked like you were in some trouble." Ben nodded gratefully in response. He stood back up and readjusted his backpack. Seeing Ben back on his feet stirred the crowd back into action. Reporters began surging back in, despite Shoji's defensive wall. The shouting of questions began again and the two students braced themselves in preparation.
"HOLD IT!" An ear-piercing cry rang out from behind the crowd as students and reporters alike covered their ears in pain. Everyone turned to see Present Mic, with arms crossed and frowning, in the center of the gate.
"You reporters are crossing the line again! Let our students pass through!" It was clear that Present Mic was using his quirk, although he was holding back a considerable amount. Recognizing the authority presented by the hero, the crowd backed off, although not without some reluctant grumbling.
"You kids alright?" The hero checked in as Shoji and Ben crossed the gate. After seeing the two nod, Present Mic gave them a smile and clapped them both on the back. "Alright, get to class now. I gotta stay here to help any other students. We expected this, but the media never fails to surprise us."
Ben followed Shoji through the building, and thanked him again when they got to 1-A's door.
"Think nothing of it Tennyson. I was just helping another classmate, and a friend." Ben hoped Shoji was smiling under his mask, because he had a stupidly wide grin on his face. He had broken through the powerful mental barrier that was Shoji! Good to know that Shoji felt good about him, and not the other way around. Feeling good, Ben pushed open the door and examined the classroom.
Despite being ten minutes early, there were still some students milling about. Ida had enthusiastically greeted Ben and Shoji upon entry, and Yaoyorozu waved at him afterwards. Kaminari, Ashido, Sero and Kirishima were in the back in a group, talking about something, but Ben was too far to hear. They were laughing though, so it must not be anything worth eavesdropping. Ben did catch a glimpse of clashing white and red hair from the corner of his eye, but refused to turn his head. Todoroki made it clear that he was not a friend, so Ben would not push the matter any further. Shoji made his way to his desk and began writing something down on a thick paper pad. Ben chose not to ask about that and sat down at his own assigned seat.
Ben relaxed at his desk, exploring his new phone while the rest of his classmates trickled in. Midoriya came in a couple minutes later, and that was a surprise considering how he was the second-to-last student to arrive yesterday. Ben did feel kind of guilty about his treatment of the green-haired boy, with him avoiding him all day yesterday. Coupled with the fact that Midoriya was the worst injured in yesterday's battle simulations, and Ben had a nasty squirming feeling in his stomach looking at his face. While it wasn't his fault that Bakugo had almost killed Midoriya the other day, it still added to his guilt.
As Midoriya took his seat right in front of him and began unpacking his backpack, Ben put his phone face down. "Hey dude, good to see you without any bruises!" Ben immediately grimaced at his own choice of words. Midoriya didn't need anyone reminding him of his near-death experience!
"O-o-oh, hey Tennyson! Yeah, good thing Kachan held back! I probably couldn't have taken on one of his explosions at that distance, hahahah." Midoriya seemed to regret his choice of words as well. Great, both of them sucked at talking to new people.
"Ah, yeah. Listen, sorry for not sticking around to see you when you got out of Recovery Girl's office. I was tired, and didn't want to stick around." Ben scratched the back of his neck and looked down. "I'm also sorry for avoiding you yesterday. I got kinda spooked by your notetaking and overreacted. So, sorry."
"N-no! No need to apologize!" Midoriya shook his head. "I get that my mumbling and hero notes get on people's nerves, and we don't know each other that well, so there's no reason for you to check on me. I guess I just got excited when I saw you transform into your... other forms. I thought I knew every quirk type; mutation, emitter, transformation, and everything in between. Then you show up and break everything I thought I knew about quirks."
Wow. A small story, but it was much more than what Ben was expecting. He let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I get that a lot, from everyone who's seen me transform actually. After transforming so many times, I got kinda numb to how alien I look. It's just my quirk to me. I guess I forgot that you guys never saw or heard of me before, so it must have been a shock."
"Oh, it was a shock alright! Especially the one you turned into during yesterday's trial!" Ben and Midoriya turned their heads to see Uraraka skipping towards the two, hands clasped behind her back. Midoriya's face flushed red for some reason and he started stuttering out the beginning of a greeting.
"Hey... Uraraka, right?" Ben asked.
"Yup! And you're Tennyson! It's kinda hard not to know you with all the hype surrounding your name." Uraraka smiled at Ben before turning to Midoriya. "Hi Deku! Feeling recovered from yesterday?"
While Midoriya began to piece together a proper sentence, Ben started to think. Why did this girl just call Midoriya 'Deku?' Bakugo was the first to call him that, as some sort of insult. Judging from the two's difficult relationship, at least from Bakugo's side, it was derogatory in some way. Yet, Uraraka seems to say it with no venom and Midoriya doesn't seem to mind being called it at all.
"Y-yeah, hahaha! I'm back at 100%! Recovery Girl's quirk sure is something, isn't it?" Midoriya then turned back to Ben, with a familiar hungry glint in his eyes. "Is it true? Did you turn into something new?"
Oh yeah. While it was just a normal transformation for Ben, it must have been quite shocking to see him turn into a literal animal. Maybe that's why some of his classmates didn't look him in the eye yesterday.
"Mhmm. I call him Wildmutt. He's a very good boy!"
"'A very good boy?' Well, to each their own Tennyson. Tough claws, drooling mouth, sharp teeth, no eyes or nose? Count me out!" Uraraka shuddered as she recalled the savage beast that dominated Ben's combat round.
The moment the words had left Ben and Uraraka's mouth Midoriya had produced a notebook and was furiously writing, muttering as he went.
"Four Arms, strength. Accelerate, speed. Wildmutt, feral power? Beast senses? Will have to ask later..." As Midoriya muttered and jolted down his notes, he seemed to withdraw into his own little world, unaware of the two he was just talking with. Uraraka and Ben shared a look, and Ben maneuvered out of his desk to get a peak at the notebook. Midoriya continued to write, unaware of the new set of eyes peering over his shoulder. Ben felt a spark of annoyance as he saw what Midoriya had written for one of his aliens.
"You spelled it wrong dude."
"Pardon?" Midoriya bolted upright into a straight back pose that would have made Ida jealous. "I-I heard you on the first day, during Aizawa Sensei's test! You said 'Four Arms' and 'Accelerate!'"
"No! Not ac-cel-er-ate! Ex-el-r-eight! It's spelled as an acronym! X-L-R-8! It's so much cooler!" Ben was aware that he was making a fuss out of nothing, but he needed people to know what to call him when he made it big! If his fellow heroes couldn't put a name to his forms, how would the regular people?
"Ah, I see! Sorry, sorry." Midoriya crossed out his original sentence and scribbled some lines above. At least he didn't insinuate anything, like what Shoji did when Ben explained this last time.
"Oh wow! What phone model is this Tennyson? I've never seen anything like it!" Upon hearing a new voice, the three turned to see Sato holding Ben's phone in his hand, examining it all over like a jeweler would a rare diamond. Uraraka and Midoriya had similar reactions, with Uraraka moving forward to get a closer look. Ben let out a sigh as he also moved forward, wanting to secure his phone.
"Oh, sorry. I meant no harm man!" Sato gave a small smile in apology as he handed the phone over.
"What is the meaning of this! As students of UA high, we should strive to be model citizens as well as students! Taking another's property, especially something as important as one's phone, is the opposite of that Sato!" Ida charged in, hands flailing as he moved in on what he suspected was foul play. Yaoyorozu followed closely behind, with her arms folded and a frown on her face.
"Hey, I didn't mean any harm, I really didn't!" Sato protested. "I was just making my way to my desk when I saw Tennyson's phone, and it looked like the next gen that came out just a few months ago! I just wanted to see! If I wanted to steal it, I wouldn't have asked him about it!"
That argument was pretty faultless, and Ida went into apology mode, with his 90 degree bow. Yaoyorozu shook her head, although she was happy the situation was harmless. She made her way to where Ben had given Uraraka his phone for her and Midoriya to ogle at.
"Wow, look at the screen, and the frame! It's so light, but comfortable to grab! And my fingerprints don't stick! Wow, Sato was right! What type of phone is this?" As Uraraka played with the device, Ben stated what he knew. Which wasn't much.
"Honestly guys? I don't really know. After Ashido said something about phones on the first day, I asked Grandpa about getting one. I didn't expect to get one at that moment! He just gave me a box with it inside, but no instructions and nothing about it online. So I've just been playing around with it, seeing how it works. I like the green color though."
Yaoyorozu got a closer look as well. Then she put her two cents in.
"Indeed, I have never seen a model like this! My family does have some ties with Japanese manufacturing of such products, and I have never seen anything quite like this one!" Yaoyorozu took a hold of the phone and began to handle it in her palms. Then she frowned.
"What's this? This metal, the composition... it matches no other material my quirk had come into contact with before!"
Ben froze. 'This phone isn't commercially available, it was made by Plumbers for Plumbers,' that's what Grandpa Max had told him about his phone when he got it yesterday! Did that mean that it was made with alien materials? Oh no! Ben racked his brain for some way to get it out of Yaoyorozu's hands without making a scene. If she found out that Ben had stuff made of unknown materials, she would start snooping around! What if she found out about his alien history? Think Ben, think! Your freedom is on the line!
"Alright class, settle down. The bell will ring in half a minute and we have stuff to cover. Get to your seats and phones away." Aizawa said as he suddenly appeared from behind the teacher's desk.
Saved by the bell! Ben sent a thanks to whatever power was watching over him at the moment as Yaoyorozu handed him back his alien-made phone. At least now he knew. He didn't miss Yaoyorozu's questioning gaze, but he chose to ignore it and stuffed it into his backpack. Ben then vowed to only use his phone in public if absolutely necessary. The less people that saw it, the better.
Class 1-A moved around to their assigned seating arrangement and the general hubbub was replaced by the shuffling of papers. By the time the bell actually rang, the class was at full attention and quiet. The class set their gazes on their homeroom teacher, awaiting further instructions.
"No time wasted this round. Good, an improvement over the others years. Remember, time is a hero's most valuable resource, do not waste it." A chorus of 'yes Sensei' answered his proclamation. Aizawa then turned around to start writing some notes down on the whiteboard behind him.
"Alright, so without hero studies today, remember to leave after the fifth period class. This is the first and last time I will remind you. I don't want to hear any staff complaints of 1-A students squatting outside the locker rooms like last year." Aizawa took a moment to sweep a glare across his class, causing back's to stiffen.
"Good. Alright, today will also serve as a good reminder that the UA hero course is more than just helping you on the path to becoming a hero. It still serves as your high school education. As such, you will be held to a standard even higher than that of normal high school students. As heroes, you have an obligation to stand as an example of what a model citizen should be. Your first round of tests will start next week, as to get a better idea of where everyone stands in academia. By the end of the second week, your results and ranks will be posted."
Another chorus, smaller this time, of groans responded to this statement. Ben was just puzzled. What were ranks? Were their results posted on some sort of public bulletin? Just another difference between the American and Japanese education systems that Ben would have to get used to.
Ben's train of thought was quickly derailed as Aizawa went on to talk about the results of the previous day's combat trail. Bringing out a stack of papers, covered in scribbles, he went through them one-by-one, and began to criticize and offer ways to improve. All Might gave him not only his notes, but also tapes to evaluate as well. After the first round, they even had sound to allow for even more in-depth analysis.
"Bakugo, stop acting like a toddler. You have drive and a good quirk, but your attitude and aggressiveness will not stand. You're wasting your own talent. And you, Midoriya, are you always planning on destroying your body? I thought we went over this. Your excuse of lack of proper quirk control is enough of a reason to expel you. I want to see lots of work in controlling it. Understood?" At the end, Aizawa glared at the two in front of Ben. Bakugo glared to the side and muttered something, while Midoriya gave an affirming 'Yes sir!'
Aizawa rattled off a bunch of other suggestions. Kirishima, less brawn, more brain. Asui, lower your jump's height indoors, they slow you down. Tokoyami, focus on the objective of the fight, not what's in front of you. Koda, assert yourself more, such passiveness won't get you far. Jiro, take the initiative when you can. Kaminari, work on stealth. Aoyama, work on your costume to make stealth possible in the first place. Sero, pure defense will not always work, develop offensive strategies. Yaoyorozu, work on mental strength, one defeat should not shake you so much. Sato, study opposing quirks more to not let yourself be caught off guard. Ashido, know what you can do and work around that instead of dancing around. Todoroki, stop being moody and work with your fellow heroes.
"Shoji, good defense, but work on getting blows in, similar to Sero. Don't count on help coming for every fight. Tennyson, reel in your enthusiasm. I know you listened to Shoji, but he shouldn't have had to stop you in the first place." Shoji gave a nod. Ben gave a thumbs up. Aizawa narrowed his eyes at Ben's display, but didn't say anything.
"Alright, now with that out of the way, the rest of homeroom will be dedicated to one last important topic." The class watched as Aizawa put down his notes and stared blankly at the class. Tensions began to run high, as the students prepared for another quirk examination or some sort of pop quiz. "We need to choose class representatives. A class president and vice president."
Finally, something normal school-like! Immediately Aizawa backed away as an outcry of pleads washed over him. The entire class, minus Ben, shot their hands up and everyone started to talk over each other as they tried to get position for themselves.
Ben wasn't that naive as to not see the promise of such a position. While the student councils in American schools don't really do anything besides make the electees feel good, Japan and UA's student councils were wildly different. With actual responsibilities to help grow the electorate and the prestige of being able to claim to be a class president, the proposition was tempting. Add a UA heroics class on top of that, and now the class president was a sort of leader for the entire class. Truly a powerful position to grow one's self and had use later in life.
Ben, however, was more than fine with giving this position up, similar to how he gave up his status as the year's representative with Nezu. While no one had really talked about it, Ben knew his age was a big factor here. Even the most morally accepting student wouldn't want someone years younger than them leading their class. Especially when everyone had managed to get into UA to begin with, meaning everyone had something to offer in the position.
"Quiet!" A shout rose above the uproar, and everyone turned to the shouter. Ida, with his hand raised high but his head bowed, began to speak.
"This is not something to take lightly! This is a task where you alone must carry the weight of not just yourself, but the entire class! You all may want to do it, but will you be able to? This person needs the trust of the entire class! As such, I propose we leave it to a democratic choice- a vote!"
"Aww, a vote? That's not going to work! Everyone is just going to vote for themselves." Kirishima complained, throwing his hands up.
Asui turned in her seat to face Kirishima and Ida.
"It's still only the first week, ribbit. There hasn't been enough time to generate trust in each other." She said.
Ida remained insistent.
"That is why those who earn votes truly have shown they have the trust of their classmates, no? Don't forget, we had a real combat exercise yesterday, that should have given some amount of trust in each other, seeing each other in action. Is a vote alright Sensei?" The class turned to Aizawa, who was squirming into his yellow sleeping bag.
"As long as you decide by the end of the period, I don't care how you pick. Just choose." With that, their Sensei toppled over and began to nap. Perfect for Ida to take control.
"Alright everyone, write down your votes on a piece of paper! Fold it in half and then give it to me, and I will then tally up the votes!" Ida whirled around the class, distributing out paper to everyone. Soon, a tense minute of silence emerged. Some people obviously voted for themselves, as they were the first to give Ida their paper, like Bakugo. Others, like Ben, took their time.
'Well, I can choose anyone. Even myself! But I don't want to do any more work than I have to. Coleson said I just need to not fail. I don't want to take on a job that will stop me from studying. So who should I pick?' Ben tapped his pen against his lip. Two names came to mind.
'Yaoyorozu and Ida are really mature, and they seem like presidential material. Yaoyorozu doesn't seem to have as much gusto as Ida though. He may be a stick-in-the-mud, but isn't that a good thing for a president to be if he's gonna be leading us? Yeah, I pick Ida!' With a quick pen flourish, Ben folded his paper and turned it in. Soon, the results were in. It was pretty surprising to see who won.
"You gotta be shitting me! How did fucking Deku get three votes!" Bakugo snarled, eyeing Midoriya's name that topped the 'standings.'
Midoriya - 3
Yaoyorozu - 2
Those two were the only names that were listed, as everyone else either had one or no votes. Aizawa then announced that Midoriya was to be the class president, and Yaoyorozu was to be the vice-president.
The boy in question was petrified, stunned at his own accomplishment, as he stood in the front of the room. Yaoyorozu stood beside him, her height even more apparent as she stood tall next to the slouched and trembling Midoriya. She looked a bit disappointed, as anyone who lost a close election would be, but she still managed second. In UA terms, that's actually pretty good!
"Alright, meet me after your last class to be debriefed on your duties. English is next, so get ready." Aizawa said as the bell rang. He stood, grabbed his sleeping bag, and left the room as Present Mic entered. Ben let out a sigh as he brought out his english notebook. School stops for no one, not even fledgeling heroes.
Outside the UA Gate-
"Gah, this stupid security system! How am I supposed to get an interview with All Might if this block of metal doesn't move!"
Thunk!
"Gah!" A woman dressed in a professional interview outfit sat down, holding her foot while hissing in pain. She glared back at the offending metal wall that stood completely unaffected from her emotional outburst.
Yes, UA is a top-notch school in not just academics and heroics, but also in student safety! With professional heroes as teachers to serve as security and the legendary Recovery Girl to heal wounds in an instant, UA has an impeccable record of student health. They went above and beyond with their security system, which would put even a national bank's security to shame. Tall walls interwoven with a state-of-the-art security grid encircled the entire campus. This wall registers even the slightest touch, sending warnings to UA's security detail. The main entrance, the gate that Ben went through earlier that day may seem to be a simple opening but that is not the case!
If someone without clearance or a UA identification card attempts to illegally enter through the gate, the large metal doors will shoot from the top and bottom to form a metal seal that is nearly impervious to any types of breaching technology. The veteran reporters know this door well, and have somewhat lovingly nicknamed it ' The Slammer' after the tendency of new and ambitious reporters attempting to cross the gate, only for the gate to slam shut on them, forcing everyone on their ass.
"Well, it looks like UA has closed up shop for today. When Nezu isn't here to give a statement, you know UA is saying goodbye." A voice sighed out. General murmuring emerged in agreement as people began to pack their equipment. All except for one man, who didn't even have any recording or camera equipment on him.
This man strolled through the back of the crowd easily, as everyone wasn't paying him any attention. His dirty and greasy white hair covered most of his facial features. His rather thin physique didn't look too impressive, but muscles were there. His clothes were plain to make sure he would not draw attention to himself as he stood before the UA gate, alone.
"So this is the UA guildgate huh?" He whispered to himself. "For so long you have stood unpenetrated. And for so long, you have remained unupgraded. The heroes will suffer for this oversight."
The man extended an arm to press his entire hand onto the door. Slowly, the metal around his hand began to rust, dirty browns and blacks infecting the once pristine white and silver metal door.
"I need to get these NPC's into the dungeon to distract the guards. Then I can get to the objective." The man whispered again. The rusting now reached the top and bottom of the door, and the mechanic components that held the door shut began to feel the rust infection. The man could hear the door groaning in protest as the rust caused the metal to crumble. Vital pieces were now so rusted that any pressure put upon them caused the pieces to snap and shatter.
"Now, fall!" With a push of effort, the man pushed his hand forward. The four-layer guard gate of UA shuddered and trembled as it tried to resist the foreign invader. It was too late, the decay had broken the electronic signal generator that would have alarmed the UA staff, and the metal itself was decaying at such a rate that it was literally crumbling into tiny pieces.
Smiling at the massive hole he just made, the man stepped inside. No alarms were sounded, and no movements were detected. The door was defeated.
"Hey, look, there's a hole in the gate!" Finally, someone noticed! The man strolled to the left, where there was still some gate left. Leaning against it nonchalantly, the man listened as more and more of the crowd began to notice his work.
"What the hell? That wasn't there before!"
"It looks unnatural. This could be serious! Should we contact UA?"
"Are you kidding? This is our chance! All Might is there! Our promotion stories are in there! Let's go!"
The crowd, now active once more, ripped their equipment out of their cases and stormed UA. With a hunger for a story and an entryway into UA, no one bothered thinking as to why there was a hole in the gate. The man just stood there, leaning against the wall. The storm of reporterers surged past him, and not a single one bothered to look left. No one saw him. No one would know.
"Kurogiri." The man pressed a small device on his right ear. "The distraction has been set."
"Good work." A voice responded. A small inky black portal began to open up beside the man. "Make it quick, I estimate four and a half minutes before the heroes can mount a proper response."
The man stepped into the inky hole, and then it disappeared. With no cameras or personnel to see the portal itself, it's as if it never was there to begin with.
Lunchtime-
"Still can't believe that Japanese students get food this good." Ben muttered to himself as he picked up his tray and moved into the general seating area. "They cook the food here! And it's not frozen, or some strange paste!"
Japan's schools had their ups and downs, but the food was a solid top 3 aspects of UA in Ben's book. Lunch Rush may not be the most popular hero to the public, but he was among the most beloved when asking the students of UA. He made so much food at such high quality, and for so cheap!
Ben weaved his way through students making their way to get food and others also carrying trays. He tried to locate an opening at a table when he accidently made eye contact with Yaoyorozu. Her eyes narrowed and she lowered her utensils. Ben heard the unspoken message loud and clear. Guess he shouldn't have expected her to forget about the phone incident earlier today.
"Heyo Ben! Over here!" Ben's head turned to see Tetsutetsu's wildly waving hand at a table to his left. He also saw Kendo there, with a smile on her face. He hadn't talked to these guys since the exam! An interrogation by Yaoyorozu or sitting with friends... what a decision!
Flashing an apologetic smile at Yaoyorozu, Ben swiveled on his feet to quickly scoot on over to slide in beside Tetsutetsu. He hoped that Yaoyorozu would forgive him, or better yet, forget about him. He didn't have a good cover-up about his phone yet.
"How ya doin' Ben? Heard you and 1-A got put through the wringer! A quirk assessment exam and expulsion? Wild." Tetsutetsu grinned at Ben before shoveling some rice mixed with vegetables into his mouth. "So, who flunked?"
"Oh, no one did. Aizawa sensei said it was a 'logical' deception or ruse to bring out our best or some shit like that." Ben replied, snapping his wooden chopsticks. Kendo nodded her head.
"Good. It would be terribly inconsiderate of him to expel someone on the first day, without giving the student in question time to improve and prove their worth." She mused.
"Yeah, 1-A had a nutty first two days. It's settling down though. How about you guys?" At Ben's question, Kendo perked up while Tetsutetsu frowned.
"Wonderful really! The girls in 1-B are very nice! You met one of them, Tsunotori, right? She talked about a small and young American who talked with her at lunch yesterday." Tsunotori? Ben racked his brain. Tsunotori, Tsunotori... oh, Pony! They had moved to first names so fast that Ben hadn't had the chance to memorize her last name.
"Meh, the guys are alright. Can't complain about any of them since we haven't had heroic studies yet. Then I can get a better read on em." Tetsutetsu scarfed down some more of his lunch before raising his head again. "Actually, there is one that I can't stand. Monoma. Guy is lamenting how he didn't get into 1-A and how he 'doesn't belong' or somethin' like that."
"Seems like everyone really thinks 1-A and 1-B are different, huh. I don't get it. Back in the States, the middle school I was going to go to had multiple classes in the same year, but they weren't divided by skill or test results or anything like that." Ben said.
"You can't stop people from thinking like that Tetsutetsu." Kendo gently reminded the boy from across the table. "There are two classes per year at UA, and they are labeled by letters. Of course some people will speculate that one is better than the other. But we all scored in the top 10 at the practical exam, remember? If that were true, we would be in the same class."
Tetsutetsu seemed to be placated by that answer. "Yeah, I guess you're right. No use worrying about this now huh? The year has already begun."
"What's bugging ya tin can?" A new voice joined the conversation, causing the three sitting to look to the right. There, three girls stood, holding trays. The girl who spoke had large eyes, green hair, and a smile on her face. She sat down on Tetsutetsu's other side and jabbed at his side, the playful grin never leaving despite Tetsutetsu's growling. The second also had green hair, but that was because her hair was literally composed of thick vines. She had an expressionless face and a slim build. She sat down next to Kendo, put her hands together and bowed her head, and began muttering something. The last girl was someone they were talking about: Pony! She bounced over to Ben and took the spot beside him.
"Hi Ben!" Pony said in english.
"Hey Pony. Remember, try to speak in Japanese only. It'll help. Worked for me, although Grandpa didn't really give me a choice." Pony giggled at that, which made Ben feel slightly better. He shuddered at the memories of how Grandpa forced Japanese fluency into him in a year's time. If he wanted food, to go to the bathroom, to shower, or anything basic, he had to ask in Japanese. It was effective, but man did it suck.
"Oh ho ho! Already on a first name basis with a boy Tsunotori? You work fast!" The green-haired girl was finished ribbing Tetsutetsu and was now moving on to her next victim. Her plan of attack was halted when she saw Ben. "Hey... you. Good to see you? Again?"
"We've never met." Ben switched his gaze from the blushing Pony to this new girl.
"Oh good, I thought you were some quiet kid in the corner of class!" The girl let out a sigh of relief. Kendo and the vine-girl rolled their eyes at that.
"I'm not in your class. I'm from 1-A." That got her attention, and she stuck out her hand.
"Ah, that explains it! I keep forgetting that there's two hero classes. I'm Tokage Setsuna from 1-B! Actually, you probably knew that already." Ben reached out and grasped her outstretched hand.
"Tennyson, but you can just call me Ben." The moment Ben spoke his last name, Tokage's hand tightened and her eyes widened. The vine-girl's head shot up and her gaze focused on Ben.
"Tennyson? The top scorer in the entrance exam, holder of the highest point total in nearly 15 years?" The vine-girl spoke, her soft voice barely making it to Ben's ears.
Oh yeah. 1-A had similar reactions to when Aizawa sensei said his name during the quirk examination. Makes sense 1-B would be the same. Ben forced a smile on his face and tried to pry his hand out of Tokage's iron grip.
"Yup, that's me! Now, could you *gruh* let go?" This girl was far stronger than she looked! Well, they were all heroes in training, so a certain level of physical strength was expected, and Ben never really worked on his human strength. Still, this was starting to freak him out a little.
"Wut? Oh, right, sorry!" Tokage quickly loosened her grip and brought that hand behind her head to laugh awkwardly. Ben brought his hand back and held it to his chest. Noticing Ben's defensive behavior, Tokage held her hands up.
"Sorry, sorry. I guess I just froze up a bit there. Didn't expect my friends to be buddies with the legendary Tennyson! Your name spread like wildfire on the first day, like, you had no idea! Although, I did expect someone a bit taller." Tokage's grin started to emerge again as she jabbed at Ben.
Ben, on the other hand, was not amused. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Comedic genius, right here everyone! I got the top score, what more do people want? Besides, I'm, like, three or four years younger than everyone here. Cut me some slack!" Tokage laughed it off, but the vine-girl leaned in to speak in her stead.
"I apologize for Tokage, she meant no harm. I am Shiozaki Ibara." She bowed her head a bit at her introduction. "Although, she does have a point. The rumors we have heard circulating in the student body suggested Tennyson doubled even All Might in size, had four arms and eyes, and had red skin. Please understand with only those unfounded statements to serve as our image of you, that your real appearance is shocking."
"Oh, ok. Uh, I can understand that." Ben nodded. "Only my classmates in 1-A, Aizawa sensei, Kendo, Tetsutetsu and Shoda know about my quirk. You guys seem cool though, so I guess no harm in telling you guys." As Tokage and Shiozaki leaned him, Ben brought up his left arm and showed them the Omnitrix.
"See this on my wrist? This lets me control my quirk, which lets me transform into various forms. I went as Four Arms during the exam, so that's why everyone thinks I'm big and red." As Ben explained, Kendo hid her mouth behind her hand and turned her head. Tetsutetsu didn't bother hiding and just laughed out loud.
"'Four Arms?' Really Ben, that's what you came up with for a name?" Ben frowned at this. What was wrong with Four Arms? It was to the point, easy to recognize, and catchy! There were much worse names he could have gone with, or something that didn't make sense. He considered 'Juggernaut,' but that was predictable and copyrighted. Grandpa had suggested 'Handy Man,' but Ben shot that down, as that one was just bad.
"Your quirk is a full body transformation? That's so cool!" Tokage said with awe in her voice, with no traces of her previous humor. "I have a body modification quirk, but nothing like full body alteration! The only hero I know with a quirk like that is Ryukyu!"
"Not to mention you stated 'various forms.' I assume that means you can turn into more than just the red one?" Ben cursed inwardly at himself when Shiozaki brought that into question. "Also, are you truly so young? At your age, shouldn't you just be starting middle school?"
As five sets of eyes pierced into Ben, he held up his hands. "It's not that big of a deal, alright? Yeah, my quirk is awesome, but it's hard to control! Going from two arms to four, changing weight and size, it's tough! And why does my size or age matter? While my unique circumstances let me take the exam a few years early, it didn't let me skip it entirely. I still had to take the written and the practical exams. I'll have you know that I did quite well on the written test." Ben allowed some pride to slip into that last statement.
"Yes, that is true. Apologies for doubting you Tennyson. I was not completely aware of your situation, but it is clear to me that you belong here just as much as anyone else, no matter how old you are." Shiozaki apologized.
"I never doubt you Ben!" Pony added, in her broken Japanese. "I was with you there! I saw, you cheat did not!"
'Mhmmm. Looks like Pony knows enough Japanese vocabulary to get by, she just hasn't gotten the hang of Japanese grammar and sentence structure yet.' Ben thought as he went back to eating. It seemed like even Tokage was done and the group of five slipped into a period of silence. It wasn't awkward silence, as the food was so good, to the point where this break was needed to properly savor the flavor. After eating about half of his meal, Ben decided that this group was as good a group as any to ask some questions to. Pony probably had these questions too, so that was a plus. Slipping a small slip of paper out of his pocket, Ben grabbed Kendo's attention.
"Hey hey, Kendo?" The orange-haired girl turned to him with a smile. "Yeah, I just had a few questions about Japanese school stuff and I figured that you would be a good person to ask."
"Good call." Tetsutetsu grunted. "You're not the only one to think that either. She swept the election for class president by a landslide."
Kendo blushed a bit at that. "Oh, I wouldn't call five votes a 'landslide' Tetsutetsu. I think you would have made a fine president." Tetsutetsu gave another grunt at that. "Anyways, I can answer some questions Ben."
"Goodie. Ok, first of all, what are student rankings? Aizawa sensei said something about a test and our ranks being posted, or some junk like that." Ben said.
"Ah, yes. In many Japanese schools, students are ranked against everyone else in their year depending on their test scores. It's a way of motivating students aside from just simple grades, but reasons vary from school to school." Kendo explained. Tokage leaned in next, grabbing Ben's attention.
"Yeah, but I hear that UA does it slightly differently. Instead of putting everyone in a year against each other, it's just per classroom. That means you won't be battling us four in the smarts department Ben! Er, is it alright if I call you Ben? I mean, Kendo and Tetsutetsu do, and you said, sooooooo." She trailed off.
Ben nodded. "Yeah, I don't mind. That goes for you too Shiozaki. The only people who call me Tennyson are my parents when I'm in trouble or my old teachers when I'm, well, in trouble." That got some laughs from the table. Except for Pony, who was listening attentively. She then looked down and gave a sigh.
"Oh, Japan confusing and strange is! What else different?" She looked at the rest of the table expectantly, but the Japanese natives only looked at her puzzled.
"She's asking what else is different." Ben told them.
"Oh, well, it's kinda hard for us to say!" Tokage replied, with the other three nodding along in agreement. "Just do what you did before Ben. Ask us about what you noticed differently, and we'll answer!"
"Ok." Ben held a finger to his head for a moment. "Err, what about fire drills, or earthquake drills, or evacuation practices?"
Kendo, Tokage, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki looked at each other. They then turned to Ben. "Going to have to be a bit more specific there Ben."
"You know!" Ben waved his hands to the ceiling. "When alarms go off and that whole thing! What do you guys do then?"
The four looked a little puzzled, but less so than before. Shiozaki opened her mouth to say something when-
PERRRRRRRB! PERRRRRRRB! PERRRRRRRB! PERRRRRRRB!
Ear-piercing blares suddenly erupted from the ceiling, with lights activating! The whole lunchroom cried out in shock, many dropping food, others spilling drinks and others covering their ears. Ben's table was not spared, with the exceptions being Ben and Pony. The two just nodded at each other.
"Oh, so this is Japan alarm? Sounds just like American!" Pony happily said, but got incredulous looks from the rest of the table. She looked at Ben, who just nodded in agreement.
"Attention UA students! There has been a security level three breach! Attention all UA students! Please evacuate immediately!"
"Wow, Japanese alarms have voices? Now that is cool! Weird thing for a fire alarm to say though." Ben was going to say more, but a massive surge of bodies caused an eruption of noise as students began a stampede towards the exit.
"What is going on? What is security level three?" That sounded like Ida! Ben turned his head to see the tall students near Midoriya and Uraraka. He was talking to a third-year, who turned his head back to yell.
"It means that someone without proper authorization has made it inside school grounds! This hasn't happened in three years! All of you, come on! We have to get out of here!" At that, Ben's table along with others that were unsure of what to do sprung up and joined the herd of students trying to muscle their way to the exit. While the main hall leading in and out of the cafeteria was usually more than spacious enough for a steady stream of people coming and going, this was an unprecedented scenario.
Ben found himself at a major disadvantage in this panicked rush. While he had just said size didn't matter, there were some situations where it just did. His small size and low weight meant he couldn't hold his ground against the mob. As a result, he was thrown to the side quite easily. He heard some of his friends calling out, but he lost sight of them quickly and soon their voices faded as the noise from the crowd overwhelmed him. Ben shook his head and backed up against a wall to get some breathing room.
'Keep a clear head Ben! Don't panic, just look for a different exit. Now, the UA curriculum packet we got on the first day did say that in an emergency, all locked doors will open to let students better leave the building. Just find one... aha!' There, behind a small stand with trash cans and hand sanitizer dispensers, a door! Ben had no idea where it led, but he needed to evacuate as soon as possible, and there was no one going through this door! It was on the same wall as the main exit, so it would probably lead outside right? Well, only one way to find out!
Ben ran over, dodging past the small stand and put his hand on the door handle. He braced himself, then pushed down hard. The resistance he would have expected was not there, and the door handle was easily pushed down and the door itself opened with no resistance. Ben looked beside and behind him, but no one seemed to notice him. No additional alarms went off, so Ben just shrugged and slipped inside, letting the door shut behind him.
The hall was unlike anything Ben had ever been in before. It looked like the standard UA hall, but it was... different somehow. It had a different feeling, like he was doing something illegal. Like he wasn't supposed to be here. Well, he wasn't going to be here long! Ben could hear the cries and shouts of the crowd to his right, as the noise bled through the walls. Ben started to sprint down the hall, but noticed several billboards on the walls. These had lots of papers pinned on them, many of which included class rotations.
'Ah crackerjacks. I'm in the teacher's wing.' Ben cursed at himself. No wonder the door was so close to the main entrance and led to the cafeteria! He just hoped Aizawa sensei wouldn't find out about this. Ben continued sprinting down the hall, past the billboards on his left and past the closed doors on his right. He saw the other end of the hall, and the door had a glass pane in it. He could see many figures moving by! That was it, he was almost there!
"IT IS OKAY!" Ida's voice suddenly boomed, louder than any of the previous sirens and immediately the noise of the crowd died down. "It is just the press! There is nothing to panic about! It is ok! You're students of the highest academia in Japan, conduct yourselves in a manner that represents that!"
'Wow, I didn't think he had it in him!' Ben was impressed at Ida's ability to quell the panic of three years worth of students. The entire student body ate at the cafeteria at the same time, but all of them obeyed Ida's command. Soon, the panic of a stampede of students was replaced by the dull echoing of feet on tile, as students began to move at a more leisurely pace. Ben was certain he made the right choice voting for Ida before, but now he couldn't be swayed. If only he had won instead of Midoriya...
'No, none of that! I need to... I need to go, uhh.' Ben racked his brain on what to do next. Should he go to his classroom? Back to the cafeteria? Ask a teacher? Yes, he decided, asking a teacher would be best. He was in the teacher's wing of the school, there was bound to be someone here! Ben turned around, and was about to jog back to the cafeteria, when he saw a door just slightly ajar. He could see light coming from the crack between the door and the frame. Looking up and down the hall, there was no door open. This was strange indeed, and Ben moved in to check the situation out.
"Uhh, hello? Anyone there?" Ben gently pushed the door open and moved inside. It looked like an office of sorts, with multiple office desks covered in papers and mugs of coffee. Personal items like picture frames and more were also there, indicating that this was more of a teacher's lounge. However, that wasn't what got Ben's attention. It was the person going through the papers on the desks that he had his eyes on. He was tall, with pale skin and wore basic streetwear. His skin wasn't just pale, it was also dry; his neck in particular looked very flaky. His eyes were red, and were currently locked into Ben's green ones. Neither moved or spoke. They just looked at each other.
"Uhh, hey sensei! I've never seen you before, haha." Ben forced out a laugh, but the guy just stood there. Unmoving, unflinching. "Err, I was hoping you would tell me what to do after the alarms were over with? I mean, apparently it was just the press. It doesn't look like anyone is evacuating anymore, so should I go back to lunch? Back to class?"
"The press you say? And it's already been dealt with? A good thing I already got what I came here for." The man mussed to himself, looking at his phone quickly before slipping it back into his pocket. He then turned to Ben, and attempted a smile. It was weak, and obviously forced, but it was there. "Hello there. I'm... a... teaching assistance. Yes. For... Present Mic, yeah. Teaching aid for Present Mic."
It sounded like he was trying to convince himself that he was that, rather than telling Ben what he was. Maybe, Ben thought, he was nervous! I mean, getting to teach, even as an assistant at UA was a big deal, and it was still the first week. The alarms also probably spooked him too! Adults have feelings too! Ben put on a smile himself to hopefully calm this guy down.
"Oh, that explains it! I'm just a first year, so you probably won't be teaching my class. So, do you think I should go back to lunch?" The man's smile seemed to grow less forced and he shook his head.
"No, got back to class. See if you can find a teacher and ask them about the situation. Try and bring them to the cafeteria to talk to the rest of the students. Just keep the heroes busy. Oh, and could you not tell anyone I was here? Don't want my... bosses to think bad of me. Here, take this." The man turned and picked something up and handed a small packet to Ben. "I hope this will sweeten the deal?"
Ben skimmed the cover. It was a study guide to Present Mic's exam on english particles! Yes, he needed this! Ben raised his head to give him a smile. "Oh, my lips are sealed sir! Thanks, hopefully I'll see you around!"
The man just held up a hand and waved as Ben darted out of the room and sprinted down the hall, burst out the hall, and made his way to his classroom. The man gently closed the door and held his finger to the device on his ear, hidden by his greasy white hair.
"Kurogiri, I've completed the objective. I need extraction." The moment the words left his lips, the same inky black portal materialized beside him.
"Very good, I'll notify him of the mission's success. Well done Shigaraki." The man stepped into the portal, and disappeared in it's inky depths. Once more, the man disappeared.
After the chaos settled-
"... and that concludes what to do in a real emergency scenario. In summary, just get out of the main building, and if it's a false alarm like this time, just come back here. Class reps, take it from here." Aizawa slipped away from his desk into his yellow sleeping bag, allowing Midoriya and Yaoyorozu to take center stage.
The chaos of the security breach quickly simmered down into a manageable state after Ida's act. Soon, the majority of the staff made it back to the student body to start directing them back to their classrooms to resume the last classes. While 1-A would be in science class at this point, Snipe was doing something regarding the security breach, so 1-A would instead debrief with their homeroom teacher.
"All right, it looks like Aizawa sensei has taken care of everything regarding today's events, so we will now move onto class representative finalization. Class president?" Yaoyorozu beckoned for Midoriya to continue.
"Uh, y-yes! Let us conduct the ceremony for the new class president! But... before that, I-I need to say something!" Midoriya then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I think that Ida is the best man for the job!"
Ida jolted upright, mouth slightly ajar in shock. Some murmurs broke out, but most of the class already knew what Midoriya was going to say.
"Ida, you proved yourself to be able to unify so many people in such a short amount of time. It is my judgement that Ida becoming class president over me is the right choice." Midoriya wasn't the only one to voice his opinion.
"Yeah, Ida really showed real manliness back there in the lunchroom! I wouldn't mind following him! Of course, there's nothing wrong with Midoriya either!" Kirishima yelled from his seat in the middle. Kaminari nodded in agreement next to him.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind having Ida as our class president either! He kinda reminded me of an emergency exit sign, the way he posed on top of the doorway. Remember that? Ha!" Kaminari and a few others chuckled at a memory Ben did not share. Ida must have taken a striking pose while giving his mini speech, something quite in character.
"Look, I don't care whose class president or vice president or whatever. Just get it done now. We're not getting any younger!" Aizawa snapped from his bag on the side.
Ida closed his eyes and rose with his hands behind his back. Standing tall, he put his right hand in the air, inhaled, and opened his eyes. "If it is the wish of the class and the class president elect, then I can not in good conscious refuse! I will graciously accept Midoriya!"
With that, Ben clapped and cheered with the rest of the class (minus a scowling Bakugo) as Ida went up to Midoirya, shook his hand, and exchanged places with him. Tenya Ida was now class 1-A's class president! Despite the fun ceremony conducted in Ida and Yaoyorozu's honor, one question lingered in the back of everyone's minds:
'How did they get in?'
UA Entrance Gate-
Ruin.
Where UA's gate once stood tall, representing UA's top notch security, now lay a crumbling, rusted relic. The hole in the gate wasn't the most extensive damage by far; it was what was behind that steel exterior that really punched a hole in the gut of the UA staff. State-of-the-art electronic security systems that should have alerted the school the moment the gate's systems were in jeopardy failed in the time most dire. While no one was hurt, this was too close a call. Far too close.
Nezu stood by the gate, flanked by Recovery Girl and N.13, evaluating the damage. The rest of his staff was busy with the students, making sure everyone was accounted for and safe. Hound Dog was carefully scanning the gate, running his hands gently over the rusted metal and sniffing around the ground. He had been at that for almost ten minutes, but still hadn't reported anything. It was Nezu's worst fear. UA was attacked, and they had no leads as to who did it or why.
"Nezu, sir." Nezu, Recovery Girl and N.13 turned to see Cementoss marching towards them, his usually emotionless face set in grim determination.
"The other walls show no signs of damage. No one got through those walls. There were no climbing equipment pieces found, so they did not scale over them, and a lack of tunnels means they didn't go under them either. Whoever this was, they went through the main gate."
Nezu nodded, and turned his head left to see Midnight marching up with a similar expression on her face.
"I just checked the schedules of our suppliers. The only visitor we were supposed to have was a truck delivering vegetables for Lunch Rush. I already alerted the police and they are investigating it as we speak, but I doubt they will find anything." Nezu shut his eyes and began to walk towards the gate.
"Ken, Nemuri, thank you for your work. Go back to your classes, and take care of your students. They are our first priority." The two heroes nodded their heads and proceeded to go back to their respective classrooms. The principal strolled up to Hound Dog, who appeared to have finished with his own investigation and was shaking his head while dusting off his hands.
"Did you find anything?" Nezu spoke first.
"Grrrr, it's no use! Too many smells, too similar! That mob of reporters lingered here for so long their stench remains! I can't tell any one scent from another! It would be impossible to discern who was responsible for this by smell alone." Hound Dog growled out. He huffed in disappointment.
"You did your best Hound Dog, and that is all I ask for. It appears we are not dealing with any small-time crooks or back-alley hooligans. We are dealing with 'professionals' I dare say." Nezu walked past Hound Dog, who retreated to join Recovery Girl and N.13. Nezu ran his own paw along the rusted metal, feeling the steel crumble beneath him.
'Damn it! I was so engrossed with the Tennysons, with my extraterrestrial life, that I grew complacent. Lazy. Incompetant. I forgot my duties on Earth, and now I've paid the ultimate price.' They say a man's home is his castle, so for Nezu's case, UA was his castle. A castle he took great pride in developing into the number one hero academia in all the world. Yet, here was evidence that one person, or group, was threatening that castle.
Nezu clenched his paw by his side, griping so hard his arm quivered from sheer exertion. Then he relaxed. He let out a deep sigh, straightened his back, held his hands behind him, and marched back to his staff, mind set. The three heroes stood at attention, recognizing the look in Nezu's eyes.
"They think they can scare us. Scare me! Well, they are wrong. We will not bend to the sick machinations of some new fiendish threat! Recovery Girl!" The elderly woman bowed her head.
"Follow up on Nemuri's lead on that food supplier. Then inform the police to increase patrols around UA's streets right before and after school hours. We must make sure that our students are not attacked while off campus grounds. Hound Dog!" The dog-man held a hand to his chest.
"Find any and all leads regarding someone with a quirk that could breach our gate's defenses. It looks like some sort of age-acceleration quirk, or decay, or something to do with the circuitry itself. Spare no expenses. If you encounter any resistance while examining the quirk registry, contact me. N.13!" The space-suit hero stood a little bit straighter when her name was called.
"Prepare the USJ as planned. Class 1-A is scheduled for a day there, and we will not deprive our youngest students of such an important lesson. I originally was going to reassign All Might to work with the third-years that day, but I am cancelling those plans to allow him to teach alongside you and Aizawa as originally discussed. Be on guard, you will be far from our sphere of influence."
"Yes sir!" The three heroes departed, each with their own designated task to complete. Nezu turned to gaze once more at the breached gate of his school.
'Is this a threat? A taste of what is soon to come? Or a declaration of war.' Nezu pondered as he swept his gaze up and down the sheared metal. 'Well, in the end it doesn't matter. You breached my school, and threatened my students and staff. This can only end one way. With the complete elimination of this new threat.'
Unknown-
A door opened, and the white-haired man stumbled inside. His attire was different now. Well, the changes to his clothes were nothing to take note of. But what he had on his body was. Hands. Fourteen severed hands, clenched all over his body, even on his face and atop his head. The fingers were spread to let his red eyes see, and he made his way to a bar in the dark room, where a shadowy figure in fine clothes with a strange metal neck brace was attending the bar.
The bar was clean, with only a small monitor and a single glass on the surface. There was another person in the room, sitting at the bar, hunched over and nursing his drink. His glasses and fine purple jacket and slacks made him stand out against the dark lighting and color scheme of his environment.
"Ah, Shigaraki, on time for once. I can't say it's good to see you again, as those hands of yours haven't let us talk face-to-face." The man sneered, not even bothering to turn. Shigaraki said nothing, and just sat beside the man. The shadow-figure poured some amber liquid into a glass and put it down in front of Shigaraki, who downed it in one go. Slamming the glass down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he gave the barkeeper a glare. Receiving the message, the shadow-figure began fiddling with the monitor on the bar, until a voice spoke.
"Shigaraki... Giran... how have your... missions gone?" A voice spoke from the monitor, barely making itself heard over the static and interference. No visuals displayed over the monitor, as it only served as a conduit for this individual's voice. The static made it hard for full sentences to be heard, and what did make it through was patchy. Despite the slow speech, a certain air of authority radiated from this man's words alone. Like he held unquantifiable amounts of power at his fingertips. Like he controlled an army, just waiting to be unleashed.
"Sensei, my mission went near perfectly. You were right; when the media caught wind of All Might teaching at UA they camped right near the gate. I was able to get in and out with the schedule. He will be at the USJ with N.13, along with a class of first year hero students, and Eraserhead." Shigaraki reported.
"Good... everything is... as expected. But... you said 'near' perfectly?" The voice questioned.
"Yes, well, that. You see, the panic I set off did not last as long as I predicted, so a single student saw me. He was small, young, and foerign. Probably an oversea's admission in the general education course. I bluffed my position and gave him some papers on a desk that he looked happy about. He promised to not say anything in return." Shigaraki said back. He fidgeted a little, worried that this may have been a massive oversight.
"Hmm, it sounds like you performed well, even under... unforeseen... circumstances. Well done." The voice finally spoke, and Shigaraki basked in the complement of a completed job. "Giran? How did your... recruitment campaign go?"
The man now known as Giran wore a cocky smirk and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well, I think you will be happy with what I've managed to collect. Aside from the standard rabble you sent me to get, I managed to contact a group of coastal pirates. Fine folk, half a score strong, with powerful water-based quirks to boot. While all of them will still need aquatic gear, they fulfill the last of the specific crews you need."
"Good...good." The voice muttered. Some sputters were heard, but no words came through. After a burst of particularly bad static, the voice continued. "However, that is not what... I really want to know. Your attempts to contact those... individuals in the United States. What have... you heard?"
"Ah yes. Those three. Well, not so good news on that front. I did try to tell you it was a long shot. The states are just too big compared to Japan. Too difficult to track down a single person, let alone a wanted person." Giran shook his head, muttering 'amateurs' under his breath. Sucking in his breath and regaining his professional composure, he continued.
"Well, the first guy, Hex, I did my best to try and contact, but nothin' came up. His Magic quirk must have tipped him off or something cause neither me or my informants even got within spitting distance of the man. That quirk is a real piece of work, I'll tell you. Real bullshit." Giran sighed and took another sip of his drink. When he heard no one interrupting him, he went on.
"I understand you wanted the next two the most so I put a lot of resources and manpower into finding them, but both of them were dead ends. Dr. Animo, now that guy was a crackhead. He didn't cover his trails nearly as well as Hex, but he left those nasty pets of his to mess my guys up. His trail went cold at an international airport in New Jersey. Could be anywhere at the moment." Giran was about to continue, but a new voice pierced the static from the monitor.
"Never mind if you found the man, did you get any of his research? Notes, samples, live specimens?" This voice spoke much faster than the other, with desperation laced in every word.
"Err, not really. My contacts in the states did send me some notes they pilfered from some of his labs that I forwarded to you guys, but your men rejected them, stating it was nothing they hadn't seen before." After Giran spoke, a curse was heard over the static. The original voice spoke again, taking control of the conversation.
"No matter. We can... make due with what we have. And what... of the Osmosis quirk?"
"That is where the worst and most mysterious news comes in. Kevin Levin seems to have vanished. And I don't mean just gone dark, I mean there is no evidence that he is still alive. The federal forces have given up on him. Hero agencies and police stations no longer have him on the wanted board. Now the underworld doesn't give up as easily, the kid still has some unpaid debts. People have been looking high and low for him, but literally nothing has come up in over a year. It's like... he's not even on this planet anymore."
A period of silence graced the bar for a time. Then the monitor blinked a bit, and the voice bid goodbye to Giran.
"Thank you for your... services Giran. We will send you your payment... the same as before." The man stood from the bar, tossed an appropriate amount of yen over the counter and made his way out of the bar.
"Later 'gents. I'll be sure to stay in touch." Waving his hand without looking back, Giran pushed open the doors of the dimly-lit bar, and disappeared into the illuminated ally-way.
"Shigaraki." The voice spoke once more. "Go to the back... there is a list... of all the men at your disposal. Plan... strategize... do not underestimate your enemies. Prepare for... tomorrow."
"Yes Sensei! I will not let you down!" Shigaraki stood from his room and pushed open another set of doors, leaving for the back room. Without any patrons to tend to, the shadow-figure stopped his bartending duties and moved close to the monitor, which was still on. There were more important matters to discuss.
"What now sir?" The frustrated second voice gritted out. "Dr. Animo's research is a crucial part of the Nomu program! It is critical to obtain different notes than what we already have if we wish to push the development of new Nomu further!"
The shadow-figure tried to soothe this person's fretting. "We already have enough. With the data we were able to recover, we were able to create the Nomu for tomorrow's excursion, were we not? Perhaps even more powerful Nomu won't even be necessary."
"Have no fear doctor." The powerful voice rumbled. "Even should this... Nomu fail, it will be a worthy test. Even without those... from America, I am not bothered. We should have enough... manpower to make this mission work."
"Oh?" The second voice asked in surprise. "You sounded so intrigued when reports of this 'Kevin Levin' came in. Wasn't securing the Osmosis quirk and it's wielder a goal of yours?"
"Levin was a powerful fighter, yes. But he was also a loose cannon: wild, unpredictable, and uncontrollable." The first voice waved off the second. "If he proved unusable as a field agent, I would have loved to acquire his quirk for myself, but it was never necessary for my plans. The time of reckoning is coming gentlemen. Soon, not just Japan, but the entire world will feel our wrath."
The monitor shut off, the quiet sounds of it's fans working dying with it. Alone, with no one to talk to or tend to, the shadow-figure picked up Giran's glass and began to clean it. It was a familiar act, one that helped calm his nerves... if he had any. For tomorrow was going to be when the League of Villains finally removed their shadowy cloaks. Tomorrow, their target would perish by their hands. Their target?
All Might.