Chapter 81: No Toning It Down
"Look at me. Look. At. Me. Now repeat what I say. You got this."
She takes a deep breath. "I got this."
"You're a boss."
"I'm a boss."
"That's it! Midoriya didn't think you were a total spaz yesterday… hopefully… so there's no reason for any of his classmates to think that either, right? Right?!"
A new voice cuts in. "No, those kids may be crazy, but they're pretty welcoming."
Kamala 'eeps!' and whirls around from the mirror she had been using to give herself a pep talk. Midnight leans against the door, looking down at UA's teen visitor with an amused smile.
"H-how long have you been there?" Kamala asks, embarrassed and shrinking under Midnight's gaze. Both figuratively and literally.
"I only caught the very end." Kamala breathes a small sigh of relief as Midnight fully enters the room, letting the door close behind her. Good, the teacher didn't hear the part where she acted out all the possible things the UA students could say to her. "But you want my advice? If you wanna give yourself a pick-me-up in private, try not to do it in a public bathroom."
Kamala looks around the immaculately clean restroom and, as if the universe is adding insult to injury, she groans when she hears a toilet flush. Oh no, someone else heard. "Sorry!" she cries as the door to one of the stalls opens. "I was lost in my own world and must've not seen you when you came in! I don't know how that-"
The Pakistani-American girl's eyes go wide as dinner plates when she realizes the girl she's talking to is invisible.
"Don't worry!" Toru reassures her, scooting past Kamala. The sleeves of her uniform become scrunched up so she can wash her hands. "I get that all the time! But believe me, getting mad at you isn't something I can see myself doing."
Kamala just whimpers.
"It's a joke!" Toru laughs. "Get it? Because I can't see myself!" The invisible girl's phone alarm goes off and she checks it. "Oh no! I'm gonna be late! I gotta get back to the dorms, it was great meeting you, bye!" Toru quickly finishes up and runs out of the bathroom.
Midnight walks up to a still frozen Kamala, watching the door shut behind Toru. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Kamala's response is to pull her hood over her head and lay on the ground.
Clicking her tongue, Midnight reaches down and yanks her back up. A task made much easier by how much Kamala had shrunk herself. "None of that now!"
"You can go now, Midnight. I've got her."
The R-rated hero can't seem to help but giggle as Eraserhead glares at her, eyes shining red. The pair of teachers stand with Kamala in front of Height's Alliance. "Awww Shota, don't be like that! What happened? Wake up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag this morning?"
The grumpier hero sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "More like didn't sleep after Yaoyorozu caught Eri trying to sneak itching powder into it. Problem Child's idea no doubt."
"See?" Midnight pats Kamala in the back above her backpack. "Shota likes to seem all gruff and unapproachable, but he's really a big softie for kids."
"I'll have Midoriya running so many laps around the school today, even his clones will be tired by the end of it."
"And look at that improvement!" Midnight exclaims. "The last time Midoriya tried to prank him, Shota dangled him off the roof of the building." She elbows Kamala, laughing. The teen can't decide if she's joking or not, but she thinks she'd rather not know. "You know," the hero looks back at her coworker, "watching your kids would be a whole lot easier if you had a special person in your life…"
"Leave before I figure out a way to expel you."
"Think about it, Emi won't wait forever," Midnight sings, before offering Kamala another pat and leaving her alone with Eraserhead.
She waits for him to say something, anything, but when the underground hero seems content on just staring at her, arms crossed, Kamala awkwardly coughs into her hand. "So-"
"Is that the way America teaches its young heroes to show respect to their elders?" Eraserhead asks coolly, raising an eyebrow.
"Eep!" Kamala stands up straight. "I-uh, no? No!" Eraserhead's expression darkens. "No, sir?" He relaxes his posture a little, sticking his hands in his pockets. Kamala thinks that's a good sign. "I'm sorry sir!" She bows, praying to whatever gods may still be alive that what she's doing isn't disrespectful. "I didn't mean to-"
"Do you understand why you're here?" Eraserhead interrupts.
Kamala stands up straight. "Sir?"
"I think it was a fairly straight forward question, kid."
"It is… I think." The brown-haired girl rubs her hands together nervously. "Because I think you mean what am I doing here at this school, which is to help the students prepare for their license exam. Or you could mean what am I doing in Japan and that's to help get the Japanese X-men team up and running. Or you mean what am I doing as a hero and that's a whole new can of worms because I don't even know. I mean, why are any of us really here-" Eraserhead huffs, "-and I'm starting to ramble. Sorry, I'll stop. Shutting up now."
He analyzes her for a few moments. "You answered me." The tired man not so helpfully does not point out what he was asking of her. "And I assume they told you what else was expected of you here?" Kamala tries to suppress her noise of surprise. "How you are expected to recite the Japanese national anthem to the class before preparing tea for everyone?"
Kamala's face drops. "I…" No one told her that?! And Eraserhead is saying it like it's obvious, but none of the HeroTube videos she watched about Japan mentioned that! She even asked Vision about things she should know, and he never said anything about reciting their anthem!
Okay, don't freak out. Don't panic… okay too late for both of those, but she can still do this. The internet is an amazing thing and she should be able to use it to-
There's a snort in front of her. Kamala pulls herself out of her panicking spiral long enough to see Eraserhead trying to keep a straight face. When she looks at him like he's grown a second head, he breaks, bending over and laughing. "I got you so good!"
"S-sir?" Is doing a one-eighty on their personality normal in Japan or…
Eraserhead disappears behind a green glow, a snickering Midoriya replacing him a second later. "You should've- you should've seen your face!" He laughs. "Especially when I mentioned the anthem! I thought you were gonna-"
"You!" Midoriya doesn't stop either Kamala or his laughter as she vigorously shakes him. "How could you do that to me?! I told you yesterday I was worried about making a good first impression and I thought I was going to have a heart attack and pass out! And not necessarily in that order!"
"I did it because you were nervous!" Midoriya clarifies through his cackling, prompting Kamala to cease in her shaking… for now. It depends on what he says. Midoriya wipes his forehead. "C'mon, think about it. Are you still nervous?"
Kamala crosses her arms, looking away before she grumbles something that sounds like 'no.' "I'm more jealous than anything. I can't shapeshift nearly as easily as you can."
"Really?" She jumps back a little when Midoriya reappears next to her, flipping through a notebook. "Hero forums are constantly debating why you don't use that ability more."
She hums. "Yeah, it's just hard for me to get even one transformation down." Midoriya scribbles a few notes. "Do you have pages for all the heroes you know?"
"Yeah, I-" Midoriya's eyes widen, and he looks back at Kamala in panic. "Sorry! I just really like analyzing heroes and their quirks and it's hard to keep all of that information sorted in my head due to all the voices - you didn't need to know that - but it's just easier to write everything down in my notebooks! But don't worry, it's written in a language not many people can read but if you find it creepy I can erase it-"
"No!" Kamala stops the babbling demigod before he can tear apart her pages. She also silently celebrates she's not the only one who panic rambles. His class supposedly likes Midoriya, so maybe there's hope for her yet. "You don't have to do that."
She pulls out her own notebook out of her backpack and flips to the page Midoriya had signed his autograph in yesterday. He gasps when he sees all of the information he had given her about his powers written on it. "I like to take notes on heroes' powers too, but not really to analyze them," Kamala explains. She blushes a little in embarrassment. "I write fanfiction about heroes, and it's easier to just have a book of superpowers to give my characters than researching new ones every time."
"This is so cool…" With a nod from her, Midoriya looks at the page she has about him, running his finger down as he reads all the points. "Do you mind if I…?" He lifts up his pencil, gesturing to the page. With another nod of permission from Kamala, he starts to correct some of the info she had put down and even add more detail.
Feeling her side for confirmation, Kamala sighs in relief, realizing that she just admitted to someone about her notebook and writing and isn't dead. The day is looking up.
But it is still young.
"I've read a lot of fanfiction myself," Midoriya admits, handing her notebook back to her. "But never had the guts to try and write any."
Kamala enlarges her hand a little and gives him a big thumbs up. "Well with some imagination, dedication, and crippling low self-esteem, you can too!" She beams at him.
Midoriya looks at her with stars in his eyes. "I have all of those things!"
Ochako pauses in the dorm hall, narrowing her eyes at her surroundings. Behind her, Toru and Mina stop too. "What's going on?" Toru leans over and asks.
"I think it's her Deku-sense, as I like to call it," Mina responds, not really trying to keep her voice down. "A little alarm that goes off in Ochako's head when he's putting himself down… or another girl is getting too close. Hey Ochako!" She waves, getting her classmates' full attention. "Which one is it?"
The silence drags on for a few seconds, before the brown-haired girl whirls around to go down the stairs. "Both." Mina and Toru glance at each other before promptly racing down the stairs after her to catch the show.
"Wow! So you can stretch or compress any part of your body in whatever way you want?!" Midoriya exclaims, furiously writing all that he can about Kamala's powers in his notebook.
"That's the gist of it," she laughs a little, having agreed to answer a few of his questions as the pair makes their way back to Height's Alliance. Kamala could go into the finer details of her powers, like how she technically time travels at a molecular level whenever she uses her powers, but they don't have far to walk and she feels like Midoriya might suffocate himself with all the questions he would ask.
"So you have that and your accelerated healing," Midoriya mutters to himself. "Okay last question, mainly because we're almost there, and please tell me if you're not okay with answering. There's a lot of debate online if you're inhuman, mutant, or both. So if you don't mind-"
"Inhuman," Kamala clarifies. "Sorry, no mutant genes as far as I know."
"Thanks!" Midoriya vanishes his book after making one last note, practically buzzing with excitement. "I can't believe we get to meet another Avenger!"
"Not an Avenger technically," Kamala points out sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "Just helped them a little bit. I wish they had a team for the younger heroes."
"Don't forget you've worked with the X-Men too!" Midoriya reminds her of her own accomplishments. "And that's still more than most of us have done!" They stop in front of the doors and he sends a quick text to somebody. "You came at a good time. We're already done with our morning training, so almost everyone is resting until we go back at it in the afternoon."
"Okay that's- wait!" A thought occurs to Kamala. "You were pretending to be your teacher, is he not here to help you guys?"
"Nope!" Modoriya declares proudly. "I only did that so we wouldn't have any teachers around for a little bit. Aaaaand to mess with you." Kamala grumbles a bit more. "But we're usually helping each other train anyway. And believe me, we don't take it easy on one another. My girlfriend would be so upset with me if I went easy on her! And if I did, she wouldn't hesitate to deck me in the face for it."
He laughs and Kamala joins in. "Well I do like a girl not afraid to punch me in the face." Her eyes bulge when she realizes what she just said, her face going red. "Wait, I didn't mean it like-"
"Oh, hey Kendo!" Midoriya greets the orange-haired girl as she steps out of the building.
"Please hand copies of these to all of your fellow teachers and guest heroes today," Nezu requests of Midnight, taking back her empty cup of tea. Many have questioned his hiring of the R-rated hero over the years. And while Nezu always had statistics and video to support her validity as a hero, he cannot lie and say her constant acceptance of his tea wasn't a factor.
Speaking of Midnight, she licks her lips, studying the schedule her boss had given her. "Looks like those kids are gonna be pretty busy before the exam. Do you think they really need all of this to pass?" she asks, turning the paper over so she can point to all of the different methods Nezu and Rocket had come up with to punish push the students.
"To pass?" Nezu chuckles. A cold chill passes through the office. "Of course it's not necessary. I am more than confident that all of our first year hero students could obtain their provisional licenses today if they were required to."
Midnight is about to reply when Nezu beats her to it, already knowing what she'll say. "Why? Because we are UA, that's why. We wouldn't be living up to our motto of going 'Plus Ultra' if we were satisfied with merely passing, would we?"
The other hero's mouth clicks shut, blowing a little hair out of her eyes. "Sure, and this has nothing to do with making the other schools look bad?" She narrows her eyes, crossing her arms.
"I never said that!" Nezu happily admits with a bright smile on his face. Even after working together for some time, how forthcoming Nezu is about what he's trying to achieve still takes Midnight aback sometimes. And he never ceases to find it endlessly amusing. "What is wrong with both UA and its students gaining something out of this experience?"
"And the students get…?"
"A victory," Nezu states. Midnight's arms drop. "One that is completely and unequivocally theirs. Not with the help of any teachers or professional heroes. Just them. I think we can both agree that it's something they need right now."
Looking back down at the schedule, Midnight scrunches up her face in thought for a moment. Nezu lets her take her time until after another brief few seconds, she smirks. "And people say you don't care," Midnight remarks before leaving the room.
The silence only spans a moment before the bookshelf on the side of the room slides up, revealing a hidden work room.
"I'm guessin' by her reaction, that that's not something most people know?" Rocket spins around, lifting up his goggles and pushing back the disassembled UA robot he had been working on.
"While the idea of a quirked animal already perplexes most people on Earth, I find that keeping them guessing on my true motivations adds another layer of protection for myself," Nezu explains.
"Helps that it's probably funny as hell too," Rocket chuckles, stepping out of his work space and jumping onto one of Nezu's chairs, getting comfortable. "Ah yeah, that's the stuff," he exhales, taking a well-deserved break.
"It is amusing, I will acknowledge that," Nezu chuckles along with his animal friend. "To watch them constantly overthink themselves when the solution is often down the simplest path."
Rocket rolls his eyes. "Or watch'em make a complete ass out of themselves by getting out of jail by distracting the guard while dancing in a banana costume or getting themselves accidentally elected to president of a planet." When Nezu looks up at his companion, he shrugs. "Don't ask."
"I'll take your word," Nezu capitulates, working on a fresh cup of tea for Rocket. "While it's true, I have seen many humans make the most evil of choices and mistakes, I have also seen just as many show compassion in their darkest times. They can be so unnecessarily bemusing."
"I tend not to overthink crap like that," Rocket says from the fluffy prison his chair has him trapped in, threatening to never let him up again. "My life philosophy is: if they point a gun at me, kick their ass. If they don't point a gun at me, just be an ass."
Despite himself, Nezu laughs at the crude joke. "Yes, I suppose if your life was even half of what you described to me when we were corresponding over messages, there wouldn't be much time to ponder the complexities of the human spirit."
"It's what kept me alive."
"And I, along with your team and my students you saved, are very grateful for that." Nezu hops down from his seat and bumps Rocket's paw with a fresh cup of tea. The other animal slowly opens his eyes and carefully grabs his beverage, taking a sip and nodding in appreciation. Nezu should hope he likes it. He made it his favorite way. Just a dash of cream, a tablespoon of sugar, and two shots of whiskey.
Power Loader's 'secret stash' isn't as secret as he thinks it is. But what can he say? As a principal, he has to make sure his teachers aren't inebriated while they actually teach. He just has to find something the man likes as much or more than alcohol. If he did it with Aizawa and those jelly pouches, he can do it again.
"I gotta know." Rocket pulls Nezu from his inner musings. "All that… stuff you said about the 'complexities of the human spirit-'"
"Please do not feel the need to tone yourself down around me," Nezu interrupts. If his feelings were hurt easily, he would have never made it to the position he's in.
"Fine, all that bullshit you said before," Rocket begins again. Nezu chuckles, appreciating the much more down-to-earth perspective Rocket brings, so to speak. Despite him being a raccoon from space. "That make you feel any different about the humans who did that to your eye?" Rocket points to his own eye where Nezu's scar would be.
For the first time since their conversation began, Nezu's smile dims. "I will admit, I have trouble expressing my feelings on the matter."
"Hey." Nezu looks up at Rocket as he downs the rest of his tea. "No toning it down, remember? Own it."
Sighing, Nezu hits a button under his desk to ensure his office is locked down. "I am a being of higher intelligence. Please don't think I am prideful. It's a matter of fact at this point. Because of this, I have dedicated much of my time to attempting to understand humans. Understanding why they make the choices they do. Understanding…"
He places a paw against his scar. "Understanding why humans did this to me in the first place. Was it in the pursuit of research? Of furthering their understanding of science and quirks? Was it to satisfy the deity they believed in? Or… was it merely for fun?"
Nezu wants to continue but closes his mouth, not allowing the more primitive thoughts he's had for years to be spoken aloud.
Rocket, being more insightful than anyone gives him credit for, seems to know what the other animal wants to say, so he gives him a hand. "I've told you about the bastard that did… this to me, yeah?" The raccoon gestures to his body.
"The High-Evolutionary," Nezu frowns. "Yes."
"And I told ya how I nearly ripped off his face when I escaped last time?" Nezu tilts his head, and nods. He has a sneaking suspicion on where Rocket is going with this. "I ever tell you what I plan to do when I see him again?" Nezu shakes his head.
Rocket jumps up on his desk. "I plan to finish it," he says darkly. "When I see the High-Evo again, I'm going to strap him down and finish the job. Slowly, so he feels every pull and tear, I'm going to rip off his face again. And when I'm done, I'm gonna hold it up for him to see. To see the thing he created was what took him down in the end."
He looks at Nezu expectantly, causing the principle of UA to exhale. "Logically, I know I should be above these feelings…" Rocket hums neutrally. "But when I discover the people who experimented on me… I want to cage them." Rocket grins. "I want to deprive them of food and water when they misbehave. Subject them to every experiment they inflicted onto me and finally, leave a permanent reminder of what I did, so they will always remember."
Nezu falls back in his seat, breathing a little heavily while looking down at his paws. Rocket kneels down. "Feel better, don't you?"
He starts to nod but realizes he's going back to what he was doing before, so Nezu decides to say it aloud. "Yes." He sits up straight, fixing his tie and reaching for his tea. "I have never actually said any of those things aloud before. It feels like a weight has been taken off my shoulders, and I have you to thank."
"Right back at ya." Nezu tilts his head as Rocket grabs the teapot from his paws and pours it for him. The raccoon glances up at him. "That was the first time I said any of that crap out loud too. Felt good."
Nezu hums as Rocket passes his tea to him, before preparing his own cup. "Indeed." The principal hesitates before grabbing the bottle of whiskey under his desk, sending Rocket a questioning look.
The Guardian grins, excited. "Hell yeah."
Chuckling, Nezu pours a small shot of the alcohol into his tea, before passing it to Rocket. "This is the first time I have felt that it's… acceptable to have these thoughts." He mixes his drink together. Rocket nods. "But it's what we decide what we do with them that makes us who we are."
"Spoiler, I know who I am." Rocket finishes making his own tea as well. "And it ain't pretty. You?"
"I agree with that sentiment of myself." Nezu rubs his paws together. "I still do not know who made me, so I can take no action against them," Nezu says, the one mystery that has hung over his head for years, still haunting him no matter how hard he taxes his intelligence quirk. "It is vexing," he sighs. "And what of the High-Evolutionary? Would he come to Earth?"
"Nah." Rocket raises his cup. "He's got no reason to come here. We destroyed his labs in the Savage Lands and across the planet years ago. Just like we're doing all over the galaxy now. But I wish he would. You could help me kick his ass."
Nezu laughs, clinking his cup against Rocket's. "An amusing thought. But yes. Should we ever encounter him, I will assist you."
"I'll hold ya to it." The pair of animals drink their tea and Nezu immediately shutters, his fur rising up in several spots as he swallows the alcohol. Rocket falls back, laughing at him. "Holy shit! You're a lightweight!" He pushes the tea back to Nezu. "Here, here," he laughs. "Let's see if we can get you drunk off one cup!"
"No, no. I shouldn't have even had the one sip, I am working-"
"Oh c'mon! I almost exclusively get hammered while I'm working! Have more!"
"While protecting our galaxy, you mean?"
"Why do you think I'm good at my job? Now drink up!"
For once, luck is on Kamala's side today as she walks into the dorms with Midoriya and Kendo. Numerous students lounge around the living room and kitchen areas with most of them not even bothering to look up when they come in, a consoling feeling.
It's so consoling in fact, she won't question why Deadpool is there. Or why he's teaching a little girl with a horn to teleport through a closed window with his belt.
But it turns out Midoriya actually has to leave in a few minutes, so apparently Kendo had volunteered to finish showing her around. Not that she minded. It keeps her around at least one person she met before today.
"Did you need me to show you around the school?" Kendo asks. "We could introduce you to a few teachers so you know who to ask for help from when Midoriya pranks you again."
"When he does?" Kamala looks back at the prankster in question for confirmation.
He doesn't help his case with a little shrug. "What can I say? It's in my blood. Oh, hey Tenko!" He greets his classmate. Kamala remembers reading his file; it said something about a decay quirk-
Midoriya high-fives Shimura, and his hand immediately turns to dust.
"No!" Kamala cries out, looking over her new hopefully-friend's stump. "Are you okay?! We need to get you to the hospital and-" Her latest freak out is interrupted by another spout of laughter from Midoriya, who waves his other hand to undo his illusion and show her he's okay.
This time, Kamala feels so dumb for falling for such an obvious prank, she can't help but laugh along with Midoriya, letting him go.
Kendo gives her a friendly bump. "Believe it or not, the more he pranks you, the more he likes you." Kamala starts to relax a little more. That does make her feel better. Kendo wipes the smile off of her face and scowls at Midoriya and Shimura. "And you two! I'm pretty sure Yaoyorozu told you both that prank was too mean to use on people!"
"She laughed!" Midoriya defends.
"She's gonna see a lot worse if she decides she's gonna help us grind for the license exam!" Shimura adds on.
"Apologize," Kendo growls. It isn't a request.
"Fiiiine," Midoriya sighs. "But only because I don't want another lecture from Yaomomo and Iida." He tilts his head toward Kamala. "Sorry," he apologizes, before running over to a boy he called 'Kota' to pet a- Hey, it's Jeff! She had been wondering where Gwen sent him. He looks happy.
"Yeah, sorry." Shimura sounds a lot more sincere.
"Tenko, Melissa says she's ready to help me finish this." Todoroki walks up, holding some sort of jacket in his hand.
"Is that the new jacket you're going to wear with your hero suit?!" Midoriya runs back, squealing in excitement, his attention now fully on the fabric. Todoroki hums the affirmative. "Hey, it kind of reminds me of the one Star-Lord wears-"
"That's completely coincidental I assure you," Todoroki says a little too quickly.
"Uh huh," Midoriya replies, totally not believing him. "Can I?" He lifts his hand, and Todoroki nods. "Wow…" The green-haired boy feels his coat. "Good material. And this is actually fireproof, yeah? Didn't seem like your first hero suit was."
Todoroki shakes his head. "No, I didn't think I'd need it." He shoots the other boy a grateful look. "But due to the more advanced material Peter was able to acquire for me, my new suit will actually be fireproof. Unlike my father's uniform. When it comes to flames, Endeavor's is merely retardant-"
"I agree!" Deadpool gives them a thumbs up, suddenly interested in their conversation.
"No, Uncle Wade. He was talking about Endeavor's suit being flame-retardant."
"Ohhhhh. Nevermind." The Merc goes back to helping the little horned girl.
Todoroki ignores the interruption. "Anyway, it still needs to be finished. Tenko, you said you wanted to come with me?"
"Yeah, I'm coming." The boy with the decay quirk looks back at Kamala. "Sorry again about before. But listen, some tips about UA's sandbox. The bots can be pretty aggro but they won't actually do anything to you. If you need some mods for yourself, you'll wanna go to the support department. You can also try to speedrun how long it takes Mei to start crafting a new suit for you, we have a leaderboard. Her drop rate for actual working equipment isn't very good but you might get lucky. If you don't wanna play a gacha game with your stuff, I'd talk to Melissa.
"And if after you're done, if you're not feeling too burned out, we're gonna form a party pretty soon for Mario Kart if you wanna join."
Kendo raises a finger. "I… understood some of that."
"Yeah I'd love to join," Kamala answers Shimura, trying to hold back her enthusiasm. There's a teensy little chance that she loves video games, just a little. "But I won't lie, I tend to sweat when I play Mario Kart."
Shimura snorts. "Who doesn't?" He waves before walking away with Todoroki.
Kamala waves back before what she said crashes down at her. She smiles sheepishly at Kendo, her shoulders rising a bit. "Oh, uh, sorry. I know that's kinda geeky-"
"Pffft." Kendo bumps her, snickering. "Nah, don't be. You don't gotta worry about toning yourself down here; you'll see we're all pretty okay with stuff like that."
This place is already a million times better than public school in Jersey!
…Which now that Kamala thinks about it, that isn't really a high bar to clear, but the sentiment still stands!
"Thanks." The American hero sighs in relief for what already feels like the hundredth time. "And you don't have to introduce me to any teachers, I met them all yesterday." She plays with her hair a little. "I wouldn't mind that tour though."
Kendo grins. "You got it."
"Izuku!" Kaminari runs down the stairs and grabs his cousin. "Ready? We gotta go in a few." The blond doesn't pull the other boy until he's given best shark his pets first.
"Yeah, one sec." He comes back over to her and Kendo. "Sorry we have to go so suddenly." The demigod seems actually sorry this time, unlike earlier with his prank. "Our dads only have so much time."
"Hey Deku, who's this?" The brown-haired girl who came down with Kaminari, Uraraka, questions with a slightly strained voice.
"Ochako!" Midoriya's face lights up when he sees her. Kamala isn't the best when it comes to social cues but if she had to guess, this is the 'girlfriend' he mentioned earlier.
Midoriya gives the girl with a seemingly permanent blush a quick hug and backs up next to Kamala. Why does she suddenly feel in danger? "This is Kamala Khan, she's gonna be helping us train for the exam! And look!" He conjures his notebook and flips it around. "She's obsessed with heroes almost as much as I am!"
Kamala would usually argue the 'almost' part of that statement but he keeps going. Should she be worried about the way Uraraka is looking at her? "It's crazy! She's our age but has worked with some of the biggest hero teams in the world already! And she's an inhuman, who don't get nearly as much credit as other types of heroes and her powers are so cool! She can shapeshift like me! I bet I can help her get better at it." Okay, now Kamala knows she should be worried about the way Uraraka is looking at her. "But it's not just that! She even keeps notebooks about heroes like me and goes to the same forums and- wait, when did I move?"
Midoriya looks around bewildered, wondering when he was moved away from Kamala to next to Uraraka. It's not a mystery to the rest of them. "Ochako? Why do you look like someone took the last Mochi again?" Behind Uraraka, Ashido and Hagakure are snickering like hyenas.
"Dude, c'mon!" Kaminari yanks a struggling Midoriya away to the doors.
"Wait, what are you doing? What's happening?"
"I'm saving your life, that's what's happening! Now just shut up and move!"
'Clang!'
There's a surge of lightning and ice that leaves the field and anything in it scorched and frozen. Save for the two demigod children laughing together as their fathers watch on.
"Dang Denki, you've gotten so much faster!" Izuku compliments his cousin cheerfully, vanishing his daggers away.
"Me?!" The blond says incredulously, hanging Thunderstrike at his side. "What about you?! When did you start using ice clones again?! I haven't seen those since the Sports Fest."
"I've been practicing." Izuku scratches the back of his head. He pulls some ice from the ground and twirls it around his hand. "The ones I made at the festival were weak, but I figured out if I focus on making just one, it's stronger and a lot more manageable on my concentration." He shrugs sheepishly. "Plus, the clones have been pretty upset that I haven't had my scepter in a while to make them tangible, so giving them ice bodies lets them touch stuff again."
"Well, either way you didn't have to tell me the thing was stronger. It was harder to beat than I was expecting."
Izuku nods, dropping his arm and letting the ice fall to the ground. "Yeah. My new hero suit Melissa is working on for the exam will give me pretty easy access to water, so I'm trying to really master everything I can do with my ice."
"Did she finally convince you to use that fireproof cloak?" Izuku rolls his eyes and Denki laughs. "Figured. I think at this rate, most of the class are getting new suits. But they're making mine to help with my new techniques too."
Lightning surrounds his hand as Denki concentrates. Around them, Izuku's fallen knives buzz with electricity, before they all float into the air, levitating back into his cousin's waiting hand. "You're getting so much better at that! And I don't think a single one of these made it past your new electrical shields either!"
"Thanks," Denki replies, voice a little strained. The new stuff takes more out of him than he's willing to admit. "What about you? Still blowing yourself back every time you use an energy blast?"
Izuku cringes a little while Loki gives him an amused look. "Yeah, kinda. I've gotten a little better, but look! I've found another way to use them!" He charges magic into his hand and aims it into the ground. "Since Kacchan was the one to help me figure these out, I bet he's gonna love this!"
The trickster laughs and an energy blast explodes form his hand. But instead of trying to resist the blowback, Izuku lets it launch him into the air. "Look! I'm flying!" He uses his other hand and fires another energy blast, sending him even higher into the sky.
Denki laughs along. "Oh man, I bet Bakugo would hate this."
"And remember, my office is always free whenever you feel your irrational anger taking over again," Hound Dog calls out.
"Yeah, yeah." Bakugo waves him off as he leaves the office, shutting the door behind him. He takes a single step but stops when he hears a large 'boom!'from outside. He peers out the window, only to see Deku using his energy blasts like Bakugo would his quirk.
If Bakugo was shit with his quirk that is. He clenches his fists, grinding his teeth. "That little- he thinks he can- and when I was the one to-" He yells in outrage for a moment before trudging back into Hound Dog's office.
Thor lands safely back on the ground with Izuku in his arms. Loki raises an eyebrow at his son. "So you launched yourself high up into the air without knowing how to get back down?"
"I knew Uncle Thor would catch me," Izuku admits.
Loki hums. "And when he is not there to save you?"
"Ochako will catch me."
"And she is okay with this?"
"I never said she'd be happy about it."
"Your age is starting to show, brother," Thor chuckles, letting his nephew down. "Were we not even more reckless in our youth?"
"Do you mean 'we' as in when you would get yourself into trouble and I was forced to help you?" Loki stares pointedly at the other Asgardian.
Thor makes a so-so motion with his hand. "Perhaps that occurred once or twice-"
"And what do you mean 'reckless in our youth?'" Loki presses. "A few decades ago, I witnessed you just waltz into that temple of Cannibalistic Cytorrak Cultists-"
"Say that five times fast," Izuku whispers to Denki, who tries and fails a few times, causing both boys to snicker.
"Me, reckless?" Thor gestures to himself. "What of you?! What of the time Namor had picked another bout with me, still refusing to explain what 'Imperious Rex' means? I went home in frustration only to find that you had drunk my last beer!"
"That was reckless?" Denki asks, a little astonished.
"Of course," Thor answers nonchalantly. "I made him explain to me why I should spare his life after." Neither teen can tell if he's kidding or not, especially when Loki nods along. "But let's not deviate too much," he grabs both boys' shoulders, "from how much you both are improving."
"Yes, very true," Loki agrees. "From how short of a time you've had, the grasp you've both shown on your powers is almost unprecedented." Izuku and Denki beam at the praise. "Now boys, don't let it go to your heads, you've still got a long way to go."
"Which is why we're here." Thor lets them go and takes a step back next to Loki. "You both have exceeded all expectations in your physical fights, that we feel we must remind you of the mental toll these battles could have on you."
"Is that why you both drink so much?" Izuku bluntly asks. Denki loudly snorts and hides his laughter behind his cousin.
"We do not drink that-" Thor hesitates when Loki gives him a look. "We do not drink all of the time, boys." The uncertainty in his voice does not help their snickering. "But that is not what we are referencing."
Thor prompts Loki who steps forward. "We speak of the toll your decisions in the heat of battle could weigh on you. You have been very lucky this year." He lifts his hands and illusions of everything he speaks of appears as he talks. "In your various encounters with villains, you have had to go up against creatures that cannot be harmed. Such as the Kurse and Nomu, The God Butcher's Shadow monsters, Ultron's robots, and All for One's Sentinels."
Denki and Izuku grimace a little at the sight of all of the various monsters and machines they've had to fight. "Even when your training camp was attacked, the ships who attacked you were unmanned and remotely controlled," Thor adds.
"Wow Izuku," Denki remarks, his tone dripping in sarcasm. "Look how lucky we were to have to fight all of these things."
"I know!" Izuku matches him. "Can there be anyone out there who's luckier than us?"
It's Thor's turn to give his brother a look. "That is your son being a bad influence on mine."
Loki looks away to contain his laughter before becoming serious again. "No, what we mean is that your villain attacks have been lucky because none of them have forced you into taking a life."
It feels like someone splashed cold water on both Izuku and Denki. Or hot water in Izuku's case. It isn't the first time his dad has brought up this topic. Far from it actually. But every time he had, his father had always talked about killing in a more light-hearted way.
Like casually suggesting he sever an artery to make sure an enemy bleeds out or something. But then he'd just leave it at that. Him and Uncle Thor bringing it up together and so seriously… feels intimidating.
"Heroes aren't supposed to do that," Izuku replies, trying to wet his suddenly dry mouth. "I mean, they can if they have too, but only as a last resort." He's not dumb, he knows heroes kill.
"Sometimes it is not your decision to make," Thor responds grimly, unhooking Mjölnir from his belt and spinning it around in his hands. "Sometimes, your foe will make it for you. Either by offering you no other option or… endangering the life of someone innocent."
"It's still rare though…" Denki argues weakly.
"And you would probably be correct… if you and Izuku were only facing threats here in Japan," Loki lifts his hand again. "But you are not. As Asgardians, you will face many enemies not of this realm." Illusions of different alien races whiz past the boys as Izuku's brain helpfully provides the names for most of them. 'Kronan, Brood, Makluan, Chitauri-'
"Enemies that will not fall from a knife to the leg or punch to the side." Izuku is pulled from his thoughts by his father. "Enemies that will not stop in their goal of killing you until you put them down. Permanently."
Very vivid memories of the Kurse thrashing him and his cousin flash through Izuku's mind.
"We aren't telling you both this to scare you," Thor clarifies, rehooking his hammer to his belt. "Nor do Loki or I want either of you to have to make that choice anytime soon. But based on what you have had to face this year alone…"
"We will not tone it down. Your world is becoming more dangerous. And fast," Loki finishes for his brother. "And this is before you obtain your licenses. We just want you both to start preparing for the possibility." He walks up to Izuku and ruffles his hair, freeing his son from the ironically frozen state he was in. "You did well today. I'll show you more tricks you can pull with your energy blasts tomorrow. Go be with your friends."
"You've had to kill a lot of people, haven't you?" Denki whispers when Thor gives him a side-hug.
"I have," The God of Thunder answers truthfully. "And I am open to talking with you about it whenever you need."
With both of their dads gone, Izuku and Denki robotically walk back to Height's Alliance, side by side, in silence. Each wondering who will be the first to say it.
It's Denki. "What do you think? My mind went kinda blank there for a few minutes."
"Mine too." It's not something he likes to admit. The trickster prides himself on being quick-witted. "And I know it's something almost all heroes have to deal with at some point, but I guess I was kinda dumb in hoping we wouldn't have to, huh?"
"You dumb?" Denki huffs in disbelief. "Bro, I hadn't really even thought about it!" He exhales, running a hand through his hair while his other played with Thunderstrike on his hip. "But they're not wrong. Even if I'm not forced to, I could accidentally kill someone by hitting them too hard with Thunderstrike."
Izuku nods, conjuring a knife. "I throw a lot of knives at people's shoulders. If my aim's a little off, I could hit them in the head." He twirls the blade through his fingers. "And those are just the accidents. I don't know how I'd handle it if I had to make that choice myself."
Izuku realizes he's been answering a lot of questions lately with 'I don't know' and that's kinda terrifying. What's worse is that he doesn't know what that means! Besides the fact he could use a cuddle from Ochako right about now.
"Did it also feel weird to you that they wanted to just talk to us about it and not the whole class?" Denki questions. "They went through a lot of the same stuff we did and deserve to be prepared too."
"My dad said they wanted Yaomomo to be there too, but she's busy right now. Maybe they wanted her to tell the rest of the class?" Even as he says it, Izuku knows that doesn't sound right. And the look on Denki's face says he agrees. "But you're right. I think they should've talked to the class. Do you think it's because…"
"We're Asgardian?" Denki finishes his question. Izuku smiles a little. His cousin can be a lot more perceptive than people give him credit for. "Yeah. It feels like since we're from this long line of badass alien warriors that everyone sorta expects us to... you know."
Izuku flashes back to the USJ. When he had the Dark Elf on its knees and a sword to its neck.
"Admit you are beaten," Izuku commands.
The Dark Elf gasps for air for a few seconds before responding. "Never." He leans more toward the sword. "Make your ancestors proud."
Izuku finds all he can say is, "yeah."
The pair make it to the doors of the dorm, and Denki stops him. "Listen dude, I'm not sure how I'd handle any of this stuff if it ever happened. But it'd be really cool if you were there to uh, freak out with me."
For the first time in a little bit, Izuku grins, failing to contain his snort. "Same." He holds out his fist. "So we promise to be there to have a panic attack with the other if we ever have to kill someone?"
"Pffft." Denki bumps his fist. "Yeah, I got you bro."
They laugh a little together and walk inside. Izuku feels lighter already. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, I should find Kamala. I feel bad having to leave her-"
Both boys are greeted by loud cheers from the dorm's living room. They glance at each other, confused by the large group around the tv. But their questions are answered when they make their way through the crowd of students to find Kamala and Ochako in the middle of a close fight.
In a fighting game he means.
"Woah," Denki exclaims. "I've never seen anyone besides Tenko give Uraraka trouble in this game."
"Finally! Some new competition!" Tenko shouts, pulling on his Luigi beanie in excitement.
"You think you can just come in here and take my title as second-but-soon-to-be-first-best at fighting games?!" Ochako yells.
"Yeah, she does!" Kendo shouts from the side cheering on Kamala. "Just like you thought she was gonna steal something else from you earlier!" Ochako shoots her a dirty look before going back to the game. Izuku still doesn't get it. "Man, I kind of wish I got into video games at some point. Feeling a little left out…"
Kamala glances to her side. "Oh? I can give you some pointers? You know, as a thanks for the tour."
Kendo smiles. "Sure, why not." The audience groans as, thanks to their conversation, Kamala loses round two. "Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to distract ya there!"
"It's alright," Kamala laughs. "I didn't mind." She wipes her hands on her shorts while the game loads up round three. "Hey," she gets Ochako's attention. "Just wanted to say this has been one the most intense matches I have ever played."
"Same," Ochako exhales with a small smile on her face. She shakes her arms to loosen them. "So don't you dare lose too fast in the last round, yeah?" She challenges with that competitive look Izuku loves.
"You're on!" Kamala matches her intensity, the game starting.
Well at least they seem to be getting along… Izuku thinks. Either way, he appreciates them for helping him take his mind off the fact that he might have to kill somebody someday. But hopefully, if it has to happen, he doesn't meet that person for a long time.
Overhaul's clenched fists tremble in barely contained anger. "Explain to me what happened again?"
The yakuza kneeling before him quakes in fear, taking a shaky breath. "W-we were unable to obtain the Sentinel remains as y-you requested, my lord. A man called Wolfram destroyed them first, and the HPSC arrived before we could-"
That is the man's last word before he is a bloody smear on the wall.
"That is unfortunate news," Chrono comments behind him. Nemoto radios for someone to come clean up the mess in the underground room.
"Have they made it official?" Setsuno hands Overhaul a wet rag to clean his hands.
Chrono shakes his head at his boss' question. "Nothing official, but our spies have confirmed it. Both the Hand and the Silver Clan have decreased their attacks on one another and have begun to focus their efforts on our forces."
"With our quickly depleting funds, we will not be able to stave off their attacks forever," Tengai correctly points out.
"They smell blood in the water," Rappa growls.
Overhaul and his precepts are left to ponder their continuously worsening situation, until Nemoto speaks up. "My lord? If I may, we might have a solution to our burgeoning crisis."
Chrono tries to silence him with a look, but Overhaul does not allow it. "What?"
Nemoto glances back at Chrono, who does not look pleased. "We have not been able to verify this information, which is why I was hesitant to bring it up." Overhaul doesn't need to tell him to hurry it up. "But we may have found a potential ally who can aid us financially."
The Yakuza boss waits not so patiently for the problem with this potential aid. Chrono looks to Nemoto one more time as if to ask if he's sure before finishing. "An ally… from beyond the stars."
Overhaul narrows his eyes.