Chapter 30: "That's all I'd ever ask of you."
Scanning those amongst his friends and seeing none step forward, he decided to reach out to one of the first amongst them that he'd met even before becoming a member of 1A. Snapping his fingers and pointing into the crowd, he said, "Iida, you're next."
Iida quickly raised a hand and waved it dismissively. "Come now Midoriya, I'm more than willing to let my peers go before me-"
"Oh just take your turn already you darn nerd." Exclaimed Sero in exasperation as he smacked Iida on the back and pushed him forward.
Though due to the difference in their musculature, Iida didn't actually get pushed very far. Though the skinnier teen's words were able to do the heavy lifting and pushed Iida to move forward towards Midoriya. "Very well then Class President, what do you have to say about my Quirk?" He asked, his arms doing their typical chopping motion.
"If this kid was any more of a hardass I'd think the engines were in his butt not his legs. Though now that I say that out loud I can't help but wonder if anyone in his family's had their Quirk manifest like that…"
Izuku nodded, choosing to ignore Fifth's weird speculations before he wound up asking that question himself, "First I want to get some questions asked and out of the way if that's alright?" When met with Iida's own nod, he started his inquiry, "I heard you mention gears, which I imagine are similar to those you could find on cars and such. How many do you have and what are their limits?"
"I have managed to access four gears up to this point," Explained but I do feel like there are more since my brother's limit is six. I feel comfortable using up to the third gear, as the fourth one burns through a great deal of my reserves and heats up my engines significantly in a short time. It also requires me to warm up for a longer distance, as I can't start directly at higher gears."
Izuku brought a hand up to his chin as he speculated on Iida's words before looking back at him, "Alright then, I'd suggest warming up before moving by stretching a bit. I'll teach you some movements, and we'll see if that does it for you. Next, I've seen you drink a lot of orange juice during lunch hour. Is that a Quirk requirement or just a personal preference?"
Ida blinked in surprise. "You're very observant. Yes, orange juice is the perfect fuel for my Quirk. It's sort of a family requirement. My brother prefers grape juice, but I digress." He explained with an oddly robotic shrug.
Izuku nodded his head in understanding as he considered the information. There were things he considered when it came to both of these facts, ways to improve Iida's startup speed, as well as concerns over the idea of food intolerance catching up to him if he relied solely on Orange Juice going forward. "I imagine you would have tried many juices, but I suggest adding other types to your diet. Orange juice is rich in sugar, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium, so those, or at least some of those, are probably the main components your Quirk requires. Don't limit yourself to a single option, since your stomach may grow to shun something with age even if your Quirk requires it. It's kind of the same idea with Satou's Quirk, better to keep your options open."
Iida nodded in understanding. "That is something I hadn't thought about, but it is a risk I'd rather avoid. I'll be sure to experiment then."
"Do tell me whatever results you might find, I'd love to help make the perfect juice blend for ultimate effectiveness with your Quirk." Said Izuku, before turning to look at the greater area of the gym. After taking a minute to do some mental math, he walked into the center of the gym. "Alright then Iida, I'd say it's time we do some literal legwork, coupled with some brain work, your two favorite things I'm absolutely certain."
"Could you elaborate, Midoriya?" Asked Iida as he walked out to join him in the center of the gymnasium.
Izuku responded by pulling out a series of slips of paper. "You need to get your brain to outpace your legs, not vice versa. Last thing we need is for you to rush headfirst into a trap that you couldn't react to in time. Or accidentally hit something during a chase because you couldn't react to it in time. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen, if not a trip to the hospital." He explained.
Iida took a moment to mull over Izuku's words, and if the look on his face was any indication, his words struck true for the taller teen. "I take it you have a plan prepared then?" He asked, pointing at the slips of paper Izuku was holding.
Izuku folded his hand behind his back, hiding the papers from Iida's view before pulling out a stopwatch. "Since running circles around your opponents is your specialty, you're going to run circles around me and read off the number on each paper as I show them to you as fast as possible." He then tossed the stopwatch into the crowd of students. "Yaomomo! We need you to keep track of time please and thank you."
The taller girl caught the stopwatch, nodding her head as she prepared for the exercise to start. Iida concentrated as he took off running, looking for the tiniest movement of Izuku's arms and shouting his answer each time. "Eight! Three! Five! Four! Two!"
"Too slow! Don't follow the arm! Think about where the tag will turn!" Shout Izuku, quickly moving through papers so fast it was making the heads of everyone else spin.
"One! Seven! Six! Three! Nine!"
"You're wasting time on numbers that look similar! Trust your instincts!"
"Five! Eight! Four! Seven! Two!"
"Wrong! I showed you seven twice! You can't miss details, keep your focus!"
After a few minutes, Izuku noticed that Iida was starting to slow down, so he ended the exercise. "Alright, that's enough of that, rest your eyes a little. How did he do, Yaomomo?"
"There is some progress," she admitted as she looked down at the various recorded times on the stopwatch, showing the results to Izuku, "He even managed to cut some milliseconds as the exercise progressed."
Looking at the numbers, he nodded, content with the result. "Not bad for your first time, Iida." He said proudly.
"That was intense, Midori," Ashido said, squinting her eyes.
"It was hard to follow and we weren't even running," Ochako added, blinking a couple of times.
"It took a bit for me too," Shouji admitted, despite having half of his arms turned into eyes.
"I don't think I could have kept up," Sero admitted as he walked up towards Iida. "You alright man? You look like you're really going through it."
"Thank you, but I'm fine Sero," Said Iida as he rubbed his eyes while keeping his glasses off. "I had never thought about it before, but it is true that I may encounter difficulties while moving at my top speed, thank you for this exercise Midoriya, it shows me where I need to improve going forward."
"Run fast, think faster." Said Izuku with a nod before crossing his arms. "There's one last thing we could go over, though this one might be a bit more on the graphic side so if there's anyone who gets queasy easily, I'd advise stepping away for a moment."
The more squeamish amongst them exchanged some glances, but it seems their collective curiosity towards whatever Izuku was planning to propose won out in the end.
With a nod, Izuku started to kneel down towards Iida's calves, only to pause and look up at his classmate. "May I?" He asked, not wanting to make the boy uncomfortable by getting too close.
"By all means." Replied Iida with a nod, not being bothered at all by the closeness of a male companion.
Izuku held out a hand near one of Iida's mufflers, still feeling some of the heat coming off it from him using his Quirk. He found them fascinating, seeing a human body replicate the functions of a man made machine defied logic, but then again in this day and age of Quirks, the 'logic' of the past had long since been abandoned. He tapped his knuckles against the muffler a few times, wincing a little at the heat of the material but otherwise continuing his examination. "Fascinating…" He mumbled to himself. He swore that he felt like Fifth was about to say something in the back of his head but Seventh and Eighth managed to make him stuff it before he could distract Izuku.
Once he was done with his examination, he stood up to face his friend. "Alright Iida, I have to ask, are your engines made completely of metal, or are they partially bone?"
"I believe them to be a mixture," Explained Iida. "My whole legs are a system quite different from your typical ones, starting from their reinforced bone structure. My family gets born with the Quirk, even if it only activates at the proper age."
Izuku made a show of looking thoughtful, knowing that the whole group was watching and expecting something weird. "Good... Ok, this is the graphic part I was talking about but I'm going to need you to trust me on this... have you ever thought of replacing or removing your mufflers?"
This got the reaction that he'd been concerned about, some of his classmates shuddering or retching at the suggestion. Even Ectoplasm-Sensei seemed concerned. "Dude, that can't be safe." Said Sero as he clutched his elbows. "That sounds like it'd just break his Quirk, not improve it."
"Could you elaborate on this theory, Midoriya?" Asked Iida, folding his arms out of curiosity.
Izuku looked up at him as he responded, "Well I thought it might benefit to research stuff about engines, given it's the namesake of your Quirk, though I'd hardly call myself an expert on the topic this is only a theory, but I came across a process called 'muffler delete,' which means removing the muffler from the exhaust system and replacing it with a pipe. In older vehicles removing the muffler helped boost horsepower, though in current cars the change is less drastic and is mainly about volume."
"You can hear a lot of motorcycles making a mess in some parts of town," Jirou commented, rolling her jacks around her fingers. "I don't know about performances, but the sound becomes loud as heck."
"And you believe that the same process could be applied to Iida's engines?" Yaomomo inquired, now curious.
He gave a shrug at the girls. "It's just a feeling I got, since his Quirk looks kind of 'retro.' Maybe it's nothing, but you could always ask your parents if it's something you could do. Definitely not something we should do without the opinion of experienced adults."
Iida let out a thoughtful hum, "I do not know if it is possible, but it won't hurt to ask. Though, by increasing the noise I produce, I would be giving up most of my stealth capabilities."
"Dude, given your armor I don't think you were ever exactly going to become the next Edgeshot." Said Sero drily, a point that Iida definitely conceded on.
"That was the last thing Iida, thanks for your hard work." Said Izuku with a smile.
Iida returned that smile, "Thank you, Midoriya, you've given me a lot to work with today. I'm eager to see how I can improve myself going forward.
Izuku then turned his attention to the skinny teen next to them, "Since you're here, Sero, do you wanna take your turn?"
Sero blinked at the class president in surprise before giving him a grin. "Well hey, if you insist." He said as he rolled his shoulders a few times. "I'd make some sort of comment about how my Quirk isn't all that special, but thanks to Mineta being nice enough to make an example of himself when it comes to how you react to people who talk down about their Quirks, I think I'll spare myself the literal headache."
Izuku gave him a smile in return, "That would be very appreciated, thank you."
"Still though, I think we've seen me use my Quirk enough time for the basics to be known, so I'll let you just start hitting me with any questions you might got."
"I do not believe that was proper grammar." Commented Iida while chopping his arms.
"I do not believe that I asked." Replied Sero, mimicking his tone and the movements of his arms.
"First question," Said Izuku, bringing up a yellow notebook with rolls of tape on the cover, "Have you ever taken the time to have your tape analyzed? Chemically I mean?"
"Nnno…?" Said Sero uncertainly. "I mean, it's tape, what's there to analyze?"
"Plenty, actually." Replied Izuku. "Depending on the chemical makeup of your tape, especially when it comes to what makes it sticky, there could be a lot of unique biological reactions to the stuff. Like if it has methyl acrylate in it, burning it might produce toxic fumes, or at the very least be dangerous to consume."
"I'm a little surprised you didn't just take some to an analyst yourself, he leaves the stuff all over the place whenever he's training during Hero lessons."
'I considered it. I also considered the fact that that might be a bridge too far and could come across as "weird" or "creepy."' Retorted Izuku.
"It most certainly would've. Not to mention that sort of thing probably is more than a High Schooler's pocket money could afford."
"Do people eat tape…?" Wondered Jirou aloud.
"If someone was desperate enough to try and chew through Sero's tape while it was binding them in place they might." Suggested Yaomomo.
"Plus, people have eaten weird things for weird reasons even before the dawn of Quirks." Said Kaminari. "You ever hear about the "Tide Pod Challenge" from the late 2010s?"
"The what?" Asked Jirou flatly.
"It was basically this wild internet trend where a series of memes lead to people daring each other to eat actual tide pods." Explained Kaminari.
"Aren't… aren't tide pods a type of cleaning material?" Asked Yaomomo with a concerned expression.
"Ohoho yeah." Replied Kaminari with a chuckle, "People got super sick as a result."
"How do you know any of this?" Asked Jirou with a raised eyebrow. "You don't exactly strike me as the type to be a history buff."
"I am when it comes to memes. They're like the genetics of society!"
"Ok guys, this is very entertaining, but let's not get distracted." Called Izuku, snapping his fingers over his head to regain their attention. Kaminari gave a weak chuckle and an apology for the distraction. "The point is, Sero, depending on what results we get you could benefit from making some additions or modifications to your costume, a respirator to deal with the aforementioned toxic fumes for example."
"Works for me." Replied Sero with a shrug. He already had a helmet as part of his costume, so it's not like the design would suffer much from these kinds of alterations.
"We'll need to analyse your tape thoroughly to get a better idea of what we're working with, but you see what I mean, right? The more we know about your Quirk the more you can accomplish with it. Of course I've got other ideas in the meantime."
"Do tell."
"Well, in a similar vein as Ashido, I think your Quirk has the potential to be a good counter to physical projectiles. Though less as a shield and more like a means of catching a projectile and returning it to sender." Explained Izuku. "Especially if you can adjust your tape to become more elastic and resilient."
"But I don't think I can do that." Replied Sero. In response, Izuku raised an eyebrow before gesturing to Tooru, Satou, and Tsu. It didn't take long for the implication to sink in. "…Because I've never tried to do that kind of thing before, and not experimenting has been a shot in the foot."
Izuku nodded his head. "One last thing to consider: double sided tape. It'd allow for far more effective traps than what could be accomplished with a singular one."
Sero pondered that for a moment before slapping a hand over his face. "Y'know, when you say that one out loud I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it myself."
"Don't be like that," Admonished Izuku, "you've essentially grown up being conditioned to think that tape is sticky only on one side, so it makes sense you'd end up subconsciously applying that to your Quirk."
Sero crossed his arms and let out a hum, "Well then, I'd better get to work on all that. Thanks for the advice, Midoriya."
"Not a problem, Sero."
"Alright alright, this is sweet and all but some of us want to take our turn while the sun's still up." Said Jirou as she walked up to the pair.
After exchanging a nod, Sero split away to go practice with the new potential applications of his Quirk while Izuku turned to give Jirou the entirety of his attention.
"So, need another rundown of my Quirk or do you already have everything you need written down in one of those magic notebooks of yours?" Asked Jirou with a raised eyebrow.
"Just a few questions about more minor traits."
"Hit me."
"I'd rather not punch a classmate unless it was for spar-"
"Just ask the damn questions you nerd."
Once the amused chuckles and exasperated groans from their classmates ceased, Izuku actually got started. "What's the max length your earlobes can stretch?"
"Up to six meters if I'm really stretching them. But I can hear up to twelve meters beyond that." Explained Jirou.
"Not a bad range, that must be great for stealth and info-gathering..." Said Izuku thoughtfully, but he knew she was underestimating her full capabilities. "And you're using those amplifiers on your legs to create sound waves... a good way to counterbalance your overall lack of physical strength."
Jirou frowned a bit at that, then sighed. "Yeah, most I can do is whip around these things a bit, but that couldn't bring down someone like Shouji. It sure didn't make a difference against the villains."
Izuku shook his head because oh how wrong Mage was. "Oh no, you should understand by now that that entirely depends on how you use them. First, you're wasting part of your potential by using your lobes only to whip stuff or to hear. They're a second set of arms, so use them like one."
"But they aren't that strong!" She argued. "I can grab and squeeze stuff, maybe poke a sensitive point if I try hard enough, but it won't deal that much damage..."
"My eardrums would beg to differ…" Whined Kaminari as he rubbed one of his ears. His mouth's tendency to outpace his brain had earned him a fair share of "punishments" at the Jacks of the purple haired girl.
"You've got to think bigger, take advantage where you can." Said Izuku calmly. "Most people don't have access to more than two arms, nor do they have the same kind of reach you do. Grab their things and raise them up six meters, they won't be able to do much more than flail around like kids. The enemy's tougher? Well like you said, you can use your Jacks to hit the opponent's face directly or their vital points. Most won't be fast enough to stop four appendages by using only two. Honestly I could try to teach you some hand to hand combat, but I think we'll all need a class about that soon enough." Izuku considered bringing the idea up with Aizawa-Sensei. The man had already discussed in the past the importance of not being a one trick pony.
"Yeah, take that Todoroki kid, he's definitely overpowered when it comes to his ice, but refusing to use the other half of his Quirk and being reliant on spamming from a range means he's probably susceptible to the classic 'left, right, goodnight.'"
"Another option would be learning to use a weapon, like a metal bat." Continued Izuku. "Even better if it's shaped and can be used like a tuning fork. You use your heartbeat through your amplifiers, with vibrations around a beat per second or little more, you actually manage a good prolonged blast. Steady, but lacks a punch in the long run. What if you needed something strong and immediate? Channel a tuning fork's vibrations, and you'll get something really strong really quickly. Plus, you've got a weapon you can use to keep enemies at a distance without letting them hurt your ears." Izuku frowned. "Those won't regenerate if lost, will they?"
"No, they won't. I've been told to be careful since I was little." Jirou's face fell a bit, then regained a bit of its shine as she mulled over the boy's propositions. "A tuning fork, huh? Sounds pretty in line with my style, very metal! I like it!" She grinned as her arms crossed.
Izuku nodded before bringing up his next idea, "You could also keep a couple different endings to attach your jacks to. The small amplifiers are fine, but imagine adding something that can hurt. Ever heard of an oscillating tool blade? You may be able to cut holes in walls with those."
Jirou widened her eyes at his proposition, and Yaomomo voiced a part of her worries for her. "Midoriya, wouldn't such methodology come across as a tad too… brutal? People could get hurt with those."
Izuku didn't back away from his vice president's words, giving her a determined look. "It's like Thirteen-Sensei said guys, Quirks are dangerous tools that can be used to kill, the villains we fought made that fact very clear. But we can also use those destructive powers to save lives."
He saw them exchanging looks amongst themselves, so he continued to press onwards. "I could obliterate a person with my Quirk, but I can also use my power to lift rubble that they were trapped under and save them. An oscillating blade can cut, of course, but I didn't say she'd have to use it on people. Use of lethal force, even against Villains, should obviously be a last resort. The same could be said about Jirou's soundwaves. I bet she'll be able to tear down trees, perhaps buildings, someday. Imagine using that oscillating blade to dice the aforementioned rubble to bits, freeing a person trapped beneath it. Of course training will be needed to make sure that people don't get harmed in the process, but that's why we're here, right?"
Jirou, after taking a moment to fiddle and fidget with her Jacks, let out a sigh. "Alright Green, I'll trust you on this."
Izuku smiled at her, "That's all I'd ever ask of you."
Chapter 31: "Well duh, have you met the guy?"
"Kouda, I've been curious about your Quirk, would you mind going next?" The selectively mute boy blinked in surprise at Izuku's offer, looking to his left and right before pointing at himself. "Yes, you. C'mon up, I'm sure everyone's just as curious about Anivoice as I am."
"Dude, I don't think anyone can compare to you when it comes to how obsessed you are with Quirks." Said Jirou drily, making Izuku momentarily sulk before moving on as Kouda began to approach.
Izuku interlocked his fingers before a loud cracking sound suddenly echoed through the gym. Everyone stared at the source, that being Izuku's fingers, as he managed to crack the knuckles in eight of them simultaneously. Instead of saying anything verbally, he instead put his hands to work, signing a message out to Kouda, "Would you be more comfortable speaking like this?"
The animal speaker's eyes shot open from the surprise, standing still for a couple of moments. The group watched in awe as the timid boy smiled before moving his own hands, "Please, I can communicate with people using speech perfectly fine, I simply prefer not to speak unless it's when I'm using my Quirk." He explained, before adding on, "Plus if you rely on just sign, then the others wouldn't be able to understand us."
"True," Said Izuku, while continuing to move his hands without them slowing down in the slightest, "of course if we spoke solely in sign, that could ultimately lead to you having knowledge over everyone else, as nobody else would understand what I'm telling you."
"But I don't think either of us would be willing to do that."
Izuku shrugged, "That's a good point, you're way too nice to ever willingly give yourself an advantage over your classmates like that."
The others exchanged glances. Even with one half of the conversation being audible now, some of them were a little lost.
"So." Said Izuku, clapping his hands together before returning to signing, "Anivoice… a very fascinating Quirk. The ability to communicate with animals and get them to follow orders, that's a very versatile power. You proved as much against Yaomomo and Mineta in the battle trial."
He winced a little as Yaomomo and Mineta both slumped in defeat. Clearly still a sore subject for them. "The first thing you could do is get yourself a voice modulator that can let you project your voice. More range means you're more likely to find assistance." Kouda seemed to nod along, interested in the idea. "Having an animal feeder and an insect container incorporated into your costume could help to, it'll make it easier to draw companions your way and keep them on hand."
Kouda made a face at that. "I'd rather not have insects near me like that."
Izuku paused before quickly signing, "Entomophobia?" Kouda nodded his head in response. "I won't force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with, but I'd advise trying to overcome a weakness like that. Phobia or no, having more options always helps."
Kouda hung his head a little. "I know you're right, but that doesn't make me less uneasy."
"They're just another kind of animal, no different from mammals, birds, or fish." Said Izuku. "And I know they scare you, but think of it from their perspective. You're like a giant monster to them, one that could squish dozens of them underfoot in a single stomp, I'm sure they're just as scared of you as you are of them."
"I would never do that!" Exclaimed Kouda, looking at him with wide eyes as his hands moved frantically.
Izuku held his hands up in surrender. "I know you wouldn't, Kouda, I'm simply making an observation."
Kouda didn't say anything at first, but eventually he got his hands to move once more. "You're right. I know you're right. I'll do my best Midoriya…"
Izuku smiled at him. "Of course. Last but not least, I suggest you find a really good animal to keep with you. A trained hawk would probably be the best, and it would be easy to get approval if added to your support equipment requests. Or, you could try and test your luck with a cat... they may be fickle, but they're good at running away and can get anywhere. And I don't think anyone at school would deprive you of a service animal, if you asked for one."
He paused when he saw the look on Kouda's face, the expression of someone being faced with a daunting task. "Sorry, was I going too fast?"
Kouda shook his head. "No, sorry. It's just that... I'm worried that I may start to care too much for one friend and cast aside those I don't know because I'm forgetful. And what if they get hurt? I... don't want that..."
Izuku shook his head and sighed. Kouda was clearly a pure soul, perhaps to a fault. Every animal he used would be in danger, since he was doing hero work. Would he refuse to send creatures in troublesome scenarios because of that fear? No, that couldn't be allowed to happen.
"Kouda, please, calm down. You don't seem like the person to neglect a friend because of another. Just worrying about that is proof of your good heart. And when it comes to getting hurt... Kouda, isn't that a part of our work? We Heroes put ourselves in danger so that civilians may be safe. If your animal companions decide to take a risk to help you, who are you to stop them?" Izuku shivered as he felt a chill run down his spine. He slowly turned to see the majority of his class giving him a look that made him feel more than a little guilty.
"How nice of your friends to be the ones to call you out so that we don't have to say anything."
'And yet you still said something.' Replied Izuku.
"Because it deserves to be said regardless! You refuse to listen when it comes to self preservation so we need to make sure to beat you over the head with it so you'll practice basic self care dammit! Don't think you're off the hook for how much sleep you skipped out either, understood!?"
'Yes ma'am…'
"Good boy."
"You have a point, Midoriya." Said Kouda, looking at the ground. "Those who answer my Quirk's call are choosing to put themselves in danger to save people."
"That's right, and in a way that makes them just as heroic as you." Said Izuku, briefly placing a hand on Kouda's shoulder before continuing, "Having some animal companions who you train and keep close at hand will be an excellent means of evolving as a Hero while preventing harm from coming to those who you rely on."
Kouda kept still for a moment before saying, "You're a very kind person, Midoriya."
"People keep insisting that, so I suppose I'll have to trust their judgment." Replied Izuku with a weak chuckle. "Of course, the same can be said about you."
"That was wild…" Said Kaminari quietly as he stared at the pair of students.
"You're very adept with sign language, Midoriya, have you practiced sign language for a long time?" Asked Yaomomo.
Izuku chuckled as he was answering this question once again after a solid ten months. "I figured it would be good to learn. After all, when your rival is a guy who's all about creating big booms, you've gotta prepare for the inevitably of tinnitus." He explained.
"Has that happened in the past?"
Izuku shook his head. "No, thankfully, Kacchan's never had the chance to go big with his Quirk before UA, at most he would use it for making himself into an intimidating sparkler."
"How does one make a sparkler intimidating?" Wondered Mineta.
"Have you seen the kinds of faces Kacchan can make?"
"Nevermind I understand exactly what you mean now." A good couple of their classmates chuckled at that.
Izuku took a sharp breath through his nose before turning his attention to the next classmate on the list. "Shouji, if you'd kindly step forward?"
With a nod, the youngest member of 1A walked forward, his classmates moving to get out of his way made for a scene akin to someone parting the oceans.
"What's with the weird analogy? You callin' the guy Moses?"
"I mean he certainly has the presence with how large he is."
"…This bit feels oddly shoehorned in, let's move on before the plot gets any further derailed."
"…What?"
"What?"
"So, Shouji." Said Izuku. "Your Quirk lets you duplicate your other body parts onto your Dupli-Arms. And going off your performance in the Battle Trial, you're very adept on using your Quirk to get a feel for your surroundings."
"That's right." Replied Shouji with a small nod. Izuku couldn't entirely tell but he wanted to believe the compliment made him happy.
"Out of curiosity, are your replicated sensory organs identical to your natural ones or are they perhaps stronger? Or do you just have stronger senses than the average person maybe?"
The bigger teen shook his head before answering. "The copies are stronger. I can see, hear, taste and smell better. Touch is also improved, but I haven't found it very useful. Mostly it just means that I feel greater pain when being hit there."
"Hmm, I thought so, there must be too many nerves bundled up under there," Izuku mused while taking a closer look, skimming through his notebook as he observed Shouji's limbs. "I suppose we could theoretically use your enhanced sensitivity to get a sort of read of the surroundings, sensing vibrations in the air and such, useful if you're, say, in a dark place and can't see your opponent." He frowned. "But that might be beyond what your Quirk can pull off, especially when you've already got your other senses like hearing and smell to compensate like that."
"It's not a bad idea though, if nothing else it's something I can attempt to train in my spare time. You never know when it could be useful." Argued Shouji.
Izuku nodded his head. "True, better to have and not need than need and not have." He replied sagely. "What's the biggest part you can replicate? An arm? A torso?"
"I cannot replicate a full torso, no," Shouji shook his head. "Arms and legs are the highest point I can reach. I can also duplicate the copying buds themselves, so my tentacles can grow to some meters in length." He showed the Quirk growing up to resemble a long whip with the thickness of an arm.
"Oh, that's cool. A greater range opens a lot of doors, from grabbing to lashing. But there's something else we should check. We'll need a weight scale."
With the object produced and placed on the ground, Izuku directed the teen to stand on it. The display read "104 Kg" in bright red numbers.
"Now try and create as many limbs as you can muster."
Complying, the tall teen broadened his shoulders and started multiplying his parts. In a few seconds he resembled a thousand-armed god.
"Y'know what, maybe there was some weight to that analogy after all…"
"No kidding, that trick would make for a hell of an intimidation factor if nothing else."
"That's my maximum," a mouth mumbled as Shouji's whole body trembled, doing its best to remain balanced in spite of the unstable position.
Smiling at the impressive display, Izuku looked down at the measured weight again. "The number hasn't changed one bit. It's still One Oh Four."
"Wait, did it break under the strain?" Ochaco asked, wondering how the towering figure's weight could match the boy's typical one.
"In that case we would have seen an error or the maximum number," Yaomomo countered, sure of her creation's sturdiness. "No, it's working just fine."
"But how is that possible? Shouji's grown to at least twice his normal size." Iida wondered, a hand on his chin.
"You're confusing volume and mass," Izuku explained, signaling to the boy to undo his transformation. Shouji happily obliged, retracting his Lions and practically staggering off of the scale. "When Shouji duplicates, he's increasing his volume, but that doesn't change his intrinsic mass. Since we know that those arms aren't weightless, it's probable that his whole mass is getting moved around each time he duplicates something."
"I think I get what you're saying," Shouji nodded his head, crossing his middle arms. "But what does that imply?"
"That you could play around with how your weight affects your hits if you can manage to control how the process works," Izuku said, taking a second to start an illustrative drawing. "Typically, you'd punch with the sole weight of your arm and that's it. That's how I and almost everybody else does it. You, though, can create more arms and use them as well. Of course, that doesn't mean that the total weight behind them is suddenly double, triple, or more. Since the mass is moving around to fill the new empty limbs, you get just a bit less weight behind each hit. Not enough to matter in the short run, but it would probably make you less and less dense as you continue."
"But isn't that bad?" Jirou asked. "The more he makes, the less effective each of them is."
"It's a diminishing return," Yaomomo nodded her head in agreement.
"If you were to consider each punch individually, you would be right. But Shouji can punch with everything he's got every time. Think about it like this, he's moving mass from his torso and legs, which he isn't using, and putting it into his arms and increasing the weight of his hits. Seems like an improvement to me." Plus Izuku was imagining Shouji just using all his limbs in unison to unleash a barrage of punches, like a Gum Gum Gatling, which he thought would look badass. Even if Fifth insisted on calling him a nerd for it.
"It's certainly an interesting idea," Commented Shouji, "but that's something I'm doing subconsciously already."
"Yes, but I think that you could try and alter the process. Perhaps you could try and visualize what you duplicate as heavier or lighter to manipulate your Quirk. And, if that still doesn't work, you should try and use legs instead of arms." Izuku lit his Quirk up, throwing a punch first, and a kick second. The difference in how the sound produced and air moved was remarkable. "Legs can hit way stronger, so if you don't need to grab anything they would be better. Plus, imagine the surprise on a criminal's face when he's kicked three times over in a single move."
Shouji nodded, raising an arm and concentrating deeply on the copying process. It took him a good ten minutes of creating and unmaking a good couple thousand arms in the process before he managed to come up with something different from the rest, "I think I got it. This one feels slightly heavier..." He swung the arm around as he attempted to get a feel for it.
"We've got to try it out then," Izuku offered a couple of the same grip testers they'd used during the Q.A.T. "One per hand. If I'm right, more mass should translate to more muscles and thus more strength."
Shouji gripped the handles with all his might, stopping after a few seconds to see the results. As predicted, the heavier arm had scored slightly higher than his normal one.
Izuku grinned and patted the other's back as he looked from under his shoulder. "Just as predicted! Great job, Shouji!"
A tentacle mouth turned his way with a grin. "No, thank you, Midoriya. It's not easy, but I can't wait to improve this technique."
"Wish I could do something like that with my Jacks…" Murmured Jirou, fiddling one of her Jacks as she contemplated Shouji's new technique.
"Hey, don't be like that, you're already doing great." Said Ochako, giving the girl a careful pat on the shoulder.
"Ochako's right." Said Izuku turning his attention towards the girls as Shouji stepped away from him to rejoin everyone else, "We all have our own strengths to play to. While it's good to expand our skill pools, we shouldn't spread ourselves too thin in an attempt to create techniques that lack practical application."
Jirou sighed as she relented. "Yeah yeah, you're right Green." She replied.
Izuku nodded his head. "And on the topic of strengths, Tokoyami? I'd say it's time for you and Dark Shadow to take your turn."
Tokoyami nodded his head. "Very well, I shall strive to rise to your challenges."
Dark Shadow was far less aloof than her other half. "Finally! You've been making us wait forever Zuku!" She exclaimed, popping out of Tokoyami.
Izuku raised an eyebrow before looking at Tokoyami. "'Zuku?'"
Tokoyami sighed. "She likes shortening the names of those she's taken a liking to to four letter nicknames. If nothing else this is telling of her fondness for you."
Dark Shadow moved towards Izuku, hovering around him almost like he was her user rather than Tokoyami. "Well duh, have you met the guy?"She reached up and gently pinched both sides of his face with her claws, much to the concern of nearly everyone else. "Can't say it isn't nice to have someone treat me like a person rather than just another Quirk…"
Izuku gently reached up and patted Dark Shadow's head. The gesture made the Quirk release him and return to her partner. "Alright, I have a few ideas that I'd like to experiment with, if both of you are willing?" Receiving a nod from both partners allowed him to continue, "First I've got a question, do you have to speak to communicate, or can you exchange sensations, talk telepathically, or do some other kind of thing?"
"We are able to speak into one another's minds," Tokoyami confirmed.
"Well, that's handy and definitely a boon. So, I've seen you fight, and I don't have many pointers about that, apart from suggesting some kind of martial art or training to synchronize your moves better," Izuku started, remembering his classmate's combat trial. "I've gathered that light makes Dark Shadow weaker, and that's a key problem we'll need to solve. However, it's intrinsic to your Quirk, so let's leave it for later. What's important now is the weakness you've shown every time, even if you two may not have noticed it."
"Every time? As in, even when I'm strong?" The Quirk's tone made it very clear she didn't like being judged weak.
"A weakness does not equate to being weak. The fact that nobody's been able to notice or exploit this weakness is a testament to that fact." Explained Izuku, which seemed to get Dark Shadow to calm down. "Simply put, every time you move away to attack, you're leaving Tokoyami wide open. Of course, you may think that he should be able to take care of himself for that brief period, but the fact that he's weaker without your direct aid is undeniable." He crossed his arms as he explained. "Also what would happen if Dark Shadow was trapped by some unknown Quirk? Or if a sudden burst of light made it unable to come back and defend you in time? Your mid range combat ability is good, but your close range is lacking."
Tokoyami took the criticism in stride, thinking back to the U.S.J. incident when he'd been fighting alongside Ojiro. The Tail user had remained close by him to protect him for the duration of their time fighting off villains. Nodding along without complaining, he replied, "What do you propose we should do then? Making my body stronger to cover the weakness would require time."
"It would, but you've got a cheating method right there. You just haven't thought of it yet," Izuku grinned, looking up to the Quirk. "Dark Shadow, you can change your form right? You just did so when you moved away from Tokoyami to greet me. In that case, are you limited to your current size?"
She grinned back at him, "Yeah, I can, and I can get bigger than this when I want to."
"Then try this. Put your form over Tokoyami's, as if you were a jacket he's wearing. Circle once between his legs to find a stable hold, then once again around his torso, and then use your limbs to cover his. Your head can go over his like a helmet, connected from the sides and the back, to cover his blind spots."
The Quirk and their host looked at each other, one smiling wickedly, the other nodding in assent.
Beneath over nearly a dozen and a half concerned gazes, the entity whirled around her master, letting itself be worn like armor. By the end of the process, Tokoyami's body was clad by the shadowy vest, making him much, much more intimidating.
More than one of their classmates was gulping in nervousness.
"Not bad," Izuku said, letting out crackling green energy. "Care for a quick spar?"
Tokoyami's eyes seemed to gleam at the proposal. "It would be my pleasure. I'm not one to cower from a challenge issued courteously."
"Let's kick his ass, Fumi!" Dark Shadow exclaimed excitedly as her partner jumped forward, making the first move.
Izuku met their assault, twisting his body to the side to avoid having their claws dug into him before delivering a right hook to their side. The blow had enough force to make Tokoyami slide back a few paces, but otherwise remain standing. "There, see, I take it that that probably hurt a lot less since you have Dark Shadow there to tank the hits."
They turned and started swinging at him again, Izuku managing to duck and weave out of the way each time. "Stop attacking as a singular force, you're two minds in one body, use that to your advantage! Communicate with each other!" Izuku chided them as he continued evading the assault. The moment he saw an opening in their offences, he managed to get in close, landing two punches in quick succession into their chest.
The Dark Shadow Armor was definitely doing its job reducing the damage. Izuku leapt out of the way of another attack before swiftly moving behind Tokoyami into his blind spot and striking their back. "You guys have four eyes, use them to track my movements!" He ordered as he prepared to strike again, only for one of Dark Shadow's arms to decouple from Tokoyami's and swing towards his head. Izuku quickly brought his arms up to shield the side of his head, the blow actually knocking him off his feet and sending him flying a couple meters. Thankfully he managed to reorient himself in midair and land on his feet.
"Very clever, being able to have armor is one thing, but knowing when to disengage that armor for your own benefit is a whole other matter." Said Izuku as he shook the arm that took the brunt of the attack. "I though I'd have to teach that one to you guys too but you managed to beat me to it." When the pair turned to prepare another attack, Izuku held up his good hand and deactivated his Quirk. Seeing the emerald sparks fade told the two that the spar was over, and so they allowed themselves to separate too, Dark Shadow moving to float at Tokoyami's side like a Stand once more. "What do you guys think?"
"That was fucking awesome! Fumi and I've always been 'one' if you catch my drift but that was a whole new sensation for us both, right Fumi?"
Tokoyami nodded his head. "Dark Shadow is correct, this definitely feels like an evolution to our dark power. We will be able to plunge all evildoers into the depths of despair this way." He said as he stared at one of his hands.
Everyone watched the boy engage in his theatrics, choosing to let him have the moment rather than tease. "You have a name for this new move?" Wondered Kaminari.
The response was almost immediate, "Black Abyss: Piercing Twilight Claws, Demonic Eyes."
Ok nevermind, now the teasing was allowed. "Your naming sense is terrible, Tokoyami." Snickered Jirou.
"You think this is bad? Imagine hearing the ideas he doesn't end up using." Said the sentient Quirk tiredly.
"Silence, Dark Shadow." Replied Tokoyami with crossed arms. Dark Shadow gave a childish "bleh" in response before receding back into her partner.
This earned some laughs from his classmates, a sight that put a smile on Izuku's face. 'Just a couple more to go.' He thought to himself.
Chapter 32: "Save the Jojokes for the Jobros."
"Now for one I've been looking forward to. Kirishima, you're up." Said Izuku as he called out the class's manly man.
"Really?" Said Kirishima in surprise as he moved from the crowd and approached Izuku, "I mean I feel like I've already said my piece when it comes to Hardening, not really sure what you could offer unless you have ideas for how to get me even harder." He raised an eyebrow and looked back over his shoulder when he heard the sound of Ashido snickering.
Izuku rolled his eyes at the pink girl's antics and silently thanked Seventh for making sure Fifth kept his own amusement to himself before turning his attention back to Kirishima. "First things first-"
"Ima say all the words inside my hea- ow! OK! Shutting up!"
"-we're going to need to do some tests. Yaomomo, if it's not too much to ask, we could use some metal bars."
"Of course, iron and titanium?" The vice rep replied, already working on taking the two out of her arm.
"Yes, plus two made of stainless steel and tungsten carbide, if you please."
"Midori, I'm starting to think Yaomomo's just here so you can use her as a human 3D printer." Said Jirou drily.
Izuku shook his head in response. "I promise that's not the case, it's just that her Quirk is perfect for assisting in my tests. Let it be known that if it ever becomes too much she's allowed to refuse a request."
"I promise it doesn't bother me, Jirou." Said Yaomomo reassuringly. "As Midroiya's partner in leading our class, I'm more than glad to offer my own assistance in helping everyone grow stronger."
"Oh? You're partners now? Didn't realize you two had gotten so close." Giggled Ashido.
Yaomomo tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Well I suppose we are close enough that I allowed him to use the nickname I had been given. His actions since the start of the school year have done a lot to earn my respect. In spite of my initial reservations he has proven to be someone I am more than willing to trust and follow."
"Hm… So Yaoyorozu likes a competent guy who can take charge. Sorry Kaminari, looks like you're out of luck." Said Mineta with a shrug and a shake of his head.
"Ahahaha, very funny Mineta." Said Kaminari, faking a laugh and a grin before placing a hand on Mineta's shoulder with a serious expression on his face. "I'd suggest quitting while you're ahead before I use you for Quirk practice."
Mineta chose to simply raise his own hands in surrender and take a step backwards.
Once Yaomomo finished creating the metal bars for him, Izuku took them off her hands and approached Kirishima with them. "Now then, we understand the power that Hardening has to offer, turning your body more durable, which in turn allows you to not only take attacks from villains better, but allows you to tap into the deeper reservoirs of your strength than the average person since your Quirk protects you from the backlash of overexertion.
"Wait, what?" Asked Satou. "I thought his Quirk just made him stronger."
"Nope." Said Izuku as he shook his head. 'It's a similar case as you Satou, where Kirishima's Quirk is only as strong as it is because he's absolutely ripped." Izuku reached up and flexed his arm, allowing the others to see his bicep strain against his gym uniform. "Most humans can only tap into about thirty to forty percent of their maximum strength. Our bodies naturally limit our output to avoid overexertion. If you've ever heard those stories about feats of superstrength in times of crisis, that's the product of adrenaline uncapping a person's strength for the sake of survival. My Quirk has the same issue where I need to stick to, at the present, thirteen percent or I'll start losing control and hurting myself."
He then reached over and tapped his knuckles against Kirishima's chest. "Hardening works on a similar principle, by reinforcing his skin and muscles, the Quirk allows Kirishima to tap into a higher percentage of strength. Probably not one hundred percent as his Quirk simply makes him stronger, not invulnerable. If he went all out he'd probably shatter himself, literally." The look on Kirishima's face made it clear that he didn't quite like the mental image Izuku's explanation conjured up.
"But that's all off topic, we're not here to test what he can dish out, we want to see what he can take." Izuku said as he put three of the metal bars down before holding the iron bar, getting a feel for it before looking at the redhead. "You wouldn't happen to know what your upper limit on durability is, right?"
"Not really?" Said Kirishima with a thoughtful look on his face. "I mean, I was able to rip through the robots in the entrance exam easily enough but I dunno what that really says."
"Mhmmm…" Hummed Izuku thoughtfully. "Those were probably a mix of iron and various other metals. Are you comfortable with testing how much you can take?"
"Haha, I bashed my fists against walls for training. This will be nothing!" Kirishima grinned and took a defensive position.
Izuku nodded, and with a swift motion he impacted it against the teen's arms, making it bend halfway down its length.
"Not even a chip," Said the hardened boy happily.
Izuku took the tungsten and repeated the process, throwing the resulting bent rod to the ground.
"Didn't even feel that." He heard the redhead say so, but he didn't miss the slight change in tone.
Izuku frowned at that reckless bravado of his, but decided to keep going for now. With a smirk, he said, "Thought so. Now grit your teeth."
The stainless steel hit was on another level compared to the first two. They all heard the crack echoing in the chamber, and the defender took a step back, holding his arm with the other hand. A few gasps could be heard at the sight of the guy whose whole gimmick was being a defensive wall being hurt.
"Sorry, was that too much?" Izuku showed concern by moving closer and offering a bandage, which Kirishima refused.
"Nah, it's alright, just a bit of numbness. I can go on."
Izuku sighed and shook his head, "No, hurting yourself further won't do us any good, and would instead give us false data. Stainless steel is your current one layer limit."
"Hey, I can-" Kirishima stopped as he raised his head, a look of confusion on his face. "Wait, what do you mean with 'one layer?'"
Izuku smiled and raised his unbent bar. "Just that. Your defense is made of just one layer of skin as of now. What do you know of skin anatomy?"
"Uh... nothing?" Kirishima responded, as confused as ever.
Izuku looked towards his vice president, expecting some encyclopedic knowledge from the other classmate who had a skin based Quirk.
"Skin is composed of three main layers: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. While the dermis makes up to ninety percent of the thickness and the hypodermis is the most useful for me, since it stores fats, I believe Midoriya may be asking about the epidermis, the surface layer." She responded, keeping her exploration short to let him elaborate.
"Yup. The epidermis is what we may call the 'protective barrier' that shields us from bacteria, germs and the elements. And it's actually composed of five strata, or layers. I think that your hardening may be working only on the outermost strata, the stratum corneum." He put his finger on the teen's arm, clicking against the durable stone like spot.
"You can get this much defense with only the first one. You've increased something that should be as thin as a fifth of a sheet of paper to scales about two centimeters thick. How much more defense could you get if you could expand that to the stratum lucidum? And then all the way to the stratum basale? And then all the way to the bottom of the dermis?"
Kirishima looked down at his durable arms. He met Midoriya's gaze with determination. "How do I do that?"
"Try and try again. Imagine a suit of armor under your first one, like rocks piled upon each other or ice layers growing and covering each other. Start with something small, like a hand or an arm. When you're comfortable with that, try something bigger." Izuku explained, adding his own advice to the end. "And most of all, don't give up if a few tries fail. You've got to be as thick headed as you want to be strong, Kirishima."
He was answered with a row of shark-like teeth as the teen started concentrating his Quirk on his hand. "That's not even hard for me! Hoo-raaah!"
Kirishima started hardening his skin, looking for any progress as he put his all into that small spot. A minute passed, then two, then three. No one was saying a word, supportive and captivated by the spectacle.
Izuku could see how the guy's expression was beginning to falter due to fatigue, pushing one's limit is always a struggle. But it was one he knew how to overcome.
He started circling around the redhead, who was none the wiser. Tightening his grip on the cold metal in his hand, he spoke as loudly as he could, "Kirishima, block!"
As he saw the spark of recognition in the teen's eyes, Izuku swung the steel bar fast.
The impact was stronger this time and as loud as a bell chime, and the result was vastly different.
The beam was bent toward its end, in the point where it had impacted against a four centimeters thick block along the back of Kirishima's hand. The difference was clear even to the naked eye.
"Congratulations, Kirishima," Izuku smirked as he moved the bar away and showed it to their classmates, "You've just reached a two layer defense."
Kirishima's eyes moved quickly between his hand, the bar, and then back to his hand again as the hardening disappeared. His breath was heavy, but it had been worth it.
"Horn Buddy! You were amazing!" Ashido leapt forward to wrap her arms around the shoulders of her friend in congratulations.
"That was so cool!" Kaminari added in, joining the celebration.
Yaomomo gave an approving nod. "I must say, I didn't expect a surprise attack to do the trick. Your methods are shockingly effective, Midoriya."
"Thank you, Yaomomo. Sometimes shock therapy is the best solution." Izuku gave a friendly nod and a smile as the one to survive his methods aggressively patted him on his back. "That aside, next on the training agenda is Aoya…" He was about to call the next member of their class up, when he noticed a severe issue. "Yaomomo?"
"Yes Midoriya?" Replied his vice president calmly as she searched the crowd with her eyes.
"Where's Aoyama?"
"I… do not see him."
Izuku put his hands together and raised them towards his face, resting his fingers over his lips and below his nose. "Did anyone see him leave?" He asked calmly, only to be met by a lot of shaking heads. He then slowly turned his attention towards the teacher who had been supervising them this whole time. "Ectoplasm-Sensei, do you know where Aoyama might be?"
"I believe he went home." Replied the teacher calmly. "When everyone was gathering up to come to the gym today I noticed your classmate split off from the group and went his own way. I assumed he simply elected to not participate." Izuku stood there in silence for a moment processing that information.
Eventually he was able to speak up. "Honestly it's not even the fact that he chose not to participate in today's training that upsets me." He said, his gaze not meeting anyone else's as he voiced his thoughts. "That's perfectly fine, this training isn't mandatory or anything, I'm just here to offer advice." A pained expression then flashed across his features. "What upsets me is the fact that he was missing and I didn't even notice."
"Don't be like that Deku," Said Ochako as she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "with how many of us are here it's not really your fault if a singular classmate slipped under the radar."
Izuku frowned as he prepared to say something, but Seventh was faster on the draw.
"Izuku, don't even start with the self doubt nonsense, you're still new to this and are in a place where you can afford to make mistakes."
"Seventh is right. Don't stress yourself out, you can always discuss things with your classmate in the future, for now focus on those in front of you."
Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Right, let's not get distracted, there's still three of you left." He said calmly, before silently saying, 'Thanks guys.'
"No problem kid."
"Ochako, Ojiro, I'm sorry for making you guys wait this long." Izuku said as he turned his attention to two of his remaining classmates. "Part of it was the fact that I'd already given you some advice in the past and wanted to help the others first before circling back around to both of you, the other part is because my advice for you kind of goes hand in hand."
That seemed to catch their interest. "What's that mean?" Asked Ojiro.
"You'll see. Firstly, Ojiro." Izuku turned his attention to his tailed classmate. "I'm going to be perfectly honest, what you're doing with your Quirk is pretty much almost perfect as it is."
"Wait, really?"
"Yup, it's very strong and straightforward, perfect for a martial artist like you. Less so for when it comes to an analyst like me." Izuku admitted with a chuckle. "So instead of what your Quirk can do, I want to talk support gear with you. We've already gone over your need for an implementation of shoes, lest a repeat of what happened when you fought Todoroki comes to pass."
"Never going to let me live that down are you?" Asked Ojiro, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Izuku reached over and pat his shoulder. "It's a bit embarrassing, but at least you learned about it in class rather than against a villain. The other things I think you could benefit from are a weapon and some sort of protective wear for your tail."
"A weapon?" Asked Ojiro.
"It never hurts to give yourself options, plus if my understanding of martial arts is to be believed, there's some weapons training mixed in. Something like a bo staff would be perfect for you. It gives you a second option beyond your tail with greater reach and less likelihood of getting injured. Plus it'd give you a bit of a Sun Wukong look."
Ojiro raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I look like a monkey?"
Izuku paused at that. "…Would that be Quirkist?" He wondered aloud.
"No more than calling Shouji an octopus I suppose." Sighed Ojiro. "And what was that about protecting my tail?"
"It's a similar concept to me wearing gloves in my Hero costume." Explained Izuku. "Having something protective over your skin lets you hit harder without fear of injuring yourself. Granted your tail is probably tougher than my hands, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
Ojiro folded his arms and nodded his head. "Yeah, I can see the logic. I'll definitely give your ideas a look, thanks Midoriya."
"Of course." Said Izuku before turning his attention to Ochako, who'd be standing there eagerly in anticipation for her turn. "Alright, so we've already talked about how it's possible for you to alter what your Quirk affects based on your own perceptions, right?"
Ochako nodded her head. "Sure have! Though I'm still working on long range gravity negation."
Izuku gave an approving thumbs up. "Keep that up, but in the meantime I've got something equally interesting to test."
Somehow Ochako managed to look even more excited. "Hit me Deku."
Izuku summoned one of his books and placed it on the ground before her. "Alright Ochako, could you do me a favor and use your Quirk on this?"
As she moved down to grab it, he added, "Just touch it. Lightly. Don't lift it. I want to check something."
Curious, she did as he asked, keeping the contact to the bare minimum. As expected, the book began floating, soon rising above her head.
"As I thought," he said with a grin, snatching the object from the air before it got too far away.
"So, what's new with her Quirk?" Kaminari inquired, underwhelmed by the experiment.
"Knowing you, it's gonna be something absolutely insane." Said Ochako.
'One could even say, "Bizarre."' Thought Izuku.
"Save the Jojokes for the Jobros."
'Fine fine.' Thought Izuku before turning his focus back on Ochako. "What's new is that it's another case of undervaluing a Quirk," he gestured with the book. "Physics question for the class, what happens if you remove the gravitational pull from an object?"
A couple of them exchanged looks, looking for a hidden meaning behind the inquiry.
"It floats, Ribbit?" Suggested Tsu.
"Not really the answer I was looking for." He waited for a couple more seconds before starting again with a smile. "Let me give you a hint. Gravity is a force constantly acting on every physical object, pulling us towards every other object with mass. The most prominent force of gravity for everything on Earth comes, of course, from the Earth itself. But if all of those forces were to be nullified on an object, what would happen to said item?"
Yaomomo widened her eyes. "Newton's first law states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force!"
"In Japanese?" Asked Sero drily.
Kaminari muttered something about being terrible at science while rubbing his temples, but wasn't given much attention beyond a pat on the back from Jirou.
"If all forms of gravity are nullified, an object should just stay where it is. Unless it's pushed." The heiress added, simplifying the concept and receiving a small chorus of "ohs."
"Right. Which means that Ochako is doing so much more than that," he specified. "She isn't only taking away the gravitational pull of the Earth. She's either reversing it, which brings items to levitate on their own, or doing something much, much more interesting."
"Like what?"
With a wide grin, he explained, "I think you may be able to alter trajectories and deprive matter of its mass and momentum." His revelation was met with silence as the others digested the information.
"That is... quite the theory, Midoriya," Yaomomo pointed out, thoughtful. "How did you come to that idea?"
Izuki held up the book to show it off before throwing it towards the larger group, it flew through the air in a perfectly straight line until it was caught by Kirishima. "If an object has no mass, the whole gravity stuff gets really weird. But you can feel that it has none now, can't you?"
Kirishima examined the thing as he held it. "Wait, it doesn't have any weight yeah, but I don't know about mass..."
"'Weight' is used pretty interchangeably for mass in everyday use, but it's not exactly the same thing. To keep it simple, mass is intrinsic to an object and weight depends on mass times acceleration, meaning gravity. If something has no mass, of course it would have no weight."
Yaomomo nodded, going along with a more detailed version of the theory. "The force of attraction between two bodies is directly proportional to the product of the masses-"
"-and is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them." All eyes turned towards Ochako, who had been the one to finish the sentence. "What? I've looked into the subject a bit! I wanted to try and improve my Quirk..."
"Which was a great idea. The problem was that they gave you a wrong starting point," Replied Izuku with a shake of his head.
"But why do you think she can take away mass itself?" Jirou reiterated, taking a hold of the object to try it herself. "It doesn't seem that different to me."
"If something has no weight, it simply means it's not pulled towards other stuff. It's 'floating,' no forces, no movements. But, if something has no mass, then it becomes extremely easy to move around." He moved closer to Jirou, making her open her palm and letting the book float.
"Here's my theory. Your Quirk has two effects. The first one affects the momentum." He started lightly tapping the item, moving it from left to right. "Each time I tap the book, it moves in that specific direction. If I'm not putting in more force each time, the book should just stop or slow down. Instead, your Quirk disregards the object's motion. Mass, velocity, acceleration, nothing matters. It just starts going and then changes direction abruptly." He caught the book, pointing it at the girl. "And the second one affects the item's mass, specifically how you're taking it away from it. I don't know if you're making it magically disappear or just moving it around, but I'm betting on the latter option."
The construction girl looked confused. "Then why are things floating every time?"
"Honestly? Your Quirk is probably trying to match the mental image you've been given of 'zero gravity.' Things float as if they were in outer space. I think that's the reason why you get nauseous. Your Quirk is constantly applying pressure to match every gravitational pull on the objects you use it on. It's mostly the constant nine point eight zero seven meters per second squared from below, but it adds up quickly. I mean, you're matching Earth's gravity, for god's sake. And if all that extra mass is moved to you, it's no wonder your body struggles to keep itself balanced!"
It was at this point that he realized everyone was staring at him. Perhaps they were still attempting to get a handle on the fact of to what degree Ochako had been casually breaking the laws of reality with her Quirk. "Sorry, I think I went on a bit of a tangent there."
"Hey man, it's all good, you're clearly passionate about this." Said Satou.
"Indeed, your love of Quirks makes you light up in such a way it is akin to staring into the burning star that illuminates our world." Said Tokoyami.
"You light up when you get all excited about Quirks." Translated Dark Shadow, to which Tokoyami simply placed a hand on her head and shoved her back into his body.
"Thanks guys." Said Izuku with a weak chuckle, before returning his focus to Ochako. "Now that you've got the idea down, it's up to you to expand your perception of your Quirk and how you apply it. It's the same thing as before, you'll just need to practice consciously applying effects rather than the subconscious means you've been using up to this point."
Ochako examined her hands, flexing her fingers a few times before grinning at Izuku. "You've got it Deku. Can't wait to show you what my Quirk can really do."
Izuku smiled back at her. "I look forward to it."
"So what was the thing that involved both of us?" Asked Ojiro, who'd been standing to the side and had decided to call attention back to the initial topic Izuku'd brought up a while back.
"Oh, right. Ojiro, could you teach Ochako how to fight?" Said Izuku simply.
This seems to throw both of them off. "Eh? Why?" Asked Ochako.
"Simply put, being able to properly utilize your body in a fight rather than simply flailing your arms and hoping you slap a villain is a practical idea." Explained Izuku. "And as the class's resident martial artist, I can't think of anyone better to give you some basic lessons than Ojiro." He turned his attention to the failed boy. "And you don't need to turn her into a black belt over the course of the week by the way, just some general pointers to help make her a more efficient fighter would be appreciated."
"I'll… see what I can do." Said Ojiro, seeming a little uncertain about the idea of teaching someone else.
"I'm sure you'll do great." Said Izuku. "Both of you, I have confidence that you'll make it work."
"Well then I guess I'll just have to match that confidence." Said Ochako.
Izuku nodded his head before turning his attention to the final member of their class. "Now then, last but not least, are you ready to learn how insane your Quirk truly is, Yaomomo?"