Location: Shishido's Agency
Time: A day later | 02:00 PM
The new Intel Division was cramped. Kaito stood behind a row of computer monitors, watching the street cameras.
Satoshi, the head of logistics, sat in the main chair, wearing a radio headset.
"Keep your eyes on the back alley feed, Satoshi," Kaito instructed calmly.
On the main screen, a live feed showed a destroyed convenience store entrance.
A street villain with long, sharp bone blades extending from his forearms backed into the snack aisle.
He swung the bone blades wildly, threatening the terrified cashier hiding behind the counter.
"Come in here, you giant freaks!" the villain taunted the front doors. "I'll cut you to pieces!"
Lion Shishido stood on the sidewalk. Ken, Goro, and Kuma, a bear mutant quirk, stood right behind him.
"Stop!" Kuma growled.
He lowered his heavy shoulders, completely ready to charge straight through the glass display and the metal shelves just to reach the guy.
VWOOM.
Ken activated his quirk Density Shift.
His skin instantly turned dark gray, becoming as heavy and hard as solid tungsten.
"I'm going through the freezer," Ken announced, winding back a heavy metal fist.
[Hold.]
Kaito's voice played directly through their earpieces.
[Satoshi just hacked the electronic lock on the rear loading door,] Kaito told them over the radio. [Push him outside. Do not smash the walls.]
Shishido felt weird, clearly perplexed by the extra steps.
Stomp.
He stomped forward.
Swish.
He ignored the villain's swinging blades. He simply rushed the guy, grabbed him by the front of his jacket, and shoved him violently across the store.
CRASH.
"Aghh!" The villain flew through the open back door and tumbled hard onto the empty asphalt of the back alley.
Ken and Kuma jogged around the building.
They intercepted the villain outside. Ken delivered a single, heavy tungsten punch to the guy's jaw. The villain went out cold.
"My store!" The cashier peeked over the counter, crying tears of total relief. "Thank you! You didn't break the shelves!"
In the alley, Kuma rubbed his round bear ears.
"Thinking about glass and shelves mid-fight is new," Kuma complained to Ken over the radio.
[You will get used to it,] Kaito replied through the comms. [Good work.]
*-*-*
Time: Four days later | 04:00 PM
The frontliners just finished securing a public square after a brief gang fight.
"Shitty heroes!"
"Damn! It's too much!"
"You call yourself a lion? You're just an oversized, shedding house cat in a cage"
"Why won't you yell anymore? Cat got your tongue?"
"..." Shishido.
The villains were tied to a thick lamppost, spitting curses at the heroes.
A crowd of civilians whispered nervously behind the yellow police tape.
During the chaos, three young kids got separated from the crowd.
They were hiding behind a flipped car, crying hysterically.
Goro and Kuma walked over to help them.
"Hey, it's okay now," Goro tried to say with a soft voice.
The kids looked up.
They saw a giant rhino man and a massive bear mutant with sharp fangs.
"..."
"..."
Goro and Kuma stopped in their tracks, looking completely awkward and helpless.
Tap. Tap.
Aina stepped past them. She was the new Rescue Squad hire.
She wore a bright, highly visible uniform without any armor.
She crouched down near the crying kids.
FWOOSH.
A soft pink light gently radiated from Aina's hands.
Her Soothing Aura Quirk washed over the panicked children.
The crying instantly stopped. The kids sniffled and relaxed their shoulders.
Aina smiled and handed them small water bottles, talking in a quiet, gentle voice.
[Aina, route the medics to the side street,] Kaito advised over her earpiece. [Keep the kids away from the flashing ambulance lights.]
"Understood," Aina nodded, leading the kids safely away.
Ren, a veteran sidekick with four muscular grappling arms, stood near the police cars with Ken. Ren crossed all four of his arms and laughed.
"I am so glad we don't have to hand out lollipops to terrified kids anymore," Ren told Ken.
Shishido watched Aina handle the crowd.
"Yeah," Shishido admitted quietly. "This works a lot better."
*-*-*
Time: Seven days later | 10:00 AM
Kaito and Shishido stood on a low rooftop.
They looked down at a busy commercial crosswalk.
Three newly hired rookies wearing "Cub" badges patrolled the street corner.
They directed traffic and kept an eye on the large crowds.
Suddenly, a man grabbed a woman's purse on the sidewalk.
The thief tried to sprint straight through the crosswalk.
The public gasped and scattered.
One of the Cubs reacted instantly. He rushed forward and tackled the thief hard onto the concrete.
The rookie pinned the guy down and secured the bag, waiting for the police sirens approaching in the distance.
The civilians on the sidewalk actually clapped for the rookie.
A few Team A veterans leaned against a nearby brick wall, taking their break. They cheered for the rookie.
"Sloppy form!" one of the veterans teased loudly. "Wrap his legs next time, kid!"
The rookie laughed nervously, adjusting his grip on the thief.
Shishido crossed his massive arms, watching from the roof.
"A month ago, I would have dragged that rookie into a violent warehouse raid on his first day," Shishido said. "He would have quit the agency by sunset."
Shishido leaned over the edge of the roof.
"Good tackle, kid!" Shishido roared down to the street.
The rookie looked up, saw the boss, and beamed with absolute pride.
*-*-*
Time: Another five days | 01:00 PM
The agency's underground training gym was packed.
Ken, Kuma, Goro, Ren, and a dozen other sidekicks stood far behind the safety line.
They all raised their hands and covered their ears tightly.
Shishido's sonic roar usually blew out their eardrums and gave everyone a headache for hours.
Kaito stood completely safe behind a thick glass viewing window, holding a digital tablet to record the data.
Shishido stood in the center of the room. He strapped the heavy, custom metal face-guard from Detnerat-Shield over his jaw. He faced a thick steel target thirty feet away.
He took a massive breath.
"ROOOOOAAAAAR!"
The mask funneled the raw sound. The shockwave did not expand outward. It formed a tight, invisible beam of pure sonic force.
BANG.
The beam slammed into the steel target, leaving a massive, deep dent right in the center.
The gym stayed perfectly intact. The wall mirrors did not even vibrate.
The sidekicks slowly lowered their hands from their ears.
Kuma laughed loudly. "We don't have to buy earplugs for patrols anymore!"
Kaito stepped out from behind the glass.
"Straighten your back a little more when you inhale," Kaito advised, tapping his tablet. "It will push the air up from your diaphragm to the funnel faster."
Shishido touched the metal mask. His eyes went wide.
"I can actually use my Quirk on a public street now," Shishido realized, his voice echoing in the quiet gym.
"It shows the new support gear you used works properly." Kaito replied.
*-*-*
Time: Two days later | 05:00 PM
Kaito sat at the head of the large metal table in the main conference room. Shishido, Ken, and Goro sat in the chairs next to him.
Slid.
The heavy door burst open.
Satoshi practically ran inside. The dark bags under his eyes were completely gone. He looked fully rested and smiled wildly.
He slid a single piece of paper across the table to Kaito.
"Zero," Satoshi said, pointing at the number on the page. "The city's weekly report just came in. We owe exactly zero yen in collateral bills."
"Nice!"
"First time for years."
"Didn't expect it to happen so soon."
"Is it really that bad in the past?"
"Rookie, you have no idea."
Through the glass windows of the conference room, the entire logistics staff cheered.
They popped small paper confetti tubes over their desks and hugged each other.
Ken leaned back in his chair. He looked at Satoshi.
"Having you guys track the cameras actually saves us a ton of physical effort out there," Ken admitted openly. "Thanks."
"Anytime," Satoshi grinned.
Kaito set the paper down on the table.
"The nineteen days adaptation is officially over," Kaito announced to the room. "The foundation is solid. Now, we can proceed to Quirk development phase next."
"Hahaha... Thank you Kaito. I'm already in the starting lines as the other pro heroes you contracted in the past." Shishido laughed.
"Nice! Manager."
"I want to get stronger too."
"I'm still having hard time developing other moves."
Countless sidekicks were excited with the upcoming training montage.
*-*-*
Location: Hosu City – Iida Estate
Time: Evening
The private indoor training track inside the Iida family compound was quiet.
Tensei Iida sat on a wooden bench near the starting line.
He held a heavy, dark red folder in his hands. It's been weeks when he contacted Kaito to ask for a specificied training regimen for his little brother.
The wax seal on the front bore the official stamp of Arisaka Consulting.
Tenya stood a few feet away. He wore his standard track clothes, but his posture was rigid.
He looked incredibly nervous.
Their father, Tenzou, stood next to Tensei with a proud smile.
"The commission fee fully cleared yesterday," Tenzou announced warmly. "Go ahead, Tensei. Open it."
Riip.
Tensei broke the seal. He opened the heavy folder and looked at the first page.
Flip. Flip. Flip. Flip.
After a few minutes of skimming he then talked to everyone.
"Ahem.. Listen to this," Tensei said, reading the text out loud. "Your straight-line sprints make your movements highly predictable. You announce your trajectory before you even move. And the absolute second your feet leave the ground, you become completely helpless."
"..."
Tenya pondered. He instinctively reached down and touched the mufflers on his calves.
He wanted to argue, but he knew the assessment was perfectly accurate.
"He doesn't sugarcoat anything," Tensei chuckled, turning to the next page. "Alright, let's look at the solutions. He mapped out five training regimens for you."
Tensei read the first heading.
"Concept one is exhaust compression," Tensei read slowly. "Since you cannot kick the air with raw muscle force, you must use mechanics. You will learn to fire your leg engines in micro-bursts. By trapping the rapid exhaust gas directly under your boots, you will create a temporary, solid cushion of compressed air."
Tenya's eyes widened behind his glasses.
"I can gain traction in mid-air?" Tenya asked, stepping forward.
"That's what it said," Tensei nodded, looking at the complex diagrams on the page. "You can change directions entirely in the sky. The training is recorded here in detailed. Wow, its too long. Read it later Tenya..."
Flip.
Tensei flipped the page.
"Concept two is silent velocity," Tensei continued. "Our quirks are loud. They give villains early warning. It said here Tenya, you are going to do blindfold sparring on glass floors. You need to learn how to sync your engine idling with ambient background noise. He wants to turn you into a completely silent speedster on the battlefield."
"A stealth speedster," Tenzou muttered, rubbing his chin. "A good direction... Speedsters always cause sonic booms."
Flip.
"Concept three is where it gets crazy," Tensei said, his eyes scanning the text. "Tenya, you lack pure concussive punching power. You usually just shove people or tackle them."
Tenya nodded quickly. "My mass does not support heavy strikes."
"Hmm..." Tensei tapped the paper. "It says here you will train by hitting solid iron pillars. You will stand completely still, execute a point-blank kick, and shift your engines from zero to maximum RPM at the exact microsecond of physical impact."
"The sudden kinetic transfer," Tenya whispered, doing the math in his head. "It multiplies the concussive force. I could shatter heavy armor."
Flip.
"Next is..." Tensei read the next section. "High-speed parkour in active scrap yards. You will treat the battlefield like a geometry puzzle, calculating angles instantly to bounce off falling debris without losing your forward momentum."
Huff.
Flip.
Tensei took a deep breath and looked at the final page.
"Final development path is thermal adaptation," Tensei read the final weakness. "Tenya, you will run maximum-speed sprints inside am engineered furnace room. Hmm... We can ask for Detnerat for commission.
It will force your sweat glands and blood vessels to hyper-dilate. Your body will act like a racecar radiator. You will adapt to the extreme friction heat, allowing you to use your Recipro Burst continuously without stalling."
Tensei closed the heavy folder. He set it down on the wooden bench.
The training regimen was absolutely brutal.
"..."
Gulp.
Tenya stared at the red folder. He realized the sheer scale of the physical and mental work required.
"Hehe... You need this exact workload just to become the best little brother."
Tenya adjusted his glasses. His eyes burned with pure, unbreakable focus.
"I accept the challenge," Tenya declared firmly, bowing his head toward the folder. "I will master every single training."
Swoosh.
Tensei smiled proudly and tossed the thick documents. "Here... Read it carefully. The detailed trainings and concepts of each techniques are there. Just follow it step by step. As for the room. We can develop it later."
*-*-*
Location: Shishido's Agency
Time: Next Morning | 08:00 AM
The main conference room was completely packed.
Every sidekick stood around the large metal table. They held their phones and digital tablets.
Kaito stood at the front of the room behind his laptop.
Tap.
CHIME.
Dozens of notification sounds echoed across the room at the exact same time.
"I just sent the files," Kaito announced clearly. "Those documents contain your personal Quirk development paths."
The room filled with immediate whispers. The sidekicks swiped on their screens, opening the secure files.
Ken stared at his tablet. He frowned slightly and looked up.
"Manager," Ken asked, pointing at his screen. "This says I need to stop turning my whole body into tungsten. Why? That keeps me safe."
"Because it makes you incredibly slow, Ken," Kaito answered smoothly. "You lose all your running momentum. The training routine shows you how to isolate your Density Shift. I want you to run at full speed with normal skin. You will only turn your forearms to tungsten at the exact microsecond before your fist hits the target."
Ken blinked. He looked down at his hands.
"Full running speed with a tungsten impact," Ken whispered. "That would shatter a concrete wall."
Goro pushed his way to the front of the crowd.
The massive rhino mutant tapped his own phone.
"What about this leg training Manager?" Goro asked. "I usually charge from a block away."
"Long charges are predictable," Kaito explained. "Villains just step out of the way. You have massive neck and leg muscles. You need to focus on short, explosive bursts. Get right in front of a villain, drop your head, and use your horn to flip them straight into the air."
"Like a forklift," Goro realized, laughing loudly. "I can flip a getaway car from a dead stop."
Kuma, the massive bear mutant from Team B, raised his hand.
"And me?" Kuma asked. "It says I need to stop throwing swings."
"You're quirk is a Bear," Kaito told him simply. "You have the highest raw grip strength in this building. Stop throwing punches. Use grappling locks. You can grab a villain's arms and pin them to the asphalt. Nobody can break a bear's grip."
"Ahh? I can do that?"
The sidekicks started talking over each other. The room got loud.
They compared their files, pointing at the screens and laughing in pure anticipation.
They realized exactly how much stronger they were about to get.
Lion Shishido sat at the head of the table.
He completely ignored his own tablet. His thick lion tail swished aggressively left and right behind his chair.
SWISH.
SWISH.
He was visibly impatient.
"Arisaka," Shishido called out over the noise.
The sidekicks went quiet. They looked at their boss.
Shishido pointed a massive finger at the wall monitor behind Kaito.
"Put my file on the big screen," Shishido demanded loudly. "I want these rookies to hear the exact standard they need to reach today."
Kaito smiled. He plugged a cable into his laptop.
The large wall monitor lit up, displaying a complex breakdown of Shishido's anatomy.
"We have six modules for you," Kaito told the boss.
The frontliners leaned in closely to listen.
"First Shishido," Kaito pointed to the screen. "You will train with high-frequency resistance bands. You are going to cycle your arms in a continuous blur. Twenty independent claw strikes in a single second. The results will shred reinforced defenses immediately."
"So a continuous combo with my claws?" Shishido flexed his massive shoulders.
"Yes... Second," Kaito moved down the list. "If you need to pierce armor. Then you will condition your fingertips against solid granite. You will drive your hand forward in a perfectly straight line and concentrate all your physical force into a tiny piercing point to puncture hardened defenses. It's like a pistol but with you fingers."
"Hmm.. I see. Didn't expect I can also do that.."
"Yes, you're a Lion. The biology of a lion will be able to do that."
"Third," Kaito said. "Explosive acceleration training. You will swipe your claws so fast you break the sound barrier. It creates a localized vacuum pocket. You will fire a sharp projectile of compressed air to cut down aerial targets."
"A long range attack? Aside from the roar??
The sidekicks gasped.
A ranged attack changed everything for a close-quarters fighter.
"This will need a lot of arm and shoulder trainings." Shishido realized.
"Next," Kaito continued. "You will train your lungs to compress the air inside your chest. You will blast the air out in a highly focused cone. Your roar becomes a physical, concussive wall of pressure to deflect projectiles. With the help of your support gear of course."
"A good variation for my roar attacks." Shishido confirmed.
"Yes thats the idea... Fifth one," Kaito pointed to the leg diagram. "You have feline tendons. A lion's leg. You will train with heavy weights on your toes and will crouch low, load the tendons, and snap them back to launch yourself in explosive, silent leaps across city blocks."
"A mobility technique? Good..."
"Finally," Kaito finished. "You need to filter out your eyesight. You will use the nerve endings in your facial whiskers to feel micro-currents of wind. It will make you sense moving targets and dodge blind-spot attacks in thick smoke."
Kaito turned away from the screen.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The conference room was totally dead silent. The sidekicks stared at the monitor in absolute awe.
Shishido sat frozen in his chair. He realized this plan covered every single blind spot he had.
He slammed both hands onto the metal table.
BAM.
Shishido stood up. His lion eyes burned with pure excitement.
"Ken!" Shishido roared at the top of his lungs.
"Yes, Boss!" Ken yelled back, standing at attention.
"Cancel the morning patrol schedule!" Shishido ordered, pointing a heavy finger at the door. "I want every single person on the training mats right now! We are starting this evolution today!"
"YES, BOSS!"
The entire agency cheered wildly.
The sidekicks scrambled over the chairs and rushed out the door toward the underground gym.
*-*-*
Location: Tokyo – Sir Nighteye's Agency
Time: 5:30 PM
Slid.
The glass doors of the agency slid open.
Izuku Midoriya walked into the front lobby. He wore his plain white t-shirt and his red shoes.
He carried a large cardboard tube over his shoulder.
"Good morning!" Izuku bowed politely.
Bubble Girl and Centipeder were sorting files near the front desk. They looked up and smiled.
Izuku had been visiting the agency for weeks now. Everyone knew him.
"Morning, Izuku," Bubble Girl laughed. She leaned on the desk and gave him a teasing look. "You know, Centipeder and I were talking yesterday. You wear glasses sometimes. You mumble constantly when you analyze Quirks. And you dress really plainly."
Izuku blinked, totally confused. "Uh, yes?"
"We are pretty sure you are Sir Nighteye's secret illegitimate son," Bubble Girl joked playfully.
"..."
Izuku's didn't know how to respond.
Centipeder chuckled, his long insect body shifting. "She is just teasing you, kid. The boss is in his office. Go on ahead."
Sigh.
Izuku let out a massive breath of relief. He adjusted his grip on the box and walked down the hall.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
He tapped the heavy wooden door twice and opened it.
Sir Nighteye sat behind his desk, reading a printed report.
He looked up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Midoriya," Nighteye greeted him calmly. "What do you have today?"
Izuku walked up to the desk. Kuro jumped down from his shoulder and sat quietly on the corner of the wood, wrapping his black paws together.
Izuku opened the small cardboard box. He took out a single, hexagonal piece of plastic and set it down.
Then he unrolled the large paper blueprint from his tube. He spread it flat across Nighteye's desk.
"Magnetic Microbots," Izuku explained, pointing at the sketch. "Thousands of these tiny robots link together using electromagnetic fields. They can form a shield, a rescue bridge, or a solid weapon. I control the entire swarm using a transmitter."
"Hmm?" Nighteye leaned forward.
His sharp eyes scanned the highly detailed schematics.
He realized immediately that the design was brilliant.
It solved the major blind spots a Quirkless fighter faced on the street.
Nighteye looked up at the middle school student.
"The design is incredible," Nighteye admitted honestly. "But Midoriya, you fought on the streets for three years as Greenhood. With your skills and experience, passing the U.A. entrance exam is already a guaranteed certainty for you."
Izuku nodded, agreeing with the hero.
"I know," Izuku said, looking down at the blueprints. "But my old vigilante gear has limits. A shock baton won't do anything to a villain stronger villains. If I want to fight A-tier threats, I need something modular. Something that changes shape instantly."
Nighteye tapped the paper.
"Fair enough," Nighteye said. "But building millions of these to create large-scale constructs is impossible for you right now. Custom processors and titanium wiring for a swarm that size cost millions of yen."
Izuku shook his head quickly.
"I am not using titanium," Izuku explained. "I designed them to be cheap. I can 3D print ceramic shells and use recycled copper wire. But even with cheap parts, buying enough micro-processors and raw magnets for a massive swarm is too much."
Sigh.
Izuku dropped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.
"..."
Nighteye stayed quiet for a moment. He looked at the boy, realizing Izuku was missing a massive piece of public information.
"Midoriya," Nighteye said calmly. "Do you actually think U.A. Academy expects fifteen-year-old kids to fund their own military-grade support gear?"
Izuku stopped. He looked up, totally confused. "Huh?"
"You don't need millions of them right now," Nighteye explained. "You just need a working prototype. A few thousand microbots. Just enough to form a simple shield or a blunt weapon to get you familiar with it."
Izuku listened closely, his eyes widening.
"Once you pass the exam and get accepted into the Hero Course, U.A. or Support Course. The school gives you a Costume Request Form," Nighteye continued. "The school has a massive budget and contracts with the top support companies in the country. You submit this blueprint to them, and they will mass-produce the millions of microbots you need using high-grade titanium and top-tier processors. Completely for free."
"..."
Izuku's jaw dropped.
He had been stressing out for weeks trying to figure out how to fund a city-level swarm. He even downgraded his plans so he can create it.
He had no idea the school completely covered support gear for their students.
"Oh," Izuku whispered, his face turning a little red from embarrassment. "I... I didn't know that."
"But," Nighteye pointed out. "Building the prototype to get you acquainted is still necessary. And a few thousand cheap processors will still cost you over a hundred thousand yen."
Izuku nodded.
His eyes turned completely serious again.
"I am not asking for a handout or a sponsor," Izuku stated firmly. "I want to work. Do you know any local support gear inventors who need an assistant or an apprentice?"
Nighteye just watched him.
"I want to work after school," Izuku continued. "I want to earn a paycheck and trade my labor for scrap parts."
Nighteye looked at the blueprint again. Then he looked back at Izuku.
He knew Izuku declined One For All. He deeply respected the boy's unbreakable drive to build his own power from the ground up, using his own hands and his own brain.
"Midoriya," Nighteye asked smoothly. "Do you know who built All Might's Bronze and Silver Age suits in America?"
Izuku lit up instantly. The massive superhero fanboy inside him took over.
"David Shield!" Izuku answered immediately. "He was All Might's sidekick and the best support inventor in the world!"
Nighteye smiled slightly. He reached across his desk and pulled his telephone closer.
Nighteye told him. "David Shield is currently operating his main laboratory right here in Tokyo."
GASP.
Izuku stared at the pro hero, totally stunned.
Nighteye picked up the phone receiver and started dialing a number.
Nighteye said, holding the phone to his ear. "I can send you there. You can show your skills for him. Maybe he will like it. Don't worry about him, he's a good guy."
Izuku stood frozen in front of the desk. His hands started shaking slightly.
"Thank you," Izuku whispered, completely overwhelmed. "Thank you so much, Sir."
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)