Chapter 28:What Exactly is 'Everything?
"So, what's up?" Ben crossed his arms.
The corridor's silence broke with his tone. "It's a rare thing to get an audience with you of all people."
The situation felt dire, even though this whole festival was supposed to be just a no-stress event.
Todoroki however didn't indulge him. He kept leaning back to the wall, hands in his pockets, and unflinching in his cold, calculating glare.
Ben didn't press anymore–
"I was outmatched." Todoroki admitted. "So much so that you could have fun at my expense."
"Oh." Ben's ears perked up.
He sheepishly leaned back. "Sorry. I guess I got carried awa–"
"So much so!.." Todoroki cut him off, and intensified his glare. "...that I even went back on a promise I made myself a very long time ago.
Upping his caution, Ben took this more seriously.
"A promise?"
Todoroki solemnly raised his left arm.
"Iida, Yanagi, Tokoyami, Kendo, or Jiro…" He said. "Now that I've seen it up front, none of them feel like they can understand your sheer range, ability… and adaptability."
Todoroki stopped leaning against the wall. He looked into his left palm, so intently and loathingly. "The extension to your ten minute timer, and that eleventh form."
His eyes went up to meet his green ones.
"Such a rapidly evolving quirk can't have come to be, only from pure luck alone."
His eyes narrowed even further. "...and this is without mentioning your expertise."
Ben wished he could back away.
"I might not have 'all' been there at the time." Todoroki stated. "But I used Midnight's one mandatory psychiatric session to get clear information about the events of the USJ."
He bluntly approached him. Tennyson, quite frankly, sweated.
"Not only were you the only one to jump in to help Mr. Aizawa, but you even took down the villain that bested him."
Ben… tried to not act like Midoriya.
"Well, I was just at the right place, at the right time… with the right quirk." He tried to state calmly. "Or form... Honestly, you could call it whatever you want. I wouldn't mind."
Todoroki didn't budge, and so Ben piped down the upbeat act.
"It was still very difficult." He tagged on at the end, reservedly.
Todoroki's expression still didn't change though.
"Difficult? Tennyson, you killed him." He added, and a shiver went down Ben's back.
Yeah, he had done that.
"After the weekend back, you seemed uneasy and I thought that was the trauma affecting you." Todoroki bluntly said. "However you're making heroic speeches about the said event today, completely unbothered."
Ben put a hand under his chin. "Well, it HAS been almost a month."
Todoroki's eyebrows crossed this time.
"You're clearly used to this."
Ben's heart sank.
He stood at attention as Todoroki put his hand down.
"Tennyson, be honest…" Words felt like they lingered in his classmate's mouth.
"Are you some American government experiment or something?"
Ben… was left speechless.
"Eh?"
His thoughts could only slowly start back up. Todoroki's stare was genuine.
"Wow…"
A slow starting laughter escaped his mouth.
"Oh Todoroki!" Ben continued to smirk about it, continuing to laugh. "You serious? *I*'m the guy the Pentagon would send?"
"It would be unusual." Todoroki stated. "However, if it were usual, they also wouldn't be known for their secrecy."
Ben shook his head.
"Anyway, trust me, you have the wrong guy–"
"You keep telling me to 'trust you'." Todoroki stated. "However, you haven't actually explained any one of your actions."
Ben felt like he was checkmate. His mouth was open, fidgeting but–
"Maybe I'm close or I'm not. I don't mind the 'why'." Todoroki said. "However, whatever it is, it doesn't change that you are a cut above the rest."
Todoroki frustratedly paced, and broke his still-as-a-sculpture standing.
"It even got All Might's attention as well. I saw you leaving after school for 3 weeks now, along with Midoriya, preparing for the festival no doubt."
"Ah–!" Ben showed emotion. "Busted about that then…"
"Well, I don't know about Midoriya." Ben spoke about that. "But I caught his eye mostly because of the USJ. He wanted to help me get better."
Todoroki remained stoic.
"Regardless, if you have any form of support from All Might, then I have more of a reason to beat you, because…"
He looked away, right at the bright blue sky.
"For me, I don't know if you've heard of him since you are new in Japan." Todoroki said. "But Endeavor, the Number 2 hero of the country, is my old man."
"Endeavor?" Ben thought to himself. Now, why did it–!
That was the hero on the highway… When he first took the new upgrade on the watch for a test drive and raided the Highbreed base!
"Man…" Ben thought to himself. "I can see the resemblance now, with the quirks and all that, but come on. One night out with Blitzwolfer, and I ran into Midoriya. The second night, I ran into Todoroki's dad. What's next? I'm going to go out for a third night and end up running into Yaomomo's mom?"
Todoroki looked away and shook his head in frustration. "And from what I gather now, you and Midoriya are… 'close' to the number 1."
He sighed.
"Even though, I fear I might have a reason to pity you."
Ben narrowed his eyes curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"I think we're the same." Todoroki answered.
"Another boy, born with everything…"
Ben 10: Hero Force
Chapter 28
What Exactly is 'Everything'?
In the inside of the tournament building, Endeavor was confronted by Japan's Favorite Hero, All Might.
"WE HAVEN'T TALKED SINCE THAT PRESS CONFERENCE 10 YEARS AGO." The number 1 raised his hand. "I SAW YOU AT THE STANCES INVIGORATED, SO I'D FIGURED WE COULD TAKE THIS CHANCE TO CATCH UP."
"I see." he looked at the bottom of the stairs again, walking down. "Well, you've seen me now. That should be enough."
Endeavor let his arms wave around like he owned the place. "Tea? What a joke… I'm going to the restroom. Begone–!"
First flipping on his side, and then jumping to the air to do a full frontal somersault, All Might skipped past the stair and landed in front of him.
"HA! HA HA HA! DON'T BE SO COLD, ENDEAVOR!" He said in his presumptuous tone. "IT DOESN'T SUIT YOU."
Endeavor gritted his teeth, grunting annoyedly.
"AND BESIDES, YOU SHOULD BE THRILLED." All Might said. "EVEN WITHOUT HALF HIS POWER, YOUR SON IS TURNING ALL THE HEADS TOWARDS HIM. YOU MUST BE A GREAT TEACHER!"
Endeavor cocked his head to the side. "Are you trying to imply something?"
"NOT AT ALL." All Might continued to be blunt with his advances. "I JUST WANT TO KNOW YOUR METHODS AND OPINIONS. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST WAY TO RAISE THIS NEW GENERATION OF HEROES?"
Because admittedly, next to the classes he taught, he had two gold star pupils and little to no idea on how to push them even further.
"And you'd think I would give up my secrets just like that?" Endeavor asked, and All Might answered.
"PRETTY MUCH."
That irritating grin of his shined ever brighter. "WE'RE ALL STRIVING FOR THE SAME THING, AREN'T WE?"
Endeavor's eyebrows remained crossed.
"Hmph, you're really just like how I left you." He said, bumping his shoulder to All Might's chest. "All flash and no brains. It gets on my nerves."
All Might assembled his hands, looking after his fellow colleague going down the stairs.
"SORRY, IF I HAPPENED TO OFFEND YOU."
Endeavor, as he walked in the center of the steps, paused to look back at the number 1 again.
"You didn't. However, I only have one thing to say to you, All Might." He didn't even turn to face him. "No matter what it takes, that kid of mine you saw out there, will beat you someday."
A grin formed on his face. "I will make sure of it. That's the entire reason… he even exists."
All Might was taken aback.
"WHAT… DO YOU MEAN, EXACTLY?"
From the fiery mask, blazing up with mere thoughts, All Might saw the hardened blue pupils with bloodshot whites of his eye, festering an intense kind of hate.
"He may be in a rebellious phase now." Endeavor said. "But I will ensure that he's set straight…"
His fires, with even more disdain, increased.
"... and takes you down a peg, once and for all."
Without skipping a beat Endeavor then continued on his way, now forcing himself even harder to muffle out his stomps, and mask the furious expression on his face.
All Might was dumbfounded. Well, that definitely hadn't gone in a way he expected.
"All Might."
Now it was his first time to be run into in the hallway… by the most proficient Underground Hero U.A.'s got.
"OH, ERASER HEAD." He heroically put his hands on his hips. "WHAT MAY I DO FOR YOU?"
"It's Tennyson." His fellow bandaged colleague said. "I was wondering whether you'd have seen where he went."
All Might put his hands on his hip, as in a cloud of smoke, he deflated back to normal.
"No." Toshinori coughed into his hand. "I was searching for him as well actually."
Aizawa nodded. "For the same reason, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah." Toshinori said. "His new form…"
"My old man, if nothing else, he's ambitious." Todoroki said. "He intends to make his mark on the world with crushing force."
"Doesn't that sound familiar." Ben added like they were piecing something together. "All Might."
Todoroki nodded.
"Seeing someone excel at the dreams he had wasn't something that went down easy. And try as he might, he never became able to change that truth for himself."
Todoroki started to seethe his following words, almost with amusement.
"But he had no intention to stop trying." He said. "So, he *applied himself* in another way…"
Ben assumed that Todoroki would get even angrier, flare up like other classmates had in the face of an adversary.
But he didn't. His classmate's face stayed the same, but his tone had some kind of melancholy.
"What are you about to tell me, Todoroki?" Ben could feel the air get heavier.
Todoroki asked. "Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"
The recommended student also felt his classmate's mood shift.
Tennyson's intrigue felt replaced by a pitying look.
"I did." Tennyson solemnly, and even more respectfully responded. "From my mom."
There was a bit of a sigh between his words, before a smirk appeared.
"As soon as I was of 'appropriate age' to date."
Todoroki could tell it was forced, and seeing that it had no effect, Ben straightened up.
"It was apparently something my great-great-grandparents saw a lot when superpowers first started popping up."
Ben looked down.
"Even though we have a long line of being quirkless, they saw what it was turning people into."
His father hadn't given him that much of a hard time, probably because Grandpa Max didn't give HIM that much of a hard time either, especially with the practice sort of starting to die out.
"He isn't the type to restrict people." Ben thought. "He would want everyone to properly live their own lives, and make their own futures."
But his mother, after properly getting to learn about it herself, hadn't gotten the memo. She made sure to continue the tradition of having that kind of talk, rules and… he didn't blame her for that.
"That kind of greed? Moral degradation? It's something my family pressed against so hard, because they wanted nochance for it to get near their homes."
Ben let his green eyes meet with Todoroki once more.
"Was that what you thought I was?" he asked. "A child bred for combat and the cameras?"
Todoroki nodded.
Ben lowered his head. "Sorry."
Todoroki remained stern, but melancholically grabbed his arm.
"After seeing what you were capable of. It felt like the only logical explanation." he said. "I thought us two were the same way."
"The same way?" Ben perked up again, as it was his classmate's second time using that wording.
His eyes shot open. "Todoroki, no…"
His recommended classmate, someone that Ben valued, nodded.
"My father is a man with both accomplishments and money." He said. "And it was that ideal image which made my mother's relatives throw their heir away… all for a simple monetary gain after a string of bad luck."
Shadows cast over all of his face. He spoke with such disdain that Ben didn't interrupt him.
"It's annoying." Todoroki said with anguish and anger. "Because of that scumbag I can only ever see my mother crying."
Slowly, his hand raised up again, and grabbed the left side of his face, covering the scar.
"'Unbearable. I don't want to see it.' That's what she called half of my face, right before she poured boiling water on top of it."
Chills ran down Ben's spine.
"I picked a fight with you to show the old man that I could already do it, without having to use his damn power… THAT is the promise I made."
He took off his hand, a dark determination masking whatever that was left in terms of emotion on his face.
"I promised to reject him completely, never becoming his tool even for a moment, and win first place without it."
Ben… didn't say anything. He didn't turn away. He wanted to, but didn't.
"And here I thought I'd seen everything." he told himself.
In all of those places he traveled, the bermuda triangle, a different dimension, space…
At the end of every adventure, his home and his family have all been something of an anchor. A safe space, where he could let himself relax.
To think that someone didn't have that, but instead had his warzone also be his home.
Todoroki, with both hands in his pocket, started walking away.
"I don't care if your relationship to All Might was just the testimony you made at the end of the USJ or something more. The fact of the matter is that you've made him interested and I will rise above that interest, only by using my right side."
Ben followed after him.
"So, that's why he's so detached." He thought.
"Sorry for wasting your tim–"
"Todoroki."
The teen with powers of fire and ice looked over his shoulder.
"Gotta say, I'm sorry about all that happened to you." Ben crossed his arms, furrowing his brow. "It hasn't been fair… and know that, regardless of everything, I still plan on respecting your declaration. If we face off, my full power will be right there. But…"
He opened his arms up.
"Going at your battles like this…" Ben winced. "Trust me, it will not work out."
Todoroki cocked his head to the side. "What are you trying to imply? That I won't be able to beat you?"
"No."
Ben raised up his watch.
"I said I haven't gone through the kind of life that you did, not *exactly* anyway. That part is true."
Todoroki nodded…
"But if you believe even a hint of what you heard about the USJ, you should know that I know my stuff about combat." Ben established. "That promise might work while we're at school, but if you REALLY want to be number 1…"
He put his hands in his pockets.
"I'm just saying that you have so much potential, and holding it in reserve like this… trust me, it's not gonna help anyone. Not to me, not to the people that will be saved when we DO graduate, and…"
Ben raised his hand.
"...certainly not you."
Todoroki gritted his teeth. "I won't be giving *him* the satisfaction–"
"I'm not saying you should either..." Ben instinctively backpedalled. After all, this was still a delicate matter, he didn't want to approach it like Rath would.
"But you are already so much with that control over your ice, don't you see how much more you have with your fire as–"
Todoroki scoffed, and left. Ben could see him seething, most possibly regretting having his talk.
And… regret was something that was going around both ways right now.
"Well…" He thought. "That's how I'd explain that: 'Well'."
As he was left standing there on his own, a quiet stillness set in on the outside, and a light breeze ruffled his hair.
The joke was dry as sandpaper but it had to do. He was feeling conflicted.
The Sports Festival came around, finally a break from all this he was thinking, and bam. Todoroki opened up to him about his family history, because he made him think they shared a similar history.
His hands reached down to his wrist.
He gritted his teeth, there was that jumpy feeling inside him again. The very same itch that told him to jump out of that window, and investigate the Highbreed matters more.
"I…"
His arms crossed, covering the Omnitrix.
"I should probably just get back to the stances. The crew is probably wondering where I disappeared off to."
He lifted his hand. "...especially after how I surprised them with a new alien. Midoriya is at least gonna be ecstatic, that's for sure."
The transforming hero then walked away… as Midoriya came out.
Inside of the tournament walls, further than the entrance that Tennyson and Todoroki had their discussion, he had hid himself, and now… his sights were set, looking after the path that led to the cafeteria.
"I'm… sorry about that, Todoroki."
His fists clenched.
"You better be worth this trouble, Tensei. That's all I'm going to say!"
Just off the city limits of Hosu, Kevin just got done having his ID checked.
"Here you go sir." The police handed it back, with not even a lick of suspicion.
"Yeah, right."
He closed his window, and actually got into the city… as in he was about to.
With a small band of pro-heroes and police pulling over anyone who had even the slightest intention to get in the city or out, the main artery road was clogged with cars, trucks and all sorts.
It took him 15 minutes, but once he got into the city, the traffic had mostly subsided.
Due to the semi-blockade, Kevin easily found a parking spot, and then got out of his car.
"Now for the hard part."
Some good old fashioned blind searching.
This time his energy cell tracker did squat. Kevin had given him a rifle, however he had also done maintenance on the thing. It wasn't like the lancers, custom job and completely off the grid.
Whoever made that green masterpiece, or whoever owned it… He felt the need to give the knights another whooping for stealing it.
"Bucket heads could have at least negotiated." Kevin said, deadpan. Either way, he couldn't exactly put a tracker on it either, because if the hero found it…
It would certainly cause some headaches.
"Tennyson would kick the door down, and I just got that fixed, thank you very much."
He looked at his light blue phone. That meant only one thing. He tapped on one of the apps, and brought the phone close to his ear.
Police chatter sparked up.
"Villain sighted at 34, moving to engage!"
"Disturbance at block 22, gunshots."
"Requesting backup at 09!"
"Road blocked at 22, building 1 and 2!"
Kevin thought to himself. So, the fish was trying to pull the 'everywhere all at once' tactic?
"You should have listened, Tensei." He shook his head. "You're gonna need a con to reel in–!"
"Ingenium is en route. 5 minutes till arrival."
His eyebrows went up. There.
"Best Jeanist, 30 minutes out."
He put the phone down, recalling the last thing he heard.
"Block 41. Between buildings 5 and 9."
He took a look at the one next to him now, it was block 31–
A chill felt like it was coming on. From the trunk he took out a dark green jacket on top of his two shirts… and decided to wear blue shades as well.
He smiled to himself. Some people would say this made him look suspicious, but there was nothing wrong to be a little distinguished, was there?.
"Hmm?" He felt the ID from earlier in his pocket. "Might as well…"
He opened the door of the car, and took out a binder from the glove compartment the size of a notebook.
"Let's see, Indonesia, Israel, Italy…" He flipped through the pages. "Ah-ha."
Japan.
He placed the ID right inside the designated sleeve, and tossed it back inside.
Gotta say, between his phone and the binder, alien tech, biggest convenience to mankind he's ever seen. Or rather, he should say, biggest convenience to him.
"Now, Tensei, pal." he cracked his knuckles. "Let's see what kind of action you left me out of." With hands in his pocket, he got moving.
"Over here, Tennyson!" Ben had reached the cafeteria, and Kirishima was on his feet. "We saved you a seat!"
As soon as he grabbed his food, he sat along with most of his classmates.
There was Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, along with others from their group, Jiro, Kaminari, Asui, Yaoyorozu. However, Ben couldn't really recount them now. His mouth was already watering.
"Sorry I had to take the long way." He instantly reached for the chopsticks, and split them.
"Some…" He paused. How do you even address what Todoroki said…
"Another boy, born with everything."
He shook his head, and then waved his hand. "Some stuff just came up."
"No problem!" Iida responded diligently. "Midoriya just got here as well."
The greenette flinched as everyone started their food now.
As they were enveloped in the sounds of the crowd, and their utensils hitting their plates, Jiro spoke first.
"So…" She asked, from just sheer curiosity. "Tennyson, you're gonna explain what happened out there?"
Ben tilted his head. "Explain what?"
Almost everyone from 1-A around the dining hall simultaneously leaned forward. "Yeah?!"
Cluelessly, he met all of their curious gazes.
"Oh!.." The coin finally dropped. "The new guy."
"The new guy?!" The way he just admitted to having a new form so casually. Ben missed it but it was like a punch in the face for everyone else!
"So, your quirk did indeed end up going through an evolution?" Iida asked, and Ben shrugged.
"Well, it's something like that."
His focus was far from coming up with an answer to that question.
"I thought it may have been a new move, ribbit." Tsu crossed her arms. "However, it is very different from your usual abilities."
Uraraka had caught a look that went between Deku, Yaomomo, and Kirishima.
"Do you have any idea what it is though, Tennyson?" she asked.
"Ummm… It's kind of like an evolution?" Ben stumbled again. "Like, I was thinking it's–"
"It is an adaptation."
From his side it was Yaomomo who had spoken up and, to her credit, she seemed to be on the complete other side of the spectrum.
She was paying attention, so much so that she was even a little nervous, however Yaomomo's professional attitude was still firmly worn around her wrist.
"I apologize." She leaned towards him. "However, is it… okay, if I 'explain it as you've told me'?"
Ben had no clue about what she had in mind, but who in their right minds would ever refuse the offer?
"Sure." He gave the word and Yaomomo took over.
"Very well." She set her bowl down. "What Tennyson underwent wasn't an evolution, though it may have seemed like one."
Her discipline dazzled Ben.
"As we recall, Tennyson's…"
Yaomomo paused. "Excuse me, but what was the name assigned to your quirk?
"Omni-Gen." Ben replied, and as he said it, a little more of himself died on the inside.
"I really do need a new name for that."
"Omni-Gen." Though Yaomomo chose to run with it all the same. "As we recall, it works by mental activation, emitting a wave of energy in order to physically transform the host on a subcellular level to grant him many different abilities."
"Radiation, wolf powers." Kaminari crossed his arms. "Yep, that checks out. What does it have to do with him getting new ones?"
Yaomomo raised her hand. "A lot in actuality."
She raised a hand towards Tennyson.
"You see, the energy signature is known to be unique, courtesy of Tennyson, and we concluded that it may have become unique again… upon reacting to Jiro's quirk."
All the eyes turned to the earphone jack user, who was casually minding her own business.
"My quirk?" She questioned, as did everyone else.
Ben sweated. "Yaomomo, what are you doing?!"
That part was true, but he didn't tell her that yet. How did she figure it out?!
"Yes." Yaomomo stated. "The conditions elude us, though I surmise it being Tennyson's quirk being naturally aggressive nature, Omni-Gen happened to react to Jiro's sound based abilities upon being close proximity, resulting in it to mimic and stockpiling a new branch of abilities."
"I see…" Iida said. "However, Yaoyorozu, what do you mean by 'naturally aggressive'?"
"Yeah, Yaomomo, does Tennyson have a beast inside of him?" Jiro asked. "Similar to Tokoyami?"
"No, I meant it as in he has already explained to us that he himself is susceptible to getting overwhelmed by the energy." Momo had her answer ready. She shook her head, and pointed to the Omnitrix.
"Hence why the support item is practically bound to your wrist, right?"
Ben bobbed his head on cue, and Yaomomo did not skip a beat. "What is to say this isn't another outlet of the energy overflowing?"
His own eyebrows went up.
"I see." Iida says. "That explains your extended transformation too then. It's because the energy is building inside of you."
"Yep!" And Ben jumped on the opportunity before anyone else could.
"So, we should not treat this as an irregular event." Yaoyorozu picked the bowl back up. "Even though it has multiple facets to it, the quirk's nature makes perfect sense."
"I agree." Iida said.
Ben was still flabbergasted a little.
"So, is there any chance that you are..." Jiro said, and made her hands into a sphere. "You know…"
She burst open them up, mimicking an explosion.
"I don't think he would combust." Yaomomo said. "Likely his body has parameters to ensure that wouldn't happen."
Jiro shrugged in response.
"Yeah." Uraraka laughed. "Can you imagine that? The energy explodes and turns us into his forms?"
Everyone, scaredly and awkwardly turned to her.
"What brought that on?" Tsu asked, and Uraraka tried to save face.
"I-I mean, his energy messed with us before!" Uraraka deadpanned.
"Right…" Ben said under his breath. He had done that at the USJ.
"Damn…" Kaminari leaned back in his seat. "Even if he doesn't explode though, what's gonna happen Tennyson? Someday it's gonna build up enough, and you're gonna be able to turn for days at a time?"
His eyebrows went up, as a knowing smile spread across Ben's face.
"We're gonna see." He remarked simply.
"Well…" Kirishima pressed both hands on the desk, getting up and taking all the attention. "I don't know about the future, but don't you guys think we're missing something?"
The intensity and passion was palpable…
"Because Tennyson's eleventh form is new! He needs a name!"
"Oh." He said.
"You haven't named him?" Uraraka surprisedly remarked.
Yep, he had not. Ben shook his head to the sides.
"That's a good idea!" Kaminari got up too. He was also fired up. "What do you say, Tennyson? Could we pitch some names first?"
"Why not?" Ben leaned back to his seat, barely not lost once again in his thoughts.
"Alright." Kaminari excitedly put his hands together. "I'm thinking–"
"I'd call Reverb?" Midoriya threw out.
"No, Midoriya, hear me out for a sec." Kaminari had a cunning grin. "Don't you think a certain 'someone' should get first say."
Jiro, as soon as the electric blond made the insinuation, looked up from her food. The eyes were on her now.
The earphone jack girl tilted her head with surprise.
"Me?" the earphone jack girl objected.
Kaminari's pupils went back and forth between them. "Well, it has sound powers–"
"Kaminari makes sense, ribbit." Tsu said. "Tennyson got his new form through reacting to your quirk. He has sound powers, you have earphone jacks, ribbit."
"Plus, you two have always made for a good team." Kaminari added.
Jiro opened her mouth, but with all the expectations on her–
She frustratedly sighed.
"Fine. If everyone's so eager." Jiro deadpanned, thinking out loud. "Then he… projected my heartbeat, and he has sonic powers besides that, like we said. Uh…"
"How about…" She stopped herself. "Nah, it's too simple."
"Come on!" Simultaneously all her classmates channeled the spirit of Kaminari.
"Okay, Fine." She gave in. "If I had to give a name…"
Jiro prepared herself, clicked her tongue.
"How about Echo?"
The student body of 1-A thought about it. Ben was staring in the distance, but the name briefly took his attention.
"Huh, that's interesting." Midoriya stated. "With Tennyson's ability to clone…"
".. and you know, sound, echoes." Uraraka added on.
Ben shrugged. "I like i–"
Kaminari put his hands on the table.
"HOLD IT!"
Kaminari spoke up. "No Jiro, Tennyson, here me out, how about Echo *Echo*?"
Jiro…
Nevermind, no, she couldn't resist slapping her forehead.
"Because, you know?" Kaminari stated. "Echoing? I'm sure you like it. *like it.*"
Jiro kept that hand right there on her face.
"Why…"
Ben laughed, and that snapped him out of his melancholic state.
"That works." He laughed, eyes still looking at the glass. "Echo Echo, it is."
"YEAH!" Kaminari rose from his seat.
Jiro had her arms wrapped around herself, already feeling a headache coming.
"Tell you what." Ben jumped on the hype train. "I wouldn't mind that… *if* my quirk happens to adapt again, I can ask you guys again."
He shrugged. "This is pretty fun."
He winked at Midoriya and Kirishima as he said that last part.
"An excellent idea." Iida crossed his arms, nodding furiously.
"A little presuming, ribbit." Asui said. "Thinking you're going to unleash many more forms, just like that."
"Tennyson IS full of surprises." Uraraka gave credit.
Kirishima nodded. "Man, it's gonna be a nice change-up from the form guessing bet as well."
"Oh." Midoriya perked up. "Who won that by the way, Kaminari?"
The electric student crossed his arms, saltily and so Jiro pitched in.
"Sato, if you can believe it."
"Why the hell would someone write down radiation?!" Kaminari held up his hands angrily.
"Tennyson did give a hint at the bus." Jiro said.
"Aren't you getting too into this?" Asui asked.
"No." The electric student crossed his arms. "It's a fun quirk to play around with."
Ben laughed too. It was, wasn't it…
"Tennyson."
All the 1-A students almost jumped with surprise, as the transforming hero whirled around.
"Mr. Aizawa?"
His bandaged teacher was standing right before him.
"YOUNG TENNYSON!"
Like one teacher wasn't enough, All Might then arrived as well!
"WE ARE HERE!.. TO HAVE A WORD!" All Might put his hand on his shoulder, and Ben could feel its entire weight.
"Oh…" Ben surprisedly spoke up. "Is it…"
He was going to say 'shot in the dark', but there wasn't really much else to hit in that darkness.
"Is it about my quirk?" He asked. "Echo Echo?"
Aizawa raised an eyebrow from behind the bandages.
"That's what you've named him?"
Ben nodded, as everyone else was too frozen to answer.
"I SEE." All Might said. "WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE SOME THINGS WERE LEFT OUT OF OUR ATTENTION."
"Or rather, some things that you kept out." Aizawa then added, but All Might made sure the mood didn't drop.
"WE SHALL KNOW FOR SURE, IF YOU WOULD COME WITH US."
Ben looked at the two of them. "Well, I WAS looking for a distraction."
"Sorry, guys." He stood up. "I'll be right back."