13- - boxman - CHERREADS

Part Two: Evolution

Chpt 13: Brimstone Baptism

Katsuki's arms are supposed to be hot. Even when he was missing his right arm, the shoulder was warm to the touch, itching to fly despite his missing wing. His new arm is ice cold against his scarred shoulder. Not cold enough to hurt but just enough to remind him that it isn't real. Sure, he can move it like his old one (he's not sure how the Doc pulled that off) but it's just not the same.

His left arm itches if he gets too warm, warning him to be careful what he touches.

His right arm growls.

After a week or two studying the schematics, Katsuki knows the damn thing inside and out. Whoever designed the arm is a goddamn psycho, but they know how to make weapons. His forearm is basically a nozzle to direct the twin engines in his bicep. Exhaust ports poke out from just above his elbow and along the forearm. Gadgets fill his hand to support him in combat. The only things he can't quite understand is the chemical make-up of the metal and what the hell goes into the fuel cartridges. But that's not really important as long as the Doc keeps him stocked up.

Common sense tells him that two engines and a ton of synthetic nerves should be bigger. His prosthetic isn't much larger than his flesh and blood arm. The shoulder is a bulb attached to a metal collar bolted and sewn into his shoulder. Altogether the length of metal and wire is designed to emulate a human arm, though it's a little larger than human muscles. Joints made of black metal spheres and studded metal hide circuits tuned so well they rival the real ones.

Katsuki is a little worried about the power level, though he's not going to tell anyone that. He's still not sold on this whole "anomaly" bullshit the Doc keeps spewing.

They told him it was supposed to take him six months of rehab to get used to the arm, that he might be able to head back to U.A. after the summer if he sat out of the practical courses until his third year.

He told the Doc to go fuck herself and finished rehab AND training in two months.

Well… he didn't tell the Doc that.

He told OTHER doctors that. Doc got off easy. She has a brain, apparently. One of the idiots from the hospital let it slip that his arm is a medical marvel (or some shit) and that the Doc helped design it.

Katsuki doesn't particularly care about any of that.

First, he has to deal with this fucking announcement from Nezu, then he has to move his shit into the new dorm and THEN go through orientation. AGAIN.

THEN he has to find Deku.

Everything goes back to Deku. Anything green brings the nerd to mind. Lately he finds himself running his left hand along the length of his right arm whenever the nerd comes to mind. The cold metal warms a bit when he thinks of chasing Deku down.

His right arm hums beneath the sleeve of his coat. The engines shudder a bit, sending a shiver down the length of black metal and synthetic nerves. It falls asleep easily, sewn into his shoulder but not truly his quite yet. Some part of him thinks these feelings shouldn't be so visceral, but the arm feels more alive than Katsuki's skin.

Real or not, the arm yanks at the bit like a stallion refusing to be tamed.

Katsuki's hands clench, both flesh and steel, and he grinds his teeth as he bites back a growl of his own. He does his best to ignore the ripple in the engines and tells himself the damn thing isn't laughing at him.

-000-

It's been a while since Izuku slept well. He wakes up a little bit late, yawning as he tries to roll out of the insanely fluffy mattress. Moving around casually is difficult for a number of reasons but Eri sleeping on his shoulder is a constant reminder to keep his power output on the lowest setting. Every moment he struggles against the fluffy swamp makes the urge to sleep in grow more urgent, but eventually he makes it out.

His new room is overly large. Even with all his belongings it was barren and kind of sad to look at. Eri, luckily, multiplied everything by two. Izuku's desk and bookshelves are pushed against the far wall of the room, separated by the window, and Izuku's bars and weights are collapsed or racked against the wall. Dressers stand against the wall on the other side of the bed, end to end thanks to the size of the room, and Eri claimed the space beside the bed as her playscape. Pictures cover the walls, Kābā's and Eri's artworks and the little girl's favorite posters and such. The room has just enough life to fill it, despite being nearly the size of their old living room.

Everything in the S-class dorm is massive. Twice or three times the size of the other dorms. Nezu apparently gave them leeway due to the nature of the students who were moving in and the nature of the materials. Mei and Melissa had gone overboard. No one stopped them, much to Izuku's disappointment amusement.

Izuku isn't sure how much he likes the size. Brushing his teeth alone in a massive communal bathroom feels odd. The place doesn't feel empty, exactly. Walking from the tile bathroom into the hallway feels like traversing a hotel (intricate tile patterns to thin carpet and copy paste walls) but the rooms themselves feel like an alien mix of culture, science and nostalgia.

The rooms have a nicer carpet than the hallway at least, though it's still kind of thin. King size beds and desks don't take up much space, but Izuku's room is pleasantly half full. Everything in individual rooms is customizable to the extreme, including the colors and the time and the accessibility. Just setting his security after moving in had taken nearly two hours, and after that he'd had to choose a changing color scheme that Eri enjoyed for the walls.

Currently, the walls are a dark green that Izuku really likes.

Because he has a ward, Izuku's dorm is on the first floor. He wanders past the elevators and the stairs as he heads into the sitting room. This room, unlike the rest, feels dead when he's the only one in it. Maybe it's because of the sheer size of everything, from the vaulted ceilings to the ridiculously large couches (everything was scaled up) or maybe it's the lack of decorations. No furniture, save for couches and chairs, exist in this part of the building thanks (?) to Mei and Melissa's genius. Instead of tables or cabinets, the floor panels rise to fill the space wherever the tenants want them. Unfortunately, the floors are black, and while they aren't exactly cold it makes the sitting room feel that way.

(Izuku is already looking for coffee tables and a dining room table; he's just not comfortable with how empty the space is without real furniture)

Light doesn't come from any exact source in the S-class dorm. It seems to bleed from the ceiling and the molding and the mirrors. Early in the morning the lights are just bright enough to guide or to keep people safe, never bright enough to disturb others. The walls are some kind of synthetic, though they're warmer than the metal and nearly as tough.

Now that Izuku is reaching for the cabinets, the room lights up a little more and he eventually finds himself a reasonable meal. The kitchen was spared from Mei's eccentricity, though everything is built to an efficiency that blew some of the more fragile minds.

Eventually, with a half full belly and his new uniform mostly put together, Izuku starts towards the doors and the assembly that's supposed to introduce the S-class (more specifically Mei and Izuku) to the rest of U.A.

On the outside the dorms are all made from Mei's black metal and some kind of special polymer for the windows. The buildings are next to indestructible (unless Izuku decides to sneeze and wipe them off the map) so Izuku's thinks that Nezu let the S-class go overboard as thanks or something. Someone decided to call them Height's Alliance, of all things. Izuku isn't sure about that one. But the gigantic "S-class" hanging over "Alliance" bothers him more than the name. He doesn't like the idea of letting everyone know what he is. Old habits die hard.

Unfortunately, Monitor has control over the S-class dorm. The AI won't do anything petty (Izuku made sure to ask) but living inside a sentient building is worrying. On the plus side, Mei's holographic projection tech fills the entire dorm. Being able to pull up data and video projections with waves of a hand is far easier than having a television (projections aren't breakable in the same sense) and Izuku can't wait to do homework with all his notes floating around him.

Not even the pictures of his reaction can dim his enthusiasm at the unlimited note taking ability he now possesses.

Heh. Unlimited notes. Like... Izuku smirks as he hops down the stairs and slides into the remaining arm of his blazer. He freezes as he looks down the path and sees a familiar face dressed in the same uniform. Green eyes widen as red narrow. Twin suitcases hit the concrete a moment later, and Izuku can't help sweating as a shrill whine fills the air.

"DEKU!"

"Oh, um, hey…" Izuku trails off as Bakugō's left sleeve evaporates and his shirt blows apart. For a moment, Izuku watches flames bloom in the upper arm of Bakugō's prosthetic. Heat spreads from the elbow in a haze, killing the grass around the owner as it falls to the ground. Black metal turns blue, almost white in the middle of the forearm as the blasts are channeled down to the hand. When Izuku blinks, Bakugō is flying towards him on a pair of twin explosions with bared teeth.

-000-

Momo frowns as she looks around the crowd. She woke up nervous, slave to some foreign energy running through the campus, and she's not sure if she should be glad everyone else feels the same or if that should worry her. Her problem isn't that she's worried. There's plenty of reason to be worried.

Getting a sudden influx of new students (that's a rumor, one that Momo has yet to confirm) is definitely strange. Moving into the dorms last week was a spectacle, of course. Having an assembly isn't odd, but having a new teacher introduced alongside two new teaching assistants is definitely news.

Seeing Midoriya-san on the stage between a shark and a rail thin blonde man (who dwarfs even the shark, somehow) is shocking, plain and simple. Returning the woman's wave sends a ripple of whispers through Momo's classmates, though Momo is too confused to care.

"Now that I've introduced our new teachers, and we've discussed the dorms, it's time to address the rumors that have begun circulating." Nezu calls, bringing just about every student to attention at once. "U.A. as a whole was built to create the greatest heroes and citizens we possibly can, within the scope of our abilities as heroes. This past year has been turbulent and scary to you students, no doubt. Some of our own suffered, and so we created the dorms to better protect you all. While the villain attacks and the strange invasions began this past year, there is something else you should know. Something that no one save for the highest authority of our country have been informed of, so far.

"While we accept quirks to be an evolution of mankind, and we base our society on quirks, something new has been discovered. A few individuals awoke new powers last year. Powers that, as of yet, are far beyond quirks and beyond common sense. Studying these powers has been a priority for us, but study has proved to be slow. In the interest of public safety, we have decided that U.A. must adapt now. Luckily for us, a few of these individuals have already stepped up to defend the public from any villains who might be beyond our current capabilities."

But… No, it couldn't be…?

"It is with great pride that I reveal U.A.'s S-class, a place for Anomalies to train and prepare for a future in heroics! I present our new students, the upper echelon of U.A. high!"

Momo frowns as she looks up at the stage. A girl with pink dreadlocks is bouncing on her feet, running her eyes through the crowd as she daydreams. Beside her is a student with long blonde hair and blue eyes, and Togata-senpai, the third year who'd defeated her class before their license exams, of all people. The look of confusion on Midoriya-san's face all but confirms Momo's fears that Midoriya might be part of this strange new "S-class".

"Well, there are two other students who are supposed to be here, but they appear to be running late…"

The ground shudders underfoot, stirring the crowd's anxiety.

"Greetings, students." Momo's eyes widen as a foreign male voice suddenly takes over the speakers onstage. "My apologies for interrupting, but I've been asked to evacuate these proceedings. Nezu-san, please hurry and clear the area. The new anomaly has a rather heated grudge against Midoriya-kun."

Momo's eyes widen as the ground trembles again. Before she can do anything, the heroes are flooding the assembly and starting to direct them. She catches Midoriya-san joining the blonde-haired S-class girl and notices Togata-senpai frowning, staring off towards…

He disappears in a flicker of white lightning, and Momo is being dragged off by her classmates as the stage is blow to smithereens.

-000-

Katsuki's arm howls and kicks as the ground caves under a blast.

For a moment he's concerned for the other students, but the heroes are there. Plus, that weird third year who can phase through shit is flying through the crowd wreathed in lightning. The heroes and students all move like lazy cattle, save for some pink-haired chick and the phase-fucker. Once he's sure that there's enough support, his eyes narrow in on Deku.

"Kacchan, PLEASE! This isn't the time!" Deku coughs. He's managed to avoid every blast so far, and it's driving Katsuki a bit crazy. Nothing puts a scratch on the nerd. Flames don't even singe his uniform.

Fuck is that about?

"Fucking FIGHT ME!"

"People are going to get hurt, Kacchan!"

"Save 'em then!" Katsuki growls and braces as he pushes his quirk into the engines. His left-hand bubbles with barely-suppressed explosions, held just in check while his right spins up for another blast.

Deku won't start anything. Katsuki has to force him.

Fucking fine.

His arm shudders and growls happily.

Katsuki flies through the smoke, blasting it out of the way and kicking up a halo of debris as he destroys the ground behind him. Deku's eyes widen as the nerd slips to the left, trying to stay in what should be Katsuki's blind spot. Something feral in Katsuki's chest burns hot as his left-hand twists and blooms.

At this point his blood is magma. His right arm is a star's fury sheathed in steel and his left is scorched flesh cradling molten lightning. The exhaust from his prosthetic kicks out jets of yellow and orange flame like a pair of wings at his elbow. Everything in front of him goes white and his feet dig trenches a meter long before the flames die.

Katsuki grins as his right arm groans. The left isn't much better, shaking the way it is. He can feel his body throbbing faintly, but there's too much adrenaline right now.

"Young Bakugō, what do you think you're doing?!" All Might is here. His landing blasts the dust out of Katsuki's eyes, exposing the extent of Katsuki's rampage to everyone on the edge of the scene.

"I'm…" The words die in Katsuki's throat as he turns to face the hero. Standing behind All Might is Deku, completely unscathed, coughing and waving to clear the dust from his face. Katsuki's eyes widen painfully as he traces the ground at Deku's feet, following the edge of the crater where they'd first landed. Nothing beyond Deku is even scorched, let alone scathed. Heroes and students stand behind him, running from the destruction or gawking at the display.

"Bakugō-kun,"

"All Might!" Deku calls.

Katsuki's eyebrow twitches as the two of them share some kind of… talk. It's silent, but there are emotions playing out clearly. Both of them are uncomfortable, sad, hesitant. After a moment, All Might steps down.

Katsuki's brain shuts down entirely.

All Might followed Deku's order.

What the hell had happened while he was out…?

-000-

Momo has no idea what's going on.

In the chaos of the assembly, she'd seen too much. Way too much. Togata-senpai was moving faster than he ever, sparking like Kaminari-kun on his bad days all the while. And if she wasn't mistaken the one who destroyed the assembly was BAKUGŌ, her ONE-ARMED CLASSMATE who apparently had two arms again…?

Then there was the brief glimpse she'd caught of Midoriya-kun through the crowd, having a tense face off with Bakugō. Which didn't make any sense because he… Well, she didn't know what his quirk was, but the principal was talking about people who had more than quirks and Momo didn't even know what that MEANT.

Did Principal Nezu think there were more people like Todoroki-kun? Were these people suddenly having quirk evolutions? Those were just rumors, cases of adrenaline and…

"Yaomomo please stop pacing or you'll wear through the floor." Tsuyu-chan has to grab her arm to jolt Momo from her mental rant, which is embarrassing. Worse, everyone is staring at her. She didn't do anything to deserve this.

"Sorry." She squeaks. The class shrug and share a look.

All eighteen of them.

"So, uh… Bakugō's back?" Kirishima grins and shrugs. The statement earns a bit of a laugh from the group and puts several of them into a deeper mental spiral than before.

"What was principal Nezu talking about, S-class…? He said, 'other power' didn't he?" Uraraka-chan asks quietly, hugging a pillow beneath her chin. For a while, that passes the conversation. None of them recognize the pink haired girl or the blonde, and Togata-senpai was never close with any of them. Rumors of All Might taking an interest in his growth add fuel to the fire but get them nowhere in the long run. After almost two hours of sitting around, Momo's pocket vibrates.

[ Midoriya-kun: We're on our way to explain. Sorry for not responding sooner… ]

Momo lets out a breath as she stares at the screen, but relief is quickly replaced with worry.

"Someone is coming to explain things to us," She calls out, putting her phone away before anyone can figure out how she knows that. A few of them ask questions, but she ignores them and walks towards the front door cradling her elbows in her hands.

Midoriya-kun… Would he lie to me? Were we not as friendly as I thought? Momo stares out the curtains, letting thoughts bounce through her head idly. As terrible as it is to imagine, she only knew the Midoriyas for a few months. Why would they give up their secrets that quickly, even if they are friendly? No one is that kind.

She's not that important.

Aizawa-sensei appears on the walk, along with several members of the faculty and the students that Momo remembers. Midoriya-san… and Midoriya-kun are both among them. Bakugō too. The class rallies quickly when she calls them, and they eventually mill together with class B as the principal calls them together.

"The assembly was supposed to accomplish this, but I've been informed that the outcome was inevitable. My apologies for the dangers you all suffered during the scuffle!" Nezu grins widely from Yagi-san's shoulder. Momo's eyes flit to Midoriya-kun and catch a small wave and a nervous smile, releasing a flutter and a wave of acid through her insides before the principal can continue. "For the time being, the S-class students will be participating with both hero courses and the support course under certain circumstances. I'd like to introduce them to you all and elaborate on their abilities so that you all understand something about the Anomalies."

Momo homes in on the principal as he says that. Something about that term makes it feel capitalized.

"You all remember me, I hope!" Togata-senpai grins as he holds up a hand. "The future is…!"

Silence greets his shout and the odd gesture he makes as he says it. Midoriya slaps his forehead as soon as he sees it and drags his hand down his nose. Eventually Togata-senpai straightens and nods.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure either! I'm currently registered as a teaching assistant to Class 1-S, though I'll be dividing my time a lot. You can think of me as a teacher's aide for the next semester and the next year, if everything works out!" He grins. Several of Momo's classmate hug their stomachs and share worried looks.

"I'm Melissa Shield. Please, call me Melissa." The blonde girl bows politely, smiling at all of them. "I'm Mei-chan's assistant, and I'll be part of the support team. I'm a second year, so I'm the first student of class 2-S."

Three of them (Midoriya included, for some reason, and Bakugō excluded) look at the pink haired girl. Momo blinks when she realizes the girl has knelt in the grass to draw diagrams with a stick.

"This is Hatsume Mei," Midoriya-kun sighs. "Monitor, can you send them all her profile? The small one, please."

"Are you being rude to Mother again, Midoriya-kun?" The 'warning' voice sounds from nowhere, loud enough that Midoriya cringes and swipes the tablet up from the grass.

"Please don't start anything here. We're introducing ourselves and she's drawing something in the dirt. This isn't my problem, alright?"

"Well then I shall take over." Momo's phone vibrates with a message from an unknown number. The message contains a U.A. profile for the girl, one Hatsume Mei. "Mother is the single greatest inventor in the world. She's the first human to create unlimited Artificial Intelligence. I am designated Monitor Mk. Four, and I am the overseer of U.A. high and Mother's lab. I've been measuring the progress each of you has made for the past year."

"Before anyone asks," Midoriya rubs his forehead as he drops the tablet, looking very tired and not friendly at all. "No, we aren't kidding. Mei-chan lives beneath U.A., and has lived there for almost a year, and that voice is actually a really big computer that's like, ten stories under our feet. She may or may not have a robot army. We aren't entirely sure yet, but we have fail-safes so… Yeah.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku." Midoriya-kun forces himself to smile, bow and wave for the people in the back. "I'm, uh…"

"I've prepared several introductions for your viewing pleasure, Midoriya-kun." Monitor calls from the tablet. The look on Midoriya's face is somewhere between confusion and obvious caution and exasperation, but he pulls out his phone anyways.

"I, no, sorry, I am NOT using any of these, Monitor. Why? We talked about this. We were doing so well." Midoriya sighs and shoves his phone back into his pocket with a bit more force than necessary. "Can we just… I'm sure everyone remembers Ka- Bakugō."

Momo blinks as Bakugō scowls at them. He's wearing a coat at least, but it doesn't hide the metal that takes up most of his left shoulder.

"Bakugō got a prosthetic from Mei and Melissa, and he's being moved up to 1-S as a heroics student, if we even have those divisions…" Midoriya sighs, scratching the back of his head as he tries to ignore Bakugō's glare. "Sorry about our fight earlier, we have a bit of unfinished business from way back and things got out of hand."

"Wait, he was fighting you?!" Someone from class B cries, voicing just about every student's confusion aloud. Midoriya-kun shrugs, slides his hands in his pockets and looks everywhere but someone else's eyes.

"I wouldn't call it fighting, I just ran away. If we were actually going at it, things would have gotten pretty bad. Plus, we were both running late." Midoriya-kun stammers. "I assume we'll get some better chances to show off our stuff eventually, but I think I'm the most experienced one here so… Um. Anomalies."

Midoriya looks to the principal, who simply grins back as if Midoriya were leading the entire meeting in the first place.

"…Right. Uh, Anomalies are people who are too strong, or too fast, or too smart for their original quirk." Midoriya frowns and stops there. After a few minutes of awkward waiting, Ashido pushes out of the crowd and crosses her arms at Momo's elbow.

"Why not just join the hero course? Or the support course? Why make a whole new class?" Ashido frowns.

"Because heroes can't fight Anomalies." Midoriya says. Her frowns and stares at the grass for a moment before he looks up and meets Ashido's glare. "There are villains out there you won't be able to handle."

"I get that Togata-senpai and Bakugō can, but what about you?" Monoma crawls out of the class B crowd and glares at Midoriya-kun with a scowl. "What makes you good enough to be in this S-class?"

Midoriya-kun blinks, then looks back at Melissa and Togata-senpai. The pair of them both seem a little bit worried, but they're smiling nonetheless. Hearing everything secondhand like this, Momo can't help but feel like these S-class people know way more than they're letting on. When Midoriya looks back at the hero class, he looks sad. He locks eyes with Momo, of all people, and then turns his eyes to the grass.

"I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of me, actually." Midoriya shrugs, looking half embarrassed half resigned to his fate. "I'm the green wind vigilante. People call me Deku."

That… Momo doesn't know how to deal with that.

Nobody else knows how to deal with that either.

A very distinct memory of watching Deku resolve crimes faster than the speed of sound comes to mind and Momo very much wants to be sick. She also feels like she's sinking. Possibly dissociating a little bit. This is all new to her.

-000-

Izuku wants to hit something. Like, he really wants to hit something.

He hasn't wanted to hit something this much since he fought Overhaul and those Yakuza idiots back in chapter whatever-the-fuck it was, and that took MOST OF THE STORY to get through.

These feelings are really hard to manage because he… well, he can't hit things.

On top of Izuku's growing rage, Bakugō won't stop glaring at him. Which only makes Izuku want to hit things more and then makes him consider trying to hit Bakugō but sends him back to the whole "Heroes don't turn people into mist when they're grumpy" thing. Izuku takes a breath as their party trudges back to the S-class dorm and reminds himself that All Might is… kind of a saint, if he managed power like this for decades.

Endeavor is less so, but for different reasons. Reasons Izuku doesn't know yet.

But that… Wait, what?

"I think that went well!" Togata-senpai crows. Izuku stares at the older boy for a moment before he shakes his head and tries to get his train of thought back in motion. Something about Endeavor and All Might. Apologizing to All Might. Right.

Izuku feels like he's forgetting something. People are talking now, but he doesn't really want to listen. Or talk. He feels like people trying to kill him the moment he steps out the door is a good reason for not wanting to talk. Even immortals don't like getting chased around like that.

Eventually they're heading up the front steps of the S-class dorm, Bakugō having retrieved his suitcases from the sidewalk, and Izuku finds himself dealing with a little ball of human and the large horn that nearly punctures his lung (or tries to, at least).

Bakugō storms past them, ignoring Eri entirely, towards the stairs.

"Kacchan. Boy's dorm is on the left. I'm the first door on the ground floor." Izuku calls after him.

Bakugō takes to the stairs. Izuku huffs, knowing he'll probably head for the top floor and the furthest room down from Izuku's.

"I'll go deal with him." Melissa sighs, trudging after the other blonde.

Izuku doesn't comment on that. Anyone wrangling Bakugō by choice is beyond help in his experience. Hopefully she's better at it than anyone Izuku knows.

"Hi there little one!" Togata grins at Eri over Izuku's shoulder, keeping a healthy distance from her once he's realized she isn't great around strangers.

"Nii-san, who's he?" Eri breathes the words like a prayer, hiding them in the arch of Izuku's shoulder and his stray curls. Izuku grins as he holds her a little tighter.

"That's Togata-senpai, he's a friend of mine. A school friend. You can call him Million, if you want." Izuku grins as Eri looks up at Togata-senpai sheepishly. The blonde remains quiet until Eri taps Izuku's shoulder and gets lowered to the floor. Despite how tall Togata-senpai is, Eri takes a step and looks up, gripping the hem of her pajamas until her knuckles are white.

"H-hi," Eri stammers. "Can I c-ca… name you Million-san?"

"Million is fine, if that's better," Togata-senpai crouches slowly, making himself only a bit taller than Eri by sitting on the balls of his feet. "Are you Eri-chan?"

Izuku grins when she nods and stares at the floor. After a bit, he leans forward and puts his hand to his mouth, stage whispering to his classmate.

"Eri really likes hugs, but she's too scared to ask senpai." The little girl blushes like mad as Togata-senpai grins and holds out his hands.

"Hey hey, Eri-chan, I'm gonna hug you okay?" She grows even more red, but her hands finally release her pajamas. Hardly a second later she's flying into the air and Togata-senpai is spinning around laughing like All Might, which drags laughter out of Eri as if the two were made to be friends. Eventually Eri is back on Izuku's shoulder and Bakugō is dragged in behind Melissa, dressed in a tank top and athletic shorts with all the grace of a stallion snapping at the bit.

Eri is less fond of Bakugō, which suits everyone just fine.

"Fucking fight me, Deku."

"Kacchan LANGUAGE!"

"Bakugō-kun, don't make me tighten the nerves again."

"Bitch, I…" Izuku blinks as Melissa pushes a screwdriver beneath the boy's nose, which apparently makes him rethink his statement. "Fu- Fine. Fight me, Deku."

"Maybe later. When we have people watching to make sure you don't destroy the entire school." Izuku says. He can't keep his tone from being flat, considering Bakugō just swore in front of Eri and spent the morning trying to kill him on sight. What he wants more than anything is to grab Bakugō's arm and yank it out of the socket, but that restarts the whole inner turmoil bit.

Wait, isn't he supposed to remember something about Endeavor?

Goddamn it.

"So, what's this… S-class bull?" Bakugō growls.

"It's exactly what it sounds like." Izuku sighs. "Nezu is gathering Anomalies who want to be heroes. Dabi and Stain are still out there, and who knows how many others."

"The f… heck is Dabi?" Bakugō looks like he's going to be ill. Izuku grins and ruffles Eri's hair before passing her to Togata-senpai and sinking back into the couch.

"The blue fire guy in the black cloak. Weird face."

"Oh. Him."

"Yeah."

"I'll kill him eventually."

"Sure you will Kacchan."

"Shut up, Deku." Bakugō turns his glare on Togata-senpai next. "And what about you, Sparky? What the hell did you take trying to catch up to Deku?"

"I'm not sure I follow. You think I took some kind of drug?" Togata-senpai frowns as he sits Eri on his shoulders, leaving her to play with the gelled spike crowning his forehead. "Don't they usually give that to someone weaker in all the stories? I'm not some kind of comic book character, you know."

"You sure as hell ain't natural." Bakugō snorts, then swats the screwdriver from his elbow as Melissa tries to make good on her threat. "Leave it alone, Doc!"

"Behave!"

"Fine!"

"I honestly don't know what you're…"

"Look, Sparky," Bakugō cuts Togata-senpai off with a growl. "I don't know what kind of idiot you think I am, but I KNOW who's real and who isn't. That Dabi creep, Deku over there, Pinkie locks, the Doc even got something from hanging around us, but YOU?"

Izuku frowns at the implication that Melissa is an Anomaly. Something tells him she isn't one, though he isn't sure exactly what. But if THAT'S true then… Bakugō just gave Melissa a compliment?

What kind of nightmare is this?

"You're about as genuine as Deku's sense of humor." Bakugō finishes. Izuku heaves a sigh of relief as pieces of the universe begin to slot back into place. "What did you eat?"

"He's All Might's successor. I think it was a hair or something." Izuku cuts in. Togata-senpai and Melissa both look at him with wide eyes while Bakugō settles for a glare. After a few moments, Bakugō snorts and scratches his head.

"Whatever. At least the banana picked someone half decent."

There goes the universe again. Izuku is really starting to worry about the integrity of the plot universe at this point.

"Um… Midoriya-kun I know that you've kind of got like, an all access pass and everything but," Togata-senpai frowns, making sure that Izuku notices how serious he is. "Is it okay to spread that?"

"Look, even if we wanted to keep it secret, he'd figure it out soon enough. Plus, this room is full of the world's best secret keepers." Izuku's eyes rise to the little girl perched atop Togata-senpai's shoulders. Her eyes are wide as saucers now that Izuku is speaking her language. "Isn't that right Eri?"

"Mmmhmm!" She nods once, decisively, then looks at Melissa and Bakugō before leaning down to whisper in Togata-senpai's ear. "Momma doesn't know about midnight cookie time."

Izuku beams as his friends smile and chuckle.

"Hey, where'd Mei go?"

"She took the elevator down to the lab."

"Isn't that… kind of far away? Did you guys build an elevator shaft that far?"

"Do you really think she'd build a dorm that isn't connected to the lab?"

"I thought they were trying to get her to sleep."

"You know she doesn't sleep."

"Good point."

-000-

Ashido takes a deep breath and digs her fingers into her forehead, trying to fight off the fatigue infecting each member of class 1-A. Momo still can't think quite straight, so she tries to focus on Ashido instead of the women pressed into her sides. Uraraka-chan and Kyōka are hard to fight off when they're feeling overprotective, and Momo isn't entirely sure if she's alright in the first place.

"Okay, so this Midoriya guy. He's the one who got us all out of the mall last summer, Kiri?" Kirishima nods, looking much more sullen than usual. Ashido frowns even more as she continues. "And Ochako saw him get hit by a car after that, right?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that was him." Uraraka-chan nods. "He climbed out like it was nothing. The entire thing was caved in, kinda like someone wrapped him in metal."

"We know that the green wind vigilante saved people from bombs, pulled them out of apartment fires, fought that weird bird Yakuza guy, and got involved during that crazy raid on the League after the attacks." Ashido sighs, ticking the points off on her fingers. "And now we find out that he's some kind of… what'd they call it, an Anomaly? So, it's gotta be super strength and invulnerability or something. AND Yaomomo was tutoring him?"

The pink girl hits the couch and sinks into it as she groans aloud.

"What the hell kinda crazy coincidence is all that!"

"Don't forget he knew Blasty." Kyōka mutters.

"DON'T!" Ashido covers her face with her hands and shouts, kicking her legs into the air before flopping back down across Tsuyu-chan and Ojiro-kun. "Don't even get me STARTED on that…! What WAS that? Bakugō loses an arm and now he's got a prosthetic that doubles as a CANON?! It's been like three months! What kind of insanity is this?!"

"Midoriya didn't explain things very well." Tsuyu croaked. "Momo-chan, did you know about any of this?"

"Look at her!" Ashido's hands fly into the air again. "Obviously she had no idea!"

"I still think we should punch him for lyin' to Yaomomo." Uraraka-chan mutters.

"Bakugō carved through the school like it was nothing and Midoriya barely blinked. You said it yourself, the guy got hit by a car!" Kaminari-kun shrugs, wearing his usual smirk. "I don't think you want to piss him off, Uraraka."

He'd just apologize. Momo thinks. Or would he? What do I know about him, really?

"Why don't we go ask them to explain things more?" All eyes turn on Kirishima, whose stare seems caught somewhere beyond the floor. "They said we'll be working with those guys. Bakugō was our classmate before he lost his arm. I think… I don't know about you guys, but I need to know more about what's going on before I can just accept this whole "S-class" business."

Kirishima's eyes rise and scan the crowd, sending a ripple through them. There's something in his stare that calls to each of them one way or another. Fighting spirit, curiosity, stubbornness, betrayal, even hope, though it all swirls through crimson eyes like campfire colors.

Momo frowns as she tries to figure out how their meeting might go. A thousand different things play out in an instant, but her mind remains mostly empty. Foggy. It feels like she has to grab thoughts from the base of her neck and yank them to the back of her eyes, but her hands are tracing patterns in smoke. No matter how empty her mind is, her chest feels tight and her guts swim as if trying to rebel against her now that she's lost control.

"Yaoyorozu…?" She locks onto Kirishima. Her gut settles but her chest tightens further as the unspoken question reaches her.

Do I want to know…? Momo's hands tighten around her knees. The photos of the Midoriya family saved in her phone come to mind, and a faded (albeit fond and well-used) memory of the last visit sparks an emotional tug of war in her gut.

If this were a story, one of her novels or maybe one of Ashido's manga, Momo would resolve these feelings in the moment. Maybe she could push them down and ignore them, or she would pick a direction to take them. She might play out a thousand ideas or a hundred fantasies. There would be a flashback, or perhaps a look into the upbringing of "Yaoyorozu Momo".

"I… If you all want answers, I can ask for Midoriya to explain things." Momo's gut churns at the idea. A sinking feeling invades her chest when she thinks of seeing him them again.

She's the class representative. Her feelings on the matter are unimportant when her classmates need answers.

-000-

Shōto thinks this is a waste of time, but he's curious. Tagging along with the invasion of the S-class dorm satisfies a deep-seated need to know just how powerful Bakugō's new weapon is and just who this Midoriya person really is.

Neither of them will be stronger than him, more than likely. The output for Bakugō's last attack was more than likely his maximum, and Shōto knows he has more than one large attack in him after the training Aizawa has put them through. Shōto has three months of training on Bakugō even if the blonde was a monster the last time they fought.

Last time there had been people in Shōto's way. He hadn't been able to go all out.

That was the only reason he'd lost.

He blinks as the class crosses the trenches left over from Bakugō and Midoriya's "scuffle" earlier today, staring at the S-class dorm building. The S-class dorm is almost a full story larger than their building. He can't help finding that odd, considering there's only five students in the entire class.

At first he'd though that the designs were strange. The buildings black metal shells were completely alien and the windows were some odd type of plastic. It was a twisted, futuristic outer shell mixed containing a fairly average inside.

Part of him bristles as he realizes the S-class is already the favorite.

Luckily for Shōto, Midoriya and Bakugō are already coming down the front steps when class 1-A reaches their building. Midoriya blinks when he sees them, looking much more flustered than Shōto expected. His introduction of the S-class earlier painted him as a more forward individual than the one coming down the steps. The blonde girl and Togata stand at the top of the steps.

Shōto's eyes linger on the small child sitting atop Togata's shoulders, then flicker back to Midoriya.

"Oh, uh… Hi…?" Midoriya scratches the back of his head as his eyes scan the crowd. "Did, um, were you guys looking for someone?"

"We were hoping you could explain everything a little bit better, Midoriya-san." Iida says somberly. He's been quiet most of the evening, for some reason, but in the face of the new class he speaks up with… is that rivalry in his voice? Shōto doesn't know him well, but he hadn't thought Iida would be that type. "Some of us still aren't certain about this Anomaly business, or the creation of a new class rivalling the hero course."

Midoriya looks nervous. Shōto thinks he looks a bit sick, honestly.

"Look, that wasn't my decision. I'd have been fine just transferring into the hero course…" He sighs as people start talking, then glances over his shoulder. "I could explain, but…"

"He's fu," Bakugō's expression twists as he forcibly corrects his language and hisses under his breath. "We're busy. Deku can explain everything to you idiots after I kick… beat him."

Not cursing makes Bakugō sound constipated. Shōto is kind of surprised none of the class clowns say anything about that, but everyone is a little too stunned by the scene to dare. Midoriya rolls his eyes and smiles awkwardly.

"I can drop by your dorm after we're finished. I have to drop Eri off with my mother and Kurobayashi-sensei before we head down to the lab, so…"

"I want in." Shōto steps out of the crowd. Midoriya's eyes go wide, and this time it's Bakugō who rolls their eyes.

"Didn't you hear Deku? We don't have time to babysit you, half-and-half." Bakugō jerks a thumb at the ground, exposing a metal hand far more advanced than anything Shōto thought possible. Shōto can't see much else beneath the U.A. blazer that Bakugō has thrown over his shoulders, so he resolves to keep an eye on the arm whenever he gets a chance. "We'll call you when we need an air conditioner."

"I can assure you that neither of you are better than I am." Shōto growls, feeling ice creep into his veins. "I don't believe this Anomaly nonsense."

"Well no one…!" Bakugō's teeth snap shut audibly when Midoriya looks over his shoulder. Shōto watches the green boy frown as he turns back to them.

"Todoroki-kun, right?" Shōto nods. Midoriya hesitates, but eventually he sighs. "We're already running behind. They're probably at the elevator already."

"Izuku, you aren't thinking of taking them down to the lab are you?" The blonde girl looks a bit worried about the idea. Shōto isn't sure why, or who she is exactly. Midoriya's eyes screw shut as he digs a hand into his hair and scratches his head, looking conflicted.

"The gauntlet won't work, but we can't… Why'd this all have to get so complicated…?" Midoriya mutters quietly. After a moment to think he meets Shōto's eyes and then scans the crowd from 1-A. "We're gonna have to spar outdoors so Kacchan doesn't destroy anything, anyways. I guess showing everyone the lab will have to wait."

"On the contrary," The strange computer voice chimes in. Shōto's eyes widen as Midoriya pulls out a cell phone and frowns at it.

"Monitor…?"

"Mother started working on a new Gauntlet after your little outburst. I believe testing field Omega is prepared and ready for Anomaly combat, as long as you don't exceed thirty percent of your limit." The machine says.

"There's no point if Deku doesn't go all out." Bakugō growls.

"I agree." Shōto breaks in.

"Izuku, I don't think you're going to get out of this without showing off a bit." Togata calls. He's smiling a bit too much for Shōto's liking, and Midoriya apparently shares Shōto's sentiment because he looks like someone just gave him extra homework.

"Why does everyone want to fight all the time?" Midoriya mutters, throwing his head back as he drags his hands across his face. "Look, why don't you both punch me in the face and just say you won? You guys can fight it out and I'll explain things to everyone."

"Quit whining and get a move on." Bakugō shoves Midoriya forward, nearly sending his nose into Yaoyorozu's chest (whether on purpose or accidentally… Well, Shōto knows Bakugō well enough to guess which) and turning both teens scarlet. Midoriya whirls on Bakugō with an expression of betrayal that doesn't quite fit his meek personality.

"Kacchan what the hell?!"

"Move it. I ain't waiting all day!" Bakugō storms through 1-A as if they weren't classmates at one point. Shōto can understand that, considering the blonde's temperament and his own contempt for socialization, but the class doesn't like it.

Yaoyorozu hasn't stopped blushing either. Midoriya doesn't seem like he's going to be done any time soon either, though he seems more frustrated than anything else.

"Alright, fine! Fine, just make me do everything, huh? Let's go then." Midoriya growls, throwing a look at Yaoyorozu before twisting and backtracking towards Togata. Shōto frowns as Midoriya takes the little girl and places her on his hip easily, trudging around the crowd instead of through.

"I promise he's not normally so… awkward," The blonde girl calls. Shōto glances at her and Togata before he twists and follows the others. His class waits for the rest of whatever the girl has to say, but eventually they catch up. Bakugō waits for them by the main elevator, glaring at a bunch of people that Shōto doesn't recognize.

"Fuck you want, extras?"

"Where's Izuku?" A tiny girl storms out of the group to meet the challenge, glaring at Bakugō with eyes that shift from orange and black to red and blue and back again. She's what Natsuo or Kaminari would call pretty, with dark hair cut to her shoulders and brushed to shine, but Shōto remains focused on her eyes.

He's not interested in anything but her quirk, and even that isn't terribly interesting.

"Dropping off the brat, bitch. Fuck off me." Bakugō growls. Hardly a moment after he says it, the tallest girl of the group storms forward and plants herself eye to eye with him.

"Apologize. Now." The girl with the eyes reaches for the taller girl's arm but trying to drag the girl off Bakugō is impossible for her (Shōto catches her eyes turning blue and yellow before he goes back to ignoring her). Before Bakugō can say anything more incriminating, Togata and the blonde woman are putting themselves in between the two with pained smiles.

"Hey, hey, everyone relax!"

"Sokuchi-chan, please don't start anything he doesn't mean anything by it…"

It takes time. The tall girl never stops glaring at Bakugō and the first group make it a point not to mix with anyone from Shōto's class or the S-class now that Bakugō has started a war. Shōto isn't entirely sure who these people are, though he's half certain that the tall girl thinks something of her quirk. Anyone who knows Bakugō wouldn't stand up to him otherwise. By the time Midoriya has arrived Shōto has written them all off as unimportant and uninteresting. Variables, maybe, but no one worth keeping track of until they actually show some promise.

When he does arrive, Midoriya takes one look at the hallway and stops in his tracks. Shōto returns his glare evenly before his eyes slide from Shōto to Bakugō and then to the people nearest the elevator.

"Kābā, Ruby…?"

"He called Tachi-chan a bitch." The boy who responds pushes his glasses up his face, wearing an expression somewhere between angry and disappointed, before he crosses his arms and smiles wolfishly.

"Let's get something straight, Kacchan."

Shōto blinks, staring at the empty hallway in front of him before he twists and stares at Midoriya's back. The boy's fists are tight and his voice is quiet, but something hot rolls off his shoulders and makes it hard to breathe.

This isn't like Endeavor's rage or the face All Might made when he fought off the villains at USJ. Rage, anger, and hate are all things Shōto knows from personal experience, or at least recognizes. No one, not his father or even Shigaraki, has ever locked Shōto's limbs up and brought stars to his eyes with a breath. Shōto's heart stutters in the face of Midoriya's presence, then beats with the force of a sucker punch as time lurches back into motion.

"I don't care what you say to me or how many times you try to fight me. You can treat me as a piece of shit all you like if that makes you happy. Do the same to my family and I'll make what Shigaraki did to your arm look like a handshake."

Shōto blinks once (he has to ignore the sweat stinging his eyes) and glances at Bakugō. A shudder runs through his body as if the motion of his eyes could possibly draw Midoriya's attention.

Bakugō is standing in front of Shōto now. Shōto has no idea when he moved or how the explosive teen reacts to the display. All he knows is that Bakugō doesn't say anything when Midoriya reaches out and hits the elevator button.

"I've commandeered both elevators to take you all to Mother's lab. You can thank me later." The robot calls from the intercoms. When no one responds, the machine hums. "Have I missed something?"

Shōto makes the mistake of looking up at the ceiling for a moment, wondering if the robot called Monitor really has infected the entire school. When he looks back at the hallway Midoriya's presence is gone. Midoriya slumps like someone who's had a very long day and wants the elevator to hurry up, almost invisible in the empty hallway full of U.A. uniforms.

The lack of substance fills Shōto with odd chills and faint bursts of vertigo.

No one says anything else as they load into the elevators. Those closest to Midoriya board the first elevator along with him, and they never stop glaring (or grinning) in Bakugō's direction.

-000-

"This… This was underneath our feet all year?" Kaminari, ever the voice of their class, is the first to get his voice back after leaving the elevator. The words are in and out of Momo's ears before they're truly understood, and now the size of the lab is even more impressive. At first, she'd been too caught up in the structure but now that she thinks about it…

"Not exactly." Midoriya's voice cuts through the haze, drawing her eyes. He still isn't looking at any of them (he hasn't looked at anyone since they loaded into the elevators as far as Momo knows), but it's clear that this is part of their 'explanation'. "Mei's lab was originally only six stories deep and it was a lot smaller at first. I have no idea how much Nezu gave her for the lab space, but this place has only gotten bigger since last September. There's another two stories of containment under the floor."

She stands in a massive room. The ceiling is… no, it's not really vaulted. Plain white panels, suspended from shadows, curve from the walls to form an arch and hide the ceiling from her eyes. It almost feels like standing in a traffic tunnel after twilight.

The floor is made of large glowing panels edged in the same black metal their dorms are made from. When Momo's eyes trace the lines to the walls she realizes that the walls, despite being mostly white, are deceptively tall. Looking up makes her feel as if the ceiling is missing, but the tiles she can see are almost seven, maybe eight stories above her.

Once the size of the lab truly sinks in, she realizes two things.

Her eyes strain as she realizes that the floor isn't actually a floor, but a catwalk of sorts. Near the elevator the panels stretch from end to end, but near Midoriya-kun's feet there aren't nearly so many. There are things moving in the darkness underfoot. Blinking lights and undulating shadows living in a pit far too deep, too large for Momo to really grasp how large they might be.

After she drags her eyes from the pit, she looks at the walls and finds that those, too, are alive. Only the strange panels hanging from the ceiling and the large portion of safe space near the elevators are white. The wall on her left isn't solid. It's made of black shapes slotted into a gigantic hole. Momo would say that it reminds her of a server room, but server rooms aren't made of faint red light and black boxes. Black things don't crawl up and down between the walkways of a server room and clouds don't fall from the ceilings of server rooms like unholy fog, floating onto the panels lining the wall and then down into the maw of the pit.

To her right is a wall of black metal that is whole, much to Momo's relief. What terrifies her is that the black expanse of the wall reaches further up than Momo can really see, which can only mean that whatever lives behind the metal could be much larger than Momo first thought.

"You guys probably think we're holding out on your or something like that."

Momo jerks her eyes back to Midoriya-kun's shoulders, remembering for the first time in ages that she isn't alone (part of her feels as though she's standing at the bottom of a well, or perhaps at the bottom of an ocean…) and that they came down here for a reason. Midoriya-kun turns his eyes to the ceiling, keeping his back to the rest of them.

"No one knows what makes people Anomalies. There's no rhyme or reason that anyone can find, not even Nezu… though I doubt he'd admit it, honestly. We didn't ask for this or go looking for it. None of the Anomalies took a drug or absorbed someone else's DNA to manifest a second quirk. Whatever is happening to us isn't quirk related at all." He turns around and looks at them for a moment before he sighs and digs a hand into his hair, the way he does whenever he's nervous. "Mei invented Monitor on a whim, and she's spiraled from there. A year ago, I tripped coming home and accidentally tore the front door in half, then got accused of being on steroids when my mom finally couldn't ignore it anymore. You all knew Kacchan before he started changing, so I probably don't need to tell you that he had no idea what was going on."

He sounds tired and sad. Apathetic in ways that Momo's friend never was.

You didn't really know him at all, did you?

"There are others. The hero killer, Stain, he's faster than the speed of sound. Someone named Dabi, the one who helped Shigaraki murder your classmate, his quirk burns his body so badly that he's basically a zombie, but he nearly killed me during the Storm." Midoriya-kun says. "That's why Nezu made the S-class. Because people like Kacchan and Mei and I want to help people, but there are villains like us."

Bakugō doesn't wait for Midoriya-kun to finish before he stalks out onto the catwalk and heads deeper into the lab. Momo frowns before she notices the contraption built onto the left side of the room and the wide section of floor panels built underneath it.

"C'mon, you should meet Monitor in person. Just, er…" Midoriya-kun actually smiles a bit this time, though he doesn't look at them. His eyes remain on the floor by their feet before he turns and walks away. "Be polite? He takes manners very seriously."

Melissa and Togata-senpai follow Midoriya-kun readily, smiling as if they're trying to diffuse the tension. Their grins do absolutely nothing to make anyone feel better, if her classmates are feeling anywhere nearly as overwhelmed as Momo is.

They follow anyways. Momo really doesn't want to be alone in this place, and the only people who have any real substance at the moment have already left the safe space closest to the elevators. Four people can walk shoulder to shoulder on the catwalk, but class 1-A remains in pairs pressed as tightly together as possible without stepping on each other's' heels.

Hatsume's 'lab' is a hundred square meters built into the left side of the lab, squarely underneath the gaping maw of black metal and sinister red lights that Momo has been trying to avoid looking at. When they finally get close, every member of 1-A slows down and stares at the monster built into the wall. None of them descend the steps leading down to the panels built into the wall, choosing to remain outside the beast's reach.

Someone screams when the undulating metal disks contract and warp to push the monstrous eyeball out to greet them, extending much further than any of them imagined possible.

"Greetings, class 1-A. As you know, I am the entity designated Monitor mk. Four. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The machine says. Momo's jaw works, but her mouth is so dry that all she can do is swallow and try to reseat the gears in her brain. No one else seems capable of saying anything either.

"Monitor, they're uh…" Midoriya-kun comes to their rescue again, though he gravitates towards the group of students that boarded the elevator with him. Students that Momo doesn't recognize, whom can only be Midoriya's friends.

His "family", if what he told Bakugō is any indication.

Momo's heart pounds once in her chest, driving a nail into the coffin of her friendship with Midoriya-kun.

"Everyone is a bit overwhelmed, okay? Cut them some slack?" Midoriya-kun licks his lips as he faces the machine. The light of its eye blinks several times.

"Of course. I'm not a SAVAGE, Midoriya-kun. Must you always treat me like one?" The light turns back to the rest of them, rising into the air so that it can make eye(?) contact with each of them. "I promise, whatever Midoriya-kun might have said about my character, I am purely at the service of U.A.'s students. Especially the noble students enrolled in the hero course. May this be the beginning of a long friendship."

Momo's jaw drops as the eye dips in what can only be a bow before drawing back into its lair. The sound of a long, drawn out sigh draws Momo's eyes and she finds Midoriya with his face in his hands.

"There there, buddy. You're doing great. Just a little more…" The boy with glasses grabs Midoriya-kun by the shoulders and leads him down the steps, staring up at the monster hanging from the scaffolding at the while.

"…Hey Ruby?" The tallest woman in Midoriya's friends hums as she takes the energetic one's hand and pulls the rest towards the stairs. "Was I a bit too harsh with Izuku?"

"No one could have guessed it was like this, Konomi. You were just being friendly, not being a bully." The girl says quietly. By the time their group reaches the bottom step the two are pressed side to side, and the rest have closed in around them protectively.

At least class 1-A aren't the only ones feeling overwhelmed by all this.

Momo steps around Midoriya's friends just in time to see a small android bounce away from Melissa's side and bow.

"Hello! I'm Maya, please take care of me!"

"Minions! Fantastic, more test subjects!" A chair descends from the ceiling, revealing a mechanical clone of Hatsume that is… eerily similar to the real thing, save for the gold coils that make up her dreadlocks. It even wears the U.A. student uniform. "Your overlord says hello!"

"Mei-I, we've been OVER this!" Midoriya-kun groans, striding past the shorter android with a soft squeeze of its… her(?) shoulder as he glares up at the other machine. "You can't call them minions or subjects; you have an ARMY for that!"

"Have we not invaded the overworld yet? They aren't here to pay respects to their rulers?" The machine pauses and frowns, peering at them through a gap in her screens. "Who let them in?"

"I did!"

"Oh, did you want to spare these? Because I can put that into the dossiers…"

"Mei-I you aren't allowed to invade humanity! Stop planning to!"

"If you read the reports Monitor sent to your email then you know the protection of the human race depends on…"

"No it doesn't! This isn't a science fiction story! Quit it!"

"Commander, I don't believe he's even opened the emails I sent him. My apologies."

"Human error, little brother."

"Mei! What did I tell you about disabling their superiority complexes!"

"What? When did you all get here?"

"Mei-chan, I thought we talked about that invasion issue…" Melissa sighs, resting her hands on Maya's shoulders as Midoriya glares up at the twins and their beast.

"Don't worry about this, they do this every other day or so." Togata-senpai grins at the two groups, waving a hand as if this isn't increasing their existential terror exponentially.

"Can you just. Bring. Out. The Gauntlet?" Midoriya calls.

"Why didn't you say that sooner!"

"Just ask Monitor!"

"You know Midoriya-kun prefers to ignore my existence." Monitor calls, drifting up and down in a way that actually makes Momo feel bad for it. Him(?). Whatever it is. "I will bring out the Gauntlet, Midoriya-kun. Please give me a moment."

Midoriya glares at the floor as he wanders back towards the steps with Bakugō and Todoroki-kun in tow. The entire structure rumbles as the far wall shifts, venting steam from lines that are near impossible to see.

The ceiling rises as the wall begins to extend.

-000-

Shōto frowns as Bakugō pulls on his prosthetic, stretching it far further than a human arm might be able to go. There's no discomfort in the way Bakugō moves despite how new the machine is. One look at the boy's left arm, now that he's shed his blazer and his dress shirt, proves that Bakugō has kept up the rest of his training. Whether he's at full potential or not, Shōto has to assume that the arm won't be a limiting factor.

Midoriya stands between them staring at the floor. He hasn't moved an inch from the middle of the room since they entered the lab's "Gauntlet": A gym made of clear plastic walls and black metal supports that is easily the size of U.A.'s official stadium field. Rows of metal arms descended from the ceiling shortly after the three of them entered the room, giving Midoriya's friends and Shōto's classmates seats for the fight.

Hopefully they won't have to be there long. Shōto doesn't like being in this lab. Everything is moving, and those machines are too… human looking. Whatever quirk is making this place work is either well trained or far too powerful for Shōto's liking.

"Well then, the match will begin. Please, Bakugō-kun, Midoriya-kun, keep in mind that there is a normal student in the Gauntlet. Midoriya-kun, your limit is thirty five percent before structural integrity will begin to lower."

"Fuck that." Bakugō growls. "Don't hold back on me, Deku."

Midoriya hesitates, then turns and trudges away. He stops a short distance from the wall and looks out at the spectators, then rubs his neck and half turns so that his back is to Bakugō and he's caught between Shōto and the rest.

"I um…" He coughs, frowning at his hands as he tries to find the words. "You guys asked about Anomalies before. And I get that Todoroki-kun doesn't believe this whole thing, that this place is probably really crazy and…"

"Fucking hurry up, Deku!"

"In a SECOND, Kacchan!" Midoriya growls, rubbing his face with his palms as a breath hisses between his teeth. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you all got caught up in this, I guess."

Shōto isn't sure what Midoriya's angle is. He's either very good at acting or he's just strange. Usually strange people don't have many friends, in Shōto's experience, so it's odd that so many people seem close to him.

Problems to work out another time.

Midoriya steps into the space directly between Shōto and Bakugō, glancing at both of them. For a moment he looks like he wants to say something, but then he shakes his head and waves a hand at the ceiling.

"Understood. Beginning the countdown. 10… 9… 8…"

Cold builds in Shōto's right hand and leg, preparing the largest blast of frost that he possibly can with ten seconds notice. Midoriya is in the way, but that's not Shōto's problem. Anyone who claims to be as good as Midoriya will get out of the way or have their true colors revealed. Shōto doesn't care which comes first, but eventually he'll manage to reveal Midoriya's power. Bakugō is just an obstacle in the meantime. One that Shōto has been preparing to face for months.

"…Begin."

Frost explodes from Shōto's foot as a canon blast echoes from across the room, courtesy of Bakugō. A gale howls. Midoriya remains motionless between them, completely unfazed.

Shōto blinks.

-000-

Despite what Monitor says, Izuku doesn't have many limits in a space like this. With so much room to move, he can push things up to sixty percent and half his top speed without doing any damage to the supports. It takes finesse and control, but Izuku has spent the last year relentlessly drilling control into his system. The ice crawling off Todoroki's right side is fast, but not as fast as Kacchan's fire. Both of them are unleashing the upper limits of their power, if Izuku's guess is right. A solar flare blooms on his left while a glacier rises to meet it on his other side.

He pushes it a little past half speed and waves his right arm towards Todoroki, then waves his left towards the ceiling. The attacks disappear, and Izuku allows himself to relax while the world catches up to him.

-000-

Katsuki's rage burns as the flames die. His arms are almost back at full power, but there's a bit of fatigue remaining from his antics earlier that morning.

Not that it matters to Deku.

A pair of blasts launch Katsuki forward. Before he fully closes the gap, he catches the look of confusion on Icy-hot's face and grins. Hopefully the bastard will tuck his tail between his legs and let Katsuki really go all out. Either way he's not in any danger.

Deku weaves around Katsuki's blows like a ribbon flowing around a dancer. He barely even moves, but Katsuki's fists never close in on him. Explosions die whenever Katsuki lets them out, and every failed attack stokes Katsuki's rage.

His prosthetic snarls as Deku slips out of his fingers again.

"Fucking FIGHT ME!" Katsuki screams. Deku hesitates.

Katsuki feels that bastard's shoulder under his fingers for a fraction of a second before they close on empty air. Something on the back of his neck tells him Deku is on his right, that he's standing still. A blast rips out of Katsuki's real hand, blooming between his prosthetic and his ribcage, and his tank top flutters as the attack becomes a whimper in the wind. He's barely turned, barely taken one step when a shock runs down his spine and the flames in his left arm cry out a warning. The air cools as he tries to turn back.

He only twists halfway when the glacier scrapes his fingertips.

Ice digs into his flesh, and Katsuki's eyes widen as the pain approaches a memory that he's spent months trying to outrun.

Katsuki blinks.

-000-

Izuku sighs as he notices Todoroki whip out another glacier. This one is a bit faster, but it's like watching paint dry. Pretty paint, sure, but it's all the same really. Kābā showed him a video of someone painting with fractals once, and this reminds him of that. He passes Kacchan, frozen in time with an animalistic glint in his eyes, and takes a moment to appreciate the new arm. Mei really outdid herself designing it.

A lazy front kick breaks the glacier into diamond dust.

-000-

Shōto bites back a scream as Midoriya appears between them.

Using Bakugō as a shield won't work, then. Quirk erasure is a strong ability, but it has to have a weakness. Midoriya isn't using his hands, so it must be his sight or his legs.

Shōto blinks.

-000-

Katsuki can feel his body trying to move.

The arm is heavy for some reason. It pulls against the bolts keeping it seated on his shoulder just enough that he can't ignore it. His eyelids descend on his vision like a curtain falling on a stage and rise with the grace of rusty canvas.

Fire doesn't exist at this speed the way it normally does. His quirk unleashes a white bubble spreading from his left hand and a weird ripple in the air that makes it hard to see Deku standing on the other side of his outstretched fingers.

It takes ages to blink. Deku is gone long before his vision goes dark.

-000-

It's… strange. Strange?

No, strange isn't the right word.

Momo has no idea what it is. What she sees cannot be the truth. She doesn't say this, not because the fight doesn't make sense, but because she doesn't actually SEE anything.

Bakugō moves a bit faster than normal, but he's not inhuman. He moves a bit like a pro hero, in Momo's opinion. Speed borne from execution. From honed reflexes and training. When he swings and kicks at Midoriya, the attacks are swift and powerful.

Todoroki doesn't move, but he's watching. His quirk offers him a unique offense and defense, so waiting and finding the right moment to strike is a good decision in Momo's experience. She's a bit surprised he hasn't used his quirk yet, but against Bakugō and Midoriya he might be trying to finish things more dramatically than he has to.

Midoriya doesn't move. He doesn't stay in one place, but he doesn't move. Every time he pops up in a new place, he's the exact same person: hands in his pockets, eyes angled towards the floor, slumped shoulders.

"Is he going easy on them?"

Momo blinks as one of Midoriya's friends starts muttering just loud enough for it to bleed over. She nearly looks over, then narrows her eyes as Midoriya teleports again. She barely notices Todoroki's hair fly as Midoriya appears between them.

"You know the cripple won't accept it unless he puts on a show." The tall girl sighs.

"Don't call him a cripple."

"He called Konomi…"

"No, Ruby-chan, that's not fair to cripples. They don't want him either."

"…Pomeranian is too nice…"

"We'll brainstorm it later."

"Why are you guys trying to piss off the angry guy?"

"He called Konomi a bitch!"

"Honestly he's lucky Izuku didn't break that toy of his."

"Hey, so you guys are, uh… You're new transfers?" Kirishima is a friendly person, but even Momo is surprised when he slides over and looks over the crowd of strangers. Everyone's attention is split now, but Momo's eyes remain locked on the battle as she listens to the conversation. "We never got to introduce ourselves. I'm Kirishima Eijirō. It's nice to meet you all."

"Nobutaka Kābā! Nice to meet you as well, Kirishima-kun. Call me Kābā."

"Tachibana Konomi, and this is Sokuchi Ruby."

"Yotsuba Akiko!"

"Yotsuba Akira, twin sister. Nice to meet you."

"Call me Daisuke. You guys are class 1-A, huh?"

"I'm Hanamura Sachi, please take care of us."

"Kamado Erin."

"Er, you guys are Midoriya's friends, right? Is he usually…" Kaminari pipes up, trailing off as Todoroki falls to one knee inside the box.

"No, Blasty pissed him off pretty badly this morning." Kābā sighs. "Izuku really hates being in the spotlight, so today has been hell for him."

"You guys are pretty close huh?"

"Everyone at our old school thought he was a delinquent." Tachibana offers. "It's a long story, but Izuku had a rough time back when his power started getting out of control. We've been around since… about the time he first ran into you guys, actually. That's kind of funny, huh?"

"Feels like we've been friends for years, not months."

"That's true."

"Anyone want to explain what he's doing then? Because I'm lost." Kyōka calls irritably. A quiet murmur runs through 1-A as everyone agrees, which earns a laugh from Togata-senpai and a sympathetic smile from Melissa.

"Come on, you haven't guessed yet? You're supposed to be heroes!"

"Mirio-kun…"

"Think back to when I fought with you all. I promise Midoriya's power is far more simple than you think."

Momo frowns as the spectacle in the box continues. Wind erupts from nowhere as Midoriya teleports about, keeping a hair's breadth between himself and Bakugō. Todoroki-kun doesn't get involved again, but that's not surprising. His frostbite…

"It just looks like he's teleporting! No one but Bakugō is attacking!" Mineta screams. "How is anyone supposed to beat teleportation?!"

"Izuku can't teleport." Kābā sounds like he's grinning. "And I promise that both of them are attacking him, Izuku just isn't letting it go through."

Momo's eyes widen as she thinks back to a broken table, a flustered green youth and his amused mother. She thinks of the days watching a comet slam down into a villain attack and streak away after the fight was resolved.

Todoroki-kun struggles to his feet, steaming and panting for breath, only to stumble backward as another burst of wind flies through the box.

"He… Midoriya can't be that fast. No one is that fast." Momo mutters.

"Huh? Yaomomo?"

"Wait, Yaoyorozu-san?" She glances towards Midoriya's friends and blushes when she realizes they've ALL turned to face her. Kābā looks especially shocked, though it quickly warps into a devilish grin and hyena laughter. "You're the tutor!"

"What?! What do you…?"

"Kābā-kun, don't you dare!" Melissa is glaring down at him as he slaps his knee, looking vaguely upset but mostly… is she holding back laughter?

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what's going on…?"

"Nothing, Yaoyorozu-san," Melissa sighs, crossing back to where the smaller android- Maya, Momo remembers- waits patiently, focused on the battle. "We've all heard lovely things about you from Midoriya-kun, and Kābā enjoys teasing Izuku."

Momo blushes more than she probably should.

"But you're right, Yaoyorozu-san." Melissa calls, offering a smile before she turns her eyes back to the fight in the box. "No one is that fast. Only Izuku can manage something like this."

Momo's eyes widen as she looks back to the box.

Light moves… No, it's not the light, it's my eyes. Humans see one hundred to two hundred frames per second and the brain automatically corrects things based on our assumptions. Which means… I'm not seeing any of his moves. Momo lets out a breath as she watches him teleport again. Only the moments where he stays still. And that wind, it's not wind, that's… It's pressure from his attacks. What is he…?

Todoroki falls as he puts too much weight on his right hand. His frostbitten hand.

When the dots finally connect, Momo rises to her feet and runs her fingers across her forehead.

"That's not possible. He can't… All Might is the only one who can use air pressure attacks like that."

-000-

"Fucking… Deku…" Katsuki growls as he tears off his tank top and uses it to wipe his forehead. Cold wind aside, the room is getting warmer with each passing second and it feels like he's been in the damn box for hours. The walls may as well be closing in on him.

"Don't you get it yet, Kacchan?" Deku sighs, cocking his head to one side.

"No way you're stronger than I am." Katsuki growls. "No fucking way I'm giving up here."

Deku frowns, then curses under his breath and throws out his hands.

"Come on then, give it everything you have! I'll give you a free shot!"

Katsuki's wrists come together as he bares his fangs, steel flesh and bone alike.

He shuts his eyes as the pressure building in his left arm and the well of hate in his right finally reach a fever pitch.

-000-

Melissa stands up with panic on her face.

"Monitor, stop Bakugō NOW!"

"There's no need for that, Ma'am." The robotic voice chirps in response. Her features twist in disbelief and… Momo isn't sure, but she's tempted to say that the blonde was furious at the denial.

"The Anomalies grow in combat, Monitor! He's going to blow the prosthetic! If the core goes the force might actually put a dent in Midoriya, and I doubt Todoroki-kun will survive the explosion! Stop the fight!"

"You should give them more credit, Melissa-san."

"Monitor…!"

Momo's hands cover her lips as a supernova blooms inside the arena.

-000-

Shōto coughs as the heat dies.

For several moments he keeps his eyes shut, praying that when he opens them, he's not the only one left. He prays that he's not actually dead, roasted alive by Bakugō's assault and left waiting on the doors of the afterlife.

When he blinks, he does so more than is absolutely necessary.

He's staring up at the back of a gray U.A. blazer. Whoever wears it has their arms held at their sides, looking for all the world as if they're fighting off a stomachache and not a temperamental nuclear reactor.

"Are you alright Todoroki-san?" Midoriya calls. Shōto doesn't say anything, and there's a flash of green eyes over the boy's shoulder before Midoriya finally relaxes. "Good. Stay there for a bit, would you?"

Shōto blinks. Midoriya's hands are in his pockets and the smoke is clear. When Shōto digests the state of the room on the other side of Midoriya, he wants to throw up.

Everything on their side of the room is stained black and white. Ash covers most of the walls nearby, streaked with long arcs of ghostly white where the carbon was torched beyond what normal fire was capable of. Pieces of metal are embedded in the walls and the floor at random, though what they are isn't clear.

Shōto glances around and crawls backward as he realizes why he isn't dead.

The debris never made it past Midoriya. Black streaks from his feet, very nearly reaching the place where Shōto was left cowering in the face of Bakugō's fury. Either it's a miracle…

Or Midoriya saved Shōto's life.

Midoriya wades into the ash, heading towards the wall, and stops near a large pile of debris. When he reaches down and grabs a handful of fabric, Shōto realizes that pile of debris is actually a pitch black Bakugō minus his fancy prosthetic.

People Bakugō's size usually weigh anywhere from seventy-two to ninety kilograms. Midoriya hauls him up with one hand and holds him there without shaking.

"You done, Kacchan?"

"…Fuck you… Deku…" Bakugō's right hand closes on Midoriya's arm, but he's shaking and coughing. Hacking. The blast did everything it could have to take the boy out.

"Alright. Since I can't use your little toy to make my point, how about we settle this the old fashioned way?" Midoriya mutters. Bakugō coughs and struggles weakly as Midoriya throws him over one shoulder and wanders to the wall. "Monitor, tell them where we went, if you don't mind too much?"

"Of course, Midoriya-kun." Monitor calls. Shōto blinks, and the pair are gone. He frowns as he tries to stand and fails, leaving a streak in the ash near his right hand. "Todoroki-san. Before you try to stand, I recommend taking it easy. The blast pressure of Bakugō-kun's attack was nearly three and a half kilograms per square centimeter. You were lucky that Midoriya-kun managed to keep the pressure from reaching you or you would have suffered near fatal injuries."

Shōto knows. He knows explosions inside and out, having studied how to fight fire for most of his life. In the face of that type of force… he wonders if maybe he should have taken the principal more seriously.

At least now he knows why the S-class dorm is so much bigger than 1-A's.

-000-

Katsuki groans as the air scream past his ears.

"I really hate doing this, but you need a wakeup call Kacchan. Plus… what was it you told me back then?"

A lull in his trajectory, the brief sensation of queasiness that comes at the top of one's flight, comes far too late for Katsuki's comfort. When he opens his eyes, they widen until he's crying.

He's never seen the stars this close or this clearly before.

It would be beautiful if he could breathe.

"If you want a quirk, take a swan dive off the roof and pray you'll be born with a quirk in the next life, right…?"

Katsuki's left hand is cold. Useless. His right is gone. Everything hurts, even his lungs and his eyes, and his eardrums are busted. Blood seeps from just about everywhere, though it would take a careful eye to notice. It's hard to see blood through layers of ash and charred, peeling flesh.

Katsuki blinks as the atmosphere breaks beneath him. He would scream, if his voice wasn't nearly shattered already, when something streaks past him. Briefly his eyes focus on a spot that's green and grey instead of midnight blue.

Then he starts to fall.

"I'm not sure if I should catch you yet, Kacchan. I don't think you'd have caught me."

When he opens his mouth to scream, he feels frost crawling down his throat like smoke. Pieces peel and crack as he plummets, turning him into a comet of black and red dust. His eyes slide shut as the pain finally breaks him, but even in his dreams, Katsuki falls.

In his dreams, Deku doesn't catch him.

In his nightmares, the Doc tries to.

He has several of both before his body reaches terminal velocity.

-000-

Momo's phone buzzes well after midnight. It isn't like her to pick up so late, but she can't sleep anyways. Thinking it might be one of her classmates, she goes to pick up only to stop and stare at the name on the screen.

It stops buzzing long before she thinks she might want to answer.

Half an hour later, it pings with a single voicemail.

"…Um, this is… I guess since the call went through you haven't blocked me yet, so I'm glad, but I don't think you want to talk to me right now. You're probably asleep… I'm sorry for calling this late. I couldn't leave things that way, though. I wanted to explain everything today but I… well, you're… I mean, I'm just a lot of trouble, and you're… You're a hero. Student or not, you're a hero. Kacchan was a pain all day and I was so nervous of being on stage, but everyone kept making me talk, and you… I wanted to actually be able to talk to you without everyone staring. I didn't want to make it weird for you and then I went and turned everything…

"If you hate me, I understand. I won't bother you too much, Yaoyorozu-san. But I really wanted today to go differently. I wanted to be proud and introduce you to everyone. Turns out I'm just as clumsy as when we first met… For what it's worth, I was glad to see you. We haven't been able to talk since last month and now we're basically neighbors, so I mean… Well, I just… If you want, I could explain everything. Really explain everything.

"I, I mean WE hated having to lie to you, you know? Everyone loved it when you came by the house. So I… I hope we can see you around the dorm some time, too. We… Eri and I really missed you. And I don't think I'll be able to keep up with everything here at U.A., you know? The heroics and the studies and… Well, Mei. Shit, I live next door to Mei.

"This took a lot longer than I meant it to, but I don't know how to put it all into words. I guess this is just… I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu-san. And I don't think I could stand it if you hated me for everything, but I wouldn't blame you for it."

Momo's chest flutters as the boy sighs into the microphone.

"After tomorrow I'll delete your number, so you don't have to bother if you'd rather not deal with someone like me. But if… Well, I'm just wasting your time… Good night, Yaoyorozu-san. Sorry for ruining your day."

She lays there for a while after she listens to the message. It's long, easily one of the longest recordings she's ever gotten on her phone, but eventually she listens to it a second time. When she's gotten up and finished a glass of water, she listens to it a third time.

Before bed, she sends a single text, then curls up in her blankets and does her best to focus on sleep instead of remembering the way Midoriya-kun's eyes glowed during her last visit.

Chapter 11 - 13-