Chapter 66: Topsy-TurveySummary:
This is just cute.
Notes:
Art!
claire ;P
Glitch
Memes!
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Ok, Shindig. Are you sure you actually want to do this?" Ochako asked nervously. "I've never teleported a person before and if something goes wrong…"
"I mean, you teleported the houseplants without damaging them at all." Hitoshi pointed out. "And some of the boxes were just as heavy as I am so it'll be fine!"
"But my quirk…" Ochako hugged herself insecurly, "Aren't you scared I'll hurt you?"
Hitoshi shrugged, "If you do, Mei can always just put me back together again with spare parts."
Ochako looked at him in shock and disbelief for a second before punching him in the arm, "Hitoshi Shinso, this is serious! I could actually hurt you!"
"I know, I know! HItoshi laughed and held his hands up in surrender, "But Mei and Izuku ran the numbers and you've trained a lot, so teleporting me shouldn't be too different from teleporting, lik, a fridge or something."
"Your warping ability doesn't seem to care if something is alive, or even what it is." Izuku shrugged. "Your quirk only cares about how much something weighs."
Ochako still looked nervous, so as the light from One for All gathered around her again, Hitoshi smiled, "Hey, look, I've got a scary quirk, but you trust me anyway, right?'
Ochako scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, of course I do."
"Good." Hitoshi held out his hand in a fist with the pinkie up, "then promise to trust me and I'll promise to trust you, deal?"
Ochako took a deep breath and gripped his pinkie with her own, "deal."
Hitoshi only had a split second to enjoy the moment before the world turned upside down.
Tomura hated this. He kind of wished that he'd never run into Todoroki in that stupid alley, because then he never would have blown up as a streamer and then he never would have realized that he liked gaming more than he'd ever liked being a villain. If Sensei had actually cared about him, he would have seen that, right? Even if he hadn't, what kind of sick person encouraged a five year old to kill people? The chat didn't even know that that was the legacy his Sensei was trying to pass onto him and still people were donating like crazy to try and get him out of the house. He didn't even live with Sensei, but Tomura still had to admit that getting an apartment with zero ties to him or the league was starting to sound extremely appealing. At the very least, he'd be able to get a better gaming set up than he was able to have with a laptop in the murder alley , as Todoroki liked to call it.
He shouldn't be doing this. He had no idea how Sensei would react if he knew that Tomura was playing around with the idea of leaving the league and abandoning his role as Sensei's protege, but for some crazy reason he was still going behind everyone's back and researching apartments. Without Sensei's money, he wouldn't be able to afford anything too fancy, but there were a couple hole-in-the-wall places that had caught his eye. He should probably get something with two bedrooms, in case Todoroki wanted to get off the streets for a couple nights…
Tomura caught himself before that line of thought could go any farther. With as much time as they spent together, he sometimes forgot that they were fundamentally enemies. Todoroki was a hero student. There was absolutely no way that he would ever be willing to move in with a villain, even if they practically acted like squabbling brothers on their streams. It just wouldn't work out.
Still, if the apartment didn't have any other connection to the league, then it might still be neutral enough for Todoroki to be open to using it as a streaming space. And as long as he kept it a secret from Sensei for as long as possible, he might just be able to get away with it. Hopefully. Why did everything have to be so complicated, he just wanted to relax and live the rest of his life as a stupid streamer and not have to worry about what Sensei would do to him, or worse to Todoroki, if he were to find out. Was that too much to ask?
Tomura sighed and clicked on another listing. Probably.
Hitoshi knew that theoretically, they must be on solid ground. Theoretically. His stomach, however, hadn't gotten the message. He could vaguely see other people around him, but all he could focus on was clamping his hands over his mouth and trying not to throw up.
"Sweetie?" A feminine voice said. "Is he supposed to be that green?"
"Oh no!" Ochako sounded panicked. "Dad, grab a bowl!"
Somebody shoved a bowl at his chest and Hitoshi grabbed it gratefully, fully losing his battle and his guts. It took a moment for his stomach to settle down and even then he was left with a gross, acrid taste in his mouth, "Is this what it feels like every time? Damn, Ochako, you must have an iron stomach or something, this is terrible! Ugh!"
Ochako patted his back as she chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, it takes some getting used to. Um, Mom, Dad, this is Shindig...uh...Hitoshi Shinso, one of my friends."
Hitoshi grimaced and looked up as he realized that, yes, Ochako's parents were here too and yes, they had just seen him throw up. Wonderful. Great first impression. He gave an awkward wave, "Um...hi?"
Ochako's parents looked like her. Her mom had the same pink cheeks and brown hair, but she obviously got her muscles and strength from her dad. Thankfully, they also seemed to have her personality, because instead of looking at him with disgust, her dad just looked concerned, "You ok, son?"
Hitoshi swallowed, "Uh, yeah, just kinda wasn't expecting that."
"Yeah, neither were we!" Ochako's mom laughed. "We thought the nausea was from her using her quirk! But I guess it's just the gravity going all topsy-turvy on you, huh?"
Ochako had taken the bowl away from him at some point and brought him a glass of water, "So, uh, besides the nausea, are you feeling alright? There weren't any other effects, right?"
Hitoshi shook his head, "No, I'm already starting to feel more...well, less like I just got off of a really bad roller coaster. I'll be ok in a couple minutes, but I am not looking forward to the return trip. No offense."
Ochako wrinkled her nose, "Yeah...I think I might have to incorporate barf bags into my hero costume if I plan to take civilians with me. People I teleport frequently will probably get used to the gravity shifts, but new people...maybe there's some other way to lessen the impact?"
"If anyone can figure that out, it's Mei." Hitoshi shrugged. "But yeah, we should talk to Izuku and make sure there's nothing else going on before you start taking rescue victims on an unexpected tilt-a-hurl."
Ochako's mom frowned, "Isn't it tilt-a- whirl?"
Hitoshi smirked, "I said what I said."
Ochako pouted and her dad clapped him firmly on the back, "Well, now that that's taken care of, it's nice to meet you. We've heard a lot about you!"
Hitoshi frowned in confusion, "You have?"
"Of course!" Her mom smiled. "Ochako talks about you all the time!"
"Um, we should probably be heading back soon!" Ochako blushed furiously. "Um, Shindig, you're good to jump again, right?"
"Oh, don't worry, we'll try not to embarrass you." Ochako's dad winked. "Much."
Ochako groaned and put her head in her hands, "I'm just gonna…"
She disappeared from existence and Hitoshi blinked, "Uh...bye?"
Her mom was struggling to hold back her giggles, "Does that happen often?"
Hitoshi shrugged and stared at where Ochako was supposed to be until she reappeared, blushing even harder than she had been before, "Sorry, I kinda didn't mean to do that, but um...Mina says hi?"
Izuku ran through the numbers again. The mystery warper had warped one more time after that initial ping, but no more data had come through after that, so the other teleporter must be staying in one place. The basic mechanics of the warp seemed similar to Ochako's, but the new guy's signature was more spread out, which made them a lot more difficult to track. Izuku could tell that there had been a warp and kinda get a general sense for where the guy had ended up, but it was going to take a lot more work to actually be able to track them like he could with Ochako.
Izuku's main question was why. Ochako's jumps had been pretty specific, even in the beginning when they were just starting to figure out how her new quirk worked. Why was this other signature so difficult? It wasn't until she had taken Hitoshi along on one of her jumps that it clicked. When Ochako warped with large objects, such as people, her quirk affected a larger area and it looked a little more similar to the dispersed signature from the mystery warper, but when it was just her, the area of effect was much smaller. So the other warper was either extremely large, which wasn't very likely, especially considering that the mystery warper's signature had differed slightly between the two warps, which implied that something had changed, or their quirk was primarily optimized to warp other people with them. It was possible that there was some other explanation for the diffused signature, but from Izuku's observations that one was the most likely. He would have to check the quirk registry to make sure, but to his knowledge, there was only one teleportation quirk that would fit the readings he'd gotten from the mystery warper and that was Warp Gate.
He'd gotten a signature from Kurogiri.
Notes:
Yes, I've been in a mood for pinkie promises lately, ok? What of it?
Next Update: September 20, 2021 (MDT)
Chapter 67: FinalsSummary:
The hero course final exams.
Notes:
Memes!
X X X X X X X
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hitoshi was ready to punch something, but he was pretty sure that was a normal reaction to three solid days of brutal academic testing that was probably the main reason why the physical exams were on the very last day to let them let off some steam before heading off to summer break. The fact that they were punching the teachers though was an interesting twist. He almost felt bad for Ochako having to fight All Might, but it only made sense for the two One for All holders to be paired up, since that was the only way the students would even stand a chance, but it would be interesting to see how Mina would hold up during the fight.
He glanced over toward Kaminari, who had seemed almost relieved when it was announced that they'd been paired up together, which was weird. Because it had also been announced that they were fighting Nedzu and Kaminari was always going on about how intelligence wasn't his strong suit. The only reason Hitoshi could think of for his reaction was that he had someone in the class that he was trying to avoid or really didn't want to get paired with for whatever reason. But that also didn't make any sense because Kaminari was the definition of a social butterfly. There wasn't anybody he didn't like! Maybe he could brainwash him and get the tea, but that was a boundary he really shouldn't cross anyway. He could always just ask him and see if he'd answer voluntarily, but that was awkward and Hitoshi would rather die of curiosity than awkwardness, thanks.
"I honestly thought they'd pit you against Aizawa." Kaminari laughed awkwardly, shooting a nervous glance up toward the front of the bus where Nedzu was sitting. "You've got, like, those similar scarf things and eyebags and stuff."
"They probably just want to avoid any nepotism charges." Hitoshi grumbled.
Kaminari's eyes widened, "What?!"
"Don't worry about it." Hitoshi said quickly. "Now do you have any strategies in mind for how to fight a rat smarter than most humans?"
Kaminari went pale, "Um...mostly just don't die?"
Hitoshi rolled his eyes, "Nice start, but I think we're gonna need something with a little bit more oomph."
"Well, mon ami, I hope you're as fast as you look." Aoyama said, his smile somehow sparkling as he spoke. "I would imagine it takes quite a bit of speed to outrun a black hole."
"I'm not going to outrun Thirteen's quirk." Tenya said tensely. "That would require going faster than the speed of light. I will only be outrunning their reaction time."
"Light will be absorbed as well?!" Aoyama looked nauseous. "Oh my…"
"You didn't…" Tenya scowled. "How were you planning on fighting them?!"
"My navel laser is simply too marvelous!" Aoyama said. "It doesn't usually require any planning!"
"Everything requires planning!" Tenya said incredulously. "You can't just wing it! "
They both tensed as an automated recording of Nedzu's voice played out over the testing area, "All combatants are in position for the final exam. Begin!"
Tenya fell into fighting stance and stared straight ahead, "When Thirteen comes, we need to be ready to…"
His eyes widened as he felt himself be pulled backwards. He looked over toward Aoyama in a panic and saw that he had already grabbed onto the nearest railing to prevent himself from being sucked in by Thirteen's quirk. Tenya quickly dug his heels in and followed suit, yelling at Thirteen over his shoulder, "Coming at us from behind?! That is disgraceful! You're a hero!"
"Villains aren't going to fight fair kids." Thirteen sounded almost amused. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"We need to come up with a plan of attack." Shouto began. "Aizawa has practically maxed out his stealth stats, so he'll most likely open with a sneak attack."
Yaoyorozu blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding, "So what's the plan?"
"Not sure." Shouto frowned. "My first instinct is to run, but it'll be a lot easier to win if the whole party is on the same page, so how about you tell me what you think we should do and then we can go from there, sound like a plan?"
"Um...sure?" Yaoyorozu looked surprised. "I actually did come up with a strategy that might work, if you think we could maybe…"
"Let's hear it." Shouto nodded decisively. "We've got a boss to beat."
"So, like, you can teleport us to All Might and we can attack him before he has a chance to fight back, right?" Mina asked. "Or does your quirk not really work like that?"
"I mean, it does, technically." Ochako said. "But I'd really rather leave that as a last resort."
"Why?" Mina pouted. "Wouldn't it give us an advantage? I want to teleport!"
Ochako growned, "My quirk isn't like Kurogiri's, Mina! I'm used to the G-forces it takes to teleport and everything, but anyone that tags along isn't and there isn't anything my quirk can do to protect you from them. When Hitoshi and I tried it the other day, just one jump wiped him out for a full five minutes and then it was a couple hours before he was up to 100% again. So, yeah, no. It's not really the best option if you want to, you know, fight. "
"Oh…" Mina slowly got a mischievous look on her face as an idea occurred to her. "We could...I mean, we probably shouldn't, but we could…"
"What?" Ochako demanded. "Come on Mina! Spit it out!"
"Well I was just thinking, if whoever you teleport is gonna be practically useless," Mina defended, "then what if you don't teleport me? "
"Oh." Ochako's eyes widened and she couldn't hold back a smile. " Oh… this is gonna be interesting."
"Ok, this is pointless." Hitoshi huffed. "Nedzu's turned this place into a maze and is only making it worse by knocking down walls left and right. If we keep going like we have been, we're never gonna find a way out before time's up."
"Well then what are we supposed to do? Head straight for Nedzu?" Kaminari asked. "We don't even know where he is!"
"Hmm…" Hitoshi thought for a minute. "Well, right now, we're at a disadvantage. He can see us but we can't see him…." Hitoshi grabbed his capture scarf and used it to yank down the nearest camera. "Let's change that."
"Got it!" Kaminari grinned and started sparking as he grabbed the wires where the camera had been, "One blackout, coming right up!"
Tenya grit his teeth, "We're not getting anywhere."
"I can try…this!" Aoyama shot his navel laser at Thirteen and, predictably, it disappeared into their quirk in under a second. "Well, that did not work."
"I told you it wouldn't." Tenya growled. "Black holes are strong enough to absorb light!"
They couldn't run, they couldn't fight, they couldn't even let go of these stupid railings! What was he supposed to do when nothing worked right and all the rules he thought were supposed to apply here were thrown out the window?!
Get creative.
Tenya gasped softly as it clicked. This was what Tensei and Artiste had been trying so hard to hammer through his head. When everything went wrong, he had to go with the flow and think outside the box, otherwise he'd be paralyzed! Direct attacks on Thirteen were useless, they'd simply turn everything to dust, but if they didn't limit themself to the rigid rules of a riar one-one-one fight…
"Aoyama, quickly!" Tenya yelled. "Aim for the ceiling! Let's bring the roof down on top of them!"
Aoyama's eyes brightened with excitement, "Oui, Monsieur!"
Tenya watched Thirteen with rapt attention as Aoyama adjusted his aim and fired. He just needed to wait until just the right moment…
"That's not going to work, kids!" Thirteen called out, using their other hand to suck up the debris from the roof and keeping one hand pointed toward the kids. "You're going to have to do a lot better that that!"
Tenya almost smiled as he let go of the railing. He knew they'd take care of the debris, but they also made the mistake of looking up. As soon as Thirteen saw him flying toward them, they deactivated their quirk, but with all their focus on the falling roof, there wasn't any time to stop him and Tenya used the full momentum of Back Hole to help him as he prepared a devestating kick that knocked Thirteen halfway across the room. Tenya crouched to lower his center of gravity, but he didn't stop moving. Instead, he let his rollerblades do all the work and used the speed he already had to curve around and grab Aoyama, flinging him onto his back as they rocketed toward the exit.
It didn't take long for Aoyama to recover from the surprise, "Ah, so we're making a run for it after all?"
"I guess so." Tenya panted.
Aoyama started squirming, "Let me face backward and I shall use my sparkle to dazzle all those who would try to follow!"
Tenya nodded and focused on staying steady as Aoyama held on tight and maneuvered himself so that they were back to back with their elbows linked. It was like they'd become their own battleship and Aoyama was the artillery as he shot his laser in short bursts behind them. There were crashes as anything that was hit with the laser fell to the floor and created obstacles for Thirteen, but the unexpected result was that every time Aoyama shot his laser, it gave Tenya a boost of speed as if the two of them were a literal rocket. The rollerblades get rid of any friction, so all the energy of Aoyama's laser was converted almost directly into pure speed and the two of them practically flew down the halls and through the exit gate. It took a full thirty seconds for so for them to actually slow down enough to stop and they were still speeding away when they heard the recording, "Tenya Iida and Yugi Aoyama have passed the final exam!"
"Ok, so I'm gonna take the high ground and try to figure out where Nedzu is while you sneak up on him through the tunnels, right?"
"Hitoshi nodded, "They didn't give us comms, but uh...dang it, what can we use to communicate?"
"Well, uh..I have this?" Denki pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket.
Hitoshi blinked, "Do I even want to know?"
Denki shrugged sheepishly, "It was on Present Mic's desk one time and I thought it was cool, so I was playing with it, but then he came back in the room and I didn't want to get in trouble, so I shoved it in my pocket and I meant to return it after class, but then I forgot that I had it and now it's been too long to return it."
Hitoshi just stared at him. Mic never really used laser pointers while he was teaching, so he'd probably bought it for the cats and then assumed he lost it.
Apparently, Kaminari took his silence as a sign to keep rambling, "I was thinking that even if Nedzu stopped knocking down buildings when I took the power out, there's still a lot of smoke and stuff in the air, so if I shine the laser where I see him, you'll be able to see where it's pointing. I'm sorry, that's probably really stupid."
"No." Hitoshi grinned. "It's just crazy enough that it might actually work."
Ochako huddled on a nearby rooftop and watched as Mina taunted All Might just like they'd agreed. She might be going up against the number one hero, but she looked like she was having the time of her life.
"Hey All Might!" Mina laughed and waved as she skated around on her acid. "Are you ready to go down?"
All Might gave a booming laugh, "Oh, young Ashido, did you come to fight me alone? Where's young Uraraka?"
"Oh, you know, here and there." Mina skated around him. "She tends to just pop up when we need her. Like now!"
Ochako took a deep breath and called on One for All, focusing on All Might as her anchor point. She just needed to focus on where he was and appear....right behind him! She smiled as the world spun and she landed less than a foot behind All Might. Bingo.
She grabbed onto his cape and he immediately whirled around, but she hung tight even as she was whipped through the air. It took some concentration to focus on Mina's gravity, but just as All Might jumped to try and body slam her, she latched on and disappeared.
When they reappeared, All Might immediately collapsed in a puff of steam and Ochako panicked when she realized that Mina was already running toward them and she didn't know about All Might's small form! Ochako cursed under her breath. Of course All Might's body wouldn't be able to handle the jump without reverting. Why hadn't she thought of that?! But if she could teleport close to All Might, then she could jump far from Mina, at least now that she wasn't focusing all her attention on hanging onto All Might's cape for dear life.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were two streets away and Ochako snapped the cuff around All Might's wrist as soon as she could so that the exam would officially end and the med bots could enter the city. She didn't even pay attention to the recording that announced their victory as she hurried to help All Might. He was already kneeling on the ground, so she just rubbed his back as he threw up, "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"
"Umm….I'll get back to you on that." All Might wheezed. "But I'm proud. I...I did not expect you to beat me so easily."
Ochako chuckled awkwardly, "Uh, it was actually Mina's idea. Well, and I guess Shindig should get some credit too, since he was the one who discovered the, um…. unfortunate side effects of riding along with me. Sorry."
"It's…" All Might took a deep breath. "It's alright. Now go and...and celebrate your victory young lady. You deserve it."
Ochako hesitantly stood. She hated to leave him like this, but the med bots should be picking him up soon and she needed to intercept Mina before she saw All Might's small form. After a moment, she nodded and warped, falling into step with Mina as she skated down one of the fake streets.
"Hey!" Mina skidded to a stop. "Why'd you disappear again? I was gonna help you cuff him!"
"He wasn't completely debilitated after one warp and I wanted to be completely sure." Ochako lied. "He's the number one hero! He's going to be strong!"
"I guess." Mina pouted. "But we won! We passed! Summer camp here we come!"
Ochako grinned, "Yep! What are you most excited for?"
"Hmm, probably swimming." Mina said. "What about you? Are you excited to see a certain purple haired boy in a swim suit?"
"W-what?!" Ochako blushed and covered her face with her hands. "Mina! Why would you say something like that?!"
"I knew it!" Mina grabbed her hands away triumphantly. "I knew that's why you got so flustered when he met your parents. You're crusing on him hardcore, aren't you?!"
"N-no!" Ochako stuttered. "Keep your voice down."
"Ah, come on, he's at his own exam, he's not gonna hear." Mina rolled her eyes. "Forget swimming, there's a more important goal this summer: get this ship to sail!"
"Mina!" Ochako whined as Mina started giggling. "Mina, no!"
Hitoshi followed the red line of light through the smoke until he finally found where Nedzu was hiding. He grinned and adjusted his support item so that he could mimic Kaminari's voice, "Whoa! Shinso! I found him! Think we can win?"
"Ah! Young Shinso! Brilliant use of teamwork and your support items!" Nedzu smiled and looked around the room. "But in case you've forgotten, I did read your file before you started hiding your activation requirements, so I'm afraid I won't be answering any questions from you or Kaminari today!"
Hitoshi sighed and stepped out of the shadows, "I guess we have to do this the hard way then."
Nedzu smiled, "I suppose so!"
Hitoshi lowered into a fighting stance and glanced out the window. The laser pointer was still shining, but the trajectory kept changing like Kaminari was moving toward them. Good, that meant that even if he couldn't beat Nedzu on his own, then he could stall until his partner arrived. He tore his eyes away from the window and focused all his attention on Nedzu, who was standing there smiling at him like he didn't have a care in the world. Hitoshi felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn't know a whole lot about Nedzu and his fighting style, but if his brain was anything like Izuku's, he was in for a rough fight.
Hitoshi's first move was to attack with his capture weapon, but Nedzu dodged underneath it and rushed towards him before his attack even reached its target. Nedzu lept toward him and Hitoshi managed to force him back with a kick at the very last second, but by the time he regained his balance, Nedzu was already launching another attack. It seemed like everytime he blocked or dodged one attack, there was another just waiting. It was like a game of cat and mouse, but this time, the cat was literally a mouse.
Hitoshi tried once or twice to switch to the offensive, but Nedzu forced him back onto defense every single time. Finally, though, Hitoshi felt a tingle of electricity in the air. Nedzu noticed it too and turned toward the doorway, giving Hitoshi the opening he needed to finally, finally , wrap his capture weapon around Nedzu's waist. He yanked the entire contraption off his neck and threw it toward the doorway right as Kaminari appeared, "Kaminari! Do your thing!"
"What?!"' Kaminari fumbled the capture scarf for a moment before finally grabbing it in a bear hug, "Oh, right! This thing has a bunch of metal in it!"
Nedzu was almost completely untangled by the time Kaminari was able to send an electric shock down the length of the scarf, but not quite. He went rigid as the scarf got turned into a taser and moments later, Hitoshi was running forward to slam cuffs around his wrist.
"Kaminari Denki and Hitoshi Shinso have passed the final exam!"
"Shouto Todoroki and Momo Yaoyorozu have passed the final exam!"
Shouta was honestly impressed. He'd expected Todoroki to steamroll Yaoyorozu and not listen to her input, but apparently he'd been working on his teamwork skills when no one was looking. The plan they'd put together used both their quirks well and played to their strengths, which showed a lot of potential. There was still room for improvement, obviously, but they were still teenagers.
"We did it, Todoroki!" Yaoyorozu smiled. "We beat Aizawa!"
Todorki nodded, "Poggers."
Denki glanced over at Shinso as they picked their way out of the maze of destruction that Nedzu had created for them. At first, he'd just been grateful that he hadn't gotten paired with Todoroki because he really didn't think that he'd be able to keep his cool for the whole exercise and not let on that he knew about his classmate's super secret streaming hobby...or, more accurately, the murderous gaming partner that came with it.
He was still kinda panicking over who he was supposed to tell. Like, what if Todoroki actually was working with the villains and then the teachers found out and then somehow realized that Denki had known the whole time and thought he was helping them?! But what if Todoroki wasn't giving out any information and the teachers figured out that he was homeless and made him go back to his dad, who was obviously not the greatest if Todoroki would rather live on the streets than apologize to him. If that happened, Denki would feel terrible for ruining Todoroki's life, because he at least seemed to be fairly happy doing what he was doing. Which was streaming video games with a villain who had tried to kill them. Perfectly normal.
Sometimes Denki just wished that Aizawa or somebody would find the stream on their own so that they could figure out what to do about it and Denki wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. It was kinda a stupid thing to hope for, because teachers were normally pretty lame, so what teacher was going to listen to stupid gaming streams in their free time? He'd pretty much written the whole thing off as a vain hope by the time he'd gotten paired up with Shinso and was pretty much ready to ignore it like he had been ever since he'd first figured it out.
And then Shinso had made that nepotism comment.
Denki wasn't 100% sure what nepotism was, but he was pretty certain it was similar to favoritism and meant that Shinso and Aizawa were related somehow. Even if they weren't, there was bound to be some kind of connection between the two and that meant that if Shinso somehow found the stream, then it was only a matter of time until Aizawa figured it out. That meant that all Denki really had to do was point Shinso in the right direction and he could wash his hands of the entire situation!
"So...uh….do you have any hobbies?" Denki started. "Like video games you play or anything?"
Shinso shrugged, "I wouldn't describe myself as a hardcore gamer or anything, but I play. You?"
"Yeah!" Denki latched onto the opening like a lifeline. "I like, um, listening to gaming streams and stuff when I study. I actually know one that you'd probably really like, um if you want."
"I dunno." Shinso hummed noncommittally. "I don't have a lot of spare time right now."
"One of the streamers has, like, this really deadpan sense of humor, kinda like you." Denki pushed. "They're just this streaming duo, you know, and they're pretty new on the scene, but they go by Dusty and Icy Cat if you want to look them up. I can send you a link too, just...I really think you should check them out."
Shinso looked at him suspiciously, "Ok…?"
Denki exhaled in relief and hurried ahead to where the med bots were waiting. He was so glad that was over, that had been awkward as hell.
Notes:
Next Update: September 27, 2021 (MDT)
Chapter 68: DiscoverySummary:
The aftermath of finals.
Notes:
Art!
mothman mothdad
_Q_
Haruuuu
Memes!
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Stop pouting, Izuku-kun! Failure is an essential part of invention!" Mei glanced up from her sketchbook. "Plus, I know it's not where you wanted it to be, but it's not like your tracking program doesn't work."
"I know, but it's not exact enough to be useful." Izuku whined. "I can find the major city that Kurogiri is in and I've got a few ideas on how to narrow it down, but I really wanted to finish it by the end of the semester."
"I don't even know why you're complaining!" Kohaku rolled her eyes. "The assignment was to do one semester long project and you and your girlfriend both did two! And that was on top of however many side projects you both had going on!"
Izuku shot her a withering look, "For the last time, we're not dating. And Mei actually finished hers. The Iida brothers both passed their finals thanks to their new modifications! It's so cool and yet, here I am and I can't even do my job well enough for the heroes to find one single villain. I'm a failure."
He slammed his head on Mei's desk and she absentmindedly patted his hair with one hand while she drew blueprints with her other, "There there. Izuku-kun. Life is so hard."
Izuku lifted his head to glare at her, but she just shot him a cheeky smile, so he groaned and lowered his head again. "Just let me wallow in self pity."
"As much as I'd enjoy the break, that's probably counter productive." Powerloader said in amusement. "And this is a lesson for all of you. Deadlines are helpful, but they aren't the end all be all of invention. They give you something to work towards, sure, but if you put too much stock in a deadline, and then don't reach it, you'll end up feeling exactly what Midoriya is feeling right now: demotivation. It can be not only harmful, but paralyzing in the long run. So just remember that deadlines are only truly important when they help you, but there's usually always time to tweak things afterwards so don't let them stop you. Got it?"
There was a chorus of understanding noises from the class, but when Izuku didn't respond, Powerloader sighed, "Got it, Midoriya?"
Izuku groaned and sat up. "Got it."
"Good. Powerloader nodded. "The good news, both for those of you who still need to finish their projects and for those who will be starting new ones, is that we are having a design bootcamp for all of you during summer break."
"Ooh! You mean, kinda like the training camp that Extra-Credit-Kun's class is going on?!" Mei asked.
"Almost exactly like that." Powerloader confirmed. "With a couple major differences. First, even though they're happening the same week, we're going to be staying put, not going off campus like the hero students are. Since you're going to be focusing on your creative and technological skills rather than your combat skills like they are, it will be more beneficial if you're already familiar with the labs, rather than in an unknown location. That being said, we will be bringing in a variety of new materials for you to experiment with, as well as special guests who will be staying the week with us and helping you improve your skills while hopefully answering any questions you kids have about the support industry. It will be an amazing opportunity and can open a lot of doors for you, so we want everyone to be on their best behavior. That means no unnecessary explosions, alright?"
"Of course not." Mei agreed easily. "All explosions are necessary."
Powerloader heaved a long sigh, "You know what? I'm just grateful the Shields have already met you two so at least they won't be surprised. Please don't take that as a challenge."
Izuku smiled slowly as Mei cackled. He'd never been to summer camp before, but he had a feeling that surpassing challenges was kinda the point. This was going to be fun.
The minute the bell rang, Ochako grabbed her bag and started activating One for All so she could teleport to All Might and maybe apologize again for going so hard on him during the final exam, but Mina saw and grabbed her before she could disappear.
"Oh no, you stay right where you are, young lady." Mina grinned and tugged on Ochako's arm. "We are all going to the mall this weekend and you are going to make sure your precious Shindig comes along for the ride."
"Mina!" Ochako blushed. "Shindig is an introvert! He doesn't like going to malls and stuff."
Mina turned sharply, "Oh? And what happens when an introvert goes someplace social? They latch onto the nearest safe friend and stay with them the whole time! We just need to make sure he latches onto you. Let's go!"
"I…" Ochako sighed and let herself be dragged along as Mina tried to catch up to Hitoshi. "We do hang out, you know. Frequently. You can't just drag him along to the mall so he spends time with me. "
"Oh hush, I'm sure he needs to buy some stuff for the summer camp too, so it's not just to get him to hang out with you." Mina dismissed. "But if you happen to confess your feelings over boba at the end…"
She winked and Ochako groaned as they finally caught up with Hitoshi, who took one look between the two of them and raised an eyebrow, "Do I even want to know?"
Ochako opened her mouth to say something, but Mina beat her to the punch, "Hey Shinso, the whole class is coming to the mall this weekend to pick up whatever we need for the summer camp. You're coming right?"
"Uh…" Hitoshi glanced between Ochako and Mina for a long moment. "Are you going Ocha?"
"Mmhmm!" Ochako squeaked. "I need, uh, bug spray! Gotta keep those pests away! You know!"
It was taking all of her willpower to stay put, but normally when she got flustered she ended up jumping to Mina, who was right beside her, so her usual escape strategy was just going to put her right back where she didn't want to be.
Hitoshi frowned, but shrugged, "Sure, why not? My adults are gonna be busy preparing everything, probably, so it's not like I won't have time. I also wanna get some more practice teleporting with you, if that's alright?"
Ochako nodded frantically, "Ok, um, I, uh...I guess I'll pick you up?"
Hitoshi grinned, "Yeah, it's a…um, sounds like a plan."
She could almost feel Mina pouting beside her but Ochako smiled, "Alright. It's a plan."
Hitoshi finished his latest episode and sighed. Right now, was the Aizawa-Yamada household equivalent of family time, which basically meant that they were all currently existing within the same space, but mostly doing their own thing. Mic was busy in the kitchen making dinner, while Hitoshi watched TV and Aizawa was taking a nap on the couch beside him. It was nice, but it meant that it was up to him to decide whether he wanted to watch another episode or actually check out those streamers that Kaminari had recommended. He usually didn't care too much about gaming streams, he preferred to play the games himself, but Kaminari had seemed oodly insistent that he watch that one and it was honestly making Hitoshi kinda curious. It wouldn't hurt to just watch a few minutes, right?
Aizawa looked up from his nap when Hitoshi turned off the TV, "What's up? Are you bored of your show already?"
Hitoshi shrugged as he pulled out his laptop, "I dunno. Kaminari recommended these streamer guys when we were doing our final the other day, so I figured I might as well give them a try."
"Kaminari?" Aizawa groaned. "You really had to take media recommendations from the loudest kid in class?"
Mic popped his head in from the kitchen, "Oh, don't complain, Shou. I know you secretly find us loud ones entertaining."
Aizawa scowled at him, "You are the exception."
"Sure I am, Shou." Mic winked knowingly. "Of course."
"Ignore him." Aizawa huffed. "Whatever, go ahead. Hopefully Kaminari has at least half-decent taste. I wouldn't think that you'd like the same things."
"He said I'd like it specifically, well, at least the humor." Hitoshi said. "Hm, it actually looks like they're in the middle of a steam right now. I might as well watch that instead of one of the recordings."
He clicked on the icon to watch the steam and waited for it to load. The stream was just the game they were playing, but instead of having a video of the steamer in the corner like Hitoshi had expected, it was just a voiceover, "I know that Dusty said to stay in that one area, but Imma be honest: I am completely lost right now. Maybe when he comes back from buying snacks, he'll help me actually reorient myself, but for now...welp, I guess I'll die.
Whoever was playing, Icy Cat apparently, obviously wasn't playing to win, because he didn't even care when his character respawned only to get immediately killed again, "Well, I guess I'm here for a good time, not a long time. These guys are probably above my level, aren't they?"
Mic walked out of the kitchen and peered over Hitoshi's shoulder. "I think I may have watched this once or twice. I know the streamer's voice sounds familiar."
Hitoshi frowned, "It's familiar to me too, though, and I know I've never watched this steam before."
"Same here." Aizawa had sat up by this point and Hitoshi tilted the screen so both of his adults could see too. "I've heard that voice before...It almost sounds like Todoroki."
"Yes! That's it!" Hitoshi said triumphantly. "That's exactly who it sounds like!"
"Wow…" Mic gave an impressed nod. "Pretty impressive that he's able to do all this behind his old man's back."
Hitoshi frowned, "You don't think Endeavor knows?"
Aizawa just gave him a tired look, "There is no way Endeavor would allow something like this."
They listened quietly while that sunk in, watching Todoroki's character die for the first time in as many minutes.
"He really is bad at this." Aizawa chuckled.
Mic slapped his shoulder, "Oh, don't be like that. He's trying his best."
"I think that's actually the point." Hitoshi said, pointing to the chat. "I think the streaming partner usually just roasts him the entire stream because everyone's trying to come up with the best insult to make up for Dusty's absence."
"Dusty…" Mic hummed. "Who's that? Do you think it's another student?"
"It must be." Aizawa said. "He wouldn't have many opportunities to meet anyone else."
"Maybe Bakugo?" Hitoshi suggested. "He seems rude enough to enjoy roasting Todoroki for hours on end."
"Be quiet you two." Mic hissed. "I think the partenre's coming back."
Hitoshi grinned. "Just watch, it's gonna be Kouda or someone we'd never expect."
Aizawa muffled a snort as Todoroki started talking to someone, "Took you long enough, I had had time to die five times while you were gone."
"Only five?" A raspy voice responded. "I guess you're such a hopeless noob anymore. I thought it'd be more."
As soon as they heard the voice, Hitoshi froze and Aizawa went pale. It looked like he was only keeping himself from hyperventilating by forcibly reminding himself to breathe and Mic looked between the two of them in gorwing panic, "Wait, what's going on? Shou, are you ok?"
"It…" Hitoshi tried to swallow, only to realize his mouth was dry. "It might not be him. Izuku and Mei didn't show me much of the footage, just a little, so maybe it's just somebody who sounds similar."
"I hear that voice in my nightmares at least three times a week, Hitoshi." Aizawa snapped. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't forget it. It's definitely him."
"What are you two talking about?!" Mic yelled. "Do you know who it is?!"
"I think so, it's just…" Hitoshi glanced at Aizawa. "Why would Todoroki be hanging out with Shigaraki?"
Notes:
Next Update: October 4, 2021 (MDT)
Chapter 69: BingeSummary:
A trip to the mall sounds good right about now.
Notes:
Art!
Black Datura X
mothman mothdad
Gl!tch
nezυ ιѕ мy god
Memes!
X X X X X X X X X
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hitoshi was exhausted. He hadn't slept in two days and for once, he couldn't even blame it on insomnia. No, instead he had to blame it on his classmate, who was apparently an oddly successful streamer who spent his time getting roasted by an actual, real life villain because that was completely normal. Obviously. What even was his life?
After finding the stream the other night, Hitoshi and his adults had spent the entire night and next day going through every single last episode that Dusty and Icy Cat had archived, but even though they hadn't been streaming long, the duo was ridiculously dedicated to putting out content, which meant that they didn't get to bed until way past midnight.
It was easy to see how the two of them had become so popular. Todoroki's tendency to actively encourage his followers to make fun of him was unique and had caught a lot of people's attention, add to that his deadpan humor and Shigaraki's constant roasting and it was no wonder so many people tuned into their streams. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hitoshi had found himself actually enjoying the content and he'd even caught Aizawa reluctantly cracking a smile a few times.
They weren't watching the stream for entertainment, though, they were watching it because as soon as they'd all gotten over the shee panic of hearing Shigaraki's raspy voice in their living room, they'd all jumped to the next logical conclusion: that Todoroki was likely a member of the league and that the villains had somehow planted him as a traitor within 1A to feed them information. It made sense, but at the same time, it didn't. From what Izuku and Mei had told him, Todoroki had saved Aizawa at the USJ, but if he was actually a villain, then wouldn't he have just let him die?
That was the main reason they'd decided to binge the stream instead of immediately notifying the police. At first Hitoshi had been convinced that Todoroki was a villain, but after more than a day of listening to Shigaraki and Todorki interact, he wasn't so sure anymore. They didn't act like co-conspirators so much as friends or maybe even brothers with a healthy dash of sibling rivalry sprinkled on top. Todoroki never talked about 1A, except to benignly make fun of Bakugo a few times and Shigaraki spoke about the league even less, so it didn't look like they were discussing insider information.
Hitoshi supposed that it was always possible that they were sharing info off stream, but as weird as it sounded, it almost seemed like they'd designated the stream as some kind of neutral space where their roles as hero and villain didn't really matter. That somehow didn't stop them from joking about Shigaraki trying to kill their entire class, though, which Aizawa thought was ridiculous and both Hitoshi and Mic had to admit was darkly hilarious.
As terrible as it looked, there was still a chance that Todoroki wasn't a traitor, and that he'd only paired up with Shigaraki and streaming because he felt he had nowhere else to turn. The fact that Endeavor had kicked him out though, while surprising to learn, only added more evidence to the villain theory, because it gave him a reason .
Hitoshi was so tired that he didn't even notice anyone else had come into the kitchen until a steaming mug in front of him. He blinked up slowly and looked up at Aizawa, "What do you want?"
"For my students to not be problem children." Aizawa said dryly. "But caffeine is the next best thing. Drink up."
Hitoshi took a deep gulp of the coffee and groaned, "Why is binge watching more exhausting than insomnia?"
"Because your brain was still working the whole time." Aizawa said. "It's the same reason stakeouts have you feeling dead even though, objectively, you were just sitting in the car the whole time. It's the same concept here, especially since we were actively researching a villain. The fact that it's a villain we've fought before and that it affects one of your classmates only makes it more mentally and emotionally exhausting."
"Oh yeah. That. " Hitoshi drawled. "Where's your partner in crime? Isn't he usually the high energy one?"
Aizawa scoffed, "That's when he's gotten his beauty sleep. No. When I tried waking him up this morning, my wonderful husband told me in no uncertain terms that he would murder me if I tried to wake him up before 10 am."
Hitoshi raised an eyebrow, "And what time was this?"
Aizawa smirked, "10:02."
"Figures." Hitoshi chuckled. "At least he'll be rocking those eyebags so he matches the rest of the family." He took another gulp of coffee and grimaced. "This is doing absolutely nothing."
Aizawa rolled his eyes. "It's coffee, kid, not magic."
The conversation fizzled out and both of them were more than happy to embrace the silence as they waited for the coffee to kick in. It was nice and relaxing and Hitoshi was actually starting to nod off again when his phone suddenly vibrated loudly against the table and startled him so badly that he almost fell out of his chair.
He scrambled toward the phone and picked it up, "Hi?"
"Good Morning!" Ochako's voice was cheerful and loud enough that Hitoshi had to hold the phone a few inches away from his ear. "Are you ready for me to pick you up?"
Hitoshi blinked, "What?"
"Mina invited everyone to the mall, remember?" Ochako said. "Don't tell me you're gonna bail! I was gonna come over and we were gonna get you more used to teleporting with me, remember?"
"That was today?!" HItoshi rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Of all the...yeah, uh, just… everyone's coming, right?"
"Yeah, I think Mina managed to convince everyone." Ochako answered. "Why?"
"Uh, no reason." Hitoshi's brain was racing as sluggishly as humanly possible. If everyone was going to be there, then that meant that Todoroki was going to be there and at this point they had no clue if he was a villain or not. It might be a good idea to watch him and see if he was acting suspiciously for any reason, but at the end of the day, it probably wasn't Hitoshi's call. Aizawa was the homeroom teacher and the hero most responsible for Todoroki at the moment, since Endeavor had obviously noped out of the position, so anything Hitoshi planned on doing definitely needed to be cleared with him first. "I uh..right. Ok. Let me just check something out with Dad real quick and then I'll text you when I'm ready to go."
Hitoshi hung up quickly and turned to Aizawa, who looked shocked for some reason, but Hitoshi shook it off. They were both too tired to really care at this point, "I forgot that a bunch of our classmates are going to the mall today and I already promised Ochako I'd tag along. I was thinking that since Mina's dragged pretty much everyone into going, then there's a really good chance that Todoroki is going too. I'm assuming you want me to keep a close eye on him, right? I know we hadn't really discussed what we were going to do, but I figured that if he's working with the villains..."
Aizawa shook himself out of whatever stupor he'd been in and frowned. "I have a meeting with Nedzu today to inform him of the situation, but there's still so much we just don't know. It would be illogical and unfair of me to ask you to do a job when both the danger and the threat level are both still completely unknown. "
"But you're not asking. I'm volunteering, '' Hitoshi pointed out. "And he's my classmate, so if he is a villain I'm already kind of at risk."
"Which is the only reason I'm not telling you to avoid him entirely." Aizawa said firmly. "Go, have fun with your friends, but if Todoroki starts acting oddly, inform us instead of going after him yourself. He shouldn't be your top priority and I don't want you putting yourself in danger. Got it, kid?"
"Got it." Hitoshi stood and nodded to Mic as he walked into the room. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you guys later."
"Alright kiddo!" Mic gave him a knowing smile. "Have a great day."
"Ok?" Hitoshi shook his head and went to go get dressed. His adults were so weird.
Shouta stared after Hitoshi as he ran back to his room, "Did he just…"
Mic grinned widely, "Yeah. Yeah, he did. Our kid just called you Dad, Shou. How do you feel?"
Shouta groaned, "I think I need a nap."
Tomura walked into the bar only to see Kurogiri talking to Giran and two NPCs that he'd never seen before, "What's going on?"
Kurogiri heaved a disappointed sigh and gave him a look, "First of all, you're late. Second of all, allow me to introduce our new recruits. This is Dabi and the young woman next to him is Toga. They have come to join us because of our alliance with Stain's successor."
Tomura tried not to grimace as he remembered that there was a reason they'd taken Spinner out on that murder spree. He didn't want new recruits, he wanted to get an apartment and try the newest video games. Sensei had raised him to beat All Might, but at the end of the day, that wasn't what Tomura really cared about. He wanted to beat bosses, sure, but it was a lot more effective to get that sense of accomplishment from gaming rather than murder. There were more bosses to beat, for one, and fewer consequences when he failed.
Eventually, he just huffed, "So why are you NPCs here?"
The one Kurogiri had introduced as Dabi raised an eyebrow, "To join your little group. I guess you're just as stupid as you look."
"Not that, you idiot." Tomura growled. "I mean, why do you wanna join? What objective are you after?"
Dabi gave him an appraising look, but Toga jumped right in, "I loved Mr. Stainy! I wanna kill people and drink their blood just like he did! I wanna meet his apprentice and drink his blood too!"
"That…" Tomura wrinkled his nose. "That's something, I guess. And what about you, patchwork? Why are you here?"
"To expose the fakes masquerading as heroes." Dabi replied, not breaking eye contact. "What about you? Is your reason good enough to follow you?"
"I'm just here to beat the big boss." Tomura snapped. "I don't really care if you join the party or not, so if you don't like that, go find your own side-quest or whatever."
"Tomura!" Kurogiri shouted at him as he shouldered past the new recruits and tore open the door. "You must forgive him. Our leader knows what he must do. Allow him to clear his thoughts and we'll get back to you on recruitment."
Tomura slammed the door behind him, resisting the urge to disintegrate it completely. Drinking blood and exposing heroes. On the surface, those seemed like great reasons to be a villain, but at the same time, there were other ways to make those things happen legally. Even if there wasn't, though, Tomura couldn't get the thought out of his head that Sensei was going to find a way to twist these guys' goals for his own purposes. With how he had been manipulated over the years, Tomura could only imagine what those two would be like once he was done with them. Could he really just stand by and let that happen?
Maybe Kurogiri was right. He needed to clear his head.
Hitoshi took a few deep breaths as the world righted itself again. Ochako had given him some anti-nausea medication before they'd left and Izuku had printed off an entire booklet of strategies for him to try, so he managed not to throw up his coffee, but it still took him a couple minutes to feel good enough to start looking around, "Uh, Ochako? I thought we were going to the mall, why are we at Izuku's place?"
Ochako blushed deeply, "Well, um, I was just thinking, um, that everyone in class kinda knows of them, but no one really knows them and it might be nice to have a buffer...I mean, it might be nice to let people meet them!"
Hitoshi blinked. If the worst case scenario happened and Todoroki was the traitor, Izuku was Cheat Code. He and Mei had already proven that they were capable of fighting the league, so if things went south, it would be super useful to have them around. Ochako was looking forward to just having a normal shopping trip, though, and if he told his kidnappers about Todoroki, they'd probably jump into the whole situation with both feet and the whole idea of a normal outing with friends would fly out the window...He could always tell them after, or even bring it up later if Todoroki started acting suspicious. He was supposed to be leaving it to Aizawa anyway, right?
"Oh, uh, yeah!" Hitoshi laughed awkwardly. "That sounds great. Uh, do they know we're coming?"
Ochako nodded, "Yep! I texted them both yesterday and Mei said she'd meet us at Izuku's. I tried texting you too, but uh...you weren't really responding, so…"
"Oh, uh, I was...busy." Hitoshi grimaced. "Sorry."
Ochako shrugged, "You were spending time with your adults right? I noticed you called Aizawa Dad earlier, so that must be going well."
Hitoshi did a double take, "What? No, I didn't."
"Uh, yeah you did." Ochako gave him a confused look. "You said, and I quote, I have to check something out with Dad real quick, so I'll text you. You totally called him Dad, Shindig."
Hitoshi opened his mouth to deny it again, then froze in realization as his brain caught up, "Oh no. I called Aizawa Dad. In front of him. And Mic was just around the corner so he probably heard. Ugh, no wonder they were acting so weird! I called Aizawa Dad! "
Ochako patted his back, "There, there...uh, at least he didn't call you out on it?"
"That just makes it worse." Hitoshi groaned.
Right at that moment, Mei and Izuku came running down the stairs...or Izuku was running and Mei was trying to slide down the bannister, "Extra-Credit-Kun, what took you so long? We've been waiting forever!"
"You only know that because Mom asked why we were still there." Izuku pointed out. "You wouldn't have noticed otherwise because you were too busy showing me the plans you have to make Tensei's wheelchair fly."
"Levitate." Mei corrected. "It would be too energy inefficient to actually make it fly for long periods. Too much fuel would just slow him down!"
Ochako giggled, "You two are so cute sometimes! You're like an old married couple!"
Izuku frowned, "Why does everyone always say that?"
Notes:
Next Expected Update: October 11, 2021 (MDT)
Chapter 70: InterweavingSummary:
Getting to the mall.
Notes:
Memes!
X X X X X X X X X X X
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The walk from Izuku's apartment to the mall wasn't too bad, but they did have to take the train. If she had been alone, Ochako could have easily just anchored to Mina and been there in the blink of an eye, but Mei and Izuku had never teleported with her before and she didn't want to put Hitoshi through that twice in a row like she had with All Might, so she was happy just walk and spend time with her friends.
Mina saw them walk in the door and grinned as she called out to them, "Ochako! Shinso! Over here!"
Ochako was right at her side before she even realized she'd activated her quirk, "Hey everybody! How's it going?"
"Pretty well. No complaints." Jiro shrugged. "Those your friends form teh support course, right?"
"Oh yeah!" Ochako smiled as the other three walked over. "Everybody, this is Izuku Midoriya and Mei Hatsume. You might recognize them from the sports festival!"
"Of course." Kirishima grinned. "How could we forget the crazy team that blew up the ten million point headband?"
"It was savage, but effective." Todoroki said simply. "Definitely impactful."
"Oh yeah! That was Izu-kun's idea!" Mei said proudly, elbowing Izuku. "It was so much fun to see if we could actually pull it off!"
"Mei!" Izuku blushed and shoved her away gently. "I mean, it wasn't that cool. We were trying to make an impact and that was just a pretty simple way to do it, you know?"
Ochako caught Mina looking at her out of the corner of her eye and turned toward her. Mina's eyes narrowed and she cast a pointed glance toward Mei and Izuku. Ochako shrugged and looked away. Ok, so maybe bringing along those two hadn't been the most subtle strategy, but if everyone was focused on the support gremlins, then it would take attention off her and HItoshi. Mina probably wouldn't get too distracted, but it would hopefully keep the rest of the class from joining in on whatever scheme she'd cooked up to try and get her and Shindig alone together. Hopefully.
"So, are we going to actually shop or did you extras just drag me along to hang out with Deku?" Bakugo shot a glare toward Izuku. "And don't pretend like it wasn't you and your little girlfriend that planted that glitter bomb, Deku. I know it was you."
"I...It…" Izuku stuttered. "She's not my girlfriend!"
Mina's head whipped around in surprise, "Wait, you're not?!"
Ochako let out a quiet sigh of relief. New friends might not be enough to distract her, but new targets definitely would. She felt a little guilty for kinda-not-really throwing Mei and Izuku under the bus, but...well, like, it was probably high time for them to get together anyway and everybody already thought they were dating so...she'd have to apologize later, but for now, she was just going to take it for the blessing it was.
"Come now, Ashido, it's impolite to meddle in other's love lives!" Tenya said, chopping the air with his robotic arm. "That being said, I had been under the impression that you two were dating. My apologies for making assumptions."
"It's fine." Izuku blushed. "Don't worry about it."
"Yeah, Izu-kun and I have more important things to worry about than what other people think!" Mei said. "We've got these great projects and we really need to prepare for the design bootcamp and make sure you all have the right support items for your little camping trip and…"
"And I think we should split up!" Mina declared. "We're not shopping for the same things, right? So that means that it's gonna be more effective shopping in small groups and stuff! Groups of two should work, right?"
"That sounds wonderful." Yaoyorozu said, ignoring the way that Mina was winking at Ochako. "And then we can meet back here for lunch!"
Before Ochako could figure out what Mina had planned, she was already being dragged by the arm in Hitoshi's general direction. Mina grinned at her as she pushed her into Hitoshi's arms, "You two have fun! Take good care of her, Shinso, you hear?"
"Uh…" Hitoshi just blinked in confusion. "Ok…?"
Mina nodded in satisfaction as she grabbed Mei's arm with one hand and Izuku's with the other, "You two are support kids right? I saw this science shop with lots of cool toys, so why don't you two go have fun there…"
Within seconds everyone had split off and Ochako realized that Mina was a lot better at multitasking different targets than she'd anticipated, "What just happened?"
"Uh...I dunno." Hitoshi stared blankly in the direction his kidnappers had just disappeared in. "But I think you're stuck with me."
Ochako sighed, turning away to hide her red cheeks, "I mean, that's not the worst thing, right?"
Hitoshi smiled softly, "No, it's not."
Izuku and Mei looked around the store that Mina had abandoned them in and Izuku frowned, "You can totally build everything in here, can't you?"
"Yep!" Mei huffed. "I think I made a version of that little electricity ball thing they're so proud of when I was eight."
"So…?" Izuku frowned. "What do you want to do, then? Do you want to meet back up with Hitoshi and Ochako?"
"Sure!" Mei smiled. "Do you know where they are?"
"No. I could always just use my tracking program to see where Ochako is." Izuku trailed off as he saw the security cameras in the corner of the store. "Or we could have a little fun first and find them the hard way."
Tomura didn't know exactly where he was going, mostly just wandering and clearing his head , like Kurogiri had suggested. He just felt so conflicted and he hated it. Why did he have to care so much, it's not like he had any stake in those stupid NPCs lives. What did he care if Sensei manipulated them? For all he knew, they wanted to be villains and killed people because they thought it was fun, not because they were taught from a young age that it was the ideal outlet for spare rage. They probably weren't like him or if they were, they didn't care. Plus, at the root of it all, Tomura wasn't a hero. He didn't save people. As of right now, he couldn't even save himself.
He'd found an apartment, finally, one with absolutely zero ties to All for One and a decent monthly payment, but if he wanted it, he'd need some ID, preferably for an identity that Sensei didn't know about, which meant that he couldn't just go to Girian and get one. It was possible, sure, but was it worth it? If Sensei never found out, things would be fine, but if he did find out, then what? If he knew Tomura was trying to leave, would he just kill him without hesitation or would he find a way to manipulate those desires into his own evil plans. Tomura wasn't sure which option was more frightening, but both were something he would prefer to avoid. Life sucked.
Eventually, he decided to head toward the mall. There was a new zombie game that had come out a few days ago that he wanted to try it out. He pulled up his hood and made his way there without anyone recognizing him, not that he thought they would. Even after the USJ attack, his face hadn't really been on the news and people weren't expecting him, so everyone just assumed they were safe. They didn't even know how many villains were hiding among them just waiting for the right moment to strike, but at least they were doing their best to enjoy their lives despite that. Tomura...he kind of wanted that, honestly. He didn't even need to be safe, just free and normal.
He groaned in frustration as he got to the mall. Whatever, all this stupid worrying was just exhausting. He just wanted to get his stupid game and get out of here. He almost stopped short when he saw that brainwashing kid from the sports festival alongside that anti-gravity brat that Trapper had said could teleport. There were hero students here?!
He huffed and pulled his hood forward just a little more. He'd just have to avoid them and hope that if Todoroki was with them, he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut. So much for a relaxing walk.
For someone who was trying to keep an eye on Todoroki, Hitoshi sure had lost sight of him quickly. It wasn't his fault, he'd been focused on Mina dragging Izuku and Mei away and by the time he'd realized what was happening, pretty much everyone had split up and Todoroki was gone. At least he was with Ochako and not one of the classmates he didn't know as well. That would have been awkward as hell. It was still kinda awkward, of course, and Ochako seemed nervous for some reason, but she was amazing, so even if he didn't know what to say, she wouldn't judge him. Definitely better than getting stuck with a stranger.
"So, um...I don't really need anything besides bug spray." Ochako said quietly. "Um...what about you?"
Hitoshi shrugged and sat down next to the fountain, "I don't really need a whole lot of stuff and, like, you've seen Aizawa. He carries around a sleeping bag every single day, so I'm pretty sure we're good on camping gear."
"You've got a point." Ochako giggled as she sat down next to him. "Are you looking forward to the camp?"
"Oh yeah." Hitoshi nodded. "My quirk still has a lot of untapped potential and I've got an entire packet of suggestions from Izuku on what to do with it."
"Don't we all?" Ochako huffed, swinging her legs back and forth. "I feel like the biggest thing is picking just one goal to focus on, you know? Like do I want to focus on telelporting farther? Or carrying more weight? Or maybe getting our classmates used to the g-forces so I can take them with me? There's so many things I need to improve, it's hard to know where to start, you know?"
"Defninatly." Hitoshi agreed. "I've been thinking about working on my information gathering skills, you know? Because Izuku ran some tests a while ago and figured out the theory of it, but we never got any farther than that."
"Hmm…" Ochako frowned. "So you can't just ask someone a question and they answer?"
"It's not that simple." Hitoshi sighed. "I can order them to tell me something I already know pretty easily, but getting new info requires partial control. It's like I'm the gps, but they're driving the car. Theoretically possible, but we've all been so busy with the sports festival and then everything that's been happening with your quirk that I havne't really worked on it much yet."
"That...that sounds really cool, but also really complicated." Ochako said. "But then again, I teleport based on people's gravitational fields, so I guess I can't really talk."
"It's kinda the same idea of holding the connection without taking control." Hitoshi shrugged. "And I had to get really good at that during the sports festival, so my brain knows what it needs to do, I just don't have much practice doing it yet."
Ochako frowned for a moment before her eyes lit up in determination, "Then let's practice!"
Hitoshi jerked back slightly, "What?"
"Well, you let me practice my quirk on you today right?" Ochako said. "So it's only fair to return the favor. Come on! Try to get me to answer something you don't know!"
"Uh...ok. Are you sure?" Hitoshi asked.
Ochako rolled her eyes, "Just hurry up and brainwash me already!"
"Fine." Hitoshi smiled and did his best to only take half control. It felt really weird, like he was half inside and half outside her brain. "Ok, so...what's a good, dumb question that I don't already know the answer to? Um...ok, got it. Why do you think Mina dragged Mei and Izuku off so fast?"
Ochako didn't respond and Hitoshi facepalm, "Oh, wait, that's not gonna work, I'm pretty sure I have to phrase it as an order. Tell me why you think Mina dragged Mei and Izuku off so fast."
He knew it worked when he felt some resistance over the bond and Ochako started speaking in an odd monotone, "Because she's trying to set them up. She was also trying to get us alone together because she knows I have a crush on you."
Notes:
Next Update: October 18, 2021 (MDT)