Chapter Text
“Tch, those assholes!” Kirishima pounded his fists together, sparks flying from the metal grating against each other. “It’s not manly to pick on someone like that!” The boys were currently in the locker room, changing into their Hero outfits for the A-Rank Raid. Surprisingly, some of the Class B students were coming along too, like Kendo and Tetsutetsu.
“Don’t be an idiot.” A certain blonde said.
Izuku glared at Bakugo. “Don’t tell me you’re on their side too.”
Bakugo’s brow furrowed, “Don’t put words in my mouth, D…” The teen stopped himself. “Don’t put words in my mouth. We’ve been at war with Villains for decades. There’s bound to be hatred built up. It’s not surprising they’d treat her like they do.”
“Well I guess that’s progress,” Izuku thought to himself, noting Bakugo’s restraint.
“I am in agreement with Bakugo,” Tokoyami said, his bird-like head a little surreal to see talking. “It is far more logical to hate someone like Esil than to hate another human because they are different.”
Tokoyami was speaking from experience. Before Awakenings and Quirks, skin color was the single most common discriminatory target. Nowadays, Ranking and Quirks had a significant impact on the prejudices of the populace.
While a great deal of people adored and even worshiped Heroes, there were those who despised them for their power and were envious of the magic they wielded. This manifested even greater when the target of discrimination was in possession of a Quirk, like Tokoyami or Kamakiri, both of which were physically changed by their Quirks, making them look abnormal. It was much easier to make fun of someone for looking different than to make fun of someone who was merely Awakened and looked like any other human.
“Discrimination will always exist,” Kamikiri postulated. “I’d much rather have it levied at her instead of me.” He spat.
It was rather apathetic to Esil’s own situation, but Izuku had trouble opening his mouth to protest it. Because of the way the human mind worked, discrimination was a constant. Even if it was on a very basic level, humans were designed to recognize differences. It was an evolutionary trait that had kept them alive during their more archaic days and it even helped modern Heroes survive within the incredibly harsh conditions of the Gates. Of course it often manifested as racism or something else stupid. But in this case, there was some justifiable backing to it.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people had lost their lives to the Gates, both inside and outside of them. Many countries had to bear massive economic recessions and suffering defined the first ten years of the Awakened Wars. It kind of made sense to discriminate against Esil, in comparison to how some people treat others like Tokoyami. Unlike most discrimination, there was an actual reason behind it.
Even still, it was hard to wipe the image of a depressed and soaking wet Esil from his mind. Thankfully, she had time to shower off in the women’s locker room, with Momo creating a fresh outfit for her to wear. There was practically no limit to the usefulness of her Quirk, Cosmic Forge.
In fact, she suspected that the upgrade would now allow her to more easily create magical weapons, ones that others could wield as well. The downside to her Quirk had always been that only she could use enchanted weapons or armor that she created, but if she could rectify that, she could supply the entire world with high-ranking gear. She wanted to explore that possibility more, but between school, her research into the Eternal Slumber, and her Shadow Empress persona, she already had a lot on her plate.
Sensing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, Kaminari opened his mouth to lighten the mood.
“Stow it, Pikachu,” Bakugo grumbled, strolling past him and out of the locker room.
“Well, I guess it's still the same old Bakugo,” Izuku thought to himself with a smile, following after him.
“Come on, Pikachu!” Kirishima chimed in, his heart pounding, ready to get back into Hero Work.
“Please don’t start calling me that…” Kaminari grumbled. In a roundabout way, he had certainly raised their spirits.
*******
“HOW THE FUCK DO YOU LOSE A BODY?!” Ryukyu quite literally tore the door off the hinges as she burst into All Might’s new office, a worried secretary following close behind.
“Ryuko-” The skeletal man held his hands up in placation, heavy bags under his eyes.
“THE COMMISSION IS IN CHARGE OF THE BURIAL SITES!” Ryukyu’s body was glowing with energy. The room was becoming unbearably hot. So much so that the secretary had to take a step back.
“What do you want me to say?” All Might calmly replied. “We had someone guarding the site, and they turned up as a pile of ashes.” He stood, even in spite of his weak frame, he wasn’t going to be chastised for even more sorrow in the world. “Do you think I’m happy with this situation?” His business suit, hanging loose around his torso, was brushed aside for just a moment by the sheer force of will Ryukyu was putting out. It ever so slightly revealed the injury that had crippled him.
The room’s temperature dropped at least ten degrees. “I’m… I’m sorry…”
All Might sighed and gestured to his secretary. “We need a new door.” It was his subtle way of telling her to leave them alone.
“Ryuko, you should go see family, or friends,” All Might calmly strolled towards her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
“I don’t… have anyone else…”
“Take a vacation. Something, anything,” All Might implored.
Ryukyu averted her gaze. “You guys need me here.”
“We’ll manage,” He insisted. “If something big comes up, I’ll call you. If you push yourself too hard now… we won’t have you in the future. The Agencies are a mess because they lost their leaders. As soon as those roles get filled, it will calm down.” He pulled her close, wrapping her in his lithe frame.
Ryukyu felt like a little girl, resting her head against the new president’s shoulder. There was a reason All Might wasn’t just known for strength.
Not long after Awakening, Ryukyu was nearly pushed out of her chosen Agency thanks to Endeavor’s bullshit. It was All Might who had been there for her and given her a hug, just like he was doing now. Ryukyu had strength to spare, but her emotions were a clumsy mess. Meanwhile, All Might was weaker than ever, but he had seen more than most people would in their entire lifetimes.
“It will work out,” He reassured her again.
Pulling away, Ryukyu wiped at the tears in the corners of her eyes. “What about…” She didn’t need to clarify.
“I have Tsukauchi looking for Touya’s body right now. We will find whoever robbed his grave and we will make sure they pay for it.” All Might’s bright blue eyes glowing, determination quite literally shining through.
“U-Uhm… Sir All Might?!” The secretary called from the hall. He had told her to call him Toshi or something similar. But to some people he was always All Might.
“What is it?” He moved over to the smashed door frame, peeking his head out into the reception area for his office. “Oh…” An imposing jagged figure, seemingly made up of many overlapping parts stood at the secretary’s desk, waiting patiently.
“I am Deep Blue, and I am here as per the wishes of my Lady and my Liege. You weakl- You mortals apparently need my Masters’ help. So I have come bearing gifts.” Deep Blue took a step to the side, gesturing to his own Shadow.
“Huh?” Ryukyu knew who the Monarchs were but not even she was privy to what was going on, but when she turned to All Might to see if he was just as confused, she was surprised to see pure reverence on his face.
“How… How many?”
Deep Blue’s synthetic voice calmly stated that, “I have been permitted control over 2,000 Shadow Nomu most of which are at A-Rank, as well as 100 Evolved Shadow Nomu, who are bordering on S-Rank. I have been instructed to guide them per your demands.”
“I-I don’t know what to say…” All Might stammered. “I would love to thank your Masters personally-”
“That is for them to decide, not you.” Deep Blue stood with his hands behind his back, regally focused on task, without so much as even glancing at Ryukyu. His message was clear, they wanted to remain hidden for now. “Now, if you don’t mind, I do detest inefficiency. So I’d like to get to work.”
*******
“Tch, this shit is worthless,” Bakugo spat, tapping repeatedly on his new smartphone.
“The Hero App has been less than effective recently…” Iida acknowledged.
In the past, Gates had to be manually reported. This left the opportunity for many to remain hidden until they broke, chaotically spilling Villains onto the streets. In the advent of magical scanners and new technologies, hidden Gates became far less likely to occur. Of course, you could only put so many scanners throughout a country, and the tech was delicate and unreliable at times. False positives happened frequently because of Heroes. If a significantly strong one moved through an area, they would trigger the scanners like they were a walking Gate.
Continued advancements refined it, but… well it took hundreds of years for physics to advance to the point of being able to harness something like nuclear energy. The scientists and engineers were working with a whole new set of rules.
And even assuming all the hardware was working correctly, Japan had just lost a significant amount of Mana within its country. S-Ranks contributed to nearly 80 percent of the country’s Mana signature, which meant everyone was scrambling to re-calibrate the devices. Not to mention Endeavor was still fucking everyone over.
Takashi had finally reached the bottom of the Gate that had broken near the hospital where Inko Midoriya was being kept.
Endeavor was, at that time, planning to take over Korea’s Hero business, and the only one with enough authority to overrule him was All Might. But the pillar of strength hadn’t been seen actively participating in Gates in some time. Apparently Endeavor suspected that All Might was either retiring, injured, or had some other condition that was causing him to deteriorate. Whatever the case, if he could confirm that All Might was out of the picture, he could move forwards with his plans.
So he had someone hack the Hero App, which compiled and monitored all possible Gate sightings and readings. If a Gate broke, then surely the greatest Hero would come running to save the people.
Of course, Izuku and Momo had been there and cleaned it all up before anyone else needed to intervene. But to Endeavor it was a clear sign that All Might was no longer a threat to his scheme, and he was pretty much right.
No one expected anyone to hack the Hero App, there wasn’t much to be gained after all. Sure you could get some personal data, but there was no reason to screw with the readings unless you were just someone who wanted to watch the world burn. Unfortunately Endeavor fit that bill in an attempt to cause chaos and draw out All Might. The computer techs were still undoing the damage, so the app was extremely buggy.
“Wonder what theme this Gate will be,” Kaminari pondered aloud. “Maybe we’ll get to meet some babes like Esil.”
“Esil is the exception to the rule, don’t forget that,” Iida cautioned. “We still have a job to do.”
“For the love of God, let me have my fantasies man!”
“Delusions, fantasies,” Jiro mimed a weighing scale, “Potato, potatoh.”
“What did I do to you people?!”
“We’re here,” Shoto interrupted, again uncharacteristic of the last jaunt to a Gate.
“He couldn’t have changed that much just because of Jeju right?” Izuku could accept him asking for help after losing his brother and father. He could accept him being slightly more talkative. But even Bakugo, after being assaulted by the sensation of death, and then Momo who kicked his ass, barely changed. “Something’s weird…”
“Alright let’s go…” Aizawa looked like he was ready to jump into the maw of a dragon after being forced to sit on the bus with the rowdy bunch.
The group of twenty or so students filed off the bus, donning the rest of their armor and weapons as they did so. It wasn’t practical to wear an entire suit of armor while sitting on the bus after all.
“Uhhh… why are we here?” Somehow Mina had completely missed the fact that they were driving towards the Skytree.
Aizawa glared at her. “Why do you think?”
She shrunk away from the man, hiding behind Kaminari, as if he hadn’t gotten enough shit today.
“Woah! Mommy look! Heroes!”
“Can’t believe UA is sending kids into an A-Rank.”
“Do you expect Hawks to rise from the dead anytime soon to handle this shit?”
“There are other Agencies.”
“Yeah but UA has the most up and coming S-Ranks. Ryukyu and Miruko can’t handle everything on their own. And it’s not like All Might is gonna come to the rescue.”
“What about the Shadow Monarchs? Haven’t seen those guys in a bit.”
“They don’t seem like the type to make public appearances.”
“Hell, they probably just wait until the last minute to look good.”
Izuku could hear dozens of conversations going on around the base of the Skytree, which was currently sectioned off by the police, who were still herding civilians out of the building. Most of which looked quite annoyed at having their day ruined by a Gate.
“Don’t worry guys, we’ll have this cleaned up in no time!” Kirishima gave a wave to the crowds alongside his enthusiastic assurance.
“I really should get better at handling civilians…” Izuku thought to himself, keeping a warm smile on his face. But he wasn’t able to muster the same charisma that his classmates could. “Me and Momo need to make another public appearance soon. People are gonna think the Monarchs aren’t as dedicated as other Heroes…”
Izuku exchanged glances with Momo who nodded in agreement. They didn’t even need to speak to know they were thinking about the same thing. With Deep Blue collaborating with All Might, the people would soon know that they truly were working towards making Japan safer, but there needed to be a grander display. Even All Might, who was no showboat, understood the need to show the people his power. A show of force wasn’t just for inspiring fear.
“What is that noise?” Tokoyami asked, his head darting from side-to-side trying to find whatever noise was washing over the crowd.
It was a roar of power. One of monsters and machines flying overhead.
“Ho-lee shiiit,” One of the civilians said as a trio of F-54s made of Shadow Metal screamed past.
Following close behind, was Quasar, carrying about a hundred Tenebris on its back.
“Show-off…” Setsuna whispered to Izuku. But she was smiling, because the crowd was alight. Nothing could beat an aerial show from literally out of this world.
A couple people cheered and clapped, gathering the attention away from the Skytree and its closure. In addition to Deep Blue and the Nomu being at the Safety Commission’s beck and call, Momo had her F-54s patrolling the skies. They didn’t need to land or refuel, and they weren’t exactly fit to fly within the tight confines of most Gates. The same could be said of Quasar.
The sight was a little intimidating to some, but many knew the Shadows as the saviors of Japan. There was a certain sense of safety seeing them patrol overhead, ready to deploy soldiers at a moment’s notice. Not even All Might could be that omni-present.
“Enough gawking, we have work to do,” Aizawa kept everyone focused, moving towards the entrance.
“Right this way,” A policeman said, ushering them inside.
It was telling just how short-staffed the rest of Japan was. Just a week ago, Hero Safety Commissions handled all Gates. It was the reason they existed after all. The police weren’t supposed to be used for supernatural threats, but due to the recent… mess, they were having to fill the gaps.
After a short elevator ride, they arrived at the observation deck. Not two feet away from the sliding metal doors was a swirling vortex of blue energy.
“Let’s go,” Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were first up. They were the tanks after all and it was usually the safest decision. The class didn’t take long to follow.
There were quite a few variations in Gate locations. Most of them were in underground caves, but occasionally a Gate could spit you out into a frozen wonderland or a blissful meadow. But the one thing Gates could not do was exit out into a place you actually recognized. The locations were theorized to be other planets, but nothing that humankind had ever witnessed.
So, to say it was strange that the class found themselves on one of Jupiter’s moons, gazing into the majesty of the gas giant, was an understatement. And it didn’t even take into account the Gate closing behind them, sealing them on the icy surface of Europa.
