A Six Piece McNugget Meal With Sweet And Sour Sauce

by Kiru_Kahl

Summary:

Waking up in a world that's not my own wasn't on my bucket list, but maybe it should of been. At least then I would have had time to plan.

With only a basic understanding of the plot and the knowledge from a thousand fanfictions, I'm here to do my best or die trying. I just wish I didn't have to remember the family I left behind...

Well, I've always been good at ignoring my problems. Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms? Whats that?

Chapter 1: New Awakenings.

Chapter 1. New Awakenings

The second I awoke, I knew something was wrong. I felt strange; my body felt like a ton of bricks, yet light as a feather at the same time. My eyes snapped open and I was greeted with an unfamiliar sight. This wasn't my room. I sat up swiftly, eyes darting around the unfamiliar place. I didn't recognise any of it, there were a few posters hung up on the walls, depicting some people I had never seen before. The room looked rather normal aside from that, but it wasn't mine.

My room was smaller and my bed was larger. My bedside fan was nowhere to be seen and none of my figurines were on any shelves. Instead, several books rested on the few shelves. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the books were cookbooks. As I studied the room I caught sight of a mirror. It was not me. I had to do a double take, because I thought I was seeing things.

In the place where I was, was a face I vaguely recognised. With brown hair and black eyes, and large lips, was a character from My Hero Academia. What was their name again?

“Sato… Rikido Sato…”

When I spoke, the figure in the mirror spoke with me. The voice that left my mouth wasn't mine.

What was going on? Was I dreaming? No, I've never had a dream this vivid before. And I certainly can feel things. My body still felt odd but the feeling was slowly leaving.

With careful movements, I swung my legs out of the bed and stood. I looked down at my body, dressed in pyjamas, and studied my appearance. Honestly, not too much had changed.

Sure, I hadn't been this muscular before, but it's not too big a difference. My arms and legs seemed almost unchanged. I seemed to be around the same height, but the biggest difference was my abs. Where I had once had a sizable belly, there was now a six pack with muscles lining my sides.

I could feel myself begin to panic but I forced myself to remain calm. With no idea what was happening, I decided the best option right now was to make a plan. If I truly was in My Hero then that means I can alter things.

“The question is, how?”

It was weird hearing a voice that wasn't mine when I spoke but I knew I would have to get used to it. I sat on the bed and I began to think. Using a calendar on the wall, I could see written in big bold letters on a certain date were the words ‘UA ENTERANCE EXAM’. Thanks to that, I could get a good idea of where I was in the timeline. The bad news was that the exam was a week ago, meaning I had, like, three weeks to get my shit together.

First things first, what do I know? That's some more bad news. I don't have a good grasp on the events of the show. Sure, I had watched some of it, but I stopped after the USJ arc, since I just wanted to see Nomu, my favourite character. Other than that, all my knowledge came from fanfics.

That's ok. I can work with that. I've got the general idea. So, what can I do to affect the plot?

…

…

…

 

Dammit, long term planning isn't my strong suit. Sure, I KNOW what I would need to do. Which characters I would need to stop and what I should change, but when it comes to planning how I'm going to do that? I'm toast!

Alright, maybe I should focus on something closer. The first day of school. Aizawa had his quirk test so I need to figure out how to not screw it up. Sato’s quirk is sugar rush. I eat sugar and get stronger but at the cost of intelligence. Simple enough. Shouldn't be too big of a deal to figure out how to use.

I'm somewhat confident in my ability to pass Aizawa’s test. As I thought, Sato’s quirk is rather simple. Eat sugar, grow BIG MUSCLE, profit.

The wisps of a plan began to form in my head. I should have a good shot at staying in UA, but what do I change?

…
…
…

You know what, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. For now, I should focus on not screwing anything up.

A brief skim of some books lying on Sato’s desk revealed that he was likely up late doing his homework.

Fuck. I'm going to have to go to school! I literally graduated a month ago! I just got out of there, please don't put me back!

 

Interacting with Sato’s parents was… tricky. I don't know enough of Sato’s personality to convincingly act like him, and they saw through me quickly. I was terrified when they called me out as not being their son, and to be frank, I considered spinning some tale to get them off my back. But…

I was sitting at the dinner table with Sato’s parents and the two were looking at me with suspicion. I knew it would be best if I lied, told them I got hit by a quirk that changed me. Told them ANYTHING but the truth. But I can't. These two are lovely people, and I can't bring myself to lie. They deserve the truth. The truth that they lost their son.

“Ok, you two deserve the truth. I'm not Sato.”

Sato’s father, a man named William, spoke up.

“We figured. You act differently to him. Who are you?”

“My name is Michael. This morning, I woke up to find myself as your son. I don't know how, and I don't know how to go back to being me. I didn't ask for this, and I didn’t want this. I'm sorry.”

Sato’s mother, a woman named Akane, spoke.

“You don't know? Could it have been a quirk?”

“I'm not sure. It might have been. But if it was, I don't know who or how it happened. I don't know if your son will ever return…”

William seemed deep in thought, and Akane frowned.

“That's… unfortunate. Do you think there's a time limit?”

I could do nothing but shrug.

“I don't know. Maybe? I'm really sorry about this…”

William shook his head.

“Don't be. I suppose it's not your fault.”

The two of them are lovely people. We spoke for a bit more, deciding what to do. After a bit, we came to a decision. I would live there, and they would treat me politely. They didn't blame me for taking over their son's body, but I could tell they were upset. I agreed that I would treat them politely and try to find some way to undo what happened, but I think the three of us knew that unless it had a time limit, there likely was no way to undo it. Over the weeks, the three of us settled into this new situation.

 

Logically, I know I likely passed. Logically, I knew I did well enough in both portions to pass. Logically, I knew I shouldn't be worrying. But worry I did.. The week before I received the letter from UA was extremely nerve wracking. For most, it's a matter of becoming a hero or not. For me, it was a matter of if I would be able to change the future.

When the letter arrived, Sato’s parents were happy to leave me to open it myself. They're good people, but I just can't bring myself to see them as my parents. After all, I know my real parents aren’t…

But enough of that! I have a letter to open! And open it I did. A small disc fell out of the envelope. I already know what it is: a holographic projector. The projection began. A booming voice was heard over its speakers.

“BO YA! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION NOW!”

Well, that line already explained plenty to me. That line was the dubbed version. Does that mean everyone will use the dubbed lines? Or is it just how I'm hearing everything since I speak English, not Japanese? Or maybe- hold on, I need to focus on All Might!

“YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT ME MOVING TO MUSTAFU! BUT THE TRUTH IS, I DID NOT COME TO THIS CITY JUST TO FIGHT VILLAINS! YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE NEWEST UA FACULTY MEMBER!”

Alright, more info I already know. That first bit is a little different from the show, but that's likely just because I'm not Midoriya.

“TO BEGIN, YOU PASSED THE WRITTEN EXAM WITH A 82/100! AN ADMIRABLE SCORE, YOUNG MAN! NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IN THE PRACTICAL EXAM, YOU SCORED AN IMPRESSIVE 39 COMBAT POINTS!”

Sweet!

“UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH POINTS. I’M SORRY, YOUNG MAN, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH POINTS.”

Darn. To be honest, I knew exactly how this letter would play out. He would say the combat points then spring the rescue points. But I won't deny that my heart did skip a beat when I wondered if maybe things were different. Maybe this was some au? Would I miss out and be replaced with Shinsou or something?

“IS WHAT I WOULD SAY IF THAT WAS ALL THERE WAS TO IT! FOR YOU SEE! HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY TURN DOWN A HEROIC SPIRIT! WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY THERE IS A SECRET, SECOND SCORING SYSTEM! RESCUE POINTS!”

Alright, so not out yet. He wouldn't say that if I didn't pass, right?

“YOUNG SATO! WITH YOUR SELFLESS ACTS OF SAVING SEVERAL OF YOUR FELLOW EXAMINEES, YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED A TOTAL OF 30 RESCUE POINTS! LANDING YOU A TOTAL OF 69 POINTS! THAT IS A FRANKLY IMPRESSIVE SCORE, LANDING YOU IN THE TOP TEN!”

Heh, nice. But seriously, the top ten?! That was higher than I expected! Well, at least I'm guaranteed a spot!

“HA HA HA HA HA! TAKE HEART, YOUNG SATO. YOU MANAGED AN IMPRESSIVE SCORE AND HAVE TRULY SECURED A SPOT IN UA’S HERO COURSE! THIS IS YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!”

Heh. Sweet.

 

It's nothing short of a miracle that I haven't managed to screw this up yet. It's been a week since I woke up in this world and so far I've managed to play a convincing Sato. It took a hot minute to get my shit together, but I was able to play off a lot of things using ‘oh I ate some sugar earlier, what's going on?’ Luckily, everyone seemed to buy that.

Despite my internal pleading, I forced myself to go to school. And I'm quite glad I did, as I learned something very valuable. Whenever I'm faced with a question that I have no right to know the answer to, on account of the fact that I was Australian before and have no damn clue anything about Japan, I seem to inexplicably know the answer. I can only guess it is the lingering knowledge I have from Sato.

Speaking of which… no, I've managed to distract myself for this long, I'm not about to think about it now!

As I walk home from school, a trinket hanging in the front of a store catches my eye. It's a simple thing, not very fancy. But I can't help but think.

‘Huh, Trish would love that, maybe I should get-’

I cut myself off. No, I can't think about that. Trish isn't here. No one in my family is. Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it oh hey look a distraction!

It was a stroke of luck that I managed to distract myself by purchasing some interesting exotic sweets from a vendor. They were very nice, though not as nice as what I baked myself. My baking has been getting better; it's not too hard to follow a recipe. And when I get a better understanding of how baking works, I can start making my own recipes!

Thoroughly distracted, I continued my trek home. Only fourteen more days until the first day…

 

Upon arriving home, I came to a realisation. I should really start trying to plan my actions. I clear a space on Sato’s desk and pull out a notebook. Whipping out a pen, I begin to write what I know.

-First day. Aizawa’s quirk test.

-Second day. Choose class reps (possibly Midoryia and Momo, most fics change it, but not very important.). Media break in. first battle trials.

-Third day. USJ attack.

-Fourth day. Aizawa announces the festival.

-Month time skip. Unsure what happens during.

-Sports festival.

-Internships. Unsure who Sato goes with.

-Hosu. Sato is not involved.

-Finals. I think Sato fights Cementoss. Unsure.

-Mall visit.

-Training camp. Villain attacks. Bakugo is kidnapped.

-Kamino. AFO is defeated.

-Dorms.

After writing all that I came to realise… After this point, I don't know much about the timeline itself. Sure, I know of certain events, but I don't know when they happen. Shit.

Ok, what events do I know but am unsure of when?

-Overhaul arc. Mirio loses quirk. Nighteye dies.

-Re-Destro. Unsure what happens exactly.

After that… I don't know. I know AFO breaks out of prison, but hell if I know when or how.

Alright. So what's the plan? Let's tackle these one at a time. I need to figure out what's important about each event. If something bad happens, but is needed to further something else important, then I'm going to have to decide if I can make the important thing happen without it.

So first things first. The quirk test. Simple enough. I can use Sato’s quirk well enough to pass. I won't excel, but I won't fail either. No worries.

Media break in. Can I stop Shigaraki? No, I don't know where the files are kept. And I doubt I could beat him in a 1v1. But can I stop it? I could warn the faculty… would they listen?

And that is one of the biggest problems. Will anyone believe me when I tell them things? But even if I do, what would that change? I need to be careful. If I change too much or the wrong thing, everything could be thrown off and all my knowledge will be useless.

The USJ is important, and I don't think I should stop it. The benefits of stopping it are simply that All Might will have more time left. But if I do… the villains will still have many members and will have the USJ Nomu. I can't let them keep that Nomu. it's too strong, too useful.

So the USJ happens. The sports festival. I know Sato doesn't make it to the third round. But that's fine. If I let it all play out normally then everything goes fine. Similarly, internships aren't a huge deal. I could try to go to Hosu, but to be frank, that all turns out alright in the long term. Sure, people will die or get injured, but I believe it should be fine.

Next is the finals. I can deal with that all when it comes. The mall? Does Sato even go to the mall? It doesn't matter. Sure, Midoryia is held hostage, but he lives. That all turns out well.

The camp… as much as I hate to admit it, I think I should let that play out. No one gets hurt, and while Bakugou gets kidnapped, he is fine and him being captured is what leads to All Might fighting AFO. That fight… it needs to happen. AFO cant be allowed to continue. But I should try to make it easier and better for All Might.

How can I do that? Who could stop AFO?
…
…
…

I've got no idea. Maybe convince them to bring Eraser? No, as nice as it would be, AFO is near All Might the whole time, and he knows Eraser’s quirk. He won't be able to use it without hitting All Might as well.

Maybe… yes. That might work. What can AFO do to stop it? As far as we see, he doesn't have any durability quirks. Even if they dont kill him, it would be good for providing support.

Bring Snipe. See if his quirk works with a minigun. Perfect plan.

Alright, that might make the AFO fight better. Dorms don't matter too much.

Alright. Now onto the less concrete things. Overhaul. Boy oh boy, what do I do there? I don't have anywhere near enough information about it to matter. Maybe…

Maybe I'll leave it be. But should I? Eri… it's awful, but I don't think I can actually do anything to help…

 

Having written everything down, I'm somewhat more confident about how to handle everything. All in all… ok, I'm not going to lie, my plans are shit. I'm not really doing anything. I'm not able to stop most things. But what can I do? I'm just one guy. Should I try to rope others into this?

Honestly, I hate this situation. I've always been more of a reactionary person, not really one to plan things out. Why couldn't anyone else have been the one put here! Why me! Surely there's someone out there who could do better and wouldnt have a family to miss!
…
…
…
No. Stop thinking about them. I need to distract myself. I should bake something.

I grab a cookbook of Sato’s shelves and head down into the kitchen. Baking is a nice task…

 

Today was a nice day. The sun is shining, birds are singing, on days like these, kids like me… should REALLY not be searching for a villain's base.

I'm wandering around Kamino Ward, a rather large town bustling with people, searching for the League of Villains hideout. I've got a pretty good idea of what the outside looks like, so I'm confident that if I see it, I'll know.

I'm not going to interact with them, I won't even hang around it. I just want to know where it is, just in case I ever need to know. I've got the whole day to search, since it's a weekend and I've got nothing else on.

So far, I've searched for a good few hours, and haven't found it. I'll admit, it's kind of liking looking for a needle in a haystack. I know what the building looks like, but I don't know what the surroundings look like.

Eventually, I stopped at a cafe to get some lunch. Walking around for hours is tiring, and I'm glad that Sato’s body is fit, otherwise I'd be dying right now. I purchase a sandwich and sit down at one of the tables to eat. I don't want to waste the battery on Sato’s phone when I might need it later, so I let my eyes wander as I begin to eat.

I freeze with the sandwich halfway to my mouth. By some miracle, right across the street from the random cafe I chose to stop at, was the building. I'm sure it is. It's got the signs outfront, the architecture looks right. I'm sure it's the building. Quickly, I pull out Sato’s phone and snap a picture, as well as writing down the coordinates and address.

After finishing my sandwich, I decided not to hang around much longer. The last thing I want is to get the League's attention.

Heading back to Sato’s house, I can't help but wonder when I should tell others that I know the location. Should I do it immediately? Should I wait until the Kamino Ward arc?
…
…
…
You know, I think I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

 

School is… alright. Everyone there is nice enough. People congratulated me for getting into UA, but other than that, things were standard. I showed up on time, did my work, and left when I was meant to. I suppose it was lucky that while Sato was on good terms with his class, he didn't really have any close friends, so no one noticed the change.

Most of my spare time was spent learning useful information. I spent a good amount of time baking because it was a good distraction from how I'm never going to see my family again a useful skill that will help me pass for Sato. I also spent a good amount of time researching anything I thought could be useful.

I spent some time searching for information about the sludge villain. I need to ensure that canon is being followed and I'm not in some manner of AU. I did manage to find some articles about it, and while I was browsing something caught my eye. An article with a damning title.

 

“The #2 Flame Hero, Endeavour’s SON was just reported MISSING?”

 

Well. that's not good.

Giving the article a read revealed that Shoto Todoroki, a vital character, had been reported missing by his father. Doing some more research about this reveals that Shoto had in fact run away from home. He had left a letter frozen in ice stating that he refused to continue living there. It had more writing, but was cropped out of the picture.

How did this happen? What caused this? Shoto didn't do this in canon, did I somehow cause this? What other option is there?! Is this an AU?

Questions flew through my head at a mile a minute. Trying to figure out how and why this happened. I don't see any way I could have caused this, so it must be some manner of AU. Can I trust any of my knowledge now?

As I layed in Sato’s bed staring at the phone, I couldn't help but shiver.

If my information is unreliable, then can I even do anything to help?

No. Now's not the time to worry about this. I can't do anything about it, so I shouldn't focus. If nothing else, this just means I will have to react to new information as it comes. And that… that is my specialty.

 

UA starts in five days. I had spent some more time trying to come up with a plan for the future, but I'm just really not good at making plans. Usually, I just chill. I keep up with Sato’s exercise plan, and I make sure to stick to it. If Sato ever returns, I'm not going to let him return to a shitty body.

Sometimes, I wondered what the point was. Why should I try to fix things? Why should I go to UA. Why should I exercise? Why should I start baking? But whenever I thought about those questions, I just shook my head. After all, why shouldn't i? Why shouldn't I try to fix things? Why shouldn't I go to UA? Why shouldn't I exercise? Why shouldn't I bake?

It was hard, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's pushing through when I really have no right to. All this to say, I'm more than able to do things I really shouldn't be doing.

Which is how I found myself throwing hands with a villain.

They had a simple quirk, every consecutive hit they land would increase in power. Simple, but strong. With a quirk like that, I had to wonder why they became a villain.

“GOD I FUCKEN’ LOVE KILLING PEOPLE!”

Right. Not everyone had some grand reason to do things. Sometimes someone just loves killing.

I had just been walking down the street when the villain had started throwing hands. At first I tried to mind my own business, but the villain had started punching large rocks around widely. But not to worry, heroes had just arrived!

“Stand down villain! Or feel the wrath of Turn-”

Nevermind. The hero tried to monologue and got sent flying because of it.

As the villain stalked towards the now downed hero, I began to panic. Sure, I MIGHT be able to help, but what if I can't? What if I try and fail? This is a villain, one who would have no problem killing me. I should just walk away.

Nevermind, guess my legs decided today was a good day to fight. Quickly chucking a few sugar cubes into my mouth, I could feel my muscles begin to bulge as Sato’s quirk activated. Moving faster than I had ever moved, I lunged at the villain whose back was turned.

Unfortunately, they turned with an absurd amount of speed, slamming a fist into my stomach sending me skidding backwards a few metres.

“Eh? Some kid, trying to play hero? Who do you think you're foolin’, do you really think you can face me! I’m Purity, and my quirk Combo Star is unmatched! What hope do you-”

Not letting the villain finish, I dashed forward again, throwing a punch. The villain blocked this by punching as well, our fists clashed against each other, and the difference in power was clear. Where my arm was shaking, and my teeth were gritting, the villain's arm was still and they hardly seemed to be putting effort in.

“Wow, interrupting me? Rude. you know what? Just for that, I'll make your death a slow one.”

The villain threw a punch with their other hand straight into my stomach, knocking me even further back than the last one. I spat out a mouthful of blood, before standing up again. I was in a lot of pain, but it was far too late to back down now. I built this bridge, now I have to cross it.

The villain blurred towards me, barely giving me a chance to raise my arms before throwing another hit. I was able to block it, but that didn't make too much difference. My arms stung from that hit, but I just needed an opening…

The villain smirked and threw another punch. Honestly, that seems to be all they can do, but I suppose if your punches could demolish all your opponents then why would you do anything else?

Then, as if in slow motion, I did perhaps the only thing I could do here. I ducked.

The villain's fist flew over my head, missing me by a hair's width. But it was enough. Now, I threw a punch of my own, an uppercut straight into the villain's face.

Now, I'd like to make one thing clear. This villain was by no means weak. In fact, most would agree that in terms of durability, this villain would be slightly above average.

But when hit by the mountain of muscle that was my body? That didn't matter. The villain was knocked into the air, flying backwards. Standing up straight, I looked at the villain, who was slowly picking themselves off the ground.

Without giving them a chance to recover I ran over and kicked them square in the face, knocking them unconscious.

As I stood over the villain, it slowly dawned on me what just happened. I had won! I beat a villain!

I looked around, and saw someone walking over to me. Judging by their outfit,it was a hero. Not the one from before, but a different one.

“Kid, what you did was very reckless. You could have died!”

I lowered my head.

“I know. I couldn't just stand there…”

The hero raised a hand.

“Look. While it may not have been the right choice, you did still beat the villain. And if you had not stepped in, then my sidekick over there.” he gestured towards the first hero, who was being looked at by some paramedics. “He would have died. Because of that, I'll let you off the hook this time. Now go get yourself checked by the medics, I'll handle the villain from here.”

Well, that could have gone worse. Aside from some bruising, the medics gave me the all clear to leave. The hero, who I learned was named Bronzor, offered to escort me home, allowing me to avoid the media. After returning home and explaining what happened to Sato’s parents, I decided I had had enough excitement for one day, and headed to bed.

 

As I layed in bed, it finally dawned on me, I had fought a villain! I had won! This proves that I have what it takes to help! As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't help but feel just a little more hopeful for the future…

 

Time seemed to fly. Before I knew it, UA was upon me. Was I mentally prepared? Not even slightly.

“Well, time waits for no man!”

As always, I arrive with plenty of time to spare. Normally, I would arrive at anything I do with thirty minutes to spare, but since this was such an important day and i didnt want to be late by being lost, I arrived forty minutes early.

Honestly, I'm having a really hard time. Back in my world, I lived in Australia. This means school started at 9am. This already was early for me, but I was used to it. But Japan? What absolute FREAK thought it was reasonable to start homeroom at 8:25! At least before, if I was tired, I could skull an iced coffee to wake me up. But here? DARE went out of business during the quirk wars almost 150 years ago!

Blinking the tired out of my eyes I took my first steps into UA. I'm glad I had so much time to spare, since due to traffic I only managed to arrive within thirty minutes. Surprisingly, I was not the only one who arrived early. There weren't too many people, but still more than I thought.

 

I tried to see if I could locate any character I recognise in the people, but I couldn't. I think I might be able to spot one of class 1-B’s students, but I could be wrong. I think that might be Monoma standing near the gates, but to be honest, it could be just any blonde guy. I couldn't see any others I recognized so I figured no one else was here yet. Odd, I would have thought Iida would be here. Maybe he was already in the classroom.

Time to find 1-A. Luckily, I did seem to be in the same class, so I don't have to worry about that being different. I was worried at first, UA is huge! How can anyone find anything here? Luckily, a handy map was up on the wall in front of the main building. Checking it, I was able to get the basic idea of where everything was. I took a photo of the map, just to be sure. Following it, I made my way to 1-A’s classroom. After about five minutes of walking, I arrived. The door was large, but it did make sense. Paying little mind to its size, I opened the door, expecting to see Iida or someone in there already, but surprisingly, no one was there yet. Raising an eyebrow I entered the empty room, looking around to try and see if anyone was maybe just hiding. But sure enough, the room was empty.

This is… odd. Surely Iida or someone else would be here already, right? Eventually, I decided to just stop worrying about it. Checking the seating plan, I made my way over to my seat.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter 2. The First day.

 

I sat in my seat, tapping away at my phone, waiting for anyone to arrive. As I sat, I was suddenly startled as a noise came from the door. It was a tune I knew quite well; the Theodor March. Confused, I walked over to the door, wondering who was playing the sound.

As I poked my head out of the door, I was suddenly startled by a giant shadow demon appearing out of nowhere in front of my face. In hindsight, it was obviously Dark Shadow, but when a giant demon bird screams at you, you don't tend to pay much attention to things like that.

The creature screamed out a tune that I couldn't quite make out through the ringing of my ears.

“FUCK!” I screamed out as the monster screeched.

Dark Shadow began laughing, and I heard another set of laughter coming from next to it. Turning my head, I noticed Tokoyami standing there, chuckling at what he had done.

Once he saw me looking, he got noticeably flustered, as if he hadn't quite thought his plan through. Dark Shadow seemed to notice this and spoke.“Told ya.” Upon saying this Dark Shadow retracted back into Tokoyami, who fixed their stature.

“Sorry about that!” Tokoyami spoke. His words sounded… off. I don't know how to explain it, but I decided not to focus on it.

“Oh, don't worry! No harm done!”

I let out a laugh as I held my hand out.

“My name's Sato! Nice to meet you!”

Tokoyami shook my hand as he spoke.

“It's nice to… meet you as well.” His voice seemed odd, like it was somewhat empty. But i don't know, maybe that's just how he sounds? I don't know what he really sounds like.

“The name’s Fumikage Tokoyami, but you can call me Fallia! That shadow bird that jumpscared you earlier? It’s Dark Shadow, my…quirk.”

Excuse me what the fuck.

Fallia? What's that? Who is that? Questions whirled in my head a mile a minute. This isn't something I know from canon, was it something that never came up? Maybe this WAS an AU? Oh god oh fuck.

Despite my internal panicking, I didnt let it show.

“Fallia? That name’s pretty sweet! And your quirk is called Dark Shadow? What does he do?”

Tokoyami clears his voice.

“It-” he was immediately interrupted by Dark Shadow appearing beside him.

“I share your gender.” Tokoyami seemed to slightly panic at Dark Shadow’s sudden appearance.

“Get back in me!” Tokoyami spoke, seeming to slightly stumble over his words. As Dark Shadow retracted once more, Tokoyami continued to speak.“Dark Shadow is a sentient quirk and they are affected by both emotion and light. The brighter the light, the weaker they are- although they can still pull punches. And when it’s dark, they are powerful but uncontrollable.”

Of course I knew that already. Really, this whole conversation was really just for appearances. Tokoyami shook his head, before speaking again. “And I lost my sleep while having to prepare for UA. This place is quite…extraordina-rina-” Tokoyami stuttered for a moment, something I also never saw him do in canon. “Extraordinarily grand!”

I chose to ignore the stutter as I chuckled. “Yea, I feel ya. This place just has the feeling of greatness. I had so much trouble falling asleep last night too!”

Tokoyami nodded before speaking up once more. “So, now that I talked about my quirk, what's yours?”

Ah, a question I was well prepared to answer.

“My quirk is called Sugar Rush! It's nothing cool and unique like yours is, I simply eat five grams of sugar and I gain five times the physical strength for ten minutes. If I eat more sugar then the effect lasts longer, but the longer I use it, the lower my intelligence gets.”

Tokoyami nodded as I spoke.“Well, it still seems good at least.”

With that, our conversation was over. Tokoyami headed over to a seat that was near the window and he pulled out his phone and a notebook. The notebook had a cover written in a language I didn't know so I didn't pay much attention to it.

I sat back at my desk and pulled my phone back out, ready to await the next classmates…

 

From this point on, more people started to arrive, but my interactions with them consisted of brief pleasantries. I was slightly startled when Shinso walked in, but at this point I figured I should just roll with it. I doubled down on this idea when Pony walked in as well when I knew damn well that she was in class B in canon.

After a while, the classroom filled up with only a few minutes until the bell. There were only two seats left, and to be frank, I have no idea who would be missing since I don't know who Shinsou and Pony are replacing.

I did notice that Mineta was present which surprised me more than anything else. He’s usually the person who gets replaced in the class so it's nice to see that whatever cruel god is in control decided to let him be.

Small talk filled the room but I kept to myself, not really interacting very much with the others. Sure, I knew it would be good to, but I didn't really want to. Memories of my friends flowed through my head.

As the bell rings, small talk peters off and from underneath the teachers desk Aizawa rises from their sleeping bag.

I was ready for just about anything but what I didn't expect was for Aizawa to be a woman. My eyes widen in shock as she stands to her full height, shaking the sleeping bag off of herself.

“Alright, children, welcome to Class 1-A. This year will be difficult for you all, so stop messing around, put your big person clothing on, and start being actual Hero Students.”

I'll admit, I'm not too sure what Aizawa said in canon when addressing the class, but that didn't really sound right. Before anything else was said, a hand was raised.

“Hey, umm, can I ask a question?” The person asking this is Kirishima. I narrow my eyes. This was absolutely not something that happened in canon.

Aizawa points a finger at the red haired boy. “Yes, Red Hair, what's your question?”

That phrasing set off red flags in my mind. That didn't sound at all like something Aizawa would say. Just how different are they?

“Right, so, you’re Pony Tsunotori, right?” As he said this, he pointed at Pony, who appeared startled at being addressed.

“Yes?” Pony answered, looking like a deer in headlights.

Kirishima turned towards Shinso and pointed at him. “And you’re Hitoshi Shinso, right?”

The purple haired boy raised an eyebrow, but was clearly freaking out inside as he responded.

“...Yes?”

After that confirmation, Kirishima turned to point at Aizawa as well.

“And you’re suddenly and inexplicably a woman?”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow as they responded.

“I suppose? Were you told of your teacher beforehand? Since I know I didn't send your admission letter.”

Kirishima did not respond, instead turning towards the rest of the class.

“…Right, everyone raise your hands if you also got isekaied into My Hero Academia in the past three-odd weeks.”

Excuse me nani the fuck?

I clearly was not the only person thrown by this statement, as several people also seemed startled at this.

Bakugo was not one of these people. He spoke up with his trademarked snarky tone at the same moment Midoryia spoke.

“What type of fucking question is that, Shitty Hair-”

“Yeah, I did, usurped poor Izu’s body-”

The two stopped talking and turned to stare at each other.

My mind is racing a mile a minute. How… are they…

Are there others here? If so, why did I have to be ripped away from my family?

Bakugo glares at Midoriya. “Who the fuck are you, and what have you done with that shitty Deku?”

Did they lose their families as well?

A few others also spoke. Uraraka raised her hand and spoke. “Yeah, I’m not the real Uraraka. I can still talk to her, though.”

They can talk? They didn't steal someone's entire life without hope of return?

Tokoyami also spoke up. “I’m also an isekai and I can see Tokoyami as a ghost.”

I guess that explains why they had such an odd entrance. They didn't destroy an innocent boy's chance at life as well…

Surprise flickers on Asui’s face for a small second before her expression returns to normal. She tilts her head before speaking. “Pardon? Are some of you be hiki- Chunny… bius?”

Aizawa also spoke up, relief on his, her? Their face. “Oh, thank goodness I ain't the only one!”

Oh, that explains the whole gender change…

Ashido looked confused. “Wait, I'm sorry, what?”

Shoji raised his hand as well.“I'm one, yes.”

As this all happened, I was only half focused on the situation. Thoughts flew through my head at a speed I had never experienced.

If there were others then why bring me here?

If I'm not alone then what purpose do I serve?

If others are here then why am I never going to see any of them again?

How dare the universe do this to me.

Kirishima stood up and walked to the front of the room. He turned to address everyone. “Right, everyone- Okay, let’s do this in an actually organised fashion. Mr.- Ms.- Aizawa- I’m sorry, however I’m supposed to refer to you, can I use the chalkboard?”

Aizawa nods. “Sure, and it’s Ms. Aizawa now.”

Kirishima grabs a piece of chalk before addressing the class again. “Right, headcount, if you have weird future knowledge about My Hero Academia and/or got possessed by a ghost recently raise your hand.”

People began to raise their hands, Kirishima writing names down as they did.

The people who raised their hands were Aizawa, Iida, Koda, Shoji, Midoriya, Tokoyami, Uraraka, Kirishima and Jirou.

I was only half paying attention, and absent mindedly raised my hand as well.

With so many people, why am I here? I can't believe this.

Why can't I just fucking go home.

As Kirishima finishes writing names he speaks. “Alright, cool, if you’re not an SI, sit tight for a moment- if you come find me at lunch tomorrow I’ll explain the whole thing so you’re not super lost. Anyways, canon knowledg-”

Before he could continue, the door burst open, revealing Kaminari, who looked like he had just ran a marathon.

“Sorry for being late, I got lo-”

He paused, as he scanned the room.

“What the fu-”

He was cut off as Kirishima pointed the piece of chalk at him. “Are you a SI?”

Kaminari blinked at the sudden question before sighing. “No point in hiding it. I am, I have Denki in my head and I’m going to assume you all are SIs too. This is just great.”

Another who has the person in their head, why was I forced to take over Sato’s life, why was it me, why did they get so lucky to have a guiding voice.

Kirishima waved his hand. “‘Bout half and half, actually. Anyways, grab a seat, we’re playing a game of who-knows-what so we’re all on the same page when it comes to things.”

Kaminari nods as he moves to his seat. “Okay, I got up to chapter 407 of the manga. I’m gonna go sit down now.”

Chapter 407 when’s that after what I know? Why am I here when I know so little, for fuck’s sake, why do I need to be here, I don’t want to be here dammit I miss my family.

Yaoyorozu raised her hand slowly. Kirishima pointed at her with the chalk. “Yaoyorozu, go.”

Momo looked a little surprised at the way he spoke before she replied. “Hello… I’m awfully sorry to interrupt but… what on earth are you all talking about when it comes to chapters? And… Did you say SIs? Also, you know my name?

Surprisingly Kirishima was not the one to respond, instead it was Midoriya. “You see, this world is fiction, and we used to read it. Then, through some cosmic bullshit, we got punted here by God or something.”

What a cruel god to do something like this.

Yaoyorozu seemed even more confused by this. “I believe I now have more questions than answers.”

Kirishima chose this moment to speak up. “…We’ll get to the Q&A after we finish up this whole nonsense. Like I said, if you want, I’ll explain this whole thing at lunch tomorrow. Right, I’m up to… I think Chapter 405?”

Aizawa spoke next. “I’ve caught up to the anime and have enough spoilers to know what happened.”

Iida spoke up. “I’m up to date on the anime too and I've read a bunch of fanfics and seen respect threads.”

Shoji spoke next. “I’ve read every chapter of the manga”

Well then fuck me I guess. What point is it for me to be here, dammit? What could I possibly contribute? Send me home, I want to see my family let me see them!

Uraraka chose to share next. “I’m an anime watcher. I stopped around the Class 1-A/1-B training fights and Endeavor versus the High End. Also I’ve read a lot of fanfiction.”

Tokoyami was next, and for a large amount their words sounded weird, but I didn't notice. I was to busy lost in thought about my family fucks sake I just want to see them but fuck me. “I’m also a little TOO deep into spoilers, both anime and manga, although I’ve never seen the end of the manga. Basically, most of my knowledge stops at the Overhaul Arc, with only inklings for later other than anything to do with that Gentle guy. I basically know many deaths, injuries, and Vigilante Deku. And yes, I also read fanfiction… a lot. Not much for MHA, though… and I’ma stop now.

I slowly spoke up, using my experience as a voice actor to keep my tone as neutral as I could, even as I was frustrated; something I’m sure seeped through at least a little.“I’ve seen up to the Kamino fight, but I’ve got some general knowledge past that, about Overhaul and the MLA fight.”

See what use is my knowledge? Everyone else knows just as much and more! I don't even need to be here! Fuck’s sake, I serve no purpose here! Is this some kind of a fucking joke?

Kirishima nodded, seemingly a little put off by my tone. He didn't pay much mind to it however, and turned to address Midoriya, asking what he knows.

Midoryia responded to the questions. “I have all the knowledge up to the fight of Overhaul burned into my memory (though the middle is spotty) then everything from the first war arc to the end of the Vigilante Deku arc is well versed. Also, I read a lot of fanfic.”

Uraraka chose this moment to raise her hand. “Right, I know this is kind of our lives now, but keep the spoilers to a minimum? Thanks.”

As she said this, I simply glared at her, absolutely dumbfounded at the audacity.

What was that meant to mean do you not understand we are trapped we can't go home spoilers to what, a series you will never read again if we don't know things we will die I don't want to die do you want to fucking die? Absolute twat.

Kirishima looked a little confused at her question but didn't mention anything about it. Simply giving a short response I didn't pay much mind too before addressing Koda.

Koda looked at him as he responded. “Um… I've watched the anime up until the whole Class 1-A versus Class 1-B training… um… thing.

Kirishima nodded before turning to Jirou. “And Kyouka, how far are you?

Jirou looked a bit nervous as she responded. “I- I watched up to the first half of season 6 of the anime, but i know a little of what happens after.”

Ojiro took this opportunity to speak as well. “408. Fail For One’s backstory. Hate that wannabe baby and this stupid universe. MHA sucks.”

The wannabe baby is going to be the one to kill us all and is the most dangerous man on the fucking planet, you absolute moron.

Everyone paused as they started to look at him.

Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke up. “...Well, now, that's just hurtful.”

Hurtful to who? The fucking boogyman?

Uraraka also spoke. “I mean, I'd rather be brought into this than some of my other fandoms. Death Note? Yeah, no thanks.”

Izuku added, “Imagine being thrown into something like Rwby…”

Tokoyami spoke next. “I've been in enough fandoms with… fucked up worlds. Murder Drones? Literally the murder drones and the post-apocalypse setting. SCP? If you know, you know. Also others that happen to be Saccharine…. Putangina Nagsasalita ulit ako.”

Ojiro grumbles. “All those are considerably more acceptable to me then fucking My Hero.”

Kirishima clapped his hands to get everyone's attention as he started to speak again. “Right, moving on, does anyone else have a subject change?”

Yea, I don't want to be here.

Aizawa raised her hand. “So, uhm… should I be teaching now or…?”

“Before we get to that- has anyone made big metaknowledge-changes in the past three or so weeks? I know Iida and I told the plot to Nedzu, All Might, and Detective Tsukauchi, so that solves some things.”

Well I fought some random OC villain and nothing else. I just sat around with my fucking finger up my ass like a useless twat.

“What does meta-knowledge mean?” Midoriya raised his hand.

“Basically a catch-all for all the knowledge of the manga/anime we’ve got. Rolls off the tongue nicely. ‘Metaknowledge’. Also it sounds fancy, which is always a plus.”

“Oh… I don’t know if this means what I think it means but my- er- Izuku’s dad has white hair.”

Great another fucking change to canon a fucking fan headcanon not even a theory fuck’s sake.

“Shit. I guess we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it?” Kirishima responded.

“What does having a white-haired father have to do with anything?” Hagakure spoke up, visibly startling several members of the class.

“Holy hell! When did you get here, Hagakure? Also, side note, are you an SI?” Kirishima was one of the ones startled.

“What do you mean? An essay?”

Kirishima did not respond and just wrote her name down under not an SI.

“Well, fuck. You’re the son of All for One. This might actually be an AU after all…” Kaminari spoke.

“Seriously!?! DAD FOR ONE is canon here?” Ojiro snapped, head spinning to look at Midoriya.

“Who’s Awful Won?” Hagakure questioned. Several others also seemed to be sharing the question.

The man who will kill us if we fuck anything up. Does no one care about this?

“Immortal quirk-stealing bogeyman, emperor of the criminal underworld, and all around bastard. Also All Might’s nemesis, so I recommend running the other direction if you run into a dude with no upper head.” Kirishima explained.

“Why does he not have a head? Did he get decapitated?”

“All Might punched it off. It was a whole thing that, honestly, I’m probably not legally allowed to talk about.”

“So Midoriya’s dad is All for One? That changes a lot. And where are the missing people? Are they also SIs?” Uraraka asked.

“Oh! I saw an article a couple weeks ago about someone running away- they seemed pretty important, something about the number two hero? Do they have anything to do with this?” Hagakure asked.

“Then probably, yeah- the missing folks are Todoroki and Aoyama, and they’re the most likely to have SIs that want to get the fuck out of dodge,” Kirishima said. After a brief pause, he spoke again.“Right, so none of you folks changed canon significantly in the past three weeks?” Kirishima asked, clapping his hands as he surveyed the class.

“I mean, I transitioned,” Aizawa shrugged.

“Gonna come out in both ways to my new moms. Also, call me Fallia now,” came the reply from Tokoyami.

No fucking way am I remebering that.

Hagakure raised her hand, as indicated by her sleeve.

“What do cannons have to do with anything?” she asked.

Yoayorozu, who was just as confused, spoke up. “I can make cannons if it’s required? It takes a while, though.”

“Nope, still no idea about what’s going on! Absolutely none at all, hahaha,” Pony spoke. It was painfully obvious she was lying, but what do I know? I'm sitting in the corner, having a mental breakdown. She could stand on her desk and reveal a bomb and I would still not pay attention.

“…Right, then I’ll surrender the floor back to you, Ms. Aizawa. Take us on scholastic adventures and whatnot!” Kirishima returned to his seat as he spoke.

“So, uhm- should we do the quirk apprehension test or just skip over that?” Aizawa didn't seem to really know what to do now. Which is fair. I still didn't know why the fuck we were sitting around like nothing’s wrong. So much needs to happen and I can’t fucking do anything.

“We should probably still do it so we know where everyone’s at in terms of skills,” Iida spoke, his voice lacking the usual tone he always had in canon.

“Also, Midoriya. Do ya still break your bones every time you use One for All?” Aizawa turned to the boy in question.

Midoriya didn't answer, only activating One For All for a few moments, toxic green smoke flowing off him.

“So One for All and Smokescreen?” Aizawa asked, eyes narrowed.

“No, I just manifested One for All as small amounts of green smoke instead of lightning.”

“At least you’re learning faster than the Midoriya of canon did. Speaking of, do you have him in your head? Actually, does everyone have the canon character in their head?” It was Kaminari who spoke next, turning to look at Midoriya.

Still going to be fucking useless until he bulks up more.

“Yes, I have him as a vestige… The other vestiges were not pleased about me though,” the green haired boy responded.

“Vestiges? What the fuck are you even talking about, you damn imposter?” Bakugo snapped at the boy. It didn't seem like anyone paid him much mind.

“That makes sense. You aren’t their chosen user,” came the response from the lightning user.

“I’m a mix of canon Kirishima and a guy named James Eisner- no ghosts to speak of,” Kirishima spoke up from his seat.

Mix? Lucky bastard. Don't have to miss one family when you have another. Why couldnt I have been like that why do I have to be forced to miss my only family the lucky fucking twat doesnt even realise the bullet he dodged with that doesnt have to miss his like I do.

“Wait, hold on, do you mean vestiges or ghosts?” Shoji asked.

“Okay… So there’s multiple types of SI then, huh,” Kaminari nods his head.

“I’ve got O.G. Iida as a ghost too,” Iida nodded his head at a random empty chair that had been placed near his desk.

“I kinda just took over Aizawa’s memories and body. I have all his memories but no ghosty.”

“So that’s three types of SIs so far. I’d assume there’s more but we can’t be sure,” Kaminari nodded.

“W-wait, so there’s people with ghosts, people with just their character’s memories, and people that merged with their character?” Koda spoke up nervously.

“And folks that took over the character but without their memories,” Kirishima spoke.

Slowly I began to speak.

“Sato’s gone. I don’t have his memories or personality, it's just me.” Just me. A useless twat who can do nothing to help here. Fuck me, why do I even fucking bother waking up.

Kirishima seemed to notice my tone this time, and spoke up.

“…I’m sorry to hear that, man. You need someone to talk to and you let me know, ‘kay? (addresses the rest of the room) Actually, that goes for everyone here- if you need a shoulder to lean on or general help either adapting to the isekai or adapting to the fact that your classmates are isekaied, lemme know and I’ll come running, got it? It’s not manly to suffer alone so I don’t want to see any of you angsting about this junk!”

No, how could you possibly understand you can’t help you’re a lucky fucker who got to keep one family. Don’t fucking pretend like you could help me, you dont understand anything I’m feeling.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’ve come to terms with this.” That’s a fucking lie and I know it.

“Same here. No memories of Mr. Mediocre. He’s probably enjoying my tailless body as we speak,” Ojiro spoke, seemingly lacking the problems I'm having.

“Man, you suck,” Kaminari quietly muttered.

Why, because he doesn’t want to fucking be here? Sorry if this is some sort of dream come true for you, but not all of us want to fucking be here.

“I- I’ve got no memories either…” Jirou spoke up.

“Okay, this is all very intriguing, but what about those of us who aren’t reincarnators or regressors? We did come here to learn how to be heroes still. And you guys are talking about something way past first year heroics,” Sero questioned.

“Yeah, Weird Arms over there has a point,” Bakugo spoke. If I wasn't in the middle of a breakdown I might have considered how out of character that was.

“We’re still going to get the appropriate education, aren’t we?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“Alright, settle down. Since this self-insert bullcrap got us off track, let's go actually learn. Everyone to the training ground for the quirk assessment test,” Aizawa spoke, regaining control of the classroom.

“…What about P.E. uniforms?” Shoji asked.

“Oh, right, forget about those,” Aizawa reached under her desk and pulled out the uniforms, tossing them to the class.

The class grabs their uniforms out of the air, and I wordlessly catch mine, barely even looking at it.

“So… do any of us actually know where to go, or are we going to be left in the dark?” Kaminari asked the class.

“Well, if Ms. Aizawa is an… SI, as you put it? Then it’s more than likely she won’t know either?” Yaoyorozu responded.

“We should be talking about the implications that Aizawa-sensei is an SI. Who else is an SI besides us? 1-B? Other Pros? VILLAINS?! What if All for One is an SI, or one of his lackeys?! Oh gosh, if Overhaul is an SI…and poor Eri if she is one.”

Finally, someone asks the right fucking questions.

There is a brief silence before it is broken by Kirishima. “Shit.”

“If Shiggy is an evil SI we’ll be so screwed,” Kaminari said as he slammed his head onto his desk.

“To be fair, I doubt there are many people that are that evil…” Midoriya spoke, trying to calm the others down.

The intercom suddenly cackles to life, startling a good few of us.

“Yo! I’m already at the field. Get your asses over here quickly!” Aizawa spoke.

“Right, gang, let’s scooch and boogie! Anybody have any idea where to change?” Kirishima stood up as he addressed the class.

“So that means…I would see y’all’s… Fuck. I might be asexual but it’s still awkward for this to happen,” Tokoyami stated.

“There’s probably a gender-neutral bathroom that you can use if I had to bet,” Kirishima assured Tokoyami.

“Honestly, I’ve just been ignoring the impending truckload of body dysmorphia that would come with being in a different body but it hasn’t shown up yet,” Midoryia added.

“I have yet to experience that as… well… I don’t think it’s gonna happen instantly, though, as I got a detachment from my own original body… fucking hate its fat,” Tokoyami responded.

“I honestly can’t wait for the feeling of complete mediocrity to wash over me in this new body,” Ojiro stated, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Right, blind leading the blind. Let’s do this!” Kirishima clapped his hands, ready to waste his entire day searching.

Slowly, I spoke as I pulled out my phone. “Actually, I took a photo of the map near the entrance.”

Useless fucks, did they not see it? How fucking hard is it to look around just a little!

My voice was still sharp and snappy, but no one seemed to mind.

“Then lead the way, my friend!” Kirishima said, taking a dramatic bow.

And with that, I began to lead the class through UA’s halls, following the map on my phone. Others chatted amongst themselves, but I kept quiet.

Fucking hell, why are you all so fucking close? Just fucking follow me you don’t need to be this close.

After about two minutes of walking we found the changing rooms. We enter the respective ones and quickly change into our uniforms.

As we exit the rooms and head out onto the field, Aizawa is there waiting for us.

“Finally! It took you all far too long. Heroes need less time to suit up into real hero suits, and you all are only wearing P.E. Uniforms. Do better next time!”

“Sorry po.” Tokoyami said.

“Sorry, but wearing pants is much harder when you have a giant tail,” Ojiro snarked.

“Apologies, it took us a while to find the changing rooms,” Kirishima said sheepishly.

“A Hero must always check their surroundings beforehand. You should’ve used the map U.A provided you in your acceptance letter.”

“…Did no one else check their emails?” Yaoyorozu spoke up.

“That would have been a fantastic idea, yeah,” Kirishima sighs.

“We got emails?” Hagakure asked.

“We all have school e-mail accounts from U.A. The log-in was included in the info packet enclosed with the acceptance holodisk,” Shoji spoke up.

“So, for the people that didn’t know that, check the letters that you get sent by U.A. Fully, because I may add little surprises like glitter bombs in them when we do send out more,” Aizawa said, sounding like she meant it.

A few people responded to that with either shivers of fear or groans. Kaminari just stared Aizawa dead in the eyes and responded. “Send a glitter bomb. I dare you. I’ll mail it back with twice as much glitter.”

“So you don’t believe me? Have you ever heard of Pocket Sand? Try Pocket Glitter,” Aizawa pulled a handful of glitter out of her belt and tossed it at Kaminari.

To his credit, Kaminari dogedes most of the glitter, but some lands in his eyes as he pulls out and throws a handful of pocket sand.

Aizawa dodges the thrown sand with ease.

“You lose 3 points off your total score for throwing sand.”

“That’s mean but fair. I will have my revenge one day, however,” Kaminari frowns.

Quit fucking around. I don't want to be here longer than I have to be.

“This stuff is way too fine… it’s going to trigger my allergies,” Uraraka coughs, having been hit in the crossfire.

Yaoyorozu pats her on the back.

“Would you like me to make you a mask?” she offered.

“So, what are we doing for the test?” Shinso raises his hand to ask.

“So you all remember the eight tests at the start of the year in middle school? We will be doing those with your quirks instead, along with your physical ability if your quirk doesn’t work well with the event.”

I never did that, my home was in Australia. Ever think about that you prick?

A few people had minor reactions to this, saying some things like “wow this sounds interesting!” or “P.E… my nemesis.” or “I can’t wait to show off for all the babes in this class.”

You have three guesses who said that last line, and the first two don't count.

This statement caused a few glares at Mineta, but no one said anything.

“Also, last place gets expelled,” Aizawa added, as expected.

“Stop lying. No one ever gets expelled from this school,” Ojiro rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed.

“Yeah, that sounds a little unfair, doesn’t it?” Hagakure speaks up.

“Yeah! In the canon, Aizawa claimed that she (or he? At least for the canon) expelled an entire 1-A last year. But since we’re kinda capable… Only one of us might be kicked out. Hope that it’s none of y’all,” Tokoyami explained.

At this moment, almost half the class turns and glares at Mineta, who seems very confused.

“What did I do?”

“Yeah, what did he do?” Hagakure asked, confused.

“What didn’t he do?” Midoryia muttered.

“Okay, everyone, calm down. Mineta hasn’t done half the things he has done in canon. So let's actually be unbiased on this. Bakugo, step into the circle,” Aizawa stepped in, making a good point about judging people for things they have not yet done.

Bakugo entered the circle, muttering something to himself, before catching the ball Aizawa threw to him.

“Good. Now throw that as far as you can with your quirk, or, if you don’t want to use it for some reason, use your physical strength.”

“I might regret this later… (sighs) DIE!!!!!!!!”

The ball took off with a loud explosion. It was just like what happened in canon, flying through the air at a speed that couldn't be followed.

People muttered to themselves and each other, but I really wasn't paying attention to them, barely being startled by the sound. My thoughts are still elsewhere.

Why the fuck is everyone so fucking surprised, he did it in canon he did it here. Wasnt even that loud for fucks sake.

Outwardly, I forced myself to speak, widening my eyes.

“Damn! It's one thing to see it on screen but that was impressive," I exclaimed. I manage to control my tone and volume well enough to appear like I’m not smack dab in the middle of a breakdown. Which all things considered, is a miracle.

Next up is Yaoyorozu. She grabs the ball as she heads into the circle. Turning towards the group, she began to speak.

“This… might take me a moment, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves.”

Turning away from the group, she unbuttons her shirt and begins to create something. After a minute or so, she has finished creating an entire cannon.

Mineta stares at Yaoyorozu with wide eyes, before whistling.

A few people abolished him for this, and I laid a hand on his shoulder absently.

“Pay attention to the tests, Mineta. Last thing you want is to lose because you were chasing girls.”

Let it never be said that I wasn't polite. Mineta may be a perv, but I wholeheartedly believe that he can become a great hero if he gets his shit together.

Yaoyorozu turns to look at Aizawa. “Okay, ma’am, I’m ready to proceed.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” came the response.

Yaoyorozu began preparing the cannon. Right before shooting, she turns to the group. “You… may wish to cover your ears for this!”

And with that, a mighty boom echoes loudly as the cannon fires. The sound did startle me this time. But not enough to break me out of the thoughts that plagued me.

Well when they can do that what fucking point is there for me being here? I’ll just go fuck myself I guess.

“1070 Metres. Tokoyami, you’re next,” Aizawa turns the phone to us, showing the score.

From there, everyone else went about their turns through the whole test.

My scores come out pretty average. I do get a few raised eyebrows at my scores for things, since Sato is so strong, so it stands to reason that my scores would be above average.

But I just can’t focus. I can’t put all my attention into it, and it shows in my scores. My best score ends up being the ball throw, landing a solid 556.7 metres away. Though, I will admit I got a pretty good score on the grip test, losing only to Shoji and Yaoyorozu. Being pissed helps you grip shit, who knew?

The scores were more or less what I expected them to be.

1.Ochako Uraraka
2.Momo Yaoyorozu
3.Izuku Midoriya
4.Katsuki Bakugo
5.Tenya Iida
6.Mezo Shoji
7.Ejiro Kirishima
8.Fumikage Tokoyami
9.Mina Ashido
10.Mashirao Ojiro
11.Tsuyu Asui
12.Rikido Sato
13.Pony Tsunotori
14.Koji Koda
15.Hanta Sero
16.Tooru Hagakure
17.Denki Kaminari
18.Kyoka Jiro
19.Hitoshi Shinso
20.Minoru Mineta

 

In the end, I placed 12th, and while Aizawa does give me an odd look, she doesn’t mention anything about my lack of focus or my poorly hidden frustration.

There were a few reactions to the scores.

“WOOHOO!”

“Exact midpoint. God really loves making this man the most mid guy ever.”

“Nooooo! I can’t go home! I haven’t got a girlfriend yet!”

You have three guesses who that last one belongs to, and the first two don't count.

“Buddy, you tried, that's what matters,” Kaminari comforted the upset boy.

A few people rolled their eyes at Mineta, but I placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke.

God its like these fuckers are still only seeing him as a character. He may be a perv on screen, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't treat him with basic human decency.

“Calm down, dude, you tried hard, so I think you might be safe,” Listen, I may be pissed, but not at him.

“And I lied! Nobody is getting expelled! Although I may recommend Mineta to our counsellor just so that he may find a reason to become a hero, that's about more than just getting a girl,” Aizawa informed the class, her smile appearing unnatural.

I roll my eyes at this statement.

So what if he wants to get girls that's not a bad reason it's better then why I’m here. I’m here because I know the fucking future, not cause I fucking want to be a hero. Fuck being a hero, fuck this world. This world could burn to the ground and I couldn't care less.

“…But getting chicks is why I want to be a hero!” came Mineta’s response.

“Which means you get to go on a soul search!” Kirishima says to him before leaning in and saying something I can't hear.

“That’s all for today, you’re dismissed. Remember to check your email for orientation information,” Aizawa dismisses us.

The group heads back to the change rooms. I rush through the process of changing, completely ignoring any others. I speed walk my way out of the main building and out the main gate, not paying attention to anything.
I don't stop to talk to any of the others. It's clear they don't comprehend the situation. Most of them are treating this like some sort of fucking game! This is our reality now, who gives a shit about useless things like school?

 

With nothing else to take my attention, I can do nothing to distract myself from the thoughts that have plagued my mind all day.

 

My feet moved, but I wasn't focused on them. All I could think about was my family. No matter how hard I try, I can’t move my attention away from them. I need to distract myself, but nothing seems to be able to. I have already spent too long dwelling on my thoughts, trying to distract myself now would be as hard as getting a magpie to stop being a dick.

‘Trish… Bell… Oliver… Winter… Ethan… Cary…’

Memories of my life play on a loop in my head, all the times I spent with my family, all the time I wasted by not being with them. All the moments I would never get to be there for.

I was frankly pissed, but I had nothing to direct that anger towards. I don't know how or why I'm here. Is there a god who did this? If so, then fuck him. How dare he steal my future away from me? How dare he stop me from being there for my family!

I would never get to see Winter grow up, never get to see Oliver become an adult, never get to eat my mother’s cooking again, never get to gush to Trish about something cool I saw, never get to play games with Ethan and Cary…

Memories I barely remembered came back full force, moments I took for granted. The time Winter saw me and called my name for the first time… the time I bought my brother's gifts and saw the smiles on their faces… the times I comforted Trish during her breakdowns…

The times I refused my mother’s cooking… the times I turned down the opportunity to visit…

These thoughts spun around my head like a spiral as my feet moved, taking me down the path of fate, allowing destiny to guide my movements. I didn't care where I went. I just needed to move.

Honestly, whats the fucking point of all this! The fuck am I meant to do as Sato?! So what if I can punch hard, other quirks are more useful! Why couldn't I have gotten a quirk that could make reality my bitch!

Wait…

Hold on…

I stopped walking.

Quirks…

Quirks are bullshit.

A smile began to appear on my face. After all, many quirks make reality their bitch.

So who says there's no way home?

But how?

How can I make reality bend over backwards and take me home?

How can I beat the world into submission and force it to send me back?

…

…

…

I can't, not alone. But maybe someone else can? Who could?

Who would have the means, desire, and time to do such a thing?

…

…

…

All For One.

If I had been in a better state of mind, I would have slapped myself for even considering this. But I wasn't. I have passed the point of morality.

Maybe working for AFO would doom this world, but who gives a fuck? It's not my world! Why should I care?

With a heart burning with anger, I pulled out my phone, pulling up the address for the League’s hideout.

 

No more than twenty minutes later, I stood before the building I know holds the Leagues base. I hesitated for only a second before I began to search for the bar's entrance. It wasn't at the front of the building, but I managed to locate it around the side.

Bringing a hand up, I pushed the door open. I was somewhat surprised, since the place did look abandoned, and I kinda didn't expect it to be unlocked. I took a few steps inside and looked around. In the building was more or less what I expected, a bar area looking more or less like what it did in canon. Something that surprised me a bit was Kurogiri standing behind the counter, making no attempt to hide himself.

Kurogiri turned his head towards me.“Apologies, but I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”

I gulped, before steeling my nerves and responding.“I need your master’s help.”

Kurogiri froze, staring straight at me.

“I have information. I can help you, I just… there's something I need that only HE can do…”

As I spoke, I felt a sinister presence behind me, one I hadn't felt appear. An all too familiar raspy voice spoke. “Oh? And what exactly could a low level NPC like you know that Sensei could want?”

I felt a hand clasp around my neck, four fingers holding on with a fifth hovering slightly. “You… You're Shigaraki, right? I know things… I can tell you the future”

Shigiraki chuckled. “The future? Interesting. And how do I know that you're not just here to try and grief us?”

“You can ask Sensei for proof, I know things about him, about you and about the future.”

Shigiraki chuckled again, before letting go of my neck. He walked over to the bar and sat down, gesturing me over. As I walked over and sat down myself I noticed the tv across the room, the one I know All For One uses.

As soon as I sat down, I began to speak. “The reason I came here today is because I need your master’s help. I need to return to my home, and he's the only person I can think of that can help me do that.”

“What, can't afford any fast travel?” Shigiraki interrupted.

“I'm from another universe.”

At this statement Shigiraki burst out laughing. “Ok, sure. Now I know you're just trolling.”

I narrowed my eyes. I knew it would take some convincing.

“In my world, the events of this one were nothing more than a manga/anime. Your name is Tomura Shigaraki, leader of the league of villains. In a few days you will break into UA to steal a class roster. In three days you will lead a large force against the USJ with the goal of killing All Might using a Nomu. Your sensei is a man named All For One, who is two hundred years old and wields many quirks.”

Tomura is staring at me now, eyes narrowed.

“Oh please. Any player with even a single point in information gathering could tell you most of that. And anyone dedicated enough could tell you the rest.”

I narrow my eyes back at him. I know I'm in deep shit, but I press onwards.

“Your attack against the USJ ends in failure. All Might beats the Nomu and you get shot before escaping. The next major thing you do is during the UA internships, where you attempt to recruit the Hero Killer Stain. He turns you down, believing that you lack conviction. In retaliation, you attack Hosu using several Nomu.”

Shigiraki narrows his eyes again. “All that could just be you making things up. You will need more than a bunch of made up info to prove this. Otherwise, you will have just wasted my time, and I hate griefers who waste my time…”

Shigiraki’s hand clenched around a glass, turning it to dust. I sigh, guess I need to bring out the big guns. I turn towards the TV.

“All For One, I know you're listening. Almost two hundred years ago, you had a brother. He was sick and quirkless, and you gave him a quirk. A strength stockpiling one. As it turned out, he had a quirk all along. One that let him pass along his own quirk. That quirk has been passed down through many people, currently residing in All Might.”

Shigiraki opened his mouth as if to speak, but he was interrupted by a voice coming from the TV. Even though it was only digital and the speaker wasn't anywhere nearby, I still felt a chill crawl down my back as All For One spoke.

“Interesting… I made sure that any information about that was lost. It seems you really do have a lot of knowledge… you say you will tell the future in exchange for my help?”

I swallow nervously.

“My name is Michael, and I need to get home. To my family. I need to make reality my bitch for that. I can't think of anyone else with the resources and power to help achieve it.”

All For One is silent for a moment.

“And what is your world like?”

“Well, my world is pretty normal. We don't have quirks, and are in the year 2023. Other than that, it's more or less the same from what I know..”

All For One is silent for a few seconds, as if thinking.

“I see… it seems we may have the opportunity for an… interesting partnership. And since you're in UA, you can supply us with direct information about the hero’s plans as well.”

He knew I was in UA?

“There is one more thing… I'm not the only one. It seems at least half of the people in my class at UA are also from my world, many hold more information than me, and they seem dedicated to stopping you.”

All For One let out a hum at that. “Well, that's fine. You can serve as a spy, keeping us informed about anything that occurs. For now, why don't you inform Tomura of what you know, and I'll begin looking into any ways to reach your world.”

From there, I speak to Tomura, who seems absolutely delighted to have ‘a guidebook’. I tell him what I know happens. I explain the USJ, The Hosu attack, the attack on the training camp, Bakugou’s kidnaping and the Battle in Kamino.

I tell him how the USJ attack goes, with class 1A being spread around, how Kurogiri allows Iida to escape, how All Might arrives late, how Nomu gets beaten by All Might.

I explain that Stain rejects them, saying they lack conviction. Tomura gets upset and launches an attack on Hosu using some Nomu. How this attack causes people to believe that the League is in an alliance with Stain.

I explain that the League gets more members after this. I tell him about the ones I know. Tha being Toga, Dabi, Spinner, Twice, Mr Compress, Mange, Muscular, Mustard, and Moonfish.

For some reason, when I tell him that Toga and Dabi join after Hosu, he chuckles like he is amused. I raise an eyebrow but decide not to say anything. If it's important, then he will tell me.

I explain how an attack is launched on the training camp, and how all things considered, it goes well for them. They bring a Nomu with chainsaws, and while they lose Mustard, Moonfish and Muscular, they do succeed in kidnapping Bakugo.

I tell him how Bakugo rejects them, since he wants to be a hero. (This does prompt a brief explanation of the sports festival once Shigaraki asks why he kidnapped Bakugo, but luckily Shigaraki doesn't care too much about details of that.)

I explain the fight with All Might and All For One, and how they attached a tracker to the Nomu to locate them. I explain how All Might manages to defeat All For One, though I do mention that I believe All For One intended to lose.

I tell him about the things that happen after that, the Overhaul arc and the Meta Liberation Army. things that while I know they happen, I'm unsure as to when or many details about. All I really know about these moments is that they happen.

For the Overhaul arc, all I know is that the Yakuza is doing some things with quirk erasing bullets. I don't know where their base is or when things happen. I don't even really know any names.

For the Meta Liberation Army things are even more unclear. All I know is that they exist and Tomura manages to recruit them. I don't know how, when or why.

I do mention something happens at I-Island, but I don't really know too much. Though, I do mention that it might be led by someone called Nine. but that could also be someone completely unrelated. It's like a 50/50 chance.

After I tell him everything I know, and answer any questions, he finally seems satisfied and dismisses me. By this point, it's almost three in the morning. Surprisingly, it takes a very long time to explain the plot of a series in detail. As Tomura walks away, presumably to go play video games or something, I sigh.

“God, I'm going to be so fucking tired tomorrow. What I wouldn't give to have my Iced Coffee…”

Kurogiri speaks up, startling me.

“I have quite a collection of caffeinated beverages, I'd be more than willing to share some with you if it helps you get settled in.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“I doubt you have a DARE, so maybe just a basic iced coffee? Something to help give me the kick I'm going to need tomorrow.”

There's silence for a moment before Kurogiri warps away. He's only gone a brief moment before returning, holding a bottle of iced coffee. It's not a brand I recognise, and I graciously take the bottle.

“Thanks Kurogiri. You're an absolute legend.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

With that, I take my leave, heading out and walking back to Sato’s House. As I walk, it finally hits me. I'm a villain now. I'm working for All For One.

Well. I'm not going to let anything get in my way. I will get home. I will see my family again. And I don't care what I have to do to get there.

Notes:

Bam. Surprised?

I knew early on that the main issue with this project is that you only need to really read a few of the fics to understand what you need. So, I decided to make this. Now, only people who read each fic will know that UA has a traitor again.

Anyway, leave any feedback you have. See y'all later. Adios

Chapter 3: Chapter 3.

I awoke feeling… something.

I'm not sure what you're supposed to feel after joining an evil league, but whatever you're meant to, I wasn't.

I got out of bed and got dressed for school. It was fuck-o-clock in the morning and I felt like shit. A glance at the clock and some quick maths told me I had gotten barely four hours of sleep.

As I walked downstairs and grabbed something to eat for breakfast, I considered what actions I could take today. I know battle trials happen today, but I have no idea who I'm facing.

Now that I'm thinking of my classmates… that's a whole can of worms. About half are like me, but who knows if that is the actual amount? What if someone didn't speak up? Well, no point in worrying about what ifs.

After I finish eating, I begin to wonder what I should do now.

I have no intentions of betraying AFO. He’s the only person who could possibly get me home, but how do I be most useful? I'd have to keep track of things, such as people's strengths and weaknesses, as well as knowing exactly who is the biggest threat to the League.

These questions fill my head as I drink the coffee Kurogiri gave me. With an hour before I have to be at UA, I leave the house.

UA is at the exact distance from Sato’s house where it's not worth it to catch a train or bus or anything, but is also still a long walk away, so I have plenty of time to ponder these things while I walk.

It's probably not a good idea to constantly visit the league's hideout, just in case someone decides to follow me for whatever reason, so I should probably find a way to contact them without going there. Maybe I should get one of those burner phones…

As expected, I arrive to UA with twenty five minutes left till class starts. Looking at the schedule I see that Heroics is the last class of the day, meaning I have plenty of time before I'm expected to do anything major.

As people arrive to class, I exchange basic pleasantries with them. I don't spend much time talking to them; after all, why would I?

The day drags on. I do my best in the classes, and answer any questions I'm given, but I do try to keep my head down. I seem to be doing well, since no one seems to pay much mind to me. Seems even when they know I'm an insert, they still can't help but see me as a background character.

As the bell rings for lunch, I decide to take this time to wander. I don't interact with the rest of the class as I leave the modern art room. As I walk, I'm lost in thought. I can't help but keep wondering how this whole traitor thing is going to work, but I assume I'll find out more when I visit the bar later.

While I wander, I accidentally bump into someone.

“Oh shit, my bad,” I say before I realise who, exactly, I bumped into.

“It's alright, I should have paid more attention,” Ectoplasm responds.

As I keep walking, Ectoplasm speaks.

“You’re one of the students who had the extra memories added to theirs, yes?”

“Yea, I am. Why?” I turned to look at him.

“I was just wondering how you are feeling. I would imagine some of you aren't taking this too well.”

I was somewhat surprised. Has it been that obvious?

“I won't lie, I could be better. But I've been working through it.”

“I would be more concerned if you weren't having a hard time,” Ectoplasm replies. “Just remember, if you ever feel like you need help, you can always speak to one of us faculty members, and Hound Dog’s office is always open.”

I nod my head. “Thanks for the offer sir. I'll admit, I'm also concerned about the USJ. Have you been told about that?”

Ectoplasm nods. “Yes, to an extent. Rest assured, we have no intentions of allowing it to happen as it was going to.”

I narrow my eyes. This could be a good chance to gain information.

“How can you be sure?”

Ectoplasm hesitates before responding.

“Well, details are still being worked out, but we have a general idea. Don't worry, you and your classmates will be in a safe area. Your class will learn more closer to the actual date.”

I sigh. “I see. I suppose that's good. Takes a weight off my shoulders. Thanks.”

With that, me and the teacher part ways.

‘Well,’ I think to myself. ‘It's good to know the teachers are nice.’

 

After a long day of school work, it's finally time for heroics. People are excitedly chatting amongst themselves while we wait for the teacher. (We all know it's All Might, but some of us think they might change it just as a surprise).

At some point during the day, I had pulled out one of my notebooks and started writing things down in it: notes on my classmates, as well as notes on the school itself.

After all, I needed to use SOMETHING to keep track of all this shit.

“I AM…” a booming voice could be heard. Everyone goes quiet as the window is flung open.

“HERE! COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW LIKE A HERO!”

Never before could I say I'd seen a buff blonde man in spandex come climbing through a window, but now I could.

The first thing I noticed was his height. Holy shit All Might is tall.

The second thing I noticed was his muscles. God damn this man is built.

People excitedly murmured, ecstatic that they got to learn from THE All Might. But the talking was cut off by the hero's booming voice.

“Welcome, students, to the most important class at U.A. High: Foundational Hero Studies! While the other courses at U.A. are meant to provide you with a fundamental base to serve you well, this course is meant to teach you the basics of being a pro and fighting in the name of good! Think of it as Heroing 101. And I’ve found that the best way to measure your progress is to start by throwing you into the deep end! So, today, we’re going to go do some Battle Trials!”

All Might gives his speech, and people once again begin to speak excitedly, but are once again stopped.

“One of the keys to being a hero,” All Might presses a button on a remote before continuing to speak. “IS LOOKING GOOD! These costumes were designed for all of you based upon your quirks and the requests you sent in before school started! Now, get yourselves suited up and meet at Training Ground Beta!”

And with that, All Might vanishes with a gust of wind, racing out the door. People began to excitedly grab their cases and run to the changing rooms. I followed suit.

In the changing rooms, I open my case and am honestly surprised at what I find. When I was accepted into UA, I had to submit a form for what I wanted my costume to look like. I'm not the most creative, so I just drew Sato’s canon outfit from memory as best I can.

Though, I will admit, I did add my own little spin. I had made the top a different colour and tried to draw sprinkles. I was trying to go from a cupcake sorta vibe, but honestly it looked terrible. I drew it in MS Paint, after all. (and wasn't that a surprise? Who would've guessed that of all things, MS Paint survived the Dawn of Quirks?)

But the outfit I’m greeted with was honestly more than I expected. The main body was largely like canon but not only are there a few black stripes added to certain areas, giving off a bee-like vibe, the shoulder and head were pink with sprinkle added on, giving much more of a cake vibe then what I had drawn.

But surprisingly, that wasn't all. There is a piece of support equipment as well. I can't help but wonder why, since I haven't made any sort of request for one.

Have you ever seen one of those hats with the cups attached? The ones you drink out of with long straws so you don't need to hold them? The support item was similar to that.

The item had a large tank that would attach to my belt and was filled with liquid sugar. Two tubes split off the tank and wound all the way up to my head, where the ends were positioned in front of my mouth, allowing for easy sipping access.

I'll admit it takes me a hot minute to figure out how to put it on, but when I did, I came to a conclusion: I hated it.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all, certainly something a family friendly hero would wear. Very marketable and all that. But I'll be honest, I just don't like it. I sent in the design under the idea that I would be alone with the canon cast, and so I designed it so I don't stand out too much, but that doesn’t mean I like it.

Not only that, but I don't exactly plan on going on to become a pro hero. I'm either going to get home or die trying so an outfit like this just doesn't work out too well.

Honestly, I feel like a suit of armour or something would be better. Or at least it would be a lot cooler.

Still, a costume is a costume, so I put it on and headed out.

As everyone left the change rooms, I noticed that some others also had costume changes. I don't get a very good look at most, though, and end up not paying too much mind to them.

Upon reaching ground beta, All Might is there waiting for us.

“They say the clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen! And behold, you are the proof! Take this to heart: from now on, you are all heroes in training! This is getting me all ramped up!” The man's grin turns menacing. “Now then, shall we get started, you zygotes?”

I can hear a few people talking to each other about their costumes, but I don’t pay too much mind to them. A few others do take note of my costume, but no one really speaks up about it, since it’s not really anything too special.

After a few brief moments of conversation, All Might speaks up once again.

“Listen up! Now that you all are ready, it’s time for combat training! As you’re no doubt aware, most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically, most conflicts with dastardly evil-doers take place indoors. That’s why today we’re going to get some practice with some two-on-two battle trials!”

Surprisingly, or maybe not too surprising now that I think about it, Yaoyorozu raises her hand and speaks up.

“Isn’t that a bit advanced for us? We’re still in our first day of full classes, after all.”

All Might lets out a booming laugh at this before answering.

“The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But remember, everyone: you’ll be dealing with real humans now, not robots! Be careful with your quirks, but also be aware that their strategies will likely be different than those shown during the entrance exam. The setting is this,” All Might quickly pulls out a script from… somewhere. “The villains have, somewhere inside their hideout, hidden a nuclear missile! The heroes must foil their plans, either by tagging the missile or capturing the villains with this capture tape! Similarly, the ne’er do wells succeed if they either capture both heroes or they successfully protect their payload until the time runs out. We’ll be choosing teams by drawing lots!”

With this being said, All Might began to draw lots. There are some surprising teams, and I am pleasantly surprised to find out mine. The teams are as follows:

Team A: Bakugo and Sato
Team B: Hagakure and Sero
Team C: Kirishima and Midoriya
Team D: Mineta and Tokoyami
Team E: Mina and Shinso
Team F: Tsunotori and Yaoyorozu
Team G: Koda and Shoji
Team H: Iida and Ojiro
Team I: Asui and Kaminari
Team J: Jiro and Uraraka

There is a lot of chatter at these teams, and Bakugo and I make eye contact, but other than that, we don’t not interact. Sure, maybe it would be smart to start planning and talking, but let's be honest. This is Bakugo. He isn't really known for being a ‘people person’.

“And the first teams to fight will be… these guys!” All Might booms out as he draws lots.

All Might reveals the drawn lots, showing that team I would be the heroes and team B would be the villains.

And with that, the battle trials commenced.

Battle 1. Asui and Kaminari as the heroes VS Hagakure and Sero as the villains.

Battle 2. Jirou and Uraraka as the heroes VS Iida and Ojiro as the villains.

Battle 3: Mineta and Tokoyami as the heroes VS Tsunotori and Yaoyorozu as the villains.

Battle 4: Sato and Bakugo as the heroes VS Shinsou and Ashido as the villains.

Wait… that's me.

 

As the last match finishes, Bakugo and I begin to make our way to the battle grounds. As All Might says his basic pre-battle spiel, I am busy thinking.

‘Alright, so I've been paired with Bakugo. That's… that's great, actually. His quirk is strong and his head is strapped on tight. Plus, we’re up against Shinsou and Ashido. All things considered, I think this will be a breeze!’

As we head out to the battlefield, I run some ideas through my head. I don't worry too much about thinking through the actual fighting, since, quite frankly, I don’t think it's going to be hard.

By the time we make it to the building that Ashido and Shinsou are hiding the bomb in, I have a pretty decent plan in mind. Turning to Bakugo, I begin to speak.

“Alright, so I’ve got something of a plan if you want to hear it?” I don't really expect Bakugo to listen, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

“Fine, considering you’re one of those inserts or whatever you called yourselves. What do you got, Big Lips?” I… I honestly didn't expect him to actually want to hear it. But despite sounding annoyed, it seems he does.

I begin to explain my plan, as well as explain Shinsou’s quirk to him.

“So. I reckon you can use your quirk to propel yourself up to the top floor and search top to bottom. I'll go from the bottom up, and we can cover more ground. The purple haired one is likely our biggest threat, he can brainwash you if you respond to anything he says. Just don’t respond and he’s fucked.”

Despite how long winded that got, Bakugo does seem to be paying attention.

“Alright, so just keep my mouth shut if he’s there. What about the pink bitch?” Bakugo responds.

Ashido… I’ll admit, I'm not one hundred percent sure of her quirk. But I know enough that I know full damn well she shouldn’t cause any problems.

“Well, she can create acid. It varies in how acidic it is, but I reckon either of us could beat her without much trouble. She might try to weaken the area with it but that shouldn't be too hard to deal with.” I explain. Damn, these explanations keep getting long winded, huh?

“Alright then. Guess you inserts or whatever aren’t just extras after all, then,” Bakugo begrudgingly replies.

“Sweet, then it's settled. Lets go kick their ass!” I smirk at Bakugo.

“They won’t know what fucking hit them…” Bakugo smirks confidently back.

All Might's voice is heard over the speakers, announcing the start of the trials.

The instant All Might declares the trials to be starting, Bakugo immediately uses his quirk to make his way to the top floor. I decide against using the front door and instead climb through a window.

I take a long sip from the tubes, feeling Sugar Rush activate. I know that this may be a bad idea since if I take too long I may start to feel the effects. But I can move faster with Sugar Rush active, so I decided to risk it anyway.

I admittedly take longer than I would have liked searching, since this place is deceptively complex. But eventually, I'm confident that I searched just about this whole floor, so I need to head to the next.

I begin to head down to where I'm pretty sure the stairs would be, already beginning to feel some of the mental strain of Sugar Rush. I need to be careful, if I lose my focus for even a second I might mess up.

Unfortunately, staying focused is not one of my strong suits.

I turn a corner to spot Shinsou further up the hallway. He is leaning against a wall, looking pretty relaxed.

At this point, I’m really starting to feel Sugar Rush’s effects on my mind.

“Oh shit, there you are,” I blurt out.

Shinsou, without moving from his position on the wall, simply responds.

“And there you are.”

I manage to catch myself before I say anything back, and I begin to charge at him.

Without flinching, Shinsou speaks.

“Knock knock.”

Hah! How stupid does he think I am-

“Who's there?”

God fucking dammit. Fucking Suger Rush.

I feel the world fall away, my mind becoming blurry. It’s a really weird feeling, all things considered.

I’m not at all conscious for the next few moments, but when I come to, I hear the announcement that I’ve been captured, followed by a sigh of relief from Shinsou.

“Thank god that worked.”

I slowly blink as the feeling of Shinsou’s quirk wears off. I look down at the capture tape that the purple-haired boy had placed on me.

…

…

…

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

 

We lost. I'm not sure how. Honestly, Bakugo should have wiped the floor with these two, but it seems they somehow managed to pull a win out of their asses.

I'd like to make one thing clear. I am not a sore loser. I can accept when I lose at something. However, that does not mean I'm going to be happy about it.

Outwardly, I’m completely fine with this loss. But internally, I am downright furious.

‘I lost. Fuck me, Sugar Rush is so fucking useless. If it didn’t make me stupid I wouldn’t have responded. I should have kicked his ass. I should have won.’

As we return to the control room All Might begins to speak.

“Well done, everyone! Young Bakugo is safe and sound in Recovery Girl’s office, and should be released by the end of the day. Now, can anyone tell me who the MVP is?”

I honestly didn't care, I knew it sure as shit wasn’t me or Bakugo.

Kirishima was the one to raise his hand and make a suggestion.

“Ashido, right? Since she trapped her whole area and then beat Bakugo?”

I have no idea what he means, since I was on the first floor the whole trial and so have absolutely no idea what happened with the others.

“Incorrect! The MVP for this exercise was actually Young Shinso! Can anyone tell me why?” All Might booms out, surprising me with this pick.

I mean, sure, he did beat me, but still, MVP?

To my surprise it is Mineta who speaks up next.

“‘Cause he didn’t melt everything, right?”

All Might lets out a hearty laugh as he answers.

“Correct! While Young Ashido had a flashier fight, and did a fantastic job enraging her opponent to distract him, Young Shinso did successfully take down Young Sato without melting the majority of his floor. Young Sato,” All Might turns to address me after he finishes speaking.

I look up from the floor I had been staring at while dwelling in my frustration.

“Do not feel discouraged! You had the unfortunate luck to be placed against someone who’s quirk works against you. In the future, in similar situations, I would caution against using your sugar right away; saving it for the opportune moment gives you a catalyst to use to your advantage. Finally, before we move on, everyone take caution from Young Bakugo; it is always best to test our Support Items in a safe environment, like these Battle Trials, rather than use them out in the field for the first time. Now, onto Match #5!”

And with that, the next team makes their way into the battlegrounds.

I don't end up paying much attention to the next team, which does impact my note taking. While I had detailed notes on the previous battles, I’m too busy stewing in my own thoughts to write detailed notes on the last one. I do make notes, but I'll admit they are really not up to my standard.

This is most unfortunate because the last fight has Kirishima and Midoriya as the heroes VS Koda and Shouji as the villains.

While my notes aren't ‘bad’, they also aren't the best. But I suppose that doesn't matter too much, they will do.

As the lesson concludes, I head out. At first, I wanted to leave right away, but I just don’t want to put up with this shitty costume for longer than I really need to.

Pulling out the map, I head over to the support department. Upon arrival, I see that it's mostly empty, save the teacher.

Power Loader looks up from his desk as I enter.

“Oh, hey there. Anything I can do for you?”

I hesitate for a moment as I ponder what to say.

“I want to learn metal work so I can make myself armour,” I eventually settle on.

Power Loader chuckles. “It's good to want to learn new things, but I think it would be better if you just ordered some. You're one of the hero students, right? If you submit a costume update request then it can be developed professionally and save you the trouble.”

I shake my head. “I'd prefer to learn it myself, if it's possible. I'd just prefer it.”

Power Loader shrugs. “Well, I do still think you'd be better off making a request, but I can't stop a student from learning something new. Always nice to have extra folks with an interest in developing support gear. What's your name?”

“...Sato. Rikido Sato.'' I hesitate before deciding to stick with Sato. They don't need to know my real name.

“Alright, Sato, I’ll look into getting you signed up for some of the after-hours metalwork classes. Check back with me tomorrow and I’ll have it sorted out.”

I politely bow. “Thank you, Power Loader, sir.”

Power Loader chuckles. “No need to be so formal, I'm just doing my job. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

I think for a few moments. “No, that's all, really. Thank you.”

With that, I head out. I make my way to the front gate and begin to walk. I wanted to head to the bar as soon as possible, but I don’t want to go directly there. Call me paranoid, but I don't want to blow my cover this early.

Walking around gives me plenty of time to consider what I want out of the armour I will make. I consider a basic set of armour, but I want more. If I'm doing this, then I'm going all in.

My mind flashed to a game I played back in my world. More specifically, it flashed to a mini-boss.

(Ultimate Knight) Wantwalker. A minor boss that not many cared about. Only appearing in a section of the game used for auto farming materials, and wasn't even a boss of the farmed stages.

But his design was great, at least to me. I could remember it clearly. I knew that was the armour I wanted.

I could figure out the logistics of it at some other point, but for now, I decide to keep walking.

I spend a while wandering aimlessly, walking in and out of shops without much thought. A jewellery store here, a grocery shop there, an electronics store, a clothes shop, an alcohol shop…

My aimless wandering seems to have paid off, as I'm now staring at a bottle-o with prices a tradie would kill for. No one bats an eye when I walk in, since Sato is 6 '1 and built like he eats elephants for breakfast.

I spend some time looking over this shop's contents, seeing the different drinks. I don't expect to see any I recognise, since I'm two hundred years in the future and nothing I know would still exist- since I'm in a whole other country.

I am surprised when I spot a brand I do recognise though. But of course, the world just has it out for me. After all, how else is the only brand I know that's here is TUN?

Turning away from the abomination, I spot something I find hilarious.

Generic Alcohol.

That's the brand name. No joke. It's a blank green can with the words ‘Generic Alcohol’ on it.

So of course, I grab a can of that. I consider getting a whole pack, but there's no real point, since I'm not sure if I'll actually enjoy it.

Heading up to the cashier, I confidently hand over the can and the money to pay for it. The cashier takes one look at me and just scans it with no questions.

Turns out, if you look like an adult, and act like an adult, people will assume you're an adult.

With the drink now in my possession, I head out of the store and crack it open, giving it a sip.

…

…

…

Damn, that's a deadly drop.

 

After about an hour spent walking around town, I finally made it to the bar. Entering it, I find Kurogiri standing behind the bar. No sign of Shigiraki, though.

Kurogiri’s yellow eyes look up at me as I enter.

“Ah. Welcome back, Michael.”

“Hey, Kurogiri. I took a few notes on things that might be useful, but they mostly consist of things like my classmates' strengths and weaknesses.”

I grabbed the pages I had taken my notes on and placed them on the bartop. Kruogiri quickly warps them away.

“Thank you. I cannot guarantee you that Master Tomura will read them, but if he does then I'm sure he will find them to be useful.”

I hesitate before speaking again.

“So, how is this going to work? I can't keep coming here every day, and I have no other way of contacting you.”

As I speak Kurogiri opens a warp gate and pulls out what appears to be a phone. It's bland with no branding on it. He hands it to me.

“This burner phone has a contact in it. Any contact should be sent through this.”

I take the phone and give it a look. Opening it, I'm prompted to set a password. After a few moments of thinking, I set it to something only I would know. Checking through it shows only a single contact named ‘Contact’.

“Any communication will be done through this. For the time being, continue to compile notes like you have today. If anything specific is needed from you, then you will be informed.”

I pocket the device.

“Thanks. That's a big help.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Kurogiri replies.

“Oh, something important to know. I was told by Ectoplasm, one of the teachers, that they have some sort of plan to stop you guys at the USJ- probably an ambush. I’ll be able to give more concrete information later, but right now they are still working out details.”

Kurogiri listens as I speak. Once I finish, he nods.

“I will be sure to pass this information along to master Tomura.”

With that, I decide it is time to take my leave. After saying goodbye to Kurogiri, I exit the bar.

As I walk back onto the street and begin to walk away, I walk past a few people. As I brush past someone, I suddenly freeze.

Quickly glancing backwards, I recognise the man I just walked past. I'm sure it's him. After all, not many people have piercing blue eyes, black hair, or dress like a hot topic junkie.

But the most defining characteristic, and the thing that made me pause, is those unmistakable burns. With clean skin literally stapled on, and purple scars making up his face, I know I have just spotted Dabi.

But to make things even more wild, he turns off the main street, heading down the alley leading towards the bar.

What the fuck?

I can physically feel my brain bluescreen as I watch him go down the alley. Is he going to the bar? And if so, does he know about the league? Or is he just walking through the alley for unrelated reasons?

In the end, I decide not to worry about it, since if he has joined the league, that’s not something that overly concerns me. And so I continue to head home.

As I arrive home, I begin to consider the events of the day. Most of my focus goes towards the battle trials. More accurately, they are focused on how poorly I did.

I am much calmer now than I was right after the event in question, so I decide to analyse what occurred.

I triggered Shinsou’s quirk.

Alright, that's the problem, so let's break it down.

What caused me to respond to him?

Answer: Sugar Rush dulled my intelligence.

So, with this in mind, I can deduce that the problem is that Sugar Rush makes me dumber.

So how can I fix this issue?

Let's break that down as well.

How does Sugar Rush work?

Answer: after eating ten grams of sugar, I gain 5x the strength for three minutes. Eating more sugar extends the time. The longer the quirk is active, the more my intelligence is lowered.

So let's consider that. What causes me to become dumber? The answer seems to be that it's just a side effect of my quirk, but that just doesn't feel right.

What sort of quirk makes their user stupid?

Ok, Kaminari doesn't count, he only does it when he goes over his limit.

Actually…

Is it possible that the intelligence lowering aspect of Sugar Rush is similar to that? In that, it only occurs because I go over my or my quirk’s limits?

But what would be that limit? The only thing that would fit is the time limit, right?

What if, extending my time by eating more sugar isn't actually intended, but simply an exploit? What if I'm only supposed to be able to go for three minutes, but by eating more sugar I go over what my quirk is meant to do?

Hypothesis: My intelligence is lowered when I go over my time limit of three minutes.

Now comes the fun part. Testing.

I grab some sugar that Sato keeps in his room for some reason and weigh out exactly ten grams. I quickly eat it and start a timer as soon as I feel my muscles bulge up.

After three minutes, I feel Sugar Rush wear off. But importantly, I do not feel any sort of tiredness.

Conclusion: if I let my quirk run its course of three minutes, I do not feel any negative effects.

It's possible that this is similar to a muscle in that if I do it once, I won’t feel much. But if I do it multiple times in quick succession I may begin to feel the negative effects.

Now to test if I start to feel the effects.

I weigh out more sugar, this time eating 15 grams. This should make Sugar Rush remain active for four and a half minutes.

Starting a timer again, I wait to see what happens.

After the three minute mark, I don't feel much different. But as more time passed, I did in fact start to feel it. By the time the quirk wears off, I'm somewhat feeling the effects.

At this point, I only have one thing left to test. Weighing out another ten grams of sugar, I eat it and start a timer once more.

At around the 2:45 mark, I feel myself begin to grow tired. Once my quirk wears off, I know for a fact.

Conclusion: letting my quirk run out at the three minute mark allows me to negate most of the negative effects. But similar to Aizawa’s quirk, the more often I use my quirk in succession, the less time it will take to feel the negative effects.

Final Conclusion: Change my strategy to refrain from going over three minutes unless I need to.

With all this being done, I am honestly quite tired. Looking at the time, I decide it's probably safe to head to bed.

As my eyes close, I can't help but wonder what tomorrow will have in store for me.

Chapter 4: The Calm.

I wake up to a text. More specifically, it's a message from my League contact. It's simple.

“Keep your head down.”

I decide not to worry about it very much. To be frank, I know that today is the media break in and the day Shigaraki steals the schedule, so I'd obviously keep my head down.

Though, I guess it proves that Aoyama doesn't steal it in canon like some people theorise. Or maybe he does but they trust me less. Either way, it doesn't matter.

After eating my breakfast and doing my morning workouts (I still hate that. Who works out in the morning? Sato, apparently.) I begin the trek to school.

I make sure to try and leave earlier than normal to avoid the press, but a bunch are already camping out the front. The instant they see me walking up to the gates they immediately try and speak to me.

“Are you a student here?”

“Are you from the hero course?”

“Can you tell us anything about All Might?”

Questions are thrown at me willy nilly, and I let out a sigh before breathing in and letting out a loud shout.

“ENOUGH! SHUT UP AND I'LL SPEAK!”

With that shout, they begin to quiet down. Once they are quiet enough I begin to speak.

“I am a hero course student and I am taught by All Might. We've only had one class, so I can't yet say anything about his skill as a teacher, but he does seem to be giving it the ol’ number one try.”

“What sort of things has he taught you so far?” a reporter questions, shoving a microphone in my face.

“Well, the class we had was some battle simulations. Teams of two would face off in a simulated ‘heroes vs villains’ sort of thing. It was just a way for him to gauge how much we knew and what he would need to work on with us. It was pretty cool, all things considered.”

With that the reporters all begin to speak again, asking questions I can’t answer. I sigh before raising my hand and speaking.

“Look, it's only been one day, so there isn't a lot to talk about. Sorry I don't have more.”

A sneaky grin forms on my face.

“I know some of my other classmates have more information, one of them even spent some time hanging out with him during lunch. A green haired boy, so maybe ask him when you see ‘em?”

Did I just throw my classmate under the bus? Yep. Do I regret it? Nope.

“Right, well. Thank you for your time, kid. Oh, by the way, we didn't get your name.”

Smirking, I knew it was time to absolutely fucking annoy them.

“Oh, my name is Michael Hunt.”

Regretfully, or perhaps luckily, none of them seemed to understand the implications of my name. Having gotten all the information I have, the reporters thank me for my time and let me go into the school. A few seem to still want to ask more questions, but I ignore them and go in.

Upon arriving to class, I am once again the first with thirty minutes to spare, just the way I like it. As more people trickle in, I don't interact with them aside from a simple greeting.

Once everyone arrives to class, AIzawa crawls into the room in her sleeping bag before unzipping it and standing up.

“Hello class! Welcome to another day of UA! I guess…” Aizawa greets the class with her usual enthusiasm.

“Hello, Miss Aizawa!” Tokoyami’s (what was the name they wanted to be called? Eh, fuck it, I’m sticking with Tokoyami) eyes seemed to be dilated when they respond.

Kaminari, who I only now notice was lying face down on his desk, looks up at Aizawa.

“It’s time for class already?”

Ain't that a mood.

Aizawa seems to think so when she nods before responding.

“Sadly, yes. Welcome to High School! Where sleep is for the weak! Anyways, onto the schedule. We will be doing something fun!” Aizawa informs the class with fake enthusiasm.

“Somehow I doubt it,” Ojiro says, looking tired and annoyed as he raises his head from his desk as well.

Kirishima, being the ever bright person he is, ignores this.

“Class rep selection, yeah?” he asks Aizawa.

“Is that really considered fun?” I'm pretty sure it’s Hagakure who questions.

“Uhh… not really?” Tokoyami replies.

Kaminari lets out a groan.

“I was hoping to do this later in the day when I had more energy. We doing this via vote, right?”

Tokoyami looks somewhat concerned.

“Oh, I abstain from being voted for at all!”

Cool, I don't think anyone was gonna vote for them anyway. I already know that I'm going to vote for Iida. After all, don't they have the real Iida present as a ghost or something? Best candidate right there-

“I'm sitting out of being elected as well. I'm not brave enough for politics.”

Ok, one. Mood. Two.

“Fuck,” I not-so-quietly whisper. I seem to not be the only one upset by this, as Kaminari lets out a quiet “dammit”.

Aizawa looks at the class.

“Of course it's fun! Anyway, there are a couple rules! No voting for me as I have looked through Aizawa’s memories and a class tried that. Second, don't kill each other.”

Wait, can we vote for a teacher? Like, what if I put my vote for, like, Lunch Rush or something? A question for another time…

“Is that it?” Kirishima asks.

“I mean, yeah? What do you want me to do, give you all seven thousand rules on how to behave during class when you all should know how to behave? I mean, at least don't murder each other and don't threaten each other without it being in good fun,” Aizawa responds.

Sero scratches his chin.

“I mean, doesn't the teacher get more involved normally?”

Mate, what makes you think this will be even remotely normal? This is UA, get with the times tape boy.

A few people seemed somewhat downtrodden at the way Aizawa is handling this. Which confuses me. Just vote? It's not that hard?

“Yeah, give us the rules please,” Hagakure asks.

I raise an eyebrow. Aizawa did give us the rules. Don't kill each other and don't vote for her. It's that simple.

Tokoyami raises their hand.

“I nominate Kirishima!”

Kirishima. I suppose it's not the worst choice. He did take charge on the first day. But doesn’t being the class rep involve more than just that? I suppose it depends on what the class needs…

Ojiro shrugs.

“I concur. As long as it means I don't have to be more involved.”

Huh, that's right. Ojiro isn't happy about being here either. I wonder if he is desperate enough to join the League? Something for me to think about.

Kirishima seems surprised that people are nominating him. I don't understand why he is surprised, since he did take charge that one time, which is why people would vote for him now.

“I mean, sure, I guess.”

Aizawa watches this before sighing.

“Y’all want rules? Boring! Class is fun when anything happens! Just no crimes at least.”

I'm starting to wonder if maybe Aizawa should be required to get a new teaching licence. That really doesn't seem like something a teacher should say.

Kaminari reveals he has a secret hammerspace by pulling a hat out of thin fucking air.

“So… could we all make, like, a speech on who should be the class president or something, or for ourselves if we wanted too?”

A few people spoke at the same time, allowing me to hear all of them but not understand even a single thing that was said. Damn, I see my selective hearing issues carried over universes.

“Do I really need to make a fucking speech when we all know I’m the best here?” Bakugo sneers at the class.

Classic Bakugo. Though, honestly thinking about it, he might not be a bad option…

“Why are we making speeches in the first place?” Hagakure asks.

Kaminari places the hat on his head.

“It's fun! And it doesn't involve violence!”

“It helps concentrate the votes around the folks who want the responsibility, too, so we don't have a repeat of canon Midoryia passing up the role.”

Oh shit, that was canon? I thought that was just one of those things fanfictions added because the authors wanted it to be what happened. Good to know.

“I absolutely don't want it this time either,” Midoryia adds to the conversation.

“Of course you fucking don’t…” Bakugo growls out, muttering something else under his breath.

Aizawa got the class's attention before she spoke again.

“Okay! Because some of y’all want speeches, come up and say em! Don't think about them! A hero must be able to act on the spot at all times!”

Kaminari stands up with a confident smile on his face.

“Perfect! I have one already!”

Oh boy, this is gonna be good.

“How do you already have a speech prepared?” Holy shit, I honestly forgot Shouji existed. Damn, some people just don't speak. Huh, I probably fit that role as well… that's good.

“Magic… Nah, I just thought of it now, to be honest. So… do I just walk in front of the class? I've never done anything like this before,” Kaminari chuckles awkwardly.

Asui speaks up.

“Can I go next?”

Thank you for asking, but that really doesn't answer Kaminari’s question. Nor does it really aid the conversation in any way.

Thankfully, Kirishima displays his skill as a leader once more.

“Okay, wait, raise your hand if you want to give a speech, please!”

Several people raise their hands. Kirishima, Kaminari, Asui, Momo and Bakugo to be precise.

“Right, Kaminari, you start, then Bakugou, Asui, Yaoyorozu, and I'll bring up the caboose?”

Heh. He said caboose.

Once he is done talking, Kaminari nods at Kirishima.

“Sounds good!” Kaminari says.

Walking up to the front of the class, Kaminari clears his throat to ensure he has everyone's attention.

"I won't lie to you, I don't want to be class president. I just want to say something serious because of the situation most of us are in, but this also applies to those who aren't reincarnates."

Kaminari takes a deep breath before looking at the rest of the class with determination.

"We're hero students, like it or not. We can't just mess around. I want to, I want to enjoy life, and I know most of you do too. And with most of our problems seemingly already gone, we shouldn't have much to worry about. But we don't know about the future. If we all intend to go down this path then we should train for it and get better at using our quirks. We need to be better, stronger, faster. We can't just slack off. No, we have to put 200% effort into this to try and be the best heroes we can be."

And with that, Kaminari bows before returning to his seat. I raise an eyebrow before muttering to myself.

“Huh, surprised someone’s finally trying to kick everyone into gear.”

About time. Look at these twats. Doing nothing to get better. They told a teacher about the future and called it a day. I did not get dragged away from my home, my life, my FAMILY, just to sit around with my thumbs up my ass while other people do all the work.

A few people nod and clap after Kaminari’s speech.

“Holy crap, that speech was actually good. SI or not, I would've never thought to hear something like that out of Kaminaris mouth,” Shouji spoke.

Rude, but not untrue.

Kirishima gave a toothy grin to Kaminari.

“You got that right, Kaminari. We’ve got a head start. But that just means we can go even farther. Plus Ultra.”

“Plus Ultra indeed,” Kaminari grins back at him. With Kaminari’s speech done, Kirishima turns to Bakugo.

“Right, Bakugo?”

Bakugo decides not to walk to the front of the room, instead electing to stand at his desk.

“At this point, you all know I'm the best here. Just fucking vote me already.”

And with that, he sits back down, ignoring everyones reactions.

Several people speak up at the same time. I can't quite make out who exactly, since everyone is talking over each other.

“Dogshit speech… he’s losing.”

“Fucking horrible.”

“Fucking asshole.”

“... Somethings wrong.”

“Confused kero”

I decide I might as well add my own two cents.

“One of the speeches of all time.”

I'm honestly surprised that I'm one of the only responses that didn't swear. Seems odd. I need to step up my game.

Ojiro speaks up after everyone else stops, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

“Wow. really living up to canon Bakugo, huh. Besides the expletives, that is.”

“I feel like having a speech like that doesn't really help communicate how greater you supposedly are.” Hagakure speaks up.

“Yeah, I really don't know how you would expect that would make us want to vote for you.” Uraraka chuckles.

“Expected as much from Bakugo.” Shouji mumbles. Kirishima chose that moment to speak up.

“Yeah, not sure how, exactly, that speech was supposed to make the class as a whole want to vote for you, but alright? Asui, you're up.”

Honestly, I'm surprised Asui wants to make a speech. Why does she want to be a rep?

“I hope you all feel good hearted enough to vote for my friend, Jirou. I believe she would be good for class president.”

Wow. nominating someone else? I mean, the enthusiasm is appreciated, but why nominate someone who doesn't want the position? Isn't that what we are trying to avoid?

“W-what!?” Jirou exclaims.

“Didn't expect that.” Shouji chuckles.

“Yeah, elect the anxiety ridden girl to class representative. I'm sure that won't go poorly at all.” Ojiro states, voice dripping with sarcasm.

He makes a good point. Nominating your friend is nice in theory, but in practice? If someone isnt making a speech it's likely because they don't want the position. So trying to get them voted for isn't exactly a good thing. What are you going to do, force her to take the role?

“Is nominating someone else even allowed?” Hagakure asks. A good question, is it even allowed?

“I mean, I don't see why not!” Kirishima enthusiastically decides.

Kiri, buddy, I love you, but read the situation. Don't allow this.

“...Please do not.” Jirou mutters.

“I trust in your abilities.” Asui tries to console the girl.

“I don't.” Jirou shoots down her attempts. Kaminari shrugs.

“Anyone would be better than Bakugo, I'm fine with whoever.”

Ok but I think it would be really funny if Mineta wins and makes him regret saying that.

Bakugo turns to glare at Kaminari, who just flips him off with a shit eating grin. Bakugo flips him right back off before turning away.

“Kaminari, Bakugo, you guys should probably still be nice to your classmates, even if they are acting like jerks. Now, Yaoyorozu, you're up! Speechify us!”

Yaoyorozu stands up and walks to the front of the room before turning around to address the class.

“For those of you who reincarnated: I entrust you’ve already seen who I am and what I’m capable of. But for those of you who don’t know me… I’m more than the person you saw in that battle trial yesterday. I’m always striving for perfection, I’m someone who only wants the best for those around her and those we hope to protect. Should you choose me to represent you, I can’t promise you that I’ll be perfect right away, it’s entirely possible I’ll make mistakes… But I’ll ensure that everyone in this room has a platform to speak, a place to feel safe and a shoulder to lean on. Thank you. “ and with that, she goes and sits back at her desk.

Finally, a good fucking speech.

Kaminari whistles.

“She's got my vote! Especially since Iida’s Backing out.”

Shouji nods.

“A very inspirational speech, Yaoyorozu.”

Ojiro, ever the cynical, shrugs.

“Eh. not the worst I guess?”

Yea I really need to consider if I should try and recruit him to the league.

Kirishima nods.

“Nice speech! Guess It's my turn, then.” With that, he walks up to the font of the room as well.

“Alright, to be honest, I’m not super good at fancy speeches. And I’m not going to go around promising lofty goals that I can’t achieve. What I am good at, though, is people. If I do become class rep, I promise that I’ll make sure that none of you guys feel left behind. I promise that if you come to me with a concern, I’ll get it taken care of, come hell or high water. I’m not going to go out and promise that we’ll all be the top 20 heroes once we graduate, because the real world doesn’t work like that. But I can promise you that I’ll do my fighting best to give us a shot at taking those spots, plus ultra style. Thanks.” With that, he returns to his seat.

People begin to applaud Kirishima’s speech.

“You for sure got my vote now, Kirishima.”

“Kiri for the win!”

“A bit much, but probably the best one yet.”

A hand is raised and a voice speaks.

“So how are we counting up the votes?”

Fucking christ, some people need to speak up more. I genuinely forgot Koda existed.

Kaminari takes the hat off his head before speaking.

“I prepared for this moment.”

Kirishima, ever the leader, gets everyone's attention.

“Alright, everybody have some notebook paper they can rip off?”

I glance at my notebook. Yea, this thing has two hundred pages, I can tear some off.

“Then write the name of your vote for class representative, and the second most votes gets to be the vice rep! Once you finish, take it on up and take it to Kaminari, and when we’re all done we’ll count it up!”

Fuck. Who do I vote for?

The obvious answer is Kirishima, but I'll be honest, I'm actually leaning in a different direction.

Kirishima will be friendly, but I feel this class needs someone who can light a fire under everyone's asses.

This class needs to get its shit together.

This class needs someone who will drag them into being better, kicking and screaming.

This class needs…

This class needs Bakugo.

Who else could force everyone here into being better? Into being stronger? Sure he might not be friendly, but friendliness won't win fights.

Writing Bakugo’s name down, I go up and put my slip into the hat.

Soon enough, everyone has made their vote.

“Everythings all in!” Kaminari announces. Kirishima goes up to the board.

“Right, Kaminari, read ‘em out!”

One by one, Kaminari begins to read the votes. The results were honestly not what I expected.

At the bottom is Jirou and Bakugo, with two votes each.

Huh, so I was the only one to vote Bakugo? Damn, that sucks.

Surprisingly, that isn't the only tie. Tied for first, with eight votes each, is Kirishima and Yaoyorozu. Kirishima scratches his head as we all stare at the board.

“Right, not sure how we’re going to handle a tie like this.”

“I suggest Rock, Paper, Scissors or a death match.” Ojiro decides to provide his ever helpful commentary. Opening my notebook, I discreetly write down ‘ask about recruiting Ojiro’.

“Who was the funny one- the funny pair?” Jirou pointed her ear jacks at people threateningly.

“Pretty big gaps. Are they going to be co-representatives?” Hagakure asks. An odd first thing to assume. The proper thing to do right now would be to hold a second vote with just the two of them.

Bakugo gets up and throws his hands into the air before shouting.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

… What was that? Something sounded off about his speech then. Didn’t the same thing happen the other day with Tokoyami? I wonder what it is…

Bakugo sighs before he continues to speak.

“Why am I not surprised? Of course they won, It’s Kirishima and Yaoyorozu. I mean to be honest, it was pretty obvious they were gonna-” Bakugo pauses, seeming to realise what he said.

Bakugo sits back at his desk before throwing his head into his hands.

“Franco, you fucking idiot…”

The class is quiet before Tokoyami speaks up.

“Did someone just speak Italian?”

Italian? No? Everything he just said was plain english…

As if to disprove me, Kaminari speaks up.

“I think… that was Italian… okay, I know why I had such a hard time figuring out if he was an SI or not… everything makes so much more sense.”

Why do they think he spoke Italian? Maybe… could it be that he did?

But I didn't hear it. Now that I think about it though, I might have an idea. It's odd, but is it any more odd then being brought to a new world?

I think… I think I might see and hear everything as being English, even when it's not.

After all, we are in Japan, so all the writing should be in Japanese, and very few people, if any, would speak english. But despite that, all the writing I’ve seen is in English and everyone speaks English.

Huh, so maybe that's what the weird thing with Bakugo’s speech was. Maybe that's what happens when someone talks in a language that's not English or Japanese.

Well, enough of that mental revelation. Kirishima points at Bakugo.

“Right, You no longer have an excuse to be an asshole. Stop.”

Certainly not how most people would react, but sure. Tell him to stop being a dick.

Suddenly, a loud noise is heard. A loud, very annoying noise. One I am very familiar with on account of having five siblings.

An airhorn.

Reactions vary, Ojiro grabs his ears, hissing. Bakugo seems completely unaffected. Jirou covers her ears while closing her eyes. Pony does the same. Several people yell out.

The source of the airhorn is revealed when Yaoyorozu walks to the front of the room holding one she must have created.

“If I may? Firstly, I’m honoured that so many of you chose me to represent you. However, I feel that in a situation as unique as ours, we need to be unique in our decision making. It's evident that both Kirishima and myself offer qualities that are similar and qualities that can cover the weaknesses of the other. Furthermore, as our class is made up of both those who are reincarnated and those who are ‘canonical’, both require appropriate representation in the decisions we make. Therefore, with your consent, I propose that Kirishima and myself both take charge of things as Co-Leaders.”

Wow. she attacks our ears and then goes on to act like nothing happened. rude.

Kirishima grins widely before giving his response.

“Hey, that works for me if you guys are fine with it!”

Everyone gave their approval, and I grumbled mine too.

Honestly, I'm annoyed. Neither of these two have what it takes to pull these shits together. Though, I suppose that's fine. Makes it easier for us to beat them.

With that all done, the bell rings. It's almost suspicious how well that lines up, but no matter. Aizawa dismisses us. Kirishima, the bright sunshine child he is, grins.

“Alright guys! Physics ho!”

No one is happy. The only thing I care about when it comes to physics is learning how long it would take me to hit the ground if I jumped out the window. Kaminari seems to want to get some first hand data, as he quietly leaves through the window.

 

The rest of the day passes quickly. I continue to ace the classes, mostly since it's a lot of things I've already done back when I was in high school. As the day passes I can notice my classmates begin to grow nervous.

As the bell for lunch rings people practically fling themselves out of the room, all heading to different places. I saw some heading to the lunch room, some heading towards the gate and some were simply moving in random directions.

I decide I might as well just go for a wander. I don't particularly want to get caught up in the stampede that happens in the lunchroom.

And besides, who knows what I might find while wandering aimlessly?

 

I found a dope ass janitor closet.

That's not sarcasm, it's actually dope. I've never seen such high quality cleaning supplies, and I didnt even know they made brooms with such incredible brushes and holy shit is that a vacuum cleaner?

After spending some time marvelling at the contents of the closet, I feel satisfied enough to have gotten my favourite ending of My Hero Academia, the Broom Closet Ending, and I head out.

It's while I'm walking down a random hallway when the alarms start to ring. I’ll be honest, I was kinda wondering if it would even happen.

Sure, they need info, but is it really smart to do it when they know damn well everyone is expecting them?

Well, I'm not getting paid enough to question Shigaraki. Or, more accurately, I'm not getting paid at all.

As the alarm blares I just continue to wander. I encounter some students here and there, but it's obvious that everyone and their mothers are at the lunchroom. Eventually, the PA system announces the situation has been handled.

Glancing at my wrist, I decided I should probably buy a watch. I pull out my phone instead to check the time, and I see that I have just enough time to stop by the lunchroom to grab some lunch before the next class starts. So I head towards the lunchroom.

The room has certainly settled down, so it's no issue for me to go and grab some of Lunch Rush’s incredible cooking.

I don't say incredible lightly. It tastes like why I imagine people have sex. Absolutely incredible.

 

As soon as the bell rings for the end of the day I decide to head to the support labs to speak with Power Loader. Upon arrival, I see the last few students leaving for the day. In the crowd I spot what I think might be Hatsume, but I ignore her, since as far as I'm concerned, she is just some crazy girl who blows shit up.

Upon entering the room Power Loader looks up to see me.

“Ah, Sato, good timing. Here about the metal works class?”

“Yep.”

“Great! I got you all signed up, the first session will be tomorrow right after school finishes,” Power Loader explains before rummaging through some papers on his desk.

“I got a schedule and some reading materials for you here, I'd suggest giving them a look over before your first class.”

Power Loader hands me a sheet with the times and dates of the classes. A glance over them shows that there are a total of three lessons a week, all of them at the same time of day. He then hands me a few booklets labelled ‘Metal Work. The Basics.’

“Thanks. I'll be sure to give these a read. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.”

Power Loader nods as he returns to his desk.

“Make sure to arrive on time! If you want to complete your little project in good time you need all the teaching you can get.”

“Right, I'll be there on time. See ya.”

And with that I head out, leaving the support labs behind me. Leaving the school, I begin to head back to the house.

Arriving at Sato's house, I exchange greetings with Sato’s parents before heading upstairs. Once alone in the room, I change into my workout clothes before beginning Sato’s routine.

As I exercise, I begin to consider the armour again.

I can picture it well. It's a greyish blue colour with golden trims. The general design is based on common knight armour, but the helmet is unique. Instead of common head designs, instead it has three vertical slits, two allowing for sight and a third for… style? Atop the helmet is a half circle design, circling the head with sharp spikes poking off.

One of the most distinctive parts of the armour is on the back. Two large scythe-like blades protrude, pointing upwards. These spikes are large, starting at the base of the back and reaching up to higher than the wearer's head. They probably arent the most practical, but they are dope as fuck though.

I feel that the main armour won't need to be changed. Maybe scale the back blades down, but other than that I see nothing wrong with it. Though, I have no experience with armour, so maybe it isn't practical. Regardless, I won't change much if I can't help it.

Though, with some more thought, I realise something I probably will change. The sword.

Wantwalker’s sword is… odd.

The blade is fine. It's a greatsword blade, meaning it's long. But as long as it's scaled properly for me to wield, it won't be a problem. The hilt however… it's longer than the blade.

In other words, it's less a sword, more a spear with too long a blade on the end. It's easily taller then Wantwalker himself, and frankly, I’d have no idea how to use it.

With this in mind, I consider what I should do. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and make it how it is? I could probably learn how to use it, with enough time. But it might just be easier to swap it for a weapon that fits me better.

Considering my options, I decide it would likely be better to just make something that suits me more, rather than trying to force myself to use something I don't work well with.

How about a battle axe? It does suit my style of fighting more, that being less finesse and technique, more raw power. So what should the design be?

Well, there is a battle axe in the same game Wantwalker is from. A great, golden axe. Sacred Treasure Rhitta. If I change the colours to match the armour, then I may just make that.

Yea, that sounds good.

As I finish thinking this through, I allow my mind to wander as I move through the rest of the workout. My mind wanders to many different things, such as the upcoming USJ attack.

I can only hope that Shigaraki got the info he needed during the break in. I haven't received any messages requesting actions from me, so I assume he got it.

As I finish up the workout, I grab dinner. It's alright, could be better. 7.8 out of ten, too much water.

Once dinner is finished, I can't help but feel somewhat worried. The future starts tomorrow, and if things don't go well, if the league is defeated immediately, then I'm screwed. Without the league, without All For One, I have no hope of getting home.

These worries plague me while I shower. Once I'm done cleaning myself, I decide to kill two birds with one stone, and head out.

It takes some time, but I finally arrive at the bar. Entering, I spot Kurogiri standing in his place behind the bar, with Shigaraki sitting on one of the stools, playing a handheld gaming device. He glances up as I enter.

“Aren't you supposed to DM things instead of coming here?” he questions.

“Yep, and I already messaged my notes for the day. I'm here for something else.”

I walk up to the bar and take a seat before turning to Kurogiri and placing six hundred yen on the bench.

“Got any beer?”

Kurogiri hesitates.

“Are you not underage?”

I roll my eyes.

“Ok. First, in my world I am eighteen, which is the legal drinking age. Secondly, what does it matter? We’re villains, remember?”

Kurogiri contemplates this.

“I suppose so. Please hold on a second.” And with that Kurogiri pulls out a large beer mug and pours me a drink, handing it to me once it's done.

As I begin to sip it I turn to Shigaraki, who has gone back to his game.

“So, did you get what you needed today?”

Without looking up, Shigaraki responds.

“Of course. Those low level noobs suck at defending the intel. Didn't even need to use any power ups or anything.”

I nod.

“Good. Should I expect the attack tomorrow then?”

Shigaraki glances up from his game.

“What's with the questions?”

I shrug, bringing a hand up to my chin to stroke my beard, only to remember that I no longer have one.

“I'm worried is all. If the league falls, then I can't get home. So I want to ensure you're not throwing yourself into an ambush.”

Shigaraki hmms as I finish talking.

“I've got the plan worked out. I'm certain the raid will succeed. Those noobs may be seeing my battle plans, but I figure, why shouldn't I get a new game+ myself?”

I slowly nod. Somehow, despite completely understanding his lingo, I still have no idea what he’s getting at.

“Alright. It's probably best if I don't know the details, just as long as you're sure.”

With that, I go back to drinking my beer in silence. The quiet of the bar is only broken by sounds from Shigaraki’s game.

After a few moments of quiet drinking, Shigaraki speaks up.

“Do you play any games?”

I turn my head to look at him before answering.

“I played some back in my world. Haven't really played any in this one though. Why do you ask?”

Behind his console, Shigaraki rolls his eyes.

“Kurogiri says I need to ‘level up my social skills with my party members’. What sort of games did you play?”

I think for a moment before shrugging.

“Mostly solo games. A few shooter games, some mmo’s, some survival. Really just whatever tickled my fancy in the moment.”

“What system?”

“PC. Sometimes a Nintendo Switch, if you know what that is.”

Shigaraki lets out another hmm before turning his console off and turning to Kurogiri.

“Open a gate.”

Without a word, Kurogiri opens a portal, and Shigaraki stands.

“Alright, come on.”

He gestures for me to follow him as he steps through. Confused, I stand and follow him.

On the other side of the gate is what looks like a gaming room. Shigaraki sits on a couch and turns on what looks like some kind of Xbox or Playstation. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but Shigaraki chucks me a controller, which I manage to catch.

“What's going on?” I ask, confused. Shigaraki rolls his eyes before responding.

“Kurogiri said I need to level up my social skills, and you're more tolerable than the other options, so we are going to play games.”

I squint at him, trying to figure out if he has an ulterior motive with this, but as he boots up a game I conclude that he's telling the truth. Kurogiri basically told him ‘go hang out with your subordinates,’ and he decided I was the best option? I suppose at this point he doesn't have any actual allies, since the USJ gang is all low level thugs. Still…

“So, what are we playing?” I ask, sitting on the other end of the couch. A smirk forms on Shigaraki's face.

“Overwatch 33.”

I blink at him, waiting for him to laugh. But as the game loads I am practically flashbanged by the title. Overwatch 33.

“Holy shit they made thirty three instalments of this piece of shit.” I state, absolutely dumbfounded. Shigaraki chuckles as the game loads into the menu.

“I know. It's basically the same game as the last time. All they do in each instalment is add new maps, maybe a new character and update older ones.”

“So it's like Fifa.” I nod sagely.

“Hah! Pretty much.”

Shigaraki starts a round, and the next four hours are spent with me getting my ass kicked with Shigaraki laughing at me the whole time.

Notes:

Aaaaand cut!

Bam, another chapter. Next up, the USJ! Or is it? With all the changes that have been made, who knows what could happen next!

See you in the next one!

Chapter 5: The Future Begins

I feel like I didn't sleep last night. Maybe it has something to do with me staying up until two in the morning gaming with Shigaraki. I say gaming, but it was more me refusing to learn how to play any form of Overwatch and Shigaraki laughing at my failures.

Regardless, I wake up feeling like absolute shit. I know that with barely even an hour of sleep I'm going to be running on practically nothing today.

As I get out of bed, I stumble and fall to the ground as a strange feeling washes over me. I've felt this before, it's how I felt when I first woke up in this blasted world.

Images flow through my mind, of a place I have been but don't recognise, filled with people I know yet I've never seen. Voices I know yet have never heard before.

A man with a cowboy hat.

I feel my memories slosh, names I could speak with ease failing to make their way to my tongue. Faces I could pick out of a lineup vanishing into crowds.

I see things change. The world spins, the walls around me falling in and out of place. One eye showing the world normally, the other showing an endless void of nothingness.

I let out a gut wrenching scream. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop-

A boy with six arms.

Static fills my vision as I feel a thousand eyes peering at me. Feeling the weight of my choices crawling on my skin.

In an instant, the noise stops. I can see nothing, only a black void.

I realise my eyes are closed. Opening them, I stare at the roof of Sato’s room, lying on the floor, everything where it should be. The silence is jarring.

I slowly stand, wobbling as I do. I feel awful, every inch of my body aches, and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I stumble into the bathroom, and proceed to do exactly that.

After I finish hurling up the contents of yesterday's dinner, I pant, looking into the mirror at my reflection.

“What the fuck…” I mutter to no one but myself.

It's likely just my eyes playing tricks on me, but I could swear my reflection flickers.

I decide to take a shower, pointedly ignoring the feeling that I am being watched. No matter what I do, I can always feel hundreds of eyes on me, observing my every move.

As I step out of the shower, my body continues to ache, but the shower has helped. Somewhat.

I spend a moment pondering what just happened, but doing so just makes the feeling of eyes on me intense. It makes my skin crawl.

I get dressed and try to take my mind off what just happened by checking my league phone. Today is the day of the attack, so it stands to reason that I should be asked to do something.

Sure enough, a message is waiting for me.

‘When your heroics lesson begins, send a message. It does not matter what the message says. Aside from that, keep your head down.’

Alright. I wonder why I need to do that, but I'm not being paid to ask questions.

Surprisingly, there is a second message as well.

‘Dear Michael. Thank you for spending time with Master Tomura last night. The two of you were up late, so I have gotten a gift for you to help you stay awake. You can find it in your fridge. -Kurogiri.’

I blink. I honestly didn't expect that. I mostly just went along with him because he was more or less my boss. Regardless, I'm more confused that Kurogiri got me something. I know he is sentient, but I'm still surprised he would bother.

Heading downstairs, Sato’s parents are already gone, as usual. I'm still not sure what they do for a job, but they are almost always away. Makes things easier for me I guess. At least they didn't hear my screams.

I head into the kitchen and open the fridge, looking to try and see what Kurogiri could have possibly gotten me…

“Holy…”

I freeze, my eyes widening as far as they can. Am I dreaming? Is this a joke?

My hands slowly and carefully move forwards. I grasp the item with tender care. It feels real. This can't be a dream.

In my hands, is a DARE iced coffee.

I inspect the bottle. It's exactly how I remember it. The labels, the colours, everything points to this being real. But how? How did Kurogiri get this?

I carefully remove the cap and take a small sip. The taste hits me like a tractor. It really is a DARE iced coffee.

Now that I've confirmed that it's real, I tip my head back and take a long drink, savouring the familiar taste. I can already feel myself waking up, the familiar effects that made this my coffee of choice.

I have to stop myself from downing the whole thing in one go. With about half the bottle left, I screw the lid back on and set it down on the table. I want to drink it all now, but I know I need to savour it.

After eating breakfast, I began to do Sato’s morning workouts. Once I'm done, it's about time to head out. Grabbing the coffee, I begin my trek to UA, sipping on the coffee while I do.

On my way to school, I ponder how the attack might go. More accurately, I ponder how it will affect me, and what I should do.

I mean, it would be pretty counterproductive for me to be attacked, so it's likely I'm just gonna be dropped somewhere quiet. So what should I do while I wait?

…

…

…

I make a small detour from my normal route and head towards the place I got a drink from the other day. Despite being in uniform, the guy working the counter seemed like he couldnt give less of a fuck. It may also have helped that I slipped him a twenty along with the proper payment.

I feel the eyes judging me as I do so.

Now armed with a six pack of Generic Brand alcohol weighing down my bag, I begin my trek to UA once more.

====================================================================

You know, with the benefit of hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been cutting through an alley called ‘Mugging Alley’ on my way to school.

“Oi, kid. Give me all your money!” The thug threatens me at knife point.

Honestly, the man even looks like a thug. Actually, is that profiling? I don't know, but that knife doesn't look like it's for spreading jam on bread.

I slowly raise my hands.

“Ok then. You can have my money. No need for this to get bloody.” I speak slowly and carefully, trying not to startle the mugger.

I slowly reach for my bag, where I know my wallet is. Sure, I could try and fight him, but it would just be ten times easier if I just gave him my money and went about my business.

The man watches me with keen eyes as I reach into the front of the bag and pull out my wallet.

“Nice and slow. No funny business kid." He speaks in a gravely tone, and I take note that his eyes seem to track my hands even when they're inside my bag.

‘Some kind of x-ray quirk? Wonder how it works…’ I ponder.

I pull out my wallet and hold it out, the mugger snatching it and looking inside.

“Nice. Goodbye.”

My eyes widen as he moves, closing the distance between us. I barely manage to raise my bag just in time to block the knife, barely noticing the way it slices through the fabric.

“Alright, I'd rather we didn't fight!” I shout at the man, but he doesn't care, going in for another stab.

My eyes widen. A look of anguish appearing on my face. The man seems to elate at this, a vicious grin appearing on his face.

As he closes the distance, I grab his wrist mere inches from my stomach. My eyes are not focused on him. But rather on my bag.

My bag, and the familiar brown liquid dripping out of it. I can barely make out the sight of the iced coffee bottle, now laying with a knife wound in its side, the contents having spilt out.

I raise my eyes to look the mugger in the face. I move my other hand to a pocket I use to store sugar.

“I'm going to kill you.” I inform the man as I throw several cubes into my mouth. The man just looks at me in confusion before trying to wrench his arm away.

His efforts are futile as Sugar rush activates, my body growing slightly larger as I feel my strength increase. The man's eyes widen as he looks up into my eyes, fear across his face as he continues trying to free his hand.

I bring my free hand back and punch him in the stomach. He coughs, spitting out some blood.

“You could have just taken my money.”

Another strike, this time he yells in pain as he spins, the arm I'm still grasping making a sickening sound.

I release his arm, and he drops down, looking to stare up at me with fear in his eyes.

“I would have let you walk away.” I speak, my tone showing my rage.

I kick him, sending him rolling across the ground, slamming into a wall.

“And that would be that.”

I stalk over to him, bringing my hand up to hit him again.

“But you had to go and-” I freeze.

What the fuck am I doing?

I slowly lower my hand, staring at the mugger as he cowers in fear, cradling his likely broken arm.

‘What… I…’

My mind feels blank as I stare with wide eyes.

I… This isn't… Why am I doing this?

I step backwards, the sudden movement making the man flinch. I look down at my hands in horror.

‘I… Attacked him. Over a fucking coffee?’

Sure, I had spent weeks craving it, and it wasn't unlikely that it was one of a kind, but even then.

Why did I do this?

I step back again. And again. I turn and run, barely bending down to grab my bag and wallet. And I run, uncaring of where I go, just trying to put some distance between me and what I have done.

As I run, I feel… I feel like…

It's at this moment I realise something. The feeling of being watched is… muted. Not gone, but it's only barely there.

I slowly come to a stop, before leaning on the nearby wall. I stare at my hands.

‘Was that even me?’ I can't help but wonder.

I'm not a violent person, not really. I do believe in things like force, but in truth, I've only ever been in a few actual fights. And even then, it's a stretch to call them fights.

Why had I done that? I had acted, without feeling any sort of mercy in the moment. If I hadn't caught myself… would I have killed him?

I slowly pull myself away from the wall. My mind is a mess, but I don't even know where to start sorting this whole thing out.

I slow my breathing as I begin to trek away, eventually finding my way out of the alleys and back onto a main street.

Looking down at my bag, I see the cut, the empty bottle, and the spilt coffee. Looking at all that… It makes me think of what I did.

A quick stop at a local store, and I'm able to replace the old bag with a new one. From there, I continue towards U.A. And if I drag my feet a little, and seem a little out of it, then that's no one’s business but my own.

 

====================================================================

I enter the classroom and take my seat. Everything that happened means that I am later than normal, with most of the class already being present. As the rest of the class trickles in, I take note that a few people do appear nervous, likely wondering how things will go.

I'm nervous as well, but likely for a different reason. And none of them seem even a little shaken up, meaning it was likely only me who experienced… whatever the hell that thing was.

I shiver as I feel eyes boring into me.

The moment the bell rings, Aizawa enters the classroom.

“Welcome to class. We don't have any normal classes today, so leave your stuff here. Instead we’ll be having a fun little field trip-” Aizawa begins to speak, only to be cut off by Kirishima as he speaks up.

“Wait, the USJ?” The red haired boy asks.

Aizawa simply looks over at Kirishima like she wanted nothing more than to tell him to shut up before responding.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that.”

“What's the USJ?” I hear Mineta ask.

A valid question.

Surprisingly, Tokoyami is the one to respond.

“It stands for the Unforeseen Simulation Joint and its where we practise rescue traini-”

Before Tokoyami could finish explaining, Sero interjects, rudely cutting the crow off.

“Hold up, isn't that the place where we get attacked by villains?”

“It is… wait a minute, you’re actually gonna make us fucking go through that?” Bakugo answers.

Should I keep calling him Bakugo? Does he have another name? I don't know, not my problem. Bakugo it is.

Aizawa clears her throat.

“Let's stop wasting time and let me explain. All of you, change into your hero costumes and meet up outside the locker rooms, and I’ll explain what’s going on there.”

With that, the class gets up and begins to leave the room. I make a conscious choice to ignore Aizawa and bring my bag with me. As the group walks, I casually pull out The Phone and open the text.

Quickly, I type out a message to say we’re on our way. With that, I close the phone and put it away.

====================================================================

Entering the locker room, we are all surprised to encounter Class 1-B also present. Some of the others have brief chats with them, but I just focus on my outfit.

I still despise this outfit. If I could, I wouldn’t wear it, but alas, I have not made my armour yet.

That makes me think, if the attack happens, will the first metalworks class still happen? That was scheduled for today, but if we get attacked they will probably send us home.

…Do I still want to do it? After what I did this morning… would it really be wise to make things easier for me to hurt people?

Well, I suppose that only matters if this attack fails. If it succeeds then who knows what will happen next.

Regardless, I put the suit on, secure the sugar tank, and head out.

Outside, Vlad King and Aizawa await us.

Vlad King is a mountain of a man. Taller than even me. His hero outfit is red, with white boots, gloves and a belt. Attached to one of his arms is a long tube, running up his arm and appearing to plug into his neck. This is likely connected to his quirk, which allows him to control blood.

Once everyone else is done changing, Vlad King does a quick head count.

“Good, you’re all here. We’re going to be heading to Gym Gamma today to work on quirkless sparring.” Vlad King Explains to the gathered students.

“Huh?” I state bluntly.

Ok, I have no idea how the attack will play out if we are in a gym. Well, here's hoping Shigaraki has a damn good plan…

“Ooooh, since-” Kirishima starts to speak up, only for Aizawa to cut him off.

“Exactly.”

“I suppose it makes sense to avoid the USJ since the villains are attacking there.” Uraraka speaks up like she's just solved the puzzle.

Heh, that's what you think.

One of the students from Class 1-B, Shiozaki, nods along with this.

“God gave us a ‘canon divergence’.”

…Welp. Guess Shiozaki is being added to the list of confirmed Inserts.

“Villains?” Another Class 1-B student speaks up, though I have no idea this guy's name. Damn side characters these days.

“Not really important or relevant right now since we’re not going there.” Iida tries to reassure the student. Though, I don't think it really helps.

“So we’re just working on quirkless sparring today?” Another random side character from 1-B says.

No shit sherlock. It's almost like Vlad King just explained that to us.

Vlad King shows just how much more professional he is compared to me by not giving this kid shit, instead answering his question.

“Exactly. Being able to fight quirkless is an important part of a pro hero; particularly if villains have something that can nullify your quirk or a quirk like Erasure.” As Vlad says this, he nods towards Aizawa, who really looks like she would rather be anywhere else right now.

Huh. Now that I think about it, they might be referring to quirk erassing bullets. That's a thing Overhaul is working on, right? My knowledge of that whole thing is iffy, since it's all from the thousands of Fanfictions I've read, I can't fully trust anything I know after season three.

“That's why we’ll be working on your sparring skills today! Everyone, follow us, we’ll explain more once we reach Gym Gamma!” Aizawa speaks up. With that, the large group begins to head for the gym.

As we walk, I realise something. Both classes are here. Does that mean they all will take part in the attack? Wonder how that will go…

Upon arriving at the gym, I'm surprised at who is waiting there.

Waiting for us is a group of four.

The first is an adult man. Wearing a stylized cowboy hat, with a long red cape flowing down his body, is Snipe

My vision swims when I look at his hat. He kind of resembles…

I shudder as the feeling of being watched intensifies by an incredible degree.

The other three appear to be students.

The first is a blond boy. He wears a costume with a white chest, blue pants and a red cape. Across his chest is the number one million.

His name is Mirio Togata if I remember correctly. The other two, however, I don't recall the names of.

One is a blue haired boy with a very complex outfit, which has a long white cape and plenty of flowing clothes.

The last is a girl with long blue hair. Her outfit is an aqua colour with blue highlights. A few ribbon-like objects are attached to a few areas of it.

Snipe, Mirio, and the other two members of the Big Three who I can't recall the names of for the life of me.

“Vlad, Aizawa, glad you guys made it here.” Snipe addresses the other two teachers.

Vlad turns to address the class.

“Class, this is Snipe, the third year heroics teacher. He’s joined here today by three of our strongest students, who are collectively known as the Big Three.”

With that being said, the trio turn to look at us.

“Im Mirio Togata! Nice to meet everyone!” Mirio speaks up.

“And I'm Nejire Hado! Super cool to meet you guys!” The girl with the flowing blue hair speaks up.

“I’m Tamaki Amajiki.” The last boy speaks up with a small wave. If I recall correctly, he has some sort of anxiety, so it makes sense that his greeting is small.

“Now with introductions out of the way, let's get started. All Might should be arriving to help us later, but right now-” Vlad King begins to speak, only to be interrupted by shouts from the group.

On the far wall, a misty portal opens. It seems Kurogiri has arrived, and that means Shigaraki’s here too.

Here goes nothing. Time to put my acting skills to the test.

I hear a bunch of other students cry out in shock, and I add my own two cents.

“Fuck!”

Nailed it.

The teachers are already moving. Snipe draws one of his guns, Vlad king begins drawing blood out of his tanks, and Aizawa attempts to erase Kurogiri’s quirk.

It has no effect. Out from the portal steps a familiar figure.

“All Might’s not here? That's a shame. I’d hate to think we’d come all this way for nothing.”

As Shigaraki speaks, I feel a shiver run down my spine. His tone… is this even the same man I played games with last night? I can feel the bloodlust dripping off him.

The teachers don't seem bothered at all as Snipe opens fire. Before any of the bullets can land, Kurogiri moves, opening a portal in the path of the bullets.

“Don't bother. Kurogiri got an upgrade from sensei.” Shigaraki begins to scratch at his neck.

“Hey, do you know what I hate even more than All Might?”

As Shigaraki speaks, he scratches even harder at his neck.

“It’s cheaters. So when a guide NPC came to me and told me that so many of U.A's students were cheaters, peeking at my battle maps before they were ready, I wasn't sure what to do.”

Well, I probably wouldn't monologue if I was him, and announcing that he got info from ‘a guide NPC’ could imply a traitor, which will make staying hidden harder for me. But, he isn't paying me enough to care.

“But then I figured it out: why not skip the tutorial mission? Why should you guys get an XP grinder when you’ve already got a walkthrough?” Shigaraki speaks, a grin forming on his face, barely visible under the hand adorning his face.

“Good luck heroes. You're going to need it.” Shigaraki speaks with a sneer.

At that moment, portals open underneath all of us, causing everyone to fall through.

====================================================================

Sato: You guys ready to commit?

Kirishima: Like, a crime or a relationship?

====================================================================

The instant I land, I take in my surroundings.

To my left? Trees.

Right? Trees.

Behind me? Trees.

In front? Take a fucking guess.

Using my incredible observational skills, I conclude that this is a forest.

Actually, considering everything Shigaraki has said, he has implied that this attack involves something that happens in the future. And the only thing in the future that involves the future is… the training camp.

So is this the training camp? Maybe. Who the fuck knows. Certainly not me.

Quickly pulling out The Phone, I see that I have a new message.

‘No thugs should be in your area. Law low until this is over.’

Lay low? Friend, those are drinking words!

Pulling out the six pack from my bag, I settle down into a comfortable position before cracking one open. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to be very shaken from the fall or from this morning's… incident.

Alright, enough thinking about that. Down the hatch!

…

…

…

Damn, that really is a deadly drop.

====================================================================

This is actually kinda relaxing. I'm sure my classmates are fighting for their fucking lives, but that isn’t my problem.

Every now and then I can hear faint sounds of combat or something like that in the distance, but honestly? The sun is out, the wind is blowing lightly, and the sounds of the tree branches swaying is simply incredible.

I should really do this more often.

After a few minutes of relaxation, I hear a sound that is suspiciously closer than any other sound. I freeze and listen for a few moments.

Sure enough, I can hear the sound of someone walking through the woods. And they sound like they are coming closer…

I see movement, a person walking. I panic. No one should be here! Hero, villain, that doesn't matter, why is someone here?

In my panic, I quickly throw the closest thing I have on hand. This happens to be an unopened can. The can sails through the air, smacking the person in the face.

“What the fuc-” The person speaks before tripping backwards over something. His head slams onto the ground, and they dont get up.

I quickly hurry over, and am surprised when I see who it is.

With that familiar purple hair and those capture weapons, the person is Shinsou.

I spend a few moments staring down at his unconscious body, watching his chest rise and fall. After about five seconds I look up and stare at nothing, as if looking into a camera.

“He startled me.” I say in a deadpan voice,

I'm silent for a few more seconds before I chuckle at my own joke. I stop chuckling when I feel the sounds of a thousand voices laugh alongside me.

I shudder.

I look back down at Shinsou as I ponder what to do now. Do I kill him? Do I leave him? What the fuck do I do? Should I grab a marker and write on his face?

“Hmm, what happened here?” A voice speaks from behind me.

I startle at this new voice, spinning to look at whoever it is. If I had been holding anything, I absolutely would have thrown it.

“Fuck! You people need to stop sneaking up on me…” It is at that moment I realise who I am looking at.

They boy had black hair, and very little other discernible features, but I can tell by their voice who it is.

After all, Todoroki has a very notable voice.

“Wait, what the fuck are you doing here?” I ask the boy who I am fairly sure is Shoto Todoroki.

The boy looks to be contemplating something, he looks down at the open can of beer in my hand.

“I came to help some of the students here but now I just want a drink.”

Seriously? You come to help the students but get distracted the moment you find a drink?

…

…

…

Mood.

With a smirk, I grab a fresh can out of my bag and hold it out to him.

“Well, I can certainly help you with that.”

As he takes the can, I look back down to Shinsou, who is still laying on the ground.

“Also, don't suppose you know what to do with an unconscious person, do you?” I ask.

The boy opens the can and inspects it.

“Nice. Also, no, I don't know what to do with him.”

I sigh as I take a swig from my drink.

“Damn, guess I gotta hope he wakes up on his own.”

I think you’re supposed to turn an unconscious person on their side, right? Isn't that a thing?

It doesn't matter, as a groan comes from Shinsou as he sluggishly awakens, pulling himself up.

“Wha the actual fuck was that?” He asks sluggishly as he rubs his forehead. “Feels like I got hit by a fucking truck.”

I let out a chuckle at that.

“Sorry. You startled me. Hit you in the face with a can.” I explain. “How are you holding up?”

Shisou slowly looks around before answering.

“I'm fine… I think. Who’s that?” He asks, pointing at the boy.

Now, while I'm pretty sure the boy is Shoto, I do feel like it would be rude of me to assume. After all, you know what happens when you assume? It makes an Ass out of U and Me.

Luckily, I don’t have to speak, as the boy introduces himself.

“Hmm, I'm a vigilante, I guess.” The boy says as he rubs the back of his neck.

“You guess?” Shinsou asks, blinking heavily in confusion before he shakes his head.

“You know what, I'm too tired to deal with this shit. Where the fuck are we anyway? All I know is I heard fighting.” Shinsou asks.

I shrug before responding.

“Well, if what Shigaraki said is anything to go off, I’d assume we are in the woods used in the Training Camp Arc, so basically we are in the middle of bum fuck nowhere.” I explain to the confused child.

Shinsou gains a contemplative look on his face.

“Shigaraki… Shigaraki… why does that sound so familiar?” Suddenly, he snaps his finger in realisation, before going pale.

“Is that the guy all our SI classmates, or mainly Kirishima, were talking about, or something?”

Well, I don't pay much attention to what the others in the class say, but it sounds like something they probably said.

“Yep.” I say, nodding as I take a long swig.

Shoto takes a sip from his drink before speaking.

“Well, anyone got a game plan for this?” He asks the pair of us.

Shinsou raises his hand.

“We’re fucked.”

Aint that a fucking mood.

I bring my hand up to my chin to scratch my beard, only to be violently reminded that I no longer have one. Which is a shame, because I spent a long time growing my beard.

“Well, I was just gonna chill here and drink.” I tell the others.

“Well, I guess we could do that, there doesn't seem to be anyone nearby.” Shoto adds.

As I take another sip from my drink, Shinsou speaks up.

“If I wasnt as tired as I am right now, I’d be questioning where the fuck your drinks even came from.”

I let out a chuckle at this.

“Turns out when you’re built like a brick shithouse most people don't question your age.” I inform him with a smirk.

I choose to omit the bribery, since that might be a step too far. But what the government doesn't know, can't get me arrested.

Shoto shrugs as he takes another sip.

“Im just happy to finally get my hands on a drink, its been too fucking long.”

Well, that statement is confusing. But it leads credence towards Shoto being an insert.

Shinsou simply sighs heavily, seemingly done with our shit.

“I have no words.”

Shoto lets out a chuckle at this.

“Well, when you die for nothing, you’d like a drink, at least that's my opinion.”

…

…

…

Now I'm no lawyer, but that sounds like a confession to me.

I glance over at Shoto before speaking.

“Oh shit, you’re an insert as well? We thought so. Guess that's why…”

I trail off before I can finish. I can hear something nearby. It sounds like… someone running through the woods?

“Hey, did you guys hear that?” I ask.

Shinsou mutters something to himself before looking around as well.

“Yeah, it sounded like… someone running through the brush.”

There's silence for about two seconds before a loud crash can be heard. A smashed tree trunk comes flying out of the trees towards us.

I drop my drink as I dive out of the way with a yell. Shinsou scrambles off the ground and out of the way with a yell, and Shoto dodges as well moments before the tree lands exactly where he once stood.

A person bursts from the trees and begins moving towards Shoto.

Oh shit, I know this chick!

The woman in question has long blonde hair and is wearing barbarian-like clothes that definitely shows too much skin. While the outfit is new, I recognise her as being that villain I fought a few weeks ago. What was their name… Purity or something?

“Die you stupid fuckin’ kids!” Purity yells out.

Shinsou slips his mask on as Shoto gets into a fighting stance.

“I won't go down without a fight.” He declares.

Purity seems to like this response, as she simply grins a viscous smirk.

“Good! Make this worth my time!” She snarls out.

It's at this point that I speak up.

“Shit, don't let her hit you!”

As I say this, I remember whose side I'm on. I probably shouldn't be giving advice, but it sorta just slipped out. Well, too late to pretend I know nothing.

“You know her?” Shoto calls out before shaking his head.

“Nevermind, what's her quirk?”

Before I can answer, Purity gets close enough to Shoto to go for a hit. I don't know the specifics of her quirk, so I don't know if she has a good combo built up.

Luckily, before she can hit Shoto, Shinsou lashes out with the capture weapons on his arms, managing to latch onto Purity’s arms. Unfortunately, she haphazardly pulls it, dragging Shinsou along with it.

Shoto takes this opportunity to get out of her range as I speak up.

“Combo Star, makes her stronger with each consecutive hit! If she misses, it resets!” I yell out.

Should I really be telling them this? I mean, wouldn't it be better if they don't know what she could do?

Purity looks over at me, recognition flashing in her eyes.

“Oh shit, I remember you! Guess I'm killing you first!” She says before dashing towards me.

I get into a fighting stance as she approaches, before I hear Shinsou call out.

“Yo jackass! You got nothing better to do than target a bunch of kids!?” he calls out.

Purity, evidently not knowing what Shinsou’s quirk is, is quick to respond.

“Nah, not really!”

In an instant, Purity falls limp, her eyes whitening out.

“Someone hurry up and knock her out! She’s fighting my control!” Shinsou cries out as he grabs his head.

I don't make any attempt to do this, since I'm technically on her side. Luckily for me, Shoto takes action, covering his fist in ice before decking Purity in the face, knocking her out.

As Purity goes limp, Shinsou lets out a sigh of relief.

“Anyone know how to tie a good knot?” He asks as he looks down at his capture weapons.

I shrug.

“I know how to loop rope so many times it becomes unbreakable, if that counts?”

It of course doesn't count, and definitely won't keep her tied up if she awakens, but if she wakes up I'll just send her on her way or something, since another villain in the fight means we would be closer to winning.

Shinsou hands over one of his weapons.

“So long as you can do it with these.”

As I tie her up I suppress the urge to tie an actual knot. I can tie a few ones, I did Scouts when I was younger. Though, the knot I know how best to tie is a noose.

…

…

…

That sounds bad, but I just listened to the Family Friendly Noose song on Youtube and thought it was hilarious.

As I finish ‘tying’ her up, I turn to look at the other two.

“I reckon I should stay here in case she wakes up. Don't want her getting out. You two wanna stay? Or do you want to go find the others?” I ask the pair.

Please leave.

Shoto shrugs.

“I can stay, but I want to make sure the others are alright, also, if you want, I can freeze her to the ground.”

Please don't do that.

I think for a moment before responding.

“As useful as that would be, I Don’t think it's needed. Don't want to cause any permanent damage from frostbite.”

Of course, I'm talking out of my ass. I just want to ensure that if she does wake up, she can actually get back to work.

Shinsou wraps his remaining capture weapon around his arm before speaking up.

“We should probably try and find the others… who knows what other villains got teleported here.”

He glances over at me.

“You sure you’re fine staying here by yourself?”

I nod.

“Yea, I reckon I'll be fine. If she breaks free, I can beat her. I've done it before. Just gotta make sure she doesn't hit me, and she's screwed.”

I choose to ignore the fact that that's more or less what I said about Shinsou for the combat trials moments before losing.

Shoto nods.

“Good luck, also, before we leave you here, mind exchanging phone numbers? So we could keep in contact.” He says.

That… makes sense.

I nod before reaching into my pocket for my phone. Pulling it out I realise I grabbed The Phone, so I quickly put it back and grab out my personal phone. Hope they don't ask questions…

“Yeah. sure. Here you go.”

I look down at my phone as I check the number.

“Number is 1-752-764-546.” I recite.

A very odd number, I could of sworn phone numbers used to be shorter, but fuck man, this is Japan two hundred years after my time.

Shoto types the number into his phone before sending me a smiley face emoji.

“That should be enough for now, I think.” he says as he puts his phone away.

I give the pair a casual wave.

“God speed.”

Shinsou responds with his own wave.

“Good luck.”

The pair turn to speak to each other, I'm only half listening to them at this point as they discuss what they will do now.

They consider splitting up before deciding that is a terrible idea, before they start considering which direction to go. I decide to speak up.

“If it helps, I heard what sounds like a fight that way.” I point in a direction I had heard some noises from earlier. I'm not sure which direction it is specifically.

“Against my better judgement…” Shinsou speaks before sighing heavily.

“Towards the direction where Sato just pointed. There's probably fighting over there.”

Shoto nods before looking at me.

“Alright, thanks for the help, Sato, if I heard correctly.”

And with that, the pair begins to walk away, leaving me alone in the woods with an unconscious woman. Just like the good ol’ days back in ‘05!

Anyway, as the pair leave, I sit down and crack open a fresh drink. As I sip, my mind wanders, thinking about this situation. I consider just how fucking sus I was acting, since I seemed to not give a shit about the attack.

Though, that was kinda less about being a traitor, and more that I don't really panic about things like this. Sure, I'm not the picture of calmness, my anger issues are proof enough of that, but still.

I am used to being the anchor, so to speak. The one who remains calm, and grounding everyone around me in shitty situations. Cracking jokes and putting on a confident personality whenever I'm up shit creek without a paddle.

Still, that may very well come back to bite me in the ass now, since it makes me seem sus as fuck.

As I drink, my eyes wander to the tied up villain. Now that I'm thinking about it, she is a lot like a character from that one anime, The Seven Deadly Sins. Which coincidentally, is the series I'm stealing an armour design from.

She has blonde hair and the ability Combo Star. For God’s sake, she's even NAMED Purity! Only real difference is her outfit.

Speaking of her outfit… good god, someone needs to get this girl a fashion designer stat!

The outfit provides no combat effectiveness, except maybe range of movement. But in terms of defence? This outfit covers her privates, and fuck all else. Just bells and whistles, useless straps and clothes and shit.

I thought my outfit was bad, but at least the fabric is high quality and apparently knife proof!

Whatever. If she wants to go running around like that, who am i to stop her? She's tryna kill kids, I don't think she cares about being properly covered.

If every villain here has such ineffective outfits like this, then odds are, they aren't winning.

I take another sip as I lean back, choosing to focus on the scenery once again. Even after the destruction caused by the thrown tree, things still looked rather peaceful.

As I lie, I begin to ponder a few things. My mind wanders, I ponder many things, like magnets, (how do they work?) and the fact that air is a solid thing that we just can't see or really touch properly.

But something that keeps coming to mind is quirks. More accurately, I ponder my classmates' quirks.

Sure, Sugar Rush is far from a bad quirk, as I learnt this morning… But compared to some of these guys, I'm pure fodder.

While the fact that the boost is a multiplicative ability is nice, as far as I'm aware the boost itself doesn't stack, only the time limit. Which, as I deduced, isn't even intended.

Beyond that, I need a catalyst. I need to consume sugar to use it. Take away the sugar, and I'm just a buff dude. And sure, that can take me far, but at the end of the day, it's just not enough. Add on the intelligence loss, and I’m shit out of luck.

I don't normally think about my failings. But how can I not when I'm genuinely an inferior version of Midoryia?

How can I expect to keep up with my classmates, with my allies, if I’m so fucking weak? Doesn’t Shigaraki decay a whole city once or something along those lines? How can I compete?

I lay my head back as I take another sip. This is bullshit. I get pulled away from my home just to be a worse version of someone else.

 

======================================================================================================================================================

 

I lay like that for quite some time until I hear noises close by. I look around, and spot… is that Endeavor?

Sure enough, approaching the area is an imposing figure I recognise. With those flames, it's easy to spot him through the tree line.

I glance down at the villain tied up at my feet before shrugging. Fuck it, if the heroes are here already and she hasnt woken up then its no longer my problem.

Should I tell the heroes about her? Nah, if they find her they find her.

I get up and rush over. As I approach I spot a trio of other students, some I recognise.

My eyes widen when I see them. The one I don't recognise is heavily injured, but standing as he carries who I'm fairly sure is an unconscious Shiozaki, and Endeavour is carrying Tokoyami while they move.

Endeavor looks over as I approach and speaks before I can say anything.

“Another student? Stay close and follow me.” He speaks in a demanding tone. I blink before beginning to follow him at a quick pace. I suppose if nothing else, Sato is at least fit enough that I can run well. So that's a bonus of Sato.

As we move, I can't help but glance over at the other students. Seeing their injuries makes me think.

I know that what I'm doing will lead to many injuries and some deaths, but still…

I shake my head. I can't get cold feet now, I will get home, no matter the cost. Am I being selfish? Maybe. But frankly, the ends justify my means.

I take note that the direction we are moving is the way I pointed Shinsou and Shoto, so I guess something actually is in this direction.

As we follow behind, I think to myself.

‘Welp. I guess this whole thing is a bust. Still, I imagine we shook the heroes and U.A. I wonder what will happen next?’

==============================================================================================================================================

Notes:

And Scene!

How was that? I'n case you cant tell, my characters selfish nature is on display here. I included the bit at the start because we have a new writer, who has been placed into Snipe, with Shouji leaving the project.

Anyway, leave any feedback or just thoughts in the comments! See y'all next time, which will be later because we are apparently taking a month break, meaning the next chapter will be in two months time.

Adios!

Chapter 6: In The Hall Of The Demon King

Chapter 6. In The Hall Of The Demon King

 

Something I don't think enough people appreciate is how fast Endeavor is.

He's the number two hero for a reason, and when he wants to, he can reach some really impressive speeds.

Now, Sato is not unfit, nor is he slow. But I really have to push it to keep up with the flaming hero.

After a brisk run through the trees, only getting scratched by a handful of trees in the process, we break into a clearing with a large wooden building I vaguely recognise. The first thing I notice is the people present.

A large number of my classmates are here, as well as some of the other miscellaneous individuals.

But what really stands out to me is the state that all of them are in. Each and every one of them has something going on.

Some are unconscious, and some are nursing injuries. My gaze jumps from person to person, seeing the consequences of my actions.

A broken arm here, a stab wound there. No matter where I look, someone is in pain. Even those who only have minor injuries have expressions on their faces that I know will haunt my dreams.

It puts a lot into perspective. I caused this. All this blood is on my hands.

I'm to blame.

It's my fault.

I know people will get hurt, maybe even die. I'm willing to accept that. But to look these people dead in the eyes with a straight face while they suffer because of me?

And it gets worse with each new person brought over by the heroes on the scene. More and more injuries, more suffering.

I flinch as All Might appears in the clearing at blinding speeds. Another person, this time the unconscious body of Snipe.

As All Might dashes off once more, I take in the new injuries. What looks to be a bullet hole on Snipes arm, a shoddy bandage around the arm with copious amounts of blood.

It's as I'm staring at the injuries that Snipe mutters something barely audible.

"Holy shit, I got saved by the guy from Fortnite…" Snipe mutters, barely coherent.

I snort as I cover my mouth to stop myself from bursting into full blown laughter.

Yep. Saved by All Might, the guy from Fortnite.

More time passes without much happening, bar the occasional pro hero returning to the building to drop off another student.

You know, I don't think any of these guys are actual rescue heroes. They’ve got All Might, Endeavour, Best Jeanist, Miruko and I think that's Hawks, though they move too quickly for me to positively identify beyond the crimson red.

Listen, these guys are great heroes, but I'd say All Might, Endeavour and Hawks are the only guys who are really good at this.

Best Jeanist has good technique, using people's clothes to carry them in bulk, but he really doesn't have the speed needed to keep up.

I don't know who thought bringing Miruko was a good idea, because yeah, she's quick on her feet, but she's definitely more of a combat hero, and it shows.

The other three are much better choices though, since All Might is only slowed by his ability to locate people, and Endeavour is a quick runner and good at fighting quickly and efficiently.

Hawks is the MVP of this, though. His flight and sheer air speed allows for undeniably the most efficient rescues, and I think he can use his feathers to scout for students in the woods, something that the other heroes on the scene are sorely lacking.

Well, enough critiquing the pros, seems they got everyone, safe and sou-

Why are there several medical helicopters?

====================================================================

The teachers shuttle everyone onto a U.A. bus, having finally arrived at the scene, and give some basic reassurances and platitudes.

As the bus begins its journey, it's filled with dead silence.

I rest my head on the seat in front of me, noting that I am surprisingly tired. Which is odd, since I drank the coffee this morning, and those always get me to the end of the day-

Oh, right. I only drank half of it before it spilled, and I almost killed a man. Plus, that whole thing that happened when I woke up this morning…

I shiver as I feel a powerful gaze sweep across my body.

The silence is broken, distracting me from the feeling.

“So, anyone know how this shit happened in the first place? Wasn't there supposed to be a plan by not going to wherever we were supposed to go today?” A boy with shadow-like skin from class 1-B speaks.

“That was the plan that Eijiro laid out for us, yes. As to where it broke down… I'm uncertain of at this time,” another class 1-B student replies, this time a white haired girl.

Oh great. This is what we’re talking about.

Don't worry Mike, you know how to act. You’ve got this. Time to spin that patented Michael Hunt magic.

“Fat load of good that did,” I mumble into my seat.

Nailed it.

My response doesn't garner much reaction from those who heard it, since considering the situation, it's a somewhat understandable thing to say.

“That villain mentioned a guide NPC. Someone must have found out about your actions and went to the league,” the boy who I recognise as Tamaki speaks up.

Fuck. Way to throw me under the bus Shigaraki. Still, I can work with this. How do I spin this conversation?

“...who would do that?” Another class 1-B student asks, this time a short brown haired girl wearing a mushroom costume.

“Probably one of those body snatchers, Komori,” the student with the shadow skin speaks.

Way to throw blame around. Though, it gives me an idea…

“Wasn't a smart one, I'll say that,” the familiar grumbly voice of Bakugo speaks.

“Anybody with a half-functioning brain should know that working with the Leagues an idiotic move,” he finishes.

Idiotic? That line of thinking is why you're never going home.

“The fact that a horrible end is waiting for that person as well doesn't make the situation any less worse,” Tamaki responds.

…Was that a threat? Fuck you man, I’d kick your ass! I'm six foot one and built like a truck! I'll break your legs, twig boy!

I’m careful to speak normally as I speak again, prepared to start spinning some bullshit.

“Worst part is we don't even know where to start trying to figure out who it is… if it's an insert, then they might not announce that…” I mumble audibly.

The first step to handling this is to widen the possible suspects. The more people they suspect, the less chance there is of them realising it's me. Plus, Bakugo has set a dangerous precedent.

Not all inserts are going to announce that. We have no idea who could be faking.

“We can keep an eye out, at the very least,” Midoriya is the next to speak up.

“Ya, and we know it's not Aoyama this time,” Iida chimes in.

Huh, that's something to think about. What happened to Aoyama?

“Well, no one’s better at keeping an eye out than me! Vantablack is on the case!” the shadow boy exclaims in a boisterous voice.

Now is my chance. I raise my head to look up at the boy.

“Unless you’re the traitor,” I remark, only semi jokingly.

Throw some suspicion around, make them think. Plus, even then, it's common knowledge that people who place themselves in the detective role are suspicious. I recall this story of a time that the government hired someone to look for a KGB spy, only for the guy to actually be the spy, letting him get away with a lot of shit.

“Lets not jump to accusations so fast,” Tamaki speaks once more, seemingly trying to mediate the situation.

“I don't know the future, or whatever. It's not me,” Vantablack speaks.

Sure, buddy. I believe you. Anyone can say that.

“Me neither!” Another person speaks, a boring brown haired boy who I don't recognise.

“Splitting us up is only going to deteriorate the situation further in the long run,” A short boy with cyan hair interjects.

Good, that's the idea. Still, time to play safe.

I rest my head back on the seat, this time resting on my chin so I can still see, before I reply.

“Yeah, fair enough. We probably shouldnt point fingers anyway, not unless we know for sure,” I speak.

“It could be anyone from UA; Kirishima was awfully loud with his explanations two days ago…” Tamaki speaks up from his seat.

Perfect. Throw suspicion around the whole school. The traitor doesn't have to be an insert, not if they got information from an outside source.

“Like anyone outside the hero course could actually have any real relevance,” Ojiro scoffs bluntly.

Ah, yes. My favourite classmate, the guy who vocally doesn't want to be here but keeps showing up anyway.

“They could have hearing quirks and that’d be enough,” Tamaki says, seemingly ignoring Ojiro.

“What about unknown Self-Inserts, or whatever you call yourselves. People could be hiding who they really are,” Vantablack contemplates.

Exactly. Bakugo set the precedent, who knows how many are hiding, just waiting to come out of the woodworks.

“It might not be for malicious reasons, though, if they’re hiding it,” The blonde haired girl with horns whose name I don't recall yawns out.

…aight, I’ve got an idea. Here me out.

“Could also have figured out we are inserts from outside school. If someone acted out of character, then a malicious S-I could figure it out without needing to be in UA at all,” I speak up.

Perfect. Literally anyone can be a suspect. And the best part is it's not too far fetched. I'll admit, I don't know how Sato would really have acted, so I acted out of character often.

After all, no one else would have seen the show to know you're acting wrong, so why bother? I doubt I'm the only one who came to that idea.

“But when? Unless you guys are regularly talking to a lot of other people about your future knowledge, it'd be an astronomical coincidence for someone outside of U.A. to hear about it,” A ginger haired girl from 1-B questions.

Not what I meant, but ok. Before I have a chance to say what I meant, Tamaki replies.

“Let me bring up Kirishima again; with how easily he speaks of it, he most likely mentioned it to his parents; if they slip up, the information spreads further. And this is just one example,” he brings up.

Hmm, talking about Kiri makes me wonder. Is there some way I can cast doubt on him? He's very dependable, and a natural leader. If I can cast even a little doubt, it will go a long way… food for thought.

“Then it could be anyone. They’d be impossible to find,” a meek voice speaks.

Christ, I keep forgetting Koda exists. He really should speak up more.

“Yeah, what are you suggesting? We search for every person any of you SI’s have interacted with just in case one of those people has betrayed our school?” another 1-B boy, the one covered with fur, questions.

They could do that. Or I could cast some despair…

“Don't even have to have interacted with ‘em. If someone acted weirdly, or displayed signs of not being themselves, someone spying on them might notice,” I speak.

Alright, now dial it down. My tiredness will help sell this with the tone.

“There's too many possibilities. Too many ways this could happen. I don't know… I don't want to point fingers at anyone here if I can help it.”

Mission successful. Cast doubt. Anyone and everyone is a suspect. Goes from trying to find a needle in a balloon factory to trying to find a needle in a haystack.

“We can narrow it down a little bit, though- so far, all of you have only become characters that were mentioned in your visions, yes? So it must be one of you,” a 1-B boy with no lips speaks.

…what? The fuck does that mean? I don't even know what he's trying to say, god forbid I know how he's trying to cast suspicion.

“That's still a rather large number; and beyond that, it could be someone who merely noticed that someone was acting off and passed the knowledge further on…” a 1-B boy with a black ponytail replies.

Well, at least someone got the idea.

“Plus Endeavour's son shacked up with the villains and he’s one of you SI people. Could be someone like him who’s just being an idiot,” a 1-B student that I actually do vaguely recognise, Kamakiri, speaks.

…wait, so Dabi WAS going to the leagues base! Dammit, was he here?

My shock is visible when I next speak.

“What? When the fuck did that happen! He’s not meant to join them ‘till like, after the sports festival!" I exclaim.

“Didn't he defect? He was willing to put on that big bulky quirk-suppressant thing,” Vantablack mentions.

…defect? That's not good… I doubt Shigaraki told the League about me, since that villain in the woods didn't know who I was.

“I- I agree with Kuroiro, I don't think it was him,” a boy with a big bell-like head says as he shakily raises his hand.

“Then we’re right back where we started,” a girl with dark green hair says.

There's silence for a moment, only for it to be broken once again by Vantablack.

“...ugh! This is getting too complicated! Anyone who’s an SI or whatever in here, could you raise your hand or something?” he exclaims.

A few hands go up, and I look in his direction with a ‘Really?’ look at my face as I raise my hand too, though I doubt he can see me considering he’s sat behind Tamaki.

“I mean, that's assuming that nobody’s lying, right? And what if someone new becomes an SI?” a boy with spiky dark hair questions.

Exactly.

“If we suspect S-I’s of being the traitor, then it would make sense that the traitor would hide that they are an S-I,” I point out tiredly.

Fuck man, this tiredness is getting annoying. I need to grab something to eat when we get to… I think we’re going to a hospital? I wasn't paying the most attention.

“Someone new?” Koda asks with worry plain to hear in his voice.

“Can that even happen?” the brown haired student questions.

An excellent question.

“Couldn't tell ya. Still trying to understand the logistics of this whole thing myself,” Bakugo speaks up.

“Not much point in worrying about that- not like we can do anything if we do become SIs,” A boy who I recognise as Tetsutetsu shrugs.

“That's… rather morbid. I mean, one day I'm me and another a rando is suddenly me…” Vantablack says.

…or maybe you get to be like Sato and simply cease to exist. Probably. If Sato is still hanging around then I don't know about it.

“I mean, I'm not the same person I was yesterday, either. We’re all constantly changing. There's no constants in life; that's what it means to be alive,” Tetsutetsu speaks up.

“...That was surprisingly deep,” the ginger girl replies.

Huh, honestly that kinda makes me think about…

“ ‘Of course I won, why wouldn't I be able to defeat yesterday's me?’ something like that?” I ask.

Tetsutetsu grins and gives me a thumbs up.

“Right in one!”

Huh. interesting philosophy. Funny, since I just quoted Saitama.

“So that's where we’re leaving it? There's traitors but we don't know who?” Vantablack asks.

I shrug my shoulders. Though again, he probably couldn't see it. Time to wrap it up with a platitude.

“Yeah, more or less. Shouldn't assume anything," I respond.

Tamaki speaks up next.

“What do you want to do? There's not much that can be done at the moment. Feel free to suggest going 1984 to Nezu later, though,” he says.

1984? Wasn't that an old book about surveillance or something?

“1984? What's almost three hundred years ago have to do with this?” Vantablack questions.

“It was an old book from before the Dawn of Quirks, was it not?” the furry boy asks.

“That's right; in short, it's about a totalitarian state which uses constant surveillance and other tactics to keep people oppressed,” Tamaki explains.

Odd that he knows that. Could be an insert, could be a fan of old books. Either way, something to think about.

“I mean, things aren't all doom and gloom, are they? We all made it out of the attack- means the villains lost, right?” Sero brings up.

Surprisingly, it's a quiet voice I can only barely make out that speaks next.

“We didn't all make it out in one piece,” Mineta speaks up in a sombre tone.

“Did… did something big happen?” Vantablack asks the bowl of grapes.

“Not everyone’s on the bus with us for a reason,” a neutral voice speaks, belonging to another 1-B girl I don't recognise wearing a red outfit.

Ah, yes. The injured…

“I didn't see anyone… I think everyones still alive, at least,” the girl with dark green hair replies.

I don't know if I should be reassured or disappointed by this. I'm still conflicted on the pain this will all cause, but I suppose it has to be done.

“It was a close call for some; we encountered a villain called Wolfram. Mirio and I barely managed to beat him,” Tamaki spoke somberly.

…huh. Mirio is someone I know a decent amount of. I'm a decent fan of his character, based on the clips I've seen of him, and his roles in fanfictions.

I know how powerful he is. And if he nearly lost…

How close were we to winning?

“...is Togata ok? I don't see him here.” Vantablack asks.

My eyes immediately narrow.

He… he said Togata. Which, if I'm not mistaken, would be wrong. Everyone calls him Mirio, because everyone's Japanese. Meaning if Vantablack used his first name, he must not be originally Japanese.

It wouldn't be out of the question then, that he is an insert as well, and trying to hide it.

“He was evacuated using one of the helicopters,” Tamaki replies, receiving a quiet reply.

“At least it wasn't worse? With AFO and Decay, they could’ve done something really bad to us,” Midoriya mentions.

Way to put that out there. These guys probably don't even know what those words mean.

“Least I got stabbed with a knife instead of a longsword, is that what you’re saying? You’re still fucking stabbed,” Kamakiri retorts.

“They can still hurt us. They still have their teleporter, do they not?” Tamaki mentions ominously.

Ah yes, Kurogiri. Technically, he could warp the League anywhere. In other words, an attack can come at any moment, no matter where you are. Way to reassure people, Tamaki.

“...teleporter? Is that the guy that brought us to that forest in the first place? I saw what he did with Snipe-sensei’s bullets, what really is stopping them from setting up a more coordinated attack?” Vantablack asks, seeming to snap back to attention.

“Nothing besides their own wounds,” the boy with the dark ponytail responds.

“Wounds? Unless the teleporter is incapacitated, he can just open portals under us that lead not to forests, but to active volcanoes,” Tamaki replies.

Wow, way to really reassure everyone. All it would take is me sending Kurogiri a few coords, and he could do that. Don’t fucking test me.

“Its fucking Shigaraki. He’s too much of a manchild to get Kurogiri to do anything he’s not personally involved in,” Ojiro snarks.

…it's gonna be hard to try and recruit Ojiro if he's gonna insult Shigaraki like that. Did he not feel the bloodlust coming from the man in the gym?

“Yeah, plus something happened to him. Did you guys see how the front of the lounge got all torn up? There was ice and like, scorch marks everywhere,” Midoriya mentions.

“Sounds like Shoto was there,” Iida muses.

I take the opportunity to speak up with some much needed information.

“Yeah, he was. I encountered him in the woods earlier. He’s an insert as well. Apparently he died in his last life,” I inform the group.

It's odd, though. As far as I know, I never died. Unless I died in my sleep. Last thing I remember was… going to bed? It's kinda foggy. This tiredness is not fun.

“I think Eijiro said he died too,” the ginger girl mentions.

Huh. at least two people. Guess I kinda got lucky on that front. Still, what was it that Kamakiri said? ‘At least I got stabbed with a knife instead of a longsword?’.

“Does how people end us as SIs matter?” Vantablack asks.

“I mean, it gives everyone different outlooks on things. That's not nothing,” the girl with dark green hair, who I actually think might be named Tokage now that I think about it, replies.

“I guess that makes sense… If I died and got reincarnated, I would feel grateful. But if I got randomly transmigrated or whatever, I'd probably want to try and go back.” Vantablack muses.

…exactly. But even if I died, I have a new body. I would like to return to my old body, but Sato will do if needed.

I hear a quiet voice speak up, saying words I thought no one would say.

“Well, if you or anyone else figures out how to get people back to where they came from, that’d be amazing,” Koda states.

Boy, those are recruiting words. Ojiro just got competition for a place in the League.

Ojiro might not like this world, but he has never outright stated a desire to go home, merely that any other world would be better. But Koda just said the thing that set me down this path.

But I can't go up and ask him. I can't blow my cover. It's something I will need to discuss with either All For One or Shigaraki. It will have to be delicate. I can't assume everyone is as desperate as I am.

“I guess I'd want to go back, too. Hard to say,” the blonde girl with horns mentions.

Well I'm gonna need some more commitment than that. Still, potential, though unlikely. I'm gonna have to wait and see how she plays out.

“It looks like we’re almost there,” the ginger girl mentions.

Glancing out the window, I'm surprised by the change in scenery. Already we were entering a city area. Guess there's not long left on the bus. Good. This seat is uncomfy. Nothing like the good old felt seats in my local public buses.

Oh Bus 908, how I miss your plush seats.

From then, it's quiet on the bus. A very awkward silence. No one seems willing to be the one to break it though, so I speak up.

“Well… this was everyone's first real villain encounter, how is everyone feeling?” I ask.

I don't have a real motive for this, I just don't like awkward silence. Or maybe it's the tiredness taking hold.

“It was a villain attack. What the fuck do you think, genius?” Bakugo snaps back.

I rub the back of my neck. If I was more awake, I would shut up at that, but I'm crashing bad from the caffeine and have no food to boost me. So of course I speak some more.

“Fair enough, stupid question. I'm just… this whole thing made me wonder, how do the other S-I’s feel? Since we didn't necessarily sign up for this… I don't know, stupid question. I'm tired as hell…” I ramble.

It's Tamaki who replies.

“Feel free to switch high schools if you can't handle it. There's no shame in it, truly.” He says, somehow managing to not sound condescending as he addresses everyone in the us.

“In hero life there is injury; death. It is inevitable.” He says, ending the conversation on that sombre note.

As silence fills the bus once more, I can only think of one thing.

‘Yeah, but usually you're not the one causing it.’

====================================================================

After reaching the hospital, everyone is ushered out of the bus to be checked over by some medical professionals.

They only give me a quick glance over, since I'm more or less unscathed. I do discover a handful of nicks and scratches from sprinting through the forest after Endeavor, but other than that I'm fine.

A few band-aids later, and I'm sent on my way. I'm somewhat surprised at this, since no officers take my testimony. Or anyone else's for that matter.

This is horrendously stupid, since testimonies should always be given as soon as possible, but it doesn't matter. Gives me time to figure out what I'm going to say.

I make sure to stop at a vending machine to grab myself a snack, and am honestly surprised to see the familiar sight of Smiths chips. Honestly, I don't even know what these are doing here, since not only are they from two hundred years ago but also they are an Australian brand.

Honestly, I feel like the only thing to be lost in the Dawn of Quirks was DARE.

Regardless, a few Yen later and I have my bag of chips. Two hundred years, and they still haven't changed.

I'm more surprised when Sato's father arrives at the hospital to pick me up. Which is fine, I suppose. He and I get along well enough. Though, that's mainly because we don't really interact at all.

William is a good man, but he's not an emotional one. He cares about the facts, not the feelings. And since I'm not technically his son, he treats me with common courtesy, and nothing more.

After the hospital confirms I'm good to go, we head out. I'm not actually sure what William does for work, but he has a very nice purple car.

We drive in silence, neither of us willing to really speak. Once we get to Sato's house, I head inside, William stating he needs to return to his work.

The house is empty, Sato’s mother, Akane, likely also at work. Because of this, I simply head up to Sato’s room.

I've pretty much got nothing to do, so I decide to just head straight into the exercises.

Sato had a very good routine. I'm no personal trainer, but I did work out a decent amount back in my past life, so I've got a good understanding of different exercises and what muscles to hit for desired outcomes.

Dumbbell bench press to work on shoulders, overhead bicep curls for biceps, standard bench press for chest. All these and more are good for growing muscles and strength.

But fuck knows it’s not enough.

Looking at the weights I'm using, I know that I'm strong, but not strong enough. Not enough to keep up, not enough to pull my own weight.

I finish the set of Tricep extensions and spend a moment just staring at the dumbbells around the room. I've tested it, and using Sugar Rush, I can bench press a solid six hundred kilos. Which is very good, incredible even.

But compared to someone like Midoriya, I'm weak.

I hate it.

I'm meant to be strong. I'm meant to be the one others rely on. And sure, maybe that doesn't matter all too much now, but if something happens, and I need to do something, then I need to be strong enough to help.

The League is my only way home. All For One is my only way home. If something happens…

“I need more power,” I say outloud to myself.

But how? Sugar Rush is such a basic quirk. It doesn't really have any room to grow.

Alright then Michael. Use your brain.

The problem: I need more power.

The issue: Sugar Rush can’t give me much more power, at least not without dedicating many more years to working out.

The Solution:...

Well, if Sugar Rush isn't enough, then what if I got another quirk?

My eyes widen as I consider this thought.

I'm working for All For One, and he can give quirks, right? So I can get a second quirk from him, right?

He obviously won't give it to me for free, I'm not a fool. And that's fine, I'd rather earn it so there's no doubt in my mind that I deserve it.

But… should I? Depending on the quirk, I might have trouble keeping my cover. But I might be able to spin it to work, if it's the right quirk.

That leaves one major issue. How should I go about this?

I pull out the burner phone and stare at its screen for a moment. I haven't sent any notes or anything for the day, since it was the attack and I had nothing to take notes on.

I turn it on and look at my list of contacts. Aside from Contact, there is a new id, Contact #2, belonging to Kurogiri. At least, I think it does, since it's where he messaged me using.

I pull up the number and send a text.

Me: ‘What would I have to do to earn a second quirk?’ Sent 2:34 PM

I wait with bated breath for a few minutes as I wait to see if I will get a response. And sure enough, I do.

Contact #2: ‘That is a very dangerous question, Michael.’ Sent 2:42 PM.

Me: ‘I know, but I need more power, more strength. What would I have to do to earn one?’ Sent 2:42 PM.

Contact #2: ‘That would depend. What are you willing to do?’ Sent 2:43 PM.

Me: ‘I will do whatever it takes to become stronger.’ Sent 2:43 PM.

There's no response for a few minutes, and I'm worried that I may not get a reply.

Cantact #2: ‘If you are truly serious, come to the bar. We will talk in person.’ Sent 2:47 PM.

I jump in surprise when I spot movement in the room with me. A swirl of dark mist, the familiar shape of Kurogiri’s portal. I hesitate for only a second, before stepping forwards, entering the swirling mist.

I step out onto the familiar floorboards of the bar, my head spins around to take in my surroundings.

Shigaraki is nowhere to be seen, with Kurogiri standing behind the counter, simply looking right at me.

“I will warn you, if you truly obtain a second quirk, as you plan to, it will be something you can not come back from. Are you certain you wish to make that choice?” Kurogiri speaks to me, his tone flat as a board as he stares into me with his little yellow lights.

I gulp. Way to put on the pressure. I nod.

With his face being made of smoke, I can't tell what expression he is making, but he seems to pause for only a second before speaking once more.

“Then I will call my master,” Kurogiri speaks as he reaches under the bar and pulls out some sort of T.V remote.

Kurogiri goes to push a button, only to stop as a voice fills the room.

“There's no need. I’ve been paying attention this whole time. You have a request for me, Michael?” All For One’s smooth voice comes from the monitor.

…Holy shit that's terrifying.

I'm not even in the same room as this man and I feel like I'm about to die. A lot of people make fun of him for wanting to be a Demon King, but when his mere voice instils this much fear, I'd say he's well on his way.

“...Yes. I want to know if I can earn a second quirk,” I speak slowly and carefully. I try to hide it, but it's clear in my voice that I'm nervous.

“Earn a second quirk? It’s distinctly possible; I offer that to several in my employ, Kurogiri being one of them.” All For One carefully speaks, his smooth voice sending chills down my spine.

In an instant the feeling in the room turns cold. Despite the amount of distance between us physically, I feel like he's standing right before me, judging my every move.

“But have you done anything to earn one? It's a privilege I reserve for a select few, after all,” All For One finishes. His tone doesn't change, but I can feel it in my bones, the underlying threat of violence.

Despite feeling the weight of my sins on my back, I press on.

“I know sir. I haven't done anything yet. But I'm willing to try and earn one," I speak clearly, terror radiating off my tongue.

“I… I need to be stronger. I need to be able to pull my weight. And I can't do that as I am now. So I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn one,” I speak.

If something happens, some manner of event that can’t be foreseen, and the time comes that I have to do something to ensure the League continues, that I get home, I won't be strong enough. So this has to work.

All For One is silent for only a moment, but that moment feels like an eternity.

“Whatever it takes, hm? Even if those tasks are… less than savoury for a want-to-be hero such as you?” he speaks, a hint of something in his voice. Curiosity? Amusement? I can't say for sure, but it's even more terrifying than before.

Still, what kind of question is that? I really couldn't give a rat's ass about being a hero. I want nothing more than to leave this world.

“The only thing that matters to me is getting home. I'm willing to do anything to get back,” I inform the man, pouring as much determination into my voice as I can.

There is silence for another moment. Barely even a few seconds. But in those few seconds, I feel like a sack of meat, being judged by the gods for my sins.

“...Interesting. Luckily for you, I do believe I have a… rather fascinating power by the name of Body Bulk I’ve been holding onto for quite some time that may synergize well with your natural quirk,” All For One finally speaks, his tone returning to a neutral one.

Body Bulk? I have absolutely no idea what that quirk is. It sounds like some manner of strength enhancer. Regardless of what it is, if All For One thinks it will fit well with Sugar Rush, then I trust him to know what he’s talking about.

That leaves just one thing…

“And what do I need to do to earn it, sir?” I carefully ask.

“Beyond your duties to Tomura’s League? I want you to get close to Izuku Midoriya. Learn what drives him. Learn what makes him tick. I may have more requests for you in the future as well,” All For One says. I notice a hint of some emotion I can't identify in his voice as he speaks about Midoriya.

Midoriya… he’s All For One’s son in this world, right? Does that have anything to do with this? Well, I don't have to ask questions about why I'm being asked to do this. I just have to do it.

“I see… I should be able to do that,” I nod, an idea already forming in my mind on how I could do that.

As I speak, the pressure in the room shifts. I can't explain how, but I feel like it's both lighter and heavier at the same time.

“Then we have come to accord. Kurogiri?” All For One speaks from his place behind the monitor, addressing his loyal servant.

Without a word, the floor drops out from under me, one of Kurogiri’s portals opening there.

Falling through, I land roughly, managing to stay upright at least.

Looking up, I freeze.

All For One’s presence was intimidating when it was just his voice, but standing face-to-face with him is absolutely terrifying. I thought I knew fear when he spoke, but staring into those hollow eye sockets brings a new meaning to the word terror.

A smile adorns his lips, skin stretching across a scarred face.

“A word of warning. This may sting,” All For One speaks.

Hearing his voice in person makes me envision my own death.

Without any more speaking, All for One places a hand gently on my face.

And I know only pain.

My skin feels like it is peeling away, and my bones feel like they want to be everywhere but where they are. I feel like I am being stabbed across my whole body, while being crushed under a hydraulic press.

It feels like an eternity, but I doubt it is more than a handful of seconds. But it is long enough.

All For One removes his hand from my face, and the last thing I see is his demonic grin before I pass out.

====================================================================

When I wake up, I'm laying on a cold, hard floor. I slowly sit up, bringing a hand to my head. My whole body is throbbing, which is slowly beginning to wear off.

I look around. It seems I've been moved from the dark place where I had met All For One, as the walls around me are easily recognisable as those of the bar.

As I pull myself to my feet, I hear the familiar scratchy voice of Shigaraki.

“Hey, you, you're finally awake. You were meeting with Sensei, right? Walked right into that new quirk, just like us,” he says, amusement clear in his voice.

I turn my head to look at where I heard the voice. Shigaraki is in the room, sitting on one of the bar stools, playing his handheld game console. I raise an eyebrow.

“What, did the thief manage to escape this time?” I say back with barely hidden amusement.

Shigaraki chuckles at this, clearly pleased that I understood the reference.

“Heh, nice to see someone who has good taste.”

I pull myself to my feet, rubbing my temples to ease a light headache.

“I didn't realise people would still play Skyrim in this time period,” I say, taking a seat at the bar, nodding my head at Kurogiri, who stands behind the counter.

“Sensei gives me all the good games,” Shigaraki replies, tapping away at his console.

There's silence for a few moments, as I regain my energy. Who knew that gaining a new quirk would be so exhausting?

“Michael, it would be wise for you to practise with the quirk of Body Bulk,” Kurogiri speaks up. I look over at him.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Not sure where I would practise, though,” I mutter.

Shigaraki speaks up.

“There's some old warehouse we use to level our skills. Kurogiri can fast travel you there,” He suggests without looking up from his game.

A warehouse they use to practise? That’ll work.

Kurogiri, being the helpful Nomu he is, warps me to said abandoned warehouse.

Glancing around, I take in the sight of the area. What looks like old soot from fire is caked on the ground, which I assume was Dabi before turning traitor, and the floor has what looks to be knife gouges in it. I'm not sure how the knives could be here, but that's not my main focus right now.

I stand in the centre of the room, having discarded my shirt and wearing some loose pants, and try to get a feel for what I'm doing.

In other words, I stand there like an idiot.

Activating a quirk isn't something that can be explained. It is similar to breathing. Everyone knows how to do it, but if you asked somehow how they breathe, they won't be able to give you a good answer.

Sugar Rush is a rather easy quirk to activate, since it automatically turns on when eating enough sugar. But a quirk like Body Bulk doesn't work like that. Instead, it needs to be activated manually.

I spend a few minutes just trying to figure it out. I try to feel inside myself, but I don't really know how to do that.

I try to visualise myself bulking up, but nothing happens then either.

I can't explain what I do next, I truly can't. But whatever it is, it works.

My body grows in size, my legs expanding to fit the baggy pants snugly. I watch as my vision increases in height, and I feel my arms as they get bigger.

I gaze down at myself like this, a large, imposing figure. From a technical standpoint, I look more or less the same, only scaled up.

I ball my right hand into a fist and slam it into the ground. A sizable hole forms in the concrete. Shaking the dust off my hand, I stare at the hole in wonder, a large grin forming on my face.

I bring a large foot up, and slam it into the ground. A second crater forming to join the first. I laugh as I jump into the air, easily breaking my jumping record.

I fall back down, and slam my fist into the ground once more, using the momentum of my fall to create a large crater, easily dwarfing any I could have made before.

I'm punching through solid concrete! With my bare hands!

A laugh bubbles to my lips as I continue to test my new power. Putting holes in concrete to my heart's content.

Kurogiri choses that moment to act, opening a warp gate, and several large steel beams fall through. He gestures towards them.

“To try and protect the structural integrity of this building, why don't you try bending and breaking these?” he suggests.

Needing no further encouragement, I bend my knees and run, sprinting towards the added steel.

I cross the floor in record time, moving at speeds that are nothing to scoff at. I pick up one of the steel beams, and with a wicked grin, begin to bend it.

It's not an easy bend, and I do exert a decent amount of effort, but these are industrial grade steel beams, so the fact that I can bend them at all is incredible.

The first beam bends far, far enough that it begins to break, with cracks forming along it. Dropping it, I move over to the next one, and do the same thing, this time twisting it instead of fully bending it.

I feel like a kid in a toy shop as I gleefully bend the metal around, the smile on my face never leaving. I do this for five minutes. Ten minutes. I keep going, just pushing my new strength to see how far I can go.

All around, I'm definitely stronger than almost everyone in class 1-A. I'd say the only person who can beat me in physical strength would be Midoriya using One For All, for obvious reasons.

But still! I'm far more powerful then with Sugar Rush!

I pause.

Sugar Rush…

Sugar Rush is a multiplicative boost. Five times increase. So if I use it with Body Bulk…

My grin grows even larger as I run over to my discarded shirt. I pull from one of the pockets a cube of sugar, my smile never leaving my face.

With a laugh, I pop the cube in my mouth.

I feel Sugar Rush activating, the power pumps through my body like a jackhammer. My body grows even more, stretching the fabric of my pants to its limit. I feel…

I grab a steel beam from the pile Kurogiri had brought me, and with an ecstatic grin, I tear it in half with absolute ease.

“This must be how All Might feels all the time.” I say to myself as I turn to face down the warehouse. I pull my fist back, and throw a full strength punch into the ground in front of me.

The wind kicks up, and I close my eyes to shield it from the unexpected debris.

After opening them, my grin freezes in surprise.

Pure destruction. A good portion of the warehouse around me has been wrecked, sheet metal on the nearby walls warped like they had gone through a bender. Concrete around me is torn up like a child playing in the mud. Even though the shockwaves did not reach too far, the simple fact that I made shockwaves with enough force to decimate my close range is incredible.

But the real destruction comes from where my fist landed. A crater taking up a huge portion of the ground around me, with concrete being turned to dust from my fist alone. The crater is deep, gouging through the solid floor like a giant drew a line with their finger.

“Heh… hah.. Haha… hahahAHAHA!” I burst into gleeful laughter.

“NOW THIS IS POWER!” I shout, a manic look in my eyes as I take in my raw power.

My laughter continues, as I gaze around the area at the damage I had been able to cause with a single punch in this incredible new form.

It's as I feel the effects of Sugar Rush fading that I begin to truly take in the scope of this.

With this much power in my hands, who knows what I could do! I could… I could…

I look down at the torn beam, my smile beginning to fade.

I could… I could snap someone like a twig.

My smile completely fades as I take in more of the damage. Metal that would require heavy machinery to break is warped heavily out of shape. Concrete which is harder than most people's bones is atomised like a bomb just went off.

I let go of the feeling of Body Bulk, returning to my normal size as I look at my hands.

“Fuck. I could kill someone so easily,” I mutter.

I hear Kurogiri sigh as he gazes at the destruction of the warehouse.

“Well. I suppose someone will have to try and clean this place up… no matter. How are you feeling after that?” the Nomu questions.

Deciding to push my horror at how easily I can now unalive someone, I glance down at my body.

“Sore. I'm actually very sore," I respond.

I feel as though every single one of my muscles has been hit twice, not a single one being spared from the feeling of tiredness.

I try to do some stretches, in hopes that I can loosen them up. Unfortunately, the moment I try I am violently informed that most of my muscles are very tight, to a point I've never felt.

“Fuck man, I need a hot shower,” I mutter.

“Then I suppose we will finish for today. I'll warp you home,” Kurogiri helpfully speaks up.

I smirk.

“Thanks Kurogiri. You're an absolute legend,” I mutter exhaustedly.

“Thank you. I try my best,” Kurogiri says as I grab my discarded shirt. With nothing else to say, he opens me a warp gate back to Sato’s bedroom.

====================================================================

It's as I stand in the shower relaxing my sore muscles that I realise something important.

How am I going to explain Body Bulk?

As the water cascades down my body I begin to ponder.

So, I need to make this work. How? Sugar rush consumes sugar to activate. Can I do something with that?

Sugar Rush only seems to activate when I consume basic sugar, right? Maybe I explain it as an effect of other sugar?

No, that would be too easy to disprove. And I would be bound by having to consume sugar whenever I activate at school, which defeats the point.

But I can build off that. I can claim it's a type of sugar that does not activate automatically, and instead needs to be manually toggled. But how to tie sugar in?

I step out of the shower and dry myself off as I continue my train of thought.

Could claim it's a form of stockpile. Consume a certain sugar type and store it within me until used. If it's stored in the stomach and needs sugar present, then it will be almost impossible to disprove, since they would need to check my exact metabolism at any given time to see how quickly it digests. And they won't know how digested it needs to be to stop working.

Ok, that handles the consumption, but what sugar type? What's a common one found in many different foods I eat commonly?

After drying myself off and getting changed into some comfy pyjamas, I step downstairs for a quick bite to eat. I grab a simple banana, ready to chow down, when I realise…

Fructose sugar. Common, found in fruits and things like that. If it's that, then I can snack on fruit constantly and claim it’s to keep the stockpile built.

Sweet, so that's the logic sorted, more or less. Now the only question is, how do I explain how I found out about it?

…it's a stretch, but technically not able to be disproven, but I can claim to have learnt it from some old notes of Sato’s or something, and say that the only reason canon Sato never used it is because its a multiplier, just like basic Sugar Rush, so when he discover it as a kid he barely grew at all and wrote it off as useless, promptly forgetting about it.

I can fake the notebook too, since my handwriting is absolute garbage. I think child Sato might even have had better handwriting honestly.

I grab a notepad and write everything down, tearing the page out and slipping it into a drawer before sliding into bed.

I hope this can explain it well. Otherwise, it's my ass.

====================================================================

Notes:

And… Scene!

Boom, how's that for a chapter? 8k words after a hiatus. I'm happy.

AFO, huh? I really tried to push the feeling of fear he gives off, since in canon simply hearing his voice is enough to make people envision their own deaths.

Body Bulk is a quirk given to Spinner at some point during the War arc, and it just makes me bigger. I'm using Wreck It Ralph as a base for size and power. 9ft tall weighing 643 pounds. (292 kg for those of us who aren't American.)

The project GM would like to leave you all a message.

Heya, everyone, your friendly neighborhood GM here! As many of you lovely readers may know, this fic is a group project; individually, each fic should stand alone, but if you have the time try and check out the interludes in
And So The Dominos Fall! The Eyes of the World chapters in particular set up a lot for each new "Act" of the fic, so to speak, but there's a lot of important foreshadowing going on there. That's all I've got; thanks for reading our project! -SauronClaus, the ever bashful GM.

It's in the OASIS project, so check it out at some point, since it's decently important.

Anyway, that's all from me. See y’all next time!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Learning to lie from Wikihow

====================================================================
???, ???

I realise I'm dreaming almost immediately. I'm seeing things I know damn well don't make any sense, and things I know I shouldn't be seeing.

My view flies through many locations. My workplace, my old school. My house. My bedroom. Sato’s bedroom, the halls of U.A, the League’s bar, with Kurogiri, an empty warehouse, a stadium, a dark laboratory, a fancy office.

Most of the places are places I recognise. Some… I can't place for the life of me.

The more my vision sees, the faster everything seems to go. Locations fly by faster than I can see, faces I don't have time to recognise. I feel a dull pain in my chest, a pain that grows as everything gets faster.

Everything speeds up, more and more, until…

I wake up to nothingness.

Darkness surrounds me, stretching as far as my eyes can see.

“...what’s going on?”

My eyes widen as I think out loud. Instead of the voice of Sato I had started to grow accustomed to, the voice that left my mouth was painfully familiar. It was my own voice.

“What the fuck!?” I exclaim as I look down at my body. MY body.

My beard, my large gut. I was back in my old body.

“This is… an unexpected possibility.”

My eyes widen as a voice fills my ears. It's loud and booming, like a voice that demands authority.

The darkness around me seems to distort, and a rushing feeling passes over my body.

The darkness falls away, revealing what I can only describe as a graveyard that stretches as far as my eyes can see.

But that's not what I'm focusing on. My eyes are drawn to a gargantuan figure. The being’s body is black, and appears like a serpent, ending in a tail with a head on it, a gaping mouth with a blue flame in its eyes.

The other end of the serpent tail rises into a humanoid figure. Wearing some sort of armour with a strange draconic skull making up the torso and sides, with two muscular arms, each ending in a skeletal hand, one clenched in a fist, the other holding an ornate golden staff, the top curling into a spiral with a glowing red gemstone with a slight resemblance to an eye in the centre.

The being’s armour converges onto its face, a humanoid skull with large golden spikes protruding from the sides, extending away from the centre. The being towers over me, its hollow eyes staring down at me.

“What..?”

My voice is meek as I gaze up at the being. A part of my mind is tickled by its appearance, as if I should know what I'm looking at, but I don't know why, since I think I would recall something like this.

“Congratulations. You are the first to have perished by your own actions. Well done.”

My body shivers as it speaks. Its voice is deep and scrapy, and it has what sounds like screams layered just underneath the noise.

“P-perished?” my voice shakes, this being's presence being far more terrifying than All For One’s.

“Though, I suppose it's not fully your fault. Bringing that one did shake your spirit. So it makes sense that your heart would give out after your actions for the day.”

“What… what’s going on?”

“Isn't it obvious? You have died. Your heart was weakened from when I transferred the other, and the strain you put on yourself was simply too much. I'm honestly impressed you stayed alive as long as you did after using it.”

What? I’m… dead? The strain, is it talking about when I used Body Bulk and Sugar Rush together?

“Normally, your story would end here. But since it was somewhat the fault of my actions that morning, I will allow you to revive this once.”

“W-who are you?”

“Remember my name, Balerdroch. For when you next return, I shall consume your spirit. So make the most out of this second chance. Don't mess it up again, I'll see you soon.”

With those cryptic words, the red gemstone on the being’s staff begins to glow, and the place around me fades out, as I begin to feel like I’m falling.

====================================================================
The morning after the attack, Sato’s bedroom.

I sit up quickly, panting heavily. Sweat rolls off my body in buckets as I grip my sheets.

“What the fuck…” I murmur to myself, vaguely noticing how my voice has returned to being Sato’s.

A quick glance at my phone shows me that it's barely four in the morning.

"Hell of a wake up call…" I murmur to myself.

With that being said, what was that? The being… it said I died?

A quick check of my pulse reveals a heartbeat, but even I can tell it's faint. My mind begins to race.

I died? My heart just… gave out? The being said the strain from Body Bulk and Sugar Rush at the same time is what kicked it off, does that mean I shouldn't do that any more?

No, the being also said it had something to do with… 'The Other', which I don't even know what that could mean. Still, this does mean that if my heart and body are already strained, using the combo can be catastrophic.

As if I needed more to worry about when using it. Not only can I easily kill my opponent, I also risk killing myself…

I should probably try and take my mind off this.

A second glance at my phone reveals a surprising notification.

Is that a Discord friend request? Better question, when did my phone get Discord?

====================================================================
Sunday, U.A high school.

Sundays are great, really. And today is no different. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, universal travellers like me…

Should be anywhere but here.

I walk through the halls of U.A, having been called here on a day off for ‘an interview regarding the events of the attack.’

According to the email I got, it should just be in and out. But I know that things won't be quite that simple. Considering that the email also said that I would be interviewed by Nedzu and ‘a trusted detective’, which is just a fancy way of saying Tsukauchi.

I’m fucked. I’ve had about a quick walk to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do. What I'm going to say.

The short answer? I'm boned. Gotta make up some shit as I go. Doesn't help that I'm practically jumping at shadows. I swear to god, I've walked past three different alleyways and jumped because I thought I saw Kurogiri. It's always just the shadows, but still.

I don't even know if Tsukauchi even has a quirk here! I've always liked the idea that he’s quirkless, and just good at telling when someone lies. But honestly, knowing my luck, he might have a quirk that tells objective factual truths.

I'm honestly afraid. This all comes down to how I can spin the truth. Doesn't help that they picked the most annoying time for this as I haven't even had lunch.

Regardless, there's nothing I can do. With my head held high and my body calm and collected, I step in front of an imposing door that looks like any other. Nedzu’s office.

I can't afford to hesitate, so I step forwards, and swing the door open.

“Mr. Sato. Come in and take a seat please; I'm glad that you could make it.”

Sitting at the main desk is Nedzu himself. The small, white rodent stares at me, with a calm smile on his face. It would be comforting if I didn't know that behind it lay a cold, calculating machine.

Sitting next to the principal was a much more normal looking person, though, he is equally as terrifying to me: Detective Tsukauchi.

“Hey, Glad to be here,” I reply casually, knowing damn well that I'm not glad to be here at all.

As I take a seat in front of the desk, Tsukauchi speaks up.

“My name is Detective Thukauchi and I work with the Mustafu Police Department. I’m here to ask a few questions about the attack on your class last Wednesday.”

To be frank, I’m so fucked… no food in my stomach, and the fact that I started crashing halfway through that day means I’m going to have a hard time bringing up later events. If I'm lucky, I can explain the main gist of what happened, and gloss over any details that might incriminate me.

“Go ahead then, I’m hungry and wanna grab a bite to eat, so lets make this quick,” I reply.

“I'll try and be quick about it,” Tsukauchi responds before bringing out a small tape recorder, “this is an official record by Detective Tsukauchi on Sunday, April 20, 2256, in the principal’s office at U.A High School. Sir, can you please state your name?”

…oh, fuck. A curveball right out of the gates.

I can't respond with Sato, since that's not my name. That's the name of this body, but it's not mine.

With this in mind, I have no choice but to reply honestly.

“...Mike,” I hesitantly reply.

It's my name, yes. But to be frank, I don't want to go by it here at U.A.

“Got it. Now, my quirk is called ‘Lie Detection’. Can you please tell me one truth and one lie to calibrate my quirk?” Tsukauchi responds.

Oh, great. He does have a lie detector quirk. That makes this… much harder than it needs to be.

“I am six foot. I already ate lunch.”

Simple answers.

“Now, can you please tell me the name of your quirk or quirks?”

…right out the fucking gates? Alright, years of arguing technicalities and specific wordings with my mum, don't fail me now!

“...technically, I don't have a quirk that's mine. But I assume you mean Sato’s quirk, which is Sugar Rush.”

All that is technically true. Body Bulk won't be mine until I finish paying it off, a lot like loaning something.

Tsukauchi nods at this before speaking again.

“That's a fair point and indeed what I meant, yes. And this is the only quirk that you currently possess?”

Boy, that's a tricky one. Can't rely on technicalities, gonna have to use old fashioned wordplay.

“I’d say so,” I casually reply.

Yes, on its own it is a lie, but if I had the option, I'd say yes. So this line shouldn't be a lie. Of course, that's only if Tsukauchi’s quirk works how I hope it does.

“I see. Now, can you please, to the best of your abilities, describe to me the events of the attack on your class three days ago?”

This is one I think I can handle pretty well. I didn't actually do anything sus during the attack; at least nothing I can't work my way around.

“I can try, but my memories of the last half are a bit foggy. I didn't drink my whole coffee that morning and started to crash hard midway through the events.”

Alright, time to do some talking.

“It started in the gym. Shigaraki came out of a portal, said some monologue, then had Kurogiri thow us though some portals. I landed in the middle of the forest somewhere, and saw no villains or anything, so I decided to bunker down in a tree.”

Hell of an oversimplification, but all correct.

“After a while, I heard someone walking through the woods, and I panicked. I threw my drink in that direction, but it turns out it was Shinsou, and I accidentally knocked him out.”

Again, true. I was in danger from villains, my only protection was that none were meant to be around me. If one stumbled across me I would be in deep shit. So I panicked.

“While he was out, someone else entered the area. I didn't recognise them right away, but I noticed their voice was familiar and realised it was Shoto Todoroki.”

“He asked for a drink, so I gave him one. After a bit Shinsou woke up. There was some talking between us for a bit, then a villain actually showed up. I think her villain name is Purity. I had encountered her once, before the first day of UA. she had been fighting some heroes, and almost killed them. I kinda ran in and knocked her out. Last I saw of her was her being arrested. Guess she must have broken out.”

Kinda makes me wonder, how did she break out? Her quirk is very powerful, so I guess she probably just used force. Still…

“Her quirk is actually very powerful if it works how I think it does, with a virtually infinite potential for power. So I panicked, and didn’t move. Luckily, she didn't know who we were, and Shinso got her under his control. Shoto used an ice fist or something to knock her out.”

If she's like Derieri, then I do not want to be on the other end of one of her boosted punches.

“Shinso gave me one of his arm rope things and I tied her up, pretty poorly I'll admit.. I don't know how to tie proper knots, only looping rope around enough that it can't really be pulled undone.”

Well, I do kinda know how to tie a noose, all thanks to that one family friendly song. But you can't tie someone up with a noose, it's only designed for stirring mixtures and hanging pictures!

“Shinso and Shoto decided to go looking for villains, which was a terrible idea. Everyone knows that in a situation like that you should always stay put. Especially since there were no visible villains in the area. Regardless, they headed off and I stayed put to watch over the villain. If she woke up and broke the rope, which she could probably do, it would have been bad for everyone if she was running around unchecked.”

Probably the biggest stretch. Everything is true, even if it's not the actual reason I stayed put. But it's still true.

“After that, I just sorta chilled in that spot for a while. I kept an eye on her in case she woke up, but other than that nothing else really happened until Endeavor picked me up,” I finish my very long winded story.

“Got it. Now, you mentioned you had drinks while in the forest? What type and why?” Tsukauchi questions.

…ah. The one hole in my cover. I Bought those drinks so I could drink during the attack. But I can't admit that…

“...technically, they were soft drinks. But I bought them thinking it was alcohol,” alright, time for a technicality. “Drinking helps me with stress, and I had a very stressful morning.”

That morning had been stressful, on account of watching reality break and almost killing someone, and drinking does kinda help with that. But alas, the world betrayed me when I discovered that Generic Brand Alcohol was fully non-alcoholic.

“You understand why that's against school policies, yes, Mr. Sato?” Nedzu speaks up, clasping his hands together as he speaks.

“...yes, I do. And I'm not happy about it, since I am- was an adult. Drinking helps me feel like I'm still myself, instead of the truth that I'm in someone else's body. I won’t bring alcohol to school again," I speak in a more sombre, downcast tone.

“Beyond it being against school policy, I would also caution you against drinking in general, Mr. Sato; while you may have the mind of an adult, you are in the body of a fifteen year old- a body that still has much developing to do,” Nedzu replies, looking at me with an indiscernible look on his face.

I know that, but when a guy’s gotta drink, a guy’s gotta drink. That's the australian way.

“...I understand, sir.”

I fully understand what you said. And I'm sorry. I will do it again.

“Now, Mr. Sato, I’m going to give you a list of names; please audibly respond with yes if you have met the person before Wednesday, either online or digitally, or no if you have not met the person before,” Tsukauchi speaks, getting the questioning back on track.

With that, Tsukauchi begins listing off names. Some I do know, and some I don't. I have no choice but to answer clearly, and honestly.

“Tomura Shigaraki?” “Yes.”
“Tenko Shimura?” “No.”
“Kurogiri?” “Yes.”
“Oboro Shirakumo?” “No.”
“All for One?” “No.”
“Himiko Toga?” “No.”
“Touya Todoroki?” “No.”
“Geten Himura?” “No.”
“Re-Destro?” “No.”
“Dr. Kyudai Garaki?” “No.”
“Dumas?” “No.”
“Yuga Aoyama?” “No.”

I know just about all those names, except the ‘Dumas’ name, though the way he phrased some of those other names makes me wonder if maybe it has something to do with Aoyama…

No matter, I had no choice but to say yes to Shigaraki and Kurogiri. I met them both before Wednesday.

Tsukauchi doesn't miss a beat, however.

“Now, can you please tell me how many times you have met Tomura Shigaraki?”

Ah, fuck. Let's see how I can spin this.

“I have him on my Discord friends list. We played Overwatch once, which is around the point I added him. We’ve interacted once, aside from that.”

“And those are the only two times you’ve interacted?”

“Yeah, only those two times. And aside from the Overwatch session, we didn't interact much,” I reply.

Again, technically true. While I did spend a long time explaining the series to him on our first meeting, I wouldn't call that interacting, per say, more just me talking and him listening.

“Can you please describe the circumstances of your second interaction?” Tsukauchi asks, looking me in the eyes from across the table.

We are in a brightly lit office, but I feel like I'm sitting in a dark interrogation room, being questioned by two highly trained officers.

“I was very tired and not in a good mindspace at the time, so I don't recall the details. I just know we interacted.”

Which is true, I could not for the life of me tell you exactly what we spoke about that night. I know what I told him, but I only know that because I know I did that, not because I actually recall it all.

“Where was the interaction, at the very least? And how are you certain you interacted with Tomura Shigaraki?” Nedzu speaks up, his beady little eyes bearing into me.

“I know it was Tomura because of his damn voice. I remember that part clearly. It was terrifying to hear, even if he wasn't actively trying to kill me at that moment,” I speak, knowing damn well I'm bordering on a lie, “as for the location, I more or less was just wandering around Kamino, and clearly found myself somewhere I shouldn't have been.”

“And when have you met Kurogiri?” Tsukauchi questions, accepting my answer.

Alright, here we go.

“I’m pretty sure he was present the first time, but it was pretty dark so it might not have been him. And I heard his voice when Shigaraki and I played Overwatch,” I answer truthfully.

“And those are the only two times you've met Kurogiri?”

…ah. I met with Kurogiri the afternoon after the attack, but I can't admit that.

“Before meeting him at the attack, yeah,” I answer.

Please accept that…

“And besides the attack, you haven't seen him since?”

Ah fuck, time to expertly dodge that question.

“I think I saw him this morning on my way here, but it might have just been a shadow in an alley,” I reply.

Please drop it there…

“And that's the only time?”

Ahhhh fucks sake. What else can I say?

“I mean… I saw him in my dreams, if that counts?” Is it the strongest answer? Not even close. But I just need them to drop this. I'm out of half truths and can't exactly answer directly.

“I see,” Tsukauchi says, thankfully moving on from that line of questioning, “just a few more questions, now. First: are you a member of the League of Villains?”

Ah, now that's an easier one.

“No,” I reply.

See, I'm not really a member. At best I work for All For One, but I'm not really a member of the League.

“Are you in contact with any members of the League of Villains or people you believe might be members of the League of Villains?” Tsukauchi questions.

“I already mentioned I have Shigaraki on my friends list, should I remove him?” I ask.

“You likely should, yes.” Nedzu is the one to speak up.

Alright, I'm probably not gonna do that. He's fun to play with.

“But beyond that?” The detective returns to the question.

“...nope,” I reply after a moment's thought.

Shigaraki and Kurogiri aren't ‘members’, not really. They’re the leaders, and that's completely different. Isn't it?

“And do you have any other information that you believe would be useful for this investigation?” Tsukauchi asks.

Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy.

“Well, I'm pretty sure you already know their hideout is in Kamino, so I don't really have anything to say. Unless you want to sit here for a few hours while I break down all the knowledge I have of the series that you've definitely already heard from Kirishima.”

That is a threat. I will do it, don’t fucking test me. Actually no I won't, I'm too hungry. Luckily, they don't seem willing to test me.

“No, no, I do believe we are quickly running out of time. Thank you for coming in, Mr. Sato.” Tsukauchi wisely responds.

“It was my pleasure,” I reply with the first lie of this whole interview.

“Enjoy the rest of your weekend!” Nedzu pipes up.

“I will,” I answer the rat as I stand from my chair to leave.

Thank fuck, that could have gone a lot worse.

“Oh, yes, one more thing, Mr. Sato.”

Me and my big mouth.

“After periods of great stress, individuals- particularly younger ones- often find they've manifested new aspects of their quirks. Have you by chance discovered anything similar since the attack?” Nedzu asks moments before I leave.

…ah. I need to explain Body Bulk.

I spent a good amount of time yesterday planning out my story. I can't recall most of my explanation from That Night, but I recalled enough. But I don't need to explain all of it here.

“Well, something like that. I’ve found a new trick I can do, but I don’t think it's a stress evolution, unless I'm wrong. I’m still figuring it out, but if possible, I might ask for some help from you teachers, since it's something I don't quite have down yet," I answer, being careful to word it in a way that works out as true.

I think I did a good job, but Nedzu gives me a quizzical look.

It's at that moment that I'm reminded that Tsukauchi isn't the biggest threat in this room. I can work around his quirk, but Nedzu?

If I want any chance at getting home, back to my family, my life and my cats, then I need to pass this interview.

Nedzu is the main boss here, and I need to choose my next words carefully if I want to walk out of here.

“You know how when I use Sugar Rush, I kinda grow? It's like that but turned up to eleven. Though it doesn't have the multiplier aspect, so it's more or less just getting bigger as opposed to being a proper strength enhancer. I'm still figuring it all out. If you'd like, I can keep you updated on my progress with it?” I say casually, careful to word things that stay true, while not giving me away.

The silence before Nedzu replies is barely even a second, but that second feels like a year.

“I would appreciate that, yes. Thank you again for coming in, Mr. Sato!” Nedzu answers, his face returning to its standard one.

“You're welcome. Adios," I say to the pair as I finally leave the room.

“God, I'm so hungry right now…” I mutter to myself as I walk out the gate of U.A.

A civilian walking down the street stops to look at me.

“How hungry?” they ask, though I don't know how they speak with a horse’s head.

====================================================================
The next day, U.A High School.

After an eventful morning of visiting The Broom Closet, and screaming away all my stress into the vacuum cleaner, I'm ready for the day of class.

It's the first period of class, everyone is making small talk with one another, when the door slides open. Aizawa enters the classroom.

“Welcome back, class,” she addresses the class, somehow looking more done with life than ever.

“Mornin’!” I cheerfully greet her, alongside a general chorus of greetings from others.

“You sound more dead inside than last time, Ms. Aizawa,” Kaminari greets the tired woman.

“Before we get started, there is one announcement I need to go over. I am no longer sharing my body or memories with a second person.”

Oh no…

“Which means that things are going to get back to normal in here,” Aizawa finishes, flashing that trademarked Aizawa™ grin at the class.

“...fuck. Is it too late to call in sick today?” I question, scared for my life now.

“And just like that, any chance that this would be like university has ceased to exist…” Bakugo groans out.

“I would rather be isekai’d again into Murder Drones…” Tokoyami mutters to themselves, and while I may not know what tha series is, I can make a guess based on the title that they have it better then we now do.

“Well, shit. Wait-” Kaminari says, before raising his hands in triumph, “Competence is back!”

Kaminari then pauses for a moment, before gaining a horrified look on his face as Aizawa turns her (Her? His? You know what, Aizawa’s getting the Mardociel treatment) head to focus on the electricity user.

“No, Kaminari, I haven't forgotten the sand,” it says to Kaminari, who pouts in response.

“Damn, wanted to get my revenge one day… it's not the same, now,” he mutters.

“Well, welcome back Aizawa, I suppose,” Izuku is the one to speak up next, reminding me that I need to probe him to find out about him at some point.

A hand is raised. An unexpected one.

“I have something I'd like to say too, Ms. Aizawa,” Ojiro asks politely.

Oh. damn, is the SI gone? Shame, he could have made a great ally.

With Aizawa’s permission, Ojiro stands up and addresses the class.

“You have my deepest apologies if he did anything to offend or insult any of you over the past few weeks. I’m sorry.”

“Damn, he was my favourite…” I mutter to myself.

“How?” Tokoyami addresses me, but I choose to ignore him.

Kaminari shakes his head after hearing Ojiro’s speech.

“Wait- who else is gone?”

“I am no longer a ‘SI’ as well,” Shouji responds, raising one of his many hands.

My mind flashes to That Morning. Of those visions I had. The six armed man, being replaced by a hatted masked man. Could it be related?

“May I speak up, Kaminari?” Tokoyami speaks.

“Yes, Fallia?” Kaminari replies, reminding me that Tokoyami has a different name that I still can’t be fucked remembering.

“...it's not just 1A who lost an isekaiee. 1B’s Shiozaki no longer has her isakaiee within her…” Tokoyami informs the Lightning boy.

“That's… four, so far? Shit,” Kirishima mutters.

…four. Four people.

“Are you fucking serious?” I mutter to myself quietly.

Four people are gone. And none of them are me. If it was one then it would just be bad luck to not be me. Two? Maybe just really bad luck. But Four? That would need to be some really shit luck.

Out of everyone, why wasn't I the one who got to leave? Wait… did they even go home? Or did they die? What are the rules? I don't know, and I hate that.

…I need to calm down. This is… a very serious matter. People can leave. What does that mean for me?

…

…

…

Jack shit. I already know it should be possible to get home with quirks, so whatever means has caused this is beyond my paygrade. Maybe it has something to do with that Balerdroch guy?

Now that I think about it, I swear I recognise that name… just where the hell have I heard it?

It's at that moment that I realise I've zoned out. Quickly zoning back in, I return in the middle of someone's sentence.

“...pear too- same with people who just had the original’s memory but not their personality,” Kirishima says, with me having no idea what he means by that. How much have I missed?

“This… may be bad…” Izuku speaks up, a swirl of emotions on his face.

“Oh, it's terrifying, but no use worrying about it at the moment. Not like we can do anything about it from this end, after all,” Kirishima responds.

That really doesn't make anything clearer to me.

“I feel like the fact we can't do anything about it makes it scarier,” Kaminari replies.

“I mean, you could have a heart attack right now and die too. Best to keep living life how you want to live it,” Kirishima retorts with a very helpful stance on things.

“...fair enough. But I still have things to do here. Dying again wouldn't be great,” Kaminari casually replies.

You know, if Balerdroch is to be believed, then that goes doubly for me. I swear, I know that name… whatever, it's not important.

“Eh, I’m willing to die and try to keep as many of you alive as possible- almost did it the other day,” Iida is the one to speak up, adding his two cents.

I'm willing to leave you all to die if it gets me home. But if it won’t get in my way of that goal, then I'll be willing to lend these idiots a hand. I won't die for them, but no one's perfect.

The blonde haired girl with the horns whose name I really ought to figure out is the next to speak, as she looks around the room.

“Do all of you not want to go back?” She asks with a slightly… confused? Concerned? I'm not sure what the tone is.

“I died. Not much to go back to, at this point,” Kirishima replies first.

Good for you, some of us have lives we left, you know.

“I can't speak for the others, but as much as I'm starting to slowly get used to it here, I'd honestly take the first opportunity to go back,” surprisingly, it's Bakugo who speaks.

“Like he said, I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to going back, but there's not really any way to do it. So we kinda have to accept this," I add, lying out of my ass.

There is a way. I'm just the only one willing to go through with it. I wonder who else would be willing…

“I feel like we need to calm down, right? There's still other things we need to do and worry about,” Kaminari says, getting the attention of Aizawa, who's been unusually quiet.

“Exactly. For example, you guys have another trial coming up: the U.A. Sports festival is on the horizon, as I'm sure you're no doubt aware.”

“Oh fuck this, theres still something like this?!” Tokoyami exclaims.

“Ooh boy, Tournament arc time…” Kaminari dejectedly mutters.

“Ooh boy, Tournament arc time!” I exclaim excitedly.

Tournament arc! Yes! Free reign to throw hands! Imma kick everyone's shit in! It's on sight!

My enthusiasm is generally shared amongst the others in the classroom, as people voiced their opinions about it. As everyone settles down, Aizawa continues talking.

“As you are all aware, this is the time to show your abilities. All of Japan’s top pro’s are watching for new talent, and after the attack all eyes are on you and class B in particular,” it said to the class.

Yeah, cool, so what, I just can't wait to throw hands.

“I'm tempted to ask if I could pass, but everybody we’d need to worry about probably already knows about what I could do anyways, might as well give people a show,” Kaminari says.

“I'm more worried about if Hawks would take me in at all or be part of the ones who wanna intern me. I mean… no thank you, my dude. I’m sticking to the shadows and the investigative grind!” Tokoyami exclaims.

Who cares? It's a tournament arc! Just stop worrying and have fun!

“But Kaminari, what about villains we haven't fought yet?” Iida questions the blonde boy.

“The principles are still the same as canon, Iida. Sure, we show off our quirks, but it tells people that We Are Here. We tell them that just because we got attacked doesn't mean that we’ll hide away. Plus Ultra and all that,” Kirishima is the one who responds.

Shut up. Tournament. Arc. Just turn your brain off and enjoy it!

“What Kirishima said. Plus, we know about them as well. Unless a different card shows up the playing field is still in our favour for threats like the MLA or movie canon characters if they show up,” Kaminari speaks, turning to look at Iida.

“Someone new already showed up at the USJ. Jirou and I, plus Yui and Rin from 1-B, fought a villian who wasn't in canon,” Iida points out.

“I heard about Dumas from Yui, Iida. I have an idea of who he might be.
So he may not be a villain in canon but he could still be someone we know,” Kaminari informs the speedster.

Shut the fuck up. Stop thinking about things. It's a fun tournament arc!

“Wait, who’s Dumas?” Uraraka speaks up, confused. Which, to be fair, I don't know who it is either.

“Doomus?” The blonde horned girl questions, very confused.

“D-U-M-A-S. Dumas,” Tokoyami spells out, quite helpfully.

“Named after… I think an author? Alexandre Dumas? Can’t remember what he wrote, though,” Kirishima pipes up, which is both extremely helpful and also completely useless.

I swear to fuck I’m going to slap these idiots. Aizawa please get this class back on track, why are we wasting time talking about this when we could be talking about the Tournament arc?

“Dumas was some new villain with a buffed up version of Aoyama’s quirk plus something that made him tougher. His personality is way off from Aoyama’s but he was still french- he could be an Aoyama who went full evil, or is forced to be more active, or someone else entirely,” Iida explains.

“That sounds like Aoyama though…” Tokoyami points out helpfully.

“Iida, we live in this mess, there could be someone working for AFO with knowledge of canon, and thus Aoyama wouldn’t be needed. It’s likely Aoyama but controlled by AFO,” Kaminari says.

…okay please stop talking about that.

“The pendulum can swing both ways, though. We can't just assume it’s Aoyama; while still a possibility, it could also just mean that the villains have people like us who are willing to do anything to get home or just want to watch the world burn and use this place as a playpen. That or I may need to sleep. Haven't slept much since, uh, the first day of class,” Iida says.

…yep. You need sleep. That's all it is. Nothing to see here. Now shut up.

“Could be, yeah. But I don’t see why AFO would give Navel Laser to someone else when he can just force Aoyama to be a villain instead,” Kaminari deduces.

Alright, I’ve had it up to here with these dumb fucks.

“For fuck’s sake, guys, it’s a tournament arc! Please stop worrying and just have some fun," I snap out, mildly annoyed.

“Nuh uh,” Tokoyami retorts.

“Fuck you mean, Nuh Uh?!” I instinctively snap back.

“Yeah maybe we should chill slightly, all this stress seems bad for our health…” Izuku agrees with my assessment.

“But what if villains attack the festival?” Mineta asks, a hint of fear in his voice.

“Why would they attack in such an obvious place? With all those heroes right there?” Izuku points out.

“They didn’t attack in canon, either. It would be a pretty bad idea,” Uraraka chimes in.

Ah, yes. The perfect argument. ‘It didn't happen in canon.’

Unbreakable.

“They didn’t attack Gym Gamma, and we all know how that turned out,” Surprisingly, it's Sero who speaks up.

“One word, or many: Informant. Traitor. Aoyama’s Canon Role.
There is indeed…” Tokoyami sighs. “an impostor among us. Or a traitor; that works better,” Tokoyami says.

Oh hey, a chance to be a jackass, let's take it!

“That's…” I pause as I slowly count on my fingers, just to make sure my math is right, “five words.”

“Did you ignore the ‘or many’? Susmaryosep.” Tokoyami snaps back.

Huh, that didn't sound like English, but it didnt translate. Is it just some random phrase I don't know? Regardless…

“Yes,” I respond with absolutely zero hesitation, receiving a goofy frowny face in response.

“Regardless, the Festival is going to be taking place two weeks from Wednesday,” Aizawa interrupts the class, taking us back on topic.

“We have time, at least,” Kaminari mutters.

“Zamn, though. Zamn,” Tokoyami says.

I am going to to beat you to death.

“And don’t worry- we’ll be running you ragged during that time. We’ve lost two days of school, after all,” Aizawa lets out its trademarked grin. “We need to make up that time somehow.”

Welp. fuck me I guess.

“At least this means we should be getting some good training in,” Kaminari says, trying to look on the bright side.

Well, I guess he is right. This will be a good way to train, though I kinda want to save Body Bulk for the sports festival as a surprise.

“We do need to get stronger somehow,” Izuku brings up.

“Especially you, Midoriya. You need to really bulk up to use OFA to its fullest extent," I bring up, hoping to see how he responds.

“I’m trying! I’ll keep training to increase the damned percentage,” Izuku grumbles.

Alright, he grumbled. That means he's annoyed either by the prompting or the speed he's improving at. Either way, that's probably something All For One would be wanting to know.

“Is this a good time-” Kirishima raises his hand to speak.

“Go ahead, Kirishima,” Aizawa replies with a nod.

Kiri gets up, and does a quick jog up to the front of the classroom, before turning around to look at everyone.

“So! Speaking of training! Me and a few other folks- Kyouka and Yaoyorozu among them, plus some 1-B kids and Tamaki Amajiki of the Big Three- came up with a bit of a plan to get some extra training in. We’ll be meeting in Gym Gamma after Heroics today if anyone wants to drop on by- should be a combo study/sparring group. We’d love to have you guys if you can make it!” he speaks, as if giving a sales pitch.

A brief murmur goes through the room, and I give my two cents.

“Damn, I'd love to join that, but I've got a metalworks class after school today, so I can't make it,” comes my response.

“Alright, that’s it from me. Back to you, Ms. Aizawa!” Kirishima nods to it as he jogs back to his seat.

It… damn, that's really not working too great.

“Actually, a quick question for Aizawa. Do you want to go by Ms or Mr?” I ask.

“I don’t care. Call me whichever,” it replies.

That… is very unhelpful. Guess it's stuck as an it for now.

The bell rings, signifying the end of Homeroom. Aizawa looks up at the bell before looking tiredly at the class.

“That’s all for today. Class is dismissed,” it dismisses us.

As people begin to get up, Kaminari calmly rises before beelining towards the window, opening it, as he prepares to perform his standard exit.

“Kaminari, do you have a safety rope or climbing harness?” Aizawa asks, trying to be a party pooper.

“Do a flip!” I call out, eliciting a snort from Bakugo, which I see as an absolute win.

“There’s a bush, a few places to climb down, and If I break an arm it’s an excuse to get out of class and take a nap,” Kaminari points out as he glances out the window.

“All the same, I’m contractually obligated to tell you not to do that until at least your third year. Close the window,” Aizawa sighs, seemingly very tired with Kaminari’s shit.

“Alright,” Kaminari gives a shit eating grin as he climbs out the window and closes it from the other side. “See you all next class, I’m going to sleep in the bushes for a few minutes to collect my thoughts.”

Mood.

“…Kaminari, we have five minutes until Japanese,” Kirishima points out.

“I won’t be late, don’t worry. I’ll arrive when I’m meant to,” Kaminari says before climbing down out of sight.

Sadly, he does not do a flip. I’m deeply saddened by this, and will be spending the next five minutes in The Broom Closet where I will vent my frustrations into the broom bristles.

“…I’m not paid enough for this,” Aizawa mutters to itself.

“Have you even tried asking for a raise?” Bakugo helpfully questions.

“Is there a place I can go scream real quick without bothering anyone?” Iida asks, tiredly.

“Actually, I know of a really nice broom closet down the east hallway towards the cafeteria. Great place to scream without bothering anyone,” I inform him, perking up.

“…So that’s why the Gen-Ed students think it’s haunted,” Ojiro mutters.

====================================================================
That afternoon, U.A Support labs.

 

Fuck me, this is a lot more complex then I thought it would be.

We just got done going over some ‘very basic learning materials’, which took an hour.

Power Loader reckons I'm picking up on it quickly, but I don't really know where he's getting that from. Either way, one thing is clear.

I'm not going to complete my armour for a very long time.

Power Loader has assured me that it will be done by the end of the year at most, but even then, it means I'm stuck with the shitty design I currently have.

Look. it's not a bad design, I just don't like it. It's really not my style.

As the metalworks class wraps up, I go up to Power Loaders desk.

“Hey, sir. I was just wondering, would I be able to make a costume order for something to use while I work on this? I'm not really a fan of my current costume…” I ask him.

“Hmm? Yeah, of course. If you have a design you'd like to use, you can bring it to me and I'll submit it to the design companies. Just to make sure, you intend to keep working on armour with this class?” Power Loader questions.

“Yeah, don't worry. I want to make this armour myself. I pretty much want something until I complete it. And if it turns out I prefer the ‘official’ outfit better, then I'd still like to have armour just in case,” I inform him.

Power Loader nods, before digging through some papers on his desk, pulling out a blank form.

“Once you've got a design you're happy with, fill out this form and attach a sketch of your design. The costume guidelines should be in your student handbook. As long as what you design is within those guidelines, it will be approved, and the only alterations will be done by me if I feel that it has any critical flaws,” Power Loader speaks, sounding like he’s said this exact spiel hundreds of times before.

I nod as I take the form, skimming through it. It's the same form that I filed when I joined U.A, so I don't skim for long.

“Thank you sir. I'll see you next class then!” I say, putting the form into my bag as I head out.

====================================================================
Later that night, Sato’s bedroom.

I stare at the blank sheet of paper before me. I've spent the past few hours running several ideas through my mind, but none are designs I'm willing to use.

Another armour from the same series? No, that's lazy.

A new unique design? Fuck no, I can’t design for shit.

Some kind of medieval armour? Not exciting enough.

It's been this back and forth for the past few hours. No matter how much I ponder, I can't think of any designs.

Well, I might as well try and take my mind off it with some video games.

Booting up Sato’s PC (who the fuck needs a top line gaming rig to play fucking cooking simulators?) I open Discord, taking a quick glance to see if Shigaraki is online.

He is, and is playing a game with a name I recognise.

Doom Eternal. A classic.

Man, I haven't played Doom in a hot minute, I pretty much only got it cause I thought the Makyr Skin was cool, but I stayed for the gameplay.

…

…

…

Huh. The Makyr Skin…

I close Discord and turn back to the sheet of paper.

Plagiarism time.

====================================================================
The next day, Tuesday, UA High School.

 

After a pleasant day of school, much more subdued from yesterday's homeroom, with the only notable event being Mina Ashido pulling me aside to grab my number, adding me to a class group chat, I begin to make my way towards somewhere I would really rather not go.

Hound Dog’s office.

Now, nothing against Hound Dog, or therapy in general, I just don't feel I need it.

Oh, sure. Maybe I'm not the most stable at the moment, but I've got a handle on it. My only issue is not being home, and I'm already working on solving that problem.

To be frank, I would rather not waste my time.

But regardless, the school is requiring everyone to go to a mandatory session, since being attacked by villains is supposed to be traumatising, or something like that.

As I arrive at Hound Dog’s office, I take a deep breath before swinging the door open.

“You’re Rikido Sato, I presume? It’s nice to meet you,” Hound Dog greets me as I step into his office.

The room is big, with wide open spaces. The walls are painted a neutral white but the room itself has a lot of round balls of varying sizes, plushies, and bean bags scattered about.

Fidget cubes and other toys and gizmos used for stimulation are strewn about the area, alongside some more rigid chairs. Hound Dog himself is seated upon a bean bag, his muzzle nowhere to be seen as he messes around with a Rubik’s Cube.

“Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you," I greet the dog man, casually taking a seat on one of the more rigid chairs.

“Now, to get started, there’s one question I like to ask everyone who comes into my office: why do you think that you’re here?” Hound Dog asks, getting straight into it.

Why do I think I'm here? It's kind of obvious.

“Because villains attacked us and that's supposed to cause trauma?” I respond casually.

“That’s the ‘correct’ answer, sure. Now, I’ll ask again. Why do you think that you’re here?” Hound Dog responds.

…fuck’s sake, one of those types of questions.

To me, the only right answer to a question is the correct one. I prefer objective facts over beliefs.

“Oh great, we're doing this today…” I mutter, with a somewhat annoyed tone. “Well, I'd say it's because Villains attacked us that's supposed to cause trauma. That's the correct answer.”

“Fair enough, I did tell you that,” Hound Dog shrugs. “To change topics a bit- have you been doing okay since the attack? Anything out of the ordinary?”

You mean aside from dying in my sleep and playing games with Shigaraki?

“Not particularly. I had a weird dream the night after, but that happens often. Other than that, everything’s been pretty normal. Well, as normal as a universal traveller can be," I answer.

Weird dream is really underselling it.

“You’re a SI, right? How have you been adjusting?” Hound Dog asks.

Apart from the minor meltdown I had on the first day of UA? I'm doing a lot better now.

“It's been… an ordeal. I reckon I've settled for now. It helps that there's nothing I can do about this, so I was forced to accept it," I respond out loud.

And that's the crux of my philosophy. If there's nothing I can do to change something, then I can accept it very easily. If there was no way for me to get home at all, then I would be able to accept being here. I wouldn't be happy, but getting upset over things you can't fix is pointless.

But when there's a way to fix a problem? Then I won't accept it.

“That’s one way to think about it, for sure. What would you say you had the most difficulty with when it came to settling in?” Hound Dog continues.

An excellent question.

“Hmm… probably my age. And my freedoms that come with it. I was a nineteen year old Australian who lived out of home. I had just graduated year 12, I had a job, a car, all that good shit. Now I'm a fourteen year old again. That's an issue. Not a huge one, but it's probably the one I'm having the most difficulty adjusting to,” I answer after a moment's thought.

Not seeing my family is big, yes. But I'm fixing that issue, so it's not as difficult to adjust to. My age? That's a big thing.

“I can understand that, yeah. Are your parents aware that you’re a SI?” Hound Dog asks, clearly referring to Sato’s parents.

“Well, my parents are in the other world, but Sato’s parents do,” I answer, pointing out the very important distinction.

Look, nothing against them. William and Akane are great people. But they’re not my parents. They're Sato’s, and I will never be Sato.

“Gotcha. Have you been having trouble with them setting unusual boundaries that you didn’t have previously?” Hound Dog asks with a quick nod.

Thankfully not. They understand that I can look after myself.

“Nah, they’re pretty chill. So long as I’m not getting myself hurt, they don’t really mind what I do," I say.

“That’s good to hear. Have you made any friends yet amongst the other members of your class?” Hound Dog questions.

“Eh, not really? I'm not on bad terms with anyone, I don't think, but I'm not particularly close with anyone. But hey, as long as I'm not on bad terms then that's good enough for me!” I answer.

Just the way I like it. It's been that way for ages. Both at work and at my old school. At most, there were people I'd sit and chat with at lunch, but I don't meet up with people outside of school and work. Too much effort. I like solitude.

“That’s an admirable mentality to have, but remember not to isolate yourself because of it. Many of your classmates are going through the same thing as you; remember that they can relate if you ever need support,” Hound Dog responds.

“Appreciate the advice, but I do prefer it this way. I’m not really much of a people person," I point out.

“A lot of people say that, sure, but humans are social animals. Just keep it in mind, okay?” Hound Dog says, pointing out a fact I'm familiar with.

“…Alrighty then, if you insist,” I say.

It's better to acknowledge it than to fight it. And besides, it's not that I won't interact with my classmates, it's just that I don't usually go out of my way to talk. That's how it is. That's how I like it.

“Beyond how you’ve been dealing with it- what were your thoughts on the attack? One of the teachers riding with you mentioned that you and some of the other students were discussing the possibility of a traitor?” Hound Dog brings up.

Ah, a big question. I've actually put some thought into what my stance on this will be.

“I have a handful of ideas, but to be honest? I don't suspect any of my classmates. Or at least, I don't want to. My guess is either an outside SI figured it out by spying on us outside of school, or possibly Shigaraki himself is an SI who figured it out and just said that to mess with us. I don't want to suspect anyone here as long as other possibilities exist," I explain.

This is a good way to throw people off my back. Don't point fingers, but still have a stance.

“That’s a good outlook to have on things, yes. Now, did you have anything else you wanted to talk about with me today?” Hound Dog responds.

“…no, not particularly. I don't feel that I have much that needs to be addressed, so if you don't have anything else you want to talk about…” I trail off, prompting Hound Dog’s response.

“I think I’m okay with letting you go now for today, Sato. Have a nice day, and remember that my door’s always open if you need anyone to talk to,” Hound Dog finishes talking as I get up from my chair.

“I will. Have a good one!” I call over my shoulder with a casual wave as I leave the room, heading out into the hallway.

Welp, that was a fun fifteen minutes. I don't have anywhere to be now. Maybe I should see about doing some personal therapy. Broom Closet, here I come.

====================================================================
That Friday, Sato’s bedroom.

"Which button is to reload, again?”

“The R button, you dumb shit.”

I'm not sure what game we’re playing, since I can't for the life of me figure out how to pronounce its title, but it's some manner of FPS. I figured out the mechanics easily, but…

“Don't forget, the space bar is to jump.”

“It’s the most basic thing, how could I forget?”

“You literally just forgot how to reload.”

Shigaraki has been patronising me since the start of this session, and now I’m just blatantly fucking with him. Of course, I think he realises this as well.

“Oi! Stop fuckign shooting me!”

“It was a mis-input, mis-input, calm down! YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN!”

Honestly? 10/10 way to spend my day.

“What the fuck, how did these noobs get behind us?! Weren't you watching the flank?”

“I thought I was!”

“That's the side flank you idiot!”

“What's the difference?”

Yeah, fun times. Of course, everything good must soon end, and I can overhear from Shigaraki’s mic the sound of a voice speaking. Presumably Kurogiri. I can't make out what's being said, but Shigaraki seems annoyed at it.

“Dammit. Gotta go AFK for a while. But before that, Kurogiri wants me to ask if you know where those Hero NPC’s are keeping Dabi. Kurogiri wants to run a rescue raid.” Shigaraki asks as he exits the game.

“...wait, do you… not know what happened to him?” I ask, beginning to get worried.

“Of course we know what happened,” I can practically hear Shigaraki rolling his eyes from across the screen, “He’s a noob and got himself captured by the stupid heroes.”

…well that's not good.

“...Shigaraki, I thought he was following along with some plan of yours. Apparently he defected and turned himself in,” I bring up, my mind going to what I had overheard on the bus.

“...what?”

“Yeah, apparently he even put on a big quirk suppressor. Several students were talking about it,” I add.

“...excuse me. I'm going AFK.”

That's the only explanation I get before the telltale ding of Shigaraki leaving the voice call fills my ears.

“...Well, that's not a good sign… God I need a fucking drink…”

====================================================================
Two Weeks Later, The night before the Sports Festival, Sato’s bedroom.

I can't sleep.

It's honestly a surprise, I don't normally have this problem.

I've spent the last two weeks doing the most basic shit. I've been showing up to school, taking the metal works class, and I've been training Body Bulk whenever I can.

All in all, I can think of no reason I should be struggling to sleep. I've got a good handle on Body Bulk, so I've got a good shot at the festival tomorrow. I've submitted my updated costume, drawn well enough to get the point across.

Maybe I'm hungry? It's currently… fuck’ o clock at night. There's no food in the kitchen I want to snack on. Is anywhere open this time of night?

…

…

…

Is there a KFC nearby?

 

A quick ten minute walk later, and I'm waiting at the counter of my local KFC, waiting for my regular order.

Fuck’ o clock at night is the best time to order KFC, since the food always has to be made fresh since they dont keep it sitting around all night.

As the tired underpaid worker hands me my food, I turn to leave, only to make direct eye contact with a familiar figure.

Snipe and I stand staring at each other in silence for a solid minute.

“...why are you up this late? The sports festival is first thing tomorrow morning,” Snipe drawls out.

“...why are you up this late?” I shoot back.

There's silence for another moment.

“Fair enough,” Snipe responds, before walking past me to the counter.

With that strange encounter done, I leave the KFC with my food.

“Mmm… Chimken.”

====================================================================

Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Being The Bigger Person

Summary:

Who’s ready to watch some Sports? We got your all time favourites, classics such as King Of The Hill, Hostage Rescue and last but certainly not least, Gladiator Style One Vs One battles!

…wait those aren’t sports.

Chapter 8: Being The Bigger Person

====================================================================

It is way too early for me to be awake. I swear, I will find whoever decided for Japanese schools to start this early and I will beat them to death.

Well, maybe not to death. Killing ain't the Neutron style, but I'll damn well beat the shit out of them.

Ignore that I was up till 2 AM last night, that's not relevant.

Rising from my linen coffin, I stretch my back, hearing a satisfying pop. As I yawn I grab my league phone, giving it a glance like I always do.

I am surprised when I see a text. Does the League have something to say?

Opening the phone I took a look at what had been said.

‘The Master has requested you begin to take a more active approach to your task.’

It's a simple message, but I groan.

Great. So far, I've been dealing with what All For One tasked me with by paying close attention to Midoriya, including every small thing he does in my daily reports. I figured that would be enough to satisfy All For One- no, that's a lie. I know it wasn't, I was kinda just hoping it would be.

But it seems I now need to actively work on getting close to Midoriya, which I’d rather not do, since that’s social interaction and I don't support that.

No matter, I've been giving my orders, so I must follow.

I'm sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal that I don't care enough to name. The house is silent, as Sato’s mother has already left and Sato’s father went into the garage earlier and I haven't heard from him since.

Well, it's silent until I hear a notification from my phone. A glance down sees a message.

[Mina Ashido added Rikido Sato and thirty eight unknown numbers]

[Eijiro Kirishima (7:32 AM): Heya, students of 1-A and 1-B! Just wanted to wish everyone good luck in the Sports Festival today and officially set up this group chat for all of us to use when needed!]

[Eijiro Kirishima has renamed this chat `First Year Hero Students`]

[Eijiro Kirishima (7:33 AM): If anyone has Manga Fukidashi’s number, I believe we’re missing him; otherwise, this should be everyone!]

[Mina Ashido (7:33 AM) Say something if you’re not here! :P]

[Tsuburaba Kosei (7:33 AM): something if you're not here]

[Tsuburaba Kosei (7:33 AM): *! :P]

[Izuku Midoriya (7:34): Nah I don't exist lol.]

A group chat. This is fine.

[Rikido Sato (7:34): Not here.]

I'm so funny aren't I.

[Fumikage Tokoyami (7:35): I am one with the loathing of existence.]
Fumikage Tokoyami (7:35): >:P]

[Iida tenya (7:35 AM) Wait how does that even work.]

[Katsuki Bakugo (7:36 AM): Enz, I swear to fucking god-
[Katsuki Bakugo (7:36 AM): …
[Katsuki Bakugo (7:36 AM): Oh right…

[Tsu (7:36 AM): Hiiiii (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)

[Setsuna Tokage (7:37 AM): Well, I for one can only see the best of usages in this chat]

[Hanta Sero (7:37 AM): [Attached 15 images]]

Not even three minutes and someone has already started spamming memes. What a fucking way to start the chat.

[Katsuki Bakugo (7:37 AM): Stupid memes and/or bantering with everyone?
[Katsuki Bakugo (7:37 AM): Fucking knew it]

[Tsu (7:38 AM): Big sis forgot phone in the car]

[Tsuburaba Kosei (7:38 AM): question: are we allowed to change our display names]

[Tsuburaba Kosei (7:38 AM): also sick taste in memes]

[Itsuka Kendo (7:38 AM): Go for it, so long as it’s not inappropriate!]

That is not what you should have said.

[Tsuburaba Kosei (7:39 AM): sweet!]

[Tsuburaba Kosei has changed their name to DoMeASolid]

[DoMeASolid (7:39 AM): our souls shall be free lads]

For a moment I consider making it my real name, since it serves the purpose of being a joke name. But then I had a better idea.

[Rikido Sato has Changed their name to Futt Bucker.]

I am so fucking funny.

[Mina Ashido has changed their name to Horn Buddy #1]
[Mina Ashido has changed Kirishima’s name to Horn Buddy #2]
[Setsuna Tokage has changed Itsuka Kendo’s name to Give Me a Hand]
[Setsuna Tokage has changed their name to Triceraset]
[Fumikage Tokoyami has changed their name to Fallia]

[Hanta Sero (7:39 AM): Thanks, dude!

[Izuku Midoriya (7:39 AM): memes, DNA of the soul.]

[Futt Bucker (7:39 AM): Back on my bullshit.]

Hey, I wonder if I can alter the settings of the chat… I have no idea what any of these settings mean.

{You do not have permission to perform this action.}

Aww, I wanted to ban everyone. Oh well.

[Shihai Kuroiro (7:41 AM): Why do I have 40 messages at 7:39 AM?]
[Shihai Kuroiro (7:41 AM): Nevermind forget I asked]

Mood.

My focus is ripped away from the phone when I hear what sounds like a loud crash coming from the garage.

I pause my eating, turning to look in the direction of the door.

“That sounded bad…” I murmur to myself as I put my spoon down, standing up with a sigh.

I cautiously open the door, poking my head through and looking around.

“Everything all good in here? I heard a crash…”

I haven't actually gone into the garage before, mainly because I have no reason to. Looking around I can see many mechanical parts. Metal litters the many benches, with a wide variety of tools lining the walls. A welding bay is set up in the corner, and blueprints are tacked onto any open wallspace.

In the middle of the room, William stands, looking down at a bunch of metal lying on the ground. He sighs before turning to look at me.

He’s wearing a standard workshop outfit, a long shirt made from thick materials, and long work pants, made from the same materials. He wears a set of protective glasses over his eyes, with a big set of work goggles resting on his forehead.

“It's fine. A weld broke and caused me to drop the whole thing. Pass me the G-Clamp, would ya’?” he speaks, gesturing to the wall of tools as he picks the fallen machine up.

“G-Clamp? Yeah, I can grab one…” I walk over to the tools, absently grabbing one of the clamps and handing it to him.

He quickly clamps it onto the metal, holding it in place for a tack weld as he moves into the welding bay.

As he begins to set up his bay, I glance over at his setup, raising an eyebrow when I notice something.

“Your heat is way too low. No weld will stick unless you're working with some weak shit," I speak up.

William frowns as he glances down at the welding machine's dial.

“Ah. right, I was welding the thin plates yesterday… good eye, Michael,” He mutters as he adjusts the dial, ready for welding.

He lowers the station's covering as he fastens his welding mask, and, with a quick shout of “Eyes!” causing me to look away, he begins to weld.

It's as he does this that I pause.

‘...how the fuck did I know any of that?’

I begin to look around the workshop again, actually stopping to take in what I can see.

I recognise quite a large amount of tools here. An oxy cutter, a bandsaw, many different tools and equipment that, quite simply, I have never seen before in my life.

‘How do I… know all this?’

I can name each of these tools and how to use and care for them, despite me never stepping foot in a workshop in my life. Now that I'm realising it, back during the metalworks class, I did seem to know what I was doing already, I just thought it was all obvious.

But this? I have absolutely no reason to know how to properly adjust the flow of the coolant on a bandsaw. I shouldn't know how to light an oxy cutter. I shouldn't know what that dial meant. I shouldn't know that a call of ‘Eyes!’ means someone is about to start welding.

A fleeting memory flows through my head.

====================================================================

“Fuck! Dammit, Greg! Give a bit of warning before you start welding! I didn't have my helmet down!”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot to say eyes, didn't I?”

“It's fine, Greg. Just make sure you always call out when you start, even if you're in a proper welding bay. And Michael, it's probably a good idea to have your helmet down when you're around others in the workshop.”

“Right, right, just give me a sec to clear my eyes…”

====================================================================

As quickly as it came, the memory faded. I can't recall faces, or even where I was. But that was my voice, with two others.

‘What the hell…’

I don't have much more time to worry as I hear William finish his welding and leave his bay, dunking the metal in a trough of water nearby before carrying it over to a benchtop. He flicks his helmet up and looks over at me.

“Alright, cheers for the hand. Now get out of here, you need to get to school, don't you?”

A quick glance at my watch shows that I have spent far too long here.

“Ah. Shit.”

====================================================================

I'm laying in the corner of the Class 1-A Preparation room, taking a well deserved nap.

Well, I'm trying to at least. But the lights are on and everyone else in the class is present, all talking and doing their own things.

There's talking, seemingly from Kirishima, but I'm not paying the slightest bit of attention. I do, however, pay attention to a familiar voice speaking from the doorway.

“Five minutes left, Class 1-A,” the voice of Ectoplasm speaks up, waking me from my slumber.

“Fuckin… it’s way too early for any of this…” I mumble as I sit up, stretching my arms out as I glance around the room.

Kirishima bounces in place, shaking his body to loosen it up as he speaks.

“Woo! Alright, folks, bring it in- hands in the middle!”

Kirishima then holds his hand out, giving a little declaration as he does so.

“Alright, folks: let’s show them what class 1-A is made of! Like I said, you all got this- let’s make our teachers proud and show the LOV they aren’t keeping us down!” He declares.

Bakugo is the first to put his hand in.

“The League think they know what they’re up against, but we’ll show them why they shouldn’t fuck with us,” He states.

Oh but we do know what we’re up against.

“To bring ourselves to new heights and challenge each other!” comes the declaration from Izuku as he places his hand in.

“To work together and have some fun!” Ashido announces with cheer.

“To showcase what we’ve been learning!” Sero places his hand forwards.

“To demonstrate our skills and everything that we are,” Ojiro says, placing his hand on the top of the pile.

“To show that we aren’t our past,” Shoji declares as he adds his large hand to the pile.

“To win together…?” Jirou hesitantly speaks up, appearing to cringe as she too places her hand in.

“To prove to everyone what we can do!” The blond student whose name I still don't know says as her hand joins the others.

“To let go of our doubts and show our true strength!” Koji speaks up as his hand joins the others.

“To take the win home!” Mineta declares, having to reach up high to place his hand on the growing pile.

“To piss off AFO and show how a good chunk of his plans are out,” Iida stupidly declares.

…you don't want to piss off All For One.

“To show off all the power we’ve gained.” I choose this time to add my hand to the pile, my hand dwarfing most of the others.

“To compete and do our best to win!” Uraraka cheerfully adds to both the pile and the phrases as she places her hand on top of mine.

“To prove that we aren’t playing around in the dark of innocence and the blurry past.” Tokoyami dramatically adds his hand to the pile.

“To show the LOV we’re no longer playing nice if we encounter them again!” Surprisingly Dark Shadow is the one who says that, placing its… talon? Onto the pile.

“To do our best.” Asui places her hand on top of the dark material of Dark Shadow.

“To show that we all deserve to be here, the same as anyone else,” Hagakure announces as she presumably places her hand on as well.

“…To prove our worth.” Momo speaks as her hand goes on as well, the mood appearing to drop slightly from this statement.

I notice two people who aren't present, glancing around reveals that Shinsou and Kaminari are nowhere to be found.

“That’s the spirit, everyone! 1-A on three- 1, 2, 3!” Kirishima cheerfully announces.

“1-A!” Everyone shouts out as they raise their hands. The timing of which liens up perfectly as Ectoplasm opens the door again.

“Time to get moving, 1-A,” he informs us.

“C’mon, folks, let’s scootch and boogie- honor and glory await!” Kirishima beckons everyone to follow him as he heads out the door.

With that, everyone begins to make their way out of the room. I of course, follow along, still far too tired for this shit.

 

====================================================================

I want to go back to bed. No coffee, no sleep, no bitches, no nothing.

“PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT’S TIME TO GET ROCKIN’ ONCE AGAIN WITH U.A.’S FIRST YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!!!!!" The sound of Presents Mic’s voice fills the stadium, somehow being heard over the roaring of the crowd.

Despite everyone still being under the stadium waiting for our ques, the sound can be heard so incredibly clearly.

If I wasn't so used to loud noises, I would probably be reeling from the volume, but I'm used to it at this point in my life.

”I’M YOUR HOST, AS ALWAYS, PRESENT MIC! JOINING ME IN OUR BOOTH TODAY WE’VE GOT MY GOOD FRIEND ERASERHEAD-“

”-why did I sign up for this,” Eraserheads tired voice drawls out of the announcer's booth.

Ah. just like canon.

“AND HER GOOD FRIEND, THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE COMEDIC QUEEN, MISSUS JOKE!”

“Pleasure to be here, Mic!” a female voice I vaguely recognise cheerfully speaks up.

…oh. Not like canon.

“BUT YOU’RE NOT HERE FOR OUR STUNNING WIT- YOU’RE HERE FOR THE ACTION! TO KICK OFF OUR COMPETITORS, FIRST ON THE STAGE AND SURVIVING A VILLAIN ATTACK IN THEIR FIRST WEEK OF HERO SCHOOL, GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FIRST YEAR HERO STUDENTS: CLASS 1-A AND CLASS 1-B!!!”

Both classes walk onto the field, I blink as the sun hits my eyes. That good old nine o'clock sunshine.

As we all step out the crowd begins to roar louder somehow. I'd assume it's because of the attack making us noticeable, but I don't really care.

”FOLLOWING THEM UP AND PLANNING ON SHOWING THEM UP, IT’S OUR GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE! START CLAPPING FOR CLASSES 1-C, 1-D, AND 1-E!”

As the Gen-ed students enter the field, the clapping is noticeably quieter. Still lots, but less. If I was one of them I'd be fuming.

But I'm not. I'm just tired.

”AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OUR TINKERS AND CREATORS! GIVE IT UP FOR SUPPORT STUDENTS IN CLASS 1-F, 1-G, AND 1-H!”

The crowd continues to clap as the support course steps out. There are many faces I'm familiar with from the metalworks class, though I can't manage to recall a single name.

”AND DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST IN THE STANDS, GIVE IT UP FOR THE BUSINESS COURSE!”

Despite no one else entering the field, the crowd continues to clap.

”NOW, HERE TO REFEREE, PLEASE WELCOME THE WONDERFUL ECTOPLASM!”

With his cue met, Ectoplasm steps onto the stage, nodding his head towards the crowd.

Wait, no Midnight?

Look, I'm a grown ass man dealing with teenage hormones again, sue me for wanting to- [My lawyers have advised me to not finish this sentence. They say I should stop narrating things and hire a professional. That gave me an idea, narrate more things! I write these words and I'll narrate whatever I want. Just watch, Midnight gets on stage and rips off her clot[My lawyers have told me to stop. They threatened to unionise.]]

”TAKE IT AWAY, MY GHOULISH FRIEND!”

With that being said, Ectoplasm steps up to the microphone, speaking into it through his ghoulish mask.

“For the Athlete’s Oath, can Katsuki Bakugou of Class 1-A please come to the stage?”

Bakugo moves, walking up and onto the stage. He stands before the microphone, gazing out at the crowd.

“Before I begin, I feel like the censors should be prepared in case anything unscripted ends up happening during this *bleep*.”

Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun one.

“Test done? Great. Now that I have your attention… “

With a sigh, Bakugo begins to speak.

“Everyone by now should know about the attack against UA, and us hero course students a few weeks ago. I’m not gonna talk too much about it, because I’m sure most of you already know what happened, but there is one thing in particular that I wanted to say.

To those of you that claim we were lucky to have even been involved in a villain attack this early on, no we fucking weren’t. We weren’t even a week into the school year, and we’ve already now been thrusted into a spotlight that I know a few of us would’ve rather avoided.”

Bakugo turns his head to look at the class, nodding his head as he says this.

“But there is one message I have. To those villains, who I know are watching this… We know you’re coming. And it doesn’t matter what you decide to throw at us, we’ll be ready.”

We are watching. And you will not be ready.

“So, let’s all show them what they’re up against!”

Bakugo smiles, seemingly genuine, as the crowd cheers.

“And if you’re ever struggling or think you’re by yourself in this, there’s an old quote I know… “

Bakugo takes a small breath to punctuate his words.

“You’ll never walk alone.”

As Bakugo places the mic back onto the stage, I simply hum to myself.

That was a nice speech, and I hate to be That Guy, but wasn't this meant to be an Athlete's Oath or Pledge or whatever? Not a speech. Whatever, the crowd seems to have eaten it up, and there's nothing more important than having the crowd on your side.

“AMAZING SPEECH! NOW, ECTOPLASM, WHAT WILL OUR FIRST COMPETITION BE?” Present Mic boastfully questions the referee.

“King of the Hill,” Ectoplasm responds simply, pointing at a large screen which shows the title of the event.

“AMAZING! YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN, MS. JOKE?” Presentation Michael asks his female companion.

“I’d love to, Mic! For this event, Cementoss is going to raise a big pillar in the middle of the stage- with ten platforms. Each platform is worth a certain number of points at the end of the match- as long as you were the first one on it! But be careful, because each platform can only hold a certain number of students,” Ms. Joke explains, the giant screen showing a helpful infographic as she talks.

“The top platform is worth the most points and can hold one student. The second platform can hold three students, the third platform five students, the fourth platform six students, the fifth platform seven students, the sixth platform ten students, and the seventh platform twelve students,” the dull voice of Aizawa speaks with a sigh, very clearly reading off a script, with the screen changing to reflect the information.

“EXACTLY RIGHT, ERASERHEAD! NOW, WITH ALL THAT IN MIND, LET’S CLEAR THE FIELD SO CEMENTOSS CAN WORK HIS MAGIC!”

As Cementoss enters the field, he gives a wave, the crowd cheering at the sight of the hero. As we walk off the field to make space, I can't help but think to myself.

…there is no way in hell I'm remembering everything they just explained. I'll just shoot for like, the fifth floor or something. That might be enough, but I really can't be bothered to do much more.
After a few minutes of idle chatter, Present Mic’s voice announces for us to re enter the field.

Entering the field, one thing is clear in my mind.

Jesus christ, that's a huge tower. If someone fell off that they would break every bone in their bodies.

“STUDENTS, AT YOUR FEET IS A MARKER CORRESPONDING TO YOUR CLASS AND YOUR STUDENT NUMBER. TAKE YOUR POSITIONS, PLEASE!”

A glance down reveals what he means. At our feet are numbers in a large circle around the pillar, and after a few moments of shuffling around, every student has managed to find their spots.

“ALRIGHT, EVERYONE, LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLE! GET READY…!”

I yawn, stretching my back in a large arch as I feel my spine pop.

”GET SET!”

I eye the pillar. That thing must be like, seventy feet, at least.

“GOOOOOOOOO!”

With that shout, everyone begins to charge the pillar.

I won't use Body Bulk, and I don't have sugar. In other words, I don't have the power needed to aim for the top. Floor five will probably do. Not many people would actively contest it, and those who do won't be strong.

But the biggest hurdle is in front of me immediately.

As people with more mobility based quirks begin to ascend the tower, many people are stuck on the bottom floor.

No one is really fighting, since there's not much point. I stand next to the wall, gazing up.

This thing’s gotta be at least seven feet, since it's a whole head taller than me.

Can I climb that? Stupid question, of course I physically can. But I'm more wondering if I can do it for the rest of the floors. I'm shooting for five, yes, but that's still several floors. And the wide shot of the pillar made it clear that the floors had taller walls the higher you get.

Hmm… I might just have to bite the bullet.

I back up, and take a running leap, grabbing onto the ledge and managing to hoist myself up. I stand on the second floor, brushing myself off.

I glance down, taking note of all the people trapped at the bottom.

…good luck fellas.

I take another running leap, managing to just barely grab the ledge, pulling myself up with great difficulty.

I gaze around at the floor, taking note of who's present. I see a few people who are in a similar boat to me, having pulled themselves this high naturally and are now stuck due to the increased height.

A few seem to be passing through, such as Shiozaki making her way up the tower using her hair, but most people here seem to be stuck.

No more than seven people are currently here though, so no one is throwing hands, but it's clear that tension is high.

I need these people off my floor.

“Anyone here need a lift up?” I call out to the NPC’s hanging around, much to their confusion.

“You offering?” A Gen-ed student with Horse legs questions my offer.

“Fuck knows I’m not gettign any higher. Might as well lend a hand,” I shrug.

That seems to be enough convincing, as I approach the wall, cupping my hands so the other students could climb up, giving a light throw upwards so they could easily clear the gap,something I hear Present Mic comment on.

“IT SEEMS THE STUDENTS STUCK ON FLOOR FIVE HAVE FIGURED OUT A WAY AROUND THE HEIGHT PROBLEM! RIKIDO SATO FROM CLASS 1-A SEEMS TO BE HELPING OTHERS REACH THE NEXT FLOOR! WHAT A SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP!”

From there, things go swimmingly. Very few people seem to be planning on hanging around floor five, and I get a damn good workout helping people up. Especially since other students, who I just helped up, keep getting knocked down. And always without fail, they come running back to me for a boost.

In a way, it sort of reminds me of my old job at McDonald’s. Just repeating a task over and over, doing the same sisyphean task until its time to clock off and hope whoever clocks on next actually knows how to work a fucking grill.

As people begin to make their ways up to the fifth floor, a damn line even begins to form.

“Man, hell of a workout…” I huff out as I hoist a girl from Gen-ed with baseball bats for arms.

“Tell me about it,” a voice speaks up, barely able to be heard over the cacophony of noise for higher up.

I glance behind me at the voice, spotting a somewhat familiar figure. A boy from the Support Course with a large figure is also standing by the wall, helping to hoist others up.

“Not going higher?” I huff out as I hoist a Class 1-B student whose name I should really learn.

“Nah, no way am I making it through everything going on up there. Figured I'd help here,” he replies as he boosts a Support Course student.

“Ain't that the truth,” I huff as I go back to focusing on the task at hand.

With that, I spend the rest of the event silently working.

===========================================================

“AND THAT’S TIME! PUT THOSE QUIRKS DOWN, FOLKS, AND WELL DONE TO ALL OF OUR CONTESTANTS- WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK ONCE WE’VE TABULATED THE RESULTS!” Present Mic’s voice cuts through the noise as he declares the end of the round.

I let out a huge sigh as I lean against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position.

Holy shit, that was tiring. But it worked.

The other boy, whose name I still don't know, stretches and offers me a hand.

“Hell of a workout, huh?” I say as I take his hand, pulling myself to my feet with a grunt.

“Yeah, I don't know how you managed to do that the whole round, I thought my arms were gonna give out by the end,” The boy says as we begin to slowly descend the tower.

“Don't know how I'm going to make the rest of this thing… think you passed?” I ask the boy.

“I'm not sure, too many people were going up and down, couldn't keep track. What about you?” He responds.

“I did pass, I was one of the first seven up there and didn't lose my spot,” I say with a smirk.

“Damn, good on you,” He replies as we make it to the floor of the tower.

“Welp, good luck man, see you around,” I say, beginning to make my way over to where the rest of my class stands.

“AND WE ARE BACK! CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE, ON A ROCKING ROUND ONE! AS A REMINDER, ONLY FORTY FOUR PEOPLE ARE MOVING ON FROM THIS ROUND, BUT EVERYONE SHOWED FIERCE COMPETITION ON THE FIELD TODAY! GREAT JOB, STUDENTS!” Present Mic declares as the crowd cheers.

“TO START US OFF WITH OUR PROGRESSING COMPETITORS, ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR, COMING IN WITH TEN POINTS EACH: FROM CLASS A, IT’S MINA ASHIDO, TENYA IIDA, MASHIRAO OJIRO, KOJI KODA, AND MEZO SHOJI!”

Huh, some of those guys definitely could have made it higher, guess they just stuck around down there.

“FROM CLASS B, IT’S KINOKO KOMORI, TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU, SETSUNA TOKAGE, AND REIKO AND EMILY YANAGI!”

I don't know who they are, but good on them.

“FROM CLASS C, IT’S FUMIKO OGASAWARA AND BASHIRO MAKIMA!”

Huh, some gen ed students made it. Good on them.

“AND FROM CLASS H, IT’S MAINA FURASU!”

No clue who that is.

“THAT’S RIGHT! GIVE IT UP FOR OUR SEVENTH FLOOR WINNERS!” Present Mic finishes as the crowd erupts into cheers and applause.

“NOW, FOR THE SIXTH FLOOR, COMING IN WITH TWENTY POINTS EACH! FROM CLASS A, IT’S PONY TSUNOTORI, OCHAKO URARAKA, HANTA SERO, HITOSHI SHINSO, TOORU HAGAKURE, AND MINORU MINETA!”

The fuck? I know damn well most of those guys should have been higher. Did they just not care to go higher?

“FROM CLASS B, IT’S YUI KODAI, NIRENGENKI SHODA, SHOTO TODOROKI, AND HIRYU RIN!”

Wait, what? Todoroki? Huh, that's interesting.

“GIVE IT UP FOR OUR SIXTH FLOOR WINNERS!”

More applause from the crowd.

“ON THE FIFTH FLOOR, COMING IN WITH THIRTY POINTS EACH! FROM CLASS A, IT’S TSUYU ASUI AND RIKIDO SATO!”

Oh hey that's me. Asui was on the floor? She definitely could have aimed higher.

“FROM CLASS B, IT’S SEN KAIBARA, ITSUKA KENDO, JUROTA SHISHIDA, KOSEI TSUBURABA, AND KOJIRO BONDO!”

Not a single name is one I recognise. I do let out a chuckle at the last name though.

“The names Bondo. James, Bondo," I mutter quietly to myself with a cackle.

“GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FIFTH FLOOR WINNERS!”

Damn, guess that support guy didn't make it. Shame, he seemed like a good bloke.

“ON THE FOURTH FLOOR, WITH FORTY POINTS EACH! FROM CLASS A, IT’S DENKI KAMINARI, KYOUKA JIROU, FALLIA TOKOYAMI, AND IZUKU MIDORIYA!”

Yeah, I did give a few of them a hand. Even if I wasn't really paying attention, I definitely should have at least had to help some of them. No way Kaminari or Jirou would make it up that wall on their own.

“FROM CLASS B, IT’S IBARA SHIOZAKI!”

Still no clue.

“AND FROM CLASS H, IT’S MEI HATSUME!”

Oh, now that's a name I know. Guess she can do a bit more than blow shit up.

“GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FOURTH FLOOR WINNERS!”

The applause is deafening. I yawn, this is taking way too long.

“ON THE THIRD FLOOR, WITH FIFTY POINTS EACH! FROM CLASS B, IT’S YOSETSU AWASE, SHIHAI KUROIRO, MANGA FUKIDASHI, JUZO HONENUKI, AND NEITO NADO-HUNT!”

…Nadohunt? What a strange name, is it german?

I chuckle at the reference to that damn bear. Still, it's an odd name, Nadohunt. Wonder why he has a new last name.

“GIVE IT UP FOR OUR THIRD FLOOR WINNERS!”

Huh, so only class 1-B students were on that floor? cool.

“ON THE SECOND FLOOR, WITH SIXTY POINTS EACH! FROM CLASS A, IT’S EIJIRO KIRISHIMA AND MOMO YAOYOROZU!”

Yeah, that makes sense. Kiri can climb and Momo can make shit. Both make sense to make it that high.

“AND FROM CLASS B, IT’S TOGARU KAMAKIRI!”

Do I look like I know who that is?

“GIVE IT UP FOR OUR SECOND FLOOR WINNERS!”

The cheering is absurdly loud. I wonder how Jirou is handling the noise? Must suck to have a hearing quirk at a time like this.

“AND ON THE TOP FLOOR, SCORING ONE HUNDRED POINTS, I’M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE FIRST YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL’S FIRST ROUND: KATSUKI BAKUGO!”

Sweet, good for him. First place is pretty good.

“AND ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ALL OF OUR COMPETITORS! FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T MOVE ON, DON’T WORRY; WE’LL HAVE PLENTY OF WAYS FOR YOU TO STRUT YOUR STUFF LATER ON!”

The crowd continues to cheer, holouring like they are at a concert or something.

“NOW, LET’S CLEAR THE FIELD AND GIVE CEMENTOSS THE SPACE HE NEEDS TO FINISH PACKING UP THIS PILLAR; ROUND TWO WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN TEN MINUTES, LISTENERS!”

Damn, only ten minutes?

I shake my aching arms, frowning.

Fuck, I’m tired and sore. I need more than ten minutes. Guess I’m shit out of luck.

====================================================================

I make my way down the hallway, taking the opportunity to stretch my legs. It's as I'm walking around aimlessly that I spot a familiar figure.

Izuku Midoriya. Seems this is a perfect opportunity to take a crack at this task.

I walk over, giving a casual wave to the shorter boy.

“Hey, Midoriya! Nice job out there!" I say, knowing damn well I have no idea how well he did.

Social interaction isn't my strong suit. And god forbid I initiate a conversation.

“Oh! Thank you! You did well too!” Midoriya says with a wide smile, adjusting their cap.

“Nah, I pretty much did nothing. But you! You did incredible! What percentage of One For All were you using?” I ask with a brief chuckle.

“Ah, only five percent. Can't seem to break the cap for now… But you did well too!” Midoriya replies, a bright smile on their face as they speak. Before I can say anything else, I notice something… odd. A strand of white hair falls from their cap.

Ah, that gives me an idea for what I can talk about.

“hey… I’ve been meaning to ask but, how are you holding up?” I ask hesitantly.

“Eh? I’m… fine, why do you ask?” Midoriya responds as he nervously tucks the hair back under his cap.

Let's find out what his thoughts on this whole thing is.

"It's just… you kinda got the short end of the stick, you know? You woke up in a new body, with not only a destructive quirk, but also you gotta deal with the weight of being the main character. You know how many people are relying on Izuku Midoriya. And on top of all that stress, All For One is your dad here. That's a lot of stress,” I speak, rubbing the back of my head.

“Ah… right, well it's certainly a lot. But it could always be worse! Besides, Izuku is with me as well so that helps a lot,” as he speaks, he appears to glance at nothing but thin air. Is he looking at a vestige, perhaps? “And besides, the Dfo thing isn't that bad when it comes to what could be…”

I chuckle lightly at him. Is he serious?

“I don’t know, All For One is a man who is very obsessed with his family. Doesn’t it worry you to know that the most dangerous man to ever live would have an interest in you? I know I certainly would…” I point out.

I realise that maybe this isn't too great a topic, as I notice a subtle eye twitch from the green haired boy.

“Hm yes I can see that, but he already has an interest in me for my quirk. So does it really matter that he's more interested in me in a weird Platonic Yandere way too? It doesn't change what I'm gonna do long term, as all of us in Class A and B are gonna beat his ass.”

…no, no Midoriya. None of you should ever stand against that man. There would be no faster way for you to all die. There's quicker and less painful ways to kill yourselves. Might I suggest a certain roof diving plan?

I don’t allow my thoughts to show as I shrug.

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Still, it’s all a lot to carry on your shoulders without even asking for any of it. I know if I was in your shoes I’d be having a hard time. Well, I guess if you reckon you can handle it, then that’s all that matters," I say with a shake of my head.

“Yes I do have a handle on it…. You saw what was under my cap didn't you,” Midioriya responds with a sigh.

“Ehh, kinda. I saw a bit of white hair. Why?” I ask.

“Well I assumed it reminded you of AFO so you talked about him no? You seemed to notice it and ask how I was doing,” The boy explains.

I rub the back of my head at this.

“Yeah, it kinda did. I was a little surprised, since Izuku doesn’t have it in canon, but it’s just another change we weren’t prepared for… Hey, a bit of a change in topic, but we should work out together sometime!” I say.

It's clear he’s not the most happy with this conversation, and I don't want to upset him or anything. Inviting him to workout is good, since it means I will have plenty of chances in the future to learn more about him.

 

Midoriya seems incredibly thankful for the change in topic as he speaks.

“Ah! Yes we should, it's nice having a partner for training after all. Especially considering our quirks are similar in the strength enhancing way,” Midoriya says.

I nod, before glancing down at my wrist, taking note of the lack of watch. I ignore this, since I feel like it's accurate to say that time is almost up, I can feel it in the ghost of my old beard.

"They'll be announcing the next round soon. We should head back to the stands. I'll shoot you a message later and we can set up a workout session," I say, nodding to the boy.

“Right!" Midoriya smiles as he makes his way towards the stands, me following behind.

====================================================================

As everyone files onto the field, I yawn as Present Mic begins to speak.

"AND NOW WE'RE GETTING READY FOR OUR NEXT EVENT! ERASER, YOU WANT TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT'S UP NEXT FOR OUR LOVELY COMPETITORS?"

"No," Aizawa predictably replies. Wonder why Present Mic even bothered asking, shouldn't he already know how he would respond?

"CLASSIC ERASERHEAD! ECTOPLASM, SPIN THAT WHEEL!"

Up on the mainstage, Ectoplasm stands next to a giant spinning wheel. Without a word, he reaches up and tugs on the wheel, spinning it around quickly.

It slowly comes to a stop on an image that I'm too far away to see.

"Hostage Rescue," Ectoplasm announces into the microphone.

Hostage Rescue? Damn, we are just getting further away from any actual sports, aren't we?

"Ooh, ooh, I know this one!" The voice of Ms. Joke speaks up excitedly from the announcers box.

“GO FOR IT, MS. JOKE!" Present Mic declares with a snap of his fingers.

"Our students for this round are going to split into teams of four and each time will be released into a different mock city block with dummy hostages and mock villains! Each hostage is worth a certain number of points, based on how difficult they are to rescue and what condition they're in when rescued! Students earn points for rescuing hostages, but watch out- the villains aren't worth any points but they will try to stop you!"

…teams. Just great. Means I gotta actually put in effort, since I'll be damned if I drag others down because I cant pull my own weight.

"EXACTLY! WOW, YOU'RE GOOD AT THIS- WE SHOULD GET YOU BACK IN THE BOX FOR THE SECOND AND THIRD YEARS!"

"Please no."

"Aw, c'mon, Eraserhead! This is the start of a wonderful relationship!"

"I hate everything about you."

"Such a jokester!"

"Just start the event, Mic."

Seems they’re done with their nonsense up there. Let's get this show back on track, mmkay?

"YOU HEARD THE MAN! STUDENTS, YOU'VE GOT TEN MINUTES TO FORM TEAMS OF FOUR- GOOD LUCK!"

With that, the mics seem to turn off, and I'm left standing in the field.

Fucken team bullshit. I never like picking teams, cause I'm not close enough to anyone ever to reasonably do it.

My strategy is simple. Wander around till the last second and then join with whoever's left.

So I wander. I take note of some of the teams I see being formed, but for the most part I'm just minding my own business.

As only a minute is left on the board, I wander over to one of the groups without a fourth member. The group is made of three people from class 1-B, of which i don't really recognise. Though I do recognise the boy made from shadows, I just don't know his name.

“Sup, you blokes got a full house yet?” I casually greet them as I approach.

“Nope. That mean you wanna join?” a boy with dark brown hair replies.

“May as well. Not many options at this point. Name’s Sato," I greet them with a nod. I consider holding my hand out to shake, but I can’t be fucked.

The shadow boy mutters something I can't hear as the other boy with light brown hair speaks up.

“Tsuburaba Kosei!” the boy with light brown hair answers.

“I'm Kaibara. Kaibara Sen,” The other boy with dark brown hair greets me.

“My name is Kuroiro Shihai,” The shadow boy says as he looks up at me.

“Nice to meet y’all,” I say, knowing damn well I wont remember a single one of those names in five minutes.

With that, we hear the speakers crackle to life, Present Mic’s booming voice echoing around the stadium.

"AND WE'RE BACK, EVERYONE!"

After a brief back and forth between Aizawa and Ms. Joke, Present Mic begins to announce the teams.

"WE'VE GOT A SPORTS FESTIVAL TO RUN! DO WE HAVE OUR TEAMS, ECTOPLASM?"

Ectoplasm responds with a quick thumbs up towards the announcers box.

 

"THEN LET'S START ANNOUNCING OUR LOVELY CONTESTANTS!"

"FIRST UP WE'VE GOT THE WINNER FROM LAST ROUND AND HIS TEAM MATES- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM BAKUGO- CONSISTING OF KATSUKI BAKUGO, KYOUKA JIROU, MEI HATSUME, AND IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Hell of a line up, huh. Wonder how it will play out for them?

"NEXT UP, WE'VE GOT THREE QUARTERS OF THE RECOMMENDATION STUDENTS- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM YAOYOROZU, CONSISTING OF MOMO YAOYOROZU, SHOTO TODOROKI, HITOSHI SHINSO, AND SETSUNA TOKAGE!"

"THIRD OF ALL WE'VE GOT A CLOSE QUARTERS AND RANGED TEAM- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM KIRISHIMA, CONSISTING OF EIJIRO KIRISHIMA, ITSUKA KENDO, OCHAKO URARAKA, REIKO YANAGI, AND EMILY YANAGI!"

"LOOK OUT FOR OUR FOURTH TEAM- THEY'RE LEAN, MEAN, AND/OR GREEN! GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM SHIOZAKI, CONSISTING OF IBARA SHIOZAKI, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI, TSUYU ASUI, AND TENYA IIDA!"

"WE'VE GOT SOME STICKY BUSINESS FOR OUR FIFTH TEAM- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM HONENUKI, CONSISTING OF JUZO HONENUKI, YOSETSU AWASE, HANTA SERO, AND HIRYU RIN!"

"OUR SIXTH TEAM IS HERE TO TAKE NAMES AND HAVE FUN- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM BONDO, CONSISTING OF KOJIRO BONDO, NIRENGENKI SHODA, TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU, AND MINA ASHIDO!"

"THEY'VE GOT BRAINS, THEY'VE GOT BRAWN, THEY'VE GOT IT ALL- FOR OUR SEVENTH TEAM, GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM KUROIRO, CONSISTING OF SHIHAI KUROIRO, RIKIDO SATO, KOSEI TSUBURABA, AND SEN KAIBARA!"

He he that's us.

"OUR EIGHTH TEAM IS HERE TO BING BANG BOOM MEOW THEIR WAY TO VICTORY- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM NADO-HUNT, CONSISTING OF NEITO NADO-HUNT, MANGA FUKIDASHI, PONY TSUNOTORI, AND KOJI KODA!"

"IT'S THE PERFECT MIXTURE OF DEFENSE AND OFFENSE FOR OUR NINTH TEAM- GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM KAMAKIRI, CONSISTING OF TOGARU KAMAKIRI, JUROTA SHISHIDA, MINORU MINETA, AND MEZO SHOJI!"

"WE'RE NOT SURE IF OUR ARENA IS GOING TO SURVIVE THE TENTH TEAM, SO TRY TO BE CAREFUL, STUDENTS- BUT GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM KAMINARI, CONSISTING OF DENKI KAMINARI, YUI KODAI, TOORU HAGAKURE, AND KINOKO KOMORI!"

"AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, SNEAKING IN AND READY TO TAKE THE WIN- GIVE IT UP FOR OUR ELEVENTH TEAM, CONSISTING OF MASHIRAO OJIRO, MAINA FURASU, FUMIKO OGASAWARA, AND BASHIRO MAKIMA!”

Damn. I wonder how things are going to go?

====================================================================

We sit patiently in a bus in silence. Eventually, I decide to speak up.

“I reckon we got fuck all time till this thing starts, anyone got any ideas on what we can do?” I ask the team.

“I already know my classmates' quirks, what is yours?” Kuroiro

I roll a sugar cube around in my pocket, recalling what I was told by the teachers before the round.

“For all intents and purposes, jack shit. I can grow five times stronger by eating ten grams of sugar. They gave me exactly ten grams before this round, so I only got one use. I’m gonna have to rely on old-fashioned natural strength for everything. What can you guys do?” I answer, looking at the others expectantly.

“My Quirk’s called Solid Air. I can blow out walls and other structures!” Tsuburaba explains, demonstrating his ability by creating a solid air construct in his hand.

“I can also make like, actual cubes that are soundproof, but I dunno how useful that is…”

For this? That's a shield at best.

The other two look at each other expectantly, seemingly waiting for the other to go first. Kaibara sighs quietly before beginning to speak.

“I can rotate any part of my body like a drill,” He says, showing via spinning his fingers quickly.

That's… that's very useful…

Kuroiro vanishes. Just straight up disappears.

After a moment of me staring at his seat he reappears, popping up from under the seat.

“I can merge with the shadows momentarily, but it’s less effective without dark clothing. I can still handle a decent amount of time, though,” he explains.

Alright, let's think… Well, I'm tired as shit but I kinda have a basic idea…

“Alright. We can probably work with this. How fast can you travel through the shadows?” I ask the boy.

“Faster than a straight sprint, and I have better mobility,” He replies.

I rub my chin, running my fingers through my beard, only to recall I don't have one. My mind races as I contemplate the tools at our disposal.

After a moment of thought, I look up at the others

“Right. I got an idea. What do you reckon we have you run recon, look for hostages and shit. You two can focus on combat and clearing any rubble or anything I can't lift myself, and I focus on carrying the hostages?”

It's an alright plan. I can't do much in the way of combat, but I can damn well carry shit while running.

“I won't say no to a good brawl,” Kaibara responds with a fierce grin.

“I'm more of a, like, defensive guy… Maybe I should stick around at least one of you guys and block any projectiles from hitting you?” Tsuburaba points out.

Kuroiro turns to look at Kaibara, a look of confusion on his face.

“Wait, aren’t you best with long-range?” He asks his classmate.

“…I don't know if I'll be as good at it as before, but yeah, I can do projectiles,” Kaibara responds.

Huh? Kaibara spins, like a drill. In what universe are drills a long range thing?

“Wouldn't you be better if we found you a sharp bit of metal, and turned you into a drill? I've used drills before and seen them cut through metal like butter," I point out, only to furrow my eyebrows as I actually think about what I said.

I have never used a drill before, at least not on metal. What the hell am I saying? But… but I know I'm right, I know that drills cut metal easily, so long as you use the right drill piece, put in a pilot hole if the piece is large, set the Pedestal drill to the right speed, make sure to use cutting oil… how do I know any of this?

“Wait, no I haven't. But I know it does. You know what I mean," I eventually say, deciding to push my confusion aside.

“No, during our training he’d turned himself into a human catapult, spinning his arms or waist around really fast to ramp up speed for projectiles,” Kuroiro explains, looking at the boy expectantly.

“I like being in close quarters, but I'm the only one here who can do long range at all,” Kaibara nods with an annoyed and resigned expression on his face.

“I think it would be best if you stuck to long range, as then you could hide behind Tsuburaba’s shields when firing,” Kurioro adds.

“I guess that works fine,” I mumble out, knowing damn well I don't like it.

I glance out the window, and realise that it looks like we’re almost to our destination, and I’m basing that on absolutely nothing.

“I think we’re almost there. Anyone got any last minute things to address?”

“I'm all clear!” Tsuburaba says as Kaibara shakes his head.

“Then it seems we have a solid plan. As long as nothing supernatural happens, this should be easy," I say, fighting the urge to say that last part in a french accent.

Man, I love making references that no one else understands.

“Yup. Don’t jinx it though,” Kuroiro responds, clearly not noticing the reference.

Only a few moments after saying this, the bus rolls to a stop, the doors opening.

“Alright, let’s go,” Kuroiro says, being the first to leave the bus.

“Woo! Let's do this!” Tsubaraba cheers as he follows, Kaibara and myself not being far behind.

With everyone off the bus, we head towards where the city's entrance is. I glance around.

I… have no idea where this is. Was it mentioned in the speech where this was? Hell if I know…

“Everyone ready?” Present Mic’s voice declares from an overhead PA.

“Sure. about as ready-” I begin to speak, only to be cut off.

“THEN GOOOOO!!!”

“...bitch,” I mutter at being cut off. I glance around, taking note that Kuroiro has already taken off, speeding away from the group to do recon.

“Alright, we’ll remain here till he gets back. Don't want him to waste time looking for us," I say to the other two.

“Geez, that was fast! Hopefully he's as quick coming back as he is leaving…” Tsuburaba says.

Heh. Bow chicka wow wow…

“I hate having to just stand around…” Kaibara muses as he crosses his arms.

Silence falls over the group for a bit. Once again, I decide to be the one to break it.

“Sooo… anyone know when the sports will be starting?” I casually question the others.

“You mean like the recreational ones?” Kaibara asks.

“I mean actual sports. They called this thing the ‘Sports Festival’ and I haven't seen a single game of cricket or footy. Just climbed a tower and now have to rescue hostages. Seems like false advertising to me,"I respond.

And ain't that a bitch, huh? I want to kick the footy around, I bet Sato could hit a hell of a kick.

“Cricket? Footy? …You're an SI, aren't you?” Tsuburaba asks.

“Odd assumption to make, maybe I'm just Australian. But yes, I am an SI,” I respond to his inquiry with all the tact of a bull.

“That's not really what I meant by that, but-” He begins to speak, only to be cut off as Kuroiro returns, popping out of nowhere.

“Hate to interrupt, but I found 6 different hostages and a lot more robots,” He informs the group.

“Finally, the action…!” Kaibara declares with a grin.

“That was fast. Where are they?” I question, ready to move.

With that, Kuroiro begins to lead the way, walking slowly at first, and gradually increasing his speed. Sato is built differently though, so I have no trouble keeping up. The others seem to be keeping up as well, thankfully.

“There’s three in a large street crossing, with many more robots guarding them. The rest are in buildings. I suggest we go there first, as our group lacks the firepower to take on that many robots,”

Alright, we can work with that.

“We’ll save those ones for last then, so I can use my quirk to take them out without worrying about the side effects later. Let's pick up the pace, we don't have much time," I declare, knowing damn well that I'm going to have to save that for the last minute.

After a few seconds of running, Kuroiro guides everyone into a building, luckily we avoid being spotted by a robot at the end of the street. He goes partially into his shadows, and begins using them to move faster, going further into the building before returning with a hostage bot.

“The other two are over there. Up two floors, make two rights,” He explains, pointing up the stairs.

…my greatest enemy, stairs.

“Fuckin’ stairs… alright, I’ll go grab them," I say, before I begin to hurry up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Alright, up two floors… make two rights… ah, here I am.

The robots are laying by the wall, both seemingly in decent condition. I inspect them quickly, taking note of their lack of injuries.

“Alright, here comes the hard part…”

With that said, I pick up one of the robots, carefully placing them over my shoulder, making sure not to damage it. I pick up the other, and place it over my other shoulder.

“Fuckin’ hell… these weigh as much as a sack of wet bricks… "I mutter as I begin moving, being careful not to jostle the hostage bots too much as I make my way back down the stairs.

I arrive back on the first floor, noting that Tsuburaba is gone.

“Aight, got these ones,” I declare.

With that, things pick up. Kuroiro gives me a list of locations with unguarded hostage bots, and sends me on my way with an agreement to meet up at the safe zone with only a few minutes left.

The others handle the robots with guards, since I don't have the firepower to handle them.

The first hostage is found hiding in a closet. Due to their small size, it's easier for me to carry them both at the same time to the safe zone.

The next is a duo of bots guarded by a large, broken robot in a warehouse of sorts. Apparently, Kuroiro had already taken apart the powersource of the large robot before guiding us all there.

Next is a trio, similar to the first ones, which Kuroiro stumbled across himself hiding in an alley. I manage to carry two over my shoulders and one on my back.

If I was a lesser man, I wouldn't be able to do any of this, but my brothers always loved piggy-backs. I try to ignore the memories this all brings up. I can't focus on that now.

I'll see them all again, one day. But for now, I'm here.

After handling those robots, I make my way to the safe zone, regrouping with the others.

They all look… Well, not perfectly, there's definitely exhaustion, but it's clear that I did more heavy lifting and exercise then the rest of them.

“Right, I got a good amount of hostages handled. I reckon we deal with those on the street you mentioned earlier," I speak up, estimating around three minutes left.

“Alright. It’s two 3-pointers and two 2-pointers,” Kuroiro explains.

Do I look like I know what those are? Robots are robots.

“Aight, lead the way. I'll handle the enemies for them, you guys focus on getting the hostages out of there," I say to the group.

“Got it!”

“Thanks.”

From there, we follow Kuroiro for a moment. We arrive at what is clearly the place, and sure enough a small group of hostages lay in the street, surrounded by large machines.

Alright, time to throw hands.

With a quick movement, I pop the sugar cube into my mouth, swallowing it quickly.

I feel my exhausted muscles bulge, the strength making its way into my body.

I charge in, approaching a robot with a large three painted on it. The robots all beep as they spot me. I move quickly, raising my fists over my head and bringing them down on the robot.

Its head is smashed with a loud tearing sound, though that doesn't seem to be enough, as its arms continue to move, swinging at me. I raise my hand and throw a punch, meeting its attack.

Its arm buckles against my punch, and I take the opportunity to grab it, using the arm as leverage to raise the robot up, flipping it through the air to slam it into the ground.

This seems to finally put an end to that one, as it ceases movement. I don't have time to celebrate, as a smaller robot with a yellow two painted on it approaches. The robot scuttles, similar to a crab.

It has two tails, reminiscent of a scorpion, and it makes a move to stab me. I barely manage to duck under the attack, bringing my hands up to grab onto the appendages.

I see Kaibara and Tsuburaba collect two of the hostages out of the corner of my eye, drawing the attention of one of the other robots. It doesn’t concern me though, Tsuburaba’s quirk has been useful in protecting against anything these guys could throw at them.

I am then reminded that this is a fight against multiple enemies, as the second two-pointer slashes, taking me by surprise. I duck, but not quickly enough.

The robot's tail grazes me, leaving a frustratingly painful cut along my arm, drawing blood.

“You little fuck!” I shout out as I grab the tail, pulling the robot close to me so I can punch it.

My fist slams into the metal, smashing through it. The robot hangs limp in my hands as I swing it, slamming it directly into the large three-pointer, seeming to do some damage.

The remaining two-pointer moves, scuttling close to take another crack at impaling me, but I respond by taking a swing at it, forcing it to dodge.

I run towards the robot, bringing my hands up to slam it, only to be reminded yet again that I'm fighting multiple foes.

The three-pointer slams a fist into me, knocking me backwards as the wind gets knocked out of me.

“Fuckin… piece of shit!” I swear as it closes the distance, bringing its fist back to take another swing at me. I raise my fist, throwing another punch.

Our fists meet in the middle, and despite the pain my arm experiences, the machine's arm crumples against the blow. I take the opportunity to grab the robot's body, grunting as I heave the machine into the air above me.

The 2-point approaches, using the 3-pointer to hide its approach, but I respond by slamming the large robot down, barely managing to miss it.

I vault myself over the wreck of the machine, slamming down onto the 2-pointer, leaving a large dent in its shell as I grapple its tails.

The machine begins to shake violently to try and remove me, but I'm having none of it. I punch downwards, breaking the metal shell.

The robot responds by swinging its now free tail down to stab me. I dive forward to avoid it, the tail grazing my leg, leaving a long cut.

I find myself face to face with the machine. It makes a movement to ram me, but I respond in kind. I push against its hulking frame as it tries to run me down.

We’re locked in place for a second, my muscles screaming at me, and my now sliced leg threatening to form a union. I stare into the machine's soulless, red eyes as I shift my hands, allowing me to get the proper grip for what I'm about to try.

Holding onto its two front legs, I heave, lifting the machine into the air. I spin around, holding the big robot before letting it fly, sending it zooming through the air, crashing into a wall.

The robot finally relents, clearly shutting off.

I stand in place, panting.

“Fuckin… hell… I need a nap…” I mutter to myself between pants.

“AND THAT’S A WRAP, EVERYONE! NOW, IF EVERYONE WILL PLEASE RETURN TO THE STADIUM, WE’LL GET READY TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS!” I hear the voice of Present Mic over the speakers.

…which way is that? I think it's… no but that way is… eh, fuck it. I'm sure I'll find them.

And so I began my tired trek to try and find the way out, my mind clouded from exhaustion.

====================================================================

Oh hey, there's the others.

I pant as I jog over, feeling every single one of my muscles protest.

“Fuckin’ hell… aight, lets get moving then… everyone holding up alright?” I ask the group, pulling myself together to keep up appearances.

“Phew… I'm doing fine, yeah,” Tsuburaba pants out while putting one of the hostages down.

Kaibara simply shoots a thumbs up as he pants.

“Yeah, I’m fine… Let’s get back to the bus,” Kuroiro answers.

“Man, for a last minute slapdash team, we did awesome,” Tsuburaba says with a smile as we begin the trek towards the bus.

At least I assume that's where we’re going. Everythings kinda just blending together. Fuck, I need some sleep.

“Damn right. Good job, fella’s," I respond casually.

Man, I'm good at not showing tiredness. Wonder why…

“Gah… You think they have water bottles on there?” Kaibara questions.

“They'd better. My throat is killing me…” Tsuburaba replies as we make it to the bus.

A teacher comes running, one I don't recognise. Who is this man and when did they hire him?

“Alright, does anyone need immediate medical attention?” the teacher asks.

I take this opportunity to take in my condition.

All things considered, it could be worse. I have two large cuts, one on my leg, the other across my arm. Other than that I just have a few scrapes and bruises. My body is incredibly sore and I'm very tired, but other than that…

“I'll be fine, just gotta stop by the doctor’s office at some point,” I respond.

“Alright then. Let’s get back to the bus,” the teacher answers, eyeing my cuts wearily.

Fuck off, I said I’m fine.

====================================================================

After a silent bus ride, we make it back to the field, every team standing on the grass as we wait for the announcers to announce.

“NOW, BEFORE WE PLACE THE WINNERS, CONTESTANTS, YOU’LL NOTICE THAT YOU WERE HANDED A SMALL TABLET UPON ENTRY! THERE’S AN ADDITIONAL TWIST THAT YOU WEREN’T AWARE OF: ONLY THE PERSON WHO RESCUED THE ROBOTS GOT THE POINTS!” Present Mic’s boisterous voice pierces through the fog in my mind.

…oh.

“It was a logical ruse,” Aizawa’s tired drawl fills the air.

“THAT’S RIGHT IT WAS! EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! BUT DON’T WORRY, ALL OF YOU WHO WEREN’T FOCUSED ON RESCUES; PLAYERS, WE’RE GOING TO GIVE YOU FIVE MINUTES TO DECIDE HOW MANY POINTS YOU WANT TO DIVIDE UP ACROSS YOUR TEAM!” Present Mic continues.

“What a foul mislead…” One of my teammates replies, though I'm far too tired to recall his name.

“Wait, does that mean Kaibara and I get like, literally nothing?!” another says.

“Do we have anything to even give up…?” The first boy responds with a frown.

…I made the plan on how to distribute the tasks. I delegated those two to combat…

“Oh… shit,” I mutter, realising that if they don't pass then it's kinda on me.

The boy with shadowy skin, Kuroiro I think it was, looks over to me.

“Well, you rescued the most people. I could hazard a guess that means you have the most points,” he speaks, gaining a contemplative look on his face.

“In that case, I'll split evenly amongst you lot. It was me who came up with the plan so it's my fault you didn't get as many points," I say, having to focus on not letting out just how tired I feel as I press the corresponding button on the tablet.

“Alright then. I’ll give away a small portion of my points, as I rescued a few hostages as well and was the top scorer during the first round,” Kuroiro says as he taps a few buttons on the tablet.

“I mean, how much of a difference does giving up a percentage of zero make…” the boy with light brown hair mutters as he taps on the screen with a huff.

“I gave up a quarter of my score,” The boy with darker hair says with a tap of the screen.

“Alright then. That should be all. Let’s just wait for Present Mic to announce everything. I’m sure we did all we could,” Kuroiro says.

And with that, we wait.

“AND THAT’S TIME! PLAYERS, I’VE GOT BAD NEWS FOR YOU-” Present Mic begins to speak, only to be cut off by a sound clip of the statement Aizawa made before.

“It was a logical ruse.”

“When did you even record that?” The real Aizawa mutters.

“THAT’S RIGHT! THIS WAS A TEST OF YOUR HEROISM! PLAYERS, THE NUMBER OF POINTS YOU GET IS EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF POINTS YOU WERE PLANNING ON GIVING AWAY-” Present Mic declares.

“Holy shit!” Kuroiro shouts out loudly.

“Bruh,” I mutter out loud.

“Why do we trust these assholes, again?”

“Beats me…”

“SO WITH THAT IN MIND, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SCORES!” Present Mic shouts as the large screen changes to show a picture of the contestants in order.

“COMING IN SIXTEENTH PLACE, IT’S KAMINARI DENKI!!”

“IN FIFTEENTH PLACE, IT’S IZUKU MIDORIYA!”

“IN FOURTEENTH PLACE, IT’S OCHAKO URARAKA!”

“IN THIRTEENTH PLACE, IT’S KOSEI TSUBURABA!”

“Wait, what?!” Tsuburaba exclaims, clearly shocked to have passed.

“Oh hey! You passed! Good on ya!” I cheerfully say, hiding the tiredness incredibly.

I'm glad the screen showed a picture, otherwise I would have no idea what his name was.

“IN TWELFTH PLACE, IT’S SEN KAIBARA!”

“Good job man! That makes two!” I speak up to the other team members.

“Thanks. Guess that's why we trust them, huh?” He Turns to Tsuburaba with a confident smirk. You ready to get pummeled in round 3?”

“IN ELEVENTH PLACE, IT’S NEITO MONOMA!”

IN TENTH PLACE, IT’S RIKIDO SATO!

“Tenth place, huh? I can live with that," I mutter to myself, definitely not taking offence at the lack of any sort of congratulations from my teammates.

And after how I went out of my way to congratulate them for their positions…

“IN NINTH PLACE, IT’S ITSUKA KENDO!”

“IN EIGHTH PLACE, IT’S MANGA FUKIDASHI!”

“IN SEVENTH PLACE, IT’S EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!”

“IN SIXTH PLACE, IT’S TSUYU ASUI!”

“IN FIFTH PLACE, IT’S MEI HATSUME!”

“IN FOURTH PLACE, IT’S TENYA IIDA!”

“IN THIRD PLACE, IT’S REIKO AND EMILY YANAGI!”

“...Shihai hasn't been announced… either he did not pass, which I don't believe for a second, or…” I mutter out loud.

“IN SECOND PLACE, IT’S HITOSHI SHINSO!”

“Wait for it…” Kuroiro mutters out.

“AND IN FIRST PLACE! YOUR WINNER OF THE SECOND ROUND FOR THE FIRST YEAR STAGE: IT’S SHIHAI KUROIRO!”

“Yoooooo! Go team slapdash!” Tsuburaba grins at Kuroiro. “Awesome job, man!”

“Damn, good job man! First place! I'd offer to buy you a drink as a reward, but sadly the law says I can’t," I congratulate the boy as I give him a light pat on the back, taking notice of a slight flinch at my touch.

…yeah, I probably should have asked first…

“Huh, you really must've gotten a ton of points if you gave up that few and still got first… that or you lied about how many you wanted to drop,” Kaibara says.

“NOW, WE’LL BE CLEARING THE STAGE FOR OUR LUNCH BREAK! AND CONTESTANTS, IF YOU’VE GOTTEN ELIMINATED, DON’T WORRY: WE’VE COME UP WITH A BEVY OF RECREATIONAL GAMES FOR YOU TO SHOW OFF YOUR QUIRKS! SEE YOU IN AN HOUR!” Present Mic announces.

“I… didn’t want this. I gave up all my points so I wouldn’t get into the third round…” Kurioro mutters after a few moments of silence.

…oh. Shit, it must have been rude of me to be congratulating him for something he didn't want.

“Ah, I see. Well, you can always just forfeit if you don't want to go on. They can't force you to fight if you don't want to," I point out.

“…No. It’ll be fine,” Kuroiro responds with a sigh.

I grimace at this, memories flashing to times my sister would say she was fine when she very clearly wasn't.

“Well, if you're sure it's fine…” I hesitantly say, knowing that I'm not close enough to this boy to try and push anything.

“May the best man win,” Kaibara says with a grin.

“Godspeed to everyone. I wanna see if I can get a nap before the next round starts," I declare as I begin to walk away, giving a brief wave over my shoulder at the rag tag team of people who helped me pass.

====================================================================

After a brief detour to the nurses office, where Recovery Girl used her quirk on me to heal my injuries, I'm left with a dilemma.

It's lunch time, and I'm hungry as shit. However, I am also so horrendously tired.

I could either get some sleep, or I could get some food.

My growling stomach wins out, and I make my way to the cafeteria, expertly weaving around the crowds. By which I mean I just walked through and if I bumped into anyone then that's on them.

====================================================================

After an absolutely scrumptious lunch, I make my way back to the stands for the next round, concluding that I definitely don't have time for a nap as Present Mic begins to speak over the speakers once more.

“AND WE’RE BACK! GET FIRED UP, EVERYONE: ROUND THREE STARTS HERE! ALL OF YOU STUDENTS HAVE BEEN THROUGH HELL TO GET HERE, BUT KNOW THAT YOU DESERVE IT FOR FIGHTING WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH!”

The crowd roars, muted by my lack of sleep.

“BUT NOW, IT’S TIME FOR THE FINAL EVENT! YOU’VE ONLY GOT YOURSELF TO RELY ON! YOU KNOW THE SAYING, EVERYONE: PLUS ULTRA! USE ALL THAT YOU HAVE AND FIGHT FOR THE TOP- THAT’S THE HEROIC WAY!”

The crowd cheers even louder, seemingly ready to watch children beat eachother up.

“NOW, AS A QUICK RECAP FOR EVERYONE, WE’VE GOT SIXTEEN STUDENTS COMPETING!”

“FIRST UP, FROM CLASS 1-A, HE’S HERE TO SHOCK THE COMPETITION, IT’S DENKI KAMINARI!”

The screen shows a picture of Kaminari, a few pictures flashing by that I honestly cant be fucked to actually pay attention to. He did things, good for him. Can we hurry this along?

“FROM CLASS 1-H, SHE’S GOT A BEVY OF BABIES FOR EVERY PROBLEM IT’S MEI HATSUME!”

Once again, the screen changes to show the pink haired inventor, showing her doing things. What things? Come back with a warrant.

“FROM CLASS 1-B, HE’S THE MASTER OF MIMICRY, IT’S NEITO NADO-HUNT!”

Nadohunt? Man that's a hell of a name. Still no idea why it's different. Nadohunt… who knows?

If anyone asks, I was paying attention to the rest of the announcement. I definitely wasn't staring at this funky looking bird.

You don't understand, it is a very funky looking thing. It's just sorta sitting there, but its colours are very pretty. Anyone else would have been distracted as well. Tiredness? Nah, it's definitely just the bird.

I'm brought back to focus when I hear the tired drawl of Aizawa.

“Each student will compete in a series of one on one single elimination battles. The first opponent to be thrown out of the ring, the first opponent to be unable to continue fighting, or the first opponent to concede will be eliminated. Going for lethal manoeuvres or permanent injury will disqualify you; all other injuries are allowed,” He explains.

“THAT’S RIGHT! THERE ARE NEARLY NO HOLDS BARRED! NOW, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT OUR BRACKET!”

The screen changes to show a bracket. My vision is a little blurry, so I can't make out who’s who, but I'm sure they will explain.

“AND HERE’S OUR FIRST EIGHT MATCHES! FIRST UP, WE’VE GOT SHIHAI KUROIRO VERSUS TENYA IIDA! THEN KOSEI TSUBURABA VERSUS HITOSHI SHINSO! RIKIDO SATO VERSUS SEN KAIBARA,” Hey, that's me. Guess I'm fighting that Kaibara fellow.

“TSUYU ASUI VERSUS EIJIRO KIRISHIMA, MANGA FUKIDASHI VERSUS ITSUKA KENDO, NEITO NADO-HUNT VERSUS REIKO AND EMILY YANAGI, MEI HATSUME VERSUS DENKI KAMINARI, AND FINALLY IZUKU MIDORIYA VERSUS OCHAKO URARAKA! STRAP IN, FOLKS! THIS IS GOING TO BE A FESTIVAL TO REMEMBER!” Present Mic finishes, saying a bunch of names I'm not paying even the slightest bit of attention to.

Welp. fuck it, we ball.

====================================================================

“On one side, we have the boy who's gonna spin his way to the top, it's Sen Kaibara, From class 1-B!” Present Mic announces from his place above the stadium.

The roar of the crowd is deafening, but as someone who grew up with three younger brothers, I'm used to loud noises. Though it certainly helps that it sounds kinda muted to my tired brain.

As I step up into the arena, Present Mic speaks again.

“He’s here to bring some sugar, spice, and everything nice, it's Rikido Sato, From Class 1-A!” he announces as I stand before my opponent.

“Hey, no hard feelings when I win, right?” I tease the other boy with a grin on my face as I stretch my arms out, feeling the cry of pain from the overused muscles.

“We’ll see how that goes, won't we?” He replies, also stretching his body.

“Are both of you ready?” Ectoplasm asks.

Kaibara nods. “Ready.”

I nod as well. “Also ready.”

“Contestants, get ready! And… begin!” Present Mic shouts and with a loud buzzing, the match begins. I quickly move, bringing myself in close to throw a punch at his face, ignoring the way my legs threaten to sue me.

Sen moves, expertly dodging by rotating his body around to avoid my hit. Not only does he dodge, but he continues spinning, and lands a solid hit on my midsection when he comes back around.

It hurts a bit, but even in my current state, I don't plan on going down. Taking advantage of the small space between us, I grab his arm, so that I can hold his body in place to throw a hit.

He responds by spinning his arm, taking me by surprise as the force causes me to stumble, leaving me open to another hit from the spinning boy.

I raise my arms to try and block the hit, but he’s got the advantage now, and lands a solid blow against my side, knocking me away from him as I fall over.

I grit my teeth as a stand up quickly, bringing my hands up as Sen pushes his advantage, spinning his hand to launch a devastating right hook, knockling me further back.

As he moves closer again I push out my hands to shove him away, trying to buy myself some space. But the shove is sloppy, my brain sluggish. He responds by spinning his torso again, causing my grip to slip, and I stumble.

He uses this moment to his advantage, launching a devastating uppercut to my chin, managing to knock me into the air for a moment with the force of his spinning fist, which also causes me to bite my tongue.

I fall to the ground, and lay there for a moment to catch my breath.

‘Shit, this guy’s actually not half bad. I'm outmatched right now…’

Sen stands a bit away from me, waiting to see if I will get up. I raise my legs up, before launching myself up, returning to a standing position. I wipe my chin, my hand coming away with a few drops of blood from where I bit my tongue.

“You're pretty strong, aren't you?” I speak as I glare at him, both of us catching our breath.

“Yeah, you're not half bad, either,” Sen responds.

I smirk, knowing that I now have the chance to make a reference.

“I'd say you're second only to me,” I say as I activate Body Bulk, feeling my body begin to expand as I rise to my towering height of fifteen feet, my entire body cries out at this new decision, but I'm too tired to even care about that at this point.

Sen looks surprised by this, as I begin to approach him.

“How about we pick up where we left off,” I say as I tower over the boy, who steels himself as he begins to spin his arms, ready to keep fighting.

I pull back a fist, throwing a punch. He moves to dodge, but I wasn't aiming for him. I strike the ground, causing a large crater to form as the ground shakes, throwing him off balance.

Using this moment, I quickly move, faster than you would expect someone of my size to move, dashing up to him and grabbing one of his arms. He begins to spin his other arm, to try and hit my large hand and free his arm, but I simply reach out with my second hand and grab his spinning arm, bringing it to a halt.

“I'd say it's over. Good match.”

With a careful movement, I toss the smaller boy to the side, causing him to fall outside the ring.

Ectoplasm holds up a hand, pointing in the direction that Sato emerged from.

Present Mic announces my victory over the speakers as I deactivate Body Bulk, but this has really been the straw that broke the camel's back, so my mind is too foggy to really acknowledge what he says.

I stretch my sore muscles as I make my way out of the arena, my mind screaming at me to go to sleep. But I can't. My next match is soon. Wonder if I can get a nap in?

====================================================================

Despite my best efforts, I am unable to get any sleep between the rounds. And after basically no time at all, my next round is upon me.

I honestly cant be fucked.

“AND FOR OUR NEXT MATCH, IT’S THE MAN WE’VE ALL GOT A ROCKY RELATIONSHIP WITH: GIVE IT UP FOR EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!”

From the other side of the field, Kirshima steps out onto the arena, cracking his neck with a serious expression on his face. The crowd cheers, seemingly enthralled by the red haired boy.

“AND FACING HIM, IT’S THE MAN WHO’S SOMETIMES THE SIZE OF A SMALL BUILDING, IT’S RIKIDO SATO!”

I step out into the ring, keeping my hands in my pockets and ignoring the slouch I can't push through no matter how hard I try. I squint as the sun hits my eyes as I step up inside the line, not bothering to go any further than a single step inside.

“Are both of you ready?” Ectoplasm questions the pair of us.

“Yep,” Kirishima replies quickly with a nod, clearly not as tired as I am.

“Not really. Want to just play rock paper scissors to decide? I'm way too buggered to do anything," I ask the boy, failing to hide the tiredness inside me. My voice is slow and sluggish, the tiredness rivalling even Aizawa.

“No?” Kirishima hesitantly replies, confused by my question.

Welp. That's that then.

“Cool. Start the match then," I nod to Ectoplasm, forcing my eyelids to not droop.

With that, Ectoplasm nods to the announcers box, giving the signal to start.

Present Mic declares the start of the match, and I take a step backwards, directly out of the ring.

“I told you. I'm way too fucken buggered to fight. Godspeed, or whatever. I'm going to go sleep," I declare to the other boy, turning around and waving over my shoulder.

“AND RIKIDO SATO HAS FORFEITED THE MATCH! THE WINNER IS EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!”

====================================================================

If anyone asks, I was awake for the awards ceremony. I definitely didn't grab my patented ‘Awake Glasses’ to make it look like my eyes were open while I played a voice clip on loop from my phone while taking a nap.

So anyway, I nap through the entire ceremony. The voice clips were unnecessary, no one could hear them anyway. Which was a shame, since I spent a really long time getting them to be perfect.

“Working hard or hardly working, mate?”

Never fails to convince the bossman.

Alas, I nap for no more than a few minutes before I am rudely awoken at the end, when the crowd erupts into a cheer.

“PLUS ULTRA!”

“Cheer louder, I don't think the astronauts on the ISS heard you…” I mutter as I put away my patented ‘Awake Glasses’, licensed and trademarked by Garn Industries.

With the event over, I stretch my back, rising from my seat and beelining for the exit.

“Eepy,” I mutter to myself as I lumber outside, making my way down the street.

“Which way… this way, right? Eh, fuck it. I'll find it," I wonder out loud as I begin to make my way towards where home probably is.

Seems it's my lucky day. Count my stars and head down to the pokies, cause I manage to stumble my way home without any sort of incident.

Without any sort of hesitation or debate, I collapse on Sato’s bed. I don't even bother getting changed.

With that, I'm out like a light.

====================================================================

I sit up, my brain moving at a mile a minute.

“My quirks. During the sports festival.”

I clutch my pillow close to my chest in panic.

“...I totally could have beaten Kirishima if I wasn't so tired."

I lay back down, going back to my snoring slumber session.

====================--

I shoot back up, gasping at the top of my lungs.

“I used Body bulk in front of everyone at the festival,” I gasp dramatically. “Anyone can figure it out now, and if anyone figures out that I have two quirks they will figure out my involvement with All For One and if they figure out my involvement with All For One, they’ll know I'm with the League.”

I lean forward, clasping my hands together.

“Oh shit. It's all falling apart.”

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Villany? You Don’t Even Know Me!

Chapter 9: Villainy? You Don't Even Know Me!

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

As usual, I'm the first to arrive.

 

My nerves are shot to hell and back. I didn't get any sleep last night, and I'm terrified of the possibility of someone just trying to kill me right off the bat.

 

I sit in my chair, not looking up as others begin to enter the room. I'm on edge, just waiting for one of them to walk over and confront me. Luckily, no one seems willing to make a scene yet. 

 

That's good. It means either they aren't fully sure I'm an enemy, or they don't want to try anything so publicly. It gives me enough room to work with.

 

I idly write in a notebook, trying to calm my nerves by writing down things about my life and world. About my actions, about just about anything. All written in a special coded language that none of these people should know.

 

Surely none of these guys would have spent as long as me learning how to write and speak Corpus fluently. Surely not. No one else would be that crazy.

 

As the bell rings, Aizawa makes his way to the front of the room. Notably, he has turned back to being a man, so I can stop with the Mardociel treatment.

 

“ Morning, class. Today we’re going to have a hero informatics class- and an important one at that,” Aizawa declares, pausing for a moment to let it hang before continuing, “Hero aliases.”

 

I hear several of the students speak excitedly at this.

 

“Yay the thing I'm worst at, naming things.”

“Nice, I got just the thing.”

 

“Hero names?!” 

 

“Alright alright!”

 

After a few moments of this, Aizawa speaks again, silencing the class.

 

“Before we get started with that, I wanted to discuss your internship opportunities.”

 

Ah. internships. In an optimal world I would be able to go on one, but that's unlikely.

 

“As a reminder, these are based upon your results during the festival; essentially, they’re a way for pros to choose who they think is going to get big over your next three years at U.A. It’s their way of expressing interest in your futures,” Aizawa continues as he clicks a button, causing a graph to appear on the board behind him.

 

Huh. I got the seventh highest amount? That's… interesting. I suppose I did have a pretty good showing, if you ignore my fuckup. Could probably have gotten higher if I hadn't given up at Kirishima, but it is what it is.

 

“But remember: that’s plenty of time for their interest to wane, too. Any and all offers can be revoked when they want -they’re not any sort of promise,” Aizawa informs everyone with a shake of his head.

 

“However, with that noted- all of you will be participating in internships next week, even if you weren’t selected. U.A. partners with many agencies around the country so that none of you miss out on the experience, after all. All of you have already experienced real action, but there’s still much to be gained from working alongside real pros,” He continues.

 

Here’s hoping.

 

“ So we’re getting hero names? I’ve been thinking about mine for a while…more like a few days,” Tokoyami questions.

“ Exactly. But be cautious and pick your name well: if you don’t pick something appropriate…” Aizawa trails off, moments before the door bursts open.

 

“You’ll have hell to pay later!” Midnight declares as she struts in. “What you pick today could be your code name for life. You better be careful or you'll be stuck with something utterly indecent. So, are you kids ready?” Midnight finishes with a lick of her lips and a smirk.

 

…god damn, someone needs to call the police cause there's no way it's legal to dress and act like that around children.

“ …Try not to traumatise them too much,” Aizawa tiredly mutters.

 

“Me? Never!” Midnight says as she winks flirtatiously at the class.

 

Call me purple guy because I am going to put a chi[my lawyers have advised me to stop speaking.]

 

“ No worries, Aizawa-sensei. Bakugou isn’t canon anymore!” Uraraka chirps up, eliciting a laugh from several members of the class.

 

“Midnight is going to be approving or denying your names to make sure they’re actually sensible. What future do you see for yourself? What kind of hero do you want to be? Pick a name with those questions in mind.” Aizawa informs the class, his tone bland, like he’s reading off a script as he pulls out a stack of boards from under his desk.

 

“Hagakure, Shoji, Ojiro, Tsunotori, come to the front of the room and grab a stack of blackboards and chalk for your row, please. Start brainstorming now, everyone, and come up when you’re ready,” Aizawa says as he hands the boards over to the people in question.

 

As I get handed my board, I stare blankly at it, zoning out as the others begin with their names.

 

Should I even write one down? I have an idea for one, but… even if I get out of this whole thing, even if I still go on internships…

 

Do I even deserve the name I picked out?

 

I slowly wrote the name down. Staring at it, the letters taunt me. Such a name isn't befitting someone like me.

 

I erase the name.

 

Staring blankly at the small board, I ponder if I should just leave it blank. 

 

No, I need to put something on it. If all goes well then I'll continue here, and I'll need a name.

 

I write the name back down.

 

But… I can't have this name. It's a hero's name. And I'm no hero.

 

I erase the name.

 

…hesitantly, I write the name back down, written in a language no one here will know. I'm not fit to be called this name, so instead…

 

Yjeep tuypiye.

 

Complete gibberish if you don't know anything about the Corpus language. And honestly, it's kinda gibberish even if you do know the language. Corpus is fucked man.

 

I stare blankly at the letters as all the others go up and announce their names. I'm not paying even the slightest attention until the very end.

 

“To be honest, choosing names is going faster than I thought it would. All we have left now is… Sato. Are you gonna come up?” Midnight address me.

 

Fuck. Here we go then.

 

I make my way up to the front of the room. I can feel others' eyes on my back as I drag my feet up to the podium.

 

I stare down at my board, the Corpus lettering staring back at me, their meaning taunting me.

 

This is it. Welp, you know what they say.

 

Fuck it, we ball.

 

====================================================================

The Day After The Sports Festival, Thursday 08/05/2256

After a brief text message, a familiar warpgate appears before me. I step through it and into the familiar sight of the league's bar.

 

Waiting for me are Kurogiri, who stands behind the bar polishing a glass, and Shigaraki, who is uncharacteristically sitting at a table and staring at me. His hands cover his face, so it's impossible for me to judge his expressions.

 

“Hey,” I greet the pair as Shigaraki begins to drum his fingers on the table, carefully avoiding turning it to dust.

 

“Sensei’s annoyed with you,” he says, and… holy shit. There's that murderous tone from the attack.

 

The Demon taught Shigaraki how to instil fear. But I don't falter. If I Die then I die.

 

“I’m annoyed with myself too. That's why I'm here, so we can figure out what happens next,” I reply.

 

If you're going to kill me, then I'd rather serve myself up for a painless death than to try and run and get a painful one.

 

“Why? You used Sensei’s gift on live TV and exposed your role to us. Why should I keep a useless unit like you?” Shigaraki questions, his fingers continuing to drum on the table as he continues to stare at me.

 

I really wish he wasn't wearing his villain costume, it would be much easier to gauge his thoughts if I could see his face.

 

“Good question. If nothing else, I'm extra muscle, but I don't know, I figure it might be possible to bullshit my way through UA, but I want your thoughts. I've messed up enough on my own already,” I shrug as I speak.

 

Objectively, the safest option would be to fully join the league and ditch UA. I am a pretty strong fighter, so it would be some good muscle. But the best outcome would be if I stayed at UA and managed to get away with it. It's hard to say which one I would prefer.

 

Shigaraki continues to stare at me silently, the only sounds coming from Kurogiri cleaning the glass and the drumming of his fingers. The tension in the room is thick enough you could cut it.

 

Shigaraki goes to speak, only to pause as the screen in the corner, the one I know The Demon is watching through, lights up. And as the speakers crackle, His voice fills the room.

 

“Now, now, Tomura Shigaraki. It might be prudent to give your… friend one more chance. He could still have some uses, after all,” All For One's voice filters out of the TV, and despite the distance between us, His presence is crushing. And I can hear the way His voice hides the fury of a thousand lifetimes. He is not happy, that much is clear.

 

“…Fine. How do you plan to bluff past the heroes?”

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

Slowly and lethargically, I make my way to the front of the room. I place the board down on the podium and stare at it, the bullshit language staring back at me.

 

Yjeep tuypiye.

 

Maybe one day. Maybe one day I'll be able to translate this and use it for a name. But I doubt it. After all, I'm a crook, a coward, and a fool. Even once this is over, and I'm back at home, this name won't fit me. So I know it will always remain as complete nonsense.

 

I let out a sigh, feeling the weight of the situation pressing on my shoulders, feeling the way my sin's crawl along my back.

 

I look up at the class, for once making no attempt to hide my exhaustion. 

 

“I can't fucking do this anymore…” I mutter quietly, audibly enough to be heard but not enough to be shouting 

 

“Hey. I’m sure you all saw what I did at the festival. I wanted to clear things up. And, I suppose more accurately, ask for help. I ask that you don't interrupt me.

 

When I first woke up in this world, I'll admit that it didn't really click in my head how serious everything is.

 

Sure, I knew the dangers, but I didn't really understand them. I blame all the fanfics I read making me think things would go smoothly, for giving me this flanderized version of everything.

 

The first thing I did was look for the League. I doubt I was the only one to do so. I figured that I could find them and turn them in, cut that whole problem right off the bat.

 

The problem is, if you knock on enough doors asking for the devil, then sooner or later he will answer.”

 

====================================================================

The Day After The Sports Festival, Thursday 08/05/2256

“I'm running some ideas through my head. I don't think anyone will believe that it wasn't a second quirk, so I'm leaning towards trying to frame myself as someone who was forced to join the League against my will. What are your thoughts on that idea?” I ask.

 

“What, you found me and Kurogiri in an alleyway and blurted out the future?” Shigaraki sarcastically remarks.

 

“Something like that. I'd need a reason to do it though. I'm leaning towards I found you both in the middle of a crime and you tried to kill me, so I joined to try and save my life. Something like that,” I reply, workshopping some concepts in my mind.

 

“What crime would we have been doing? Most of the main quests Sensei gives us are stealth missions,” Shigaraki points out.

 

“Murder, probably. Even if most of your quests were stealth based, the heroes don't know that. Most of the smaller details will have to be hashed out over time, maybe even staged to make it look legit. I just want to settle on a basic concept for now,” I emphasise.

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning 12/05/2256

“I found Shigaraki and Kurogiri. In an alleyway, standing over a corpse.

 

They tried to kill me. No witnesses and all that. I… I thought I was going to die. I was going to die. So I lied, as I always do.

 

I was willing to say anything to save my own life. To try and make sure I didn't die cold and alone in an alley so far from home. I told him that I wanted to join the league. That I knew the future and wanted to be on the side I felt would win.

 

It was selfish, but I just wanted to survive. And it worked. But… Shigaraki isn't stupid. He threatened both me and Sato's parents. He said that if I betrayed the League, he would kill them. 

 

I figured I would play along. Better me then someone else, you know? Better if I'm the one controlling the flow of information as opposed to someone malicious. It means I can at least do something. That was my stubbornness, and it cost me.”

 

====================================================================

The Day After The Sports Festival, Thursday 08/05/2256

“…Sure. And the rest of it? How’re you going to bluff about where this is and how much you’ve been telling us?” Shigaraki says after a moment of silence.

 

“That's tricky. I might be able to claim that Kurogiri warps me here, and use careful wording to make it seem like I don't know where the league is. As for the information… I can claim I only told you guys the basics of what I know, which is somewhat true. I know lots more, but I don’t trust it since all the rest of my knowledge comes from fanfics, and is unreliable. Other than that, I'll have to rely on tricky wording. What do you reckon?” I ramble out.

 

“If you die you die and we’ll just recruit a new party member,” Shigaraki casually responds with a shrug

 

“Duly noted. I’ll workshop some possible stories and run them by either you or Kurogiri,” I reply.

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

“I told him the most barebones info. The basics of the first three seasons, since everything else I know comes from fanfictions and is unreliable. But I didn't tell him everything I knew, and I've made sure not to tell them everything about what's been happening here at UA.

 

I don't want anyone to get hurt, but things are getting out of my control.

 

After the forest attack, All For One summoned me to him. He gave me this new quirk, the one you all saw me use in the festival. I don't know why he gave it to me, Whether it was a reward or some twisted way of trying to control me.

 

I used it during the sports festival due to sleep deprivation. I was tired and not thinking, now things are worse off for it. The League has taken Sato's parents. They told me to fix this whole thing and get you all off my back or else they would kill them. Or worse, turn them into Nomu.

 

I don't know what to do. I'm in way over my head and I can't find a way to fix any of this. My stubbornness and idiocy led to all this shit, now I'm asking for help, because at this point I just want this nightmare to be over. I'm prepared to answer any questions you might have,” I finish my story, knowing damn well I'm full of shit.

 

My story, on paper, is fine. There's nothing wrong with it as far as Kurogiri could see, and it works well in my eyes.

 

Let's see how they all react.

 

The sound of slow, sarcastic clapping breaks the silence.

 

“Holy shit, congratulations,” Bakugo speaks as he stops clapping, “Now, can you please direct me to the part where I should actually give a fuck?”

 

Duly noted. 

 

“ I call bullshit,” Kirishima says as he stands up, glaring daggers across the room at me.

 

“Absolute fucking bullshit,” I hear Shinsou muttering as he nods his head.

“Really? Just… Really? That's the best you could come up with?” Midoriya says in a disappointed tone.

 

Excuse me? My story is fine and only the tiniest bit is actually false.

 

“I know about your concerns, but what you did will make things more complicated for us. I mean, I had been suspecting you and even mentioned a possible traitor within 1A to Nedzu. But… I cannot believe it. The only way you would be able to achieve that is through having intention , because I know AFO would kill you on the spot for being a whiny little bitch ,” Tokoyami says.

 

That doesn't really add anything to the conversation, which I suppose sums you up pretty well.

 

Kirishima begins to angrily make his way to the front of the room, his face showing clear fury. I simply stand and stare at him as he approaches.

 

“Again- bullshit. Putting aside everything else, putting aside the bullshit excuses for how you found Shigaraki- you found the dude with a fucking decay quirk standing over a corpse? Like the one quirk that wouldn’t leave a body- you didn’t act like that during the USJ or the Sports Festival. You didn’t turn yourself in to Tsukauchi and Nedzu when you had the chance to. You got yourself into this mess intentionally, and now you’re lying to get yourself out of it,” Kirishima finally comes to a stop, the podium being all the separates us as he finishes, “I. Call. Bullshit.”

Not the best sort of claim he could make for not believing me, but I guess I can see what he means about the body.

 

“Kurogiri was standing over the body. Shigaraki was just watching. And you're right. I didn’t turn myself in. I should have. But I didn't. If I did, Sato’s parents would die, and the League would just find someone else to do this. I don't have information that could stop them, so what difference would it make to them?” I calmly explain.

 

“What were you even planning on doing, going after Shigaraki like that?” Shinsou glares at me as he asks.

 

“I wasn't planning on finding them, I planned on finding their base, since I knew what the building looked like,” I point out.

 

“And what- you just didn’t find it? Didn’t bother to tell anyone that you knew where the league of villains were? Or did you fucking sell us all down the river with the future just to save your own skin?”

 

What is this guy on about? My story seems pretty fucking clear to me.

 

“I didn't find it. I still don't know where it is. All I know is that it's in the bar in Kamino, which I think we all already know,” I calmly elaborate.

 

“Alright, where did the drinks you had at the USJ come from? And secondly, throwing a can at my head? You had the high ground- there’s no way you didn’t see me,” Shinsou questions.

 

That's what he has a problem with? It doesn't seem like a very complicated thing if you ask me

 

“Turns out those weren't actually alcohol, despite the name. I threw it because I heard someone, and I was told no one would be around. They told me to keep my head down, that I would be safe. That no one would be around. And so when I heard someone, I panicked. I had a bad morning and was jumpy,” I explain, which is completely and factually true.

 

“Still dodging the question of where the drinks came from,” Shinsou says, crossing his arms.

 

Of all the things to ask, that's what he picks?

 

“Odd thing to focus on. I got them from a regular store.”

 

“No, no, I’m fascinated to hear why Mr. “Scared out of his wits” stopped by a liquor store to buy beer on the day he knew his classmates were going to be attacked,” Kirishima demands.

 

Ah. Great, now I have to think about That Morning again. Fun.

 

“I don't even know what really happened, but that morning I woke up and something happened to me. It's hard to explain, but that messed me up. Didn't help that I then had an encounter with a mugger on my way to school. At that point, I just needed a fucking drink. Why is this what we’re focusing on?” I ask.

 

And seriously, of all the things to try and argue, why is it this?

 

A new contender enters the ring as Yaoyorozu rises to her feet, her expression appearing frustrated. 

 

“Because we have it on good authority that you sat around drinking alcohol while the League of Villains put your classmates into a perilous situation!” Yaoyorozu declares.

 

Eh? The fuck is she on about? I have very explicitly stated that that is what happened. That is factually correct, what is she trying to prove?

 

Yaoyorozu begins to make her way to the front of the room, coming to a stop next to Kirishima.

 

“Those around you were in the hospital, Sato. Hagakure, James, Myself! We ended up in life threatening conditions because of your actions! The others fought for their lives not knowing if they’d live to see the end of the day because of YOUR actions!” She shouts angrily at me.

 

Yes? That is exactly what happened. What is she getting at exactly?

 

“Kids were in the hospital, Sato. You put them there,” Kirishima says coldly.

 

…are they trying to say I should have done something? Did they not pay even the slightest attention?

 

“The fuck was I meant to do?! Not only am I in the body of Sato, who’s not exactly the strongest, but if I did even the slightest thing against the League, Sato’s parents would die. Do you not fucking get that? People would be killed if I did even the slightest thing against them,” I emphasise.

 

I hear muttering from several of the other students that all boil down to ‘fight them’. 

 

Do these idiots not know what a hostage is? Are they all just stupid?

 

“The fuck were you mean to do? ANYTHING! You are the captain of your own ship, Sato, and we’re all training to be fucking heroes. Your classmates could have- would have- died because of you,” Kirishima throws his hands out wide as he makes his declaration.

 

“You proceeded to throw caution to the wind and forfeit the lives of everyone in this room and the room down the hall and you won’t give any of us a reliable answer! What good is telling us this now? In fact why tell us this now if the same risk and consequence is to fall on those you hold dearest to you?!” Yaoyorozu angrily crosses her arms as she shouts.

 

“You’re still trying to spin this fucking bullshit to avoid owning up to your own actions because you’re too cowardly to just tell us the goddamn truth,” Kirishima declares.

 

A bunch of nonsense. They aren't saying anything noteworthy. I don't even get it, what point are they trying to prove? They aren't even disproving my story! 

 

“You think I don't know all of that? Yeah, I fucked up! Yeah people got hurt because of me! But what part of the word hostages don't you understand! Do you have parents, Kirishima? What would you do if they would die the moment you spoke the wrong way! I know I fucked up, I dont need you to tell me that!” I shout, the frustration plain to hear in my voice.

 

“Then you killed them now, Sato, to save your own fucking skin. And that’s probably the saddest part of all of this- if you are telling the truth, by some miracle? You haven’t learned a goddamn thing,” Kirishima coldly retorts.

 

Oh. They're all idiots. That's what's happening, isn't it? I made sure my story worked, making sure it was valid, but I didn't consider that I am dealing with a bunch of fucking idiotic twats! It doesn't matter that my story works, because they are too fucked in the head to care!

 

“The League already took them! That's why I'm doing this now! Because they need help! Because one more slip up from me and innocent people will die!” I shout.

 

“Hey, uh, so which is it? You couldn’t “slip up” at the Gamma Ambush or you have to slip up now? Because that seems pretty inconsistent from where I’m sitting,” A new voice speaks up, that of Ashido.

 

Oh for fucks sake. I'm screwed here. Clearly these sacks of garbage want to cram me into their little guilty box, and frankly, there's fuck all I can actually do here regardless of how good my arguments are.

 

“Did you not listen to a word I said? I already slipped up during the festival! Something as minor as using Body Bulk caused Sato’s parents to be taken, what would have happened if I did actively disobey them? I'm already taking a risk telling you lot this, if the league finds out I'm doing this it's game over! And im in way over my head, and can’t fucking keep doing this shit! I didn't ask for any of this shit, I don't want this!” I shout out, visibly growing angry.

 

“If you didn’t want this then why take such a nonchalant approach?! Why refer to supposedly groundbreaking evidence as ‘blips’? Why think so loosely of the lives and wellbeing of the other individuals who live in this world you’ve fallen into?” Yaoyorozu retorts, pointing a finger in my face.

 

I'm honestly tempted to bite her damn finger. It's close enough to my face. I could do it.

 

“Don’t you dare chalk the consequences of your actions up to accidents and ignorance, Sato. I’m astounded that even though you’re blessed in such a way to know about this world, you could act so thoughtlessly and ridiculously! … H-how dare you insult our intelligence like this!”

 

Bitch I'm doing the opposite of insulting your intelligence. I thought I set the bar low but here you dumbasses are, limbo dancing in hell with Balerdroch.

 

“What, was I supposed to just let Sato’s parents die? What part of that don't you all understand! I. couldn't. Act. Against. The. League. If I did, people would die. If I don't, then there was at least a chance. Was it a good choice? No, but I didn't have much better. But none of that even matters now!” I grip the podium tightly as I shout at these two fools.

 

“If your parents are in such a precarious situation… As I said earlier- Why act so carelessly?! To act on such impulse and with such disregard in the way you conducted yourself in your time here? Tired or no. Worried or no… H-how could you overlook the fact that the choices you made, including this one , would have disastrous consequences for your loved ones, Sato?!” Yaoyorozu demands.

 

“Do you want the list in fucking alphabetical or chronological order? I'm heavily autistic, I'm a fucking idiot, and I've been off my meds for at least a month now! I’m so fucked in the head that I struggle to think things through on a good day, let alone when this far in over my head!” I scream, letting out more personal info than I really wanted.

 

“Then you should have gone to someone! You’re in over your head because of your own choices, Sato. Nobody else’s. And again, the fact that you can’t tell the truth- that you’re doing all this to save your own skin, and to hell with the rest of us? Genuinely, it sickens me that you won’t even fucking own up to it. If your parents have been in danger this whole time, there’s a myriad of things you could have done to even mitigate the danger slightly for us- and you didn’t do them. Your story doesn’t check out,” Kirishima retorts.

 

Doesn’t check- DOESN'T CHECK OUT? This arrogant prick can't be serious. He hasn't presented any sort of counter argument to my story, and he says it doesn't check out? Is he fucked in the head? Stupid question, of course he is. He even fucking looks like he is.

 

“What the fuck are you on about! I have said I fucked up! I know it's my fault! I haven't denied that! If I only cared about myself, I would have done this a long time ago! As soon as Sato’s parents are safe I plan to take a swan dive off the damn roof!” I probably shouldn't have said that, but at this point it's taking a fuckton of self control to not leap the podium and strangle the both of them, so I don't much care. “I dont give a rat's ass at this point, it's them I'm worried about!” 

 

“ You said you fucked up and then spun us a bullshit story that you still haven’t recanted! I haven’t even gotten to you “accidentally” using the quirk All for One gave you, but the point stands: your actions are your own fault!” Kirishima swings his hands out wide as he shouts.

 

“ Your actions got so many hurt and so many more pushed to the brink… What’s more, you’re going to take the life of an individual who didn’t ask for any of this when you’re done. Your actions have consequences; why did it take you so long to realize that? ” Yaoyorozu is practically screaming at me now.

 

“ You're a pathetic excuse for a person. You talk a big game about being guilty, about all of that and it's all just bullshit. We all know that. You were fucking drinking in a tree. That's not guilt. Quit your bullshit and fuck off,” Kaminari speaks up, visibly trembling.

 

Oh boy, another idiotic cunt is joining the conversation. Guilt? Fuck off twat, I’ll show you guilt when I shove my foot up your ass.

 

It's at this point that the two teachers in the room, who have been standing and watching, finally take action. After a moment of brief whispering, Aizawa stands up.

 

“ But we will be giving you help regardless, Sato, and investigating your story in the meantime. Kirishima, Yaoyorozu; back to your seats,” It says.

 

Finally, someone who I can at least trust to not be an emotional idiot.

 

“I- alright,” Kirishima relents, clearly not happy, judging by the way he glares at me.

 

“… Yes ma’am,” Yaoyorozu says as she two backs down.

 

“That's all I ask for,” I say, fighting to get my emotions back in control.

 

“…I don’t think he’s lying about Sato’s parents, though. We should…probably place some attention on that,” I hear Uraraka bring up.

 

Oh shit, that's right. I nearly forgot that part. These idiots were so busy fighting me on everything that they somehow failed to consider that we had taken Sato’s parents this morning. 

 

“I hate to be that guy, well not really , but what the hell do you expect us to do about it?” Bakugo snaps.

 

“We're in the body of 16 year olds, we can't legally do shit here, you could have gone to the principal, hell, didn't you have mandatory meetings with him and Hound Dog? Why not tell either of them?” Iida is the next to speak.

 

“Honestly? I don't expect any of you guys specifically to do anything, call me paranoid but I'm worried someone Was going to shank me in the hallway after the festival. I’m going to talk to Nedzu after this, I'm sure. He’s the one who can do anything,” I explain.

 

And that's the crux of it, really. It's possible that they wouldn't try anything, but judging by the way some people were looking at me this morning, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if someone started something.

 

“If you’ll follow me, we’ll be discussing this with him right now. Midnight, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, you’re in charge,” Aizawa says as it nods to the door.

 

Great idea, leave the two emotionally unstable, fucking idiotic children in charge along side a possible pedophile. I'm sure that won't end badly.

 

I begin to follow Aizawa, only to pause in the doorway.

 

I might as well do this. At the end of the day, I need to toss these guys a bone, some sort of way to show that I don't want them hurt.

 

“Many of you have your names and home address in the local phone book. I haven't told Shigaraki about that, and I have no intention to,” I say, knowing damn well I already handed the information to Kurogiri to pass along.

 

And with that, I leave the room.

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

Well, here comes the hard part. Or it might be the easy part, depending on if these dipshits are willing to play ball.

 

As we walk, we are joined by All Might, in his true form, and the three of us continue in silence as we approach the impending doom that is Nedzu’s office.

 

Opening the door, I'm greeted by both Nedzu and Tsukauchi, the pair sitting at Nedzu's desk.

 

“Mr. Sato. Please, take a seat,” Nedzu speaks coldly as he nods his head at the chair across from him.

 

I take the seat, taking note of the setup.

 

Directly across from me is Nedzu and Tsukauchi, which is odd for an interrogation since it's considered best to be able to see the person's body language. 

 

On both my sides are All Might and Aizawa, the pair are clearly just here as bodyguards. There's no one behind me, but I take note of the fact I can't get out of my chair now without doing a backflip, which means I'm boxed in. I'm unsure if it's the law or just good practice, but you generally shouldnt box in the individual you're interrogating. Something about giving the person a feeling of security. I'm sure as shit not feeling too good myself.

 

"How's this going to work?" I ask, leaning forwards and clasping my hands as I look at Nedzu in his beady little inhuman eyes.

 

“Mr. Sato, I am going to ask you a series of questions to confirm your involvement with the League of Villains. You will answer based upon your own knowledge. To begin, to calibrate my quirk: please tell me one truth and one lie,” Tsukauchi wastes no time in starting the process.

 

I immediately take note of the sheer lack of recording devices present. Or at least, there's none visible and I haven't been told there is one. interesting…

 

"Before I answer that, can you please clarify whether this is an interrogation or an interview?" I ask.

 

“That depends on how you answer our questions,” Nedzu responds, his tone cold and unyielding.

 

My eyes narrow. I spent a good amount of time with Kurogiri researching how the law goes. I know how things are meant to go, and I know what rights I have.

 

"That's… not how it works. I'm happy to tell you information I have. Hell, I will tell you what I know regardless, but when it comes to questioning I don't actually trust you at all, so I need to know if this is an interrogation or an interview. I know it makes me look bad, but I have no reason to trust you to care about my well-being. The only person in this room I remotely trust is All Might, but he has no control in this," I point out.

 

“ Then I would refer to this-” Nedzu says, staring at me with his cold little eyes, only to be cut off.

 

“Mr. Sato. We’re merely trying to get to the bottom of this situation, the best we can. Will you please work with us?” Tsukauchi speaks up.

 

So be it. Surely they both understand that by doing this, none of this will be admissible in court. But hey, it's their funeral.

 

"Whatever then, I suppose I'll go fuck myself… a truth and lie, then. My real name is Mike Hunt, and I trust you to remain unbiased during this. That good enough for you?" I say with a sigh.

 

“Yes. First question: for how long have you been working with the League of Villains?” Tsukachi immediately launches into questioning.

 

"Can't say for sure off the top of my head, but it's been around a month? I encountered them early on," I say as I shrug, much more tiredly than I would like.

 

“True. To the best of your knowledge, who is a member of and who is an associate of the League of Villains?” 

 

"Shigaraki, Kurogiri, All For One, and probably Dr whats-his-face. Never met the doctor myself, but I know him from the show. That's all I know for sure, I didn't exactly meet anyone else," I say with a rub of my chin.

 

“True. What actions have you committed as a member of or under the orders of the League of Villains or any associated people?”

 

Ah, a good question. And one I had to get explicit permission from Shigaraki to explain.

 

"At the end of each day I provide a report of things that happen during the day. There is never anything substantial to report on though, and I'm pretty sure Shigaraki doesn't even read them. Aside from that, on the day of the attack they told me to turn on a gps device and to, quote, 'keep your head down'. They didn't tell me what was going to happen though. Oh, and All For One told me to get close to Midoriya and find out what kind of person he is, but aside from a single conversation during the festival and including some of the things he does in class in my reports to try and satisfy All For One, I haven't really done anything regarding that. Other than that, nothing.”

 

“True. What quirk or quirks did All for One give you and when did he give them to you?”

 

"A quirk named Body Bulk, and as far as I know that's the only one. He gave it to me the night after the attack."

 

“True. Principal Nedzu?” 

 

“ Mr. Sato. Why did you decide to turn yourself in to us today?” Nedzu begins to speak, for some reason.

 

"Sato's parents were taken because of my fuck up, and they need help. Help that I can't give them myself. But you can."

 

That's some tricky wording, on its own, each sentence is true, but who knows how it's gonna hold up?

 

“Partially True,” Tsukauchi reveals.

 

Huh. partial truths are revealed? Thats fucking great. I'm so glad right now that none of this is admissible. I could admit to murder and they wouldn't be able to really use it.

 

“What were the other reasons that led to your decision?” Nedzu questions.

 

"...Spite. Regret," I begrudgingly admit.

 

“Truth.”

 

“Why did All for One wait until now to take your parents hostage?”

 

"I didn't fuck up until now."

 

“Truth.”

 

“And he didn’t choose to take your parents hostage beforehand?”

 

I… have no idea what he’s asking me right now.

 

"Not sure what that question means, but I have no idea what that Demon plans or why he chooses to do the things he does."

 

“True.”

 

“ Mr. Sato. Let us cut to the chase. Did you choose to voluntarily join the League of Villains without any forms of external coercion?” Nedzu asks, leaning forward and staring at me with his cold animalistic eyes.

 

…fuck, that is painfully specific.

 

“That… that shouldn’t matter. I’m here now, and that’s what matters.” 

 

“Mr. Sato, please answer the question,” Tsukauchi prods.

 

“I don't want to answer that.” 

 

“True.”

 

“Then we will assume the answer is yes. Mr. Sato, what did you hope to get out of this? A pat on the back for being oh-so-brave and a carte blanche to do whatever you liked, so long as you claimed it was working against the League?” Nedzu leans back in his chair, his eyes continuing to bore into me.

 

He… fuck. He doesn't care, does he? He’s made up his mind.

 

“I wanted to stay out of jail, and I wanted Sato’s parents to be helped. I get the feeling you only want one of those things, though.” 

 

“Mr. Sato. I am sorry, as an educator and as a hero, that I failed you to the point you decided to voluntarily seek out All for One. All Might and Aizawa will be taking you down to the detainment cells U.A. holds for the moment while I deliberate with Detective Tsukauchi on how best to proceed.”

 

…fucks sake. I was fucked from the begining, wasnt I?

 

“...Does that mean I’m under arrest?” I ask.

 

A very important question to ask.

 

“Officially, arrests can only be made by the police force of the prefecture where the crime took place. You are being detained ,” Nedzu explains.

 

These fucking-

 

“You understand that by doing so, you are telling the League that I'm compromised and they will kill Sato’s parents, assuming they haven't already?”

 

“Mr. Sato, we have been aware of your… predilections for weeks, though we were content to let you provide the information you thought you had, barring a sudden shift such as this one. Did you really believe we would leave your parents unprotected?”

 

…I'm going to strangle this reject build-a-bear.

 

“...what?”

 

“The real William and Akane Sato are safe, Mr. Sato, though I cannot say the same for their body doubles. Once again, you have my deepest apologies as an educator for failing you in this way. Mr. Aizawa? All Might?”

 

As the two heroes in question stand up, I feel my chest begin to tighten. This isn't good. Alright, calm down, I can work this, surely. I just-

 

“Oh, and Mr. Sato? Let this serve as a formal notice of your expulsion from the hero course of U.A. High School. At this time we will not be extending you an offer to re-enroll, whether in the hero track or any other. Have a nice day!”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

…fuck. That's that then. Looks like I'm not making it back home. Trish… Bell… Oliver… Winter… Ethan… Cary… I failed.

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

I make no attempt to fight the two pro heroes as I'm led away. It makes no difference. I can't face The Demon again. I failed, so he won't exactly be willing to let me go home. Or to let me live.

 

The two hand me what looks like a standard prison uniform, which thanks, fuck you guys. And I change into it without any arguments. From there, I'm led into a hallway, with cells lining the walls.

 

The cell I'm led to is a big empty room. There are exactly two things in the room, those being a bed on one wall and a toilet on the other. Aside from that, everything else is nothing more than metal and a glass-like pane humming with what I assume to be electricity.

 

I sit on the bed, staring blankly ahead as the two heroes leave.

 

Well, guess this is it.

 

Now what?

 

I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the roof.

 

I can feel the despair tickling my mind.

 

What's the point in doing anything now?

 

Maybe I wasn't wrong when I mentioned a swan dive off the roof…

 

====================================================================

Wednesday, 14/05/2256

 

It's been several days since they shut me in here. Its just barely not considered torture under the eyes of the law, but it sure as shit is to me.

 

My days consist of sitting in this fucking room finding ways to entertain myself. I've accepted that I'm going to die without going home. Well, no, that's not even remotely true. I accepted that The Demon will kill me for failing him. But it's not something I'm happy about. Everytime I think about home, and how I'll never see it again, I find myself falling deeper and deeper into the despair I'm currently drowning in.

 

 But there's no real point in trying to fight it. So I just spend all day trying to find ways to not think about it. It doesn't help that I'm only allowed out for a few hours a day, and all I'm allowed to do is sit in a courtyard in the school. And when I’m being watched by Aizawa, there's nothing I can do at all other than just sit in the sun. so at least there's that. But during the rest of the day?

 

The only source of interaction I get is when Aizawa and Tsukauchi come by daily, and ask for my testimony.

 

I make sure to tell them exactly where to stick their testimony. I also keep asking for a lawyer, but they won't let me speak to one, no matter how many times I demand one.

 

I have rights, and these “heroes” don't care. I have the right to a lawyer. Legally, I can only be detained for forty eight hours before I have to appear before a judge or prosecutor, and only then can I be detained for longer.

 

I've been in here for days, and i haven't seen a hint of a judge. This is no longer detainment. As far as the law is concerned, this is Unlawful Imprisonment.

 

And both Nedzu and Tsukauchi know it. That's why they won't let me see a lawyer. They have no case, no evidence. My “confessions” are admissible in court. My rights are being violated. If I spoke to a lawyer, these fucks would be in deep shit and they know it.

 

But they don't care. So here I am, rotting in this room with nothing to do.

 

 I'm currently sitting in the corner counting bottles!

 

"Nine million four hundred and twenty two bottles of beer on the wall, nine million four hundred and twenty two bottles of beer. You take one down, you pass it around, nine million four hundred and twenty one bottles of-" I pause, hearing footsteps outside of my humble cell. 

 

Is it time for my daily lawyer request? or do I perhaps have a visitor?

 

“This looks… something, I guess,” I hear a familiar voice speak up, one that somewhat surprises me.

 

“Y’know what, fuck it, I’m just gonna cut to the chase. I think we both know the real reason you went to All For One in the first place. And it wasn’t to turn in the League right off the bat," I hear Bakugo speak.

 

I glance up., sure enough, standing in front of my cell, stands Bakugo. Aizawa is also present, standing off to the side and watching like a hawk.

 

"And why do you think I did it?" I ask him.

 

“You have the same goal as I do, right? Wanting to find a way out of this world?”

 

Huzzah, a man with a dream.

 

"Fair enough. Yeah, getting home was the goal."

 

“Exactly. You went to All For One to try and find a way back. Am I wrong?”

 

I let out a chuckle at this.

 

"Wrong. I went to The Demon because I already knew he can. More accurately, quirks can get us home. And The Demon is the only one who can use quirks the way they need to be used to do it," I inform the explosive boy.

 

“If you know he can… Then why hasn’t he done it already? Is it because he kidnapped ‘your’ parents to make you work with him… Or is it because he had no intention to send you back?” Bakugo’s smirk drops as he speaks.

 

Fair enough, I didn't phrase that right.

 

"He hasn't done it yet because he currently is unable to. The amount of power that would be needed isn't something he has yet. You would need functionally infinite power to boost a warp quirk far enough to send us home. But with One For All, if he dupes the enhancement quirk, he will have two quirks that strengthen each other, infinitely. Then, and only then, will he have enough of a boost to his quirks to break reality to his whims and travel worlds," I explain.

 

Look, I've had a lot of time in here to think, and quirk theory has become a constant topic of thought.

 

“The whole idea still hinges on the idea that he even will send you back. You’re working with the literal Demon King over here. All he cares about is getting One For All, not helping some random person travel to another universe because they asked.

 

You might know as far as Kamino, but most of us know more. We knew All For One gave you Body Bulk, not just because it was a second random quirk, but because it’s a quirk we’ve seen in the manga already, Chapter 371 to be exact. Most of us already know what All For One is capable of. We’ve seen the Final War, we’ve seen him steal quirks from the likes of Hawks and Stain, we’ve seen him beat some of the best heroes in the series. Hell, Shigaraki, his literal successor, all he wanted him for was to use him as a potential vessel to keep living in after basically nearly destroying his own.

 

 I think it’s pretty clear that All For One won’t send you back. I don’t know why you’re not realizing it yet,” Bakugo explains.

 

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. Does he think I'm a fool? I'll admit, it's fair to think I don't know most of that, since officially I only know up to season three. And in terms of events, that's pretty accurate.

 

But I've read enough fanfiction to get a grasp of most characteristics. Not perfect, but I've got the gist. I know what kind of person The Demon is, I know he just wants Shigaraki to be his new body, I learnt that from Cheat Code: Support Strategist.

 

"Oh I know. I know that it's unlikely he'll send me home. The most likely outcome is that he looks at me and says 'fuck it, I don't have to honour any deal I make when I'm this powerful',” I begin to speak, slipping a quote from Seven Deadly Schmucks in.

 

“But at least I'll die knowing I did everything I could. And besides, what if he does keep his promise? The chance of me going home after all this is low, but it's just slightly higher than zero. I guess that's why I joined them and you didn't. If I have to never see my home again, I'll at least go down trying, while you're content to give up on seeing home again. I guess that makes me a bad person. Not like it matters though, since I failed. He's definitely gonna kill me now. But at least I can stare the bastard god-snake-skeleton thingie Balerdroch who sent me here in the eyes and say I tried," I say, laying my cards on the table.

 

“So you decided to work with the main villain, the literal Demon King himself, and mess up everything for all of us, just so that if it all goes wrong, you can say ‘I tried’? You’re more of a lost cause than I fucking thought you were,”

 

Suit yourself. If you don't want to go home then that's your problem.

 

“Time’s up, Baku-” Aizawa begins to speak, only to be cut off.

 

“I was just about to leave anyway.”

 

As Bakugo begins to walk away, I hear him begin to speak.

 

“For most of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps more waiting for you after the smoke clears. Although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to swallow you whole.”

 

There's silence as he turns to look back at me.

 

“So don't keep the devil waiting, old friend…”

 

…this bitch didn't.

 

I burst out laughing.

 

“He- he fucking- I can’t- bro I’m dead!”

 

====================================================================

Thursday, 15/05/2256

I lay on the floor, ignoring the perfectly fine bed next to me as I drone endless.

 

"The End is never the end is never the end is never the end is never the-" 

 

I pause as I hear footsteps. A visitor? For moi? Is it a lawyer ?

 

Looking up, I'm met with an ugly mess of scars.

 

"You've got five minutes," Aizawa says to the scarred fire man.

 

"Huh. You're definitely not my lawyer."

 

“ I sure hope I'm not, but anyways, Hello,” Dabi greets me with a wave.

 

"So, what can I do ya' for? Come to gloat on your successful betrayal? Good job on that, by the way," I say, sitting up.

 

“Thanks? Anyways, let’s just talk,” Dabi shrugs.

 

Did he not think this through? Fair enough, he was probably curious.

 

"All I really have to say to you is that I think you pissed a few people off. Other than that, I guess… why did you join the league if you were just gonna dip?"

 

“The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma,” Dabi jokingly replies with a chuckle, before giving his serious answer. “It’s because I began to realise what I had done in this world, which I am still doing now.”

 

What you had done? Like what? A spot of murder? Who cares about that, let them burn or whatever!

 

"Well, I'd say it was a bad idea on your part to leave. You made some dangerous people very angry," I inform him.

 

“I’m aware.”

 

“Good, good…” 

 

As an awkward silence falls on the room, I glance down at my wrist, taking note of the continued lack of watch.

 

By the Lotus would you look at the time.

 

“Welp, don't have much else to say. So I guess I'll see you if I see ya.”

 

“Bye,” Dabi says as he leaves, Aizawa following behind him.

 

…Did his voice just sound weird? Did he speak another language? Fuck, that hasn’t happened in a hot minute…

 

====================================================================

Saturday, 18/05/2256

I'm laying in the bed. What day is it? I want to say Saturday, but don't quote me on that.

 

I hear footsteps. A visitor? For little old moi? You shouldn't have!

 

I glance over at the new person, only to sigh.

 

Great. Kirishima is here. Fucking twat.

 

“Fuck do you want? Don't suppose you're here to be my lawyer?” I say with a chuckle.

 

I swear, if this fuckwit says some kind of bullshit I'm going to lose my shit.

 

“No, I… I guess I still had unanswered questions. Still have unanswered questions. The biggest one: why?”

 

That's one of life’s great mysteries, isn't it? Why? It's also painfully unhelpful.

 

“Why what? Be specific.”

 

“Why be the traitor? Why go to All for One and sell him the future? Why do any of it?” Kirishima asks, throwing his hands out.

 

This guy…

 

“What difference does it make to you? Way I see it, it wouldn't help if I did tell you. You're a merge of Kirishima and the schmuck from my world, right? With that in mind, I reckon it will make no difference if you do or don't know, because you can’t possibly begin to understand it like I do.”

 

“I suppose that’s true. I got lucky in that regard,” Kirishima says with a shrug as a moment of silence falls upon the room.

 

“But all the same, I do want to know. I just… I can’t wrap my head around it. Even if I was in another world, nobody I knew… I don’t think I would ever be able to make that choice,” Kirishima finally speaks.

 

…he can't understand. He truly is a lucky one. 

 

On the one hand, I could answer him directly. Tell him about my desperation, and my life. But I don't want to.

 

And yet, lying is too much effort. Should I just not tell him anything?

 

No, that's just cruel. I know what it's like to never get closure. God knows I'm familiar. Not just from never seeing my family again, but also from everything else I left behind. All the series I'll never see the ending too, all the mysteries I'll never see solved.

 

Being left in the dark without an answer is cruel. So I suppose I'll toss him a bone this once.

 

“I suppose… I just didn't think about the consequences of my actions until they stared me in the face. Before that, I was just gushing about a show to someone. In that forest, seeing the injuries, that's when it clicked. But I'm stubborn to a fault. Figured I got that far, may as well see it through. Figured it would be worth it in the end. Maybe that makes me fucked up. I don't care much anymore,” I finally say.

 

“I guess I can relate to that. Just the side of the coin we fell on, I suppose,” Kirishima says, before falling silent once again, seemingly thinking.

 

“Guess that’s it, huh? More likely than not this is the last time I’ll ever see you.” 

 

“Don't I know it. Even if I don't land in jail, I'm dead no matter what. Hell, I might be killed even if I do end up in jail. Fucks me, I guess,” I chuckle dryly.

 

No matter what happens, death is the only outcome. Sucks to suck but fucks me I guess.

 

“ Consequences of your own actions, I guess. Just… remember you can always be a better person, y’know? I… I still hate you, I think. I don’t think I’ll ever stop hating you. But I really, genuinely, do hope you grow. I hope you become a better person than you are right now. I really do,” Kirishima stands up as he gives me a classic ‘friendship’ speech.

 

… dumbass.

 

“When I said I'm dead either way, I meant it. I can't grow, can I? There's no future for me, either the demon kills me for failing him, or I spend the rest of my life rotting in jail. Not much room to grow, is there?” I let out a deep sigh, lowering my head, “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

 

“There’s always room for us to grow. Always.” 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure I made my thoughts clear. Guess Kirishima pisses on the poor.

 

“Time’s up, Kirishima,” Aizawa declares, right on schedule.

 

“ I guess… have a nice life, then. See you if I see you,” Kirishima says, nodding his head as he begins to walk away.

 

“See ya, then. Try and be better than me.”

====================================================================

Monday Afternoon, 12/05/2256

"Crazy? I was crazy once. They locked me in a room. A rubber room. A rubber room with rats. And rats make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy-" I pause my endless rambling as I hear footsteps.

 

Either I have a visitor, or I'm starting to go insane.

 

“Hello there!” 

 

Guess I have a visitor.

 

I raise my head from my place lying on the floor next to the bed, only to raise an eyebrow at the person I see.

 

"Hey. Don't suppose you're my lawyer, are you? What can I do for ya?" I ask Neito Monoma. No, wait, it's Nadohunt, isn't it? What did they say back in the festival?

 

“Ha! No, I'm no lawyer. As for what you can do for me… I hear you were the traitor. Mind if I ask stuff?” 

 

Ah, surprised so few people have done this. I expected people to be lining up to see the caged traitor, but so far I've only had, what, three other visitors? Way too few if you ask me.

 

"Go ahead. Though I kinda have a question for you as well, but I reckon it can wait."

 

“Sure! We can take turns then! First off, what's your name?” Neito asks with a grin.

 

A harmless question.

 

"Michael. Mike Hunt. My father thought he was a comedian. Kinda opens up my question, what's with your name? They said in the festival your last name is Nadohunt," I reply.

 

“Hyphenated. Nado is Snipe’s surname, Hunt was his reincarnator’s, Trishtan.” Neito frowns slightly, “She's gone now.”

 

…I beg your fucking pardon?

 

I stand up faster than I ever have before, staring at Neito with wide eyes.

 

"Excuse the fuck out of me? Did you just say Trishtan? Trishtan Hunt? Did she happen to be Australian?" I ask him desperately.

 

“Yeah, I think so. Why?” 

 

I'm silent.

 

A distant memory plays in my head.

 

====================================================================

Several weeks ago

“Congratulations. You are the first to have perished by your own actions. Well done.”

 

My body shivers as it speaks. Its voice is deep and scrapy, and it has what sounds like screams layered just underneath the noise.

 

“P-perished?” my voice shakes, this being's presence being far more terrifying than All For One’s.

 

“ Though, I suppose it's not fully your fault. Bringing that one did shake your spirit. So it makes sense that your heart would give out after your actions for the day. ”

 

“What… what’s going on?”

 

“ Isn't it obvious? You have died. Your heart was weakened from when I transferred the other, and the strain you put on yourself was simply too much. I'm honestly impressed you stayed alive as long as you did after using it. ”

Bringing that one

 

Transferred the other

 

That one

 

The other

 

====================================================================

Monday Morning, 12/05/2256

…Oh my god.

 

A vile chuckle slips past my lips. The despair floods the laugh as I speak.

 

"Trish… She was here? Is this some kind of fucking sick joke? Trish is… my older sister. And you're saying she was here right in front of me this whole time?" I ask, my voice is strained.

 

Please let it be some kind of cruel joke. I'd prefer that over the alternative…

 

“If I was joking, how would I know the name?” 

 

Not a joke not a joke not a joke 

 

Trish was here she was right there right there right there

 

“…also does this make you my uncle?”

 

The out of pocket questions snaps me from my spiral.

 

"Of course she would adopt someone here… that's exactly what she would do…” my voice is strained, and each word fights me on the way out.

 

She always cared for the young so much.

 

“It probably does. Make me your uncle I mean. You said she's gone now. What happened?" I ask.

 

“Poof. Gone. During the Sports Festival. Just vanished from Snipe's head,” Neito explains as he gestures a poof with his arms.

 

I sit down on the bed, placing my face into my hands.

 

"Gone… she's… fuck. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fucking piece of shit,” i mutter to myself before glancing over at Neito. “I need to process this shit. Guess I'm your uncle, or however the fuck that works. Do you have any other questions for me or can I have time to think?"

 

There's a pause, perhaps Neito does have something else to say.

 

Luckily, Neito seems to be able to tell when someone isn't in the right state to talk.

 

“That's fine, Uncle Mike. Have a good day! Or, however good it can be, I guess…”

 

…Uncle Mike.

 

Fuck. 

 

Chapter 10: That Time I Got Reincarnated As The Sugar Man And Became A Villain And Got Caught Because I'm Bad At Being Undercover

I lay on the bed in the room, humming a tune to myself as I began to hear footsteps approaching the cell.

‘Visitors?’

The footsteps stop. I don't bother looking up, knowing exactly who it is the moment they speak.

“Mr. Sato,” Nedzu’s shrill voice says.

“...not my name but whatever. What do you want?” I reply to the little rat.

“Mr. Hunt, then. We had a few questions we were hoping you would be willing to answer.”

“I want a lawyer.”

I spent a while researching law and procedures with Kurogiri before this. If I request a lawyer then all questions must stop until I speak with one. Of course, that only applies if ive been arrested, and these guys insisted that I was ‘detained’.

On that note, they are really pushing their luck. You can only detain someone for forty-eight hours before they need to appear before a judge and/or defense prosecutor, at which point only then can they hold me for longer.

It's been almost two days, so these guys are leaving this late.

“Very well. Do you have a particular lawyer you want us to try and reach?” Nedzu replies.

…I honestly thought they would try and fight me on it a bit. Do I have a particular lawyer?

“...Saul Goodman. If you can't get a hold of him for some reason, then I want a court appointed lawyer," I respond, still refusing to look at the rat.

“Mr. Hunt, please stop… this and aid us in catching All for One,” a different voice, that of Tsukauchi responds.

I raise an eyebrow.

“Tuppykip you ktoj yaup joopsat,” I respond in fluent Corpus.

What did I say? If this was a fanfiction then the author would put a translation in the bottom of the chapter. But this isn't a fanfic, is it?

“Hm?”

I sit up, finally turning to look at the pair as I lean forwards.

“When All For One kills me, I want it to be quick and painless. Telling you shit kinda doesn't get me that.”

I'm not suicidal. But I know how pointless it is to fight All For One. if I die, I die. C'est' la vie. I tried. And when I see that Balerdroch again, that will be that.

“P ait'p peppitj you ykip! Yose tayk jipk a jattatp!” I lean backwards and shout out.

“Then I suppose we’ll leave you to the rest of your day. Goodbye, Mr. Hunt,” Nedzu says.

With a nod, the pair walk away.

I lay back down, staring at the ceiling.

“Now what?” I mutter.

====================================================================

“Memories of them standing there,
I can still hear his voice in my ear (Bro check this out!),
Memories of her talking to me, She told me about her brand new dress, (Elsa!),
Memories of us laughing together,
When I cracked a joke about our shitty car,
Memories of her explaining to me,
Why paint damage still is damage (it rusts the car!),
Memories help me remembеr them,
The things we did, the lifе we lived…”

====================================================================

“If I tried to live this good out there, I'd have to be a thousandaire!”

I stand in the middle of the cell, belting out the lyrics of whatever songs come to mind.

“This is where I wanna grow old! So I'm just praying, I don't make parole! 'Cause I don't wanna be free!” I shout, spreading my arms wide.

“Your singing is terrible, kiddo,” The grumbly voice of Wally mutters.

“I’d like to see you do better, asshole,” I snap back.

“I would but I'm just a voice you're using to act out a script out of pure boredom so I can't sing any better than you,” Wally rudely points out.

“Okay but do you have to call me out like that? It's really rude.”

“I’m literally just a voice you're doing.”

“...that's not the point.”

“... more singing?”

“I was thinking the same thing!”

“Get up on the floor, Dancing all night long! Get up on the floor, Dancing 'til the break of dawn!”

====================================================================

“Memories of their favourite food,
These homemade mashed potatoes that I cooked for them. (oh, I added too much milk, sorry.),
Memories of helping them move house,
I wish I spent more time at my mothers new house,
Memories help me remember them,
The things they did, the life we lived,”

========================================================

“So, you think the sprinkled donuts are better than the chocolate one?” I question the other totally real person here who is definitely not a voice I'm doing.

“Yeah, cause then you get the different textures, it-” Wally responds, only to pause as I hear someone approaching my cell.

“Young Sato,” A familiar deep voice speaks up from beyond the glass.

I raise my head from the floor, raising an eyebrow as I spot All Might in his small form sitting outside my cell. He looks horrifically tired.

“Well, didn't expect to see you here. What can I do you for?” I ask, my voice somewhat rumbly from doing the voice I gave Wally.

All Might closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them, looking so incredibly tired.

“Why?”

I'm getting sick and tired of people asking me that.

“Seems pretty self explanatory to me. I was in a shitty headspace, wanted to go home, realised only way to do that would be using multiple quirks at once, and there's only one man on the planet who can do that, and said ‘Fuck it, we ball’,” I reply with a shrug.

All Might is quiet for a moment before sighing heavily.

“…You still aren’t taking any responsibility, are you?”

I squint at him. I'm no psychologist, but I don't think that's right.

“Is that what I'm doing? I don't feel like I'm trying to deflect. I did all that.”

“Every time you talk about your activities, you blame it on being in a poor headspace or being off your medications. I haven’t heard you once express remorse or even take responsibility for your own agency; just lamentations that you weren’t thinking it through,” All might responds, his voice rumbling.

“I mean… I guess? I don’t see it that way, personally. I was in a shitty headspace. I was, and still technically am, off my meds. That is all what led to me making the choices I did. As for remorse… I do, definitely, feel remorse. I feel bad that people got hurt, and will continue to get hurt. But I still did it anyway. I guess that makes me fucked up, doesn’t it? But... You can’t really understand it from my point of view. Not truely," I mutter.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, for one thing, I’m autistic so my brain inherently functions different to yours. And for another, you haven’t lost your entire family with the only way to possibly get back to them is to work for a bad man. But I’m not here for sympathy points. I’ve answered your question. Anything else?”

“…No, I suppose that’s all. Thank you for your time,” All Might says as she gets up.

I wave casually as he leaves, settling into silence.

“...well Kiddo, as I was saying, you get the different textures, which-”

“Man, fuck the textures, everyone knows the Caramel filled donuts are better.”

“Kiddo, I have never been so offended by something I one hundred percent agree with.”

“... have you noticed that I still haven't gotten a lawyer? Pretty sure that means I'm being held illegally right now.”

“You think they care?”

====================================================================

“Cold, the air and water flowing,
Hard, the land we call our home,
Push, to keep the dark from coming,
Feel the weight of what we owe!” I belt out, slamming my fist against the ground in time with the music.

“This, the song of sons and daughters,
Hide, the heart of who we are,
Making peace to build our future,
Strong, united, working 'til we fall!” Wally continues the next verse, my voice grumbly.

“Cold, the air and water flowing,
Hard, the land we call our home,
Push, to keep the dark from coming,
Feel the weight of what we owe!” I continue, my voice switching back to mine.

“This, the song of sons and daughters,
Hide, the heart of who we are,
Making peace to build our future,
Strong, united, working 'til we fall!” I switch my voice back to that of Wally, his deep rumble soothing to my ears, but not my throat.

“And we all lift, and we're all adrift,
Together, together
Through the cold mist, 'til we're lifeless,
Together, together!” I Force my voice into as close of mix between mine and Wally’s as I can, not that anyone else is present to judge that.

“...Hey Kiddo, do you ever think about how we will never hear these songs again? That the only place they exist is in our head?”

“I was trying to avoid it till you brought it up, asshole.”

“You mean you brought it up, you're literally acting me.”

“You really gotta stop calling me out like that.”

 

====================================================================

“Memories of the lights going out,
Going out while the electric hum stops,
Memories of a man in the hall,
A man in the hall walking to my cell,
Memories of him breaking the glass,
Breaking the glass that keeps me in my cell…”

Notes:

Corpus phrase #1: (Bullshit you know Saul Goodman)
Corpus phrase #2 (I Aint telling you shit! Come back with a warrant!)

Never learn corpus kids. It's a bullshit language. It's not hard to translate english into corpus, but translating corpus into english is functionally impossible. I'd imagine canonically it's a language that relies heavily on things like context and body language, but it's really shit.

Anyway, way too short of a chapter. But things are cooking for the next one.

Chapter 11: I'm Only Running For The Exercise

====================================================================

I'm not sure what happened.

One second, I'm laying in relative silence, filling the void with my endless chats with Wally, with the dull humm of whatever machinery is electrifying the glass wall of the cell.

The next, I feel the building shake, as the lights shut off, red emergency lights coming on in the hallway. Alarms begin to blare in the distance as I raise my head.

“What just happened?” I mutter.

“Sounds like something broke, Kiddo,” Wally replies.

I'm quiet for a moment, just paying attention to my surroundings. I could hear the alarms in the distance, but something caught my ears. Or more accurately, nothing did.

The humm of electricity was nowhere to be heard.

I leap to my feet, quickly moving to the glass. Hesitantly, I bring a hand up and slowly place it on the glass, bracing myself for a shock.

Nothing.

“Kiddo, it seems it's time to leave…” Wally points out.

I don't bother replying. Why should I? It's just me doing a voice.

I clench my hand and slam it into the glass.

This place wasn't built for long term holding, nor holding strong people. They rely on the electricity to keep people in, clearly.

I can tell by the cracks on the glass.

Seeing the cracks, I begin to pound my fists against it, until finally it gives, smashing down. My hands hurt from the punching, but I don't care.

This cell is borderline torture for me. I'd prefer facing down All For One then sitting in this place any longer.

====================================================================

I run.

I can hear the sounds of fighting somewhere behind me, near the exit gate. So I ran in a different direction. If I recall correctly, it should be a straight shot to the wall through this… small forest? I'm not sure if there's a proper term.

It's late, the sun is low in the sky, making visibility difficult. But I can see enough to not run into a tree or anything.

“This seems too easy, Kiddo.”

Wally makes a good point. What is happening? I haven't encountered anyone so far, no resistance at all. And without knowing what caused the power outage…

Is this some kind of trick, perhaps?

“Don’t take another step.”

I freeze at the new voice. That was… I believe it was Asui? What is she doing here? I glance upwards into the trees, where I heard her voice from. I can't see her, her outfit clearly serving as some good camouflage.

“Fuck’s sake. I’m leaving, so fuck off,” I snap out angrily.

“I heard what you did, ribbit. I’m not letting you leave,” Asui responds from her hiding place.

“Well, I'm fairly sure I'm being held illegally at this point, and I'd rather die than sit in an empty cell for another day. So I'm leaving,” I point out.

I’d rather not fight anyone if I can avoid it right now. So I try to sprint.

Emphasis on try, as before any real distance is covered, something moves from the trees, slamming into my back hard before vanishing once more into the trees.

I stumble forwards, catching myself with a roll, finishing on my knees as I glare upwards into the tree tops, looking for any sign of-

There!

A blur leaps between the trees, fast enough that I can't really make any details out, nor does it stay still for any more than a second.

“Kiddo, Bulk up. Stay low and the trees will cover the height,” Wally mutters out.

“Fuck it, what choice do I have? Let's stay low.”

I feel the familiar feeling of Body Bulk surge through me as I grow, my clothes tearing at the seams to try and accommodate the added size. I stay somewhat crouched down, keeping myself from clearing the treeline.

I keep my eyes focused on Asui as she blurs from tree to tree. I wait for the right moment…

I throw my hand out, aiming for her. But I miss the mark ever so slightly.

“This little… this fucken cracked up spider monkey…” I mutter angrily to myself.

Taking advantage of my miss, Asui slams into my back again. This time, however, I effectively shrug the attack off.

“Frog, actually,” Asui retorts as she leaps back into the canopy of trees.

“Yeah, let me just be politically correct with my insults…” I mutter as I scan the treeline once more, spotting her as she moves.

It's hard to track her, but I manage to wait until she leaps just slightly close enough to me. I throw my hand out again, trying to swat her like a fly.

This time, my aim is better, more adjusted to her speed. It's not a proper hit, but I graze her just enough to throw her off.

This knocks her off course, slamming into the tree below her expected landing spot. She grunts as she gets back up and continues her jumping. I let out a grunt of annoyance at this.

“You know, if you keep this up, one of us is gonna get tired out sooner or later. And I ain't the one jumping around like a crackhead frog,” I say as I follow her movements.

“I have reinforcements, ribbit. Friends. Do you?” She retorts.

‘You have me, Kiddo.’ Wally points out helpfully in my mind.

‘You're a voice I’m putting on, you don't count,’ I think back.

“...go fuck yourself,” I say outloud to the frog.

Once more I throw my hand outwards. This time my aim is dead on, having finally gotten used to her movements.

I smack Asui out of the air, slamming her into the ground with a grunt. I bring my fist down to punch again, trying to pound her into the ground.

Asui manages to barely backflip from her place on the ground, dodging my punch by a hair's breadth.

“Your new ‘friends’ aren’t going to trust you. You know what they say, ribbit. Once a traitor…” Asui trails off.

“Don’t care, didn't ask.”

Asui tries to leap upwards into the trees once again. I'm not about to let her start doing all that shit again.

I reach out quickly, snagging onto her leg and tugging her back down, her body slamming into the ground as she yells.

She manages to pull her leg free and hops away from me, but it's clear that she's injured by the way she clutches her ribs. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem ready to give up.

It should go without saying that I'm not about to give up, so I reach up and grab a large tree branch from the canopy above, tearing it off the tree with ease and throwing it at the weakened frog.

She leaps over it, but luckily, that was my plan.

Using the thrown branch as a form of cover, I manage to get into range, slamming a powerful fist into her stomach. I internally cringe as I feel something snapping under my hand, perhaps several ribs.

I've broken bones once before, when that guy tried to mug me. But that was different.

Asui is sent flying backwards from my hit, slamming into a tree and falling to the ground. She looks upwards, glaring up at me. There's a look of pain on her face, and a fire in her eyes.

“I wonder how long it’ll take you to betray the League of Villains? To jump onto another team?” Asui spits out, clearly trying to get under my skin.

It won’t work.

“Counterpoint: I've met All for One. He is terrifying. I know better than to go against that demon,” I reply.

‘Why don't any of them realise what they're up against? This would be so much easier if they just gave up, ey Kiddo?’ Wally thinks.

I ignore my imaginary voice as I approach Asui, moving quickly as she tries to struggle to her feet. I don't let her move anywhere, as I grab her leg and throw her against the ground with a thud.

She lets out another yell, clearly struggling from injuries as she manages to squeeze her leg from my grasp, leaping backwards, an act that her injuries clearly don't agree with based on her wince.

“You sought him out, ribbit. You went looking for him. How long did it take you to decide that our lives were worth less than yours?” She spits out.

‘Talking about things like this is the last thing I want to do.’

“Eat shit and die,” I say, refusing to play ball with her taunts.

I reach up once again, tearing off another large tree branch.

‘Let's see if she can dodge it this time, Kiddo,’ Wally thinks.

‘For once we agree,’ I respond to myself.

I throw the branch with speed and precision. Asui tries to move, but it's clear her injuries are at a point where that's not an option. The branch hits her directly, knocking her over.

She lays stunned for a moment, but that's all I need to approach, bringing my fist up, and slamming it down. Hard.

I feel something break beneath my fist.

“You threatened my brother and sister, ribbit. My friends. Never,” Asui manages to wheeze out, before opening her mouth.

Her tongue snakes out, smacking me in the face.

‘Revolting,’ Someone in my mind says, could be me or Wally. Well, both are me- not the point.

The force of the tongue isn't a lot, but the action itself is enough to cause me to stumble. It's not by much, but it's enough that she is able to jump to her feet and move backwards.

“Christ, how durable are you? There is no way you've got much left in you,” I question as I wipe saliva off my face.

‘Seriously though, how much more does she have? She's gotta have at least several broken ribs and who knows what else, Kiddo,’ Wally points out helpfully.

I don't bother waiting for her to reply as I move, quickly punching her again, sending her skidding backwards into another tree with a thud. She looks like shit, all things considered.

I move up, bringing my fist back for another hit.

‘Time to end this,’ I think to myself.

“Don’t touch my family,” Asui spits out, barely hidden venom lacing her words.

As I bring my arms up, something stops me.

Is it a conscience?

Is it morals?

Or is it the crack of a gunshot as a bullet flies scarily close to my face and slamming into the tree next to me?

You have three guesses, and the first two don't count.

I whip my head around to look at the source of the host. Standing there, pistol drawn, is Snipe.

‘Oh fuck, he has a gun!’

‘Run, Kiddo!’

I shrink down, a smaller target making for easier dodging. And turn and sprint through the trees, praying that I escape.

‘I shouldn't have wasted time fighting!’

I run like this, not stopping for anything. It becomes clear that Snipe either hasn't followed me or I've lost him. Either way, I don’t stop running. I've wasted too much time.

But that makes me think.

‘Why isn't he following me?’

‘Better question, Kiddo, is why haven't we been stopped?’

I don’t stop running, but a horrifying realisation takes hold.

‘What if… they want me to escape? What if they want me to escape and return to the bar so they can track me? What if they’re not stopping me because I'm playing right into their hands? What if-’

‘Oh look kiddo, there's the wall.’

I skid to halt, the trees coming to an end as I stare up at the UA wall. The looming wall towers above me, as if taunting me.

‘If they want me to escape… well, to hell with them. I'll figure it out, I'm sure.’

I take a gamble. Bulking up once more, ignoring the ache in my legs from the running, I punch the wall.

UA prides itself on its state of the art security gate. But I'm using a special technique.

After all, it doesn't matter how secure a door is if the wall next to it is made of plaster.

I have to punch over and over, mimicking a punch barrage, but it works. The wall shatters under my adrenaline fueled fists. I shrink again immediately and throw myself through the hole, finally leaving the perimeter.

I land on the ground outside, but I can't stop. I need to keep moving, can't let them catch me-

A familiar sight appears before me. A swirling purple mist.

My eyes widen as the familiar form of Kurogiri materialises before me.

“How-” I'm cut off as Kurogiri speaks.

“Hello, Michael. Excellent work getting this far on your own. Your presence is requested by our master," Kurogiri's voice is like honey to my ears.

‘...seems it's the end of the line, ey, Kiddo?’

‘Yeah… he’s probably going to kill me. Let’s pray he makes it quick and painless.’

Kurogiri’s body swirls, opening into a portal. I gulp, not glancing back as I step through to my fate.

====================================================================

Chapter 12: A Demented Freakshow

====================================================================

I step through the portal.

The air shifts, the temperature dropping tremendously as I place my feet on the ground.

It's dark, I can see nothing. No light pierces the void I find myself in. If it weren't for the ground beneath my feet I would have assumed that I was still in Kurogiri’s portal.

And then, something brushes against the back of my neck.

A deathly cold hand makes its way onto my neck, wrapping around my throat.

‘Oh fuck. I’m about to die.’

In an instant, the air around me shifts once more, a presence looming from behind.

It’s All For One. I know it is. I thought I had felt terror when I first met him, but this?

Not even Balerdroch compares to the sheer magnitude of the Demon Lord’s fury.

“What did you tell the heroes?” All For One's smooth voice fills my ears, deathly calm despite the furious aura.

‘He asked a question, kiddo. Better answer it.’

“N-nothing that w-wasnt p-p-part of the s-story…” My voice wobbles out, stuttering as fear fills my head.

His hand continues to hold my neck lightly, but I can feel how tense it is. I can only assume he wants to strangle me.

“And where do your loyalties lie?” His voice takes on a sharper tone to it, feeling more dangerous in his questioning.

“W-with you…” I quietly respond, my voice struggling to make its way past the fear coating my body.

The Demon goes silent for a moment, his hand never moving from my neck. I can't see anything, and I can't even hear breathing. The only thing indicating I'm not alone is the furious aura and the hand on my neck.

‘Credit where credit’s due, he knows how to build atmosphere, ey, Kiddo?’

After what could be an eternity, All For One speaks once more.

“When I give someone a gift, I expect them to make sure it's deserved…” He says, voice trailing off.

Another moment of silence.

“And when I make a deal, I expect it to be paid… You can't keep your end of the deal we made anymore, can you?”

A sharp pain fills my body, and I let out a strangled cry as All For One releases my neck, causing me to fall to the ground. I feel empty, like somethings missing. My head spins, and my eyes grow heavy.

Did he just… take a quirk?

Did he just… take back Body Bulk?

I breathe heavily, my body screaming at me to do anything, anything at all. But I don't. I don't even look up as the Demon continues to talk.

“But I'm a generous man. Your loyalties remain, so I will give you a final gift. The gift of my mercy.”

I slowly raise my head as he says this, my body struggling to move through the pain. He’s… giving me mercy?

“But should you fail me again… should you prove unworthy of this gift…”

The air grows colder, and from the darkness, a horrific visage emerges. The terrifying mask of All For One appears, barely visible in the darkness. I can barely make out its skull-like form and the tubes running along it.

It's horrifying to look at.

“Then I will make you wish you could die.”

His tone is calm, as though he’s not threatening someone, merely stating a fact.

I’m too afraid to even tremble. I feel like I'm going to pass out.

“Pray we never meet like this again.”

The ground falls out from under me. And my brain fades to unconsciousness.

====================================================================

I slowly come too, a dull throbbing in the back of my head fading away as I do.

I'm laying on my back on what feels like a wooden floor, a light on the roof shining down on me as I slowly open my eyes, raising a hand to block it out from my eyes.

My body aches, I assume from laying on a hardwood floor for who knows how long.

“Ow,” I groan as I lay there, trying to steady my breathing.

‘Well kiddo, I'd say that went well,’ Manny says in my head.

‘All things considered? I'm still alive, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing…’ I think.

After lying there for a few minutes, just trying to get my bearings, I eventually raise my head, and start taking in my surroundings.

I'm in a pretty standard room, all things considered. Small, but not too small. A bed in one corner that I can already tell will be too small for me. Along one wall is a desk with a computer on it. Along the other is a chest of drawers, likely for clothes or something.

‘Guessing this is the room I'm being stuck with…’ I muse.

I slowly pull myself to my feet, simply taking my time to catch my breath.

“Well… I survived when I didn't really expect to, and now I have to… I can only assume that I'm being put to work doing something else. Perhaps being an extra set of hands for the League?” I talk outloud to myself, gathering my tired, half asleep thoughts and figuring shit out.

“I should ask… probably ask Kurogiri. Shigaraki… probably won't be too happy with me. And the less I talk to Him, the better…”

I move over to the bed, looking down at it.

‘At least it's clean…’ Manny remarks.

I lay down, on my back, simply staring up at the roof.

‘I’m alive. I didn't… really expect this.’

Reality weighs heavy on my mind. I'm going to have to actually face the information I tried so desperately to ignore, aren't I?

Trish… Trish was right there…

My heart aches, and I know I'm not going to like any of these thoughts. So of course, I do what any reasonable person would do in this situation.

“I need a drink…”

====================================================================

I exit the room quietly, rubbing my arms as I do. It's not cold, but I'm sore as hell.

I enter into a hallway, glancing around. There's no one around, only several doors lining the wall, with what looks like a staircase down one end.

“Is this the hideout?” I mutter quietly to myself as I approach the stairway.

‘Not gonna try the doors, kiddo?’ Manny asks.

‘Wasn't planning on it,’ I reply to myself like a twat.

I walk carefully down the stairs, the wood creaking beneath me as I do. It's a short trip before I make it to the bottom. And thank the stars, it's the bar.

But it's not empty.

As I step through the entrance, I spot four- no, five people.

Kurogiri, the ever faithful bartender he is, stands behind the bar’s counter.

I see Shigaraki, lounging in a corner playing a handheld console without a care in the world.

The remaining three are new figures, people who ive never seen, either in person or in the show.

The first sits at the bar, drink in hand. They're clearly male, wearing a hoodie with blue and white stripes.

Off to the side is a short boy, at least I assume they are. They wear a strange, metal mask that seems mildly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

The last is a woman, wearing basic clothes, though I can't see their face below a steel mask. The mask seems blank, but one of the eyeholes has a black X painted over it.

“Oh… people. Yay…” I tiredly mutter.

“Hey hey, a new guy!” The woman announces, waving excitedly at me.

‘Great, time for some human interaction. I’m too sober for this…’ i think to myself.

“Technically, I'm not ‘new’, but that's semantics,” I point out.

If this was any other day, I’d care enough to argue the semantics. But I’m too tired to bother.

As I approach the bar, I glance at the three new people.

“I have… no idea who any of you people are…” I say as I take a seat.

“Ooh, that’s easy! I’m Anathema,” The woman, Anathema, introduces herself before pointing to the man at the bar.

“He’s Fulcrum,”

She then points at the masked boy.

“He’s Dumas,”

And finally she points at the two people I know.

“He’s Shigaraki, and he’s Kurogiri! Himiko and the old man and Magne and the rest are somewhere around here,” She finally finishes.

“Well, I obviously know who Shigaraki and Kurogiri are, and I've heard of Toga and Magne. No clue about the rest of you…” I reply, tilting my head as I rub my eyes before muttering, “Suppose I shouldn't expect it to be like canon…”

‘Yep. way too sober.

“Hey Kurogiri, can I please get something to drink?” I ask the mist man.

Kurogiri turns to look at me, the yellow lights making up his eyes focusing on my tired form.

“...You may have one,” Kurogiri says, before turning and choosing a bottle, pulling a glass out from below the bar and pouring the liquid out.

I take the glass, smiling appreciatively at the legend before taking a sip.

The drink isn't bad, but it's not the best I've had. I'd say it's about six out of ten. But coming from an Aussie, that's pretty good.

“So, what’s your deal? Didn’t see you around before the attack,” The man known as Fulcrum asks.

“Attack?” I mutter quietly.

‘Did something happen?’

‘Well, something had to have happened to cause whatever let us breakout. Maybe that's what he means? Beats me, kiddo.’

“Joined like, a month and half ago. Was meant to be a spy at UA. Did a real bang up job of that though, completely fucked it, so now I'm here as an extra set of hands. What about you lot?” I say out loud.

“Same time I joined! I found Himiko and she introduced me to Shigaraki! ‘Bout the same time that he joined!” Anathema says, nudging Fulcrum. I can clearly hear the grin in her voice.

‘So, she's definitely an extrovert. Great…’ Manny mutters. But there's something I'm more interested in.

“Toga introduced you a month ago? Weird…”

Toga should have only joined the League around now. I suppose it's possible that the butterfly effect caused it to be earlier, or maybe Shigaraki sought her out specifically?

‘Eh, not my problem,’ I think.

“And you?” I say, turning to look at the one called Dumas.

“I have been a member since U.A. started this semester, I think,” Dumas replies, the last two words having a strange twinge to them.

‘I can't tell if that was my hearing, or if he spoke another language…’ I ponder.

‘He sounds French,’ Manny points out.

“Hmm. so around the same time as me…” I reply as I take a long sip from my drink, allowing the liquid to slide down my throat.

“I should introduce myself. Names Michael. Guess we’ll be allies for the foreseeable future.”

“Nice to meet you!” Anathema brightly responds, as Fulcrum simply nods and returns to his drink.

I follow suit, drinking some more as silence falls over the bar, the only noise being the occasional beeping from Shigaraki’s console.

‘...Someone should say something.’

“So, why’d you lot join up? If you don't mind me asking. I can hardly imagine it was for the company…” I ask, breaking the quiet.

“I’m a big fan of Dabi! ‘Course, he already left the League when I got here, but I know he’ll be back!” Anathema explains, eliciting a snort from the space Shigaraki inhabits.

‘That's interesting to know. Not a big fan myself, but to each their own,’ I think.

“Wanted to try and leave a mark on the world. Figured this’d be the place to do it,” Fulcrum answers.

“Howz about you?” Anathema asks me.

I let out a deep sigh, taking another sip before responding.

“I wanted to get home, and there's not many ways to do that. Can't exactly order a taxi across realities, so I'm here ‘cause…” I trail off.

‘Am I allowed to mention All For One to these people? Better to be safe than sorry I suppose.’

“Well, I won't say, ‘cause I don't know if I'm really allowed to go into details. But the point is there's someone who can get me home, and I need to be here for that,” I finish, letting out another sigh.

“Aw, I’m sorry to hear that!” Anathema pipes up, sounding genuinely sympathetic.

‘We’re not here for sympathy, are we kiddo?’

‘I’m here to drink, and try to forget about my life. I don't want to think about any of this when I'm even remotely sober.’

“Welp, enough about that. Anything I should know about you lot, or are we good to sit in silence?” I finally say, taking another long sip.

“Ooh! Ooh! I’m a Sagittarius! And I’ve got an ice quirk!” Anathema holds up a hand, a single snowflake forming above her palm, “How about you?”

“My quirk lets me eat some sugar and get five times stronger. It's… nothing groundbreaking, but it’s acceptable,” I say.

“Not all you can do, is it? Saw you in the Sports Festival,” Fulcrum speaks up.

‘...wow, I already forgot that people would have seen that,’

“Yeah, I could grow big. But then I failed my job and lost that privilege. Now it's just Sugar Rush,” I say with a snort.

Fulcrum simply nods, turning back to his drink.

“What about you?” I ask him, turning my gaze at him.

“I control white lines. That’s it,” He answers.

‘...like drugs? Is that a euphemism? Could he control cocaine?’

“Huh… certainly one of the quirks of all time. What about you?” I say, turning to look at Dumas.

“I can fire a laser from my stomach,” Dumas answers, his last word tingling.

‘So he’s definitely speaking a different language. And he sounds mildly french. Along with that quirk… is this Aoyama?’ I think to myself.

‘Didn’t the others in your class say something about that once? Said Dumas was probably Aoyama?’ Manny chimes in.

‘…huh, sounds like something that happened…’

“Hmm. Interesting,” I tilt my head, considering the conclusion.

I tip my head back and down the last of my drink, the fuzzy liquid settling in my stomach.

“Welp, it was good meeting you lot. Unless anyone else has something to add, I'll be popping off,” I stand, leaving the empty glass where it is.

“Nice to meet you!” Anathema says with a wave.

With that, I give a casual wave over my shoulder as I leave the room, and head back up the stairs.

====================================================================

I lay on the bed I've been given, staring up at the ceiling.

It hasn't been too long since I finished my drink, and I've just been sitting here.

‘Fucking hell… Trish was right there the whole time…’

How am I even supposed to handle this? I always just ignore my problems until they stop being problems. No matter what they tend to be, I just dont fucken worry about them until I can fix it.

That's the biggest hurdle I'm having right now. I can't change it. Normally, if I can't fix a problem, then I just move on. If it's already happened, and I can't do anything about it, then why give a shit?

But everything I've done here, it's all to get back home.

Sure, it's unlikely I'll get back home. I said it myself, odds are, All For One will win and simply turn around and say “ I don't have to honour any deal I make when I'm this powerful!”

But still, even then, surely there's a chance he will do it, right? So long as a way to get home exists, how could I not go for it?

I don't want to do bad things. I know that nothing I'm doing, nothing I'm going to do, is even remotely right. I'm a bad person for doing these things, but…

I don't care about this world or the people in it.

But… Trish was in it. Trish was here, and now… she isn't.

That Neito kid, the one she apparently adopted, said that she disappeared. I don't have enough information to know the details, but…

I can't help but worry that Balerdroch may have done something. If- When I get home, will Trish even be there?

Will anyone be there?

Chapter 13: As One Door Closes, Another Opens.

====================================================================

I stand in the kitchen, silent as a very loud mouse.

Sizzling and popping can be heard from the pan as I stare down blankly at the bacon cooking away.

It's my… first? Second? Should I count yesterday?

It's a new day, and I'm hungry. So here I am, making food for myself.

But alas, it's only a few pieces of bacon. Why?

This kitchen is a fucking disater.

There's mess everywhere, dishes stacked in the sink, stains litter every surface. The stove top is covered in black shit as if someone caused a fire and left the mess.

The fridge and pantry were abysmal, only having a handful of things in each, and the only good stuff was clearly labeled with ‘Kurogiri’ so lord knows I'm not touching that.

For the most part, it was painfully clear none of these people ate properly. Explains why so many of them are twinks.

So yeah, there were only a handful of bacon strips in the fridge, which go out of date tomorrow so I don't feel bad for using them.

I've yet to see anyone, since it's rather early, but it's only a matter of time before someone else wanders in.

I glance up as I hear someone enter the room. It's someone I've yet to meet, yet I know them so very well.

Himiko Toga wanders into the kitchen, meandering over to the fridge with her hair an absolute mess. She wears an oversized shirt with the word ‘Boat’ on it, the shirt extending down to cover her legs down to her knees. I can only hope she's wearing some form of pants below it, otherwise this is gonna be a painfully awkward situation.

She seems to be running on autopilot as she opens the fridge without acknowledging me. She pulls out a large jug before closing the fridge and turning around, only to freeze as she spots me, her eyes going wide like a deer in headlights.

“Hey! You- You’re not…you aren’t supposed to be here!” She stutters out in confusion.

‘Yay, we get to have one of these conversations already…’ Manny tiredly mutters.

I, however, am more wondering what she means. She speaks like she knows me, and knows I shouldn't be here. Perhaps she watched the sports festival.

“...what makes you think that?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Toga hesitates, her eyes showing clear panic as she turns to look down the hallway she just came from before looking back.

“Cause you’re…one of them or something!”

‘That argument is about as well put together as she clearly is. Girl’s clearly not a morning person, that’s for sure,’ Manny remarks tiredly.

I’m still unsure how to handle the situation. Frankly, I’m already bad enough at human interaction, but in this particular situation… Well, it might be best to just try and move the conversation along.

“...yeah, I don't know what to really make of that. You're Himiko Toga, right? Nice to meet you, I guess,” I remark as I scratch the back of my head, taking my eyes off her for a second to check on the bacon before focusing on her once more.

Toga doesn’t respond, simply staring at me in complete confusion for several seconds, before she bursts into movement, sprinting out of the kitchen and running down the hall.

“…okay then,” I say as I hear a loud thud, followed by a muffled cry of pain.

‘Heh. Dumbass tripped. That’s why you don’t run indoors, kiddo.’

But then, I hear footsteps running back. Toga comes barreling down the hall, returning to the kitchen with a crazed look in her eyes, brandishing-

Holy fuck that knife looks sharp.

“What’s up with you, huh? Did you kidnap me and take me to another universe where everything's messed up? Did Kiri drug me or something? Oooohh it was Momo wasn’t it? That bitch and her stupid hair-”

I glance down at the knife, feeling slight hints of worry creeping into my bones as Toga rambles.

“...yeah of course that's how this morning starts. Long story short, I’m not whoever you clearly think I am. I’m in the League, so please don't stab me or I will scream for Kurogiri," I finally decide to interrupt, trying to placate the crazed girl.

Toga looks me up and down again, falling into silence before finally replying.

“...Oh. Right that’s a whole…thing– shit, sorry about that”

Toga rubs her eyes, knife still in her grip as she does.

“Paranoid and stuff. Don’t call ‘Giri.”

I let out a sigh of relief as she calmed down, thankful to no longer have a knife pointed at me.

“It’s fine. Can't say I blame you. Anyway, Names Michael Hunt. Nice to meet you,” I introduce myself.

“Yeah, Nice to meet you too. Just Himiko,” Toga- or I suppose Himiko, says as she moves over to the kitchen counter, taking a seat and laying her head in her hands, watching as I go back to cooking in silence.

“Can I ask something a little weird?” Toga breaks the brief silence.

“Shoot,” I reply with a shrug, using the spatula to scoop the bacon from the pan and putting it onto the cleanest plate I could find.

“Are you…you? Like- do you have your own memories? Or Sato’s too? Like, that—” Toga gestures down to my plate, “—did you just make that from you? Or from him?”

I pause.

Imagine if I did have Sato’s memories. If I did, then maybe I would have had an easier time adjusting. I might have been able to hide my existence as an SI. maybe I wouldn't have been so fast to throw this world under the bus…

“Just me. Would have saved me a whole heap of trouble if I had Sato’s memories, but I don't. This is just bacon, not hard to do,” I reply, gesturing to my plate.

“You underestimate my inability to make food.” Toga retorts, and considering the state of the kitchen I don't doubt that.

There's silence for a moment as Toga simply stares at my plate, before she stands and wanders over to the fridge, opening it to grab out an unlabeled jug that I'm fairly sure is milk, since I'm not sure what else is a white liquid.

…

…

…

It's definitely milk.

“Can I ask another weird question?” Toga asks again as she wanders back down to sit at the counter.

She's starting to sound like Character Ai, heh…

‘Just another thing you left behind and will never see again if you don't get home, ey, kiddo?’ Manny points out.

That was unnecessary, man.

“Go ahead,” I answer with a shrug.

“Why the League?” Toga asks, turning to look at me swiftly, nearly dropping the jug in the process. “Shit– Like, I don’t wanna assume anything but, I can’t really imagine anybody mentally sane would want to join us.”

The million dollar question.

I let out a deep sigh, preparing myself for an infodump.

“Well, I'm desperate. I want to get home, and there is exactly one man on this planet who has the capability to do that. I Know that odds are he won't send me home, but so long as the chance exists…”

I'm not someone who hides from reality. I know, logically, that it's unlikely. But it's more than zero and frankly, I'd rather take that chance than live in a world that's not mine.

How could I just admit that I won't ever see my home again?

“Either way, it's a bit late for me to back out now. I'm here, and I know better than to even think about running,” I finish with a shake of my head, biting into my first piece of bacon.

“Huh, didn't really think about that. Going back— er, away. Never really seemed like an option,” Toga responds, slipping up briefly.

‘Is… is she an insert? Did anyone mention that?’

I suppose, if someone like Dabi was one, then it makes sense that Toga of all people would be one too. Still, not gonna assume.

Toga stares at the bacon wistfully, before her stomach audibly growls, her face twisting into a grimace before giving a small smirk to try and ignore it.

…Right, there's no fucking food in this joint and she looks malnourished. Damn, poor girls gotta be starving living like this.

“So, you saw all the attacks all across Hosu and thought ‘Oh this’ll be a good idea’,” Toga says with a slight snicker to herself.

I finish the piece of bacon, raising an eyebrow. This is the first I'm hearing of this.

“There was an attack on Hosu? I was in a cell the past week, I don't know shit.”

Saying that, I slide my plate across the bench to Toga, getting up and grabbing the remaining bacon from the fridge to make myself some more.

I hear some half complete compliments between the sounds of Toga's ravenous eating from behind me. It's only a single piece of bacon, but it seems that she is enjoying it.

 

“I joined ages ago. But I was in UA doing a shit job as a traitor. Been with the League for… about a month and a half now I think? Maybe around two? I joined day one of UA,” I explain, turning the stove back on and laying down the last of the bacon.

“Wait- Cell? Traitor what- You’ve been working with the League this entire time? And I never- I really need to pay attention more. Since Day One, you said?” Toga responds, wiping her mouth.

“Yeah. Learned of the others, then got pissed at God for sending me here when I can't do shit. I don't think you would have been able to know of me. I only popped in, like, twice. Most of it happened over the phone. And I doubt Shigaraki would tell anyone else,” I elaborate.

“Yeah, He sucks at stuff like that…” Toga says with an exasperated sigh.

“Well, it was better he didn't tell you lot. If anyone ran to the heroes, it would have been a problem. Fat load of good it did in the end, but that's beside the point. What about you? When did you join?” I ask.

“Like a week after I got here? I tried looking for Giran but, man’s a slippery bitch…I found Kurogiri instead and he kind of kidnapped me here. And yeah, Dabi joined UA as you probably know, and Geten— well I'm not sure where the hell he went but he was here for a little bit,” Toga replies.

Well, there's some confirmation that she's an SI. Good to know. Wonder what that's like?

I look upwards, thinking for a moment about something else. Something very important.

“...dumb question, but who’s Geten?”

“Uhh, Ice guy? From the MLA? Actually, how much do– like, how far did you get? In canon?” Toga tries to explain.

I remove the now cooked bacon and sit back down at the counter.

“I only watched up to Kamino, so that's the only information I consider to be reliable. But I read an ungodly amount of fanfictions, but you know how fanon can be, so I don't really rely on that information. Know enough about the characters, just not events,” I explain.

“Right right, okay. Umm”

Toga knocks her knuckles against her head several times, clearly thinking long and hard about the topic.

‘Definitely not a morning person.’

“MLA, y’know, big group talking about how ‘We wanna use our quirks whenever’ and stuff. Geten was this one guy who could control ice, like LOTS of it, huge ice dragon kind of lots. He joined for a bit and then he just kind of vanished. Don’t really know what happened to him,” Toga explains.

“Ice, so kinda like the Todoroki’s then. Sounds like he would have been a good ally,” I say.

“Oh yeah, really strong dude. Like, rival Endeavor kind of— Mmmm, maybe not? I don’t know. But yeah he’s there and…”

Toga trails off, her head falling down to rest on the table.

 

“We’re still here.”

“That we are,” I respond as I finish off a slice of bacon.

“Alright,” Toga pushes herself up, glancing down at her dishevelled appearance with a groan.

“I have some stuff I need to do. If you need anything just ask, okay?” She says, stretching her arm with a satisfying sounding pop.

“Will do. You have a good one, Himiko.”

“You too, Micheal.”

With that, Toga makes her way back down the hall, taking the jug of milk with her.

I finish the last slice of bacon in silence, before putting the plate in the sink.

I stand in the middle of the room, glancing around at the disaster around me.

…well, we’re not doing anything today, are we Manny?

‘Yay… cleaning…’ Manny very enthusiastically replies.

====================================================================

Many grueling hours later, and the kitchen looks…

Well, its not perfect, but its a fuck ton better.

There were enough cleaning supplies under the sink to clean most stains. I had to hand clean the dishes, and then try to figure out the sorting system this kitchen used. In the end though, I got this place looking like it wasnt lived in by a bunch of slobs.

“Hello, Michael, could you- oh, you cleaned up in here?” A familiar voice speaks from the entranceway.

I glance at the friendly voice of Kurogiri, the misty bartender looking around the room.

“Thank you. I haven't had the time to do a proper clean recently,” Kurogiri says.

“No problem. If I've gotta live here, then it's my problem to keep shit clean,” I respond, stretching with a groan, “What’s up?”

“The League has acquired a new fighter. Master Tomura decided to have you and them spar to gauge both of your combat abilities. Two birds with one stone,” Kurogiri answers.

I pause.

Huh. I wonder what that's about. Well…

“Uh, sure, I guess…” I say, knowing damn well that I don't have a say in this.

After grabbing a bit of sugar, enough for a use of Sugar Rush, I follow Kurogiri, who leads me through a portal into the warehouse where I originally tested Body Bulk. the damages from that night are repaired, which… Did Kurogiri pour the concrete himself? Or did he… maybe I just shouldn't think about it.

There is another person already in the room, leaning against one of the walls. A woman I vaguely recognise.

Long, messy blonde hair, clearly muscular, purple eyes, sizable chest, a look of boredom on her face.

“Oi, Misty, ain't this kid a hero or something?” The villain Purity questions, her eyebrows furrowing as she walks up.

“Young Michael was at UA, but he works for us. He will be your opponent for this spar,” Kurogiri replies, turning to me. “Michael, this is Purity.”

“We’ve met,” I reply.

I'm rather confused actually. The last time I saw this woman was during the forest attack. She was present, got knocked out by Shinsou and Todoroki, then I ran off before she awoke. I supposed if she woke up before being found then she could have easily slipped out of my half assed bonds and escaped… or maybe she got arrested and broke out again? Eh, it doesn't matter.

“Good. the two of you will spar. It is until the other yields or I determine the fight to be over. There isn't a need to go overboard, but do fight with the intention to win.”

Kurogiri gestures to the floor, clearly instructing us to step forwards.

I do so, stretching my arms to limber up as I gobble down the sugar brought, feeling my muscles expand. I've been cleaning all day, and admittedly I've eaten poorly these past few days, but I beat her once, I'm sure I can do it agai-

“Begin.”

Purity leaps forwards, decking me in the face.

“Fuck!”

I'm caught off guard, but I don't let her hit me again, twisting out of the way of her follow up, allowing me to try and put some distance between us.

But Purity doesnt let me, chasing me and going for another hit. But something is clear.

‘Her form is sloppy, kiddo. Even you could read that.’

I duck my head sideways, left, right, left, avoiding her attempts to strike me. I bring my hands up in a standard boxers pose. I'm no pro, and I never properly sparred in a ring, but I did spend almost two years doing boxing practice for exercise. I know the techniques, I know how to hold myself. And the most important thing I know is…

Jab is King.

My left hand shoots out, long and straight, just how Guy Moon taught me. My fist connects with her nose, the Sugar Rush boost knocking her backwards as a loud crack sounds out.

If that was a punch from my right, thrown with proper build up, it probably would have knocked her out, but that's not what the Jab is about. The Jab is the first punch you throw, and it's used to lead into combos. It's weak, but fast.

However, Purity isn't down for the count, gritting her teeth and glaring daggers at me. I hop on the balls of my feet, keeping my stance up.

Purity darts forwards again, going low. She slams a fist into my side before I can react, causing me to gasp as she goes for an uppercut. Her hand slams into my guardian fists, but her quirk enhances her, knocking my hands away.

But that's fine, since I take that opportunity to go for a right hook, she tries to dodge, but she's too close, and takes the attack, my fist slamming into her side.

Purity is knocked backwards as she coughs, spitting up some blood. Which… yeah that's concerning.

But before I can say anything, Purity darts forwards again. I'm ready though, and go for another jab. Long and straight.

Purity drops down, her legs splitting forwards and backwards, hitting a perfect split as my fist sails over her head.

She draws her fist back, her quirk enhancing her strength.

And with a vicious grin, she slams a punch directly into my crotch.

Kurogiri can't help but wince.

I fall down with a thud, unconscious.

====================================================================

I lay on the ground of the warehouse, the cold concrete pressing into my back. I'm not sure how long it's been since the spar, nor how long ago I awoke, but there's a painful, dull throbbing from my crotch.

‘You, uh… you gonna get up, kiddo?’

Wasn't planning on it.

‘Yeah, I don't blame you.’

Kurogiri appears in my field of vision, looking down at me.

“That looked like it hurt. Would you like an ice pack?”

“...yes please.”

Kurogiri warps away briefly, returning with an ice pack that I haven't the faintest clue where from, handing it to me to rest on the pain.

As I lie there, one thing comes to mind.

I need a suit of armour. Because I'm most comfortable when impervious to most forms of physical attack.

“...hey Kurogiri? Who would I talk to about getting myself some armour made?”

====================================================================

Chapter 14: How Foolish Of Me But I Won't Make Amends.

After I made that request, Kurogiri decided to once again prove why he was the unappreciated GOAT of the League by getting me into contact with Giran, the info broker Toga told me about, who then proceeded to do… whatever info brokers do, and hooked me up with some person or other to solve that problem.

Giran clearly knows some good people, because in only a scant few days, I received the armour I had requested.

In the end, I went with a much different design than the Wantwalker inspired one I had tried to make myself. Sure, I liked the design, but it was a bit iffy. Mostly, it didn't cover the whole body, just covering the chest, arms, and shins, with video game magic covering up the rest. It wasn't secure enough. Wasn't reliable enough.

Though, I did keep the helmet. A round, oval shape with three vertical slits, two for sight, and a third, larger one in the middle of the face for… aesthetics, I guess?

But what I love most about the helmet is the golden, spiky arch going around the top of the head. At the time I chose the armour, I envisioned it as though it was the sun rising behind my head.

Looking back, it's more like it symbolises the sun setting behind my head, setting on the man I was before. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As for the armour, I ended up just going with a basic, simple, knightly plate armour, nothing fancy. Just a nice dark grey with gold accents. Simple, yet practical. After all, I'm most comfortable when impervious to most forms of physical attacks!

However, I also made a rather… controversial decision.

I added a cape.

I know, I know, I've heard the wise words of Edna Mode, but screw it! Capes look awesome! I of course made sure it could tear off easily, so if I get caught on something it'll just come right off instead of causing any problems. A wise choice, one that would be sure to save my ass many times.

I made the cape a nice red with a golden edge, because red and gold are immaculate. All in all, the outfit comes together beautifully, and I topped it all off by coming up with a villain name.

Lord Death Of Murder Mountain.

Fuck you, I’m a villain, no one gets to veto my name.

Though, it's more than just a funny joke name. It's a reference, just like everything else I've ever done. It's a reference to a youtuber I liked back home. One who I'll never watch again, but that's not the point. I just think it's funny.

Of course, at the time, I didn't know just how fitting that name would come to be.

But that's not all I got from Grian.

I got a grand total of three pieces of equipment, some more useful than the others, but all of them have their uses.

The first is a simple sipping mechanism built into the armour. I borrowed the design from the hero suit I wore, just one of those things people use to put cups on their heads and sip from, only the straws are connected to tanks with liquid sugar in them. A quick and easy way to use Sugar Rush.

The second item was a proper weapon, a Guandao. A long polearm, featuring a heavy blade with a curved back. However, seeing as I'm allergic to making original designs, I of course stole the design of this from something back home. A weapon named Guandao Prime from Warframe.

A long red handle, with blades at each end facing different directions alongside a sexy white, gold, and red colour scheme. Now, when I picked it, I didn't actually know how to use one, so it took quite a long time to really get to a point i could wield it effectively, but at the end of the day it's a long pointy stick, as long as the sharp bits make it into the opponent, then you’re about halfway there.

Speaking of things I needed to practise with, the third piece of equipment, one which Giran says he had to jump through hoops to get.

A pistol.

I haven't the faintest clue what kind of gun it is, just that it's a semi-automatic handgun. And what a challenge it is. Let me tell you, video games and movies can make you really overestimate how easy it is to use one. Even now, weeks after receiving it, having spent several hours a day practising, I'm still barely good enough to make proper use of it in a real fight.

Speaking of which, the practising.

For the most part, I've only been practising in that warehouse. The one I had gone to when I first got Body Bulk. Kurogiri is happy to bring me there whenever I need to practise. I don't spar with anyone, though, since my two main weapons aren't exactly… difficult to hurt people with.

I ended up getting half decent with the Guandao after about a week, still not really able to use it practically, but I was making leaps and bounds with it. At least, that's what Kurogiri said to me.

The pistol has been much more tricky. Ammunition isn't cheap, so I try to spend most of my time with it on everything other than actually firing. I practise how to hold it, how to reload, how to maintain it, how to aim it, literally everything but actually firing. It was only once I got decent at that part that Kurogiri set up some targets in the warehouse, and I took my first crack at shooting.

It was immediately clear that I sucked. Like actually I was garbage. Sure, I hit the target more often than not, but I'm so far from the middle that it's actually awful.

Still, that's what practice is for.

Beyond all that, I haven't been doing much. I exist in the League's hideout, just chilling for the most part. I see other members around, but even though I've seen everyone else at least once, I wouldn't say I particularly paid any mind to them. Everyone in the League seems to mostly do their own things, keeping to themselves. It's a far cry from the whole ‘Found Family’ shtick they have in most stories I read.

Interestingly, it seems that all the members live in the building with the sole exception of Purity, who I've only seen a total of twice. The first time I saw her after our spar, she had come to talk with Shigaraki about something or other. The second time she had been at the bar, having a drink…

 

=========================================================================================

 

I make my way into the main area of the bar, stretching my back.

“Mornin’ Kurogiri,” I greet the misty figure, before stopping when I spot Purity sitting at the bar.

“Sup,’” she says, downing a shot glass before slamming it down next to five other empty glasses.

It's seven in the morning.

“Isnt a bit early to be drinking?” I ask as I slide into a seat at the bar.

“Isnt it a bit early for you to be riding my ass?” she shoots back.

‘Someone's in a mood… maybe she's just not a morning person?’ Manny helpfully supplies.

“Fair enough.”

Kurogiri places a mug of coffee in front of me like the legend he is. Whatever they pay this man, it isn't enough.

Silence falls as I start to drink my morning brew. I don't know how Kurogiri makes it, and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes blood sacrifices to god or something with the way it tastes.

“So, what the fuck happeend in the forest?”

I take a moment to register that someone's talking to me, turning to look at Purity, who's staring at me.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” I ask.

“Back in that forest, when we attacked you lot? That purple haired brat said something, I said some bs back, then everything went fuzzy and next thing I know, I'm out cold and when I wake up, I'm tied up in the most god awful way I've ever been tied up in. The fuck happened?”

I blink. That's right, stuff happened. My brain takes a moment to drag that information up from the depths of my early morning mind.

“Oh, shit, yeah, that was Shinsou. His quirk lets him control your mind if you respond to him. He asked you a question, then you answered so he got you under, then the other guy, Shoto, punched you with an ice fist. I tied you up, though I did a shit job so if you woke up you could escape.”

I yawn before finishing.

“The others fucked off, then I just hung around until Endeavor ran by and I followed him.”

“Hang on, that guy's quirk lets him control people?” Purity’s eyes narrow as she stares at me.

“Yeah, he gives an order, then you do it. Pretty simpl-”

“Cool, so he’s definitely dead.”

I blink.

“Hmm?”

Purity leans back in her seat, her fuchsia eyes glaring in what seems to be rage.

“A quirk like that shouldn't exist. I wanted to beat him up to make it even, like I did with you, but I didn't give a rat's ass if he lived or died. But if his quirk can take away freedom like that? He shouldn't be allowed to live. So, he’s dead. Let me know if you see him,” Purity says with some of the most unhidden anger I've ever heard, before aggressively standing up, knocking over the empty glasses still sitting on the bar, and storming out of the room, leaving the hideout.

I blink, taking a long sip of my coffee.

‘Man, that's a good cup of joe. Wonder why she seemed so shitty about Shinsou?’

 

=====================================================================================================

 

After that, I haven't seen her. I did ask Shigaraki why that is though. After translating the gaming lingo he used, I concluded that she's an ‘on-call’ member, only really showing up when something's happening, and doing her own thing the rest of the time- there’s a couple of other members like that.It’s odd, but I don't question it since it's above my pay grade.

About which . . . my pay grade is nothing. I don't get paid. I should really look into that at some point… whatever, worrying about that is above my pay grade.

Something I've been doing, just as a means of contributing, is cooking. Because frankly, I'm surrounded by twinks and shorties. These people haven't been eating even remotely right and I make damn sure to fix that.

One of the only times I really leave the hideout is to go get groceries. I may not have a Thermomix, but that doesn't stop me from making some damn good meals.

I cook some nice, actually nutritious meals. Breakfast is cereal, though I offer bacon and eggs on toast to anyone who wants it. Usually at least one person takes me up on that offer a day. Lunches are varied, things such as pasta, macaroni and cheese - none of that instant shit, only nice, homemade stuff - sandwiches, just generally proper lunches.

Dinners are where things get nicer. Butter chicken served with rice, Honey mustard chicken with mashed potatoes. Bangers and mash with a side of veggies. Not-Butter chicken with rice, which is a very important distinction. I even once made taco’s which turned out well.

Not everyone eats these meals, and most people operate on their own schedules, so I end up cooking the food and just containering it up to put in the freezer for people to heat up when they're hungry. But at least they're eating.

I don't eat any of it.

All the recipes I use are the same recipes I grew up with. It's food that my mother cooked. And my food doesn't taste exactly the same, but it's enough for my mouth to recognise it.

And every time I ever eat it, Manny would pipe up to make sure I remember that I'll never have my mothers cooking again. That no matter what I do, I'll always be chasing the faintest memories of old tastes that I can never catch.

Suffice to say, I settle for pre-made, frozen meals.

And that's how things went. I cooked meals, kept things clean, gamed with Shigaraki, and just existed. Until that day. That day that Shigaraki informed me that I had a task.

I was to go, supervised by Purity, and I had to end a life.