Chapter Text
“Hey, guys?! Can we talk for a moment?!” Izuku yells from the common room in the Shane hideout, nervous about what he is about to tell them, with a blaster on his hip. He’s been thinking about heading back to the surface for a while now, but because of Dr. Blakk and the Darkbane, he’s delayed talking to them about this. Izuku knows that Eli came from the surface, and that he told Kord, Trixie, and Pronto, but that didn’t calm his nerves whatsoever.
Izuku hears a round of acknowledgements from the others and sits down, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Waiting for them to walk in the common room, he takes something out of his pocket and looks at a photo that was taken 5 years ago, one of his mother, himself, and his best friend, Katsuki Bakugo. Eli walks into the common room first, seeing the photo in his hand, and freezes for a moment, a look of recognition crossing his face, before sitting down next to Izuku. “What’s up, Izuku?”
The others walk in at that exact moment and sit down next to both of them. Izuku can tell that they’re curious, but are willing to wait as long as it takes for him to talk. After a while of sitting in silence, he speaks. “I’m wanting to return to the Surface. I helped a lot of people down here, but y’all don’t need me anymore. I need to go up there and help everyone up there.” After a moment, Eli asks, “Are you sure that you want to do this? Because the drop hasn’t been reconstructed, it will most likely be a one way trip for a while. And well, we’ll miss you as well if you do.” Pronto, Trixie, and Kord all nod in agreement, but don’t say anything, because they know how serious this is for both Izuku and Eli.
“I know, but I’ll also be able to help with reconstructing while up there. Eli, I’m not just going for me. I want to be a hero up there, but I still want to come visit and have y’all visit me. You know how it is up there, Eli. We could just let people believe that Pronto and Kord have mutant quirks, and no one would even think twice about it.”
“How are you going to even return back there, Izuku?” Eli asks, curious. A particular slug hops onto Izuku’s shoulder and waves with one of it’s wings. “Yeah, he will do. Alright, man. How long do we have until you leave?” Izuku smiled sadly and responds. “I am thinking either tomorrow or the day after. I’ve already charged up the phone I had before coming down here, and let me tell you, I was kind of surprised that I got signal down here. It was very weak but still, I was able to send a message to my mom, informing her that I would be back soon.”
“Well, since you’re leaving, we should help you pack and then get some sleep. That is, if that’s okay with you?” Trixie speaks up finally, eyes slightly watering, and Izuku can see that everyone is trying to keep it together. “Yeah. I’d love that.” The rest of the day is spent packing everything that Izuku might need for the trip back up to the surface, and then they spend the night in the common room, sleeping together for what will likely be the last time for a while.
The next morning, Izuku wakes up first, deciding that today will be the day for the trip. ‘Might as well rip the bandaid off while I still can, otherwise I won’t be able to leave.’ With that in mind, he decides to make breakfast for the others, brewing coffee for everyone as well. As soon as he’s done cooking, everyone else wakes up and sits in the common room, eating in silence as they have the feeling that one of their best friends and comrades is leaving soon.
Kord is the first one to speak, with a single word. “When?” Izuku sighs sadly, knowing that it is the right thing to do, but knowing that doesn’t make it hurt any less. “Probably in a hour or two.” Kord nods, before grabbing Izuku and pulling him into a massive hug, Izuku barely able to breathe from the hug but smiling all the same. After breakfast is done, Izuku proceeds to double check and make sure that he has everything. After doing so, he turns to leave his room, and sees everyone standing in the doorway. “Guys, please don’t make this any harder than it already is.” Trixie takes a photo of Izuku after a moment and then hugs him, saying goodbye and wishing him luck. Pronto gives him a map, pointing out all of the drop points that they have seen in their adventures, and asks that when he returns to let the nearest civilian know. After Izuku promises this, Kord walks up to him and hands him a wrench, saying, “For good luck.” Izuku thanks him and then heads to the garage and hops onto a mechanical beast, or mecha beast, riding out to where the drop point is. Once he gets there, a Hoverbug slug hops onto his shoulder. “Ready, Speedy?” The slug chirps and then hops into a cylinder like container, known as a slug barrel, before Izuku removes his blaster from his hip and inserts the slug barrel into the blaster.
See, in Slugterra, slugs are not only your best friends, but are also considered as ammo to slug slingers. Once a slug is shot from a blaster and reaches 100 miles an hour, it transforms into a larger beast, most of the time not even looking like it’s non transformed form, allowing it to manipulate certain aspects of the world. The Hoverbug, which Izuku named Speedy, for instance can transform into a large bat like creature and can be used as a mount of sorts.
Just before Izuku fires, he hears the roar of Eli’s mecha beast and sighs, firing and seeing Speedy transform and fly back down to him. As Izuku begins to transfer all of the luggage from the mecha beast to Speedy, he hears Eli pull up beside him. “Eli, please don’t ask me to stay.” Eli pauses for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m not. I was coming to get your mecha beast. That way, when you return, it will be in pristine condition.” Izuku chuckles. “Don’t let Kord have too much fun with it. You know how he is.”
Izuku finishes transferring the luggage and is about to hop onto speedy and stops for a moment, turning back to Eli. “If Dr. Blakk breaks out, or the Darkbane break out again, and for some reason y'all can’t stop him even with everyone’s and everything’s help, send one of the shadow clan to me. I’ll be going to U.A.” Izuku pauses before continuing. “If for some reason I’m not there, send them to Principal Nezu.”
Eli stands there for a moment before nodding. “You’re telling them?” Izuku nods and says, “I have to at least tell them and the teachers. That way, they’re not assuming that we’re getting attacked when and if one of the shadow clan shows up to come get me.” Izuku hops onto Speedy and sits down on his back. “From all the fights that we’ve had with Dr. Blakk and the Darkbane, I have a feeling that both will be trying to break out in the future. Keep a close eye on him and the barrier, please. We can’t have them trying to destroy Slugterra again.” Eli nods. “I will. Stay safe, Izuku Midoriya.” Izuku nods. “You do the same, Eli Shane.”
Speedy starts to fly away, with Izuku in tow, back to the Surface world, having a strange feeling that something he said will bite him in the ass.