thomasdarkrose
patreon
The Road to Greatness: One Quirk at a Time - Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2024-01-16 21:19:25 +0000 UTCChapter 2
I was one of the first to arrive at the P.E. Field where Aizawa was waiting for us all. In a few short minutes, the rest of the class had arrived. I took a look around and finally realized which character I'd replaced in the class.
There was a distinct lack of midget pervert.
Thank God! I hated Mineta as a character. He was only just slightly better than useless, but that didn't offset his perversion and attempts at breaking the law. He was a complete scumbag and I am so unbelievably glad I wont have to deal with him! I just hope he didn't make it into class B.
…
On the other hand, if he did make it into class B there's a chance I could beat the shit out of him in a legitimate class activity.
…
Damn, it's so hard to know which I would prefer more! I mean, I so want to knock a few of his teeth out. But I also never want to have the displeasure of actually meeting the little scumbag in person. Ugh. Well, it's not like it's my choice on what's going to happen so I dismiss the thoughts and just revel in Mineta's absence.
With everyone there, Aizawa looked up from whatever he was looking at on his phone and spoke in a bored voice, “As I'm sure you all know, the teachers here at Yuuei are given a lot of freedom in how we conduct our classes. Today we're going to be doing a Quirk apprehension test.”
While the entire class was surprised and some were muttering, Ochaco was the first to speak up in shock, “But what about the opening ceremony? Or the counselor meeting?”
Aizawa turned away from her to collect a small white ball with a black band on it, “If you want to be heroes, you don't have time for frilly niceties.”
God I wanted to lay into him so badly for that comment. I can see the opening ceremony as being rather pointless. It was just speeches, usually. But the councilor meeting? Oh no, that was important! Especially considering that we were all hormonally charged teenagers with access to super powers! Even fully mature adults should be forced to see a counselor on a regular basis to make sure the rigors of the job aren't taking their toll.
Seriously, I was not looking forward to the trauma I could expect when I became a pro. Hell, I wasn't looking forward to the trauma just going to this school in this class was going to bring! I wanted to see that counselor and I'm adamant that certain individuals in the class seriously need to as well.
Aizawa listed off the exorcises we would be performing tacking on, “They're all activities you all know from middle school. Physical tests where you were prohibited from using your Quirks.” His flat, almost bored gaze, swept over the class, “The country still hasn't gotten around to standardizing those sorts of records. It's just irrational negligence on their part.”
His gaze zeroed in on me, “Monoma, hwo far could you pitch a softball in middle school?”
I had to fight not to smile or smirk at what I had planned next, “Around sixty-five meters, give or take a meter or two.”
Aizawa nodded and tossed the ball he'd collected to me, “Use your Quirk this time. Just don't leave the pitching circle.”
I catch the ball and roll it around in my hand. It feels pretty much like a softball should. I enter the circle and get a good grip on the ball. Using the best pitching form I can, I throw the softball with all of my might while using my Quirk.
Beep beep.
Aizawa stares at the display in his hand at the anti-climatic pitch. In a dead voice he reads out, “Seventy meters.” His gaze focus's on me and narrows, “I said to use your Quirk.”
I stare directly back into his eyes with no fear. I'm not the least bit afraid that he'll try to expel me. Nezu wouldn't allow it. Not because Nezu thought I was special or from any sense of friendship. No. He'd keep me around to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't walk down the path of a villain. I'm certain I'm on watch lists because of my Quirk, even with its known limitations, but that wouldn't be enough for the paranoid principal. I'm certain he wants me nice and close to keep a good eye on me.
Meanwhile, the rest of the class is rather dumbfounded by the exchange. From the corner of my eye I can see Bakugo sporting a smug condescending smirk as he eyes me. It doesn't take a genius level intellect to know that he now believes that he's truly superior to me.
What a putz.
Aizawa, still staring at me, speaks after a few seconds, “I know, for a fact, that you can do better. Collect the ball and throw it again, properly with your Quirk this time, or I will expel you on the spot.”
Ochaco is the one to speak up in my defense, “That's not fair! It's the first day, and even if it weren't it's still not fair to expel him just because his Quirk isn't good for throwing a softball!”
Aizawa turns to stare at the class apathetically, “Natural disasters, massive accidents, egomaniacal villains, and all kinds of other calamities can happen when we least expect them. The world in entirely unfair. It's out job as heroes to try and fight that overwhelming tide of unfairness. If you were expecting three years of just hanging out with your friends and having fun, that's too bad. You can expect the next three years of school to be nothing but trials and tribulations. This is 'Plus Ultra'.”
While he was giving his little speech, which I'm pretty sure he had rehearsed, often, I had gathered the softball and was once more standing in the circle. Aizawa gaze moved from the stunned silent students and back to me. He didn't say anything more, but I could see him watching and judging me. I give him a bland look in return.
I look away from him and prepare to throw the softball once more. I, once again, throw the ball with the absolutely best form I can muster and all of the strength I can get out of my body. As for using my Quirk... Copy doesn't exactly do anything on its own that could even be remotely useful for throwing a softball.
That's right. I'm trolling Aizawa and daring him to expel me for following his orders to the letter. I AMusing my Quirk. He didn't tell me to use a copied Quirk, or even that I could.
The phone in his hand beeps once more, but he's not even looking at it. He's glaring at me, “You're expelled, Monoma.”
The entire class gasps and looks shocked at my sudden expulsion. With one exception, Bakugo looks positively gleeful at what's happened. I, meanwhile, am cool as a cucumber as I look back into Aizawa's rather angry gaze. The next words out of my mouth shock everyone, including Aizawa, “I see. I didn't realize that Yuuei hired Quirk Supremacists as teachers.”
If Aizawa was annoyed by my 'insubordination', my comment actually angered him. His tone was ice cold as he said, “Excuse me?”
I continue to give him a bland look, conveying how little my 'expulsion' mattered to me, “You said yourself that you know what my Quirk is. Why don't you explain to the entire class. Maybe then they might believe you're not a Quirk Supremacist kicking a student out just because his Quirk doesn't do anything to help with throwing a softball.”
Aizawa wasn't an idiot. He could see that I'd painted him into a corner. If he refused to speak up, then it would cement his reputation with the students. The rest of the class may not remember, or even realize, that he'd expelled the entirety of his class last year. It had been one hell of a scandal and Yuuei had been taken to court in a class action suit by all of the parents. The principal had done some quick damage control and things were settled out of court quietly. The story just faded away as if it never happened.
However, an entire class talking about their Quirk Supremicist teacher who expelled a kid on the first day for something like being unable to throw a softball? Even Yuuei's stellar reputation would take a significant blow from that. Aizawa might act like he doesn't care, but he couldn't afford to piss of Nezu by not speaking just a few words.
Gritting his teeth, Aizawa answered me, “Your Quirk is Copy, it allows you to copy the Quirk of anyone you touch and I know you have a stockpile of many Quirks you could be using to throw the ball...”
He trails off as his eyes widen slightly. He's not an idiot and instantly homed in on what I was getting at. I couldn't hold it in anymore and smirked at him, “That's right. My Quirk is Copy. Exactly how does my ability to copy other Quirks allow me to throw a ball faster?”
I ignore the muttering of the other students as the realize what my Quirk is and what it's capable of. Bakugo looks like he's swallowed a lemon and, if I'm not mistaken, his gaze on me has gotten even more hostile.
Aizawa isn't silent for long, “You know what I meant. You should have used a Quirk at your disposal.”
I continue to stare at Aizawa, “That's illogical. You said this was a test to assess our Quirks. You said to use my Quirk to throw the ball. How, exactly, is my using a Quirk I copied from someone else going to let you assess my Quirk? A Quirk that you obviously know does not give me any kind of enhancement. Especially none that would help me with anything physical. You knew this, and still you've expelled me for not only doing as you said, but doing it to the best of my ability.”
Aizawa decided to double down on his mistake, “Get out of here, you're still expelled.”
He might not have seen it, but I saw the bevvy of disgusted looks being sent at Aizawa from the rest of the class. They clearly believed he had just proven himself to be an unrepentant Quirk Supremacist. I didn't say a word as I turned on my heel and walked toward the door back into the changing room. When I was sure no one could see me, a smile split my face.
I made my way into the changing room and began to change, though I paused in surprise when the changing room door opened. I looked over and was surprised, yet not surprised, to see Kirishima Eijiro at the door. Kirishima had always been a hell of a bro in the show so while it was a little surprising to see him coming into the changing room, likely in support of me, it also wasn't a surprise.
When he saw me looking at him, the red headed boy gave me a bright grin filled with shark-like teeth as he stepped into the locker room followed by a few of the other guys in class, actually all of the guys with the exceptions of Bakugo and Midoriya.
That last one surprised me the most, honestly. Then again, Midoriya basically got into Yuuei on luck and was still a sniveling coward when it came to things like this. Sure, put a villain or a Nomu in front of him and he'd fight to the end. Put Bakugo in front of him and he shrunk up and whimpered like a little bitch. Not surprising that he was too afraid of being kicked out of school that he stuck behind with Bakugo. Bakugo wasn't surprising though, the only thing he cared about was himself.
I was actually really surprised to see Todoroki Shoto, the boy with half red half white hair and one of the most powerful Quirks in class, joining the others coming into the locker room. I mean, he's not a complete bag of dicks like Bakugo, but he's also rather ambivalent toward most people in the beginning.
Once they're all in the room, Kirishima takes the lead, “I think I speak for everyone when I say that what just happened was completely bogus man. Expelling you just because you followed his directions and used only your Quirk? That's just wrong.”
He moved closer to me and grinned, “So we all left. We all want to be heroes and I don't want to speak for the others when I say, following a Quirk Supremacist like that guy is just not the way to be a real hero.”
His demeanor switches to curious, “Is your Quirk really the ability to copy other Quirks?”
I smile, though part of me is rather worried that the truth of my Quirk will drive a wedge between me and the other students. At the same time, I refuse to lie and hide my Quirk. I'm proud of it and know it will be what makes me into an amazing hero, “It is. I can copy any Quirk with just a simple light touch. Even just brushing against someone's hair is enough for me to copy their Quirk.”
I have everyone's attention so I elaborate to help them understand and maybe allay some of their potential fear of my Quirk, “It's only temporary though. Once I touch someone I can use their Quirk for half an hour. I can also only hold copies of four Quirks at once. If I want another I have to forget one. After the half hour is over I would need to touch the person again to use their Quirk once more.”
Kirishima grins broadly and sticks his hand out, “That sounds so much cooler than my Quirk! I can only harden myself to make myself more durable.”
Seeing his hand out, I smile and reach out to clasp it in my own and shake his hand, “That's actually a really awesome Quirk man!”
Touching him I can feel his Quirk and instinctively copy it. It's impossible to describe the feeling I get when I copy a Quirk. The best I've been able to get to it is that it's like a pleasant burst of energy entering my body. With that burst comes the instinctive understanding of how to use the Quirk, as if I've had it my whole life, as if it had always been a part of myself.
I focus on Kirishima's Quirk and activate it, my whole body instantly taking on a sharp rock-like appearance. It feels a little stiff yet my joints still move freely. Kirishima's eyes widen as he looks at me, instantly activating his Quirk so we look similar, “Whoa! That's awesome man! You really can copy Quirks!”
I grin and flex my hardened muscles, “Your Quirk is pretty awesome man.”
To prove my point, and help a bro out, I flex harder while pulling on more of the power within his Quirk. The rock-like protrusions on mys skin become more severe, my normally smoothly styled hair shifts and spikes up as it seems to solidify. I push Kirishima's Quirk to its current limit as my whole body takes on a more angular, more feral appearance. My face becomes more angular, almost beak-like as my whole body seems to be made of solid stone.
“W-what the hell?! Is that my Quirk?!”
I look at Kirishima and give him a rather frigheneing grin. Even my teeth, now shark-like as his were, looked like stone. That's the most I can do before I completely release the transformation and sag. I pant heavily and bend over to place my hands on my knees. Man, that was draining. I wasn't used to his Quirk at all and doing a full body transformation right off the bat, then pushing it even further drained me a lot.
Everyone is staring at me in shock. Though in the case of Kirishima it was shock, confusion, excitement, and a bit of envy, “How did you do that?!”
After catching my breath a bit, I lift my head and look at him, “I just used your Quirk. I had to pull on it a little harder than normal, but once I did... Whoa. Your Quirk is something else man. I might not have held it long, but while I was transformed I felt invincible.”
Kirishima's jaw dropped, “My Quirk can do that?”
I nodded, “Try it man. Just pull on it more. Focus on nothing but pushing harder to be harder. It's almost like trying to transform again after already transforming. Like a second stage or something. That's the best way I can describe it.”
Kirshima grinned widely as he took a horse stance and curled his arms up. He closed his eyes to focus better. His body changed into the usual look for the first stage. Then we could all see him straining, his muscles twitching as he tensed his entire body. Everyone, even the ambivalent Todoroki, was watching Kirishima closely. We all saw the moment he began to change. It started at his fingers, shifting from squarish into sharp talons. After that the shift was rapid as his whole body seemed to turn to flesh colored stone. His entire body seemed to shift and his look became even more feral as his hair hardened and his animalistic teeth became even more vicious looking.
He opened his eyes and looked at his changed arms in shock, which immediately caused his transformation to revert as he lost focus. He continued to stare at his arms for a moment before a whispered, “Bad ass” from one of the other boys broke him out of his shock.
His eyes snapped up to stare at me, “Dude!”
Kaminari Denki was the next to speak up, “Dude! That was bad ass!” His eyes focused on me as he stuck his hand out for me to shake, “Me next! Me next!”
There were other congratulations from the more vocal boys toward Kirishima as well as them expressing their desire for me to copy their Quirks and look for improvements like I'd found in Kirishima's. I had half a dozen boys holding their hands out for me to shake.
I chuckled at the situation. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised that the students that made it into Yuuei and the Hero Course would be different from the kids in elementary and middle school. Still, it was a pleasant surprise that most of them were happy, even excited, to have me copy their Quirks. I know they were mostly thinking about me giving them advice to be better, but it was still a wonderful feeling to be accepted so openly.
“Maybe later guys. I plan to report to Principal Nezu and see if he'll be willing to overturn the expulsion.”
That sobered the excited atmosphere. Kaminari lowered his hand and nodded, “We're behind you. If the principal wont change it, then I guess most of class 1-A will be looking for a new school to join.”
I tilt my head a little, “Most?”
He nods, “I saw all of the girls leaving the P.E. Grounds as well. As we started leaving, that guy said anyone who left was expelled. So, technically, I think there's only two people left in the class that aren't expelled.”
Off the to side Ida scoffs, “And I thought Midoriya-san was a better hero than me because he saw through the test and knew of the rescue points.”
I glance over to Ida but don't say anything. If Midoriya wanted to ruin his own reputation by acting like a coward, so be it. It was none of my business. There was just a little small talk as we all got down to changing out of the gym outfits and back into our uniforms. As I was changing I heard Kirishima whistle while my shirt was off. I glanced at him and he asked, “You lift bro?”
I nod, “Yup. By itself, my Quirk is completely useless. With no copied Quirks I am, essentially, Quirkless. So I decided long ago that I needed to have the speed and strength to get in close so I could surprise my enemies and copy their Quirk.” I smile a little and return to dressing before I continue, “Of course, since then I've found a little trick that lets me have Quirks on my person at all times.”
I can hear the curiosity in Kirishima's voice as he says, “Oh?”
I nod, “I can copy a Quirk just by touching a few strands of hair. So, I've been collecting hair from people with interesting Quirks, with their consent. A lot of people out there have interesting Quirks but, for whatever reason, didn't become heroes. Or maybe didn't want to be, or felt their Quirk wasn't good enough for it. Over the years I've met these people and they've given me locks of their hair. I just carry some of it wherever I go and viola! I have a variety of Quirks at my disposal.”
Kirishima and Denki both whistle, impressed. Denki is the one to speak though, “So you totally have a Quirk that you could have used to throw the ball?”
I nod, “Several. The thing is though, none of them are myQuirk, like I explained to Aizawa.”
Denki nodded, “I get that. I still want you to try out my Quirk though!”
I laughed and finished tying my tie, “Later, I promise.” I raise my voice, “I'm more than happy to try out anyone's Quirk and see if I notice something you haven't. An outsiders perspective and all, ya know?”
I got several nods of understanding and a few promising to get me to try out their Quirks. I seriously couldn't get over how nice it was that they were so accepting of me and my Quirk. It really made me want to help them out to the best of my ability.
A few moments later we were all exiting the locker room, in our school uniforms once more, only to be confronted by all the women from our class waiting for us. The ever outgoing Ashido Mina was the first to speak up, “Geez, what took you so long? I thought we girls were supposed to be the ones that took the longest!”
There was a clearly teasing tone to her statement. Ashido was one of the most excitable and outgoing girls in the class. Which oddly fit her all pink appearance. Pink skin, floofy pink hair with two small horns sticking out of it, yellow eyes with black sclera, and an athletic form. Total knock out, but still not the best girl.
Kirishima, a long time friend of Ashido, was the one to address her, “Sorry about that. We were just talking to Monoma-san.” He got super excited at the next part, “I asked about his quirk and he really can copy any Quirk! He copied mine and even showed me something about it that I didn't know it could do!”
All the girls look surprised as their attention shifts to me. Mina is the one to ask the million yen question, “So you can copy any Quirk? What about mutations?”
I grin, confidence radiating out of me, “I can copy any Quirk.”
From there I explained how my Quirk worked once again. When I was finished, Mina stuck her hand out with a smirk, “So you can copy my Quirk?”
I could hear the challenge in her tone. I wondered about that but didn't mind it as I gladly shook her hand and copied her Quirk. She pouted a little as I didn't immediately change. I grinned a little. For me, there wasn't much of a difference between Transformation and Mutation type Quirks. The biggest difference between them, to me, was that I had to activate Transformation type Quirks twice. Once to make it my active Quirk, and once again to trigger the transformation. With Mutation tpes, I jut had to activate my Quirk and the change happened automatically.
While Mina pouted, I activated her Quirk and felt my body shifting and changing rapidly. Everyone's eyes widened as I became a male version of Mina. Though Mina's pout actually grew as she exclaimed, “That's not fair! You're blue! I wanted you to turn pink.”
She crossed her arms, and huffed while looking away from me and pouting. She was right though. Instead of her shade of pink, I was a shade of dark blue. Honestly, this wasn't much of a surprise to me. I'd learned over me years of experimenting that there were sometimes minor changes to mutation type quirks when they came from women. It never effected the function of the Quirk itself, just the coloration of the mutation. Which makes sense really.
For almost every species out there, the males and the females had different coloring. Usually the males would have the brighter, more elaborate, coloration to attract females for mating purposes. Whenever I took on more animal based mutation Quirks, I would almost always have brighter colors for the animal traits if I copied a woman. Copying men always left me with the same coloring as them. So, yeah, just superficial sex based coloring changes.
While Mina pouted, I explored my now super fluffy hair and little horns with my hands, “Huh, neat.” I give the girls a somewhat playful and roguish smile, “I'll avoid the horny jokes, promise.”
That got some laughs from the guys and groans from the girls. Well, all expect Ashido who laughed. Once that was over, I deactivated Ashido's Quirk and returned to normal, “C'mon, we should head to the principals office now.”
The others nodded and as a group we walked through the halls of the school. I led the way as I was the only one who had previously visited the principals office. When we arrived, I didn't hesitate to knock on the door. There was absolute silence as we all listened for his voice, but there was nothing. I knocked once more, but again there was no sound from inside the room. I tilt my head curiously as I ask aloud, “You think the opening ceremony is still going on?”
The others all stiffen up a bit before a couple groan in realization, “Of course it is. It's barely been half an hour.”
I turn to Yaoyorozu, the one who spoke and give her a bright smile, “You're right, of course.” I turn slightly so I can address the whole group, “Should we wait here or head to the auditorium to wait for the opening ceremony to finish?”
There was silence as the class debated what they wanted to do. Yaoyorozu was the one to speak up again, surprising me because I half expected it to be Oraraka, “I think we should wait. It would be disruptive, maybe even rude, to walk into the auditorium right now.”
Everyone seems to agree with her, or at least no one actively disagrees, so we're waiting. With that decided, Kaminari grins broadly and holds his hand out to me once again, “We got time now, right?”
I chuckle softly and grasp his hand to shake it and copy his Quirk. I examine the Quirk within my mind and compare it to other elemental Quirks I've experienced in the past. I have a few, but none of them have the strength that Kaminari's does. Not even close. The strongest one I've managed to get is a fire one that lets me create small fireballs that are barely hotter than the flames produced by a lighter. They can't do anything either as attempting to throw the fire causes it to go out. At most, it could be held against someone or something to burn it, but that meant being up close and personal while using fire. Not a good idea, really.
If that fire Quirk felt like a small spark, then Kaminari's felt like a roaring storm. I activated his Quirk and pulled on it a little while holding my hand up. Little sparks of yellow electricity dance around my fingers. Kaminari grins and explains, “My Quirk is Electrification and with it I can fire off shocks of electricity up to one point three million volts. However...” Here he rubs the back of his head, “ It's kind of indiscriminate and if I put out too much voltage I kind of fry my brain for about an hour. It's really embarrassing.”
I tilt my head a little and channel more of his Quirk into my hand while curling my fingers into a fist, “So just charge your fist and punch people, like using a stun gun. Or...”
I focus more and cover my entire body in sparking electricity, “Turn your whole body into a stun gun. If they touch you, they get shocked, and vice versa.”
I refocus and draw all the electricity to my right hand causing to it crackle and spark loudly, “Hmmmm. Anyone got something made of ferrous metal?”
While everyone looks confused, Yaoyorozu perks up, “Oh! I can help with that. Is there a particular shape you want?”
I look at her, acting like I don't know her Quirk. Her Quirk which is seriously the most powerful and dangerous Quirk I know of. All For One only beats it because it can steal Creation from Momo.
I give her a bright smile, “Anything will do, maybe a small ball, like a ball bearing?”
Yaoyorozu gives me the purest smile I've ever seen as she holds her hand out palm up. It begins to glow and emit a pinkish light that fades quickly, leaving behind a brand spanking new ball bearing sitting on her palm. I whistle, honestly impressed since it's my first time seeing it in person, “That's amazing. What's your Quirk?”
Yaoyorozu's smile becomes even more blindingly beautiful as she excitedly explains, “My Quirk is Creation! It lets me convert my fat cells into non-living material. But to make something I need to completely understand its molecular structure. Pure iron is super easy and steel is only a tiny bit harder.”
God her Quirk really is broken as hell. I mean, seriously. She could easily destroy the world economy by pigging out on Twinkies. Or straight up destroy the world by making a stockpile of nuclear weapons.
I slowly reach out to take the small ball bearing off the palm of her hand, “Your Quirk is amazing and straight up terrifying.” I look her straight in the eye as I say, “With some preparation time and enough information, there is literally no situation you can't overcome. You could literally save the entire world all on your own.”
Everyone stares, gobsmacked, at my pronunciation. Except Yaoyorozu, she's beet red from blushing and is squirming under my intense gaze. It doesn't help her that I meant every single word. No, seriously. She could literally produce infinite energy for the world by simply conjuring up containers to Anti-Matter in cases that suspend it in place within a vacuum using magnetic fields. At least, I think that's how it should be handled, in theory.
Point is. Tons of energy could be made and harnessed via mater anti-mater annihilation. Her Quirk could be the one thing needed for scientists to discover faster than light space travel. Which could lead to discovering who knows what and advancing the human race in ways I can't even comprehend.
So I am not bullshitting when I say that her Quirk amazing and terrifying.
I break the atmosphere by sparking up my hand again and letting the sudden crackling of electricity draw everyone's attention away from Yaoyorozu. Now that I have a small metal ball in my hand, I focus on the electricity I'm generating and try to move it in a circle, essentially making an electromagnet out of it.
With some effort and a lot of focus, I manage to get the small metal ball to begin hovering over my hand. I used what little I knew about coil guns but it apparently was enough as I generated a small magnetic field that let the ball hover. Kaminari looks between the ball and my face several times before he asks, “What the hell?!”
Before I can answer, Yaoyorozu, still slightly pink from blushing, speaks up, “Electromagnetism. Monoma-san is using the electricity your Quirk produces to create a magnetic field that he's using to suspend the ball bearing in the air.”
I grin, “Beautiful. Intelligent. And packing an Amazing Quirk. You're just the full package aren't you?”
I shift my focus to Kaminari as Yaoyorozu is blushing like mad once again. Other girls in the class are looking between us. Ashido is sporting a knowing smile while she does so.
“I based it off of what I know about coil guns, a relative of rail guns. They can run off of twelve volts which is used to charge capacitors. Then those capacitors charge up a series of electromagnets in a specific order to pull a metal slug forward and accelerate it down the barrel to fire it like a bullet.”
I look over my captive audience as I continue to hover the metal ball, “Most coil guns are significantly weaker than real guns. But, with the right support equipment, I bet you could launch slugs made of rubber that just have small metal cores to make them magnetic. Or something. I dunno exactly but it's an idea. That would give you a long range attack that you could easily power without going over your limit.”
Kaminari blinked a few times before grinning brightly, “That's awesome!”
I cancel my use of his Quirk and return his grin, “Also, taser knuckles man. As long as you keep the amperage low, you can punch people with a few hundred thousand volts to tase them without causing permanent damage. Look into learning how to fight.”
I know that at some point Kaminari got a piece of support gear that let him fire his electricity in a straight line at range. I just didn't remember anything else about it really, not even who made it, when, where, nothing. So I gave my own advice based on my limited knowledge. I might be slightly off, or even way off, but it should get him in the right ball park at least.
After that, I experienced almost all of their Quirks. I didn't have much advice to offer some of them, such as Ojiro. His tail Quirk was really just a simple mutation and all he could do was work with it to make it stronger and more durable. There was no sugar on hand for me to try out Sato's Quirk either. Then there were the ones that didn't want me to try their Quirks out either at all, or in the hallway of the school. They were Shoji, Aoyama, Tokoyami, Koda, and, of course, Todoroki.
Todoroki clearly didn't want me to go anywhere near his Quirk. While that sucked, because his Quirk was awesome, I respected it. I had no need to 'steal' the Quirks of my classmates and add them to my collection. Though the desire was definitely there. Hmmmm I think I might be addicted to adding Quirks to my collection. Is it addiction? Or is it just my Quirk giving me an impulse? Doesn't matter. I want them either way.
As for the girls, they all let me try out their Quirk, except Yaoyorozu since I wouldn't be able to use it without looking at something that showed me the molecular structure of something simple, like an iron rod. They were all interesting, though being invisible was super weird. As I was using her Quirk, I noticed something that I think might be an issue. Her Quirk... wasn't a mutation type like she seemed to believe. It was an emitter type.
That meant she should be able to control it. The fact that she couldn't... A mental block maybe? I'm not sure, but I know for a fact that she could turn herself visible because I did so while keeping her Quirk active. Before I can talk to Hagakure, a familiar high pitched voice speaks up from slightly down the hallway, “Oh? What are you all doing here?”
As we turned, we could see a skeletally thin man with long blonde hair and sunken eyes wearing an over-sized yellow suit. All Might's shrunken form. Standing on his shoulder was Nezu. Seeing everyone's attention on him, he used his favorite opening line, “Am I a mouse? A bear? A dog? I'm the principal!”
There was silence from the rest of the students while Nezu riding on the shoulder of All Might, known as Yagi Toshinori in his shrunken form, walked to the office door and let himself in. Nezu called to us all, “Come on in and tell me what the problem seems to be.”
I was certain Nezu already had a good idea of the situation, he was the very opposite of an idiot. Still, we shuffled into the room where I took position front and center to do the explaining, “It's pretty simple sir. Aizawa decided to introduce himself by insulting our entire class and then having us skip the opening ceremony and mandatory counselor meeting to take a Quirk apprehension test.”
Nezu sighed and shook his head, “That man. I take it that he deemed you all as having no chance of being heroes and expelled you all?”
I could practically feel Nezu gaining a headache from Aizawa's antics, but I corrected his assumption, “Not quite sir.”
“Oh?”
“He asked me to step into the softball throwing circle and throw the ball using my Quirk. So, I threw the ball using my Quirk. Naturally, since my Quirk doesn't amplify my strength in any way, I had a pretty average throw. Aizawa seemed irked that I didn't throw the ball further and demanded I stop messing around and throw the ball properly while using my Quirk.”
Nezu groaned, and in a very human gesture, pinched the area between his eyes while I continued, “He told me that he knew what my Quirk was and that if I didn't seriously use my Quirk to throw the ball, he would expel me.” Nezu outright groaned and I finished with, “So, I used my Quirk to the best of my ability and threw the ball once more. Then, like the Quirk supremacist he seems to be, he expelled me on the spot.”
Both Nezu and All Might looked up in shock when I called Aizawa a Quirk Supremacist. I moved on though, “After he declared me expelled, I made sure to double check that he knew what my Quirk was. To his credit, he seemed to figure out the problem about then. Though, rather than apologize or rescind the expulsion, he doubled down like a true Quirk Supremacist and reminded me that I was expelled.”
I gesture to the students behind me, “After I left the field, the students behind me, unwilling to stand by while I was unfairly expelled by a Quirk Supremacist, all protested my expulsion. Aizawa gave them an ultimatum. They chose to leave his class and be expelled rather than stick around and justify his extremist views.”
Nezu has both of his paws pressed to the side of his head like he's trying to ward off a migraine. All Might, meanwhile, speaks up in defense of Aizawa, “I've know Aizawa Shota for a long time and I know he's not a Quirk Supremacist. He likely meant for you to use a Quirk you'd previously copied to throw the ball.”
I look over to him and smile, “Mr...?”
“Ah, forgive me. I'm Yagi Toshinori, a new adviser for the school.”
“Well, Yagi-san. I can't speak to how well you know him, but given the things he said and did during our brief time with him, I'd have to say you're wrong. From the moment we met him he espoused his belief in rationality. Even going to far as to berate us for taking a whole eight seconds to quiet down when he entered the class room by saying we weren't rational enough. I'm pretty certain that any other teacher would be happy that the class not only quieted down on it's own, but did so in seconds. I'd even call it a sign of respect toward the teacher.”
I ignored the loud groan from Nezu as I continued, “During the supposed Quirk Apprehension Test he wanted us to perform, he ragged on the government by calling it irrationally negligent for not having standardized scores for the physical fitness tests while using Quirks.”
I ignored a pained groan from Nezu. Yeah, no matter who you are, talking bad about the government and calling it negligent was just not a good idea. Especially not in front of the daughter of the Yaoyorozu family. A family that just happened to have excellent connections to said government. Something Aizawa would have known if he bothered to do even half of his job as a teacher. You know, like reading your students files properly?
While Nezu groaned and All Might looked a little put out by what I was saying, I continued, “So, Aizawa clearly showed, through his own words, that he was all about rationality. Now, rationally, why would I expect that he'd want me to use other people's Quirks when the test is supposed to be all about myQuirk. Using a borrowed Quirk would tell him nothing about what my Quirk could do, at all. His choice to expel me, knowing my Quirk and it's limitations, shows that he's only interested in flashy Quirks that have direct physical boosts.”
I gesture to a few of the students, specifically to the students with Quirks that did nothing to enhance their physical performance such a Hagakure, Jiro, and Kaminari, “There are several students in the class with amazing Quirks that do nothing to enhance their physical performance. Taking him being obsessed with rationality at face value, it's crystal clear that he was just looking for an excuse to expell students that didn't fit his personal bias for what a hero should be. Thus, Quirk Supremacist.”
All Might looks like he's questioning everything he knows about Aizawa after I explained everything to him. Nezu, meanwhile, stops rubbing his head and pushes a button on his desk, “Aizawa. Bring yourself and your students to my office, now.”
We can all hear the message being sent over the loudspeaker system throughout the entire school. Once he finishes that he looks at us, “Once Aizawa gets here we'll get to the bottom of this. For now, do any of you disagree or have anything to add to what Monoma-san has said so far?”
A few of them add some detail to the confrontation that happened after I left. It did not improve Aizawa's image with the students, or the teachers in the room, at all. When they had objected and decided they didn't want to deal with Aizawa, he'd laid down an ultimatum. Do as he said, or be expelled. They chose to leave.
All Might looked disappointed. It was my best guess but it looked like he was upset that his chosen successor hadn't chosen to do the clearly right thing in this particular situation. It only took a few minutes for Aizawa to arrive with Bakugo and Midoriya in tow. As soon as they stepped inside and I got a good look at them, I saw something that infuriated me. I practically shouted at Aizawa, “What the hell is wrong with you?! Why isn't he in the nurses office?!”
As I ask the question, I point to Midoriya who has a very clearly broken finger. It's swollen and a sickening purple from bruising. The moment All Might and Nezu see the clearly very injured finger, their minds are obviously made up. Nezu is the first to speak, “Midoriya-san, how long has your finger been broken?”
Midoriya looks uncomfortable at the question and even a little guilty. God just seeing that makes me want to beat the shit out of Bakugo. Why Bakugo? Because it was his relentless bullying that destroyed any confidence Midoriya might have had and beat him down so badly that he actually thinks he deserves to suffer!
His eyes swivel to the shrunken All Might, who nods in encouragement. Taking a deep breath, he answers, “About half an hour.”
Nezu's dark eyes seemed to grow darker while they narrowed and pinned Aizawa with a dangerous gaze, “And how many exercises did you do after you broke your finger?”
“J-just the upper body exercises and we'd started the endurance running. B-but it's alright! R-really!”
Nezu practically growls as he continues to glare a hole into Aizawa who, for once, doesn't look like a slouched lazy slob. He's very alert since it's very clear that he's in trouble. No matter who you ask, having Midoriya do those tests, or any others, while clearly injured is abuse. Midoriya should have been sent to the nurse the moment the severity of the injury was determined. A scraped elbow or knee was one thing, but a clearly broken, possibly shattered, finger? That's not something you just walk off.
With another encouraging nod from All Might, Midoriya left the room to make his way to Recovery Girl, the school nurse with a Quirk that accelerated the healing of anyone she kissed at the expense of their stamina.
I want that Quirk.
Once Midoriya had left, a still very clearly angry Nezu whose been glaring balefully at Aizawa the entire time, finally speaks up, “Aizawa.”
Ohhhh, last name, not good for him.
“I don't know what you were thinking, or if you were even thinking at all, but this is nothow we treat our students. Teachers are given their freedom to help improve the teaching process. Not to abusestudents.”
Aizawa clearly looked uncomfortable. Even he wasn't stupid enough to not understand what a valid complaint of abuse by a teacher toward a student would do to the reputation of the school. Not to mention the damage it would cause his personal life. It could even cost him his teaching and hero licenses.
Still glaring at him, Nezu continues, “I want you to explain to me why you decided to expel Monoma-san for not being able to use his Quirk to throw a ball to your satisfaction.”
Aizawa swallowed before stating, “He knew that I meant that he should use one of the Quirks he's copied to throw the ball. He deliberately chose not too thus voiding the entire purpose of the test.”
Nezu, in a dangerously calm voice, asked, “And did you tell him he could use other peoples Quirks? Or did he, rationally, believe that you wished for him to only use his Quirk as showing other people's Quirks would teach you nothing of his capabilities?”
Aizawa winced as his own favorite word was thrown back in his face. There was silence as he couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer to the question.
Nezu waited a moment before he let out a deep sigh, “I see. I am overturning your decision to expel these students.” He finally released Aizawa from his unblinking gaze and focused back on us. Every single one of us had remained completely silent while watching events unfold. Though there were several sighs of relief at the pronouncement that we would not be getting expelled.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention and for your patience. For now, you should all head home. I will meet you in your classroom tomorrow morning.” He gave them a cheeky smile, “So don't be late!”
There's another wave of relief from the other students at the confirmation that they would still be attending class here. Together we head out and make out way to the classroom where our bags were still sitting. The silence lasts until Ashido pipes up with, “Man that was intense! You think Aizawa will get fired?”
Ida, ever the serious one, spoke in a serious tone while his arm chopped through the air, “I should hope so. Even if he is not actually a Quirk Supremacist but merely appeared to be one, that doesn't change how he allowed a student to suffer with a broken finger for at least half an hour. Doing something like that is unconscionable!”
Several of the students nodded in agreement with Ida. Kirishima shook his head in dismay, “So unmanly. Though it is pretty manly that that Midoriya guy managed to keep going while he was hurt.”
Most of us guys nodded in agreement. At least Midoriya could take the pain. Granted he learned how to do that thanks to Bakugo.
Yeah, still hate that guy. A lot.
Say whatever you want about Aizawa or Bakugo redeeming themselves later on in the story, it doesn't matter. In the beginning Bakugo is a felon who just hasn't been prosecuted and Aizawa is a child abuser.
Though... I honestly don't want Aizawa to be fired. What I want is for him to get his attitude adjusted and for him to start taking his job seriously. I refuse to have my education compromised by that lazy bastard.
After we arrive at the classroom, we collect our stuff and make out way out of the school where we split up to go home. Honestly, not exactly how I expected my first day of school to go. But, at least I know who I can trust to have my back when it matters in the future.
-----Line Break-----
AN
This chapter clocks in at 8.3K words. I could have gone longer but this just seemed like a natural place to end the chapter. the next one can pick right up with the next day and the fallout of the events in this chapter.
Also, big shout out to DALucifer for his input that helped me come up with the name for this fiction.
Let me know what you all think of this chapter. Yeah, I kinda bash Aizawa pretty hard and Bakugo is still the character I hate second most but they had it coming. I mean, the chapter says it, but Aizawa making Midoriya continue to take tests after he SHATTERED his finger using OFA is very much child abuse. There is just no excuse or argument that makes it not be child abuse.
So... yeah.
Comments
Cory
I just replied to your reply on chapter one, but the same error as chapter one repeats here, "I look at her, acting like I don't know her Quirk. Her Quirk which is seriously the most powerful and dangerous Quirk I know of. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙡𝙡 only beats it because it can steal Creation from Momo."
Cody S.
Sure! As soon as I write it.
Evening Star
Niiice. More?
