Part 2: Evolution

Chpt 17: Surreal Surprises

-0-

-000-

"Her horn is getting kinda long again, isn't it?" Izuku frowns as Kurobayashi-san cuts Eri's hair.

"Yeah… We'll have to discharge it soon." He sighs, running a finger through the air just over the length of bone. Eri hates when people touch her horn, and Izuku has seen it spark up enough times to know he needs to be careful. She isn't just upset when people touch it, she's terrified. Bringing it up at all makes Eri's grip on Izuku's hands tighten, though a quick hug manages to clear her mood despite attracting Kurobayashi-san's distress.

"Hold still, both of you!" She snaps, leaning back in with her scissors. "It's hard enough to get this right without you both moving around so much."

"Thanks again, Kurobayashi-san." Izuku grins down at her and earns one in response.

"No problem. Anything for this little minnow…" Kurobayashi-san clicks her tongue at their antics as she leans in to run her hands over Eri's cheeks. With her hair pulled back into a bun, nothing can hide the impossible shade of blue in her eyes or the swirling lines rippling across her irises. Izuku already has a cloth ready to wipe away the froth left over from Kurobayashi-san's quirk, grinning when Eri grabs her cheeks and squeals happily.

"Alright, go get Mom," Izuku pecks her on the forehead and gives her just enough push to send her scurrying off into the dorm's common room. "I'm heading out to class!"

He pauses to grab his backpack off the table, then to grab the handle on Mei's metal cocoon. When he doesn't have it on his back, it resembles a hammock; he's not sure where the fabric comes from or where it goes when the thing changes shape. Once they're out the door it shifts and bends around the handle arching over her head and eventually leaves him holding a shoulder harness, shifting the inventor around ninety degrees in the process but leaving her sound asleep.

The shift takes about fifteen, maybe twenty seconds. Everything is accomplished by black metal bars, hidden hydraulics and tiny lights near the ends of the bars. Izuku can only see two computers on the entire structure, and they remain on either side of Mei's bed no matter the shape. Whatever is powering the mech is as alien as the woman herself.

Izuku stares at it for about thirty seconds after the shape has changed before he sighs and shoulders the harness.

"You're have to wake up eventually," He grumbles. "And then you're going to carry me around for a week."

School progresses normally. Izuku isn't entirely sure when he became such good friends with Kaminari and Sero, but they're okay guys. He waves at Yaoyorozu-san, but she blushes and looks away when he does, so he has to assume he's still in the doghouse for whatever it is he did wrong.

(He's still not entirely sure why Ruby patted him on the head and told him 'good luck' before saying goodbye the night before, but he's almost convinced the two events are related)

Classes pass quickly. When lunch rolls around, he grabs the handle and watches Mei's contraption warp back into the hammock-suitcase hybrid so that he can get her through the doors and the stairs, then follows the rest of his classmates. No one bothers being surprised by the new shape considering most of them are desensitized to Mei's presence entirely. He notes that Kacchan's bad mood softens once Melissa joins them in the cafeteria and barely manages to keep himself from smiling.

"Midoriya, we might have a problem."

"What's up, Monitor?" Izuku blinks as Monitor's voice breaks the silence.

"There's a reading from the skies over Musutafu ward. This type of alert is foreign to me, but Melissa-san, or Mother, would be more familiar with the dangers this type of threat poses."

"Well Mei is…"

"Understood," Monitor hesitates for a moment. "The danger level has escalated, somehow. Please ask Melissa-san what 'Electric Boogaloo' could possibly mean?"

Izuku feels like he knows what that means, but he's been off the online chatrooms for so long that it's a bit fuzzy. Even before he wasn't quite sure what the trends were, or why people made so many jokes. Regardless of the meaning hanging off the tip of his tongue, he shuffles up to Melissa and taps her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Melissa?" He grins in the face of Kacchan's glare and focuses on the kinder blonde of the pair. "Monitor is getting a warning he doesn't understand. Something called 'Electric Boogaloo'? He says it's a warning from the airspace above Musutafu ward…"

"'Electric Boogaloo'?" Melissa's face twists as she puts a finger to her chin and stares at the floor. "I don't recognize it from the database, but there is a tiny selection of the servers only Mei has access too. She'd be the only one who knows."

"I swear I recognize the term, but I can't remember quite right." Izuku shrugs. Lunch is forgotten as the pair head over towards Mei's slumbering form and stare, wondering how they're supposed to wake her up.

"Nothing the others did made any difference." Melissa mutters.

"And it's not like I've been gentle with her…" Izuku snorts.

"I have logged your offenses, Midoriya. Please be aware that you will not be carried by any of Mother's…"

"Oh, can it." Izuku rolls his eyes as Monitor starts talking through the speakerphone on his earpiece. Melissa smiles, though she seems a bit worried as she turns back to Mei.

"She's been like this for days, but if we don't figure out what Electric Boogaloo means…"

"Electric Boogaloo?"

Izuku and Melissa spin to find a chunk of class A staring at them incredulously. Ashido, Kirishima, Kaminari, Jirō and Yaoyorozu veer towards the pair instead of finding a table of their own. Suddenly green eyes are pointedly staring at the floor while one of the women wearing a faint neon blush, and nearly everyone pretends not to notice the changes.

"Do you know the term, Kaminari-kun?" Melissa looks surprised. Just about everyone seems surprised, though all for different reasons. Ashido, Kaminari, Jirō and Kirishima all look at one another incredulously for a moment before Kaminari shrugs and offers her a lopsided grin.

"Uh… yeah? It's an old phrase…" He looks about ready to burst into laughter, glancing back and forth between Melissa and Izuku. "You guys really don't know it?"

"No, I'm not familiar. But Mei-chan programmed it into an alert for some reason, and we're having some trouble." Melissa offers sweetly. Izuku glances up as Kacchan shoulders through the group from class A, setting two trays on the table before he returns to pointedly ignoring everyone else's existence.

"Look, Kaminari," Izuku shakes his head and stares at the boy. "I get that it's probably really simple, but if Mei programmed it in as an alert, we may be looking at something catastrophic… Are you laughing?"

"I just…!" Kaminari snorts behind a hand, blinking tears from his eyes. "I always thought Hatsume was like… crazy smart but…"

"But?"

"It's a meme." Kirishima grins bashfully as Kaminari breaks down.

"the fate of the world…!" Kaminari reaches out and grabs Kirishima's shoulder, shaking the redhead lightly while holding himself up. "The fate of the world depends on…!"

"It's something stupid that you call a sequel." Ashido chirps. "Like when a movie gets a bad sequel or something."

"A bad sequel…?" Izuku frowns. "Why would Mei be programming an alert like…"

"Mother," Everyone in the room flinches when Monitor turns up the speakerphone on Izuku's earpiece and projects himself. "I'm receiving a disaster alert code Electric Boogaloo. Please advise."

"I'M UP!" Mei's voice slurs as her spine straightens. Her eyelids flutter a few times before she lets out another snore and falls back onto the table. Izuku groans as she reels back clutching her nose. "Ow! What? Where am I? Babies?"

"Mei," Melissa pinches the bridge of her nose as the rest of the cafeteria stare on in confusion. "Please pay attention…"

"Monitor?" Mei is already up, wearing her metal cocoon as a backpack while she pulls safety glasses from her jumpsuit. "What's the alert?"

"Electric Boogaloo, Mother."

"So someone dares approach me!" Mei cackles. The lights in the room flare as Mei reaches out and pulls projections from thin air. "Wait, who's approaching me?"

"The alert is approaching the Musutafu cityscape. At this heading, it should impact U.A. grounds within five minutes."

"Why didn't you LEAD with that?" Izuku sighs.

"Does it really matter how quickly it impacts? You're more than capable of interception." Monitor's tone sounds dry, somehow. And vaguely British.

"Is that an accent?"

"Have you finally grown a brain?"

"BOYS!" Melissa's voice cuts through the argument like a hot knife. Mei continues pulling holograms from nowhere, creating a three-dimensional map of the school and the prefecture before summoning a list of alerts. "Focus, please."

"He started it."

"I did NOT!" Izuku squawks, then flinches as a hand smacks him on the back of the head.

"Quiet proby," Kābā grins as he leans against Izuku's shoulder. "What's the occasion? Did she wake up?"

"She programmed memes into the threat detection system apparently." Kaminari grins on Izuku's other side, and Kābā cackles while the rest of them slowly descend into chaos.

"Out of the way, minions!" Mei's holograms collapse as her goggles begin glowing with the telltale sounds of a HUD. Izuku's eyes widen as she grabs him by the shoulders and spins him, then leaps onto his back and points towards the exit. "Your Overlord has a date with destiny!"

"Mei, what the fuck!"

"MIDORIYA-KUN, LANGUAGE!"

"She's on my SHOULDERS, Iida!"

"Onward mighty steed!"

"What the hell makes you think I'm your horse?!"

"Midoriya, the object is approximately one minute from impacting the campus…"

"What the hell?!"

Mei does not get off his shoulders. And, as if that isn't embarrassing enough, the entire cafeteria follows them towards the landing site. It's sickeningly nostalgic watching the meteor streak towards them. Having Mei on his shoulders either makes it worse or more ironic.

Kacchan and Mirio flank him like some kind of honor guard, which is oddly comforting. For the first time in a while, Izuku won't be entering battle alone. He tries not the think about the fact that it only happens after he doesn't need the help.

The ground shakes as a metal cylinder hits the ground and buries itself in rubble. Heroes spill from the building, drawing to a halt on Izuku's sides as they watch the machine assemble itself.

"Midoriya, what the hell…!?"

"This is a test."

"Stand down please…" Izuku holds out a hand to either side as the machine crawls out of its crater. Unlike Sonic Spider the enemy's upper body is far bulkier, and the design seems more humanoid. The entire thing is made of silver metal painted with purple streaks, of all things, but Izuku can't really say it's any worse than Mei's aesthetic. "Mei is awake and…"

"OH? You're approaching me?" Mei lets out a brazen, incredibly fake chuckle as the machine stalks closer. "Instead of running away you're coming closer?!"

"I can't beat the shit outta you without getting closer." The robot shudders, venting steam from both shoulders and the back.

"Monitor! Activate the Enemy Stand Protocol from my personal files and launch payloads Zero Two Two, Zero Five Niner… oh, oh, and don't forget One Nine Eight Seven!" Mei shoves down on Izuku's head and positions herself atop his shoulders with her hands on her hips, pink dreadlocks floating about her bare shoulders, as she announces her commands. "You! Newbie! State the name of my subordinate!"

"My designation is Zero One Five Eight, and my mission is a declaration of superiority. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight, I wouldn't lose to anyone."

"Yare yare daze…" Mei shakes her head. "Next you'll say that you've come to announce your master as the one true mastermind."

"I've come to announce…" The machine pauses, then clenches its fists and shakes one at Mei angrily. "Do not steal my line, you fluffy little bitch!"

"What the fuck did you just say about my hair?!" Mei's screech is drowned out by the sound of alarms blaring across campus. Plumes of fire arc over the school building before touching down, transforming into black androids that stand nearly ten feet tall.

Compared to the streamlined bodybuilder bot that's come knocking, Mei's designs are all inhuman and angular with LEDs and specific builds. One stands taller than the others with thin limbs and multiple arms, including a pair of turrets. Another is squat, with missile banks protruding from the shoulders, and the last is vaguely human with exposed metal beams extending between the joints.

"You called for us, Mother?" The tall one asks politely, never quite wavering from the enemy. "This shoddy workmanship has none of your love. Shall we dispose of it?"

"Yes please!" Mei lets out another boastful laugh, then points at the intruder. Izuku's shoulders slump under her boots, so she moves one to the top of his head and strokes her chin as her machines begin to hiss and glower at the enemy. "I've been preparing for this day since I made my first baby! Now you'll see the true power of my genius!"

"You stand no chance against Progenitus, the crown jewel of my master's army." The silver mech announces.

"Why do all the gearheads have robot armies?" Izuku groans. The sound is lost on the entranced masses and the play-acting woman perched atop his head, so he crosses his arms and stares as the tallest of Mei's arsenal steps out to meet Progenitus (little does he know that Mei does the same thing atop her perch, somehow keeping perfect time to add her own dramatic flair to the action).

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

"DORARARARARARARARARARARARA!" Progenitus is a silver blur as it dismantles Mei's machine. Despite a noble effort, the turrets on either side do absolutely nothing to the enemy mech's hide. Arms and legs fly to either side before the black mech falls to the ground in a sparking heap.

"Truly an admirable performance, but only the beginning of your trial!" The short mech blitzes around Progenitus and appears near its shoulder just in time for Progenitus to slam a fist into its head. Izuku winces as it shatters and leaves a deep hole in the campus grounds.

"Hey, guys, can we not…?"

"You dare defile Mother's grace? Heathen," The final mech steps forward and leers up at Progenitus with eyes that glow like miniature suns. "That will be your final sin. Beg for mercy or pray. These last few seconds of transmission are the only grace you'll receive from me."

"I see." Progenitus clenches its fingers, venting steam from its chest as it looks down on Mei's creation. "Perhaps this is only a test, but I have claimed that I would not lose to anyone. For the sake of my master's honor…"

Izuku sighs as Progenitus disappears. A small explosion sounds from their right, and the crowd can only gape when they find the new hole left in the wall of U.A.'s campus.

"Midoriya-kun, I thought Hatsume was asleep." Nezu chirps. Izuku sighs, glancing up at the principal's perch on All Might's shoulder, and shrugs.

"Does she look like she's asleep?"

"No. That seems to be the problem."

"At least she isn't standing on your head, Principal-san."

"And you're letting this happen because…?"

"I didn't really expect any of this, but I figure anything thinning out Mei's ranks is probably a good thing for us?"

"You'll let my school be destroyed in the process?"

"What am I, a failsafe? Let the robots settle things, I'll clean it up if anyone is actually in danger." Izuku sighs. "This is the first time you've seen her designs in action, Principal-san."

He won't tell anyone he's curious about how far she's come from Sonic Spider, AKA Seventeen, but no one seems to be asking. Most of them won't remember, considering how many chapters ago that was (for those of you watching, it's Chapter Seven; no this wasn't planned).

Progenitus shoves its way out of the rubble and brushes some dust from the orbs protruding from its shoulders, then reappears before Mei's design.

"That was a good hit. Cheap, but solid. Well done."

"Your praise is meaningless. The time for begging has passed." The black machine growls. Izuku frowns as the machines begin accelerating, reaching speeds well beyond the human perception rate before they start to fall off. Blows collide, machines slam into the ground and into the wreckage of their freshly murdered brothers. For a while, the black mech seems to be winning.

"Oi…"

"Yeah, Kacchan, I see it." Izuku frowns.

"What's up, greenhorns?"

"Look for yourself, Sparky." Kacchan growls.

"What is it, Bakugõ-kun?"

"Leave it, All Might, I'm busy."

"Be nice Kacchan…"

"Bite me."

The fight comes to a brutal end as Progenitus tears Mei's last fighter in half. A yelp sounds from the crowd as they come to grips with the brutal finisher, and the raw dishonor that comes from Progenitus kicking the broken mechs into a pile and stomping them into pieces.

"Now. Recognize my might, and swear fealty…"

"Alright, that's enough of that." Izuku sighs. Mei whines as he reaches up and plucks her from her perch, setting her down and trudging out to meet the robot.

"A mortal? Are you the representative for this sector?"

"Uh, yeah, something like that?" Izuku scratches his head. "Look, Progenitus, as you can see, we already have a crazy inventor and a surplus of androids. There's not really enough space for any more of… you. Plus the whole 'fealty' thing is overrated. This isn't the middle ages, we're in a progressive period. No overlords."

"Unfortunately for you, the might of my master's army…"

"Yeah, no."

"Unfortunately…"

"No overlords."

"Unfortunately…"

"Seriously? You have limited scripts?" Izuku rolls his eyes at the machine. "You're not even close if that's what you're bringing to the table. Go on, get home before you run out of batteries. Shoo."

"…You don't seem to understand your situation, mortal."

"I understand the situation perfectly fine."

"Midoriya, I have a request from Mother's personal server." Monitor blurts. Izuku rolls his eyes and half turns from his conversation with Progenitus.

"Monitor, I'm kind of in the middle of something." He hisses.

"Are you not paying attention? I could wipe you from the face of the earth, mortal. This is not the time to lose focus. Bow, before I become irritated."

"One second," Izuku holds up a hand to Progenitus as he turns back to Mei, who's flashing him a pair of thumbs. "…damn it. Monitor, what's the request?"

"Mortal, I refuse to be…"

"Repeat after me: 'I, Midorino Izuvanna, have a dream…'" Izuku slaps himself in the face briefly before he takes a deep breath and looks up at the machine.

"…I, Midorino Izuvanna, have a dream…"

"Oho?" Progenitus' head twitches, yanking to one side as if he's resisting the motion in his limbs. Every motion looks jerky and throws sparks from the joints. Izuku winces as something drives Progenitus backward and forces it to cross its arms. "You're approaching me? You're not running away?"

Izuku barely has time to open his mouth before Kacchan appears at Progenitus' hip, unleashing a massive blast from his prosthetic. Progenitus jerks out of the way almost entirely, but one arm is sacrificed to the plume of stardust. Balance, or maybe just shoddy reaction speed. Whatever the cause, the mech rights itself and glares down at the molten stump left where its right arm should be, then swerves to face Kacchan.

"Another mortal combatant… What foolishness."

"In case your shit programming didn't figure it out already, you're out of your league Sparkplug." Kacchan growls. "Fuck off before you annoy me."

"There is no mortal save for All Might who is capable of engaging me in combat. The mythical vigilante Deku, perhaps, but he is nothing more than propaganda created by the government in order to frighten my master into…"

"Hey, Progenitus, right?" Izuku waves at the machine and frowns. "Yeah, I'm Deku. Who says I'm propaganda?"

"My master is no fool," Progenitus straightens, returning its hand to its hip. "Only All Might is capable of defeating my master's creations, the likes of which have never been seen before. Quirks are incapable of being passed down, which means no one will ever have that power again…"

"Wrong again, unfortunately," Izuku actually grins a little bit. "On every account. Look, just go home. Yes, you're very large and fast and shiny. It's very impressive. But we were just about to eat lunch, and you're kind of tearing up the school."

"Unfortunately for you, the might of my master's army…"

"For crying out loud…" Izuku groans as Kacchan fires up his arm again. This time, instead of getting caught by surprise, Progenitus grabs the boy by his prosthetic and swings. At the same time, Izuku falls into shatter-speed and rips the arm from Progenitus' chest, then hops into the air and turns the machine into a pile of scrap with all the grace of a man flattening a soda can.

Kacchan hits the ground and growls as he tears the robotic hand from his arm, then moves to grab the front of Izuku's shirt.

"The fuck was that, Deku?"

"I fixed it." Izuku shrugs. "No point in breaking your arm every time you fight someone."

"You think that piece of scrap could have…"

"No one knows now," Izuku swats Kacchan's arm and turns, heading back towards the crowd. "Mei, we need to talk cleanup!"

-0-

Cleanup is both less and more extensive than Izuku hopes. The actual cleanup is being handled by drones and by Power Loader, who's a little bit concerned about the aerial security of their school. Meanwhile, the debriefing drags Izuku, Kacchan, Mei and Melissa into Nezu's office.

"So, Hatsume, do you want to explain what just happened?" Nezu asks patiently. Izuku sighs a bit as the girl throws a mock salute and grins.

"Sir! I programmed an early warning measure for anyone who dares attempt to recreate my babies! By scanning for similar quantum communications globally I was able to pick up the trail that the enemy left before impact." Mei chirps. "He only managed to cull my first generation of offensive drones, so there's about four more stages that are prepped and ready to defend the school in case of a real attack."

"And how did you know this wasn't an attack?" Nezu's eyes close briefly, giving away the oddly high stress levels left over from the fight.

"It was only one drone!" Mei shrugs as if that says it all, so Izuku elbows her and points at the principal to demand at least a little more. "The code for any robot that approaches the level of my babies is extremely dense, especially when they're constantly updating across a quantum communication network. Once the code detected an approaching android, we hacked into the network and checked the data. Everything pointed at an exploratory approach, so the code didn't alert the schoolwide defense grid."

"…We have a schoolwide defense grid?" Nezu blinks, looking at Melissa for confirmation.

"Of course!" Mei chirps. "I've designed the lab to be mobile, and the campus has several defensive protocols. Nothing short of a dimensional infiltration asset can assault this school!"

"Wait, you can cut through dimensions?" Izuku isn't entirely sure he wants to know the answer, but the words are already out. Mei's grin says everything, so he waves her off instead of waiting for the science. "Never mind. As long as the school is safe, I don't want to know."

"Awww!"

"Hatsume, could you please have Monitor share the details of your defensive structures with the staff?" Nezu sighs. "Best not to trip anything accidentally."

"Sure thing, boss man!"

"Now, about the android that attacked us."

"It wasn't anything to worry about, principal." Mei yawns and stretches, popping a few joints while rolling her neck both ways. "Our communications network is way stronger, and the Vault will automatically deploy interference if an actual attack comes our way! Besides, the enemy wasn't actually clocking any faster than picosecond computer speeds. Monitor Mk Seven was reaching femtoseconds on hybrid neural wires before the new year!"

"I see. Well, as thrilling as that information is, don't take an enemy lightly, Hatsume-chan," Nezu stares the girl down steadily, ignoring the way she bounces back and forth under his eyes. "Your level may be hard to reach, but failure and example tend to go hand in hand when two people butt heads. If they've reached this far alone, I imagine they'll only improve faster now that they've been defeated."

Izuku stays quiet as they talk. Kacchan does too, but in more of a surly-because-I-didn't-get-to-break-anything way. Melissa sighs every time Mei brushes the principal off, and she constantly taps away at her data pad.

They're a complete mess, but at least Mei is awake now. Hopefully they won't have any other close calls.

-0-

-000-

-0-

After the near-miss disaster they had during lunch, Momo half expects Midoriya to cancel training. When he doesn't, she makes a point of picking her gym uniform instead of her hero outfit. She absolutely doesn't blush as she zips it up, and she ignores Kyōka's questions about her choice.

Midoriya smiles at them both wearily, then launches into training with a vengeance.

It's noticeably different this time. Momo is still working on the concepts that he's given her, but now she catches him looking. She frowns, wondering if maybe she catches him because he wants her to catch him; he can move at hypersonic speeds on a whim, and it seems to extend beyond just speed.

He doesn't seem cunning enough. The Midoriya she knows is fairly innocent when it comes to people. She's just glad that he's actually giving her tips and helping her with her form instead of focusing on Kyōka this time. Popping items out of her body over and over like that just makes her feel… used.

She keeps thinking back to the study party. Her plan had been to talk with him, but in the end, she'd been so mad that she'd spent the entire time avoiding him. Everyone seems to think they've already worked this out.

Everyone save for Midoriya, of course.

It's all so stupid, isn't it? She frowns, returning to the stance Midoriya insists on, and throws out a short burst of jabs against the targets. A fist slams into her training dummy just hard enough to leave it wobbling. Why do we have to talk? Why should I care that we're friends or not?

Momo takes a deep breath, relaxing her stance a bit. She blinks, then stares at the scrap of fabric that absolutely wasn't hanging from the dummy's shoulder a moment ago. The small towel is pillow-soft in her fingers and freshly warm.

All it takes is a glance to confirm that Kyōka has one too, but Midoriya is grinning shyly as he looks away from her. For some reason it leaves her feeling shaken up. Suddenly the answer to her questions is plain as day.

How long has it been since she found herself feeling miserable? Was it one of their tutoring sessions, or even as early as their very first meeting? She found friends at U.A., sure, but there's something profound about the way Midoriya looks at people. Maybe it's as simple as keeping busy; Midoriya is to blame for that as well. There's no getting around it in the end.

Like it or not, something about Midoriya keeps her feeling light.

Kyōka eyes her as they head back to the 1-A dorms, then smirks.

"Feeling better?"

"I suppose," Momo murmurs. "Training was rather productive today."

"Yeah, I know. Midoriya couldn't keep his eyes off you," Kyōka snickers. Momo has barely opened her mouth to fight back when the other girl raises her hands defensively. "Yeah, yeah! I know. I just think it's funny, you know. Let him down easy if you're not going to take him seriously though. He's more trouble than he seems if you ask me."

"I don't think anyone can argue that." Momo chuckles weakly.

"Seriously, robots attacking the school? What's next, monsters?" Kyōka groans. "Why can't we catch a break?!"

"Honestly," Momo smiles just a bit as she pats Kyōka on the shoulder. "I think Midoriya is our break."

"Does it really count if he's the one attracting trouble?"

"Hatsume was living under the school all along, so maybe he isn't the trouble magnet."

"Don't go defending him, Yaomomo! Let a girl vent, would you?"

-0-

-000-

-0-

Shōto does his best to avoid Midoriya. At best the green haired youth is an outlier, at worst he's the harbinger of an era where Shōto, for all his power, is essentially useless. But there are times when Shōto doesn't get to avoid Midoriya, or his influence, and today seems to be one of those days.

"You're telling me that Hatsume… and that enemy robot…" Shōto groans and digs his fingers into his eyes. "…were quoting this pre-emergence era manga?"

Uraraka has stars in her eyes. Kaminari is wheezing, almost dead from laughter hours after the event. Ashido… Ashido keeps saying things. Shōto doesn't know what to do with any of the things she says or any of these people in general. But the quotes definitely aren't helping.

He doesn't want to ask. It's not productive, he should be studying or training or relaxing. But even if he doesn't know Hatsume well, Shōto knows he should probably be paying attention. There was a moment in that fight where Midoriya was able to take the upper hand by quoting the material, so…

"Why?" He asks.

The room goes silent and several pairs of eyes snap to him all at once. He feels very much like he's just stepped on a landmine, and his knee-jerk reaction to this is to sit completely still. Upsetting Endeavor usually meant there was a tiny window where he could react, if this was the same…

"SUNNAVA BEETCH!" Ashido cackles as she screams it, startling just about everyone who isn't a part of this… whatever it is.

"Todoroki-kun, it's a way of life!" Uraraka still has stars in her eyes, despite looking at least a little bit serious. Shōto shifts back as she moves closer, overtaking him and grabbing his shoulder as if to shake him. "My papa was really into the pre-emergence fictions, Jojo is sooo good!"

"That's debatable…" Sero sighs, tossing a peanut into his mouth and crunching away. "It's fine, if you don't mind people drinking piss out of a teapot."

"LIES!" Uraraka reels and points at him, freeing Shōto from his prison.

"I mean…"

"Who's doing WHAT to a teapot?"

Ah, there's Yaoyorozu back from training. Shōto shrugs, catching the horror in her expression. Jirō grins as she flips herself over onto the couch.

"You guys talking about the Jojo fight earlier?"

"Who ISN'T?!" Kaminari groans, curling in on his stomach. "Damn… I think I added a new pair of abs just laughing…!"

"It wasn't bad." Jirō rolls her eyes. Sero seems pleased that he's not on the radar anymore, and Shōto can't help but shar the sentiment. Whatever these people were reading, it isn't something he's interested in anymore.

"How was training?" He asks. They all shift awkwardly at the question, though Jirō only lifts an eyebrow.

"Fine. Midoriya knows what he's talking about when it comes to quirks and combat, but he's a bit whacky." She shrugs.

"You think Sensei will send everyone to him eventually?" Ashido grins as she takes her place on the couches once more. "I'll bet he'd have some great ideas for my break dancing!"

"Nah, he's just about the biggest nerd ever." Jirō smiles despite the complaint.

"Supersonic break dancing, Jirō! Think of the possibilities!"

"Does it really matter if no one can see you dancing?"

From there, it devolves into one of the classes usual conversations. Shōto is about to get up and head to his room when Uraraka hits the couch beside him and grins sheepishly.

"Sorry if I came on a lil' strong earlier, Todoroki-kun," She ruffles the back of her hair, leaving it messy as she tucks her hands under her legs. "I know most people don't like manga, but my papa and I have the same taste in things… Guess I got caught up in the joke for a bit."

"It's no problem." He coughs, turning his eyes to the carpet. The two of them have been chatting more since she first approached him a few weeks ago, but usually not here. Not with this air of unwound twilight filling the room, not while Uraraka is dressed in shorts and a tank top looking completely disheveled and… natural. Maybe that's the word for this.

Shōto isn't used to this. He's doesn't know if he'll ever be used to anything but distance and chilly assurances. Meanwhile the world outside is going to hell and robots are quoting outdated fiction.

Hopefully he's not the only one who's out of his depth.

-0-

-000-

-0-

Izuku isn't sure he'll ever get used to sharing an elevator with Kacchan. The blonde still won't talk to him outright if Izuku talks first, so they just. Stand there. Waiting.

Elevators take a lot longer when you're forced to be quiet.

The pair of them reach the lab and Izuku waits for Kacchan to take the lead before he follows quietly. A new bubble of holograms fill the air over Monitor's chassis, either a clear indication of Mei's work or a project from Mei-I's end. He doesn't like to think about the fact that there's a robotic copy of Mei living underneath the school, so he doesn't.

"Yo, Doc," Kacchan's backpack hits Melissa's desk in a practiced slide. Izuku grins when the other boy takes a moment to rub Maya-chan's hair before he makes a beeline towards Melissa's desk.

Izuku, on the other hand, heads over to where Mei-I, and hopefully Mei, are suspended.

"Hey, Mei? You busy?"

"Nope! What's up, bro?" Mei's voice comes through the holograms moments before she descends personally, letting the images fade as the chair lowers to ground level.

"I was just wondering about the whole…" Izuku waves his hands, then eventually drops them and forgets being delicate while he's busy forgetting Mei-I. "…coma thing."

"Coma?" Mei looks confused for a moment before she snaps her fingers. "Oh! That was just sleep!"

"Uh… That was a coma."

"I always do that. Though," Mei's crosshairs flicker as she ponders something. "I suppose it didn't take so long for me to need sleep back before I made all my babies. It's probably part of my mutation."

"Mutation?"

"The scans from the Re:Anima engineering project say that…" Mei trails off as a gruff voice rises on their left.

"Why NOT?"

"There are no more upgrades, Katsuki. And even if we wanted to plan one, we can't just whip it up without knowing what you want!" Melissa sighs. Izuku frowns as the pair stare one another down, looking a lot more upset than he'd ever seen them before (at least in Melissa's case; there's only so much difference in Kacchan's expressions). "Besides, you haven't been in combat! How am I supposed to know what works on the model you already have?"

"Fine, give me some bots to wreck and I'll give you the data you need." Kacchan growls. Melissa groans into her hands in response. "What?"

"I'm not talking about SIMULATED COMBAT, Katsuki."

"What, you and deadlocks over there are already tapped out?" Kacchan snorts. "I thought people like us were supposed to keep growing. What's the point if we cap out here?"

"MEI might have some ideas," Melissa frowns up at Katsuki heavily. "But I'm not completely insane, and you're already carrying a weapon capable of tearing small islands out of the pacific. Besides, Maya is my primary project right now."

Kacchan huffs, then throws a glance over his shoulder. Maya-chan doesn't bother looking up from her holograms, which is either very worrying for Izuku or just… an android thing. But Izuku has been working with her occasionally, so he wonders if maybe this type of fight isn't …

"Besides, Katsuki," Melissa mutters quietly. "I'm not an Anomaly. I can't help."

"The fuck does that mean?!" Kacchan claws at his hair as if he's ready to tear it out at the roots. "So what, you're just some quack with an intelligence quirk? The hell…"

"I'm quirkless, actually." Melissa growls.

Izuku very quietly makes a note that these fights may be typical, but this one is probably not quite like the rest. Kacchan's eyes widen at the admittance, and of all the places in the world he looks directly at Izuku.

"Why are you looking at Izuku?" Melissa's voice drags Kacchan's eyes back to hers.

"We have a history?" Izuku shrugs and scratches the back of his head. Melissa doesn't know what to say about that, and Kacchan… well, Izuku has never really expected Kacchan to say anything about their relationship. Or, rather, their history. Best not to call it a relationship.

"Childhood friends, right?" Melissa looks at Kacchan questioningly. Izuku chuckles weakly. "Why aren't you saying anything, Katsuki?"

Kacchan grinds his teeth audibly. Melissa's frown turns from sad to worried, but he's already storming past her to grab his backpack and head for the catwalk. Izuku sighs and closes his eyes, having already accepted this on some level.

"Katsuki!"

Izuku flinches when Melissa's shout cuts the air.

"Fuck off, Doc."

"You don't just get to storm off after that!" Melissa cries.

"So, what, you think you get to come chasing after me? Huh?!" Kacchan shouts back.

"Just answer the question!"

"You already know the answer, don't ya?" Kacchan's voice breaks on that one. Izuku sighs as the footsteps pick up again, then the elevator chimes.

"I don't get him at all sometimes." Melissa sniffles, then throws herself into her chair. Izuku opens one eye and peers at the woman's back. He doesn't know what to say… and he isn't even sure if he has anything to say on the matter. The way things are going, he and Kacchan aren't friends; what right does Izuku have to comment on their love life?

When has he ever cared if he had the right to do anything?

"Kacchan is…" Izuku pauses, then digs through his hair and hums to himself. "He's a man of few words."

"That's just dumb." Melissa says.

"Yeah, probably," Izuku chuckles, then takes slow steps over to her chair. Melissa is his friend, even if she's way beyond him in terms of just about everything. He's never been able to turn away from someone in tears. "He won't stay away from you though."

"I'm his mechanic," Melissa chuckles dryly, sounding strained. "He doesn't get a choice."

"Actually, you're the closest thing to a friend he's ever had," Izuku smiles sadly, meeting Melissa's eyes. The question is there, but THAT is something Katsuki has to answer himself. "And you're probably the smartest."

"Who cares?" Melissa frowns, staring at her hands. "I have no idea what's going through his head."

Izuku makes a little noise and nods, earning a watery chuckle from the girl.

"Kacchan's always been the smartest person in the room, you know?" Izuku mutters. "Well, the smartest person or the hardest worker. But he's been alone for his entire life, I think."

"I'm not surprised after seeing the way he acts with you." Melissa sighs.

"He's nice to you though," Izuku taps the chair to catch her gaze and offers up a smile. "If you ask me… I think he's really trying. He'll be back."

"I'll make sure to give him hell if he does." Melissa smiles weakly. "And if he tries to break something, I'll send him after you."

"That's… You know what," Izuku sighs playfully, throwing his hands in the air as he wanders back towards Mei's chair. "You're the only one who gets to do that, got it?"

He finds Mei looking pensive, but he's already forgotten what she was saying before they were interrupted. Instead of pursuing it, he sighs and gives Mei a smile.

"Don't forget you have a dorm room, okay? I don't need to carry you everywhere next time."

"But that was so much more fun!"

"Next time I'm dumping you in your dorm."

-0-

-000-

-0-

Toshinori has always, on some level, known this was coming.

He knew that All for One might not be his destiny, that he could share the fate of those who came before him. From the day his master chose him to bear One for All, Toshinori only had two constants: his drive to become the Symbol he'd dreamt of, and the knowledge that one day he would have to pick his successor.

When he first felt One for All begin to bleed from his muscles, he'd accepted it with some frustration. It was silly to think that he was taking the easy way out. Going out in a blaze of glory would only leave a scar… and a man with a legacy of All Might's size would leave a scar even larger, if only as devastating, as the one his master left. Mirio would make a fantastic successor. Toshinori couldn't hope for a better successor, but he was frustrated.

Everyone told him teaching would be hard. He hadn't really taken them seriously.

But we're getting off track, aren't we?

Toshinori isn't. He's jogging right about now. Taking the long route in his barebones form, dragging most of a U.A. tracksuit as he fights the inevitable loss of power that has finally come to call.

He's come most of the way around the campus when a tree- a whole tree, roots and all mind you- sails across the track ahead of him. A string of curses and dirt follows the tree, knocking Toshinori from his stupor. Before he can go looking, Bakugo stalks across the trail after the tree.

The blondes make eye contact. Just as Toshinori is preparing himself to introduce his alter ego, Bakugō clicks his tongue and turns away.

"The fuck you lookin' at, All Might?"

"Ah…" Toshinori rubs the back of his neck and chuckles. "You always were more perceptive than the others gave you credit for."

"Bullshit," Bakugō growls. Toshinori blinks as something in the boy's prosthetic rattles briefly, falling silent when a fist slams into the frame. "I'm just as blind as the extras in the end."

Toshinori frowns. Bakugō has never been one for talking, nor has he ever been one to explain anything. It's a quality that Toshinori can relate to, one that he had to cultivate during his reign as All Might.

"Just look at you," Bakugō's voice grows quiet instead of loud, which is almost more worrisome. "How did I miss the decline of the greatest hero? What kind of idiot didn't notice the absences, the change, the lies?"

"Not many did." Toshinori mutters.

"That's no excuse." Bakugō snaps. Toshinori sighs and scratches his head. He wonders what Aizawa would say, or what Nezu or Nana might say. One of them would know how to handle the boy better.

One broken child is enough for Toshinori's lifetime.

"I worked very hard to make sure that decline was felt as little as possible," Toshinori says. "If a schoolboy could have figured it out, I wouldn't have been doing my job."

Bakugō remains quiet for a moment, though Toshinori thinks perhaps he's still beating himself up. He wonders how long Bakugō has been putting such impossible standards on himself. Wonders if perhaps that's the source of the boy's issues… and decides that isn't quite right. Something in his gut tells him that Bakugō is frustrated about something else.

"What was your quirk?" Bakugō mutters. If Toshinori hesitates, it isn't because he's speaking to the boy but because he's never actually told anyone. Gran Torino, maybe… Decades ago, maybe. The words stick in his throat like blood, but this blood doesn't taste like his own.

"I was quirkless." Toshinori coughs, then hums to soothe his throat. Bakugō trembles and stiffens, then grinds his teeth.

"Of course… of fucking course…" Bakugō growls.

Toshinori winces at the hoarseness of the boy's voice. It's the closest thing to sob that he's ever heard from the boy.

"You're the doc's guardian, right Bones?"

"Agh, y-yes…?" Toshinori actually does cough up some blood this time. No one refers to him like that, though if anyone would… "You mean Melissa?"

"What's that about?" Bakugō's hair hangs over his eyes like a shroud. Toshinori hasn't heard much from Melissa these days thanks to the S-class business, but he's heard enough. Whenever the girl brings up Bakugō's maintenance there's… something. Frustration, yes, but more than that too. It stirs up a reflex Toshinori never imagined he would have.

"She's the daughter of my best friend." Toshinori says it a little more solidly than he means to. Bakugō glares at him with one eye, then clicks his tongue again.

"Not your kid then?"

"Unfortunately. I've never had the chance. Nor the opportunity…" Toshinori sighs. "My mind was on other things. But quirkless people aren't as uncommon as you seem to believe, if that's what you thought."

"Don't play dumb." Bakugō snarls. Toshinori shrugs. Apparently they've both seen the commentary about All Might's guardianship… which begs several questions about Bakugō's true nature.

"Whatever anyone has told you, young Bakugō…"

"Don't." Bakugō snaps. He turns to face Toshinori for the first time and reveals the damp gleam hanging onto his eyes instead of their usual feral tint. "Don't you DARE tell me that quirks don't mean shit! YOU of all people don't get to tell me that!"

Toshinori thinks about that.

On one hand, he's probably the only person in the world who knows both sides of this story. He's been left in the dust and picked up, then worked his way to the top with blood sweat and tears. Who else, save for a certain green-haired youth…?

But there's the problem.

If Toshinori is the only person who's seen both sides of the problem, then he has to acknowledge that All Might only stands at the top after being given a quirk. He isn't a hypocrite for saying that a person is more than their quirk. That simply doesn't acknowledge the whole truth, nor does it acknowledge either side.

Even if Toshinori says that a person is more than their quirk, he isn't saying that a quirkless person ISN'T lesser for NOT having a quirk.

"I turned Midoriya down once," He says. The words come from somewhere deep in the back of his mind, from beneath a pile of grief, self-pity, unrequited apologies. But they come easily and saying them aloud drains something from his chest in both a physical and emotional sense. "I met Midoriya before the mud-man attacked you, and I told him that a quirkless person couldn't be a hero. Once upon a time, I thought that was hypocritical. I still do. But you're right… I can't say that a person is more than their quirk."

Bakugō softens somewhat. It's small, but it pulls at Toshinori's chest as if pulling at stitches.

"Quirks are powerful, almost defining features… but they are only features. Melissa has always baffled me with how smart she is, just as her father did, and I've met hundreds of quirkless people who are more talented than a hundred heroes. Several of them were more talented than me, but they spoke as if I were something greater… As if I did not make myself greater. Some of them knew, like you, that I worked incredibly hard to get where I am. None of them knew the truth… and I may have even forgotten it for a time, honestly," Toshinori chuckles awkwardly. "The top is blinding in a way. You're dragged through so much so quickly that it becomes a lifestyle. Stopping to consider the moral implications of one's birth is sometimes difficult, or at least something best saved for time spent in a hospital bed."

"…Does that mean you're excused from it?" Bakugō mutters under his breath. Toshinori sighs and looks at his hands, at the scars crisscrossing the otherwise soft palms and bony fingers.

"No. The only excuse we have for forgetting is in forgiveness, or in death."

"Forgiveness…" Bakugō chuckles distantly. "Who the fuck said I was asking for forgiveness?"

"I'm not a teacher, young Bakugō. I won't claim to know." Toshinori shrugs. Bakugō grinds his teeth louder in response.

"Then there's nothing to be said, is there?"

"I suppose not." Toshinori's shoulders slump. He can tell there's still so much to be said. As much as he wants to tell the boy about time, he remembers his youth. Maybe he doesn't remember it fondly or even remember it well, but he remembers. Bakugō will do this his way, just as Toshinori did.

He can't help but wonder if Melissa will be dragged into this, and he worries for both of them. Melissa more than Bakugō, but for both all the same.

"Oi, Bones!" All Might's head snaps up as Bakugō calls out to him. A single bloodshot eye glares over the boy's shoulder as a fresh breeze comes down the path, carrying the scent of smoke and warm metal. "I'm gonna be the greatest hero, you hear me? And when I'm done, you're gonna tell everyone the truth."

Toshinori feels One for All singe his veins as he looks at Bakugō's back, as if reacting to the boy's challenge. So much hinges on that declaration: his legacy, for better and worse, the truth of his crusade, the identity of his successor… But it pales in the face of what Bakugō is claiming to become.

What is he to say if Bakugō becomes the naturally born symbol of peace?

"I wonder about that," He grins wryly, acknowledging the challenge as much as he is turning up his nose at it. "With friends like Hatsume and Midoriya, not to mention my successor. Can you bear the weight, young Bakugō?"

"Who ever said we were friends?" Bakugō waves a metal hand, then grabs the roots of the tree lying across the jogging trail. "They're pebbles on the road to being number one, that's all."

"That's bold talk for a boy relying on someone else's handiwork." Toshinori chuckles, letting All Might bear down upon the boy just enough to satisfy his misplaced instincts. Bakugō hardly snorts in response.

"Someone's gotta teach the world what she can do."

Toshinori shakes his head as the boy drags the tree into the woods, then takes a deep breath.

"Oh, sensei… You'd like this bunch," He grins as he starts jogging again, staring up at the sky. "They've got all the grit you and Gran Torino-sensei had and then some."

He breathes a little easier after that, though he won't stop worrying just yet.

-0-

-000-

-0-

Izuku is coming back from meditation the next morning when he catches Bakugo coming out of the girls' side of the dorm. He waves and earns himself a death glare for his trouble. Rather than cower, he smiles. Eri is already up when he gets to the room, but she's got a book on her pillow and a blanket over her head. She squeals when he rushes in and tickles her, letting only quiet footsteps give away his presence.

Mei joins them for breakfast, and Izuku has to shove her off his shoulders when she tries to hitch a ride to class. No one bats an eye when she joins 1-A for lectures, or when she spends the entire time with holographic tabs open and five different videos streaming across the feed. Present Mic tries to ask her a question and receives a perfect translation in response, reminding them all that she earned her place as Anomaly number 2 quite spectacularly.

Kacchan remains quiet all day, though his arm growls occasionally. He doesn't relax until he sees Melissa in the cafeteria, and when he does the girl stares at him for several seconds. Izuku grins when she finally rolls her eyes and falls into step beside them.

He catches Yaoyorozu-san and Jirō-san in the line somewhere behind him and waves meekly. Yaoyorozu seems happier today than she was yesterday. She doesn't avoid his gaze this time, at least. If he stares a little longer than usual, she holds his gaze for just as long. Only the mental image of her hero costume reminds him that he's staring and breaks the contest, leaving him a little bit steamed.

Falling for the prettiest girl in school seems a little bit overrated. The fact that she's rich AND the smartest girl in their class only makes it more so. He's both terrified and entranced and constantly reminded that they haven't had that talk he promised her. By the time they actually have it, he'll probably have a lot more to answer for than just keeping secrets.

Instead of waiting in line, he steps out to clear his head. Melissa says they'll keep his spot, so he takes their bags and heads towards the table he's basically staked his name to. He leaves them in their respective places and takes a deep breath. Now that he's "Deku" and "S-class", he doesn't take these moments without people around as seriously as he used to.

Has it really been less than a year since he was hiding out on the roof of Aldera middle school?

Smiling is so much easier than it used to be.

"Hey, you're Midoriya, right?" The voice isn't quite a drawl, so much as it is obviously tired. Izuku manages a half turn, just enough to see wild purple curls, before he's responding.

"Oh, yeah…"

The world slows, then darkens and stretches too fast for him to fully understand what's happening. His body locks into place as a dull static fills his mind, trapping him in a photographic reality. Eventually he lets himself drift, unable to shut his eyes and avoid the distorted images before him but unable to look at them any longer.

Izuku curls up and waits, trapped with nothing save his thoughts.

At this speed, he has a few eternities before anyone can catch up.

This is what happens when he gets too complacent.

-000-

-0-

A/N: I'm only sorry about the Jojo's quotes, not the cliffhanger. There's a reason. I can't promise it will make sense but I promise that it's based on the concept that this began with.
Come yell at me if you'd like. I can't say I'm writing any of this correctly, but I hope you guys are at least enjoying it.