Chapter 6: So Many Brains, so Few Braincells
"Man, I'm pooped!" Tooru said as she flopped onto the common room's couch. "Mamadoria-sensei is kind of a taskmaster... We really worked out for two hours nonstop."
Jirou, much worse for wear, wheezed as she fell onto a chair. "Ugh, why did I agree to this after the quirk assessment? The Sun is still up and I feel like sleeping for a week."
"Thankfully, I was not required to create too many items this time around, otherwise I would be quite famished." Momo sat down on the chair next to Jirou's.
"Still, you were pretty manly, using all those weapons like that!" Eiko was by far the least tired of them, along with Mina to a degree.
"Yeah, Yaomomo! You were totally awesome back there, and on the quirk assessment. I mean, you pulled out a freaking cannon!" Mina giggled as she plopped down on the sofa, across from Tooru.
"Yaomomo?" The heiress looked befuddled.
"Like a nickname, since your last name is kind of a mouthful, and part of Yaoyorozu is written the same as Momo, right?" Mina explained, and saw the heiress grow an adorable smile, as she suddenly broke from her usual composed and elegant attitude to become rather bubbly.
"Oh, yes, nicknames! That is something that friends do, right?" The others were a bit confused by the phrasing. "Like studying together, watching movies, braiding each other's hair, yes?"
Ochako smiled. "Yeah! And if we're gonna spend four years together, we should be friends." Momo's cheerful expression only grew.
"Yeah, I guess I could hang out with you sometimes." Hitoshi grumbled. "But right now I'm gonna take a nap." He propped himself up, turning to leave the common area.
"Honestly, same." Kyouka managed to get herself up from the chair.
"Hey, where's Midoriya?" Tsu asked, noticing just then that the tall green girl was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah, Sensei asked her to stay behind, along with Nejire. I think they're doing more training." Ochako supplied the answer.
Kyouka boggled for a moment. "MORE training? After two hours of it? Is she right in the head?"
Hitoshi turned his head back and let a smile grow on his face. "Jury's still out on that one." Hagakure gave him a playful smack on the arm as he passed by her.
"Welp, I'm gonna get started on setting up my room. I got here kinda late, so I've barely had the time to hang my stuff up." Kyouka got up with a slight grunt, feeling the soreness from the exercise on her muscles after they had been allowed to cool down. "Ugh, I just know I'm gonna feel that in the morning." Her classmates chuckled at that.
"Yeah, we should all do that, we can meet up later." Mina suggested, the rest nodding and following her to the elevator.
—
Down at the Plumbers' HQ, Izumi continued to test out her new aliens, specifically the five Hylians, while her mother and Nejire researched the database for any possible information on them. Something about them had felt off to Izumi, as if they were missing something that would truly make their abilities shine.
She had gotten a grasp on their basic abilities. Zora had Hydrokinesis and perhaps some form of healing ability that was still untested, Rito had a form of Wind Current Manipulation, Goron had minor Geokinesis and Magmakinesis, and Gerudo could convert kinetic energy into lightning. Zonai's abilities, however, continued to elude her. She could feel there was something special the form could do, but it remained a complete mystery to her.
Another two hours had passed with no major breakthrough, they decided to get some rest, something Izumi sorely needed. It was hardly the most she had pushed herself, but she still had one more thing to do before she settled down at the dorms. Nejire and her mother stayed behind, handling the monitoring systems for any signs of alien technology on and near Earth, in their continued attempt to locate and ward off Vilgax.
Izumi made her way to Power Loader's office, knocking twice before hearing his slightly nasally voice answer. "It's open." The man, wearing his workshop gear in lieu of his trademark excavator hero suit, widened his eyes as he saw the girl. "Ah, Midoriya, I wasn't expecting you. What can I help you with?"
The girl fidgeted slightly. "Well, uh, I was just wondering if I could use the workshop for a bit. I had a few ideas for support gear that I wanted to try and finish before our first heroics class." She explained.
"Ah, that's perfectly fine. Though it's rare that one of my first year students wants to use the workshop before their classes even begin. Much less two of them."
Izumi blinked. "Ah, there's someone else there already? I won't bother them, then."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, they probably won't mind it. She was the first one to arrive at the dorms, most support students only show up tomorrow. Honestly, I'm kind of worried about leaving the girl alone in the workshop, so you'd be doing me a favour."
Izumi nodded, and took the keycard he handed her. "Thank you, sensei."
He then cleared his throat, raising his arm. "Wait, Midoriya." She stopped, turning to him. "On Monday, I'll be doing a special class during orientation. I've already cleared it with Aizawa, but since you're already here, I might as well let you know."
'Huh, I wonder if that's why Aizawa did his QAT today, or if it was the other way around...' She hummed. "I'll be there, Sensei." She turned and left the office, making her way to the first year workshop.
"Hmm, those two are gonna be a handful, aren't they?" Power Loader mused, a feeling of mounting dread in the back of his mind.
—
Hatsume Mei was in her element. Once she got her hands on that soldering torch, the world around her seemed to disappear into nothingness. It was only her, her tools, and the baby she was about to bring into the world. That is, until a loose wire she had been much too hasty to properly secure caught on the fuel cell for her prototype jetpack, causing a massive explosion that flung her backwards into the workshop's door. However, instead of landing on the cold, hard ground, she felt something warm and somewhat soft break her fall.
She opened her yellow eyes to see she had landed on top of a girl, and after a few instants, she realised that it was someone she had met before. "Muscles! When did you get here?" She said, not at all minding the fact that they were both on the ground, pressed against each other, and that she had just been struck by an explosion.
Izumi meanwhile, was nearly speechless. "H-Hatsume?! What the hell? Are you okay."
Mei looked at the panicked girl as if the question was odd. "What? Oh, right!" She remembered the explosion. "Don't worry about it, my babies explode all the time!" Izumi certainly wasn't reassured by that. "Still, I didn't see you back at the dorm, did you just get here? I came as soon as I arrived! No time to waste if I can be working on my babies!" She gushed, not noticing that she was further pressing her chest onto Izumi's.
The green haired girl nearly went catatonic at the feeling. "H-Hatsume, I think we should get off the ground…"
Mei instantly got up, dusting herself off, Izumi's eyes trying their best to not look directly at the jiggling. "Come on, then Muscles! You can help me rebuild my Jet-Baby!" With that, she darted back into the smouldering workshop. Izumi, having finally gotten up herself, went in, beelining towards a window to get the dreadful smell of oil and smoke out.
Walking up to the counter where Mei's exploded invention was, she recognized the blueprint almost immediately. "H-hey, Hatsume, is this modelled after Air-Jet's gear?" She picked up the blueprints from the desk, eyeing them closely.
"Yup! Though they're meant to enable someone to fly without the aid of a quirk, unlike his." Hatsume explained, already beginning to put the salvageable pieces back together. "This is just prototype number 7, but I have a good feeling about this one!"
Izumi blinked as she looked at the design, more specifically, the fuel cell. "Hey, why isn't the fuel source insulated? Should be easy enough with about two millimetres of lining."
"But that would reduce the energy efficiency!" Mei yelled, outraged.
Izumi hummed. "Yeah, but you can see how that could lead to an increased chance of critical failure, right? I mean, that's probably what caused it to explode in the first place."
The pink haired girl shook her head. "It only gets ten minutes of flight time as is! Reducing it any further would make it completely useless as gear!" She protested.
"You do have a point there…" Izumi placed a hand to her chin. "Perhaps we could change the fuel source to something less volatile. You're using jet fuel, right?"
Mei shrugged. "It's the best I could get my hands on, even here." She then raised an eyebrow. "You're not suggesting we use a nuclear power cell, are you? That's insane even for my standards."
Izumi widened her eyes. "No! No way, not unless we could make it essentially harmless. I was just gonna suggest using compressed air instead of combustion, like with your hoverboots!"
Mei hummed at the suggestion. "Yeah, that was my first idea with this baby, but I ran into a weight problem. Air propulsion couldn't really lift anything that weighed over seventy five kilos." The girls both frowned.
"Yeah… that makes sense, really… and overclocking the mechanism would only make it explode as well… So either we have something that explodes, or something effectively useless." Mei nodded, her eyes zooming in and out of the blueprints. Izumi clicked her tongue, frustrated at the limitations of Earth-based materials. "The only thing I can really think of is using a less volatile fuel source… or something more efficient."
Mei snorted sarcastically. "Yeah, something better than jet fuel… Increasing tank size won't work either, since the weight would start interfering with its ability to fly."
Izumi thought for a second. She had a rather quick and easy solution available to her, but it might not solve the problem properly. "Hey, Hatsume, I might have a solution. Can you hand me an empty fuel tank?" Mei raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, sure. Why?" Mei took one of the spare canisters and proceeded to place it in front of Izumi.
"Well, I have a transformation that can… help. But I don't know if we'll be able to reproduce the results without using it…" Mei's eyes glinted for a second.
Her mood immediately shifted back into mania. "Well, what are you waiting for!" Izumi grimaced and turned the dial to select the alien. She didn't like to use her alien forms as an easy way out, but she did want to help her friend.
She was enveloped in a green flash, emerging as a large humanoid. Rather, she was a Chemomorph, a silicon based life form with the ability to synthesise chemical compounds inside their digestive tract. Usually they would be based on the available atoms from their diets and the surrounding air, but it seemed that the omnitrix supplied her with ample resources. Mei looked absolutely ecstatic at her new form.
"Wow! What can this thing do?" She began closely examining Izumi's, now Alchemyst's, body, not at all minding the rather pungent aroma of the fumes she passively let out. "Kinda smelly!" She said, completely unfazed.
Izumi felt extremely embarrassed. "So, I call this one Alchemyst. This form's main ability is Chemokinesis, or an advanced form of Chemical Synthesis." She demonstrated by consciously producing ethyl butyrate, a gas that smelled of pineapples. Mei's brain began zooming at the possibilities. Izumi then placed the fuel tank's opening around one of the small exhausts on her hand. "Gases are the easiest to produce, but if I focus enough, I am able to produce liquids."
"Omnissiah! That is amazing! Think of how many babies we could make! What are you making? Is it fuel? You managed to find something better than jet fuel?" Alchemyst nodded. The alien concentrated and began filling the tank with a clear liquid. With how she made it, it should be very efficient with regards to burning, but it would be almost impossible to make it explode, under normal circumstances.
"Something like that. I was mainly focussed on making it the least explosive possible while preserving its use as a fuel source." She immediately closed the canister after filling it up. She then hit the dial on her neck brace and transformed back into a human. "Wanna give it a try?"
Izumi wasn't expecting to be tackled into a hug, as the pink haired mechanic began giggling and cackling with a slightly concerning smile. "Muscles, you're the best partner ever! I'm still gonna be the CEO of Hatsume Industries, but I wouldn't mind having you as my right hand woman!" Izumi chuckled nervously.
"Well, Hatsume, I'm flattered, but I'm still planning to be a Pro-Hero…" She scratched the back of her head.
Mei pouted. "Phooey. Well, as long as we're still best friends." She went back to grinning. "And didn't I tell you to call me Mei or something?"
"Y-yeah, M-Mei. So… I need to start working on my own project, but when you're done rebuilding your jetpack we could test it out properly…" Mei nodded.
"Sounds like a plan! What are you making, anyway?" The pink haired gremlin asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Izumi took out a set of blueprints from her backpack. They showed what seemed to be a pair of rather bulky boots. "So, I have a friend in the hero course who can manipulate gravity to a certain extent. So I thought of making some gear that would help her manoeuvre in a Zero-G environment."
Mei vibrated with excitement. "Cool! Please tell me when you're testing it! Ooh, maybe my Jet-baby can help her even more, since she would be effectively weightless!" Izumi nodded. It could indeed be an interesting combination.
"Sure thing, Ha-Mei." Izumi took her blueprints back and went to the other side of the room, where she could work relatively uninterrupted. She gathered the main materials she would need, and proceeded to rapidly switch between her aliens in order to complete her design. Pele was a godsend for moulding metals, and Scientia, aside from her astounding intellect, was also really adept at precision work. In about two and a half hours, both she and Mei had finalised their projects.
Mei had made a few adjustments to the design of her jetpack, leaving it sleeker overall, though still retaining a sort of early star-wars aesthetic. Izumi's design, despite looking rather bulky, was rather lightweight, the boots nearly reaching the knees, based on her estimation of Ochako's height. The boots had integrated gyroscopes and shock absorbing soles, to minimise any damage from falling. They also had limited thrust through air compression, an idea she had had due to her earlier exchange with Mei.
The duo walked back towards Powerloader's office. Upon knocking, they were surprised by the door opening almost immediately. The Support Engineering professor stood before them, this time clad in his gear. "Oh, you two. I was just about to come find you. It's nearly eight, and I do need to lock up the workshops."
Mei immediately pouted, letting her frustration show clearly on her face. "What?! But I still have so many babies to work on!" She protested.
"Look kid, the term hasn't even started. I may allow certain students to stay a bit later to work on some more complex projects, but that requires trust, and I barely know you two." Maijima Higari explained. "So, what brings you two back here?"
Izumi decided to take the lead, since Mei was still stewing in her frustration. "Well, Sensei, Hatsume finished her latest prototype, and we wanted to test it out as soon as possible. We're using experimental fuel, so we'd rather test it in a more open space."
The professor's worry was piqued by the mention of experimental fuel. "Where did you even find this fuel? Did you mix the available ones?"
"N-no! I have a transformation capable of Chemokinesis, I synthesised a formula that should be less prone to exploding compared to jet fuel." Powerloader sighed deeply.
"Fine… but I'll want to run a sample of it afterwards. You shouldn't be tinkering with that kind of stuff unsupervised as first-years." Izumi nodded, as did Mei, though her expression was visibly more strained. "I'm usually all for experimentation, but not without some form of oversight."
"So can we go? I really wanna get this baby flying!" Mei's focus shifted back to the field test and her mood switched instantly.
"Sure, we can use one of the empty cities. The gyms usually need to be reserved, but the fields have a more relaxed scheduling, especially the ones marked for renovation." The girls nodded, following the professor as he led them. "So we'll use City Rho, since Cementoss is gonna tear it down next week."
Power Loader guided the two towards the mock cityscape. Izumi helped her friend put on the jetpack, making sure it was properly fastened. Mei also put on a gauntlet, which was supposed to function as a control mechanism for the jets, letting her control her directional movement to an extent. "All set, Hatsu… Mei-san?"
The pink haired girl grinned and lowered her goggles. "Sure am, Muscles! Now, stand back and watch the magic happen! Prototype Jet-baby 9, with the new Alche-fuel, ready for field test!"
Power Loader stood to the side, a few metres away from the potential explosion. "Hatsume, lift off on my command!" He warned. "10, 9, 8…" He began counting down, giving Izumi time to stand clear as well. Mei's eyes focused, her body tensing as she prepared for flight. As soon as she heard the word 'go', she pressed the button on her gauntlet.
The Jetpack sprung to life, the nozzles lighting up with bright jets as it lifted its inventor off the ground. Upon reaching a reasonable height, Mei once again fiddled with her glove, stabilising her height, though she was still a bit shaky in the air. "YES! My baby works!!" She yelled with glee. On the ground, Izumi smiled, applauding her friend's success.
"Way to go, Mei!" The green haired girl hollered, earning an earnest smile.
Power Loader cleared his throat. "All right, it seems stable enough for now. Hastume, test the directional steering, slowly." Mei's smile widened. She twisted her gauntlet, the haptics converting the motion into the jetpack, which began to veer left, then right as she changed the motion of her hand. She then motioned for it to move forwards and backwards. "Impressive. All that's left is to judge flight time. Hatsume, do as you wish for a few minutes."
Mei grinned, lowering herself so as to hover a couple of metres above the ground. "Hey, Muscles, wanna race?" She challenged.
Izumi simply smiled. "Sure, it's a great way to test the limits of the jetpack. Power Loader-sensei?"
The professor merely sighed. "Sure, go ahead, but don't do anything rash." He assented.
Izumi selected her form, and reappeared as a turquoise alien after a flash of light. Her form was sleek, with darker green stripes along its head and limbs. Her hands and feet were both clawed, with her feet consisting of only three claws. She had a long slender tail extending from her lower back, which easily reached the ground. On her head, three tentacles extended from her three green eyes. She had scanned this form from the comatose Uxorite inside the Plumber's HQ. "Ready, Mei?" Izumi, or rather Mistral, questioned.
"Sure, though I thought you would be flying." Mei smiled, unfazed by the transformation.
"Oh, I will." Mistral flicked her tail and lowered the tentacles on her head as she began to hover off the ground. "Sensei, will you give us a countdown?"
Mei felt giddy as she saw the floating alien before her, eager to see what she could do. Power Loader began to count down from five. Upon reaching the word 'go', once again, Hatsume blasted into the air, leaning forwards to convert more thrust towards acceleration. Since Mistral was using Telekinesis to fly, she simply willed herself forwards, her arms to her side as she adopted a more aerodynamic form. Her tail swayed happily behind her as she raced against her friend. Their goal was a lap around the perimeter of the mock city, and they were pretty evenly matched. Although Mei's jetpack had an advantage in pure speed, she was still getting used to the controls, and her manoeuvrability lacked compared to Mistral.
"So, what does this one do, aside from flying?" Mei asked as they continued to fly around the buildings of the fake city.
"Mistral has Telekinesis, among a few other things. That's actually how I'm flying." Izumi said, omitting the rather strange facts about her form, like the fact that she now had three brains and a prehensile tongue.
"Whoa, that's awesome, Muscles… though this form seems less muscly." Mei commented, noting the alien's slender build.
"Ah, yes, Mistral really isn't well suited for direct combat. She is weaker than most of my transformations, at least physically. Though the Telekinesis more than makes up for it." Mei nodded, grinning as she pulled ahead. Surprisingly, the fuel lasted until they arrived back at Power Loader's location near the City's entrance.
"Seems the fuel economy is rather good. I was expecting it to run out." The professor hummed. "Seems the initial test is completed. We can do some more thorough quantitative measurements at a later date."
Mei removed her goggles, smiling widely after winning the race. "Ah, sensei, my glove also recorded a lot of information. I can just upload it into my computer!" Both he and Izumi widened their eyes. The gauntlet suddenly seemed to be an even greater invention than the jetpack itself.
"Wow, Mei, that's awesome. You could use that to get information on all the gear you make!" Izumi gushed, still transformed.
"Way ahead of you, Floaty!" Izumi's three eyes blinked at the strange nickname for her form.
"If that is all, you two should go and rest. any inventing can be left for the morning." Power Loader suggested.
Izumi then had an idea. She had been training the entire day, perhaps it was time for some fun. "Wait, sensei, there is one thing…" The two others paused. Izumi looked at Mei and smiled. "Hey, Mei, want to have some more fun with that jetpack?"
Power Loader looked quite concerned, especially considering the borderline feral grin on Hatsume's face. "Hell yeah!"
"Midoriya, what are you intending to do?" Power Loader felt the need to keep it from happening, whatever it was.
Izumi simply fiddled with the symbol on her chest, transforming into another form. A white and black creature with green highlights. "This is Upgrade." She simply stated, her voice coming through with what appeared to be some sort of static. "In this form I can merge with technology to significantly increase its performance." The statement shocked Power Loader. Mei, meanwhile, looked as if Christmas had come early, the smile on her face betraying the purest form of joy.
"Oh, Omnissiah! Please, please, merge with my baby! This is gonna be so awesome." She looked at her professor, who seemed extremely reluctant to allow it. "Please, please let us do this, sensei! Just this once! For science!"
Power loader felt dread welling up inside of him. Letting these two girls work together had been a mistake after all. "Ugh… Okay, for science. Five minutes, no more than that." Mei simply squealed as she jumped with excitement.
"Come on, Izumi! Let's do this!" The pink haired inventor cheered, barely containing her manic glee.
Upgrade approached her friend and suddenly leapt towards the jetpack and the glove, which became completely black with glowing green streaks. "All right, Mei, we're blasting off!" The technology shifted as Izumi manipulated the shape of the jetpack. Wings extended from its sides, and the jet nozzles merged into a large thruster. The machine whirred, taking off at surprising speeds, right as Mei managed to put her goggles back on.
Mei couldn't stop madly cackling as Upgrade took her on a wild flight through the city, pushing the enhanced technology to its limits of manoeuvrability and speed. Mei winced as she felt the sound barrier shatter behind her, though she was mostly shielded as Izumi had formed a protective layer of armour over her. She then heard her mechanical voice in her ears. "So, Mei, wanna see something even cooler?"
"Do you even have to ask?" If Izumi could smile, she would be grinning from ear to ear. From the top of the jetpack's wings, two blasters formed, shooting out pellets of green energy, which exploded upon striking the buildings. Power Loader, watching helplessly from afar, could only wince, wondering what horrible crime he had committed in the past life to deserve having these two as students. Certainly, by the end of the year, he'd have a full head of grey hair.
By the end of their five minute rampage, parts of the city were left as rubble. Power Loader simply took solace at the thought that the city would be replaced soon, and that they could at least use it for a bit of rescue training until then. Still, he couldn't help but grimace as the duo touched down. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Mei squealed as Upgrade decoupled from her technology, reverting it to its previous state. "Aw, couldn't it have stayed like that?"
Izumi turned back into her human form, shaking her head. "Upgrade can only power up technology while merged with it. When I exit, it goes back to normal, sorry."
Power Loader interrupted whatever else they were going to say, placing a firm hand on their shoulder. "Midoriya, Hatsume, do understand that from now on, you are not to do any 'upgrading' without my express permission. Am I understood?" The two girls gulped and nodded, not daring to contest him. "Good. Now, get back to the dorms. Curfew starts soon. Also, I'll hang onto this jetpack. Don't worry, I'll place it in your storage space, Hatsume."
Mei pouted as her baby was taken away from her, until Izumi's reassuring hand patted her back. "Don't worry, Mei, we can meet up at the workshop tomorrow!" Mei simply smiled, her gaze looking slightly distant. Izumi frowned, the desire to cheer her friend up bubbling to the surface. "Hey, how about I cook you some dinner back at the dorm? Curfew's at ten, so we have some time." Mei's eyes became focused once more, and their usual shine returned.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She began pulling Izumi towards the Dorms, though paused soon after. "Hey… can we fly there? I really liked flying with you before." Mei couldn't quite understand the emotion she was experiencing, nor why her face seemed so hot. Izumi, meanwhile, was too distracted by her own blush, as she felt her friend's body pressing up against her.
"Uhhh, sure. I… I also liked flying with you, M-Mei-san." Izumi said, her face becoming redder by the second. She decided to quickly change into Mistral once again. Being an alien certainly reduced the embarrassment her human self constantly felt around other girls. "You ready?"
"I was born ready!" Mei replied. The two took off, being carried by Izumi's telekinesis. The flight this time around was much more leisurely. Mei cackling at the sensation of telekinetic flight, and Izumi humouring her requests of being lifter higher or lower, or even being spun mid flight. "Heh, spinning, that's a neat trick." She giggled as the alien resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Izumi landed gracefully at the door of the 1-A dorms, letting Mei down gently. The pink haired girl stretched slightly, making Izumi look away as her movements pushed out her chest. "Man, flying's cool, but it's kinda weird being lifted like that." She said, not really complaining. "So, what're you cooking? I kinda skipped lunch, so I'm pretty hungry."
The transformed Uxorite frowned slightly. "You shouldn't skip meals, Mei." She stated, guiding her friend inside.
"But who has time to eat or sleep when there's inventing to be done?" Mei retorted.
Mistral wagged her finger as the two entered the common area. "A healthy body is a healthy mind, Mei. If you're too tired, you can easily mess up when building something. Even worse, you could pass out with a blowtorch on your hand or something."
"Psh, that's only happened, like, three times." Mei dismissed, though she gulped at the glare she received in response. "I-I guess you have a point, Muscles…" She relented.
However, they weren't alone in the common area, some of the students had already gathered there to have dinner, though most were elsewhere. The duo were approached by Izumi's splitting classmate, Tokage Setsuna. "Uh, who are you two? I thought we only had twenty students. you totally missed Aizawa's crazy tests." She said, not noticing the emblem on Mistral's chest.
"Oh, Tokage-san, it's me, Midoriya." The alien answered, surprising Setsuna slightly before she took note of the symbol similar to the one she had seen on the watch Izumi wore. "This is Hatsume Mei. She's my friend from the support course."
At that moment, Mei approached and shaked Setsuna's hand vigorously. "Greetings! I am Hatsume Mei, genius inventor extraordinaire and future CEO of Hatsume Industries. Can I interest you in some support gear?" She was immediately pulled back by Izumi.
"Mei, save the sales pitch for another day, please?" Izumi pleaded, earning a half-hearted nod from her friend, who only then noticed that Setsuna's arm was still shaking her hand, completely dissected from the girl's main body.
Setsuna expected her to freak out a bit, not to suddenly begin prodding at it. "Oh, yes, I see, I see. Such an interesting quirk! This gives me a great idea! Izumi, I need you to make a baby with me first thing tomorrow!" The students in the common area, including Iida, Hitoshi, Itsuka, Ibara, Mina, Tooru and Momo, nearly choked as they heard the strange newcomer yell out that line.
Setsuna for once looked completely dumbstruck as she retracted her arm. "W-w-What?!" Came their collective yell.
Iida was immediately in front of them, chopping his arm robotically. "M-Midoriya! These kinds of inappropriate relationships are completely unacceptable from a UA student! Also, teenage pregnancy is not something to be taken lightly, as it can severely impact a student's life!" He ranted stiffly. Izumi, still transformed, facepalmed in embarrassment as she shot Mei an exhausted look.
In the background Ibara muttered a chain of prayers in outrage, while Itsuka simply mumbled: "I don't think they have the right equipment for that…" Not knowing that she was completely wrong on that front.
Mina and Tooru quickly rushed to her friend, also rather shocked by that remark. "M-Midori?! Y-you and her? Already?!" The invisible girl questioned in disbelief.
"Goddamnit, Mei…" Izumi groaned. "Everyone, Mei calls her inventions 'babies'. She just wants to work together on support gear." Her classmates blanched at her explanation.
Mei just looked at them confused. "Yeah, what else would I have been talking about?" The girls just looked at her with the most dumbstruck expression. The dorm was dead silent, and one could almost imagine the collective sound of a Windows XP error message playing on loop. "OH! You thought we were gonna have sex!" She said, completely unflustered.
Izumi wanted to bang her head against a wall. "N-nobody's having sex!" She blurted out. Despite the undeniable attraction she felt towards her female friends, the thought of exposing herself to them completely shut the idea down in her mind.
With everyone thoroughly flustered, Izumi decided to break through the mounting awkwardness. "S-so! I wanted to make some dinner! Would everyone be fine with katsudon?" Her attempt at changing the topic was dreadfully obvious, but since everyone didn't particularly want to stew in the embarrassing air, they just accepted her offer. Izumi looked at her friend.
Iida, earnest as always, adjusted his glasses and cut in. "Midoriya! I am once again sorry for making assumptions, but I feel the need to reinforce that such things are not appropriate in an academic setting." Izumi once again felt the urge to facepalm. The stern boy then turned to Mei. "Where are my manners? I am Iida Tenya, student of Class 1-A. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hatsume-san." He bowed rigidly.
Mei just looked at him rather blankly. "I see. Your name's already been forgotten!" She then looked down at his legs and began rambling about organic-machine interfacing. Meanwhile, Iida just looked at Izumi, completely appalled.
Izumi crouched down to Mei and tapped her gently on the shoulder, drawing the inventor out of her rambling. The green haired girl wondered if that was what her mumbling looked like from an outside perspective. "Hey, M-Mei." She got her friend to make eye contact, guaranteeing that her attention was focused on her. "Maybe you could make a bit of an effort to remember people's names, even if you don't really care about that stuff. Just think that it could alienate a future customer."
Hatsume's eyes widened slightly, and she mouthed an 'Oh' as understanding dawned on her. "I see, that makes sense." She then immediately stood up and shook Iida's hand strongly. "Very nice to meet you, Iida-san! Would you let me experiment on your engines?" Izumi sighed, trying to remind herself that progress, no matter how little, was progress.
"My engines are very sensitive! I cannot allow any outside tampering! My family already has a trusted mechanic that handles any issues with our quirks, so I cannot allow you to…" He stopped his rant when he realized that Mei had already moved across the room, completely ignoring him to talk to Mina and Tooru.
Izumi smiled apologetically. "Hey, Iida, sorry about all that. She can be… a lot. But she is very nice, and really smart, once you get to know her a bit. Wanna help me with dinner?" He just nodded, for once in his life being at a loss for words. She then turned to her manic friend. "Mei… play nice until I come back."
Mina and Tooru, still somewhat reluctant about the newcomer, nevertheless guided her to the couch. 'Maybe we can get some more insight about Midori from her.' Mina concluded. "So, Hatsume-san! I'm Ashido Mina." Mei furrowed her brow, making a conscious effort to remember her name. That led to another round of introductions, which left Mei slightly overwhelmed, but the pushed through, taking it as training for eventual investor meetings. "So, how did you meet Midori? You two know each other long?"
Mei blink, then smiled. "Oh, Muscles? I met her at the entrance exams for the R&D course! She was holding this amazing baby! Then we met at the practicals, and later at the cafeteria, before she left for the heroics practical. During our practical exams she turned into this red imp, and began building super fast, it was awesome!"
Hitoshi smiled slightly. "Yeah, she turned into him at the practical too. Built a whole ass motorbike from scrap. Jurryrigg, I think she called it." Itsuka's eyes began shining at the mention of a motorcycle.
Mei cackled. "Yeah! That's it! I didn't see her until today, but then she showed up at the workshop to work on some gear for one of you guys… someone named Eureka Uchicago or something."
Tooru snorted at the wrong name. "Oh, that's Uraraka Ochako, we met her and Midori back at the entrance exam too!"
Momo decided to enter the conversation, rather intrigued by what Izumi had been building. "What exactly did she build?"
Mei hummed for a second as she sorted through her memory. "Gyroscopic boots with shock absorption soles and compressed air propulsion for midair mobility in zero gravity situations." She recited the technical description she had read in the blueprints.
The class looked at her slightly stunned. "She built that today?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, while I was rebuilding my jetpack baby. We took it for a test flight just now." Mei replied. "She still needs to test her boots with this Uraraka, and probably make some adjustments." Both Mina and Tooru now wanted to ask Izumi for some gear of their own.
"Hold on, did you just say you built a jetpack? That's rad as hell!" Setsuna interjected, floating her head closer.
Mei grinned. "Yeah, I was having some trouble with the fuel, but with Izumi's help I was able to avoid losing fuel efficiency. We had a race earlier, the fuel lasted over thirty minutes, and I managed to outspeed her, too!" She bragged, proud of her baby.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Setsuna returned her head to its proper place. "Who'd she race you as?"
"Ah, the same transformation she is right now. I think she called it Mistral. She can fly very fast for someone without wings!" Mei snorted at her own joke. "But that transformation still isn't as cool as Alchemyst and Upgrade! Those two are just too awesome!" She gushed.
"Alchemyst and Upgrade?" Tooru frowned. She faintly remembered the second one being mentioned, but the first was completely foreign to her.
"Oh, Alchemyst is this big rock creature that can synthesise different chemicals as gases and even liquids! She used her to make the fuel we used for my baby… our baby, now, I guess." Mei giggled, feeling strangely giddy at the concept of having a baby that was theirs. "And Upgrade… man, Upgrade!" Her smile became increasingly unhinged. "She fused with our baby and made it, like, ten times more incredible! Shattered the sound barrier like it was nothing! And the lasers! THE LASERS!" She began to cackle, remembering the mayhem they caused together.
The other students were becoming rather worried about the girl. 'Is it just me, or is she kinda nuts? Getting a really strong mad scientist vibe.' Jirou deadpanned internally, looking around to see that her impression was more or less the consensus.
Momo hummed, placing a hand to her chin. "Hmm, perhaps I should ask Midoriya-san to compare notes with me, to see if I could also create such compounds with my quirk." That got Mei to immediately stop cackling, her eyes focusing on Momo.
"What's your quirk, Yaoyorozu-san?" The heiress' name had been easy for Mei to remember, as it was the name of a famous industry leader in support technology.
The other students looked at Momo with some sympathy. "Ah, uh, my quirk is Creation… I can create anything I know the chemical formula of using my lipids as fuel." She was not ready for the sudden pink rocket that glomped onto her.
She found herself being straddled by the mechanic, staring her closely with a manic stare. "You are now my second favourite person, Yaoyorozu-san! After Muscles, of course." The inventor cupped Momo's face with her calloused hands. "We're gonna make the greatest babies ever!" She squealed, before being removed from her lap by Mina's extending arms. Momo was left completely flushed at the interaction, as was Jirou.
Izumi returned to the common area with Iida to find Mina holding Mei away from Momo, as the inventor rambled incoherently about creating theoretical material for her babies. She set the bowls of Katsudon down on the dining table and sighed. Immediately, Mei became coated in a slight green aura, as her movements were halted by Mistral's telekinesis. "Mei, didn't I tell you to play nice?"
Mei pouted. "But! But! She can make anything! Think of all the babies we could make with her!" everyone once again flushed at her wording.
"Yes, I have thought about it." Izumi admitted, slightly surprising the heiress. "But it's very rude to pester her about it. Especially now. If you really must, we can ask her, nicely, later on." Izumi reprimanded her friend, setting her down right in front of her.
'Oh my God, she's such a Mom!' The girls, save Momo, and Hitoshi thought.
"Ugh, fine… Sorry, Yaoyorozu-san." Mei apologised half heartedly.
Izumi sighed. "Well, dinner's getting cold. Let's eat! I, for one, am famished." That led them to quickly fill out the table, with Mei taking a seat next to Izumi.
As they ate, a sudden thought passed through Jirou's head. "Uh, Green?" Izumi suddenly raised her attention from her plate. "Why are you still transformed?" Izumi seemed to blanche for a moment, before realising that she had indeed forgotten to change back.
"Oh… I, uh, I dunno?" She admitted. "Mistral's one of my least impactful transformations with regards to personality, and I can really relax as her. I can leave one brain processing these interactions while the other two rest." The table turned to look at her after her absentminded remark.
"Excuse me?" Jirou asked, completely taken aback.
Izumi realised what she had admitted to and immediately pressed the dial to change back, returning to a completely flustered human form. "Ah, it's just… Mistral has three brains… they function in conjunction, but I can sort of control which one is most active at a time, especially when there isn't much to process." She mumbled an explanation.
"I… I see." Her classmates deadpanned, not really sure what to make of that information. Even Mina had no idea of that particular trivia about Uxorite biology. Izumi just focused on her food. After they were done with eating, Izumi quickly scurried off with Mei, still stewing in the awkwardness of dinner.
"Um, why did everyone just stop talking after a while? Was it something I did?" Mei asked, as the two walked.
Izumi sighed deeply. "No… I'm just an idiot. I just can't seem to shut up sometimes, and I made everyone uncomfortable."
Mei looked rather puzzled by the statement. "Why? Was it the brain thing?" Izumi winced at the mention. "I thought it was kinda cool." She elbowed the girl's side as a stilted attempt of cheering her friend up. "I mean, multitasking must be a breeze, and Telekinesis on top of that, that's like, two quirks in one!"
"I-it's still weird… everyone was grossed out by it. My transformations… they're just so alien to everyone else." Izumi slumped forwards. "They're not just a simple power, they overhaul my entire biology. The personality and physical features are obvious enough, but those weird little changes, the ones not outwardly noticeable, they're the ones that creep people out."
Mei huffed. "Well, if they don't like your quirk, they must be idiots or something!" Izumi froze at the outburst. "I mean, come on! You can transform into these amazing heroes and stuff! Could we have finished the jetpack today as well as we did without them? Heck no!" Mei blushed. "People call me weird and freaky all the time… but I don't think it's a bad thing at all."
Tears began leaking from Izumi's eyes, and she soon found herself hugging Mei tightly enough to crack the girl's spine. Pulling back immediately, Izumi's face was torn between grateful crying and embarrassment. "M-Mei, sorry, I-I just… I needed to hear that."
Mei laughed the tension off. "Don't sweat it, Muscles! Us weirdos have to stick together, right?" She held her fist up, waiting for a bump.
"Right!" Izumi giggled slightly as they bumped fists. She then noticed they had already arrived at 1-H. "I guess we'll see each other tomorrow, then?" Mei nodded, smiling at the prospect. "So, uh, do you wanna trade contacts or something? So we can make it easier to meet up." Izumi began stuttering as she offered her phone number.
Mei blinked, and fished her phone from her pocket. "Yeah, sure! I don't really use messaging apps that often, aside from my parents, but it would be easier, I guess." She opened the messaging app and showed Izumi her QR code, which she quickly scanned. "I'll shoot you a message when I leave for the workshops!"
Izumi smiled. "Remember, Power Loader still has the keys, so we won't be able to be there too early." Mei pouted at the suggestion. "Get some sleep, Mei. We'll leave inventing for the morning!" Izumi waved at her retreating friend, who shot her a grin over her shoulder.
"We're gonna make the best babies ever!" Mei shouted as the automatic doors shut behind her, leaving Izumi alone with her thoughts.
Her hand hovered briefly on the omnitrix. "I-I need to clear my head." She mumbled to herself, pressing down on her dial and assuming the form of a blue humanoid moth, Frostbite. Not bothering to look behind her, she took flight, disappearing into the night sky.
A few metres behind where she had been, an otherwise invisible figure had been hiding. Hagakure Tooru furrowed her unseen brow. She and Mina had planned a small stealth mission after noticing that something was up with Midori, and she didn't particularly like what she had heard, and the fact that she had also reacted awkwardly during their meal began to haunt the back of her mind. She needed to speak to Mina.
—
"So, did she say anything?" Mina whispered, guiding the newly arrived Tooru towards the privacy of her own room. "Is she coming back now?" She couldn't see Tooru shake her head, aside from the soft feeling of the stands of her hair brushing against her hands.
"She took off after leaving Hatsume-san at the 1-H dorms. Mumbled something about needing to clear her head." Tooru pouted, clenching her fists. "But yeah, they talked, and I feel like such an idiot now."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "What did they talk about?"
"S-she was worried she had made us uncomfortable with the whole 'three brains' thing… That some specific changes that her transformations caused would creep people out." Tooru whispered guiltily. "And the worst part is knowing that I could have reassured her back during dinner. Like, I know what it's like to angst over my quirk… And I still didn't say anything."
Mina wrapped her in a tender hug. "Oh, Tooru, it's okay, now that we know at least a bit of what's up with Midori, we can be there for each other, right. And if you ever want to talk, I'm all ears, you know?"
Tooru sniffled. "Y-yeah, I know. Thanks Mina. I'm mostly over being invisible. I mean, it's super useful for stealth, but I just hate not being seen at all. I mean, even when I'm fully dressed up, people don't notice me in the room, and when they talk to me, they either look at where my clothes are, or don't even look at me at all."
Mina chuckled slightly. "Looks like you're not as over it as you say…" Tooru playfully blew a raspberry and slapped her half alien friend. "Still, I don't get Midori at all."
Tooru nodded silently. "It's like, one minute she's cool and reliable, the next she's a mess of nerves. And she's super vague about stuff, too. Like, the whole changing room thing."
Mina held her breath, and sighed deeply. "I didn't really say anything, but I took a peep while Izumi was changing."
"Mina, what the hell?!" Tooru complained, not at all liking that her friend had peeped on another.
Mina waved her hands and corrected herself. "I didn't see anything important! She had her back towards me… but her back… it's covered in all sorts of scars, especially burns and cuts." Tooru let out a squeak.
"She told us after the entrance exam that she was misdiagnosed as quirkless… You're not saying!" Tooru covered her mouth as she gasped. Mina nodded.
"That whatever bullying she faced wasn't just your average mean comments." Mina grimaced. "I don't get it. Mamadoriya would certainly have had their heads if she knew… I know we're missing something, and I don't like it, not one bit." Tooru nodded.
—
Izumi groaned as bright light woke her. She stretched as she felt the soreness from sleeping on a hard surface. She opened her eyes to find an orange sky, and the sun rising in the horizon. She cracked her back and neck, trying to ease the tenseness that came with her unwitting choice of bed, the dorm building's roof. "What happened?" She grunted. "I was flying as Frostbite… I touched down here… did I pass out?" She vividly remembered having landed on the roof, so it wasn't yet time for the Necrofriggian reproductive cycle. Her mother had projected that it would occur either at the end of the year or the next, but one could never be completely sure with the omnitrix.
"Ugh, I guess I'll go for a run, since I'm already wearing my workout clothes." She took a small whiff. "Jesus, I smell like so much sweat." Izumi shrugged. "Well, in for a penny…"
She transformed into Mistral and lowered herself to the ground, before turning back into a human and jogging away from the building. When she returned, an hour and a half later, the common area was entirely devoid of people, which Izumi was slightly thankful for. She sneaked her way to her room and got her set of shower accessories and her towel, thankful that this time she could at least bathe in relative peace.
She had done a lot of thinking after leaving the prior night, and had come to the conclusion that perhaps she had overreacted. Sure, it hurt that nobody aside from Mei had actually said anything positive, but she hadn't really given them a chance, had she. Most of them had just met her, after all. 'I need to stop being such a pathetic mess.' She grimaced as she washed her entire body, wincing as she scrubbed over her scarred skin. Despite her many sessions with Recovery Girl early on in her training, the scars she had accumulated over the years refused to fade away, as if she didn't already have other reasons to be self conscious.
She changed quickly into her everyday clothes, always keeping an ear out for the sound of footsteps. Upon reaching the common room once more, she found it was not as empty as it had been. "T-Tooru! You're up already?"
The invisible girl was sitting on the couch, on her phone. She had to admit she was surprised by how quickly she had been noticed, and the fact that Izumi was looking her straight in the eyes made her feel rather flustered. "Midori! I… I wanted to talk to you." She got up off the couch and approached the green haired girl.
Izumi's face reddened a bit. "If it's about last night…"
Tooru cut her off immediately. "I'm really sorry, and Mina is too. We should have said something, anything. But we just made you uncomfortable." Izumi blinked. "Look, I'm not gonna lie, I was surprised by the whole 'three brains' thing, but it's your quirk. I mean, I'm completely undetectable outside of heat signature, Yaomomo can just make whatever she wants, and Tokage can split herself up into tiny pieces. You transforming into a form that has three brains isn't that strange." Despite wanting to interrupt, Izumi let Tooru continue. "So I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that."
Izumi sniffled slightly. "A-after dinner, I had a bit more time to think… I guess it must have been kind of a weird thing to say. But thanks, Tooru. It's just… my transformations aren't like most quirks." 'They aren't a quirk at all.' "My quirk completely changes my genetic makeup. It's like I become a completely different species… and like any species, they kind of follow a certain biological logic. Mistral has three brains, Tetra has a four chambered stomach, Frostbite eats molten metal." Tooru was especially surprised by that last one. "I just… You guys are my friends, but these things kind of make me uncomfortable."
Tooru pulled the taller girl into a tight hug, trying not to think about the fact that she had her face buried in Izumi's chest. "I want you to know you can talk to me, to us. But I won't pry, okay?"
Izumi smiled softly, with the slightest tint of sadness in her eyes. "T-that's all I could ask of you, really." She looked towards the kitchen. "So, want some breakfast?"
—
Mei stretched and yawned as she woke up on her bed for once. Despite the temptation to stay up drawing blueprints, Izumi's words echoed through her head. She grinned. 'Now that I've gotten some rest, I can do my best at the workshop! Now I just need some breakfast…' She then cringed, remembering she had no idea how to actually cook. 'Maybe I'll visit muscles again… I should send them a message, though.'
—
Izumi felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she placed the two plates of tamagoyaki and rice on the common room table. Tooru hummed as she smelled the aroma wafting off the egg dish, and Izumi took a moment to check on her notifications.
Mei-chanist: Hey, Muscles, I woke up and remembered that Power Loader's not gonna be at his office for a while.
Mei-chanist: And I don't really know how to cook.
Mei-chanist: So…
Izumi chuckled, drawing Tooru's attention.
GreenMight: Come on over, Mei. I was just making breakfast myself.
Mei-chanist: K, thx!
Izumi rolled her eyes and snorted. She looked at her curious invisible friend. "Mei's coming over in a few minutes for breakfast."
"Don't they have a rotation or something over at their dorms?" Izumi shrugged, sitting down to eat.
"Apparently the support and General Education students don't have to actually move in until today, so she's practically alone over there. Plus, I don't really trust her to be alone in the kitchen." Izumi joked, drawing a giggle from Tooru.
"I can totally see that. She's pretty fun, but she definitely has a few screws loose. Not that it's a bad thing." Tooru quickly added at the end.
Soon enough, Izumi finished downing her breakfast and moved to make Mei's just as she arrived. "Heya Muscles! And, uh, Hagekuri, right?"
"Almost right, Hatsume-san." Tooru chuckled. "It's Hagakure, but you can call me Tooru, if you like."
"Sure thing!" Mei gave her a thumbs up and a grin. "You can call me Mei, then!"
Izumi decided to send out a message to their group chat, though knowing her other friends, she wasn't really expecting an answer. She returned to the table, also holding three mugs of coffee she had been preparing.
"Here you go, Mei." Izumi placed the plates in front of the pink haired gremlin, who proceed to gorge herself on the meal.
"Thanks Muscles. Damn, your food's amazing." Izumi had the feeling that Mei would try to make her her personal chef. "Mm, so, I was thinking of making an upgrade to my hoverboots today, and maybe get started on a new project I had the idea for yesterday."
Izumi hummed as she sipped coffee from her mug. "Sounds nice. I still need to get Ochako to test the boots before our first heroics class. Other than that I'm just gonna be fiddling around with some blueprints. And train with some of my newer forms."
Tooru pouted slightly. "Seriously, Midori, do you ever stop training? You gotta relax eventually or you'll burn out."
Izumi shrugged. "I mean, I find training relaxing, mostly. Gives me time to sort my thoughts when I'm focused on a singular task. Plus, I'm used to it by now."
Mei nodded in agreement. "Same thing with working on my babies for me!"
Izumi chuckled. "Yeah, but I don't skip meals or sleep to train." Mei scoffed at the jab.
Tooru decided to sate her curiosity at an earlier comment. "So, Mei-chan, what's this new project you're gonna be working on?"
Mei's eyes lit up slightly. "Oh, right, so after seeing that Setsuna girl's quirk, I had this idea for a modular suit of armour that could attach itself to a hero autonomously!" She placed a hand to her chin. "The main problem would be making the individual pieces sync up with where they're supposed to go, but maybe that could be solved with subdermal chips, and they could have small jets that allow them to control themselves, or something, to reach the hero."
Izumi hummed at the idea. "Hmm, that would be very tricky, Mei, but it just might work. And what would this armour do for the user?"
Mei smiled. "I was thinking capture guns, or maybe knockout gas gauntlets, aside from general body armour." She tapped her fingers against the table quickly. "Maybe some specialised equipment that would be too niche to carry around? Like a remote gear delivery system."
"That would be awesome!" Tooru interjected. "I can't really use much gear without sacrificing my stealth, so having specific gear that could be brought to me would be a godsend."
Izumi smiled, happy that her friend wasn't feeling left out of the conversation. "I actually wanted to make some gear for you myself, Tooru. I just needed to see your costume first, so I wouldn't accidentally clash with it."
Tooru smiled. "Aw, that's so sweet Midori! But my costume's pretty simple. Since I can't really make anything else invisible yet, and can only barely refract light, I was just going with gloves and boots." Of all the reactions Tooru could have expected, both girls collapsing into laughter was not one of them. "What? Why are you laughing?"
The two support students froze, and immediately looked at the invisible girl in a mix of shock and horror. "You're kidding, right?" Mei asked, genuinely unsure.
"Tooru, you can't seriously tell me that you're going to fight essentially naked!" Izumi slapped the table, drawing a squeak from the invisible girl.
"B-but when I sent my quirk information to the support company, along with the specification that I wanted to focus on stealth, they told me it was the best they could do with my quirk." Tooru explained, shakily.
"What company did you go to?" Izumi's voice was cold, and her eyes seemed to quickly change focus, as if her mind was racing.
"I-I went with one of the cheaper ones on UA's recommended list, Detnerat." Tooru shivered as Izumi let out a deep growl. One could swear there was a toxic green glow emanating from her eyes as they turned into a cold, focused glare.
"Mei, change of plans." The lower register of her voice made them slightly terrified, even the usually unflappable Mei. "I won't be able to help you until I finish solving the mess those fuckers made." Her expression softened lightly as she looked directly at Tooru. "Tooru, whoever told you that boots and gloves was the best option was either grossly incompetent or majourly perverse. It's totally not your fault, but nowadays, with your quirk, there are numerous options that would allow you to be protected without sacrificing stealth. Cloaking technology is really expensive, but doable, but even and idiot in the support industry would know about quirk integrated fabrics! Fucking Detnerat."
Mei nodded. "They're not easy to make, but there's been a lot of research into it lately, so it's not as expensive as it was a decade ago." She then frowned, puzzled by something. "But, Muscles, what's your beef with Detnerat, they've got pretty good reviews on their tech, even if they only just got into the support market."
Izumi huffed. "Well, aside from this costume fiasco. Again, Tooru, not your fault. The entire company seems to be full of quirkist bastards." Mei and Tooru gasped at the accusation. Izumi noticed their surprise, and explained. "Look, Mei, when I was a kid, I was misdiagnosed as quirkless because of a second joint on my fifth toe. For that reason, most shoes are really uncomfortable for me, so I need to get these special red ones from Primordial Tech. Before we knew of them, my mother tried to get some from Detnerat, since they supposedly accommodate all kinds of mutations. But whenever we mentioned that I had the second joint, everyone we contacted within the company completely refused to help us, even when we went all the way to the general manager. That one was the worst. He outright stated that Detnerat had no interest in servicing a 'dying demographic' of 'throwbacks'." Mei and Tooru winced.
"What the fuck!" Mei shouted. "How did they even get away with this?"
Izumi grimaced. "Mei, I'm sorry to tell you, but the general population doesn't really take kindly to quirkless people. The fact that affordable shoes for us all come in the same shade of red is like a quick identifier. When you're quirkless, people either see you as weak, or worthless."
Mei was silent for a moment, the confusion and anger clear in her face. "But… I'm no stronger that if I was quirkless. My quirk just lets me see really far, and Tooru's just makes her invisible. A quirkless person could be just as capable… I don't…"
Izumi grimaced. "It's not something rational, Mei. It's just… Ugh, I don't want to waste any more time talking about those bastards. Come on, we'll get you an actual costume, Tooru." At that, the two other girls cheered, trying the best to put aside the previous topic.
—
Whatever Power Loader was expecting on a Sunday morning, it certainly wasn't his new problem students waiting in front of his office, along with another girl he didn't immediately recognize. "Hatsume, Midoriya, what are you two doing here at this hour?"
Izumi stepped forward gesturing towards the invisible girl next to her. "Sensei, we're here for a costume adjustment." Power Loader couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh, suddenly understanding how Aizawa felt.
"Look, girls, the Hero course won't receive their first costumes until Tuesday, during their first heroics class. Why are you adjusting a costume you haven't even seen?"
Mei interjected. "Sensei, just trust us on this. Look up the costume for our friend Hagakure Tooru." The professor raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, come in." He opened his office and ushered the students inside, plopping down onto his chair and opening the student costume files on his computer. He clicked on the invisible girl's file, read through it quickly, and blinked. He read it again, then a third time. "Wait, what?" He looked at his students, who just nodded. "This says it's just a pair of gloves and boots! What kind of irresponsible, cockamaime, harebrained…"
Izumi grinned. "So, you see why it needs adjustment."
Maijima sighed. "It doesn't need adjustment, it needs to actually be made." He looked at the girls with a serious expression. "You were smart to come to me first, I'll admit. But we don't let first years work on hero costumes as a matter of policy." Mei and Izumi grimaced at that, until the PA system suddenly came to life.
"Overruled, in this case." Came the voice of Nezu. "I want to see what they do with this."
'Goddamn omniscient rat.' Power Loader dismayed. "Ugh, fine, but they still can't work in the actual production of the DNA fabric. It's a really delicate process."
"That will be acceptable. Midoriya-kun, Hatsume-kun, give me a good show, won't you?" Izumi felt the urge to facepalm, while Mei just looked excited at the possibility.
"We will, Sensei." The green haired girl said, feeling determination growing within her.
In his office, Nezu was interrupted from his most recent amusement by a knock at his door. "Come in, please." The door opened revealing Midoriya Inko, holding a data pad, with a concerned look on her face. "Midoriya, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Sir, our scouting probes detected movement near the moon. Not one of ours." Now that was concerning.
"How many? Has Vilgax called in reinforcements?" Nezu wondered. "No, that couldn't be… He's managed to antagonise any empire strong enough to help him."
"Three ships. Small fighters, not really a fighting force." Inko showed the images they had collected.
"No, much worse than that. Bounty hunters. That first ship is a Sotoraggian mercenary vessel." The High Protector identified. "It seems he's finally made his move."
—
Inside a ship shrouded in darkness by the moon's shadow, three figures stood in an arena, surrounded by battle droids. "Begin the audition." A holographic screen showed a green squid-like face in a respirator. They immediately recognized the notorious warlord, Vilgax.
The first figure, wearing Sotoraggian Battle armour, rocketed out of the platform and proceeded to skillfully take down the flying robots with his three plasma pistols. From nearly every part of his body, different gadgets emerged, which he used to great effect.
The second, a crab-like creature made almost entirely of machinery, leapt down and pierced several robots with their sharp metal legs. When a drone flew rapidly towards him, shooting pellets of energy, they simply shrugged off the blows and grabbed them with their huge right claw, crushing them with the slightest effort.
After watching the other two, the third jumped in just as a large destroyer robot entered the arena. Throwing a black disk forwards, he landed onto his hoverboard. The destroyer shot at him with a deadly laser, the two other bounty hunters chuckling. However, as the smoke cleared, he and his black armour barely had a scratch. He rushed forward on his board and punched straight through the robot's chest, landing on the other side, no worse for wear, with the green triangle symbol on his helmet glowing ominously.
"Very impressive!" Vilgax rasped. "Consider yourselves hired. Your objective is the omnitrix and its wearer." The screen switched to an image of the omnitrix and a photo of a human child, surrounded by rubble, with a determined look on her face. "Whoever delivers me the omnitrix shall be handsomely rewarded. Do not disappoint me." The warlord warned. Each bounty hunter eyed the others suspiciously, and they each rushed towards a pod to Earth.