Chapter 37: Qualifications and Explanations
"You realize that this thing's mere existence probably violates like, six different provisions of SQART III, right?" Asked Mei from where she was working. It was Wednesday afternoon, only five days until the start of internships, and at the rate at which they were progressing, Izuku's newest project would just barely be finished in time for his internship. Of course, that was assuming they could get it approved for use, which was another matter entirely.
Izuku looked up from his spot across from his friend and smiled, still not really feeling at ease but taking some comfort in the familiar environment, and even more from the familiar discussion. UA's workshop may have been a lot larger than their old base of operations at the beach, but the homey feel that the technician had imparted to her workspace was so reminiscent of their old forge that he could practically smell sea salt and rust in the air.
Back then their roles had been reversed, with him cautioning Mei more times than he could recall against the construction of a flamethrower that could reach temperatures higher than 1000C. At the time, with those materials, and without the backing of UA, it had been too risky to try anything really dangerous, though the thought made him feel a bit of a hypocrite with his prototype gauntlets. Still, he remembered her favorite counterargument whenever he had brought up the questionable legality of one of her designs, and supplied it.
"Good thing I'm not a nation state then," he replied glibly, reaching for the amorphous transformer that would complete the circuit for this particular section of machinery. "Technically I guess I might be subject to the second Rarotonga treaty, but this isotope can't even be refined to the point of being weapons grade. Also I'm quirkless, so the 'Q' definitely doesn't apply."
"Unlicensed nuclear accelerators don't have to be dirty to get the wrong kind of attention, Izuku!" she snapped, causing the boy to look up and see that Mei was staring at him hard with flushed cheeks and scolding eyes. He put down the soldering iron he had been holding and walked across the space to her, offering her a hug that she angrily accepted. He'd gotten a lot better at physical contact of late, and it felt nice to be able to offer some comfort to those who had helped him so many times before.
"I know you're worried Mei, heck, I am too. But you should be more concerned for yourself than for me." He whispered the next part. "Besides, it's not like I could lose my quirk again, or get in any more trouble with the HPSC. You guys are in much more danger than I am."
"Forget the stupid quirk thief for a moment and the government creeps and use your brain!" She rebutted, pushing back against him to be at arm's length. "There's other threats out there, like those asshole cops who might not have even been working for the HPSC. People are starting to notice you Izuku, and the attention you've got on you won't go away anytime soon. Not if you keep going like this."
"Mei, I'm going to have attention on me eventually. I'm here to become a hero, after all," he reasoned, patting her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, going to be , you're not a hero yet. You're playing against a stacked deck, and you know I've never cared about it, but other people do. They see someone climbing up, being better than them without a quirk, and they hate you for it. It's worse than a bucket of crabs, because the ones outside the damn bucket are gonna be pushing down too. They'll try to destroy you, like those cops did, just because they can. I don't want to lose my best friend over something stupid like that!"
"Mei," he reassured, pulling his friend back into a tighter embrace, resting his head on top of hers now. "I already told you that you're one of the only people I trust completely right now. Please, trust me when I say that I can handle this. I have plans for whatever might come next. I'm being more careful, I'm bringing people in, I'm asking for help when I need it. Can you trust me like I trust you?"
She stared at him intensely before ultimately sighing in resignation and giving one last squeeze as they stepped apart. Their eyes met, and she gave him a single, decisive nod which he returned with a gesture he had borrowed from Bakugo. She laughed and returned his offered fist bump before turning back to the project.
Larger than anything they had worked on before, it was sequestered in her private space within the lab, and even then it was covered in drop cloths to prevent anyone nosy enough to look in on them from seeing what it really was. Nezu knew, Power Loader knew, and the two students knew, and no one else really needed to, as far as they were concerned.
"Alright, if this baby gets to break rules, then let's break all the rules," Mei smirked, instantly returning to her old self. Izuku chuckled, but also voiced his assent to her idea before she began to explain her plans.
"I was thinking we could use an aerogel lining along the inner barrier while moving some of the radiator fins out towards the rear. We've got the Lu-177 and the approval from Maijima-sensei to mount the battery, so long as we can demonstrate metastability in the isomer."
"Alright, that should be easy enough. We'll need to consider replenishing our stock of semiconductors pretty soon though, and I don't think that-"
"Ah ah ah," chided Mei, waving a finger towards Izuku. "You let me worry about the supplies, and how I acquire them. Just because you can keep up now doesn't mean you get to go over my head with materials science."
"My flight module was more effective than yours," he grumbled, earning a playful whack from Mei's tablet.
"Yeah, and I built both of them. So trust me when I say I know what I'm doing." They worked in amicable silence after that, passing tools back and forth and making notes on what extra requisitions they would be needing to put in. Unfortunately, it ended up being quite a lot.
While Mei had suggested simply asking Yaoyorozu to produce the extra components (practically salivating over the idea of what the 'living 3d printer' could produce for her), Izuku had vetoed taking advantage of his classmate like that. Especially when they had a viable alternative for getting what they needed through the normal channels. He had caved when it came to some of the more exotic materials however, and made a note to come up with a proper thanks for the girl that wasn't a literal pallet of ice cream as Mei had intended.
"Say," began Mei as they shouldered a particularly heavy piece of machinery into place under the tarps. "I know we're focused on the ANA right now, but don't you have the Mk. III qualification test this afternoon? Do you want to run some checks on that? I can ask Maijima-sensei for an engine hoist to get the rest of the pieces in place while you're doing that." Izuku considered it for a moment before nodding. Mei had proven more times than once that if she couldn't lift something on her own, she could find a lever or fulcrum to do it without his help.
"Yeah, actually, I'd really appreciate that. I'm a little nervous about the whole thing considering Snipe-sensei is the one overseeing the qualifier." Setting down their tools the pair walked over to a separate corner of the lab, where Izuku's third iteration of his gear was stored in a rack, wires running from every port on it into an array of laptops stacked around it at various heights.
"Well, the time and effort I put into this baby makes her one of the best, hands down. They letting you use live ammo for the qualifier, or dummy rounds?"
"I think it's live fire," said Izuku, glancing over to Mei. "Shame we couldn't work in the flamethrower though."
"Protocol III of the CCW says no," retorted Mei, a bit more humorously this time.
"Endeavor is a living violation of that protocol," he mumbled, earning a snort from his partner as they both glanced over at the nearly completed build.
The armor was fully enclosed now, with the exception of the helmet, which retained the variable mask and respirator. The metallic finish retained its glossiness, though there were undeniably more green elements hiding underneath the shiny black carapace than were there before. In addition, the legs had become somewhat bulkier, the armor now covering the thighs and interlocking with the greaves over the top of the deep red boots; rounded in some parts but melting into flat blocky surfaces in others. While definitely looking heavier, the armor was no less streamlined; if anything, the smoother overall surface would reduce drag when using the flight module.
The other major change was over the breastplate. While the lights that peeked out from between the plating were still present when the armor was powered, the horizontal battery lines on the chest had been removed. Instead, there were now four circular lights positioned over the obliques, flanking the flexible plate that would cover the abdomen while still allowing for full range of motion. That, unfortunately, was still the weakest point in the Mk. III, and was likely not something they would be able to resolve without sacrificing the wearer's ability to bend at the waist.
"All right, the preliminary check is ready, I'm going to engage its compact configuration, then we'll time how long it takes you to get suited up, without the jumpsuit to help you," Mei said, tapping away at a laptop while Izuku shrugged off the coveralls he had on over his uniform shirt and pants. As he did so, the armor began to hum before the plates slid inwards, collapsing in segments on top of one another and shrinking the overall profile until the full ensemble was reduced to a simple harness. Even after having seen it so many times, it was still impressive just how compact they had been able to render what amounted to a near full suit of plate mail.
Izuku disconnected all but one of the remaining cables and plugs before pulling the thing on over his uniform shirt. It was heavier than the compacted disc form of the Mk. II, but not uncomfortably so, and would seem lighter once it was engaged fully. It also presented a smaller profile, being more evenly distributed so that he would have been able to wear it under his jacket without affecting the lines of a suit, where the Mk. II had a discernible outline on his back.
"Ready? The interface connecting alright?" Asked Mei, looking up from the lone laptop that was still connected to the harness. Izuku nodded, feeling the warm metal on his neck reaching out to the device, and gave her a thumbs up with only a bit of shakiness to it. Without the jumpsuit for conductivity, the responsiveness of his movements would be just a bit impeded, but he had managed in the sports festival and he would manage now. "Alright, initiating full armor protocol, sans jumpsuit, from harness configuration. And...mark."
"Alright buckaroos, this here's a modified mateba model 12; take note of the enlarged chamber mechanism and the fact tha this piece fires from the bottom of tha cylinder. Now, this here's been custom machined on account o' mah quirk so's I can make use of it more easily, an she's fairly unique. What you're more likely ter see in the field is over yonder," said Snipe, motioning for the class of second years, as well as one very nervous Izuku, to follow him as he moved over to a glass case that had several weapons mounted up for display.
"Now then, thisee here's what ya call an M1911, one of the oldest firearms still around, she's chambered in .45 ACP, an there were jus' under three million o' these things made originally. You'll find these or a derivative popping up all o'er the place." Snipe motioned towards another weapon in the case.
"This one ere is what y'all know as a Glock, specifically a model 26, and a model 36 right next to it. These bad little Johnny's can be chambered in all sorts, but yer most common er gonna be nine millimeter parabellum. Ya got a little over five million made in thar original run, but believe it er not they're a bit rarer round these parts than yer Colts, on account a' the Colts bein' mostly legacy guns what the Yakuza and such kept a hold of afore quirks were a thing. Note the short recoil an' the polymer frame, very concealable."
Snipe continued on for some time, running through the distinctive features, caliber, and the frequency of appearance of each of the handguns on the wall. Of note special note were the Nambu model 60, a revolver still favored by police officers, the Makarov PM, a cheap Soviet era handgun chambered in the Eastern Bloc 9x18mm, and the Chinese copy of its predecessor, the type 54, which had been based on the Tokarev TT-33.
Eventually they progressed through shotguns, submachine guns, and rifles, with one second year in particular staring longingly at the McMillan TAC-50, the largest weapon in the case. This fact was not missed by their teacher. Sighing under his mask, the man turned to face the class, and if gas-masks could wear expressions, then his would have been stern.
"Now then, I reckon most of y'all had a class with Aizawa-sensei on more than one occasion. If'n yer still here by second year, then ye shoulda learned already from him tha' heroing ain't all fun n' games. If'n yer normal classes are serious bus'ness, then buckle up on account of this here's a whole new ballpark. Y'all ave had the talk about yer quirks bein' tools that can help or hurt; thing is, this ere is a tool too, but it can only ever help through hurtin, so if'n yer gonna stay on mah range, an take this class, yer gonna follow mah rules."
The hero motioned for them to follow, and the class obeyed, trailing after his long strides towards the front of the room where there were several rows of benches as well as a long table that he sat behind, removing his pistol and placing it down with the muzzle facing towards the wall.
"There are four rules tha' are the basics fer bein on ma' range. You follow em, you stay. Break em? You get one warnin' an then yer out." The teacher suddenly turned even more serious, his persona dropping as he listed off the rules, counting with his fingers as he did so. "One, you will treat every weapon as if it is loaded at all times. Two, you will keep your fingers off of triggers unless you are about to fire. Three, you will never point a weapon at anything you are not willing to destroy. Four, you will, at all times, be sure of your target and what is behind it. Are there any questions?"
One second year, braver than the rest, raised a hand and asked the question that Izuku could tell most of them had been wondering about since his arrival.
"Uhm Sensei, why is the first year here with us? Is he in advanced classes because he won the festival? Also, hello Midoriya-kun, good performance last week!" said the boy, giving a sheepish wave. He reminded Izuku of a less rocky, slightly more vocal Koda, and he recognized him from the student council meeting.
"Ah, right, I knew I was fergetting something," chuckled Snipe, his usual cowboy persona falling back into place. "Midoriya's ere with us today on accoun' of I'll be conducting his weapons qualification test. He's got some support gear tha has potentially lethal options on er, and in order to use em, he's gonna run some drills for me. Figured it'd be a good teaching experience to show y'all how range practice an' course runs work. You wanna get prepped then, pardner?" Izuku nodded and stood from his spot on the bench.
He removed his jacket and folded it neatly, taking the smallest bit of satisfaction in seeing the looks on the upperclassmen's faces when the harness sprang out into its fully armored configuration. In that moment he was very grateful to Mei for the practice runs they had gone through earlier, as he really didn't relish the idea of smacking himself in the face again because he wasn't familiar with the new armor yet.
The helmet snapped down over his eyes, and Izuku was very glad to have Lynchpin back with him once more. While having the program again on his phone was nice, having him in his ear was much preferred.
"Alright then cowpoke, it's time fer Midoriya ta break in a bronco. The course we talked 'bout is right through that door over yonder, sos just you hop to it an' me an'the class'll watch yer run when yer ready." Nodding to his teacher, Izuku jogged past the rest of the class towards the indicated door and out onto the assessment course.
The course itself was as Snipe had described to him earlier; brick walls, tall winding hallways, and random terrain variations throughout. Rocky outcropping, trees, ledges, and of course, sprinkled throughout were holographic targets of both civilians and criminals in various scenarios and positions.
"Alright partner," boomed Snipe, his voice suddenly echoing from the PA system. "Record time with all targets neutralized and no civilian casualties is twenty two point six seconds. If you want your cert for lethal weapons you'll have ter clear the course in less than a minute with no civilian casualties. When yer ready, cross the start line."
Feeling the power of his armor through the interface, Izuku braced himself. The expanded battery capacity, when coupled with the improved design to a majority of the modules, meant that he would be able to fly for nearly twenty minutes without needing to recharge. Since it was on a separate power supply, his actual suit could operate on the ground for as long as he had energy, provided nothing went wrong. He sent a pulse through the interface, feeling the armor at his shoulders expand and reconfigure into the afterburner setup, the high whine and pinpoint flames a portent of his newly increased speed. Grinning, he activated the flight module as well, the stabilizers and flaps built into the suit meaning he could steer entirely mentally, without having to rely on his hands or on Ochaco's quirk making him weightless.
In a flash he was over the starting line, Lynchpin providing a digital timer in the upper right hand corner of his visor as he shot into the starting hallway. A long path led up to a staircase that twisted up and around the left side of the large, open room, but Izuku had no need for it. His soles briefly touched the ground as he pushed off before hugging the right hand wall, feet barely tapping the surface as he ran along it instead of taking the more brazen option of simply flying through the course. Snipe hadn't said if the targets would be shooting back, after all.
The staircase below him ended in a sheer pit with about twenty meters of open ground before it met another staircase, leading up to the first two villain targets. Looking down, Izuku raised one gauntlet as he passed, Lynchpin helpfully identifying the targets as villains, before unleashing a fireball that rolled over the holograms and caused them to flicker out of existence. He moved around some rocks that jutted up from the sides of the course and then abruptly dropped to the ground, sliding under an overhang that had come up surprisingly quickly. With only a narrow, waist high opening at the bottom, Izuku grit his teeth as he passed under the rock, only to find himself faced with another villain hologram.
A quick blast neutralized the threat as another rock wall, this time low to the ground, came up on him. He considered slowing down to regain his bearings, but a quick glance at the clock made up his mind for him. Blasting up with his afterburners, he was once again running along the wall with the help of his flight module, passing over a group of three villains that another blast took care of. Two more sprang to life as he rounded a corner, this time with one depicted as holding a civilian in its grasp.
Izuku inhaled, even as the targets drew nearer, pulling on the module that was most applicable for the situation. It had been a fight to get it approved, and it was part of the reason he was taking the second year weapons qualifier in order to keep it as part of his gear, but it was an incredibly useful tool to have, and one that he wouldn't delude himself into believing he would never need.
"Lynch, target vitals on the hostage taker, I'm going to use the shock gauntlet on the first," he ordered, dropping from the wall into a low run as his palms crackled with electricity.
"Understood Izuku, acquiring angle for optimal shot," came the robotic reply.
His armored palm swung through the first hologram, disrupting the lightshow just as the plates on his shoulders sprang open, a rack of short, stubby barrels extending from each. The rightmost barrel moved imperceptibly, adjusting itself before there was a sudden crack and a small puff of smoke. The villain hologram disappeared, the civilian hologram entirely unharmed, and Izuku smiled grimly. If that had been a real person, they would have just had a round of .308 planted directly between their eyes.
Shaking off the thought even as he continued running, Izuku took to the walls again, bouncing between them as the corridor narrowed and the floor dropped lower. He suddenly found himself in the atrium, the room obviously setup for a protracted firefight. There were three buildings extending from the walls, and visible in each were three villains, as well as five hostages, all of them moving back and forth between cover. The ground was likewise littered with debris, broken walls, overturned cars, and the like, meant for students to hide behind.
Izuku bypassed all of it, fully activating the flight module as Lynchpin picked out the targets and their paths, even as the rifle module opened again. He held his breath, feeling only the barest movement at his shoulders as the bullets shot out, each catching the remaining villain holograms as he passed by the buildings, with no time to turn back and make sure the job was done. A final, winding hallway saw two villains pop up along the path to the exit, which were taken care of with his normal explosions.
Executing a quick flip and burn, Izuku dug his feet into the ground as he slid backwards across the finish line, a trail of sparks following the path of his armored feet.
"Twenty five point six seconds, all targets neutralized, no civilian casualties. Sheeit kid, well done," buzzed Snipe's voice over the intercom as Izuku allowed his armor systems to retract and run through an after-action report. Lynchpin had already begun to calculate a more optimal route, and looking at it, Izuku couldn't help but grin in a way that was uncannily reminiscent of Bakugo.
"Snipe-sensei, can I try that again?" he asked, stretching his back. He heard a murmur of voices over the intercom in the background, probably the class of second years who had been watching, before Snipe answered.
"Uh, ya'll passed yer cert, Midoriya, why d'ya wanna go at her again?"
"Because," said Izuku, a glint in his eyes behind the visor, "I kinda want to, and I'm pretty sure that I can, beat that course record you mentioned."
"Ha!" answered Snipe, "y'know what, we got time, go ahead partner, take another crack at her!"
Thursday came and went much too soon for Izuku, and it was with no small amount of trepidation that he found himself sitting atop a bench in his lab while his assembled friends stared at him. Ochaco and Bakugo were the closest, the boy on his left and Ochaco to his right, while Mei sat across from him along with Iida, Yaoyorozu, and the freshly introduced Shinso. Most of his friends seemed somewhat bemused, perhaps a little anticipatory of whatever it was he had gathered them to speak about, but Mei was apprehensive. Deciding not to drag things out, Izuku pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons, causing the room to darken and a projector to light up on the opposite wall.
"Oh my god you made a fucking slideshow, you absolute nerd," grumbled Bakugo, smirking at him. Izuku felt his guts clench, wanting to hold onto the light feeling that was around them now, because it certainly wasn't going to last. He was very worried about Bakugo's reaction in particular.
"R-right, so um, thank you all for giving me your time. Before I tell you guys everything, I need your promise that nothing said here leaves this room. Also, I need you to understand that this knowledge m-might be dangerous, but not knowing might be dangerous too. Besides being really p-personal, it's important for your safety. So if you think you c-can't keep what I'm about to tell you to yourself, then you should probably leave," he said, wringing his hands as no one got up to leave.
"Not a word to anyone Midoriya, I think we can all agree with that," said Iida, hand chops surprisingly absent for once. "If you feel this strongly about whatever it is you want to tell us, I see no reason why we cannot respect that, provided it is not anything illegal you are planning."
Was that a grin on Iida's face? Had he just made a joke? Izuku chuckled nervously and palmed the back of his head, fingers tracing over the interface in a clumsy dance. The others variously gave their assent and reassurances, and Izuku readied himself to proceed. Hesitating for only a moment, he clicked the first slide, and began to speak.
"Ok, so, I've already told Mei about this because this information mainly confirms a theory I told her and the others about two years ago."
"Why the fuck aren't they here, by the way? Tintin and the other two?" Bakugo asked, crossing his arms and looking away from Izuku and the rest.
"Because they knew what I'm about to tell you, and they didn't tell me. But, that's getting ahead of things."
"Was it that shit Tintin said you were freaking out about that you couldn't tell me?" Izuku shook his head.
"Different secret, one I'm still not able to talk about. I'm sharing this one because it's mine to tell, and because I trust you guys and want you all to stay safe." Now the looks were getting more serious. Taking a deep breath, Izuku began.
"For a long time now, since I was about four, I've felt kind of a phantom pain, which for the longest time I figured was in my head. But as time went on and I got older, I noticed it never really changed, and when I asked other people about it, other quirkless people I mean, it seemed more and more like it was...unique."
"You started feeling this way at four, when quirks normally manifest?" Inquired Yaoyorozu, a serious look on her face. Izuku nodded, still avoiding looking at Bakugo.
"I f-figured it was just jealousy, on account of being quirkless, but no other quirkless person I've ever talked to has felt the s-same thing. About a year ago, I told Togata-senpai, Hado-senpai, Amajiki-senpai, and Mei about how I felt, and that I suspected the phantom pains I felt were from trying to use a damaged or missing quirk."
"But you were diagnosed professionally, were you not Midoriya?" Iida interjected, sitting more stiffly than normal. Again, Izuku nodded.
"Yes, I was, which is why I never really bothered to check on that assumption until now." He clicked his remote, pulling up an image of a human foot outlined in pale blue against a black background, two joints in the pinky toe. "As you probably k-know, one of the signs of the quirk factor b-being active is the presence or absence of the double joint. Of course, now we know that the single joint only guarantees a quirk; more r-recent advances have shown that the quirk factor can still be active in individuals who have t-two joints." He swallowed, clicking through another slide that showcased cell samples and blood tests with the parts of interest circled and labelled.
"While recovering from my match with Kacchan, I found out that I had b-broken my foot, and Snipe-sensei gave me an X-ray to assess the damage. I s-saw it before they could h-h-hide it from me, and then followed up on w-what I saw. This is a picture of an X-ray I took myself the next day." A click, and the picture changed to the ghost of Izuku's foot, the single joint sticking out to everyone assembled.
"So you've got proof you have some kind of quirk after all then. Maybe some kind of passive intelligence quirk?" Asked Shinso, not quite understanding where Izuku was going. "This doesn't really seem like dangerous knowledge."
"I haven't gotten to the dangerous part, Shinso-kun. Recovery Girl was the one who t-tried to hide the X-ray at the time when she saw it, which made me r-realize that s-s-some of the staff knew already and d-didn't tell me. After what h-h-happened at Dagobah b-beach with Mei, Nezu and Aizawa con-confirmed it t-to me that they and the Big Three k-knew what I suspected was t-true, and that they all l-l-lied to me."
"So what, you've had a quirk all along and they didn't want you to know it?" Bakugo sneered, unusually quietly. "And what the fuck happened at the god damned beach?"
"I c-called Mei to t-talk about what I f-f-found out and to g-give her the s-same warning, b-but then we were a-attacked by the sludge villain, and Ingenium ended up s-saving us. Uh, w-w-which reminds m-me, the HPSC h-has been t-trying to buy m-me from Mom. And n-no, I'm quirkless and I have b-been for a long time."
"What the fuck, buy you? And if you're still fucking quirkless then what the fuck are you saying, shitty Deku?"
"J-just w-w-wait a minute, Kacchan. I've confirmed t-through b-b-blood test that I don't h-have an ac-active quirk f-factor, but the m-markers for it are in m-my DNA. That c-confirms a suspicion I h-h-had about my quirk s-since after the USJ."
"The Nomu creature that All Might neutralized," interjected Yaoyorozu, catching on the quickest. "It had multiple quirks according to their leader. If something could be imbued with multiple quirks, then it stands to reason those quirks had to come from somewhere. Which means…" she paled as the realization sunk in. Izuku only wrung his hands and nodded meekly.
"Whoever m-made the Nomu, w-whatever v-v-villain was really b-behind the attack, because it w-wasnt Shigaraki, they c-can probably steal q-q-quirks. I think t-t-that's what h-happened to me, and w-why I n-needed to warn you g-guys. Be-because I c-can't lose my q-q-quirk again, but you all c-can, a-and you're all p-potential targets."
"Because that villain is still out there, and is still stealing peoples' quirks," said Iida, his brow furrowed and hand on his chin. "I'll have to ask Tensei if he's heard anything about this in regard to the other pros. Also, I'll have to ask why he didn't tell me my friend was attacked by a villain, but that can wait. In the meantime, what should we do, Midoriya?"
"We find the fucker, make him give shitty Deku his fucking quirk back, and then we kill him dead!" Shouted Bakugo, rising to his feet with an explosion for emphasis. "And then we make sure that fucker can't ever hurt anyone like he hurt you ever again!" Teeth grit, eyes narrowed, he looked angry to the others, certainly, but Izuku thought he could read between the lines. He almost never saw that expression on Bakugo, but he recognized it from the scant few times he had seen it. His eyes were asking for help, but what kind of help, Izuku didn't know. It wasn't like there was a villain holding him hostage that he could rush at this time.
"Kacchan?" Izuku began, reaching out a shaking hand. Bakugo's eyes snapped to the limb before he snarled and stormed over to the side, smoke wafting from his palms as he vented the smallest explosions he could over and over.
"Fuck! Fucking shit!" He slammed a fist into the wall, scorching the paint a bit. "I'm going to get a pass from the fucking Hobo to go train," he snarled, yanking open the door and darting down the hall, ignoring the others calling after him. Left in stunned silence, and still processing what he had just revealed to them, the others could only look about uncomfortably, until Mei finally broke the silence.
"Well, that honestly went better than I expected."