—What the hell are you doing?— Aizawa asked with an unexpressive look.
—Trusting you, Sensei— Tetsumaru replied as he lowered his pants.
To the side, the kunoichi was trembling in place, about to burst into laughter at the strange situation.
Before Aizawa decided to beat up the duo, iron sand came out of Tetsumaru's palms, forming rods that were embedded along his body, as if marking a point.
—We're not suddenly going to become good friends, Aizawa-Sensei, nor are we going to reveal every single one of our secrets to you. But you are right on one crucial point: We cannot continue hiding things from you and stagnate— the dark-haired boy explained as the sand continued locating random points on his body.
From his chest to his limbs, his head and his back.
—What do you know about our Quirk?— Mei asked with genuine curiosity.
—Nothing beyond the fact that it's a type of energy you both carry inside. We don't know what mechanisms involve the creation of water, steam, or sand, nor why each of you manifests different aspects with the same energy.
And that if it runs out, you would die. Like everything, it is linked to stamina, but you seem to have quite a bit, so that would explain why I've never seen you at your limit— Aizawa said, holding nothing back of what Ragdoll shared with him.
—And I suppose she can see more, but doesn't know how to interpret it. Isn't that right?— Tetsumaru added, gesturing to the PussyCat to join them.
—That's right~ My Quirk allows me to obtain a lot of information, but that doesn't mean I can interpret it all on my own— Ragdoll explained with a smile as she excitedly jumped next to the group.
Tetsumaru nodded in acknowledgment.
It didn't feel right to reveal information this way. It wasn't that he or Mei felt reluctant.
It was more like a primary instinct, rooted in their bodies that prevented them from going around telling everyone all their abilities.
A result of the individuals they embodied? Perhaps.
But closing off to everyone was not a very good idea. They wouldn't achieve anything that way, and that became evident after years of training and little progress.
—Our energy allows us to do many more things— the shinobi began, drawing the attention of his sensei and the heroine.
With a pulse of chakra to his hands, the energy swirled in his palm, bright and emitting a low hiss.
—We can use it to enhance our bodies, unleash and withstand strong impacts, move at great speed, walk on almost any surface, and even strike directly with it.
However, there are many other external effects we can manifest. One we've been working on is an ultra-fast movement technique- as he spoke, he pointed to the Satetsu rods stuck to him.
—These represent specific points through which the energy must flow throughout our bodies. The problem lies in that we must figure out where each and every one of those points are, and then guide the energy through the correct points to unleash the desired effect— the shinobi concluded, staring fixedly at Ragdoll.
—What happens if you move the energy incorrectly?— Aizawa asked.
—We hurt ourselves. That's why we aren't so reckless about doing it— Mei replied with a sigh.
For her part, Ragdoll analyzed the information and finally understood part of the data her Quirk had gathered. She smirked at the shinobi duo, posing with her hands on her hips and her chin held high.
She opened her mouth to announce her super convenient discovery, but an explosion of wood and dirt behind them stopped her.
Aizawa turned toward the direction of the sound, ready to incapacitate anyone who tried to attack them.
What he saw was a trio of Nomu emerging from the tree line at high speed, each over two meters tall, pushing aside logs in their path as if they were paper.
—Tetsumaru!— Aizawa roared, retreating a few steps along with Ragdoll.
The shinobi unleashed a sea of Satetsu that impacted the Nomu head-on while they themselves were lifted onto a sand platform.
However, two of the Nomu jumped to the sides, each extending a palm in the direction of the sand and activating their Quirk.
Tetsumaru felt the control of his sand hampered and the particles fell to the ground, stopping its advance and leaving a free path for the middle Nomu to continue the chase.
—Jump!— Mei communicated through their link as she held Aizawa and abandoned the platform. Tetsumaru held Ragdoll and went in the opposite direction.
An instant later, the platform was struck by a gigantic ball of blue flames.
—Hahaha, Sand Bastard! We have unfinished business, you and I!— came the annoying voice of a certain ugly pyro.
Tetsumaru tried to create another sand platform, but again lost control over it.
As soon as he landed, he pulsed chakra to his legs and barely evaded the punch of the giant Nomu, which tore off the branch he landed on and pulverized it in an explosion of splinters.
—Put me down and run!— Ragdoll writhed, trying to protect the boy.
-That thing will tear you apart in seconds. Better analyze those damn monsters and tell me what the hell they are doing to interfere with my sand- Tetsumaru retorted, carrying the PussyCat while running over the trees at high speed.
In the opposite direction, Aizawa and Mei prepared to go after Tetsumaru and the Nomu, but an incandescent flare forced them to retreat again.
—Not so fast, brat— Dabi said in a cold tone, looking disdainfully at the kunoichi and the Hero next to her.
—Sensei, disable him— Mei said with a grimace.
—Oh? Can you afford to waste time here while your students are being attacked?— Dabi sneered, which put Eraser Head on alert.
However, Mei received new information from Tetsumaru and quickly turned to the Hero with a determined look.
—The Nomu are the source of Tetsumaru's problem. This guy here is some kind of clone or something, because there's another one attacking them right now. Sensei, kill him quickly and join Tetsumaru and Ragdoll. I'll head to the camp— she informed Aizawa and ran off without waiting for an answer.
—Wait, we don't have a clear picture of the situation yet!— the man called, but the kunoichi had already disappeared.
His doubts vanished when a slight tremor shook the ground beneath his feet. His gaze swept in the direction of the camp, and he could see a couple of trees flying over the forest.