Shooting Star Hero Academia REDUX - RTankGirl - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia (2024)

Chapter 1: Crash Landing

Chapter Text

A fight for everlasting peace is a foolish sounding dream, isn’t it? The idea is contradictory in nature. You seek peace, but in order to do so you have to fight. Kinda sucks when you have to think about it for so long, especially when it was a fight you didn’t want to be a part of at first. But then you make friends, and you come to cherish them and care about them and love them so much, but is that your will? Or is that the will of a man who abandoned you to go make friends with aliens and forget about his family on Earth?

It burns. Of course it would. Falling into the atmosphere would burn no matter who you are. Scratch that, Ox Fire probably wouldn’t get burned. And thinking about it, Rockman shouldn’t be getting burned at this level of heat either, so that begs the question: Why does it burn?

The figure falling faster and faster towards the Earth just barely manages to move his arms, grabbing at his chest. It’s bleeding, isn’t it? He feels the wound as much as his motor functions will currently allow, figuring out how bad this claw cut is. He figures it’s bad enough to scar horribly, so it’s best to let it be. Least he knows why he’s burning up. His suit is torn open. He looks to the Earth and smiles.

If the people of Earth can live in peace, then Rockman is okay to die. Subaru Hoshikawa is happy to make others happy. He looks at where he’s going to crash. It looks like some kind of fancy school. Maybe he can cancel it for these students? Everyone deserves a break after Meteor G. His smile stays persistent as a sudden burst of wind stops his fiery descent. Or at least the fire part. His actual descent is stopped by his suddenly being wrapped in a pair of muscly arms.

His vision is starting to blur from blood loss. Rockman is starting to separate, which means instead of being cosmetic, blood is actually going to start moving again, and that means bad things for Subaru. As he fades into his own brain, the boy can hear the man who caught speak in a loud, but friendly seeming voice:

“There’s no longer a need to fear young man! Why? BECAUSE I AM HERE TO SAVE YOU!”

And as Subaru’s vision fades, and his thoughts begin to slow, he sees a bright smile before the eventual black, and the boy thinks to himself: ‘It must be nice to be the one saved for once. I hope I’m saved from more than just a fall when this dream ends…’

When Subaru awoke, he was in a hospital bed, a glowing sunrise shining onto him from a window, and a quad of people talking in the corner, one of which was a familiar sight. War-Rock. His partner through thick and thin, the guy he could count on most (he’s kind of like an uncle in that sense though, or a dumb older brother, one of the two). As the boy attempted to move, he found his arms to be incredibly stiff. Looking down, he now noticed the more than average amount of bandages wrapped around the entirety of his torso. Ah. It seems they are constricting his shoulders.

However, the movements caught the group’s attention, and so War-Rock bowed(?) before moving back to Subaru. He put one of his clawed hands on the kids, as a large gangly man followed, his skeleton-like appearance only slightly unnerving Subaru. “Hey kid, how’re you holding up?” The AM-ian asked of the boy, a concern unlike any Subaru has seen before in his eyes.

Though, he would have to push past that for now.

“Good, now that you’re here.” He responded, his brother? Uncle? Bruncle, giving a chuckle in response, before regaining his more somber state. It was unlike him, but Subaru supposed that War-Rock had good reasons for this state. He felt the aliens grip on his hand grow tighter.

“Kid, I… it’s hard figuring out how to let you hear this easily. You’re already in a bad state, I don’t want to add this onto your plate.”

“War-Rock. We’ve been through more than enough to deal with for a lifetime. I’m sure I can handle this.” Subaru finished with as warm a smile as he could muster right now.

The alien looked at the lanky man at the other side of the bed. They nodded to each other, and War-Rock turned his attention back to Subaru. “In our last fight, the explosion of Meteor G was too much for the noise control program to take, so it ended up using a fail safe system that we weren’t informed about. In doing so, it shifted the frequency of Rockman by such a high degree, we phased into an alternate reality. We’ve landed on an Earth far separated from our own.”

Subaru kept his warm smile, expression unchanging. His heart monitor, which had been operating at a good pace to this point, had decided it was time for a rave as its beeps became an erratic mess.

“KID!” War-Rock shouted, as the boy seemingly went into shock. A small elderly woman hurried as quick as she could over to the boy, the lanky man looking at her worriedly. “Kid before you do something bad to yourself unintentionally, there is good news. It might take a while, but I can find a way back home!”

The heart rate monitor began to slow down steadily, as Subaru’s heart returned to a normal pace. His expression finally being able to change, he put on an angry face, looking at his partner. “Lead with that next time! I almost went into shock!” The boy shouted at his partner, his heart rate finally settling.

“Well excuse me for trying to let you down easy! I’m not good with this touchy feely stuff! You know that!” The alien bickered back, the two looking at the other in anger… Before bursting into laughter. “That’s the kid I know. Was wondering if the blood loss got to ya!”

“Are you kidding me!? As if that’s ever stopped me before!” The boy joked back, the two partners laughing joyously together. It was then the lanky skeleton man began to speak up, in a rather concerned tone.

“Young man, I hope you are joking about that. I don’t like the fact that a child is one of the few heroes in your world.” The man let out, in his familiar voice. Subaru’s eyes narrowed for a moment before pointing at the man.

“Ah! You…” The boy began to speak, the group finally thanking the powers that be, that they could finally introduce themselves. The man waited eagerly for the boy's question, ready to give him the treat of a lifetime. After all, he is-

“Are you related to the guy who saved me?”

Not ready for that question. Blood suddenly spurred out from the man's mouth, the boy suddenly getting scared by this. However, as the blood stopped flowing, a sudden puff of smoke arose, and the lanky man in his extremely baggy clothes, was replaced by a huge buff dude in a well fitting outfit. “Actually, you’ll find I am that man! HAHAHAHA!” The suddenly changed man let out a heroic laugh, Subaru looking at his partner in worry.

“Yes, yes, we know about your muscle form, Toshinori. Please, give the boy time to adjust to this sudden change.” A new voice had spoken up, one that was rather surprising, yet not for the boy. He had almost forgotten about the mysterious fourth person. As footsteps grew closer, it was then Subaru’s eyes became even more narrow, until almost the entirety of his eyes had become white.

There, not three feet from his bed, was a bipedal, talking, wearing a classy suit, with orange sneakers… Mouse. Dog. Bear. Some kind of animal was on two feet and talking! However, as soon as Subaru’s brain decided to process this information, he realized, this wasn’t actually that surprising.

For starters, he’s on an entirely different Earth from his own, of course the people and animals would have drastic changes from his home. Secondly: He’s seen way crazier sh*t than this before. His mind will never be the same after Ra Mu, how would he expect this to be any different. Still, it would be a shock for those unprepared. Then again, it should be a shock for any normal person where he’s from.

“My name is Nezu, and I am the principal of this school! War-Rock has told us a lot about you, Mr. Hoshikawa.” The animal thing spoke again, his friendly tone seeming a little… Off putting, considering there was a scar over his eye. Then again, who is he to judge. He’s about to have a giant scar over his torso, if these bandages are anything to go by. “Especially your exploits as the great Hero, Rockman. My, these tales of heroics are quite the thing to hear!”

“Actually, that’s a good point!” The muscle man, Toshinori, replied back, his voice booming, before another puff of smoke changed him into his lanky state. “Kid, why are you the one who’s saving the planet all the time? Shouldn’t the adults be taking care of things?” He questioned the state of the boy’s Earth.

It was then that Subaru realized something about his home, that until this moment, he would have lied to himself about constantly. “The adults…” His mind flashed images of his mom, Doctor Yoiri, and… Akatsuki, the three adults in his life who actually gave a damn about him and his life, “Most of the adults back home are pretty useless in those situations. Most of the time, it’s up to me and my friends to handle these situations, especially when we’re the only ones who actually know what's going on most of the time. The first real fight I had as Rockman, was…”

Andromeda. How he hates and loves that name with a split in half passion. On the one hand, it’s the entire reason his life began to be lived again, how he met his best friends. On the other, it’s the name of what tore him to pieces inside. The name that curses his father’s. The name that made him realize that he never wanted to be like his father. He will encourage bonds, but he won’t abandon everything he’s come to know and love to do so.

The man could have at least tried to find a way to call them.

“Damn kid… That’s a little harsh.” Toshinori spoke again, his hand rubbing the back of his head. Nezu merely nodded his head, before walking around the bed, and getting his own face closer to Subaru.

“You see, Mr. Hoshikawa, the Earth you landed on happens to be a world very different from your own. Here, everybody has the chance to be a hero.” The principal began, Subaru looking at the animal with a now piqued interest. “Our world’s society is built upon a feature unique to our Earth, called Quirks. Powers unique to an individual, that allow them great abilities in their everyday life. Take myself for instance. My Quirk, High Spec, is what allows me to have more intelligence than even the smartest humans. Or, Recovery Girl-” He pointed with his little paw hand towards the elderly woman in the nurse outfit from earlier. “Her Quirk, allows her to Heal anybody as long as they have the Life Energy to do so.”

“What, Principal Nezu is getting at, is that you are no longer alone in your efforts to be a hero.” Recovery Girl spoke, finally able to after this whole time. “However, you must have a Hero license to be able to do these acts. Otherwise, you will be treated as a Vigilante, or… A Villain. Both quite illegal, but I’m sure you can figure out which is the worst of the choices.”

“Hoshikawa-shonen, we believe you have great potential as a hero here, as much as you do back on your Earth.” Toshinori added in, his buff form returning. Nezu nodded, and War-Rock floated over to them. “You see, we believe fate has brought you to this school. And we want you to be a part of this world while you are stuck here for now.”

“Wait, hold on hold on hold on… I’m still wrapping my head around a whole world full of people with superpowers. I’m piecing it together slowly right now, but… Are you asking me to go to school here? Why, is this some sort of school for superheroes?” Subaru asked, the three adults smiling back, knowingly. Looking at his partner, the alien merely nodded his head.

“Mr. Hoshikawa, my school is precisely that. Most would even argue it’s Number One!” Nezu replied, his little paw folding to show a single digit. God this guy is creepy cute. A little like War-Rock sometimes. “Moreover, it seems a difference in our school systems is present. It seems the work you do, despite being about halfway through your final year of middle school, your school work is on par with that of colleges in our world.”

“War-Rock! That stuff’s kind of personal!” The boy shouted at his bruncle, the alien merely shrugging. Yet, thinking about it, Subaru had to say this offer is more and more tempting by the minute. A job as a hero, one where there are so many that they’re willing to do what it takes to help people in need? It was… It was like… It was like Akatsuki’s dream world.

Subaru looked at his left hand, curling it into a fist slowly. His grip on nothing tightens, as he thinks about the offer. It would provide him something to do, but… What about when he disappears back to his own Earth? Is he just supposed to forget about the people he’s met here? And, even if it is Akatsuki’s dream world…

Is it Subaru’s?

“I haven’t exactly spoken much.” The small elderly woman who had been monitoring Subaru’s vitals moves towards him, the young man watching her do so. “As stated by Nezu, my hero name is Recovery Girl, but you can call me Shuzenji, deary. I was the one who helped patch you up.” Subaru nods, as the woman takes his fist and uncurls his fingers, rubbing her own gloved fingers over the tips of his. “Goodness me, you’ve been fighting for a long time haven’t you? You don’t see callouses like these until you’ve already been a hero for a good few years… Or if you’re a musician, hehe.” The woman chuckles, before letting go. “Tell me, sonny, why have you been fighting?”

Subaru looks at his fingers, rubbing them together. He really never paid much attention to how his skin had reacted to his battles previous. Most of the time the scars were just temporary things that would fade over time. But now that he really takes a look at himself, there are permanent marks on him from the fights he’s been in. Small burns, litters of cut based scars, small echoes of lichtenberg scarring around his waist, centering out from the shape of a large fist. He lets his arm drift to the scar, memories of each fight popping into his mind.

“I… I always liked superheroes, you know.” Subaru says, the group looking at him in interest. “They… They provided a small bit of comfort for me while my dad was…” The boy’s voice drifted, before he continued. “Even when I cut myself off from the outside world, I couldn’t help but enjoy them. When War-Rock entered my life, and that train went out of control, I was terrified. What if I got hurt, or died? But, then, my thoughts changed. What if my mom got hurt? What if the people around me got hurt? Those people on the train? And then, for some reason, all of those thoughts disappeared and… My body just moved on it’s own.”

Toshinori smiles, looking at the boy in pride. Thoughts of a similar boy to him popping into his mind. Would these two perhaps be friends if they met? Toshinori would like to think so.

“Even after that, despite how much I hated other people, I… I couldn’t stop trying to help them. Reaching out to people, bettering them, and in the process bettering myself. I guess, if I were to say why I fight… I’d say I fight because I don't want people to go through the pain I’ve gone through. Whether it be the emotional pain of loss, or the physical pain of combat.” Subaru paused, letting his thoughts come to a head, as he made his decision. “I’ll join your school, on condition… That War-Rock will have to agree with.”

The alien turned to look at Subaru, the boy giving the alien a stern look. “If we do this, we commit to it. We don’t second guess it, and we don’t abandon it. That means… That means when the ability to return to our Earth arrives, we’ll visit and tell them about everything that’s happened, but-but we don’t stay. We come back, and live the rest of our lives here. Or, at least my life, since you’ll outlive us all.”

This condition shocked the people in the room. “Young Hoshikawa, surely you realize the ramifications of what you’re suggesting? You’d… You’d be leaving your life, your friends, behind!” Toshinori spoke, Subaru leaning up a little with a wince and shaking his head.

“I’d still have contact with them, if I can establish that link between our Earths. Bonds don’t fall apart that easily, I’ve learned that in my three, near four years of fighting.” Subaru replies calmly, before letting his face fall a bit. “But more importantly than that, this would be the only thing that could motivate me to keep going.”

“Oh?” Nezu chirps inquisitively, tilting his head a little with one of his usual smirks.

“Do you know what it’s like to have accomplished all of your life’s dreams before you even graduate? I did everything I ever wanted. I made friends, I found my dad, I went to space!” The boy cheers, looking up at the ceiling. “And I did all of that within a few years, multiple times over in fact. I… I don’t have a reason to keep going anymore back on that Earth. If I returned, I’d just be an empty husk, living day to day with no real purpose.” Subaru explains, and then tension in the room shifts. Toshinori adjusts himself a bit nervously, understanding where the boy is coming from, if just a little. “But here, I have a chance at discovering more of myself. A chance to make a difference by helping people with the power I have, and figure out if… If I can find any other dreams.” Subaru smiles, before looking back at War-Rock. “But we are not the same being, and I understand if you want to go home. Just know that the hero known as Rockman will never exist again. I’ll become my own hero, and remain here, while you go home.”

The room falls to quiet, before War-Rock lets a small shake of his head. “You know, you’re a real idiot if you think I’d just leave you behind like that.” The alien speaks, Subaru letting a coy smirk cross his face. “I might be quieting out over these last few years, but I’m always up for knocking heads! I'm with you all the way kid. And besides, who'd turn down a chance to explore a whole other universe? Not Like this happens every day."

Subaru lets out a small chuckle, before looking up at War-Rock with a smile. "Let's rock and roll then, partner." He puts out a hand, the alien taking it gladly. A small chuckle escapes the muzzle of Nezu, the two looking at him in interest.

"Well, it seems we've all met an agreement. Of course, I'll have to pull out the old files for Requested Students, and we'll need to jump through some less than legal hoops to get you some identification papers, but I feel that this is the start of something grand. Wouldn't you agree?" The principal looks at Subaru, the boy giving a small nod. "Oh, I suppose I should also look into housing… Perhaps I could finally implement that dorm system I always wanted." The animal put a paw to his chin(?) before turning and walking out.

"For now, you will be resting in here. My Quirk, Heal, relies on your natural life energy to recover. You were quite low when you arrived, so your treatment process will need a few more applications before I can safely discharge you." Shuzenji spoke, Subaru nodding in response. War-Rock let out a small chuckle that made Subaru a little cautious, before being whacked on the back of the head by the elder heroine. "Don't laugh at medical help!" She snapped, the alien grumbling under his breath as he rubbed his head. The woman lets out a huff. “My quirk requires that my lips make contact with the skin. I hope that doesn’t weird you out too much.”

Subaru tilts his head in confusion. “I don’t really see why it would. That’s just part of you, right? Besides, it’s not any weirder than getting a smooch from my grandma, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I just hope I’m not too much of a bother on you, hehe.” The boy responds, the woman letting a small smile cross her face.

“Well, then it seems we’ll get along just fine, as long as you don’t see yourself coming by here too often.” Shuzenji walks out of the room, leaving Subaru and War-Rock with Toshinori. The three sit in silence, before the man lets out a cough.

“Er, well… I was going to ask something, but I think this awkward silence may have made it difficult to do so.” The man speaks, Subaru letting loose another chuckle.

“No, please. I’m finally able to answer questions, and I’m sure War-Rock kept some parts of myself hidden accidentally. What do you need, uh, Toshinori was it?” Subaru asks, the man looking at him in shock.

“Er, that’s my given name actually. My family name is Yagi.” Subaru tit* his head a little at this, before his lips part into a small ‘o’.

“Oh, goodness, sorry about that. It’s-it’s been a couple years since I referred to, well, anyone with their family name. It’s a lot easier to be friends with someone when you use their given name after all. Still, what did you want to ask, Mr. Yagi?”

The man nods, somewhat understanding what Subaru meant (not really, but he’ll just ask another time). “Well, I was wondering… You said you ran in before War-Rock gave you powers. I assume your whole world does not have these abilities such as ours, but… This is a question that was once proposed to me, and one I wish to change my original answer to, but I want the opinion of someone such as yourself. Young man, do you think somebody, anybody, without a power of their own can be a hero?” The man asks, the air of the room suddenly shifting.

Subaru stays silent for a few moments, before giving a small nod, taking the blonde man aback. “Mr. Yagi, I can understand why one might say otherwise, but I know in my head, and feel in my heart, that anybody can be a hero. Of course, our world's definition of hero differs, seeing as it is a legitimate profession here, but…” The image of a man in white armor flashes through Subaru’s mind. “On my earth, a hero is someone who simply does what is right, to do what is right. Not for the pursuit of fame, fortune, or power, but because they wish to better the things around them. I… I’m sure War-Rock called me a hero, if you all asking me to join your school is any proof, but I don’t know if I would call myself one personally. I can only hope that I’m doing something right, whenever I find myself in combat.”

Toshinori nods, before making his way to the door. “I see… Thank you for your help, Young Hoshikawa.”

“Please, call me Subaru. It makes me feel more at ease.” The boy insists, getting another nod from the man.

“When you recover, I have someone I would like you to meet. I feel you two would get along well. If you wish to share your origins with him, then you are free to do so.” The blonde explains, Subaru nodding in response. “Well, I’ll leave you be for now.” The man goes to leave.

“Ah, actually, I have a question.” Subaru speaks up, Toshinori turning to face him once more. “I was wondering… I know I’m at a school, but you kind of… Never said what it’s called or where it is?” The boy's pitch increases as he finishes speaking, Toshinori letting out a small chuckle.

“I suppose we didn’t, did we? My apologies. You are at U.A. High School, in the city of Musutafu.” Toshinori says with a smile, before leaving the room… And a very confused Subaru.

“Musu-Huh?” Subaru says to himself, tilting his head a little.

War-Rock lets out a little chuckle. “I actually have more of an answer for you. See, this Earth calls the city Musutafu, but, kid? We’re home.” War-Rock zooms over to the window, opening up the curtains for the boy. “This is their version… of Kodama.”

A large hill overlooks an entire city, people seen from afar, all the size of ants thanks to the distance between them and Subaru. What billboards Subaru can see have people he’s never seen before on them, each of them with different looking people on them, some with horns, some with entirely unhuman like bodily proportions. There’s some people in ornate outfits and costumes as well, most likely the people they call heroes here. But of them all, there’s one that pops up the most.

A hulking blonde man, in a bright colored costume.

“Oh, I guess he’s got a sort of secret identity like thing going on. Like we did." Subaru says, War-Rock giving a shaky hand. "Okay, mostly did. I'm sure considering he knows our secrets, he trusts us a little with his." Subaru restates, looking around himself for a moment. He soon finds a small table next to him, a remote placed on it alongside his… Damaged Hunter VG. "Oh, looks like we'll need to find something to use for Transformations from now on."

"Actually, we might as well make our own. These folks have tech from like… Pre-20XX. Some glass bricks with batteries and they have separate devices if they want to use holograms. Kid, they barely even have EM waves." War-Rock says, placing a familiar pair of green shades, the Visualizers, over Subaru's face. Sure enough, what would be sprawling roads, filled with the invisible lifeforms of Mr. Hertz's and the menaces of viruses were instead interconnected jagged thin rails, with pure data running along them. "It's like we've entered the stone age."

"Yikes. Well, I'm sure between your ability to manipulate code, and my studies in tech, we should be able to come up with something. Maybe we could make it a bit more gadgety too, seeing as we'll be heroes and all. Ah, moving to a new system would change the look of Rockman too, wouldn't it? I guess we'd need to see if we can change that design ourselves. I'm sure you'd prefer to continue not being a head for a hand, huh?" Subaru asks, the alien giving a firm nod in response.

Subaru grabs the remote, and turns on a small TV, the two falling to idle chit chat here and there as they learn about this new Earth from the media.

It took only four days for Subaru to recover from his injuries, thanks to Shuzenji's quirk.

The young man was currently standing in a hospital gown, watching as Nezu fussed all around him. "Uh, Principal Nezu, may I ask what you're doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just getting your measurements. Almost all of your clothes were burnt up on reentry after all." The animal responds, Subaru's eyes widening in panic.

"Really?! Aw man! I loved those clothes!" The boy whines, War-Rock giving him a look.

"Kid, when you hit a growth spurt, you just bought bigger versions of the same clothes. I like a certain style, but you need to branch out. Especially seeing as the other teens will wonder why you wear the same outfit everyday." The alien speaks, causing Subaru to merely roll his eyes.

Nezu looks up at the two in intrigue. "Excuse me for interrupting, but are you perhaps implying that your high schools do not regulate uniforms?"

"Uniforms? I only had to wear one in my first year of middle school. They ditched them soon after, because that system is outdated. Er, rather, it leads to a more stressful mindset for students. On my earth, uniforms are usually reserved for service workers like the Satellite Police, and even those have lax dress rules. Long as you have something to identify what school you went to, you were fine." Subaru explains, Nezu nodding along.

"I see… You know, you've been giving me the most marvelous of ideas since you first arrived." Nezu chirps, and Subaru gives the animal a smile in response.

(The staff of U.A. that has yet to meet Subaru all shudder suddenly, unsure of this sudden feeling of dread.)

"In any case, I need your measurements for both the creation of new clothes, as well as health info. Speaking of, what would you like me to register your quirk as? I'm sure you could pass for a minor intelligence enhancer easily, considering your work scores." The principal folds his paws behind his back, looking at the brunette with a smile.

"Oh, put me down as quirkless." Subaru says nonchalantly, the animal freezing for a moment.

"E-excuse me, but, I believe you'll need to repeat yourself. Did you say… Quirkless?" Subaru nods. "May I ask why?"

"A lie is only believable if there's a little bit of the truth behind it." Subaru begins. "It would work best for whatever background you want to give me. And… There aren't any quirkless heroes yet, are there?" Subaru asks, Nezu quietly shaking his head. "Your world… I've watched the TV a lot while I've been here and you guys… You're far more violent and judgemental here than on my earth. Sure there's disagreements and even wars, but… Everyone is still connected in some way. Here? It's a cesspool of hatred spawned from awful ideologies and upbringing. Someone needs to kickstart a revolution of some kind, one for the side of good…" Subaru looks at Nezu with a grim expression. "Before the villains do it for you."

Nezu remains quiet for a few moments, before… "Ehe. Ehehehe. EHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!" He begins to cackle wildly, shocking Subaru a bit. "Oh, dear Subaru, you are quite right. I've never been much a fan of humans, at least not of this world. Sure there's the odd diamond in the rough, but then you appeared! A human from another earth, without any quirks! And what do you do when you see me, an odd creature with the ability to walk and talk? You take it in stride! My dear boy, I believe we are going to be good friends indeed." Nezu walks out of the room with a spring in his step, leaving Subaru behind to shrug alongside War-Rock.

A day later, Subaru was dressed up in a new outfit for him.

Starting at his shoes, the boy was wearing a pair of red hightops, which lead up to a pair of black cargo pants. The belt holding the pants up had a few pouches attached to it in the back, each filled with varying items. On the boy's torso was a black athletic tee, with an opened short sleeved red jacket over top of that, a white design in homage to the star cluster of Pleiades on his shoulders. His Meteor pendant hung from his neck, and atop his head rested the visualizers.

"Guess you can clean up nicely after all." War-Rock snickers.

"Oh, hush up." Subaru says, before placing on a bulky pair of fingerless gloves, the backs extending a little with a small plate. It turns out that the high school had its own specialty tech creator. Giving him the necessary bits of code and a few bits of hardware from the old Hunter, the tech creator, whoever he is, was able to make a prototype device for the duo to use before they could finish it completely later. "So, how's the HTouch-00 treating you?"

"Hmm, could be better, but I'd day it fits like a glove." The alien jokes, Subaru rolling his eyes at the awful pun. War-Rock lets out a loud yawn, before entering the device. "Think I'm gonna rest up a bit. You can transform whenever you want, but I'm going to nap. Wake me when you need me."

Subaru shakes his head, before looking over his surroundings. Toshinori had dragged him out to some beach on the edge of the city (it was changed into a resort back on his Earth) that was littered with trash. From what he could tell, there were piles with huge chunks taken out of them, but in all there was still a lot to go. That wasn't what was important though.

What was important is where the heck Toshinori is?! Subaru's been waiting for almost an hour now!

"Now, remember, he's friendly, but it's been a good while since he's met someone new, so just be nice." The voice of the man in his buff state echoes from behind one of the piles of trash. Finally he arrived.

Subaru starts to make his way over, before he turns around a corner of the pile, and comes face to face with Toshinori… and somebody new.

Green hair, with matching green eyes. Freckles adorn his cheeks, as the most prominent ones form a diamond. He wears a shirt with the word "jacket" written across it, and a pair of basketball shorts. Finally, he is dressed in a similar pair of red hightops.

Toshinori clears his throat. "Well then, the reason I brought you here today, Subaru! I want you to meet my personal student…"

"Izuku Midoriya."

Chapter 2: Crowd

Chapter Text

"This is my pupil, Izuku Midoriya."

The two teens looked at each other, before glancing down at their respective footwear. "Heh, we match." Subaru says with a smile.

"Y-Yeah." The other stutters, Izuku looking back at the blonde. "Uh, A-All Might, why are we meeting again?"

Toshinori clears his throat, stepping up to the two. "Don't freak out over this okay?" He says, before steam pours off of him, the man exiting his buff state. "Subaru is a little like you, having found out about this form on accident after I saved him."

Izuku, who was about to scream quite frankly, nods his head, before looking over at Subaru. The brunette gives a blank expression, making Izuku a bit worried. Shouldn't this guy be more freaked out over seeing All Might, THE number one hero, become a toothpick? Izuku still isn't quite used to it personally.

"Now then, the reason I've brought you both here, is because… I feel like you could both do with some friends." Toshinori says with a smile, shocking the two boys in different ways. Izuku… Is flabbergasted. Isn't this supposed to be his personal training, in order to be a more perfect vessel? What does being a hero have to do with having friends anyways? (If you ask him, having some known acquaintances is more than enough. There's no such thing as a good friend anyways.)

Subaru… trips over himself, hopping a little on one foot. "S-Seriously? I might have been cooped up in that hospital room for a week, but I had company!"

"An extremely advanced AI barely counts as company, Young man." Toshinori speaks, Subaru jerking his head in rough acceptance. Right, the cover up story that explained Subaru's life before… Well before this Earth.

'Subaru’s family was located in a small research town hidden off in the mountains. After a lab explosion, he lost both of his parents and became an orphan. Despite his quirkless status, he wants to be a hero. Created highly advanced tech using a once unknown form of radio frequencies, and created a rough super AI to help control his tech. Is now legally the ward of UA, though that may change.' The cover story created by Nezu, detailed enough to keep people from asking too many questions, loose enough for Subaru to explain his aspects without too much detail since people should be able to fill in the gaps.

Subaru shook off Toshinori's words, before approaching a trash pile. "I'm sure there are better places to make friends than a dumping ground, Mr. Yagi." The boy says, walking up a bit closer to the two. “Why couldn’t we have met at a restaurant or something?”

“I-!” Toshinori begins to speak, before pausing mid-sentence, his jaw hanging wide open. “I hadn’t thought of where else we could meet. I came here on instinct.” The blonde admits, both Subaru and Izuku once more reacting in their own unique ways.

“Come on, cut that out!” Subaru yells, quite tired of the man’s sudden antics at this point. “In any case, if you came here on instinct it’s safe to assume that those thoughts came from Iz-Midoriya here. Still gotta get used to saying family names again.” Subaru shakes off his derailing train of thought. “That said, this place means something to both of you, and I’m just here now. That’s a little rude to both parties, don’t you think?”

Izuku looks at Subaru in surprise, the other teen looking back at him with a neutral, if inquisitive, expression. “Ah, I-I guess.” Izuku replies, looking away soon after. This new guy wasn’t as rough as the other teens his age usually were, but once he found out that Izuku was quirkless, er, ‘a late bloomer’ (All Might said if people asked that’s what he should say) then surely even Subaru will be disgusted and want to leave. He just wants to get this over with and get back to training.

“Hm, hm.” Toshinori nods, before placing his hands on the two boys shoulder’s. “My apologies, I was merely thinking of what would be best solely for Young Midoriya. Young Subaru, if I may ask, what’s a place you would like to go right now?”

Subaru places his thumb and index to his chin, thinking it over. “I’d say…”

The three now found themselves sitting at a table nearby a ramen stand, Subaru going to town on his bowl. Izuku and Toshinori watched the boy eat in a sort of… Shock and awe.

“I- I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat like this before.” Izuku says, watching as Subaru continues eating with vigor.

The brunette finally stops chowing down on his noodles for a moment, looking up at Izuku and Toshinori, who in turn are looking at him. “Uh, sorry. I haven’t eaten proper food in a good couple of weeks, so I’m catching up on that.” Subaru speaks, a slight blush on his face as he bows his head. Izuku looks at the boy in worry, Toshinori freezing up a slight bit.

“Wait, Al-er, Mr. Yagi said that you’d only been in the hospital for a week. What were you eating before then?” Izuku asks, as said blonde man begins sweating bullets. “For that matter, where were you when All Might saved you? I didn’t hear about anything like this from the news…” The greenette begins to mutter, pulling out a notebook from thin air.

“Er, I was kind of falling from the sky.” Subaru replies, causing Izuku to stop in his mutterings, before looking at the brunette in a bit of shock and awe once more. “I was… I was in a pretty tough spot before Yagi helped me out. There wasn’t any media around at the time thankfully, so it wasn’t reported on. I don’t really want to talk about it if I don’t have to.” Subaru says, before sipping on his bowl’s broth.

Izuku nods, as Toshinori lets out a sigh of relief. Subaru was far better at this lying thing than he was, or at least lying on the fly. That said, it has bought him enough time to get a story prepared. The older man pulled his wallet out, before handing it to the brunette. “Young Subaru, I believe me and Young Midoriya will need to discuss something real quick. We still need to finish our bowls, but perhaps you can get us some ice cream cones from the nearby shop? I’ll take a vanilla with no toppings if you don’t mind. Young Midoriya, your favorite is Mint Chocolate Chip, with extra chocolate shavings, correct?” The greenette nods confusedly, going to speak, before Toshinori shoos off Subaru, the brunette nodding before walking off.

“Uh, M-Mr. Yagi, what do we need to discuss?” Izuku asks with a hint of worry.

“We need to discuss how I’m trying to help Young Subaru get accustomed to his new situation.” The blonde looks at Izuku with a smile. “My boy, the thing about Subaru is that… He no longer has a home to return to.” Izuku is taken aback by this, his gaze turning to the glass windows of the ice cream shop, watching as Subaru gets the ice creams with a smile. “It’s not my story to tell, and if he ever does tell you I hope you’ll understand the circ*mstances as to why we don’t talk about it openly, but… Consider him the other side of your heroics coin for now.” Izuku looked back to his hero in confusion, the man closing his eyes for a moment, before opening them again, looking at Izuku with a serious expression. “Young Midoriya, I need to fully, sincerely apologize to you for what I said that day.”

“W-w-w-w-what do you mean?” Izuku says with a tinge of confusion and fear.

“When I said a quirkless person couldn’t be a hero, I said it with an anger filled mind, that also happened to be tinged with fear. But both you, and Young Subaru, have proven me wrong multiple times over. Days of my own youth, when I too lacked a quirk, had been fogged in my mind, and I couldn’t see the spirit of justice I once had.” Toshinori spoke, Izuku being filled with… A whole rush of emotions. “You ran, despite your fears, into intense life threatening situations, all with the intent of helping others, despite what the world had to you both. But, you both have opposite mindsets as to how you coped with those situations. You my boy, you became timid, more willing to take the hits from everyone around you. But him?”

The two turn their attention to the boy inside the windows, who was cleaning himself off after a kid spilled their three scoop ice cream on him. “He became angry. He lashed out at others, before shutting himself away. But despite it all, you both had this same spark in you.” Subaru bends down and pats the kid on the head, giving them a new cone with a smile. “This spark that wanted others safe and happy, instead of being filled with negative emotions. You found your inspiration in me, correct?” Subaru walks out of the shop with three ice creams in hand, a smile on his face. “He found inspiration in the people who managed to tear past his walls.”

The brunette approaches the two, placing their cones down in front of them. “Sorry that took so long, I got caught up in a small situation back there. Did I miss anything important?”

Toshinori shakes his head. “No, nothing important at least. That said, I believe it is time you head back. I think that ‘he’ had wished to speak with you about something.” The blonde spoke, hinting to their shared animalistic friend, Subaru nodding before handing the man back his wallet.

“It was nice meeting you, Midoriya!” Subaru says with a small salute, before turning around to walk away.

“U-uhm!” Izuku starts, getting Subaru to stop and turn around, looking at the boy. “S-sorry I didn’t talk much, I-I’m just not used to new people myself.” The greenette apologizes with a small bow, before looking up at Subaru again. “B-but, if I may, can I ask something?” Subaru nods. “D-do you think that, it’s okay to let people into your heart? Even if it hurts?”

Subaru looks at Izuku neutrally for a few moments, before letting out a few chuckles. “You know, if you had asked me that from anytime between the ages of eight and eleven or maybe even twelve, I would have said no. People can hurt you, intentionally or not.” The brunette grabs at the pendant around his neck. “But, one day I met some really annoying people, who just refused to leave me alone. They stuck around no matter what, and in the end… They were the best people I had ever met in my life.” He gives Izuku a smile. “It’s a risk, but I think it’s one worth taking.”

Izuku watches as Subaru turns around once more, walking off as he starts eating his ice cream.

Toshinori lays a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, the greenette looking up at him for a moment, before speaking. “You didn’t exactly finish explaining though. What makes him the opposite side of my coin?”

Toshinori lets out a chuckle. “Well my boy, you’re inheriting a power, correct? Well, Subaru is creating his, by linking to others. A power passed on and a power created, both honed by those once powerless. Though, in a sense, he’s remaining powerless in a sense with his choice.” The man speaks, as they watch him leave.

The two stand in silence for a bit, before Izuku smacks himself in the face. “I forgot to give him my phone number!” He laments, Toshinori letting out a boisterous laugh. “I-I don’t mean to be rude, b-but-!”

“I’ll just give you Young Subaru’s number, Young Midoriya! Have no fret!” The man boisterously laughs, slapping the greenette on the back, and thusly knocking the wind out of him.

“Th-thank you…” Izuku gets out weakly, as he tries to regain the air he had just lost.

Toshinori proceeds to laugh more.

Subaru settles into his seat, watching as Nezu sorts through some papers. “Now then, Subaru, I believe it is time we discuss where you are going to be living.” The principal speaks, causing the brunette to tilt his head in confusion.

“Uh, forgive my rudeness is asking sir, but, don’t I have somewhere to live already? After you pulled me from the recovery room, you put me in a small apartment, didn’t you?” Subaru asks, recalling the bus ride over to the city where he lives, conveniently forgetting the small patch of desert between here and there.

Nezu lets out a sigh. “Unfortunately, where you have been residing is one of our training grounds actually. Due to circ*mstances surrounding one of our teachers, that ground has been… Unused, for the entirety of this school year so far. Unfortunately, our other heroics class will be using that ground soon, and having a person living there would be quite bad. Granted there’s no doubt you can take care of yourself in a situation such as that, but our students as well as the grounds themselves… Well, I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.”

“Ooo, yeah. It would be pretty bad.” Subaru cringes as he tries to avoid thinking of the worst case scenario. He shakes his head, ridding himself of the thoughts. “Well, what do you have in mind then?”

Nezu places a paw on his… Chin? Muzzle? Chin, using chin, and hops out from his seat, walking around the desk towards Subaru. “Well, given your circ*mstances, I had originally proposed a dorm system, yes?” Subaru nods. “Unfortunately, setting up an extra dorm for you temporarily would cause some suspicion, especially if students managed to catch sight of you at any point.” Subaru nods again. “There’s also the matter that, realistically, UA itself counting as your legal ward for longer than necessary would cast some suspicion. We don’t want your secret being exposed. Heaven knows what villains, or even the Hero Commission would do if they learned alternate Earths existed.”

“So, then the safest option is having a member of staff become my ward. Let them in on the secret and such as well, correct?” Subaru asks, Nezu nodding in response.

“I have a member of staff selected for you already. She’s a trust-worthy person, and shares a similar appreciation to extraterrestrial subjects such as you. Of course, you can always decide against it, and we can find someone else.” Nezu speaks further, reaching into his vest and pulling out a small folder, handing it to Subaru. The brunette opens it up and looks over the content, flipping through the few amount of pages therein every few minutes. He closes the folder with a smile and nods, before handing back to Nezu. “Excellent. I shall let her know of the situation, and have her prepare a room for in say, a couple of days?” Nezu places the folder back into his vest, but then takes out another item, a small plastic card, handing it to Subaru. The boy looks over the card curiously, unsure of what it is. “Oh, do you not have credit cards on your Earth?”

“Oh, is that what this is?” Subaru asks, looking over the card with a new interest. “Credit cards and the like phazed out around twenty-one fifty, after zenny took over as the global currency.” Subaru explains, as he finishes examining the card. “Though, why are you handing it to me?”

Nezu chuckles. “Well, I figured that since you’ll be moving into a new place, and you’re a young man with hobbies and interests, that you would like to furnish said room, yes? Well, that card will let you purchase said items. And do not worry of the cost, UA has plenty of fundings to supply it. You also currently do not have a means of getting money, so just think of it as a gift until Graduation.” The principal chuckles once more, before walking back to his seat behind the desk. “I’ll have your future guardian alerted to any furniture purchases you make, and I’ll be sending you their address via text as well, so you can have large purchases sent there. I would recommend doing shopping tomorrow, so you can be prepared for when you move in.”

“Ah, thank you, Nezu.” Subaru says, bowing his head, before getting up from his seat. His wrist vibrates a little, causing Subaru to pause for a moment, as he raises his wrist up a bit. The young man taps on the small plate attached to the HTouch, a holographic screen popping up in response.

Unknown: Hey, sorry I forgot to give you mine earlier, but All Might gave me your number. Hope you don’t mind!

Unknown: Oh, and this is Midoriya, by the way!

Subaru smiles, before typing away at the window.

Subaru: Hey, no problem man! I forgot to give it too, so it evens out.

Subaru: Hey, I know we just met, but I have a bit of a favor to ask.

Subaru: My situation has changed a little and I’m going to have a legal guardian soon!

Subaru: But I need to pick out furniture and stuff tomorrow, and I don’t know where anything is in the city.

Subaru: Would you mind helping me out? I’ll buy food!

Izuku: Oh, no problem!

Izuku: It would give us a chance to get to know each other better anyways.

Subaru: Thanks! I really appreciate it.

Subaru closes the holographic window with a smile, before turning his head to look at Nezu. “I’ll be sure to let you know what purchases I make.” The boy says, slipping the card into his pocket, before giving a small salute and leaving the room.

Nezu gives a small hum and a smile, waving goodbye to the boy

Oh how interesting the future is starting to become.

“N-not that I’m complaining about hanging out with you, I’m ecstatic actually, but… Why are we going to so many places?” Izuku asks, holding a small bag of things that Subaru had bought earlier in the day.

“Well, I just figured I should cover all bases while I can.” Subaru responds, walking backwards as he faces the greenette. “I mean, I don’t know when or if I’ll get to do something like this again, so it’s best to cover the bases of needs and wants as well. Needs like a bed, sheets, clothes, desk, and a laptop. Wants like decorations, model kits if I get bored or have free time, telescope for stargazing, and of course…” Subaru stops and turns around, before opening his arms wide open, looking at the last store of the day before they got food and split ways. “Music!”

“Music?” Izuku asks, tilting his head to the side a little.

“Music!” Subaru reiterates, looking back at Izuku with a smile. “Er, more specifically a portable media player, some CD’s, and if we’re lucky they’ll have vinyls and a record player.” Subaru responds, counting each item with a raised finger. The two walk into the store, Izuku still holding an expression on his face.

“Um, couldn’t you just play music on your phone or something?” Izuku asks innocently, before Subaru stops and turns around to face him.

“No way. A phone would compress the heck out of the audio, and even my own tech can’t quite get it right. You need a media player to get the best experience of them all.” Subaru replies flatly, before looking at the H-Touch, closing his hands together as he runs a thumb over the top of the device. “Misora would probably kill me if I tried doing that anyways…” He mutters to himself with a small, somber smile.

Izuku looks at the boy’s sad expression, opening his mouth to say something, before the sudden arrival of a third person interrupts him before he can even begin. “If you’re after quality, then you’re going to be spending a pretty penny.” A feminine voice speaks, the two boys turning their head to look at the new arrival.

It’s a girl around both of their heights, and age assumedly, with short purple hair and triangular onyx black eyes. She’s in a punkish outfit, featuring spiked bracelets, a choker, and a white band tee with “THE END OF VILLAINS” written in jagged lettering on the front. She has on a black skirt over a pair of fishnet stockings, leading to a pair of black boots. From her ears hangs a pair of auxiliary cord jacks, Subaru figuring that must be her Quirk.

Still getting used to that.

“Well, I figured I’d be spending a decent amount either way. I’m not looking for anything super fancy though. Just a decent player that I can add music to, maybe a couple other things, and I’d be all set.” Subaru replies, giving the girl a couple of finger guns as he finishes speaking. "You got any recommendations?"

The girl looks at the two neutrally, before cracking a smirk, motioning with one of the chord jacks to follow her. The two boys do so happily, moving over to a small display stand, where a few different models of media players sit. "If you were a beginner like Green bean over there, I'd probably hook you up with one of the Retro things, but seeing as you have some knowledge I think you'd do best with any of the more Modern models.” She jabs at one in particular with a jack. “Though, I personally prefer this one over anything else.”

Subaru looks at her with a smile and nods, walking over to the device and picking it up, looking it over. He sets it back down, and gives the girl a bow. “Thank you for the suggestion. You must be pretty savvy when it comes to music, huh?”

The girl looks at him in surprise, before suddenly turning away, though the brunette can tell there’s a slight dusting of red on the ends of her cheeks, from what he can see at least. “I-I just have a vested interest in the subject. What about it?” She asks somewhat angrily.

Subaru shakes his head. “Nothing, nothing. I just think it’s really cool.” He says, getting the girl to turn around in a surprise. He sticks his hand out, keeping the smile on his face. “I’m Subaru, nice to meet you.” He jabs his other hand’s thumb over towards Izuku. “And that’s Izuku Midoriya.”

“I-I can introduce myself you know.” The greenette says, getting a slight chuckle in response from the other boy.

The girl looks at the two, before letting out a sigh, grabbing Subaru’s hand to shake. “Kyoka Jirou. Though I’m kind of wondering now, is Subaru your family name or given name?”

“Given, but if I’m making friends with someone, it’s just super impersonal to use the family name for me. Buddies should be free to use their first names after all.” Subaru explains, as the two pull their hands away slowly.

"Buddies? Pretty quick to call us friends, aren't you?" Kyoka asks, Subaru giving her a shrug in response.

"I'm just different from everyone else is all." Subaru replies, the true meaning of his sentence known only to himself and the alien inside of the HTouch. "In any case, I've got a few more things I wanted to look for here, and then I wanted to get some lunch. You want to join us?" He asks, placing his hands on his waist.

Kyoka looks at the two, before letting out a scoff. "Yeah sure. Not Like I was doing much myself today."

"Yosha!" Subaru cheers, wrapping his arms around the two teens shoulders, bringing them in closer. "I've got a really good feeling about this, you know?!"

Kyoka gives him a bit of a laugh, Subaru responding in kind. Meanwhile, Izuku looks at the two as they look over to him with big smiles. 'Is this what it's like… To have friends?' He thinks to himself, as a small grin graces his lips.

'It feels nice…'

A night of rest later, Subaru was walking alongside Nezu in a small neighborhood off the other side of UA, close to the forest that the school rested near. "Now, there's about seven months until the entrance exam, and two months after that is when classes begin. Once more you're free to participate in the physical portion of the exam if you wish, but your class work scores shown by War-Rock have essentially passed the written portion. Requested students have this lee-way after all.”

“Eh, I figure I might as well. I need to be able to actually prove myself, right? I’ll show you what I can do.” Subaru raises up his arm, lightly slapping his bicep a couple of times. “And besides, I’m sure War-Rock would complain if we couldn’t get into some action as soon as possible.”

“You got that right!” The alien chimes up, popping out of the HTouch. “The viruses in this world are so weak I could take ‘em out with a sneeze! Hell, they don’t even have proper bodies. Seriously, it’s like your world is still in the dark ages!” Subaru rolls his eyes, pushing the giant wave being to the side.

“See what I mean? He’s getting pretty antsy.”

Nezu chuckles at the two, as they come to a stop in front of a well sized modernistic house. “Well, I’m sure you two will be able to find something to do until then. Especially since I imagine you will want to spend time with your guardian, get to know them and such.” The animalistic being rings on the doorbell, the small group of three lowering to two as War-Rock heads back inside the HTouch. “Now, I’ve already informed her of your status as a being from another earth, as well as everything else War-Rock has told myself, Recovery Girl, and Toshinori. Any other information you wish to share with her, as well as us, is up to you entirely.”

Subaru nods affirmatively, before the door of the house opens, letting the two look at the person answering, as well as the interior behind them.

In front of them stands a rather tall woman, with primarily brown hair, a small pitch black stripe with swirls of glowing orange and white specks swept to the side, as her pupils glow a soft purple light. She’s in a loose fitting shirt with a NASA logo proudly displayed on the front, a pair of ripped pants on. Her hands are covered in an interesting pair of gloves that focus primarily around the top of her fingertips, which Subaru notices as she waves to them. Next to her is a large stack of boxes, which Subaru can quickly figure out to be his purchases from the day prior.

“Now then, Subaru Hoshikawa, allow me to introduce you to your guardian for the time you will be attending UA.” Nezu steps to the side, allowing the woman to exit the house, and hold her hand out to Subaru.

“I’m Hirooki Anakuro, though I guess that’s just me out of costume. When working, most people know me as Space Hero: Thirteen! It’s a pleasure to meet you, space faring kiddo!” She cheers happily, Subaru beginning to smile as well.

“Subaru Hoshikawa, Shooting Star Rockman.” The younger brunette replies, taking the hand happily. The two shake on it, smiling widely and happily. Nezu gives a soft chuckle, before he begins to walk away.

‘What sort of future will we have, now that a new variable has entered our lives, I wonder? Oh, the possibilities are truly limitless.’

Chapter 3: Terra Firma

Chapter Text

"Uuugggghhhh, why did I have to buy a bed from that Swedish store?!" Subaru complains, as he flops his arms to his sides. "Yeah, it looks nice and goes for the aesthetic I'm trying to keep, but it's so infuriating to put together!"

"Well, I would say you should have known better, but seeing as you're not from our Earth…" Hirooki speaks, holding up a couple pieces of wood. "Now, it's pieces and L and J that go together right? Or was it L and K…?"

"Uh, the book pictures are showing L and K." War-Rock adds in, the AM-ian floating above the pair with the leaflet in hand.

Hirooki looks up at the alien with an odd smile, the small action noticed by Subaru. "Still getting used to him?" He asks, pulling the woman back to Earth.

"It's only been a day since we all met after all." She replies back, as she starts to put pieces of wood together. "But even when it's going to have been one month or even more, I don't know if I'll ever be used to it. It's just incredible to think about. Not only has the Multiple Earth's theory been proven by your existence, but there's now an even higher amount of evidence for the possibility of aliens in our own universe! Makes me wish that space exploration hadn't been set back so far in our world."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Subaru nods, as goes back to messing with his own set of wooden planks. "Things progressed differently because of how things turned out. Makes me wonder if my earth would have been different if the primary focus had been on robotics instead of internet technologies." He muses, as he puts down a finished drawer. "I'd say that we're about halfway done. At least when it comes to the bed. Do you want me to help you finish up the rest of the frame?"

Hirooki looks over to the boy with a smile. "No, no, I've got it. You can get started on setting up the desk though." She says calmly, and for a moment Subaru is offset by how much she looks like… His mom. "Hm, is everything okay?"

Subaru at this point realizes he's making a rather sad expression. "Ah, y-yeah. Just… Just remembered I forgot to get a little potted plant is all. I had one in my room back on my earth." Subaru quickly changes his expression to a softer smile, as he rubs the hair at the back of his head. He gives off a little laugh as he does so, years experience of hiding his identity coming into play as he masks the sudden emotion he felt.

Hirooki looks at him worriedly for a moment, unsure on whether or not she should press further. In the end she decides against it, giving the boy a nod, before continuing on the rest of the bed frame.

She fails to notice Subaru’s lingering look on her though.

One Month Later:

“Sounds like training’s going pretty hard for you.” Subaru comments as he takes a sip of his soda, the boy leaning against the stone holder of a set of palm trees, as he looks at his greenette friend.

“It’s… Yeah it’s a little rough.” Izuku responds, taking a sip from his smoothie cup. Kyoka hums in agreement, taking a swig from her water bottle.

The two teens native to this earth were a bit introverted, compared to Subaru's ambivert nature, but it seemed neither of them could ever turn down one of his offers to hang out. Of course, Subaru would always plan around Toshinori’s days of training alongside Izuku, knowing that the hero was helping the boy amass body strength to properly use his quirk. And while he didn’t have to go to school, he knew the other two did, and would also plan around that. Though it seemed as long as he worked around that, the two always had free time.

The boy of another world isn’t sure if he should be concerned for his two friends or not. For now he’ll keep a close eye on them.

“Though, I think that’s enough about us. How about you, Star Cluster?” Kyoka remarks, pointing a jack at Subaru. “You live a pretty reclusive life. Why don’t you tell us about how your days are going?”

“Me?” Subaru asks, pointing at himself with a finger. “Hmm, well, my life’s a bit odd I guess, so I don’t really feel a need to talk about it. Ermmmm…” The boy trails off, trying to think of the cover story Nezu had drilled into him. “Well, I suppose I’m just biding time until High School, seeing as I’m technically already tested into it.” He speaks, finishing his sentence with another sip of his soda.

"Wait, seriously?!" Izuku and Kyoka shout together, the boy looking at them unfazed with a single nod of his head.

"Wait, which high school?" Kyoka asks, causing Subaru to give her a shaky hand.

"Ehhh, I'm not really sure if I'm at liberty to say." He replies, quickly sliding down the Visualizers over his eyes, causing Kyoka's jacks to tap harmlessly against them. "Threats of violence aren't exactly going to get you anywhere, Kyoka. Besides, does it really matter? We're going to be friends regardless if we end up in different schools."

Kyoka and Izuku look at the brunette before turning away. "Yeah, I guess that's true.” The two manage to say at the same time, getting a chuckle out of the boy of another Earth. “Though…” Kyoka starts up again, looking at Subaru with a leer. “That doesn’t get you out of talking about your home life.”

Subaru stops his light chuckles, his mouth closing tight.

“Come on man, you’ve heard me complain about my folks teasing me and dotting on me constantly. Heck, even jolly green has talked about his mom a couple times, and that takes forever to do. So, come on, tell us about your folks.” Kyoka continues, unaware of the frantic shaking of the head Izuku was conveying to her.

“I uh… I can’t exactly see my folks again.” Subaru says, in a bit of a solemn tone. Kyoka’s leer turns to a wide eyed expression, as Izuku’s head slumps down (whether it be of shame or second hand embarrassment, it’s unclear). “There was… It was an explosion, and I…” Subaru trails off. He remembers Kyoka boasting that she can tell when people are lying with her quirk, so he tries to be vague with everything he says around her. And it’s not exactly like he’s lying.

“Oh, sh*t- Subaru I am SO sorry.” Kyoka sputters, quickly standing up and bowing to the boy.

“I-it’s fine.” Subaru gives a somber smile to the girl, waving off the bows. “I… I had already barely seen my dad, and my mom always had a feeling that things could go wrong, so the last time I saw them, there was that cautious goodbye, followed by a ‘I Love You’. Goes to show how people could always be safer than sorry.” Not exactly a lie if you just hide the true circ*mstances. Though, the goodbye and ILY was more on Subaru’s end, than his mother. “I-in any case, I’ve been living with a new guardian for about a month now. Before that I was kind of a ward of that high school I’ll be attending.”

“Oh~, so I guess you must have something pretty special if they want you that badly, even after moving on from being their ward.” Kyoka says, as Izuku suddenly realizes what school Subaru is going to be attending. He goes to speak as well, but a quick glance from the brunette keeps Izuku from doing so, the look telling the greenette not to speak on Subaru’s behalf. “Still, you can tell us about your guardian. What are they like?”

“Well, she’s-” Subaru speaks, moving his hands slowly as he breaks his sentence. The words try to fill his mind, but they all come up with a similar response, and it's not one Subaru wants to so easily accept, but will admit nonetheless. "She reminds me of my mom a lot, honestly. Just some similarities, I guess." The boy scratches at the back of his head, his attitude change giving the other two a bit of emotional whiplash. “I don’t know, it's just… It’s giving me a lot of emotions I don’t really know how to deal with right now. If I keep working at it though, I’ll figure it out. Probably… Hopefully… Maybe.”

Kyoka and Izuku nod, the three falling into silence, before Kyoka breaks the ice again. “Hey, Subaru, when’s your birthday?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s December fourteenth. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason. Just wondering.” Kyoka replies, pulling out her phone and typing into it. Subaru gives a shrug and goes back to working on his soda.

‘Is this also an experience you have with friends?’ Izuku thinks to himself. His gaze shifts between the two, watching as their small group falls into silence once more. Despite the uneasy air that had been flying around not but moments earlier, it seems to have shifted right back into this warm feeling.

“You know, maybe I should dye my hair.” Subaru remarks suddenly, as if the small bout of his emotions and the silence before it didn’t matter. Perhaps it didn’t. Izuku was still unsure. “I mean you two have those natural colors that are so interesting, I might as well stand out a bit too, and it would be interesting to do, ya know?”

Kyoka nods. “You know, even if you didn’t I’m pretty sure that the comet tail of a hairstyle you have helps you stand out enough. But what color would you even dye it?”

Subaru creates a small finger gun and cups his chin in it. “Hmmm, maybe red? Or maybe blue… It’s kind of hard to decide. I’d want to do it before the school year starts, see if I like it enough to keep doing it.”

“Makes sense, I suppose.” Izuku adds in, trying to picture Subaru with either of the different colors.

For the rest of their time together, the three discuss Subaru’s hair and how different he could make it. And as they spoke, Izuku wondered why the warm feeling in his chest persisted.

Two Months Later:

Subaru places another small plastic bat on the side of Hirooki’s house, a smile plastered on his face as he does so.

"Looking good there, Space Explorer!" Hirooki exclaims, catching the boy's attention. Save her helmet, she's almost entirely in costume, said head protector held under her arm. "Being honest, I was a bit surprised when you said you wanted to help me with Halloween decorations. Didn't know if it was a thing back home for you or not."

"No, I'm pretty sure we have most of the same holidays." The boy replies, crumbling up the plastic bag that once held the plastic creepy critters. "Though that doesn't mean there aren't some differences. It's just something I need to get used to."

"Fair enough I suppose." Hirooki responds, lifting her helmet up and placing it back down on her costume, twist-locking it into place. "I need to go and do a patrol, since most people mistake my costume especially for just another Halloween outfit. I'll be back sometime before midnight, so feel free to have any candy you want once the kids stop flocking the streets."

"You got it!" Subaru cheers, giving the woman a small salute, as he starts to walk back towards the house. A hand on his shoulder stops him however, and he quickly turns around to face Hiroo-Thirteen.

"Listen, before I head out, I-I can be a bit long winded, so I'll try and keep this short, but, Subaru… If you have a problem, you know you can talk to me, right?" She says, catching the boy off guard a bit. "I might just be your guardian for legal purposes, but you need to know I take this responsibility seriously. And with that, if means more than just providing you housing and food, it means giving you a home and heart to care. I'm not here to replace your parents, I know you're looking for a way home to visit and talk to them, but I am here to care for you."

"I-..." Subaru starts, trying to look away from the hero. "I'll let you know." He approaches her, wrapping her puffy hero costume in a hug, which the hero gladly returns.

Subaru, despite being well into his teens, can't help up but try to grab onto the familiar and familial feeling so strikingly similar to his mother. He hugs just a bit tighter, before letting go.

"I'll be back later. Have a good evening, Subaru." Thirteen says, patting the boy on the head, before walking off.

Subaru watches her leave, War-Rock catching his attention by letting out a small cough from inside the H-Touch. "Not to ruin the whole touching moment, but you do still have to get ready for tonight. You wanted to wear that tv astronaut hero's hologram costume again this year, right? You might want to get inside and change."

"R-right." Subaru says, as he walks towards the door. He places his hand on the doorknob, freezing in place for a moment. "Hey, War-Rock… Is it bad to think of someone else as your parent, even if you already have one?"

"...I wouldn't know kid, since I never knew mine to begin with. But, I think… It is. A family is the people you choose to be around, right? Then, maybe a person can have more than one mom or dad, just like they can have many aunts, uncles, and siblings." The alien reasons, before the two fall into silence.

Subaru looks at the doorknob, before turning it and walking inside the house, and for just a moment…

It feels like he's back home again.

Another Two Months Later:

“Are you guys kidding me?!” Subaru shouts, holding a couple of presents in his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me I missed your birthdays?! Mou, I feel bad now!”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Pleiades.” Kyoka says, twirling one of her jacks around her finger. "I mean, we'd only known each other for a couple of weeks at that point, so it wasn't exactly at the top of my list of things to tell you about."

"A-and my birthday had passed a week before we met. I-it's fine!" Izuku says, looking at Subaru with a small smile.

The brunette glares at the two of them before crossing his arms in a huff. "Fine, but I'm still going to get you some really good presents for your birthdays next year." He says, before looking at the two presents. "Thanks again you two, you really didn't have to get me anything. Just spending time with you two is enough for me, especially since my birthday is so close to Christmas."

"Think nothing of it. A birthday is a birthday, so might as well get you something. 'Specially seeing as you've kind of cemented yourself in our lives at this point." Kyoka reiterates, slipping her finger away from her twirling, unconfirmed uncoiling her jack and waving it nonchalantly. "Besides, you probably already have gifts picked out for us anyways.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny this statement.” Subaru replies, looking away from the two. Kyoka and Izuku let out some chuckles, as the brunette returned to looking at them again. “You know I should probably open these up, actually." The boy suddenly remarks, before opening up the boxes, his eyes opening a little more in surprise. "You both…"

"Well, I remembered you said you wanted to try dying your hair, and thought 'If he said two colors, why don't we get them both, and he can mix them if he wants.' So…" Izuku starts, before trailing off, Kyoka lightly poking her elbow near his ribs.

In the two boxes, are smaller boxes of hair dye. One for a bright cherry red (reminiscent of his visor as Rockman, War-Rock's eyes, and Subaru's jacket) and one of a deep ocean blue (like Rockman and War-Rock's armor, and Subaru's pouches). Subaru takes the dyes from the boxes and grips them a bit tighter. He looks at his two friends and smiles. "Thanks you two."

The two smile back, with happy looks on their faces. "You better text us the results of your dying process. I wanna see what you do as soon as it's done." Kyoka remarks, getting a vigorous nod from Izuku.

Subaru chuckles and nods his head affirmatively.

Later That Same Day:

"You know, I'm surprised you decided to dye your hair." Hirooki remarks, watching as Subaru types away at a holographic screen, a towel wrapped around his head.

The boy looks away from his current project and focuses on the woman. "Well it's something I always wanted to try, and my friends ended up getting me the dye so…" He trails off, spinning a finger in the air (almost like a certain rocking girl he knows). Subaru soon returns focus to the holographic screen, swiping away a portion of it, as he begins to grab at his bottom lip with two fingers (similar to a certain green nerd he also knows). "If I place a folder here, I could probably use these cards for rescue situations, but that's all circ*mstantial. I also need to make sure I won't be snagged by anything, so maybe just make this aspect entirely holographic…"

Hirooki watches him work with a fond smile, before a sudden vibration from her phone alerts her. She takes the device out from her pocket and looks at it, before looking at Subaru. "Oh, it's been twenty minutes."

Subaru once more diverts attention away from the screen, before he gets up from his seat, and speedily walks over to the bathroom. Hirooki gets up and follows behind him, watching as he slowly pulls the towel off the top of his head.

She catches up soon, and finds the boy wrapping his loose hair up in a ponytail. "I don't want to style it just yet, just in case, but…" Subaru looks up at the mirror in front of him with a sheepish grin. His hair has remained primarily brown, but now at the back lay peppered highlights of red and blue, all seeming to meld into each other nicely. At the front end, two prominent streaks lay next to each other, with red above the blue. "Do you think it looks okay?"

War-Rock pops out from the wall (the alien having been wandering around boredly for a bit) giving the boy a thumbs up and a smirk. Hirooki smiles and approaches Subaru, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders as she stands to his side. "I think you look incredible Subaru." She says proudly, the two smiling at each other in the mirror.

"Thank you." Subaru says in response, and for now?

That's all that needs to be said.

One Month Later:

"You know, I'm surprised you're taking the physical exam seriously enough to want to train. I'm pretty sure we'd woop butt out there as is." War-Rock comments, his visage hidden from the rest of the world, save the boy from another Earth who is currently wearing his Visualizers, as the human jogs through the city.

"And then I'd pass out right after depending on how intense this test is. We can't be slouches War-Rock." War-Rock starts to open his mouth. "And don't you start on how we've already been training in our off time. You know very well I like being prepared before big events." War-Rock shuts his maw. "That's what I thought. And besides, you know as well as I do that if Izuku and Kyoka weren't exhausted after the exams they have every day this week that I'd be hanging out with them right now instead. Not that I mind a good jog."

"Right, mister 'Pride myself on speed over strength'." War-Rock mocks, earning an eye roll from Subaru.

"Well, out of all members of Project Transcode, do you know anyone else who could keep up with me? In or out of Wave Change?" Subaru retaliates, grinning smugly when War-Rock fails to provide an answer. "That's what I thought. In any case, our battle prowess should never be the sole focus. We need to be aware of everythi-"

KABOOM

The sudden sound of an explosion (a small one, but an explosion nonetheless) interrupts Subaru, the boy and alien warrior turning to the source of the sound. The two look at each other, nod, and then race off in the direction of the sound. They soon near an alleyway, where a shocking sight lays before them.

Izuku is on the ground, wincing in pain, with smoke emitting from his school uniform.

"Damn Deku… What did I say about going this way home?! This is my way, did you forget that?!" An angry looking blonde teen yells, his red eyes glaring at Izuku with unbridled rage.

"A bully?" War-Rock muses, Subaru narrowing his eyes, as he hides at the corner of the wall. There are three other boys behind the angry blonde, each snickering at the scene, but not taking any active measures to assist it.

"War-Rock, Area Eater on those three in the back, get them away from the blonde. I'll rush him, grab Izuku, and run." Subaru says, as he lifts up the hood of his red winter jacket. The alien nods, zooming over to the back of the alley, floating just behind the three unremarkable teens. He nods as he readies one of his claws. Subaru lowers himself closer to the ground, the tips of his fingers holding up his torso, as he bends his legs before the sprint.

Subaru nods, and the plan rolls out.

War-Rock swipes his claw, the spatial area around it being erased, as the three teens are suddenly flung back, out of the alleyway, and into the street on the other side, the three yelling in surprise as it happens. Subaru sprints in, his hood covering his face.

"What the hell?!" The blonde yells, looking back at the three, before the sound of footsteps approaching draws his attention. Subaru has his arms raised up to his chest, his fists covering his face, before he raises one of his arms out to the side, tackling straight into the blonde. "GAH, YOU DEAD MAN!" The blonde screams as he falls back a couple of meters.

War-Rock rushes over and lifts Izuku up a bit, Subaru taking the rest from there as he helps the greenette to his feet, before the trio make a mad dash out of there.

"GET BACK HERE!" The blonde screams, as he starts to give chase.

"War-Rock, I need a distraction! Whatever is fine, just make it loud enough that he stops pursuit!" Subaru yells, as Izuku looks at him in shock. The alien nods again, entering a nearby electronics store with a crackle of neon green electricity. Soon after various appliances start zooming of the store, all approaching the blonde, keeping him from reaching the two.

"DAMN IT!" The blonde yells, as he gives up in his pursuit, Subaru looking back only for a moment, just to etch the face of the blonde into his memory.

Soon enough, the two boys come to a halt, War-Rock catching up and putting himself back into the H-Touch. Subaru and Izuku pant a small bit, before the (mostly) brunette takes down his hood, looking at his friend. "Are you okay?" He asks, worry apparent in his softer tone.

Izuku looks at Subaru in shock, before looking away. "Y-yeah. It was a weak explosion. I… I'm sorry you saw that. I should be able to deal with things like this on my own."

"But you're not on your own." Subaru stops Izuku there. "Believe it or not, you have people in your life who are more than willing to listen to you about your problems, and help you deal with them. Blondie McSplosion back there is nothing compared to what our bond can do."

"Our bond?" Izuku asks, Subaru nodding in response.

"Our bond. The bond we forged when we met, and have cultivated since then. We share it and live with it, growing stronger because of it. And it's not just us two, Kyoka is part of it too. Us three, together? I think we're gonna be pretty great." Subaru smiles, putting his hands into his jacket pockets.

Izuku looks at the boy, before he pulls out his phone. He wakes it up from sleep mode, looking at the wallpaper.

It's a picture of him, Kyoka, and Subaru. The three had gone to an arcade, and were currently holding up stacks and stacks of prizes Subaru had been winning from the ufo catchers. They had almost been kicked out because they thought Subaru had been using a quirk to cheat from how much he was winning. (In reality, War-Rock had been making things a little bit easier for the group, not just Subaru.)

Izuku smiles at the picture, before looking up at Subaru, the faint image of Kyoka in his mind standing next to him. The smile stays on Izuku's face, as tears begin to well up. "Thank you."

Subaru's smile persists. "Of course. What are friends for after all?"

Izuku doesn't answer, and he's not sure if he could even begin to try.

One More Month:

Subaru stands at the front door to the house, adjusting his jacket, the H-Touch, and then his Visualizers. "Well, I guess it's finally time."

"Yep." War-Rock remarks, the sound of excitement barely hidden in his voice. "Time to go buck wild once more!"

Subaru chuckles. "Well, let's just see how crazy things will get." He remarks, before opening the door and stepping out.

Today is the day… Exam day!

Chapter 4: Lift Off!

Chapter Text

"Is there a specific reason you have to run all the way to the school?" War-Rock asks, floating alongside Subaru, once more only observable to the boy wearing the Visualizers.

"Well aside from only living a couple blocks from the stairs leading up to it, I thought it would be one last exercise before the actual exam." Subaru explains, as the two turn a corner, the sight of the steps leading up to the school building entrance. The boy breaks into a smile, as he picks up his pace, quickly making his way onto the steps. Though it was a familiar sight (the boy had spent several days at the facility helping Nezu and Toshinori understand Wave Tech capabilities, and going over rules that benefitted learning environments on his Earth) Subaru couldn't help but be in amazement at the scope of the High School before him.

Sure, the large structure was quite unique in this world, but for Subaru? Odd buildings like this were quite popular among important locations (the WAXA Satellite Police Department Headquarters at the foot of Mt Fuji coming to mind first and foremost), so it provided a bit of comfort to the boy as well.

He had woken up quite early, determined to get to the school before anyone else, so that he could get to Nezu's office and relax until the Physical portion of the Entrance Exam. Truthfully, Subaru feels a little bad he isn't taking the Written portion alongside everyone else, but he's already proven himself academically. Yet, even with his surefire admission into the school, he still feels the need to prove his physical capabilities to the principal and the man who caught him from the sky…

To prove that Rockman is more than what War-Rock and Subaru say.

Before continuing onwards, Subaru stumbles a little over some pebbles on the ground. "Oh man, someone could get hurt if they tripped on these." He says to himself, before picking up the loose pebbles, and tossing them over into the grass. He nods to himself confidently, before moving on, scanning his guest badge at the gate, Subaru walks through the UA Barrier, calmly waving at the cleaning robots as he makes his way inside. The staff of the school aren't quite aware of his existence yet, but Nezu has apparently said if he ever is stopped by somebody just to say "Bubblegum Incident" and he'd be allowed to continue onwards. What "Bubblegum Incident" means and why the staff are willing to let a student do anything when they say that is currently beyond him, but he's not complaining about it in the slightest.

Coming upon the large wooden door to the principal's office, Subaru knocked upon it softly, before entering. Closing the door behind him, he's greeted with the sight of Nezu behind his desk, pouring some tea into a set of three tea cups, with Toshinori off to the side on a small couch, the hint of a smile on his thinly face. "Ah, welcome in, Subaru. I was expecting you would be this early." The animalistic principal chirps, Subaru nodding.

"Well, I figured I should get here before the large crowds do. Picked up some pebbles while I was at it, since tripping on an exam day would be bad luck." Subaru remarks, Nezu and Toshinori nodding their heads in agreement. "Now, what will I be doing until the physical portion of the exam?"

"Well, the idea is that we would have you watch the written test alongside the Recommendation Students joining our prodigious academy this year." Nezu begins, sliding two of the tea ups forwards, as he takes one for himself. "It has been many years since UA has used the Requested Student forms, so I believe it would be best to have you introduced to at least a few of your future classmates. That said, I must ask one last time, are you absolutely sure you wish to partake in the physical portion of the exam?"

"Sir, with all due respect, I've been waiting to get back into action since I was let out of the medical room of this school. There's no way I wouldn't want a piece of the action." Subaru smiles confidently, Nezu and Toshinori nodding at each other.

The brunette boy and the blonde man both approach the desk, each grabbing a teacup of their own, before taking sips of the drink. A warm refreshing taste…

Before the storm Subaru will be bringing.

It had taken about two hours before the entirety of the examinee slots had been filled, Subaru watching students pile in from a computer screen inside of Nezu's office. (A small smile found itself on his face, when Kyoka and Izuku showed up together… Though it became a bit shaky after Izuku managed to trip on thin air and almost ate concrete. Luckily Kyoka's jacks were able to suspend him for a bit, before a brunette girl came over and helped him using some sort of Floaty Quirk. Part of him questions why Kyoka started looking upset when the girl got a little close to Izuku, causing him to blush… Another part of him questions why he also felt a little upset, since these days he was usually all for new friendships being made.)

Regardless of where he was or what he was doing, Subaru soon found himself in a small room filled with monitors, as four other teens entered alongside Nezu, and a group of teachers.

"And this is where you all will be monitoring the potential students taking both portions of the exam. Alongside that, allow me to introduce you all to someone very important. The first Requested Student since 21XX, Subaru Hoshikawa!" Nezu exclaims, presenting the boy with a raised paw.

Subaru gives the group a wave and a smile, and is met with… Mixed results? Well, a 2/4 split. A skeletal young man with white hair and a girl with dark green hair and a few reptilian features both Wave back at him, which is a win for sure to Subaru, but the other two…

A tall young woman with spiky black hair and grey eyes simply bows to him, which Subaru can only hope is positive, but he can't be completely sure. And next to her is a slightly taller young man, with red and white mixed hair, and a burn scar over his left eye, who simply looks at Subaru. A small vibration from his H-Touch, and Subaru pulls down his Visualizers a bit, just enough that they can affect his hearing a tad.

"Kid, the prim and propers are giving off massive amounts of loneliness waves. It reeks of sadness. Sort of like a couple of pals we know." War-Rock whispers, Subaru nodding slightly before pushing the green glasses back up.

It's a fact well known to Subaru at this point that this world is saturated in Negative Emotions and laziness. If the Mu Incident were to happen on this Earth, Subaru isn't sure how short a time it would be before riots broke out. Heck, one of the things he first ever noticed about his two closest friends on this Earth, Izuku and Kyoka, were how absolutely drenched they were in the waves associated with Sadness and Isolation… Loneliness Waves. Sure, him being around them and having has lessened them by a great deal, but there's something there that keeps festering the waves a bit, and he's not sure how much he can really do to help his friends get these waves under control.

But now is not the time to be focusing on concepts familiar to him and his Earth. No, now is the time to blend in with this Earth, and do what he can in the moment.

"A requested student, huh? Wonder what you can do to be asked to attend the school personally." The skeletal boys ask, Subaru chuckling a bit. "Juzo Honenuki, by the way."

"Setsuna Tokage!" The green haired girl introduced herself. "I'm hoping we end up in 1-B together, cutie~."

"Uhh…" Subaru takes a small step back, before Nezu clears his throat, attention turning to him instead.

"Actually, Miss Tokage, Young Subaru is to attend Class 1-A alongside Yaoyorozu and Todoroki." Nezu clarifies, his head motioning to the two who have yet to introduce themselves yet.

"Oh, well it's nice to meet my future classmates, regardless of whether we are in the same classroom or not." Subaru waves a hand around, before approaching the teens, offering a hand out for a shake. Juzo and Setsuna shake it happily, just as they had for the greeting.

Yayorozu and Todoroki though, once more, proved different.

"It is also nice to make your acquaintance, Hoshikawa." Yaoyorozu says, once more bowing. Subaru tries to make it clear he's trying to shake her hand, but it's not getting through to her it seems.

Moving on to Todoroki, the trend continues with the boy not saying anything, simply giving Subaru a nod, before looking at the monitors in the room. Subaru mentally groans, and returns to his spot next to the center seat. "Alongside his attendance here in the monitor room during the written portion of the exam, Subaru has also offered to give us a little showing of what he can do in the physical portion." Nezu says, earning a hand raise from Yaoyorozu. "Yes?"

"Won't his inclusion change the testing scores for other students? It seems unfair, given he's a requested presence." She asks, Nezu chuckling a bit in response.

"Actually, my roll in the physical examination is double-sided, as decided by Nezu. Alongside presenting my physical role, I will also be giving a hint to other students into a hidden aspect of the test. After all, it is a good thing to pass kindness onto others." Before anyone can ask what that hidden aspect is,

"Hey, we're all supposed to be wearing our school uniform, aren't we? So why are you dressed so… Casually?" She asks, pointing at Subaru's state of dress.

His usual short sleeved red jacket, a dark wash pair of skinny jeans, his red shoes, and his usual accessories are a stark contrast to the fancy suit like outfits of the others, something Subaru easily and quickly takes note of, now that he's been made aware of it. "Ah, that's-..."

"Another decision I made, actually!" Nezu interjects, attention turning to him once more. "I feel limiting our students to school uniforms has made them unused to what life will be like once they graduate, presenting their future as far more conforming than what it actually is. So, I decided to let students choose their own outfits starting this upcoming school year." The principal explains, rolling his paw around as he talks, moving up to Subaru at the center seat, before crawling on top of it, pressing a small button on the arm of the seat, which opens up a small hatch. A smaller plate comes up from the hatch with small cards on it, each attached to a lanyard. "As long as students keep their identification cards on them at all times, then aside from some standard school dress policies, then whatever outfit you choose is fine. It seems none of you have read the rule book, so I will need to inform students and parents of the changes via the letter sent for acceptance."

Subaru picks up one of the cards, a picture of his smiling face upon it. "This is a more western style of school identification, but from my understanding UA isn't exactly the most typical of high schools." He places the card in his jacket pocket, before turning to face the monitors once more. "In any case, I hope that our meeting was a good first impression, and that you all enjoy your time here today." A bell rings through the school, signaling the end of the written test, and the start of lunch for the examinees, giving one half hour before the physical exam explanation. Subaru makes his way past the four students, then the teachers.

For a brief moment though, his eyes cross with a scruffy looking man's. An odd air surrounds the two, as if blocking then from actually seeing each other. If the man can feel it, Subaru isn't sure, but the boy can, and he quite instantly knows what that feeling means. He and this guy…

They're not going to get along in the slightest.

After the lunch break, Subaru finds himself hurried into a large auditorium alongside thousands of other students, each more unique than the last. Once seated, Subaru finds himself next to a plain looking boy with a large tail, and a girl with completely pink skin and hair whose sclera is black.

All in all not the weirdest situation he's been in.

A tall man with blonde swooped back hair, dressed in all black leather, walks on stage, a large smile on his face. "ALL RIGHT, FUTURE HERO STUDENTS! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR PHYSICAL EXAM PRESENTATION! CAN I GET A ‘YEAH’?!”

The audience remained silent. The man’s shoulders slumped a little bit… Until, one voice piped up. “YEAH!” Subaru cheered out, cupping his hands around his mouth in an effort to make his voice even a little bit louder. The boy next to him looked at Subaru in confusion, while the girl looked in awe.

“OH YEAH! NOW THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO SEE! PROPER AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION!” The man cheers, holding out his hands in proper rocking poses. “NOW, LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!” The wall behind the man began to raise itself up into the ceiling, a screen with a spinning version of the school’s logo displayed upon it being revealed.. “AHEM.” The screen fades into a picture of a desert, with various cities popping up on screen. "EACH OF YOU WILL BE BROUGHT TO A SCHOOL TRAINING GROUND, UPON WHICH YOU WILL BE FACED WITH A MOCK VILLAIN TAKEOVER. SIMPLY PUT, YOU'LL BE FIGHTING ROBOTS." The man explains, students starting to whisper among themselves.

Amongst the whispers, Subaru starts picking up on a familiar muttering, the brunette leaning forwards and seeing his green haired friend looking over the presentation pamphlet. It overjoys the boy that he can see his friend potentially, but he does wish he could also see Kyoka somewhere in the room too.

"EACH ROBOT IS PROVIDED A DIFFERENT POINT BASED ON SIZE AND DIFFICULTY OF TAKE DOWN. THE SCORE IS ONE POINT, FOLLOWED BY TWO, FOLLOWED BY THREE AS THE HARDEST DIFFICULTY." The man continues, whispers falling quiet, and even Izuku's muttering seems to calm down a little. Subaru picks up the presentation pamphlet, giving it a quick glance over.

‘Oh, there’s a fourth robot on here. I guess that one is going to be discussed after a bit.’ Subaru thinks, before focusing back on the lecture.

"NOW, IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING, BUT SINCE YOU'LL BE IN A COMBAT SCENARIO FOR THIS TEST, IF YOU INTENTIONALLY TRY TO HARM OR SABOTAGE ANOTHER EXAMINEE THAT'S AN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION!" The man onstage continues, Subaru mentally noting down that he should probably look for troublemakers in his testing grounds, alongside his other 'goals'.

"EXCUSE ME!" A new voice booms out, as Subaru takes note of a taller teen shooting up like a rocket, his hand outstretched to ask a question. "In your presentation, you have mentioned three robots, however, the pamphlet clearly shows four! If this is a misprint, then I must say that it is an egregious error on part of this highly acclaimed establishment!" Subaru rolls his eyes at the boy, not enjoying the windage of pompousness (at least Luna had the decency to be a bit softer when she complained). "And furthermore, you in the back!" The boy turns and points at… Izuku. "You're ceaseless muttering is intensely distracting! Cease it at once! This is a very important exam, and I will not have you belittling it!"

And that's the breaking point.

"HOLD IT!" Subaru shouts, slamming on the wooden counter in front of him and his seat mates, standing up as well, shocking the taller blue haired teen. "It's pretty rude of you to be accusing a single person of muttering, when everyone in this auditorium has been whispering the whole time. If you have a problem with someone else, I suggest you talk to them in private, and not embarrass them in front of a whole crowd." The taller teen begins to look around, eyes moving between him and Subaru. "Also, if you had actually cared to read the pamphlet in full, you would see that the information regarding your 'misprint' was coming up." Subaru turns focus away from the teen, looking at the man on stage. "Please excuse our interruptions, sir!" Subaru bows, before sitting back down. The taller teen follows suit, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment of his own.

"AHEM, WELL THANK YOU TO EXAMINEE ER, SORRY I FORGOT YOUR NUMBER HEHE, FOR CLEARING UP THAT LITTLE SCENE. BUT YES, I WAS ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT ROBOT FOUR." The man continues, the screen behind him changing to feature a chibi version of himself running through a pixel city. "YOU KIDS EVER PLAY THAT OLD GAME SUPER MARIO? WELL, THINK OF THAT FOURTH ROBOT AS SORT OF LIKE A THWOMP. YOU CAN BEAT IT, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY POINTS TIED TO IT, AND IS HONESTLY MORE OF A HASSLE THAN IT IS A BENEFIT. JUST TRY AND AVOID IT LIKE AN OBSTACLE."

Subaru makes a mental note of this, seeing as he'll probably encounter one during his test, and knowing his luck, will probably fight it too. Good. If it's as tough as it's said to be, then it'll be a perfect example of Rockman's capabilities…

Or at least the surface of them.

"NOW, THAT COVERS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PART OF THE EXAM. ALL OF YOU SHOULD HEAD TO THE LOCKER ROOMS AND GET DRESSED, SO YOU CAN TAKE PART IN THE EXAM. BUT, BEFORE YOU GO, A LITTLE PARTING GIFT FROM ME. PUR SCHOOL MOTTO! NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ONCE SAID THAT 'TRUE HEROISM LIES IN BEING SUPERIOR TO ALL THE ILLS OF LIFE'." The loud man lowers his head a bit, letting his eyes peer out from underneath his shades. And in this moment, Subaru swears that despite his continuous loud volume, the man had spoken somewhat normally for the first time. "Go Beyond… PLUS ULTRA! Enjoy your time in hell kids…"

Subaru, already dressed for the physical in his opinion, was the first on the bus to the exam city, and was also the first one off.

The gate leading inside was massive, as the small crowd of students around him chatted idly as they waited for the gates to open. Subaru took this time to stretch a bit, before being approached by a couple of people.

The first was an orange haired girl with teal eyes, and the other a blonde haired boy with pale blue eyes.

"Hey, you're that kid who stood up for the other one, right?" The girl asked, Subaru nodding a but response. "I just wanted to thank you on his behalf. I wasn't sure if I should have said anything in that moment, but I'm glad someone did."

"Inaction can lead to bug slip ups." Subaru replies, turning as he stretched his arms around himself. "Figured I could lend a hand, since like you said, it didn't seem like anyone else would." 'Besides, Izuku and Kyoka will probably be giving me an earful for not fully telling them that the school requesting me was UA.'

"Still, it is good to know that some people in this world truly care to stand up for others." The blonde speaks with a sneery tone, holding his hand out to shake. "I also wish to thank you."

Subaru looks at his hand cautiously, before giving it a quick shake, thinking nothing more of it afterwards. The blonde boy clenches his fist, before his face turns to that of shock. He looks at Subaru, and then back to his hand. "You're…" The boy begins to speak, until the sudden creaking of the metal doors catches everyone's attention.

"WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, A COUNTDOWN? THOSE DON'T EXIST IN REAL LIFE KIDS! EXAMINEE'S OF CITY G, I'D FOLLOW THAT KID IN THE RED JACKET'S EXAMPLE!" The presentation announcer yells, as everyone turns to see Subaru running into the city ahead of everyone.

The boy lets himself fall, and slide on the concrete, avoiding fire from some of the robots. "A herd of one-pointers, just there!" He yells to the testers, before getting up and continuing to run.

"Principal Nezu, if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is Hoshikawa's role in the test? He is already a student, but you alluded he would be alerting others to a different aspect." Yaoyorozu asks, causing Nezu to nod.

"For starters, I must suggest you start calling by his given name. He vastly prefers that over being referred to by his family name. Secondly, Subaru's role is quite simple." The animal continues, the largest of the monitors switching to focus in Subaru for a bit. "Think of Subaru as a lighthouse of sorts, guiding the other potential students to shore. He can give a trail to follow, but actually getting there requires effort on the other students part. You students are tasked with finding this hidden aspect of the test. Let us see if you can."

Subaru continues jogging through the city streets, being cautious as to the location of robots, and yelling out when he finds them.

"Gah!" Yet soon enough, he finds a new manner of doing his part. Subaru rushes over to a collapsed wall, finding a very tall young man with multiple arms stuck underneath some rubble. He seems to be lifting most of it off, but help would be nice. Subaru rushes over, helping to remove what rubble he can, until the other teen manages to get all of it off. "You… Helped me. But, what about the test?"

"Nothing in the rules says I can't help others. Speaking of, I saw a small herd of two-pointers a couple blocks to the right of here. Pretty hard to miss them." Subaru says, before dusting himself off a bit, and running in another direction. "Good luck on the test!" He cheers before continuing on.

It's another few blocks before Subaru finds a girl with some frog like features surrounded by a group of six three-pointers. Cautiously, his hands begin to move close together… Until they stop. "No, not yet. The zero pointer for sure." He says to himself, before bending down and picking up a few smaller chunks of rubble. "We can mess with them a little though." He slides down the Visualizers, catching view of his partner War-Rock at the ready next to him. "Alright buddy, let's get wild. Take three of them out, but leave them online! Can't take these points ourselves after all."

War-Rock nods and races forwards, entering one of the three pointers, and beginning to run amuck in its internals, before entering another one to do the same, and then moving on to the last one.

In the frog girls view, the robots have just suddenly started going haywire, with the other not moving at all. Rocks begin to pelt at them, catching their attention. "Come on ya bums! You really gonna let me scratch your paint like that?!"

The three moving robots take aim at Subaru, who quickly takes off in a sprint. "Hey, take care of the glitching ones while I have these three distracted!" He yells out to the girl, who nods quickly in response. She jumps greatly, smashing her legs into the robots, easily tearing them apart. "Alright!" Subaru cheers… Until he runs into a wall. "Oof!" He falls to the ground, before three red lasers take aim at him. He quickly shakes off the hit, and notices the laser, before looking at the bots. "Hehe, sorry about calling you bums?"

The guns of the robots begin to whir, before the frog girl crashes through these bots as well, landing safely behind their destroyed bodies. "You know, kero, it's not very wise to help your competition." She remarks, getting a chuckle from Subaru.

"Who said we were competitors?" The boy remarks before getting up from his fall. He gives the girl a thumbs up and a smirk. "Besides, heroes need to be kind, don't they?" He lowers his gestures, and moves on, running off to another part of the city.

The frog girl watches him go, a finger held to her chin.

"He's… Helping the other students." Todoroki speaks up for the first time, interest shifting to him momentarily. "That hidden aspect, it's helping others isn't it?"

Nezu hums cheerily, before many of the monitors change to different students assisting others. "Correct! It wouldn't make much sense if a hero school did not search for those with heroic qualities! It's possible to enter on villain points alone, this is true, but these Rescue Points, are also key factors. In truth, you could have only rescue points and still qualify for our school!"

"Of course, there are moments of true heroism that cannot be overlooked." Toshinori speaks up, the four Recommendation students looking at the stranger in curiosity. "Nezu, if I may?"

"Oh please, be my guest!" The principal chirps, passing over a small red button to the man. The thinly figure presses it down, and the camera feeds begin to shake. "It was about that time anyways.”

“Time for what?” Setsuna asks, earning another chuckle from the principal.

“Why, time for the test of character of course!”

The city streets begin to rumble, and various voices can be heard screaming. Subaru, for a moment, pauses. Memories of similar events in the past (Andromeda’s arrival on Earth after Subaru defeated it’s first phase, the awakening of Mu… Meteor G) all rush through his mind, before he shakes his head. Even if it were a similar situation, he would take care of it. He always did after all.

“War-Rock, let’s go.” He says, slipping his Visualizers up, as he rushes to the main street. The largest crowd rushes past him, various teens running away in fear. Subaru turns attention to where they’re running from, or more specifically what.

Towering above the building, a large green robot with a rectangular head, and several weapon ports treads through the streets, destroying many fake vehicles and buildings in the process. Subaru grimaces, before pushing his way past the crowd and into the front of a car, climbing on top of it, before coming to a stop on the roof.

“Been a while since we’ve done this.” War-Rock comments, his voice coming from the H-Touch on Subaru’s hands. “You ready to go buck wild kid?!”

“Born ready, partner!” The tech filled gloves begin to glow blue with circuitry lines, as Subaru grins. “Been even longer since we used this transformation code too. DENPA HENKAN!” The boy stretches his arms out to his sides, before flinging them in forwards, his left hand curling into a fist, as he slams it into the palm of his right.

Green flames made of Electromagnetic Waves cover his body, as War-Rock bursts from the H-Touch. The two beings' arms stretch out to the side, as War-Rock envelopes Subaru’s full body. The green flames turn a dark blue, as they form the basis of the under armor, yellow lines forming on the sides, before being overtaken by the same electric green as before. Blue boots form at Subarus feet and shins, the bottoms layering themselves in silver. Subaru’s right wrist is enveloped by a blue gauntlet, a single, long, blunt fin protruding from it. His left arm is covered up by his ever familiar Rock Buster, the barrel collapsing down to allow use of his hand, as two red eyes in lieu of War-Rock’s eyes begin to shine. A red visor forms over his eyes, as blue metals extends upwards from it, silver decals formed as the half helmet stops halfway over Subaru’s head, the sides extending into Subaru’s ear covering Wave Detectors, the red gems directly over the ears flashing red. A pair of fins protrude from his back, spinning for a moment, hinting at further use than just decoration.

Finally, a white scarf wraps itself around Subaru’s neck, twin sides flowing down behind him, both ending in an array of pink, cyan, lime green, fire red, black, a more pearl white, and purple. At the ends of the scarf, they seem to fade into dissipating particles. With a shake of his head, Subaru’s hair changes from it’s usual brown to a galaxy purple, as his spots of dyed hair turn white, illuminating his hair like stars in space.

Almost a year after his disappearance from Meteor G, Rockman has returned.

“Been a while, eh, War-Rock?” Subaru comments, looking at his buster arm.

“You bet! Now let’s get in there and turn this robot into scrap!” The alien roars back in excitement. Subaru rolls his eyes, far used to his partner's love for battle at this point.

“Well then, Denpa Battle… Ride On!” Subaru shouts as he leaps off of the car, throwing his arm forwards, as the Rock Buster reforms its barrel, allowing Subaru to begin firing at the robot. The buster shots hit at the opponent, denting it’s metal, and leaving scorch marks behind. “Alright, note to self, lower buster levels when in training situations against human opponents.” The denpa-human comments to himself as he lands on a Wave Rail, as he has begun referring to this world’s version of Wave Roads, before leaping off of it, landing at the top of a nearby building. “I don't want to fight this thing any longer than necessary. Let’s say we pull out a card combo, and take this guy down?!”

“Alright kid, let’s Rock and Roll!” War-Rock cries out, Subaru nodding before tapping away at his buster’s display screen.

“Battle Cards selected… Predation!” He cries out, before leaping off of the building, using his leg to kick off of the outer wall, towards one of the robot’s arms. “Here we go!!!” He cries out throwing his left arm forwards, as it changes appearance, a green energy blade forming out from it. “Sword!”

Nezu cackles to himself as he watches two screens in particular, each with a similar event being displayed. One, a boy of green rushing towards the Zero Pointer from the bottom, the other a boy of blue rushing from the top.

The recommendation students watch in awe as the two boys draw closer and closer to their goals.

“You see students, there is more to being a hero than simply trying to help others.” The thin stick of a man known as Toshinori speaks. “When you help others, you give everything you’ve got, even if it costs you yourself pain or strife, or even if they don’t know you’re doing something to help them. This, is one of the greatest aspects of heroism…”

“The aspect of self-sacrifice!”

Subaru slams down on the zero-pointer’s arm, his sword firmly lodged in the metal. He takes off in a sprint, his sword continuing to cut the arm, before dissipating. “Plasma Shot!” Subaru shouts next, as his buster changes once more, the base turning into a plasma globe, with a three prong ring for the barrel, before firing out an electric blast, hitting an open spot on the ‘neck’ of the robot. The goliath of a machine begins to twitch, as purple sparks begin to fly from its neck. “Keep it up, with a MalWizard Whip!” The buster changes again, turning into the base of the sword, before a long electrical line flings out of it. Subaru throws the whip forwards, lodging it on a large bolt. He tugs on it harshly, launching himself skyward, up above the robot’s head. “Final strike, Full Power Full Throttle!”

“GIGA CARD! BUSTER MAX!” Subaru shouts, as the Rock Buster overlaps with a holographic image of War-Rock’s head. The scarf begins to glow in the colors respective of his friends back on his Earth, as the Rock Buster charges itself with energy. Subaru grabs at the buster with his other hand, as the energy wells up further and further. “CHARGE SHOT… FIRE!” And fire it does, as a large burst of green, blue, and purple energy flies out from the buster in a large orb, landing on the top of the head, crushing against it, before breaking through, drilling through the interior of the robot like paper, as the mechanical body rocks itself with explosions.

For a moment, Subaru can see a similar sight from another testing ground off in the distance, as another zero-pointer is destroyed. ‘Heh… We match.’ He thinks to himself, before he starts careening down towards the ground. “Oh sh*t, it’s been too long! How do I hover again?” Subaru yells, his hands clasped on his half-helmet in fear.

“You think light thoughts, remember? Even if you don’t, a fall like this won’t kill us.” War-Rock says nonchalantly.

“Maybe not, but it’ll still sting!” Subaru replies, before a pink, slimy, and long appendage suddenly wraps around his waist, tugging him away from the opening of the damaged zero-pointer, and sending him flying to the side, into the multiple arms of a familiar teen. “Oh, thanks.” He says, looking up at the masked face of his catcher.

“Not a problem.” The other teen says, before letting Subaru down onto his feet.

“If you had a quirk like that, why didn’t you use it against those bot’s earlier, kero?” The frog girl from earlier asks, her tongue flying back into her mouth quickly.

“Ah, I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.” Subaru says, a smile on his face as he rubs at the back of his head. “And this isn’t a quirk. It’s tech.” He finishes, before a loud siren noise rings out through the city.

“EXAM OVER!” The man shouts, as Subaru lets out a sigh of relief. A group of smaller robots come in and start looking over people, a small blue one approaching Subaru, with a small coffee cup displayed on it’s screen/face.

“Ah, guess that’s my cue.” Subaru says, before turning to the two teens. “Thank you for your help again. Have a good day, and here’s hoping I see you when school starts!” He cheers, before leaping away, heading off towards the exit of the city, as the two teens watch with curiosity.

The four recommendation students look at the screen in awe (sans Todoroki, who is currently looking at Nezu). Not one, but two teens had the ability and fortitude to take down the giant robots terrorizing the other students.

Nezu smiles, turning off the screens monitoring the tests. “As you can all see, your future classmates are quite adept at situations, and will be quite the hurdle to overcome.” He leaps from his seat, paws folded behind his back. “Please, do try to keep up.”

A vibration in his vest pocket alerts him to his phone, which he takes out soon after. A message from Subaru, that causes him to chuckle.

‘Please keep me in your office until after hours. I just got a text from a friend, and I think she’s going to kick my butt if she sees me, for not telling her I was here.’

Nezu shakes his head. Oh, what an interesting school year this is going to be, indeed.

Chapter 5: First Day

Chapter Text

"So, which jacket do I wear?" Subaru asks, standing in front of a mirror hanging on his bedroom door.

It's been almost nine months since Subaru had crash landed on the Earth of Quirks, which means school was about to start back up for the boy. Sure, not having to go has been fun, but if Subaru was honest with himself, he missed being able to sit in a classroom and learn new things. He's always been inquisitive, his dad having a love for the stars, science, and researching the (proven to be real) strength of bonds between people having instilled this want to figure things out in the boy.

Add classes on how to be a Hero, a concept wildly far fetched on his Earth, into the mix, and Subaru is quite excited to begin lessons.

"Kid, no matter what you wear, it's a red jacket. That's all you ever wear." War-Rock commented, his voice laced ever so much with boredom, as he speaks from the H-Touch.

Subaru rolls his eyes, looking at the fingerless gloves on his hands. "It's about the presentation and the shade. Just because I had similar looking jackets back home, didn't mean they were all the same. For instance-." Subaru raises one jacket over his torso, a light shade of red in the fabric. "This jacket says I'm nice and approachable." Subaru switches it for a darker red jacket. "This one says I'm intense and ready for action."

"What about that hoodie shirt in the closet?" War-Rock asks, trying to get out of this conversation as soon as possible.

"Hmm, yeah that might work. It's a darker red, but it also provides that approachable air I'm trying to go for." Subaru muses before tossing the jackets in his hands to the side, the pieces of apparel landing on the bed softly. "Sorry if this is boring you man, but first impressions are really important. Especially seeing as these are all potential friends and allies for the future."

"I know, I know. I just wanna get out there already! That giant robot was a good fix, but I really wanna get buck wild on some baddies!" The alien roars, Subaru shaking his head.

"And like I've told you, I don't want to be up all night hunting criminals. I have a life outside of Rockman after all." Subaru says, likely for the hundredth time. "Being a Vigilante sounds cool and all, but I really just want to get back to our normal for a time."

"Our normal is fighting world affecting crises and going to school." The alien replies.

"Well, add in we're going to be learning how to help people as a hero and living in a world where the majority of people have superpowers and I think you get what life is going to be like from now on. Speaking of, how's that frequency tracking going?" Subaru asks, War-Rock finally popping out of the device on his hands alongside a couple of small blue holographic screens.

"Well, I narrowed down this Earth's frequency a couple weeks ago, so I've established an anchor point." The alien begins to explain, Subaru nodding to continue. "The next step is trying to narrow down our original frequency, which will take a little bit longer. Remember, us changing frequency didn't just affect what Earth we're on after all. This entire universe is different from our own, it's just easier to tell the Earth's apart."

"I know, I know. I remember that explanation from when we faced off against Apollon Flame." Subaru nods again, his mind flashing back to the IF Earth he and his partner discovered after the Mu Incident.

"Well, in any case, I'm looking through a lot of waves, trying to find the matching ones to our exit point." The alien finishes, the blue screens closing. "There's a lot of alternating frequencies though, and this Earth not being as advanced as ours doesn't help."

"That's true. Maybe I could start leaving some hints to help them advance, not too quickly though. I don't want to deal with another Meteor G again in my life." Subaru chuckles, a flash of concern washing over War-Rock's face, but ultimately the alien decides to leave it alone.

A sudden ringing sound alerts Subaru to a call, a small holographic screen appearing in the palm of his hand. He swipes on it, lifting the screen to his ear. "Hello?" He asks into it.

"H-hey, Subaru! Would you mind coming over?" Izuku asks from the other side of the screen, Subaru hearing the sounds of hushed grumbles behind him. “I need some help calming J-Kyoka down.”

“Why?” Subaru asks with hesitancy.

“Apparently I don’t have a good enough outfit for tomorrow.” Izuku replies, Subaru turning to look at War-Rock with a smug smirk crossing his face. The large beast rolls his eyes and zooms into the H-Touch, escaping the “I Told You So” to come. “Can you come convince her what I was going to wear was fine?"

“Depends on what you were going to wear.” Subaru replies, exiting his room, and moving downstairs to head out.

“Well it was just going to be a shirt and some shorts. Nothing too bad.” The boy says without a hint of worry in his voice.

Subaru freezes in place, his hand gripping the door handle. Hirooki looks at him from the kitchen, a purple apron with images of cartoon planets dancing across it. “What. Shirt.” Subaru asks in a tone of complete seriousness.

“One of my word shirts. Why do you-”

“I’ll be right there.” Subaru says, before hanging up, turning to face Hirooki. "I'll be back later. Friend needs my help with something."

The woman nods. "I could tell. Just make sure to be home by dinner, I'm trying my hand at tendon tonight, and I'd love to get some opinions."

Subaru freezes for a moment, memories of coming home to his mom's own tendon bowls rushing to the forefront of his mind. He shakes off the freeze and gives a smile and nod to the woman, before rushing out the door.

Someday he'll confront how much the hero tasked with his legal guardianship and his mother are alike, someday… But for now, he'd rather enjoy ignoring it.

Arriving at Izuku's apartment complex, Subaru tried to remember which number belonged to his green haired friend with only some complications. (Note to self, write down the apartment number next time.) Finally reaching the right door, Subaru was greeted with the sight of one Inko Midoriya, the mother of his friend who he'd only met a couple of times before this. She was just as emotional as her son (perhaps even more so in some cases) but Subaru knee she meant well.

"Oh, Subaru! It's so nice to see you again! Izuku and Kyoka are in his room. I'm sure you already know what's going on." Inko says, a smile on her face. Subaru smiles back with a nod, entering the apartment and placing his shoes in the cubby next to the door. As he heads back, Inko places a hand on his shoulder, causing the brunette to look at her. "I-I know I've said it every time you've come over, but I just want to know it gets through. Thank you, genuinely, for being my son's friend. Life has been cruel to him, and I can tell it's been no cakewalk for you or Kyoka either, but… But thank you."

Subaru's smile softens a bit. "And like I'll always say, there's no need to thank me. He's been one of my best friends since I arrived in Musutafu. It's great knowing him." He replies, Inko nodding as she lets go of his shoulder. Subarh walks back to Izuku's room, knocking on the door, before entering… Only to find a war-zone of clothes.

Izuku's room had been a veritable shrine to All Might when Subaru first met him, and now? Well, there was still a lot of All Might stuff, but there were some changes. For starters, there was a small group of pictures hung on the wall with thumbtacks over by his bed, each one showing a different activity the trio did over the last few months. A few band and movie posters litter the walls as well, Christmas gifts Subaru and Kyoka got for the boy after learning of the things he likes aside from heroes (Subaru has yet to learn what a 'Star Wars' is, but he's interested to find out one day). And of course, some other small changes Subaru and Kyoka have been helping Izuku with (because while his admiration for the man is, well, admirable, Izuku could stand to learn how to be a teenager).

Though, it was a bit hard to focus on these decorations, when the majority of the room was littered with piles of clothes. From a glance alone, Subaru was able to discern that if a shirt didn't have words on it, then something related to All Might was. The brunette let out a sigh, walking further into the room, as he closed the door behind him.

"This is ridiculous! How do you not have a basic t-shirt or something?!" Subaru could hear Kyoka shout, an All Might shirt flying past his head.

"I just know what I like! Is that really so bad?" Izuku retorts, another word shirt flies. Subaru had noticed it over the phone, but in person it's much easier for him to notice how Izuku's stuttering has lowered in amount since they met. Though, there are still moments when it returns. Subaru supposes it has something to do with actually having friends who want to hear him talk… But that implies something about the people that used to surround him constantly, and Subaru isn't sure if Izuku wants to so willingly talk about why his loneliness waves spike a bit when he talks about heroes and Quirks. (Not that Izuku knows what a Wave is at this point anyways. Save that for if and when Subaru tells him and Kyoka the truth.)

"Considering how this room looks, and the cleanup we'll have to help with later, I'd say only slightly." Subaru speaks up, approaching the two in the closet. The two teens around, both smiling in their familiar and respective ways. Kyoka, with her usual coy and co*cky smirk, and Izuku, with his bubbly and bright toothy grin.. “Yo.” Subaru beams in his standard laid-back smile, the other two walking over to him, looking over the piles of clothes all the while.

“I uh, guess I did make a bit of a mess, huh?” Kyoka comments, tapping her jacks together with a nervous chuckle. “Uh, sorry about that.”

"It's fine." Izuku replies, scratching at the back of his head. "Like Subaru said, we'll just clean it up later."

"Yep yep." Subaru replied, moving over to a pile and flopping down onto it, sitting on it like a bean bag. "In any case, it is a bit surprising that you don't have any shirts with a basic design. At least none that are so readily available. Heck, most of these shirts don't even look like they've been worn before." Subaru picks up a shirt, eyes trailing a plastic tag attached to the sleeve. "I guess for now I'll just let you borrow one of mine."

"Are you sure it'll fit?" Izuku asks, Subaru looking back at him with a glare.

"Oi, just because you're two centimeters taller than me, doesn't mean my shirt won't fit." Subaru says, tossing the shirt he was holding aside.

"I think he means that because he's absolutely ripped." Kyoka says, poking at the greenette's muscly arm, Izuku blushing a bit at the action. Kyoka chuckles a bit, before moving over to his bed, sitting down on it.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll just let him borrow one of my bigger shirts." Subaru says, the two looking at him in confusion. "Do you two not buy clothes in preparation for a growth spurt? I was always taught to do that." A vibration from his hands is probably War-Rock grumbling about the brunette’s sense of style again (as if he doesn’t hear that everytime the topic of clothes is brought up).

“I never really thought about that.” Izuku says, rubbing his index finger and thumb on his chin.

“No.” Kyoka says, a bit sternly. The H-Touch vibrates again, but softer this time. Subaru slides down his visualizers, a small frown crossing his face a moment (thankfully quick enough for no one to notice) as he looks at the purplette.

It’s not exactly pleasant to look at Loneliness Waves, especially considering Subaru himself knows what it’s like to be covered in the stuff, but when he puts on his visualizers it’s just a sight he sees more often than he should. They aren’t exactly easy on the eyes either. A mishmash of dark and violent colors, jagged and curved all at once. When they spike in activity, they can get pretty bright as well and become a pain to look at. And when he and War-Rock transform… The physical effects they have on him these days are pretty nauseating.

And here’s Kyoka, with a bright set of spiking waves. Subaru slides up his glasses, deciding now isn’t the time to bring up why. When she wants to talk about her problems surrounding the topics of bodies and growing, she can. Same with Izuku, whenever Subaru’s quirklessness is brought up, or he hears an explosion. When the time is right, Subaru will talk to them about their problems. But… Not now.

Subaru gets up from the pile of clothes he was sitting on and moves over to the closet, beginning to grab hangers for all of the shirts tossed to the side. “Well, we can’t just sit here all day. We need to get ready for tomorrow. We’ll head over to my place after this, and grab a shirt for Izuku.” He says, turning to the other two with a smile.

They smile back, and move over to the closet, grabbing some hangars for themselves.

“Man, can you really believe tomorrow is our first day?” Izuku says, a more nervous smile appearing on his face. He sets off to a pile, already picking up shirts. “Do you think we’ll be okay?”

Subaru nods, with an affirmative sound. “Of course we will.” He moves back to the pile he was sitting on, dusting off shirts and putting them on hangars. “After all, if we stick together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”

“You know, I suppose you’re right.” Kyoka says, using her jacks to grab a few of the hangars, and moving over to her own pile close to the bed.

The three fall into a comfortable silence as they continue to put away Subaru’s clothes, only small conversations popping up for the rest of the time spent together.

“I’m heading off!” Subaru cheers, Hirooki smiling at him with a wave.

“I’ll see you after work!” She says, getting her hero costume on as Subaru walks out the door. Her classes are only every other day, so she patrols for the days she doesn’t have work, save for Sundays, which she always takes off.

Subaru jogs out, messenger bag over his shoulders as he makes his way to his new high school. Nine months since he crash landed on this earth, nine months since he made his first new friends, two months since proving his worth, and one day since he affirmed his values. His jog comes to a bit of a halt as he approaches the stairs, the brunette looking up at them to gaze upon his school once more. He gazes at the glass building in wonder, before slapping his cheeks with his hands. “Yosh, let’s do this!”

He sprints up the stairs, the cherry blossoms on the trees fluttering in the wind as he does so. He passes by other students on the way to class, a few familiar faces amongst them, as he continues onwards. He doesn’t exactly know their names, so he simply nods at them as he continues up the stairs.

Finally entering the halls of the school, he slows his pace, making it a speed walk instead, as he makes it to his classroom in a few moments. Class 1-A… Holy crud, this door is huge! Subaru takes a moment to inspect the door, before looking at the glass next to it- What is that.

Right inside the glass next to the door, is a… Yellow lumpy thing. Subaru opens the door, looking in the classroom to find anyone else. In the back is Yaoyorozu (in a very poofy shirt) and Todoroki (in a very stiff looking button up), the two recommendation students from back at the exam. He waves to them, which only Yaoyorozu responds with a nod back. (Still better than nothing.) Subaru’s attention turns back to the yellow lumpy thing. He reaches his hand out to it, only stopping a couple centimeters away from it. There’s a slight heat to it, and upon closer inspection it… Seems to be breathing. Subaru slides his Visualizers down, and takes a second to readjust to the sight in front of him.

For starters, this thing is alive, the waves coming off of it confirm that. Secondly, it seems to have some pretty scraggly hair, almost like that off putting guy from the exam. Thirdly… God, is he covered in Loneliness Waves. Just absolutely drenched in the stuff. Subaru takes off the glasses, and gives himself a second to breathe, before heading to a seat in the class. He chooses to sit in front of Yaoyorozu, since he at least knows her, and hopefully his friends will sit next to him.

The rest of the class starts piling in soon after, a few familiar faces from the exam show up as well. The pink girl and guy with a tail he sat next to show up, bright smiles on their faces as they wave to him (the boy gladly waving back). The frog girl and multi-armed man pop in next, also exchanging waves. Soon after though, two alarming faces show up. That tall blue haired guy (in a pretty fancy polo) from the exams… And that blonde jerk who Subaru had caught bullying Izuku some months back (guy even has a skull on his shirt, that just screams tv trope bully). A low growl leaves Subaru’s throat, and if one listened carefully enough, they could hear War-Rock letting out the same noise. The noise softened when Kyoka (dressed in a band shirt and black pants) entered the room and took the seat diagonally above Subaru, leaving the one in front of him (directly next to Kyoka’s) empty for Izuku.

Unfortunately the seat in front of that was taken by the walking blonde bomb, so maybe Subaru should swap seats while he still could… In fact yeah, he’s gonna do just that. Leaving his bag in the previous seat, he moves up and sits next to Kyoka, leaning over to whisper to her. Quiet enough no one else could hear, but just loud enough for her hearing to pick up on. “Blondie here in front of me is a complete jerk. Keep him away from Izuku, full stop.” She nods, keeping a glare on the other teen. “Also, heads up, I think that yellow thing in the corner is our teacher.” He whispers at the same level, Kyoka turning her head to look at it, only to jump a little when she sees it.

“What the sh*t, that’s creepy as hell.” She whispers back, louder than Subaru’s own words, but still pretty quiet… But apparently not quiet enough, seeing as the yellow lump moves a bit when she finishes speaking. Subaru leans away from her, motioning to keep her lips sealed, which she nods to.

“Oh, it’s you!” A voice declares, Subaru turning to see the blue haired teen approaching him and Kyoka. Subaru groans mentally, but keeps a neutral expression on his face. The teen stops and bows to Subaru, surprising both the brunette and Kyoka. “Though you are not the one I wronged, let me apologize for needing to be corrected in my actions! It was unbecoming of me to have done such things in a crowd like that!”

“I-it’s fine. Just be a bit more aware of your surroundings next time.” The yellow lump moves a bit as Subaru says that. Oh, he wants to be noticed. And so far, Subaru’s the only one who has taken note. Great. Oh wait, he should text Izuku, since that guy’s so jumpy. “And maybe lower your volume a bit, we are in a classroom after all.” Subaru looks at Kyoka, the girl thanking him with a nod.

“Of course.” The teen finishes the bow, before sticking a hand out. “I am Tenya Iida, from Somei Private Academy. It’s very good to meet you.”

"Subaru Hoshikawa, uh, homeschooled." Subaru takes the hand and shakes it lightly. "And, feel free to just call me Subaru, it establishes a friendship quicker."

"Understood." Tenya turns to go back to his seat… Before seeing the blonde student in front of Subaru putting his feet up on the desk. "How… Dare you put your feet up on the desk of an establishment such as UA!" He begins to rant, chopping his arms kind of like a robot. "Do you have no respect for the hallowed heroes who have come before us?!"

"Hah?! Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?!" The blonde yells, and Subaru is this close to standing up and smacking both of them for not talking softer next to Kyoka.

"I am Tenya Iida of Somei Private Academy!" The blue haired teen says, adjusting his glasses.

"Some, huh? I guess it'll be pretty fun to squash an elite bug like you!"

"Squash?! Are you sure you're supposed to be here?" Tenya complains, and Subaru silently agrees with that. Suddenly, the door opens, and there stands Izuku (in the blank forest green t-shirt that Subaru had lent him) alongside that brunette girl who helped him back before the exams (she's in some cutesy, but pretty worn looking clothes).

Subaru and Kyoka both wave to Izuku, the boy smiling as he adjusts his yellow backpack. However, before the two teens could get up to meet their friend, Tenya storms over to him and engages in a conversation of some kind. Subaru looks at Kyoka to get an answer as to what it is, but she just shakes her head.

"That's enough. If you're only here to make friends, then you can go ahead and leave. Now quiet down." A stern voice rings through the room, and in a few seconds the class quiets itself. The yellow lump in the corner begins to turn slowly, revealing the scraggly man from before (Subaru congratulates himself mentally for being right). "Good grief, it took almost ten whole seconds for you all to get quiet, and then another eight to notice me here. In fact only one of you seemed to notice my existence before that and tried to warn others." He looks at Subaru, the boy lowering in his seat a bit to try and avoid the onlook of eyes upon him (yeah, nice try there buddy). "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Your gym uniforms are on the stand. Put your stuff down, grab your uniforms, get changed, and meet me out on the field in five minutes." The man unzips the yellow lump as he speaks, revealing the item to be a sleeping bag, now showing his same dark outfit, before leaving the room.

Subaru glares at his back as he leaves. He really does not like that guy. He turns attention to Izuku and points at the seat behind him, taking his bag out of it. Izuku nods and hurries over, just as Subaru gets up to grab his uniform and leave.

Just as he passes by the angry blonde, the two meet eyes, and for a moment, Subaru swears the other teen tries to lunge at him, but holds back only barely.

May the Three Sages of Planet AM give him strength, or Subaru is going to beat this boy. (If Gonta were here, he'd probably have started wailing on the guy the second he laid eyes on him.)

Subaru was changed and out the door before anyone else (getting changed quickly was standard practice back during the later days of the Dealer Incident) so, he found himself just sitting down on the grass of the field, his legs outstretched in front of him. If they were putting on their gym uniforms, then it's likely that they were going to be doing some sort of physical exercise, so stretching beforehand was probably a good idea.

So, as the boy stretched his arms out to reach his feet, he would glance up at Aizawa to find the man staring at him quite intensely. Subaru tried to pay it no mind, and continued on to his other leg, but still he could feel the man trying to burn a hole in the back of his head. Finally, as he finished his stretch on the ground, he got up as quick as he could, and turned around to face the man. "Can I help you, sir?" Subaru asked, in a tone that was as polite as possible, while still being as form as he could be.

Aizawa pulled out a tablet, and let his eyes fall upon it. "You were one of two students who were able to destroy and thereby stop the zero pointer robots. The other being Izuku Midoriya. However, you both have serious problems that could affect the rest of your class." He looks back at Subaru with the same dead eyes. "He lacks any form of control over his quirk… And you don't have one to begin with."

Subaru rolls his eyes, before crossing his arms. "Izuku got his quirk on the day of the exams, so it's quite clear he won't have as much control. Meanwhile, I could report you to Principal Nezu for attempting Quirkist ideology on a student."

Aizawa stares at Subaru for a moment, before looking away. "I guess you won't be having a problem then, seeing as you've got enough will to actually take action. If what you said about Midoriya is true, then I'll have to see about setting him up with a Quirk Counsellor at some point." The man continues, scratching at his stubble. "Still, I'd be wary of some of your classmates. From the files I've read, it seems that some of them have grown up in certain areas that are unkind to the Quirkless."

"With all due respect sir…" Subaru throws a fist into the palm of his hand, the knuckles popping in a moment. "I'm quite confident that I know more about how to fight than they do."

Aizawa looks at the boy before nodding and looking back at the exit to the school. "You certainly know more about being punctual than they do. It's already been six minutes." He says, before looking back at the tablet in his hands.

Subaru resumes stretching, but looks back at Aizawa every once in a while. The guy is… Off putting, to say the least. Does he really care about Subaru's emotions in relation to quirkism, or is it something else? Subaru really doesn't think he and this guy are going to get along.

It's another few minutes before everyone else joins up with the two, Aizawa letting out a sigh. "It took almost all of you ten whole minutes to get here. Next time, pick up the pace." He says, before pulling out a weird softball from out of nowhere. "I'm sure all of you remember doing Athletic Apprehension Tests back in middle school, correct?" A small round of hushed agreements. "Well, the fact that the modern school system never allowed you to use your Quirks during that was quite troublesome, in thinking about it. Quirks are extensions of your bodies, correct? Well, in refusing to let you use yours, you lot were forced to hold back during those tests." He tosses the ball at the angry blonde. "Katsuki Bakugou, you got first place in the Entrance exams, right? Go stand in that circle, and throw the ball. You can do whatever you like, just make sure you stay in the circle."

Kats-No, he doesn't deserve first name treatment in Subaru's head. Bakugou smirks and steps into the circle. He winds up his pitch, his smirk turning into a sad*stic smile. "DIE!" He shouts, throwing the ball as an explosion rockets it forwards.

'Die?!' Subaru thinks to himself, thinking back to Tenya asking if Bakugou really deserves to be here.

Aizawa turns the tablet around in his hands, showing it to the class. 705.2 Meters. "This is to track the progress of your Quirks and how advanced they are."

The class begins to talk amongst themselves, excited chatter being the most prominent. And then the pink girl says: "This is going to be so much fun."

The air suddenly shifts around Aizawa, and Subaru applies his palm directly to the forehead. 'Oh, she really shouldn't have said that.'

"Fun? Sorry, but if you came here for fun, then you can grab your stuff and leave now. You have no place in the hero course if all you're looking for is kicks and thrills." Aizawa says, the class starting to get quiet. "Once you graduate, the lives of others are going to be in your hands. Welcome to the real world kids."

Subaru narrows his eyes at the man. In a manner, he's right. Being a hero is a lot more serious than media and fiction makes it out to be. But, he's also sort of wrong. Being a hero is also about helping others in ways of the heart if they can, and joy plays a huge part in that. This guy just can't decide whether or not he wants to be a real teacher to this class.

"In fact, I'll propose a challenge. Whoever places last in this test, will be expelled." Aizawa says, and the class pales.

The other brunette that Izuku was with goes to speak. “That’s not fa-!” But is interrupted when Subaru covers her mouth.

He quickly takes it back, the girl (and a few others) looking at him in confusion. “Sorry about that. But it sounds like you were about to say ‘that’s not fair’ and I just know that our teacher was waiting for someone to say those exact words just so he could go on about how ‘Life’s not fair, and expelling you would be a taste of getting you to see the reality of the situation’.” Subaru says, making his voice as gruff as possible to match the man’s at the end.

“Well that’s just the truth.” Aizawa continues, glaring at Subaru all the while. “I won’t hesitate to expel any of you if I feel you have zero potential.” He presses on the tablet, a small holographic screen popping up, a table with two columns and ten rows, leading for a total of twenty slots. “You’ll all be judged on overall scores. And, Hoshikawa?” Subaru looks at the man. “I want you to use that support tech of yours at least once, got it?”

Subaru merely nods, before the man drags them all across the field.

Subaru readied his legs as he stood next to Todoroki, the brunette smirking as they stood next to each other, a small running track before them. Being honest with himself, Subaru was excited to learn what everyone’s quirk was (something he shared with Izuku). Between Tenya having engines in his legs, the pink girl’s acid, and some flashy guy having a laser in his stomach, this was turning out to be quite interesting!

The gun fired out a blank, and Subaru took off running. Ice formed on the track path next to him, and Todoroki slid along it, but Subaru wasn’t too worried. Pushing himself a little, Subaru quickly outpaced Todoroki, ending the sprint first at 4.8 seconds, Todoroki coming in a close second at 4.92 seconds.

The boy with peppermint hair stared at Subaru for a moment, before walking back to the class. ‘I just can’t get a read on that guy.’ Subaru thought to himself, before doing the same.

When it came to grip strength, Subaru knew he wasn’t exactly going to end up on top. He clocked out at a measly 48.5 kilograms, before his hand gave out, the boy waving it to ease the muscles.

“You okay there Star Cluster?” Kyoka asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Subaru replies as he steps back into place next to her. “I’m not exactly the best at this strength stuff. My advantage has always been more in my speed and stuff.”

“I get that, I’m not exactly doing the best either. At least Izuku’s doing alright.” Kyoka says, Subaru nodding. At the rate Izuku’s going, he should rank in the top fifteen at least, the brunette figures.

At the standing long jump, Subaru fared a bit better, landing just at the edge of the sandbox, with only relative difficulty. Still, it was getting more and more clear that he’d be the one in last place, since the others were all doing so much better than him, thanks to the advantages of quirks.

Even if the repeated side steps were pretty much even.

“Back at this huh?” Subaru says, as he watches the softball from earlier in the day be thrown once again. “Guess it makes sense he’d save this for later on.” He muses, as the spiky red head who punched the ball with hardened skin steps out of the circle, making it Subaru’s turn. As the brunette approaches, he’s stopped when Aizawa places the tablet on his chest.

“This one. I want you to use your tech on this test. I need to mark all of my students' capabilities, and that arm cannon of yours will work best in this test.” The teacher explains, and Subaru simply nods. Aizawa lifts the tablet, and hands Subaru a softball, before letting him off to the circle.

He slides down his visualizers, before placing the ball between his knees. “Alright War-Rock, ready to do our one task for the day?”

“You bet! Even if it’s just the one, I’m ready to go!” The alien shouts, as Subaru starts up the H-Touch.

“Alright! Denpa Henkan!” Subaru shouts, before slamming his fist into his palm once more. Green flames overtake his body, as Rockman once more forms. However, as War-Rock fully merges with the form, he catches one last glimpse of the class, and his jaw drops before merging into Subaru.

“KID, BRACE YOURSELF!” The AM-ian yells, Subaru looking at his Rock Buster in confusion, before…

Pain, Suffering, Sadness, Isolation, Loneliness Loneliness LonelinesLonelinessLonelinessLonelinessLoneliness.

Time slows to a crawl, and then a full stop as Subaru lets the ball fall, before he staggers in place for a moment, his head spinning. He looks over to the class, and his eyes widen underneath the visor as he looks upon them all. Izuku and Kyoka’s loneliness waves had lowered during the time he knew them, but the rest of the class… So many of them were covered in the stuff. He knew about Todoroki and Yaoyorozu from the entrance exam, and Aizawa from this morning, but the rest? He wasn’t ready for this.

He shook his head, before leaning down and picking up the ball, as his vision started to return to normal. This isn’t good for him, it’s not healthy. FM-ians might thrive on these waves (or at least learned how to) but Subaru and War-Rock’s enhanced abilities coming from the bonds he creates between people is not at all helped by these satellites of loneliness. Subaru wants to be sick, but he’ll get over it in time… Hopefully.

He lets his left hand change into the Rock Buster fully, as he gently places the softball along the edges of the barrel. “Battle Card… Impact Cannon… Predation.” He lets out, watching as the buster changes into the weapon desired. He takes aim at a medium angle… And fires. Time picks back up,, as the ball goes flying, and Subaru stands as tall as he can amongst the swirling of what he assumes is his stomach (or what it will be when he exits Rockman, seeing as technically he doesn't really have any organs right now).

Aizawa watches the tablet, before turning it around to show the infinity symbol for the second time that day. "Great, so we've got two insanely powerful brunettes in my classroom, and only one of them is able to be stopped under the effects of my Quirk." He says to himself, before returning to the tablet. "Midoriya, you're up next!"

Subaru and Izuku pass by each other, but before the greenette can move forward, Subaru stops him on the shoulder.

The three teens, Izuku, Subaru, and Kyoka, all shared stories of what happened during their respective entrance exams, and they all remember Izuku talking about his broken bones. Subaru doesn't exactly want his friend writhing in pain, so he needs to help the boy find a way to continue.

"Izuku…" He goes to speak, before losing his eyes. What does he say here? Seriously, what can you say to this. "Just… Just be careful."

Izuku nods, before the two move on, Subaru back to the class, Rockman pixelating off of him, and Izuku walking into the circle.

"Tch, I don't know why you're wasting your time on a worthless sh*t like Deku." Bakugou speaks, crossing his arms. It seems that he doesn't remember Subaru, or at least never saw his face during the incident a few months back. "You actually have a strong quirk, unlike him."

Subaru tilts his head in confusion, unaware of the conversation happening between his green haired friend and the teacher, completely missing the first throw. "What are you talking about? Izuku's quirk is super strong."

"The hell are you talking about? Deku doesn't have a-" A large gust of wind, the sound of something breaking (Subaru is pretty sure it's the sound barrier mixed with bones) and the yelling of the word 'SMASH' interrupts Bakugou before he can continue speaking, the softball landing far away in the grass.

"I told you he had a strong quirk." Subaru smirks, before the blonde starts growling, before explosions burst from his hand, propelling him forwards with a shout of the word 'Deku'. "Hey, wait!" Subaru runs after the blonde, only to be stopped when the blonde is caught in the wrappings of Aizawa's scarf. (Subaru really can't decide if he likes this guy or not.)

"Can you punks stop making me use my Quirk? I've got dry-eye, damnit." The man says, as he puts tear drops in his eyes.

"Wait… You're the underground hero, Eraserhead!" Izuku shouts, and that let's Subaru put together what that means. Underground hero… Doesn't do spotlight, so he's far less known, and explains why he has a harsher methodology. Eraserhead and dry-eye… It's likely that he erases Quirks based on the name and the fact Bakugou isn't popping off explosions right now, so it's probably based on eye contact… But what's that got to do with his hair floating for a moment there?

"Look, if you're going to attack a fellow classmate, then you'll find yourself kicked out of here quicker than you can say 'Just try and expel me'." Aizawa says, releasing the blonde from the scarf.

'Personally, I think you should get it over with and kick him out already.' Subaru thinks to himself, before walking over to Izuku. He glances at the boy's broken finger, glad it wasn't a whole arm… But it's a broken bone nonetheless. The fact the greenette isn't screaming out in pain is both astonishing… And worrying. "Let's get you all patched up, okay buddy?"

"I c-can still keep going." Izuku says, the pain probably being the cause for his stutter. (Subaru would prefer for that to be the case, than the alternative of the bully causing it.)

"If you say so." Aizawa says, and Subaru looks at the man with a deadpan. Once more, does Subaru like this guy or not? He's making it way too hard to decide.

The rest of the physical examination were easy to get through, seeing as it was sit-ups, toe touches, and a long distance run. Subaru had plenty of stamina after recovering from his ball throw, so he actually lasted quite a while. Only reason he placed second was because Yaoyorozu seemed to just… Create a bike. (That felt a little bit like cheating, but he'll just have to outlast her next time.) In the end though, the whole class was left panting and trying to catch their breath.

Subaru watched as Aizawa walked up in front of them, before he pressed on his tablet, the holographic screen popping up once again. "Well done everyone, here are your results."

Subaru put his eyes on last place right away, and… Yep, there was his name right next to the twenty, with Izuku placing… Only right above him?

"S-Subaru! Your spot!" Izuku cried, Kyoka rushing over to the two.

"But you got an infinite on the ball throw! Why wouldn't you have placed higher?!" She shouts, astounded at their rankings being so low. "For that matter, Izuku you should be near or above me with all of your strength! What gives?!"

Subaru stays silent through it all, before turning to his two friends. "You're right, it doesn't make any sense." He says, before looking at Aizawa. "Is the reason he didn't place higher because he could only use his Quirk once?" He asks, his two friends' jaws dropping when he took their rankings to higher concern than his own. Aizawa nods, before closing the screen. "Ah okay, makes sense why I'm in last place then."

"Subaru, how are you taking this so casually?!" Kyoka yells, grabbing at the brunette's cheeks.

"Do you really think Nezu would let his requested student be expelled on the first day?" The boy asked through his pushed and pulled cheeks, Kyoka and Izuku stopping in their freaking out instantly. Kyoka let's go of Subaru’s cheeks with a snap, the boy rubbing at them with his hands. "Besides, it's pretty clear the threat of expulsion like that was just a trick to get us to work harder. He made it pretty obvious."

"Indeed." Yaoyorozu spoke up, the class turning to her. "I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure it out. Hoshikawa, you must be quite astute."

"Please just call me Subaru." The boy replied dryly, turning his attention back to Aizawa. "Still, you could have boosted Izuku up to eighteen at least. His averages were better than mine."

"They were more or less equal, actually. You had higher speed based stats than him, and he had higher strength, but you two were evened out in every other area." The teacher spoke, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Truly were it not for him using his quirk, you would be above him." Subaru nods, before the class turns to him in confusion.

"But wait, was that armor you displayed not your quirk?" Tenya asked, Subaru shaking his head.

"No, just really good tech." And the fusion between myself and an alien made of special electromagnetic waves, but that part was best left unsaid. "I'm actually Quirkless."

The class falls silent, looking at the boy in amazement. Well, most of them are. A certain blonde is looking at him like he just destroyed his telescope with a lawnmower (no War-Rock, he won't ever let you live that down). "You took on the Entrance Exam… Quirkless?" One of the students asked, a black haired guy with tape dispensers for elbows.

Subaru nods, the class remaining silent. "So, is class over, or…?"

Aizawa nods, before walking off. "Classes are over for the day. Your syllabus will be on your desks when you get back to class. After that, go on home." And just like that, he was gone.

Subaru clapped his hands together before looking at Izuku and Kyoka with a smile, well I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. I'm gonna get changed and go find something to eat. Izuku, go get your finger healed. I'll treat you to some katsudon after." The teen says, before walking off, the class still looking at him as he walks off.

"Him being quirkless is a joke… Right?" A blonde with a black mark in his hair asked, looking back at his classmates.

"No, he realized doesn't have one." Kyoka says, before her jacks raise up, pointing at the blonde's eyes. "You got a problem with that?" She hisses, the teen shaking his head rapidly.

"N-no way! I think it's pretty cool honestly! You don't see a whole lot of Quirkless people these days, so it's pretty kick-ass we've got one in our class." The blonde explains, before looking back in the direction Subaru left. "I'm just worried about any bullies he might have. I got tons of sh*t back in middle school cause my electricity can short circuit my brain if I use too much. He's probably got a big brain if he can use tech like that, but if it gets out that he's quirkless…"

"Then he'll have a whole ton of bullies." The pink haired girl finished for him.

Bakugou scoffs and stomps away, unwilling to hear the people dribble on about a Quirkless sh*t like he meant something. First Deku keeps a quirk secret from him, and now there's a new Quirkless trying to be more than he is. Whatever, Katsuki will just have to show him his place, just like he did with Deku.

Subaru waits outside the nurse's office, a set of three plastic bowls in his hands and arms, each covered by a plastic lid, chopsticks laying on top of them. The door suddenly opens, and out steps Izuku and Kyoka, the girl having stayed with the boy during his rest in the nurse's. "Subaru?" The two ask at the same time, Subaru looking at them with smiles.

"Here, here. I got us all Katsudon from a nearby restaurant and came back. It's still warm too!" He exclaims, placing a bowl in each of his friend's hands. He pops open the lid on his, grabbing his chopsticks, and going to town on his food. "Mm, even despite the stomachache earlier, nothing beats some good food!"

"Wait, you had a stomach ache? When? What happened?" Kyoka asks, Subaru turning away as he continued on his bowl.

"You two better hurry up before it gets cold!" He says, starting to walk off. The other two look at each other, confused, before chasing after the boy. Their attempts to get him to talk continue all the way through leaving the school, where they encounter Tenya and the brunette Izuku had entered the class with. “Oh hey you two, guess you two stayed after too! Might wanna start moving those legs if you wanna get to knowing each other!” He spins a little as he continues on past them, still eating his bowl of katsudon.

Izuku and Kyoka run past them, each holding their still closed bowls in their hands. The two shrug at each other, before chasing after them.

“Be careful! We don’t want anyone tripping on the stairs!” Iida says, before watching the brunette seemingly float down the steps. “Uraraka, what did I just say?!”

“Oh lighten up Iida, these three have the right idea!” The girl responds, as the five continue onwards.

Nezu watches on from the laptop on his desk, Toshinori holding a folded up costume in the seat across from him. “Well, it certainly seems like life is going to be a bit hectic from here on, wouldn’t you agree?” The blonde nods, before clutching the costume a bit tighter.

Tomorrow… Tomorrow will be the true test of their abilities. Be prepared, Future Heroes.

Chapter 6: 4 Points

Chapter Text

There’s something to be said when Subaru walks into class the next and all eyes land upon him.

There’s a few looks of what appears to be pity, some that just look sad, a few that look optimistic, and one very specific pair of eyes held in anger. As for Subaru, he just rolls his eyes and heads to his seat. He plops down in his chair, giving a glance to Kyoka next to him, and then Izuku behind, giving both of them a shrug, before pulling out his notebooks for school work.

His two friends look at him worryingly, but if he’s seemingly unbothered by this all, then hopefully he’ll be okay.

Subaru finds classes at UA to be… Extremely boring.

Okay, yesterday was an exception, but that’s because there was whatever that assessment test was. But most of the coursework being presented is stuff he did a couple years ago in his first year of middle school. (Well Nezu did say his work in the final year was closer to that of this Earth’s college students, so he should have expected as such.)

If Subaru had to pick his favorite of the standard classes so far, it would probably be English, if only because Present Mic (the loud blonde hero from the Entrance Exam) remembered him, and they got along well enough. Least favorite would for sure be literature with Cementoss (a living breathing human being made out of cement… Again, Subaru has seen weirder). Math is expectantly boring, considering Subaru could probably make harder equations in his sleep, doubly so when also taking into fact that being Rockman included some very precise calculations on the fly for when attacks would land or not.

Lunch was okay though. Subaru, Kyoka, and Izuku all finally got to enjoy lunch together on a school day, and were even joined by Tenya and the brunette girl, Ochako Uraraka (learning her name while running from his friends was a bit difficult, but Subaru managed it).

But the afternoon was finally when things picked up speed for Subaru.

The class was sitting in wait diligently, waiting for when their teacher would show up. Loud footsteps echoed through the hall, and Subaru could tell who was coming instantly.

“I AM…” The voice echoed, and gasps could be heard through the class. Is it really him? The hero?! “WALKING INTO CLASS LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!” All Might shouts, opening the door and leaning into the room on his toes.

Subaru mentally sweatrops, just barely catching himself from doing a double take. ‘Really Mr. Yagi?! Choose one, eccentric or actually normal!’ He thinks to himself as the man takes center stage at the front of the class.

Various murmurs could be heard among the students as All Might took to the front, most of them aweing over the man’s entrance. Subaru could practically feel Izuku’s excitement at seeing the man in his costume, it being his ‘Silver Age’ costume, whatever that meant.

“Hello class! I think introductions are without saying, so let me start by just letting you all know that will be teaching you Hero Basic Training! In this class, you will learn and train in the different basics of being a hero. As hero course students, you will of course be taking the most units on this subject!” The blonde man explains, the class lighting up with smiles as he does so, Subaru falling victim to this effect as well. “Let’s just hop right into it, shall we?! You’re first class with me shall be…” The man pulls a large plastic card out from nowhere, displaying it mightly before the class. “COMBAT!” He exclaims, the word ‘BATTLE’ written in english upon the card.

“COMBAT…” Bakugou says to himself in front of Subaru.

“Training.” Subaru finishes, a bit of sterness to his voice. He can practically feel the bloodlust dripping off of the blonde in front of him, so it might be best to either stay away from him, or take him down quickly if they somehow end up at odds.

“And to go along with that are these!” All Might points to the wall, several shelves holding briefcases with large numbers on them sliding out of it. “Hero costumes based on your Quirk registrations and requests!” The man exclaims, the class cheering in response. Subaru leans over and sees a small note attached to the briefcase associated with his seat number, a small yellow sticker on it. “Once you have all changed outfits, gather in Ground Beta for class!”

“Yes sir!” The class cheers, and Subaru can only be left to wonder about how things will progress.

In the locker room, Subaru takes the note attached to the case and opens it up.

‘Hello! To Subaru Hoshikawa, I am happy to inform you that due to your unique status as a Quirkless Student, I was able to create a prototype costume based on your requests! The material used for the clothes were made from carbon nanotube triweaves, and has kevlar inlaid. It will be a bit heavy at first, but you should be able to adjust over time. Alongside that, you will find that the requested steel toe boots have instead been replaced by titanium, due to it’s lighter weight, to compensate for the other materials. I did increase cushioning and grip, so running should be better for you as well.

-With thanks for being free to be a bit more experimental, and with well wishes for your safety, UA Support Course Power Loader P.S.- Designs you submitted for extra tools or ‘gadgets’ as you wrote are still being tested, and the technology you described in them has provided an interesting challenge for me to tackle, might even have my third years work on them.’

Subaru places the note in his locker, before opening up the briefcase. Bright red greets his vision, and the boy smiles as he takes the costume out.

It takes a bit longer for Subaru to put on his costume than the others, the boy severely underestimating the added weight to his clothes, making sure to take time to adjust to the material. He ends up running out alongside Izuku, the greenette dressed in a seafoam green jumpsuit with an odd cowl over his face, added safety pads on his knees and elbows, and a red utility belt on his waist. His usual red sneakers seem to have remained on as well.

“Ah, Subaru!” Izuku exclaims, watching as Subaru runs alongside him, the semi-brunette boy zipping up the jacket of his costume. “Your costume is so cool! It has a lot of form fitting, and does it emphasize speed? Oh, perhaps-”

“Izuku, you know I enjoy your mumble sessions, but we don’t want to be late, now do we?” Subaru says, Izuku shocking out of his words with a nod. “Besides, I don’t think mine has as much of a standout as the others. It looks more like clothes than anything.”

As the two run out of the corridor leading to the training grounds, the sun beams down on them, Subaru’s costume finally seen in the light. His visualizers and pendant necklace remain part of his appearance as always, though his outfit remains a somewhat changed affair. The H-Touch 001’s, the dark blue fingerless glove devices created from the remains of the damaged VG Hunter, have unfurled to around half way to Subaru’s elbow, the full screen of the gloves now revealed, displaying a list of Battle Cards on the left hand screen and an image of Rockman and various statuses on the right hand. A short sleeved hoodie in bright red, zipped halfway up to reveal a navy blue shirt underneath. Pants of the same dark blue adorned his legs, hoisten by a grey belt that held several small teal pouches, each filled with varying supplies. Finally, he adorned a pair of red boots with white soles, in lieu of the pair he once wore, though these would prove to be much stronger than those (considering they had titanium in them).

The two slow to a halt, standing side by side at the back. They look at each other, and nod, before stepping up to the rest of the group.

“Oh! Izuku, Subaru!” They hear a voice call out to them, and they both turn to see Ochako, Kyoka, and a guy in full armor walk up to them… And Ochako is in a skin tight suit… Izuku begins to freak out, while Subaru keeps a more stoic face (despite a small blush appearing on his face). “Wow, you two look so cool! I should have been more specific in what I want, cause they ended up giving me a skintight bodysuit, hehe…”

Izuku merely nods, while covering his face with his arms. Subaru nods as well, looking away from the girl, and towards the other two. “Well hopefully you can change it. I’ll even help go over design details if you want.” He states simply before looking at Kyoka’s costume. She’s in a very punk rock outfit, with a leather jacket and fingerless gloves. Her boots seem to have speakers in them from what Subaru can see, and she also has a pair of triangles under her eyes (maybe like athletes to keep sun out of the eyes). Though curiously, she has a pair of bracelets on her right wrist, one green and one blue. “Kyoka, you look so cool!”

“H-huh?” She asks, taken a bit aback by Subaru’s sudden praise. The words catch Izuku’s attention, and he focuses on her as well, the two boys getting up close to her with smiles on their faces. “W-well, I just wanted something that would fit my style, y’know? Didn’t want to end up in a situation where I was em-embarrassed or something.” She clarifies, blushing just a small bit. “Besides, I’m not done yet.” She reaches into her pockets and pulls out a few items, before shoving her hands towards the boys. “Here.” She says, the two reaching out their hands which she drops more bracelets into. “I figured you would try something like this at some point, so I beat you to it, Subaru. Now you two are my accessories.”

Subaru looks at the girl with a smile, before slipping his bracelets onto his right wrist as well, one purple and one green. He turns his head to watch Izuku put his on as well, one purple and another blue. “Heh, we all match.” He says, before All Might clears his throat, attention turning to him.

“Now then, it’s time for combat training!” The hero shouts, the class lining up to hear him out. Subaru, Kyoka, and Izuku end up standing next to each other, with Izuku next to the guy in full armor.

“Sir!” The armored guy proclaims, and oh it was Tenya, that’s cool. “This battle center is from the entrance exam, so will we be practicing urban battles again?” That’s a fair assessment, a city is good for that kind of training after all.

“No, we’re going to move two steps ahead!” Huh? “Most of the time, villain fights take place outside, but if you look at the statistics, atrocious villains appear inside at a much higher rate.” Oh, that makes sense. Subaru can think back to how often his fights had occurred inside of a building, or more uniquely inside of the operating system of devices, so indoor combat is a good thing to focus on. “Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals, the list continues. In this hero society, the truly intelligent villains hide in the shadows! For this exercise, you all will be split into villains and heroes, before fighting two versus two indoor battles.”

And there’s where the coin drops. Of course Toshinori would have the students fight on their first day of training. Subaru would like to hope someone like the number one hero would have a bit more tact when it comes to this kind of stuff, but maybe this is just how this school works.

“Without basic training?” The frog girl from back at the entrance exam asks, and Subaru tries to remember her name from the apprehension test. It was… Tsuyu Asui, right?

“This is a battle to help you understand those basics! However, the key this time is that there’s no robot you can just beat up!” All Might explains, before Subaru lets out a little cough, gaining his attention.

“If I may, I’d like to point out how this is a way to gauge where we all stand in different forms of combat. The robots at the exam had set patterns that we could learn and adapt to, but living beings like ourselves are capable of changing tactics on the fly. If we all learned the same fighting maneuvers at the same time, none of us would know how to handle fights outside of each other, and we could even pick up dangerous habits.” Subaru says, the class murmuring to themselves after he speaks. Izuku and Kyoka look at him in confusion, unaware at how adept he was at understanding combat. (When they’ve had to adapt to new viruses and threats as often as he has, then they talk.)

“How will wins and losses be determined?” Yaoyorozu asks, and GOOD LORD WHAT IS SHE WEARING?! Subaru turns his head from her quickly, his face flushed in… Goodness that was awkward to look at. He knows that the UA support department did not design that, because there is no way they would let a child wear something like that. Add Yaoyorozu to Subaru’s now growing list of people’s costumes to help change.

“Can we beat the other’s up anyways?” Bakugou asks, and Subaru has to stop himself from walking over there and beating that blonde asshole up himself-.

“Will the punishment be expulsion like with Mr. Aizawa?” Ochako asks, and Subaru had more faith that everyone would remember that the expulsion thing was a lie.

“How shall we be split up?” Tenya asks, and Subaru wonders if it will be by random choice, since that makes the most sense to him.

“Isn’t this cape just incredible?” The sparkly blonde with the belly button laser asks, what whis name… Yuga Aoyama, and Subaru thinks that question is best left ignored.

All Might clenches a fist, raising it up to his chest. “I… Will answer all your questions!” He says with strain, before a small booklet is pulled out from nowhere. Wait… Is that a script?! “Now please listen! The scenario is that villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout.” Nuclear? Didn’t they stop using nuclear devices back in 203X? No wait, that was Subaru’s earth. “The heroes are attempting to dispose of the weapon. To win, the heroes must capture the villains or get the nuclear weapon in the allotted time of fifteen minutes. The villains need to protect the weapon until the time runs out, or to catch the heroes.” This situation feels very western, in Subaru’s opinion. “Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!”

“Isn’t the method of decision a bit haphazard?” Tenya asks, Izuku turning to him in response.

“Pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes of other agencies, so maybe that’s why?” He explains, holding a finger the whole time. Subaru smiles, thankful Izuku is as big a fan of heroes he is, so that Subaru will actually know what’s going on sometimes. There are still so many things about this world that Subaru just doesn’t understand yet.

“Well said! Now then, let’s get started!” All Might cheers, holding out the box for everyone.

Izuku and Subaru stand side by side, holding a pair of orbs with the letter A on them, the two smiling. “It’s nice to be paired with someone you know, right?” Subaru says, Izuku answering with a nod. “Though, sometimes you can be paired with someone who’s a hassle.” The sem-brunette follows it up as he looks over at Kyoka, who was unfortunate enough to have been paired with Bakugou of all people on team D.

“Following this, the first teams to fight will be…” All Might shuffle his hands through a pair of boxes, before pulling out a pair of orbs. The result causes Subaru’s mind to scream in frustration. “These two! Team A shall play the part of heroes, and Team D shall be the villains! Everyone else, move towards the monitor room.”

“Yes sir!” The class shouts, as those not selected move onwards. Subaru hears a growl from his left and turns his head to face Bakugou staring at him and Izuku. Subaru moves forward a little to block the blonde’s view of his friend, but Izuku steps forward just a bit further, to give the blonde a determined look. Subaru looks at his friend in surprise, before giving the greenette a proud smile.

All Might turns and points at a plain looking office building. “Villain team, go in first and set up! In five minutes, the hero team will break in, and the battle trial will start!” The students nod, and Bakugou and Kyoka move onto the building. “Young Bakugou, Young Jirou, learn to think from the perspective of villains. This is close to a real battle after all. Go all out, and don’t be afraid to get hurt, but if things go too far I will stop it.”

“Yes sir.” Kyoka says, before walking inside, Bakugou following after with a grimace on his face.

“Man, even if this thing is paper mache, it’s a pain in the ass to move.” Kyoka says, dragging the fake bomb across the room to a spot closer to the corner, hoping that if they cover a wide area they can win.

“Hey!” Bakugou shouts, catching the girl’s (less than thrilled) attention. “Deku has a quirk, right?” He asks, and Kyoka rolls her eyes.

“Obviously. Just because he’s a late bloomer doesn’t change sh*t.” She replies. “In any case it shouldn’t matter to you, considering you’re calling him a name that means useless, which he isn’t. You should really take a step back and calm down, you dusty pomeranian.” Kyoka finishes, just to see Bakugou storm off. “And of course you aren’t even going to try and stay to help form a plan…”

“Bitch…”

Subaru and Izuku stand outside the building, floor plans in hand. “Memorizing the layout is a bit of work, but I think we’ve got it.” Subaru comments, before looking up at the building. He slides down his visualizers, looking for any waves he can. “Hmm, it seems someone is on the move, and the other is staying behind at the bomb on the… Fourth floor.”

Izuku looks at Subaru, the boy of another earth sliding the visualizers back up. “Incredible! I’ve always wondered why your glasses looked so unique. Are they heat based?”

“Oh no. It’s a bit complicated, but I’m essentially seeing a unique form of electromagnetic waves, called Bio Waves. Everybody has them, so I can adjust what my visualizers see to track people. It’s a similar system to how my armor works, but those operate on Z Waves instead.” Subaru explains, holding his wrist as he does so.

Izuku nods before looking back at the building. “Kacchan’s probably the one moving around. He likes to get up and close with the action after all.” He says, his hands trembling as he speaks.

“Bakugou is Kacchan, right?” Subaru asks, getting a nod in response. “You don’t have to face if you don’t want to.” He continues, Izuku shaking his head in return.

“Kacchan has always been pretty amazing, ever since we were kids. He’s a piece of work, but his confidence, his physical strength, and his Quirk are way more amazing than mine. I-it’s why he calls me Deku. I’m useless in comparison to what he can do.” Izuku says, only to feel Subaru place a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re far from useless, Izuku.” He says, catching the greenette’s gaze. “You worked diligently for months to build up your muscles, unknowing of when you’d get your Quirk, and managed to get into UA, one of the hardest schools to enter in the country, maybe the world. Sure you had help, but everyone needs a little assistance every once in a while. You’re the furthest thing from useless.” Subaru takes his hand off his friend’s shoulder and moves in front of him, before placing his first over Izuku’s heart. “You’re the Deku who never quits.”

Izuku looks at Subaru in awe, before nodding, clenching one of his own fists. “You’re right… Which is why I need to face Kaachan here. I… I don’t want to lose to him anymore.” Izuku slides up his mouth guard, Subaru smiling all the while.

“Let’s do our best.” Subaru says, taking back his hand, Izuku nodding in response.

“Now, let us start the indoor person-to-person combat training between Team A and Team D!” All Might’s voice shouts through a PA system, the two boys looking at each other and nodding. They turn to an open window and dash towards it, Subaru zipping up the rest of his jacket and raising his hood, sliding down his visualizers after he does so.

Subaru leaps in first, rolling to a stop, as he places a finger against the side of his glasses. “Knowing Kyoka’s quirk, she’s likely going to expect us no matter what we do. We know she’s the one on the fourth floor though, and Bakugou’s Bio Waves show he’s getting closer and closer to us.” Subaru says, as Izuku hops inside next.

“There’s plenty of blind spots, so we need to be careful.” Izuku says next, Subaru nodding, before the two make their way through the halls. Every time they turn, Izuku will hold up his hand and pause, Subaru following suit, before a corner check is held. Then, they will continue onwards. (There’s not telling if one of them laid any kind of traps after all.)

Subaru lets out a gasp at the next corner, pulling Izuku back with a tug, the boy dodging an explosion to the face, though his costume fairs no better as it now exposes half of his head. “Damn it, sorry Izuku, I couldn’t save your costume.”

“It’s fine. I’ve experienced worse than this anyways.” Izuku says, not even trying to hide the fact Bakugou has been bullying him for years, not when Subaru had caught the action himself. It doesn’t make Subaru feel any better though.

Bakugou swipes away the cloud of dust, his vision focused solely on Izuku. “Come on now Deku, don’t dodge.”

“We figured you’d come for me first.” Izuku says, as the two boys stand back up.

“I won’t do so much damage that this fight gets stopped, but I’m sure as hell gonna get close!” Bakugou shouts, running towards the two boys. “First I’ll take care of Deku, and then it’s your turn, Space Case!” He screams, throwing out a hand… That Izuku catches. The blonde gasps in surprise, before Izuku turns his feet, followed by his torso, and then SLAMS Bakugou against the floor in a sudden toss, robbing the blonde of his breath.

“Kacchan, you-...” Izuku looks at Subaru, the boy keeping quiet. “You won’t be winning against us that easily!” He shouts, his fists clenched. He’s studied Kacchan for years now, if he tells him where he starts slacking, then the blonde will just find new ways to torment him and others. Right swings are important, because he always goes too wide with them. Remember, Izuku! “Kacchan, I’m not the Deku who’s useless... I’m… I’m the Deku who never quits!”

Subaru lets out a small gasp, before closing his mouth in a determined smile.

“Deku…” Bakugou gets back up, staring at Izuku in rage. “Even now, you’re still trembling before me. Standing up even though you’re scared… That’s what I hate about you!” He shouts, before pressing a finger to his ear. “Shut your trap and defend! I’m really pissed off right now!” He takes his finger away, before continuing to glare at Izuku.

“That must have been Kyoka.” Subaru says, Izuku nodding a little in response. Just then, Bakugou swings his arms behind him, Izuku tensing a little. “Subaru, go, now! I’ve got this!” Izuku shouts, as Bakugou launches forwards with an explosion.

“Understood! Take his ass down, Izuku!” Subaru shouts, running off as Izuku blocks a kick from the explosion wielding maniac. Despite the sounds of explosions, Subaru continues onwards, making it to the stairs. ‘Kyoka’s better at surveillance than me, since I can confuse Bio Waves without the necessary information, but it’s easy for her to discern sounds apart. Even if Bakugou weren’t the violence craving jerk he is, it would have made sense to have her on guard anyways. And I can’t ignore the speakers in her boots. It’s likely that’s how she’ll be attacking. I could go with Rockman…’ Subaru thinks, looking down at his wrists as he rests against the corner of a wall. ‘But I’d prefer to only do that in a need-to situation. I’m confident I can combat against Kyoka if I stay close and keep her busy… Though, maybe some hand to hand lessons would have been a good thing to take before the school year started. Let’s just hope some basic street fight tactics will work for now.’

Subaru dashes off again, before finding a large pair of doors. ‘This is it. Once I step inside, it’ll be me against Kyoka, no getting around that… I’ll just have to do my best.’ Subaru steps back, before rushing in, slamming the doors against the wall to make a bit of noise, which was a good choice as a haywire pair of jacks freeze where he once was. Subaru lands on the floor with a roll, looking up to Kyoka holding her hands over her ears. “Guess making an entrance was the right call!” He says, standing up with his arms halfway out to the sides.

“Heh, don’t think I’ll be going easy on you just ‘cause we’re friends, Star Cluster. I still want to win too after all.” Kyoka says, her jacks returning to her.

“Of course. I would have gotten back at you in some way if you had too.” Subaru jokes back, a smirk crossing the two’s faces. They stay still for a moment, before charging forwards, Subaru raising his fists up to his chest, while Kyoka’s jacks move in to attack.

Subaru blocks the jacks with his forearm, moving them aside bluntly, before weaving out of the way of Kyoka’s fist. ‘She has an added advantage of two other appendages. They’re prehensile too, so if they wrap around that’ll be bad. She has a weakness to louder sounds, and it’s noticeable she slows a little when I shout.’ Subaru thinks to himself, doging another pincer attack. “You think you can keep up with me?!” He shouts, Kyoka wincing a little as he does so. ‘What else… She can only extend her jacks so far, so maybe getting a little distance before rushing in?’ Subaru runs to the other side of the room, Kyoka chasing after, just barely keeping up with the boy. ‘Yosh, this should buy me the time I need… sh*t, time. The timer must be counting down pretty low right now. Maybe I should-’

A sudden force rocks the building, snapping Subaru from his thoughts. He places a hand to his ear piece, removing his hood. “Izuku?! Are you okay?!”

There’s silence for a few moments, before a few coughs come out. “I-is something like that even allowed?” Izuku’s voice asks, and Subaru is thanking the Three Sages that Izuku is okay. “The gauntlet’s on Kacchan, they’re-” Izuku is cut out by a gasp, and Subaru tenses.

“This needs to end now!” Subaru shouts, only to be stopped by Kyoka’s jacks.

“Would you care to explain what the hell is happening?!” She shouts in question, Subaru trying to dodge past the jacks.

“Bakugou’s gauntlets did whatever that large shaking was! This trial needs to end now before anything else drastic happens!” Subaru shouts, causing the jacks to freeze for a moment from the loudness of his voice. He takes this chance to book it, moving towards the bomb.

“I agree, but it seems like we’re still taking part in this!” Kyoka responds, chasing after Subaru, managing to jab him with a jack in his leg, causing him to fall. “Besides, we need to have faith that Izuku can do this, don’t we?”

“Damn it…” Subaru rolls over, dodging another jack attack, before quickly getting up and starting to sprint towards Kyoka. ‘She’s right, we need to trust in Izuku. So, thinking back in terms of the scenario… I’m closer to the bomb than she is now, but if she keeps attacking me like she does, then I won’t be able to make it. I need to beat her and move on!’ A sudden noise comes from his piece, Subaru’s attention turning to that.

“Subaru, where’s the bomb?” Izuku asks.

“Northwestern corner of the room.” Subaru responds, blocking another punch, before sending one out himself, being blocked by Kyoka’s jacks.

“I’ve got a plan, but it’s risky. And I need you to follow along with it, no arguing.” He says, Subaru biting his lip as he knows he’ll want to argue. “Kacchan is still keeping me busy, but I think I can take care of both him and Kyoka with one attack, when I say so, run to the bomb as quick as you can.”

“Izuku-.”

“Subaru, please.” Izuku interrupts, his voice desperate. “Just trust me.”

“...” Subaru stays quiet for a moment, before jumping back, out of Kyoka’s range. He slams his fists together, green flames overtaking his body, before Rockman is formed. “Understood, I’ll do my part.”

“Thank you.” Izuku says, before the line cuts out. Subaru can hear a few more explosions take place below them, but he stays resolute, Kyoka looking more ready than ever.

“Looks like we’re getting serious. Well then, how about I add to the noise?” Kyoka kneels down, her jacks connecting to a boot. “I don’t just listen to things, I can transmit sounds too, including my own heartbeat. Let’s see if that armor of yours can handle my sound when I crank it up to eleven!” The violette shouts, before a loud pulsing boom sounds out, shattering the windows in the room.

“Wave Shield!” Subaru cries out, a polygonal green shield forming in front of him, as he holds out his arms, keeping the summoned protection up. ‘I won’t be able to keep this up for too long… Hurry, Izuku…’

It’s a minute of heart pounding, and the shield growing smaller and smaller, when Subaru finally hears, “GO NOW!” From Izuku. Subaru lowers his shield, and turns around, dashing towards the bomb (remaining conscious to hold back his true speed as he does so).

A loud BOOM is heard, followed by the shattering of more windows, as a large gust of wind enters the room. Kyoka covers her ears, as the sound echoes, Subaru screeching to a halt next to the bomb, which he places his hand on. “Weapon secured!” He shouts, looking around the room for some kind of confirmation.

“HERO TEAM WIN!!” All Might shouts, the result echoing through.

Subaru stands up straight, Rockman phasing off of him, before running over to Kyoka. “Hey, are you okay?”

Subaru reaches out a hand, which the girl gladly takes. “Yeah, my parents are musicians, so I’ve heard louder than this plenty of times.” She says, with a grimaced smile. “More importantly…”

“Ah!” Subaru exclaims, before placing a finger on his ear piece. “Izuku! Izuku are you there?!” Silence. “Izuku, please, answer me!” No response, still. Subaru and Kyoka look at each other in worry, before running off together. They hurry downstairs, the two working together to get the exact location, before reaching the scene.

Izuku is unconscious on the ground, his costume damaged further, with one arm covered in burns, and the other sporting a broken middle finger. “Izuku!” Subaru and Kyoka shout together, the two rushing over. They completely disregard Bakugou, the boy staring forward through a hole in the wall of the building, his eyes vacant and lost.

Subaru slides to a halt next to his friend's body, as he opens up one of his pouches. “I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but you’re gonna be just fine, okay buddy?” Subaru says, pulling out burn cream and applying it to his friend's arm, before pulling out some bandages to cover it. He looks over to Bakugou, the blonde stuck in his vacant stare. He starts to get up, to go over there and punch the asshole for doing what he did, but a force keeps him down, War-Rock hidden from sight, trying to cool Subaru’s blood.

The brunette takes a breath, before All Might shows up, a pair of robots with a stretcher taking Izuku off to the nurse’s. Subaru and Kyoka get up and follow after, knowing that they’ll have to separate from their friend once they reach the monitor room.

“Despite the rough patch, I’d have to say that the MVP for this round is a two way tie between Young Hoshikawa and Young Jirou!” All Might says, the class looking at the two in shock. “Would anyone like to explain why?”

“Yes, Mr. All Might!” Yaoyorozu exclaims, raising her hand. “Both Jirou and Hoshikawa focused on the goal at hand, while maintaining radio contact with their partners. Both used their abilities when the situation called for it, and attempted to outsmart the other when they could. Furthermore, they adapted the most to the context of the training, with the two being the ones to care the most about the safety of themselves, their opponents, and the building. Furthermore, to discuss why the others failed-” She continued, before being interrupted by a cough from Subaru. She looked at the boy who was shaking his head at her, the recommended student stopping before she could continue. “Ah, my apologies.”

“Please call me Subaru.” The semi-brunette spoke, his tone as dry as last time when he told her to call him by his given name.

“In any case!” All Might says, attention turning him. “There were also parts where the two of them could have been a bit more relaxed, but regardless, you are correct!” He says, giving her a thumbs up. ‘And you almost made it so I had nothing to talk about…’ He clears his throat. “Now, as for faults, that will be discussed tomorrow! We should continue with the matches!” All Might moves on to draw lots again, the class watching in anticipation.

“Psst, should we ditch and go keep Izuku company?” Kyoka asks Subaru in a whisper.

“No, he’d want us to get as much data as we can on everyone’s quirks. We’ll see him when we get back to class, just give it some time.” Subaru replies, getting a nod from Kyoka.

As class ends, and the students return to the main campus, Subaru finds that most of the other students are looking at him with a different kind of look.

“Dude, you were so manly back there!” A spiky haired redhead shouts, wrapping an arm around Subaru’s shoulders. “I’m Eijiro Kirishima by the way!”

“I will say, the courage needed to overcome hardship is an admirable quality.” The boy with a birdhead speaks next, suddenly standing next to Kirishima. “Fumikage Tokoyami.”

“You guys aren’t leaving me out of introductions, are you?!” The pink skinned girl shouts next, shoving the redhead aside. “I’m Mina Ashid, nice to meet you Hoshi!”

“Uhm, it’s nice to meet all of you as well.” Subaru says, looking at Kyoka who merely gives him a shrug. “If you want to be friends, you can just call me Subaru. I like it better that way.”

“You got it man!” The blonde with a lightning bolt in his hair says next, hopping into the conversation. “I’m Denki Kaminari by the way! Hey, is it really true that you’re quirkless?” He asks, before getting smacked on the head by the frog girl, Asui's tongue.

“Tsuyu Asui, but just call me Tsu.” She says, Subaru nodding in response. “Kaminari, please try and be a bit more delicate in asking sensitive questions, kero.”

“Ah it’s fine. Yeah, I’m quirkless. Not a quirk gene in me!” Subaru says, a smile on his face. “But I hope I’ve made it clear that even if I don’t have a super power, I’m not powerless.”

“Oh, totally!” A larger boy with a very full set of lips speaks next. “I don’t know about the others, but I grew up in an area with a lot of quirkism, and was worried that you’d be picked on by somebody else is all. Bullying and that stuff is just wrong. I’m Sato Rikkido, to let you know.”

There were a few agreements among the class after that, most of them agreeing that they worried Subaru would face aggression for simply existing. “Well, I appreciate the concern, but I can handle myself pretty capably. Even if something did happen, I know how to take care of myself.” He flexes an arm, before seeing someone walk past him, Bakugou still with an empty look in his eyes.

Subaru scowls, lowering his arm. Who knows how the rest of the day will turn out...

The day ends with Izuku returning to class with the same group that cluttered around Subaru now cluttering around him. The semi-brunette remains proud that his friend is getting the praise he deserves, though something does end up concerning him.

“Where’s Kacchan?” Izuku asks, looking at the blonde’s empty desk.

“He left a little while ago.” Ochako responds. “We tried to stop him, but he just left without saying anything.” Izuku takes off in a sprint as soon as she finishes, and Subaru does too, hopping out from his seat and chasing after the greenette.

“Izuku wait!” Subaru shouts, the two coming to a stop in the middle hall of the school, that connects one part of the building to the other. The greenette stops and turns, looking at his friend through panted breaths. “Where are you going?”

“I-I need to tell Kacchan…”

“Tell him what? That you’re sorry you won?” Subaru says, shocking Izuku a bit. “Izuku, you’re my friend, and as my friend I’m telling you to let that asshole go.”

“But, Kacchan is…”

“A bully and a jerk who literally exploded on you. I won’t sit back and watch as you try and fix something that wasn’t your fault. Besides, All Might’s got it.” Subaru points out the window with a thumb, Izuku turning to see the hero talking with Bakugou. “Izuku, you know you can talk to us right?”

Izuku looks at Subaru, and then back to Bakugou… Before looking at Subaru again, with tears in his eyes. “I just want to be his friend again…”

Subaru smiles and approaches Izuku, hugging his friend as he cries. “I know, I know…”

Subaru looks outside the window at Bakugou, and instead of the blonde he sees a boy with lime green hair, dressed in purple. Subaru frowns a bit, before focusing back on Izuku.

Chapter 7: A Green Perspective

Chapter Text

Izuku wakes up in the morning like he always does: Groggy, a bit messy, and probably not at all ready for what the day is about to throw at him. For starters, let's see what nonsense Subaru committed to the group chat last night, while Izuku and Kyoka were asleep.

The greenette grabs his phone, opening it up to the mass of texts sent to the chat that Subaru himself created when they all started hanging out. Izuku gives it once over, figuring out quickly that he was asking Izuku about his thoughts on the classes' Quirks. Izuku smiles, deciding the two could talk about it on their way to class today, after all the brunette had been insistent on meeting up outside the gates every day after the first. Maybe some would call it a bit pushy, but Izuku was pretty happy for the change of pace. Honestly, maybe he's just happy to have friends again after so long.

He gets out of bed, stumbling over to his closet, as he picks out an outfit for the day. A black t-shirt with the word 'tuxedo' on the front. He picks out a pair of tan cargo pants and heads to the bathroom to get ready. A quick shower ater, and Izuku is grabbing some toast and hopping into his standard red sneakers.

“Don’t forget we’re having stew for dinner tonight! Oh, and let Subaru know I’m thankful for the beef recipe again, he was very kind in giving that to us! Oh, and another thing-” Inko Midoriya fusses, speaking to Izuku before he heads out for the day.

“Mom, I’m gonna be late.” Izuku complains, his tone a bit joking. Honestly it’s like his first day all over again.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. It’s just…” Inko says, looking up at her son. Izuku looks back at her with a smile. “It’s not often I get to fuss over you. I just want you to know how much I care.” She says, Izuku’s smile getting a bit bigger and softer. He nods before grabbing the handle to the door. “Have a good day like always, okay?”

“I’m off!” He says, walking out. “Love you mom!”

“Love you too sweetie!” Inko cheers back as the door closes behind the boy.

Approaching the school (astounded everyday by how he gets to attend the UA) Izuku finds Subaru and Kyoka standing just outside the steps, both of them with cautious looks on their faces. “What’s wrong?” He asks, as he slows his walk to a stop. Subaru points at the top of the hill with a thumb, and Izuku leans to the side to see the top of the hill covered in people. “What’s happening?”

“Apparently someone leaked seeing All Might in the halls yesterday, and the press is trying to get the ‘inside scoop’ on why he’s there.” Kyoka says, Subaru nodding along. “We tried to get it but…”

“They’re relentless. Ugh, I swear, this is why you always create hidden entrances.” Subaru finishes, before he pulls up a holographic screen on his weird glove things. Izuku thinks he’s heard Subaru call them H-Touches or something like that before. “We might get in trouble for this, but I think it’ll be fine since this is all bs to begin with.”

“What are you doing?” Kyoka asks, looking at the screen. “Oh, yeah. That could work.” She says, Izuku looking at the two confusedly.

Suddenly the group turns to see Uraraka dashing down the stairs, Iida right behind her. “Hey! I got your texts, you say you have an idea on how to get us past all those reporters?”

Subaru nods, pointing up at the school fence. “Well, if our main path is blocked, the simplest solution is the best.” He moves his finger to the side. “All we need to do is go over the side!”

“What?!” Iida shouts, Kyoka cringing at the loudness. “Er, sorry.” He quickly apologizes, before turning back to Subaru. “But I cannot condone such reckless behavior Subaru! This violates school policy!”

“Not technically. I mean, quirk usage is allowed for students outside of class as long as we remain on UA premises and don’t cause any damage to our surroundings or others. And, I’d be taking two of you over myself, the only one who’d be doing the real heavy lifting is Ochako.” Subaru replies, looking over at said gravity changer. “Think you can handle the other two?”

“My limit’s a ton, so two people should be no problem!” Uraraka replies, pumping her fists to the side.

“Alright then!” Subaru says, slapping his hands together as he transforms, Iida proceeding to freakout. “Oh please, the armor is legally mine, I can use it whenever I like.” The boy replies before he motions for them all to follow as they make their way up the steps. They continue halfway, until Subaru starts going diagonally, moving past all the reporters. The group make it up to the fence side, befor Subaru points once more at Uraraka. “Ready to go? I’ll be carrying you and one other, so that way you don’t get sick.”

“Mm! In that case…” Uraraka steps over to Izuku and Kyoka, tapping them with her fingers as they suddenly begin to float. “These two will be weightless!” She grabs onto their clothes, the two still adjusting to the gravity.

“I still believe this choice to be unwise.” Iida says, before Subaru picks him up bridal style.

“Eh, it’s whatever. Now, let’s do this!” He cheers, as Uraraka jumps onto his back, tossing Izuku and Kyoka over the fence. The boy in blue crouches down and hops over the divide between the school and the rest of the world, landing softly and the grass. He lets down Iida, before Uraraka gets off of his back, tapping her hands together as gravity returns to Izuku and Kyoka, Subaru jumping up once more to catch them, before they all come back down. “Alright, plan success!”

“Yeah, if the plan was to make me feel like I was going to lose my breakfast.” Kyoka says, holding her stomach. Izuku nods in agreement, holding onto his abdomen as well.

“It’s fine.” Subaru says, his transformation cancelling out as he adjusts his messenger bag on his shoulder. “Anyways, we better hurry off. We’ve probably got extra time to get there thanks to the press, but we still don’t want to be late.”

“For the first time today, we agree.” Iida says, as the group all head over to the main entrance of the school.

And just when things seemed to be going okay… “Ahem.” Mr. Aizawa catches their attention with a cough. The group turn to face him, where he simply gives them a deadpan stare. “Listen now and listen well…” He begins, the students freezing in fear. “I’ll be late to class due to all of this press nonsense, so make sure nothing bad happens until then, alright?”

The teens stay in silence for a few moments, before Subaru coughs as well. “Uh, sure thing, uh, teach.” He says, his expression entirely awkward. The others turn around and begin to head to class, Izuku and Subaru being the last two to do so.

“And another thing, Hoshikawa?” The man says, causing the two boys to turn around. “Nice catch.” Mr. Aizawa finishes, before turning back around to deal with the reporters at the gate.

Izuku and Subaru turn back around, beginning to walk to class. “Can you get a read on that guy?” Subaru asks, Izuku shaking his head in response. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Now that whole mess is cleared up, I suppose we can finally discuss your combat training from the day prior.” Mr. Aizawa says, rubbing at his neck for a moment. “Bakugou, you’re talented, but reckless and impulsive. Don’t sulk about your loss like a toddler, okay?” The blonde grumbles in response, before the teacher moves on. “And Midoriya. I thought we had discussed injuring yourself with your Quirk on your first day. Granted, it was only your fingertips again, but that’s still pretty reckless of you. But, I can see you’re already trying to get better, so just keep at it, okay?”

“Understood.” Izuku says, appreciating a teacher actually willing to work with him for once. Subaru lets out a cough, as he slightly lowers his glasses again. His mouth is moving too, but barely any sound is being heard. Izuku remembers asking Kyoka about what she’s heard him say, but even she has trouble picking it up apparently. Only thing she ever truly got was something called ‘Loneliness Waves’. Maybe some kind of em wave Subaru hasn’t talked about yet?

“Regardless, it’s time we get down to business. Our first task today, will decide your future here for the rest of your time here at UA.” Mr. Aizawa speaks, the class tensing up instantly, in fear of another test. “You all need to pick a class representative.” Oh thank god, a normal school activity.

And then all hell breaks loose as everyone starts shouting for their own wants to be the class representative. ‘In a normal classroom, the representative’s activities would just be a bunch of extra work, but here in the hero course there’s more to it.’ Izuku thinks to himself, watching as everyone fights for the position. ‘It’s a way to get noticed by agencies and prove you can lead a team like a real pro.’ Izuku tries to lift up his own hand, cautiously, though it seems the only person who notices is Subaru who gives him a nod. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

“Silence!” Iida shouts, the class calming down a little. “The class representative’s duty is to lead others. That’s not something just anyone can do. You must first earn the trust of everyone in the classroom. With that logic in mind, the best way to find out who will fill this position is to do so democratically! We will hold an election to choose our leader.” He finishes, as he remains standing straight up, his hand in the air like a flag pole.

‘You say that, but it’s pretty obvious you want everyone to vote for you.’ The class seems to think as one.

“Is this really the best idea though?” The electric blonde, Kaminari asks, looking around him at the other students crowding around one side of the class.

“We’ve only known each other for a few days, at best. How would we even know who we could truly trust?” As-Tsuyu adds in next, her finger at her chin.

“Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves.” Kirishima adds in next, offering a fair point.

“Well then that just proves whoever did get the most votes has a fair chance at being a good class rep, president, whatever you wanna call it.” Subaru speaks up, getting some bemused agreements. “Besides, it’s not like we have any better options. The job is necessary to give out, believe it or not. Without it, there’s no real representation for when our class will need something. So a democratic vote might truly be our best option. Besides, I doubt Aizawa would want to read essays we create saying why we should be class rep over anyone else, would you teach?”

“No.” The man replies coldly, already dressed up in his sleeping bag. “Do the vote thing or whatever, just decide before I finish my nap.” Mr. Aizawa proceeds to slump to the ground, and fall asleep quickly, causing Subaru to sweat drop a bit.

“Well, there you go.” Subaru says, a small tired chuckle added at the end.

Election Results!

“You know, when I spoke about how the role was necessary…” Subaru begins, calmly, his hands pressed together as they point up at his nose. He then lets out a sigh, before lowering them at an angle. “I did not mean that you should vote for me.”

Subaru Hoshikawa - 4 votes
Momo Yaoyorozu - 2 votes

“Zero votes… I feared this might happen, but I can’t argue against the results.” Iida says, shaking in his seat. That kind of worries Izuku, if he’s being honest.

Subaru and Yaoyorozu get up, standing next to Mr. Aizawa, the brunette looking somewhat a little tired at the results, while the recommendation student stands next to him with her hands held close together. “Alright, well Hoshikawa is your class rep, and Yaoyorozu is the vice. Thanks for choosing in a timely manner, or whatever.”

“Well, this might not be so bad. Both of them have proven to be pretty smart.” As-Tsuyu says, Kirishima nodding next to her.

“Yeah, I can totally get behind this!” The redhead says, the class starting to see the positives in it.

Izuku watches as Kacchan grumbles, staring at Subaru angrily. The greenette frowns, rubbing at his arm uncomfortably, before Subaru looks at him and gives him a smile.

“You know, I was not expecting to see Yaoyorozu joining us at the table, at least not so suddenly.” Kyoka says, pointing at the girl with her chopsticks.

“I merely wish to discuss how we’ll be operating the representative duties from here on. This is strictly professional business.” The ravenette says, Subaru humming in response.

“Hmmmm, nah. We’re friends now. Understood, Momo?” Subaru says, catching the girl off guard.

“S-so sudden. You really lack tact, don’t you Hoshikawa?” Yaoyorozu replies, Subaru slumping a bit at the use of his last name. “Though I must say, despite your protests earlier, to expect you would take the initiative and invite me here for the discussion.”

“Wait, you invited her?” Izuku asks, Subaru nodding in response.

“Well, while I might not like it at the start, I feel like I have a duty to do my best. Back home, one of my best friends was the representative for every year of school we knew each other. She took the job very seriously, but was also ready to have fun when needed. I guess I just want to be like her, now that I have this opportunity. She’d berate me for doing anything less at least.” Subaru says with a chuckle, his eyes looking off somewhere in the distance as he does so.

Izuku and Kyoka both look at him in worry, Yaoyorozu looking at them with confusion. Kyoka puts up a small hush sign, Yaoyorozu nodding in response. If she spends enough time around them, the two suppose she’ll learn about Subaru’s home town, which in and of itself is a bit of a mystery. Subaru doesn’t talk much of it, and sometimes when he does, Kyoka can swear there’s some heart rate spikes that imply he’s lying, but they try not to pry, because the sensitivity behind it is no lie.

“Ah, but, that brings the mood down a bit, doesn’t it? Sorry.” Subaru says, rubbing the back of his head. “So, Momo, I think we should talk about how we’ll give chores out to the others. I was originally thinking of a wheel, but I’d love to take some suggestions.”

“You’re going to be sticking with my first name, aren’t you?” The ravenette says, getting a nod in response. “I see… Well, for starters, I’d probably go with a wheel as well. That way everyone gets even responsibilities. Though, we should make sure we evenly space the chores.”

“I don’t want to be hearing this talk while I’m eating lunch.” Kyoka says, Izuku nodding along hesitantly.

“Sorry, we’ll get to our usual conversations in a bi-” Subaru goes to speak, before a sudden alarm cuts him off, bells ringing out loudly. Kyoka flinches at the suddenness, Izuku looking after her, before she waves it off. “The hell?”

“WARNING. LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH. ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION.” An automated system speaks through the cafeteria, as students get up and begin to run off.

Subaru catches an upper class man's arm, the older boy stopping in place. “Hey, what’s a ‘Level Three Security Breach’?”

“It means that someone’s managed to get past the school’s barrier!” The older teen yells, before running off. “I’m in my third year, and this has never ever happened before! Get going before you get trampled!”

The group of students look at each other, before running off, each of them sticking as close together as they can. However, a roadblock interrupts their progress, as they get caught up in the crowd trying to get out.

“Izuku! Kyoka!” Subaru shouts, the two watching as he and Yaoyorozu drift away from them in the sea of students, heading closer towards the window.

“Subaru!” The two shout, as they’re pulled off towards the wall.

“This mob is causing a huge panic! There’s gotta be some way out of this!” Izuku says, as he tries to keep up with Kyoka, eventually grabbing onto her hand to stay together.

“But how? Unless someone comes up with a plan soon, there’s no way any of these idiots will calm down!” Kyoka responds, gripping tightly onto Izuku’s hand as she tries to stay on her metaphorical lifeline.

Suddenly from the other side of the crowd, a hook attached to a rope flies out of nowhere, Subaru and Yaoyorozu climbing up it, the ravenette collecting bits of the rope as they continue upwards, before they both begin to swing, jumping off at the height of the arc. Subaru slams his fists together, transforming, before turning in midair, catching Yaoyorozu, and seemingly hovering into the emergency exit sign. Subaru’s armor dissipates as Yaoyorozu gets out of his grasp, standing on the edge of the sign alongside him. She rolls up her sleeve, a megaphone popping out from her arm, which she quickly tosses to Subaru, the boy catching it with ease.

“Everyone calm down now!” The boy shouts into the device, the student body in the hall coming to a halt as they pay attention to him. “The people who managed their way onto campus are simply the reporters from this morning. There’s no danger and absolutely nothing to worry about!” He passes the device to Yaoyorozu, the girl nodding along.

“Everything is fine! We are UA students! Let’s remain calm and prove we’re the best! Now stop freaking out! Er, please!” She finishes, as she hands part of the rope still in her grasp to Subaru, the two grabbing onto it and tying it to the sign, before sliding down it back to the ground.

Izuku smiles, before looking outside, the siren lights of the police coming through the windows.

“That was some pretty impressive work, you two.” Kyoka says, as the four return to class. “Wasn’t expecting you to work so well together right off the bat.”

“Well, it’s all par for the course as hero students. We must be prepared for anything.” Yaoyorozu speaks, a small blush on her cheeks.

“You know, for someone who acts so dignified, you're secretly pretty happy to hear such normal praise, aren’t you?” Subaru asks bluntly, Yaoyorozu flinching a bit at the call out. “Hehe, called it. But hey, don't worry so much about that stuff, you really did great out there. Weren’t for you, I don’t think that plan would have succeeded.”

“Well, I only added an offer of assistance. Besides, you were originally going to try and climb up the window, which would have been a terrible idea.” She replies, Subaru chuckling a little in response as he rubs at his neck.

“Yeah, you’re probably right there.” Subaru responds, before cupping his chin. “Still, you’ve gotta wonder how the press got in, right? Not everyday something like that happens.”

“Do you think they replicated what we did this morning?” Kyoka asks, Subaru shaking his head.

“No, because if they did that the school’s weapon system would have done something.” The others look at the brunette in shock and confusion. “Do you guys just not read the school guidebooks? UA is equipped with an intruder weaponry system in the event someone goes over the gate. For some reason, the book never mentioned the breach codes.”

“I see… That would make sense. Though, that brings us back to the question: How did they get in?” Momo asks, Subaru nodding in response.

For the rest of the day, Izuku can’t help but feel like there’s something on Subaru’s mind.

As classes finally let out for the day, the trio of friends once more finds themselves with an added member in Yaoyorozu, the ravenette joining them at the front of the school. “I just so happen to be going the same way as you, is all.”

“Momo, you can quit with this perfect girl stuff you know, you’re welcome to just be who you want to be around us.” Subaru says, once more the girl being called out. She responds with puffed cheeks, and a pout… Before letting out a puff of held air, and looking at them with a sigh.

“I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m not used to being around others that aren’t of… Well… Higher social standings. I only know how to properly speak with them, and they can be quite mean.” Yaoyorozu speaks, Subaru nodding his head in response.

“If you’re not mean back, you’ll never get a word in. I know how it is in those circles, don’t worry. But don’t feel like you have to do that around us. Like I said earlier, we’re friends now, so feel free to be yourself around us. And hey, whenever you feel comfortable using my given name is fine, just know I will be using yours. Builds a friendship better.” Subaru says, giving his tried and true explanation.

“Thank you, Hoshikawa. And thank you two as well, Midoriya, Jirou, for giving me this opportunity to create a friendship.” Yaoyorozu bows, Kyoka waving it off while Izuku does the same, if only in a more rushed manner.

“I-it’s fine! We’re glad to be friends!” Izuku says, a closed eye smile on his face. ‘Once you get past the act, she’s surprisingly kind and bubbly, huh?’

“Well, looks like you're another victim of Subaru’s friendship. Glad to be knowing you, YaoMomo.” Kyoka says with a smirk, giving the ravenette her own nickname.

“Y-YaoMomo?” The girl asks, Kyoka nodding.

“Just go along with it. She gives nicknames to plenty of people.” Izuku says, as he finds Subaru stopping in place next to the main entrance/exit of the school. “Subaru? What’s wrong?”

The brunette stares at the gate, before approaching the side. “It’s rusted…” The boy says, feeling along the edge with his fingertips. He winces a little, before sticking his thumb in his mouth. He pulls it out quickly, a drop of blood on the end of it. “No, more than that, it’s damaged.” The others approach the gate, seeing what Subaru was looking at. The inside mechanism was rusted through and broken, jagged pieces of metal throughout.

“That’s quite bad, you’d think that UA would take care of it’s safety features more often.” Yaoyorozu says, Subaru shaking his head after that.

“No, because I guarantee that when that footage of the reporters trying to get in is released, you’ll see that the gate was perfectly fine this morning. Besides, this rusting pattern is unnatural, you’d expect to see the outer areas be more rusted over first, but look at the top of the gate.” Subaru looks up, the others doing so as well. “Look, it's still got rust, but the edges are almost completely clean. Almost like this rust happened in an area of effect.”

“Do you think it was the quirk of one of the reporters?” Kyoka asks, Subaru giving a shrug in response.

“I’m not sure. But whatever it is, I’ve been through enough to know that this isn’t a good sign.” Subaru concludes ominously, Izuku looking at his friend worryingly.

“Well for now, we should get you back inside to get a bandage, Hoshikawa. If a quirk did this, who knows whether or not that cut could be infected.” Yaoyorozu says, Subaru nodding before the class reps head back inside the school.

“You two head on home without me, I’ve got something to do today.” Subaru calls to Izuku and Kyoka, the two giving nods in response.

“Well, looks like it’s just you and me, greenie.” Kyoka says, Izuku giving her a smile in response as they walk outside the gate. But, despite the usual banter, Izuku still can’t help but think about what Subaru said about this being a bad sign. What did he mean by that? What else had he gone through?

What is this ominous feeling forming in his stomach?

After an incredible stew dinner, Izuku gets ready for bed like he always does. He switches to some pj’s, chats with Kyoka and Subaru for a bit in their group chat, and then scrolls through hero news sites for an hour before passing out…

Or at least that would be the case if he could sleep well right now. His mind was still thinking about the gate, and Subaru’s reaction to it. It was so… What would be the word here? Casual? Mechanical? Jaded? Izuku’s not sure what to say, but he knows that Subaru was acting like this, or something similar to it, had happened before. Like, this was just Subaru running through the motions.

Though, Subaru has always been like this since they met, when Izuku thinks about it. There will be moments where it seems like Subaru is just on auto-pilot, as he goes about his day. Mostly when he’s looking deeper into something, or when he’s talking about combat in his armor. Like he’s been doing something for a long time.

Izuku turns in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Thinking on it, what does Izuku actually know about Subaru? Well they’re friends, that’s just a blatant truth, but… Why did Subaru make that armor, where was his original town located, why is it so hard to find information on a lab explosion that wiped out all but one?

Who is Subaru Hoshikawa?

Subaru sits in front of Nezu’s laptop watching the security footage from when the press got inside… Or rather the lack thereof, as it seems that the camera’s suddenly cut out right as a figure with blue hair approaches the mass of reporters. “So, any ideas?”

Subaru lets out a sigh. “It was a direct connection scrub, so even if I looked inside the cam itself, I wouldn’t be able to get anything but a higher quality image of the final frame. Sorry.”

“No, I completely understand. However, that question was dual sided.” Nezu says, hoping into his chair.

“Also a negative. There were no threats sent to the school, and far as War-Rock’s been able to pick up, there were no files tampered with. If anything, it would be a physical file that was stolen, if anything was taken at all. Sorry, but while I’ve got a premonition of things to come, I can’t prove it.” Subaru takes the seat opposite of the chimera, the principal humming in response.

“Of course. Well, it’s not like we can prove anything right now regardless. Thank you for your time Subaru.” Nezu speaks, Subaru nodding before leaving the room. Nezu spins in his chair, turning to face the wall. “I can only hope things will be well for now.”

Izuku thinks about this question, before turning over once more. Does it really matter right now? No, he supposes not. For now, focus on getting through classes for the rest of the week, and do your best.

Izuku, nor the rest of his class, would be prepared for what the final day of the week would bring.

Chapter 8: Laser Beam

Chapter Text

A night and half of the day passes in the blank of an eye for Subaru, the boy's mind still stuck on the gate to the school being, seemingly, destroyed by someone who can make metal rust away. Or maybe it's something else, and rust just happens to be a part of it? Ugh, couldn't he just have one school year without having to worry about somebody trying to do something that could be seen as 'pretty freaking bad'?

It's only when the class reaches Hero Basics that his mood picks back up again.

"Your training today will be different than usual." Aizawa starts off, the class looking at him with interest. "Today you'll have three instructors, myself, All Might, and one other. The reason for this is that today you will be focusing on one subject in particular…" Aizawa reaches into his pocket, before pulling out a card and displaying it to the class. "Rescue."

The class begins to get excited, as they chatter amongst themselves. 'Rescue… I only ever did stuff like that in the rare instances that people didn't evacuate in time. It'll be nice to refresh my mind on the subject, see how it can be changed for this world. Maybe this will be the distraction I need to get my mind off of the gate.'

"I'm not done speaking." The teacher speaks again, the class hashing up afterwards. "Whether or not you wear your hero costume is up to you, since it’s still early in the year, and I can bet not all of you are used to them.” Aizawa pulls out a remote and presses on it, once more the costume cases sliding out of the wall. “We’ll be doing these activities at a facility a bit away from the main campus and training grounds, so get ready and line up outside for the buses. Now I’m finished, so start getting ready.” The teacher concludes before heading out of the room.

Subaru and the rest of the class all get up and head for the cases, Subaru grabbing his with a grin. Yeah, this activity will get his mind off of yesterday.

“Hoshikawa, you decided to wear your full costume?” Momo asks, approaching the brunette in her own attire.

Subaru looks away quickly, keeping his eyes away from her. “Y-yeah! It’s not super heavy, but I need to get used to the extra weight, so I figured it would be best if I wore it all. Besides, if I need to gain some extra speed, I can just throw off my jacket.” He explains, his gaze kept away from the girl, as a small blush spreads across his face.

“I see…” Momo says, taking note of the boy’s expression. “You know, I remember you acting in a similar manner to my costume on our first day of training. Is there something wrong, Hoshikawa?” She asks, walking into Subaru’s line of sight.

“I-it’s, how do I put this, u-um, I-I just don’t want to be rude is all! N-no offense, M-Momo, but your costume is u-u-um, a b-bit…” Subaru turns his head again quickly, before taking off his jacket and throwing it at the girl. “I’m sorry, please put that on! I can’t look at your costume without getting flushed from how… Open it is.”

Momo looks down at her costume, before looking back at the embarrassed and, frankly, uncomfortable Subaru, and then down to the jacket he had given to her. She thinks it over, before quickly putting the jacket on, finding it a surprisingly comfortable fit, despite the extra weight it added. “If I need to create something big, I’ll simply take the jacket off.” She says, finally getting Subaru to look at her again.

“Sounds good.” He says, the blush fading from his face. “You know, if you want, I could help you design a new costume. Not to boast, but I’m actually pretty okay at stuff like that. Your quirk requires skin space right? I’m sure I could whip something better up than what you’ve got right now.”

“Oh, that’s quite kind of you. I’d need to get in contact with the company sourcing my costume…” Momo says, causing Subaru to tilt his head in confusion.

“Your costume isn’t sourced by the school?” He asks, getting a shake of the head in response. “That’s odd, mine was created here in the support department… How about you submit your costume specs through Nezu specifically, and I’ll discuss it with him in a meeting. Requested students have a little lee-way like that after all.”

“I’ll do just that.” Momo replies, offering the boy a smile.

‘She really is bubbly underneath the rich girl act, huh?’ Subaru smiles back, as the rest of the class approaches. Izuku and Kyoka approach the two, both immediately taking notice of the taller girl’s wearing of Subaru’s jacket. “It’s a loan.” The brunette explains, the two nodding in response. “I guess your costume is still beaten up, huh, Izuku?”

“Yeah. After the combat training, it’s still too damaged to really function. While support is fixing it up, I’m stuck like this.” Izuku responds, commenting on his gym clothes underneath the accessories of his hero costume.

Subaru nods, before looking out around the class. “Oh, is this everyone?” He asks, a good number of the students nodding in response. “Nice! Well, the bus is open layout, so if you have anyone you want to sit next to, then go ahead and pair up with them!” Subaru announces, as the bus doors open up for the class to get on. Tenya looks inside the windows of the bus, letting out a sigh. “Even if it were a normal bus, I think being placed next to someone you get along with is better.” Subaru explains, Tenya nodding in response.

Hopping onto the bus, the class soon took off to their destination, Subaru sitting in the seat alongside Momo, with Kyoka and Izuku ending up on the sides alongside a small group of the other students.

“You know, while we all have this opportunity, I’ve been meaning to ask, kero.” Tsuyu begins, grabbing onto Subaru and many of the others' attention. “Subaru, how exactly does your tech work? It's been on my mind since combat training, kero.”

“Oh yeah, it’s like you created your own quirk or something.” Eijiro adds, in Subaru nodding along.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated, and goes over a lot of people’s heads, so I guess I could explain it a little bit? I guess I should start off by saying that the electromagnetic waves most people know about aren’t the be all end all that most would think it is. Standard EM Waves, as I call them, are the weakest and most noticeable version of them. My tech lets me view and manipulate the other kinds.” Subaru starts off, a number of the other students nodding along, while some of them look at the boy in confusion. “For example, people give off unique forms of EM Waves themselves, the biggest one being biological, so those are called Bio-Waves. It’s how I was able to find the bomb during training.”

“Oh yeah, you were pretty fast in finding that. Guess you picked up on Uraraka and just went right for her, huh?” Denki says, getting a nod and a shaky hand in response.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. I can’t track individual Bio-Waves, so all I can do is rely on what I can see.” Subaru clarifies, getting a nod back from the blonde.

“That explains your glasses, kero, but what about that armor? I doubt Bio-Waves are that strong.” Tsuyua asks again, getting a nod from Subaru.

“You’d be right. See, the waves I’m using in that state are called Z Waves, and are a bit harder to explain. I’d need to dive into some real deep science to explain that, but think of Z Waves as basically a super EM Wave. Heck, even basic information can get complicated, because it dives into topics that many would think impossible or even childish.” Subaru answers, getting Izuku to look at him in confusion.

“How so?” The greenette asks, Subaru rubbing at the back of his head.

“Er, well, it sounds outlandish, but Z Waves actually grow stronger… The better a relationship you have with other people.” Subaru shrugs, the others looking at him in disbelief. “Yeah, that’s about the same reaction I had.”

“So wait, the more friends you have, the stronger you get?” Mina asks, Subaru shaking his head.

“It’s not about having friends, it’s about the relationship. Anyone can just say ‘We’re friends now, we’re having soft tacos later’, but it takes putting in the effort to maintain that relationship, and even deepen it, that creates that extra strength. Like I said, it’s a bit complicated. But if you were wondering whether or not an EMP could disrupt me in any way, I can tell you with certainty that it could not. Tried that when I was bored one day, just made me taste metal for a couple of hours.” Subaru finishes, getting a nod from Tsuyu.

“Speaking of extra strength, that reminds me. Midoriya-” Tsuyu continues, Subaru letting out a sigh of relief as the topic of conversation shifts away from him. He loves answering questions about tech, don’t get him wrong, but keeping up his appearance of actually being from this earth is hard to do when you have to explain the science behind what you do.

“Hoshikawa.” Momo starts, Subaru turning attention to her. “Forgive me for asking but, when you use those Z waves, are you simply covering yourself in them, or is it something more? Now that I know a bit more about your abilities, I can’t help but be curious.”

“It’s fine. I don’t really want to get too deep into it, but…” Subaru looks around before cupping his hand, and whispering to the girl. “Technically when I’m transformed like that, I’m not even human.” He leans back, giving a cheeky smile to the girl.

Momo looks at him in surprise and confusion, before Aizawa coughs loudly, cutting off any conversation in the bus. “That's enough, we're here." He announces, the bus coming to a stop soon after.

“Woah!” The class exclaims, as they look upon the facility. Contained within a large glass dome, the complex reached inside and downwards. At the center stood a large fountain, which branched off into several different areas. A huge lage spilling over the ground in some spots, a mountainous landslide, a forest in the far back, a smaller entirely red zone covered in flames, and that’s just a few of the sights seen from behind the glass.

“Flood, Landslide, Conflagration, Etc…” A familiar voice speaks, Subaru turning with surprise to see his legal guardian coming out from the doors of the facility. “Every disaster and accident you can think of, within reason. I built this facility myself, and called it… The Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short!” Hiroo-Thirteen announces, pointing a finger upwards, the class seeming to slump a bit in surprise at the name, Subaru having no idea as to why.

“Hir-er-/Thirteen!” Subaru, Izuku, and Ochako all exclaim at once, Subaru stuttering over his use of his guardian’s name. Thinking on it, Hirooki had mentioned seeing him today, didn’t she? He had been so caught up in the hectic days, hero classes, and the gate incident, Subaru hadn’t really talked with her much lately. Maybe he could use this opportunity to actually bond with her again, he did spend more time out of the house than he did inside, so this could be time best used to get to know each other again!

Aizawa approaches Subaru’s legal guardian, rubbing the back of his neck as they start talking about something. Subaru goes to see what’s up, but suddenly the H-Touch vibrates, alerting him to War-Rock contacting him. Subaru slides his visualizers down all the way, stepping to the back of the class to put some distance between him and everyone else. He stands next to the door, looking to his side as War-Rock leaves the device in a frequency that no one else can see or hear him in. “What’s up, War-Rock?”

“What’s up is that you need to get everyone out of here. There are tons of people here.” The alien says, grabbing Subaru’s head and turning it to look out over the facility. The brunette’s eyes shrink at the sight, as tens, no, hundred of bio waves pop up throughout the area. “Not to mention someone is jamming communication.” The alien tilts the kid’s head up, Subaru seeing Wave Rails cutting off in jagged strips as they try to leave the dome.

“I’ll let Aizawa know.” Subaru says, tilting up his visualizers as he runs back to the front of the group.

“-I hope you all leave here today with the understanding that you’re meant to help people.” Thirteen finishes speaking as Subaru comes back to the front, approaching Aizawa. “Thank you all for listening.”

“Great speech, now let’s-” Aizawa starts, before Subaru tugs on his sleeves. “What’s wrong, Hoshikawa?”

“Mr. Aizawa, I just checked out the area with my Visualizers. There are people inside the building outside of us.” Subaru says, his words dripping with seriousness. Aizawa looks at him in shock, before the lights suddenly shut off, the power of the facility turning off. The fountain in the middle of the plaza at the bottom shuts off soon after, as a small swirling purple mass forms in front of it.

Out from it steps a man with blue hair, a hand ending in some kind of electrical plug attached to his face, behind him a large bird-man-creature-thing with only a tan pair of shorts on. Subaru tenses up, years experience of fighting anyone who shows up suddenly flaring in his head. Izuku notices the ready stance, curiosity crossing his face. Aizawa places a hand on the boy's chest, keeping him from approaching. “Everyone stand back! Thirteen, keep the students safe!”

“I don’t get it? Has the training already started?” Eijiro asks, Aizawa pulling on a pair of goggles as he adjusts his scarf.

“No, this isn't part of any training. This is real.” The man says, as he readies himself. “Those are villains!” Aizawa shouts, as more purple swirls pop into existence, more and more people, Villains, coming out of them.

“Thirteen and Eraserhead, is it? According to the staff schedule I received the other day, All Might was supposed to be here as well.” The purple swirl at the center speaks, a face appearing inside of it.

“Of course that idiot is the reason they’re here.” Aizawa says with a sigh, as he keeps his stance.

“Where is he?” The man with a hand on his face speaks, his voice scratchy and cold, like he hasn’t been outside in years. “We’ve come all this way, and brought so many playmates. So where is the so-called Symbol of Peace?” He asks again, before his eyes cross with Subaru’s, the boy looking back in determination. “Maybe a couple of dead kids will bring him out here.”

“Aren’t there supposed to be intruder sensors?” Momo asks, Thirteen stepping in front of her.

“Yes, but I don’t understand-” Thirteen begins, before Subaru’s shoes scuffing against the pavement cuts her off.

“One of them must have a quirk affecting the communications! I put on my visualizers to check the area out, and everything’s been blocked out! WiFi, phones, radio waves, you name it!” Subaru calls back, looking at the rest of his class.

“Then it seems they must have planned for this.” Todoroki speaks up next, standing next to Subaru, the ice of his costume giving off cold air. “Far from the campus, at a time when not many people would be here. They must really have an objective goal against All Might, because this is a well-coordinated sneak attack.”

“How about you don’t compliment the people trying to kill us?” Subaru says, before he starts booking it for the door. “Come on, we’ve gotta get out of here!”

“Of course the quirkless runt is the first to run.” Bakugou speaks, Subaru turning around to stare him down.

“Now isn’t the time for your elitist bullsh*t, Bakugou. None of y-us are prepared for a large crowd of enemies like this, or even skilled villains in the slightest. And while not as important, I am still your class representative, and as such it is my job to take care of my class.” Subaru responds, his eyes angled in anger. “My lack of a Quirk has nothing to do with this.”

“I was about to tell you all to evacuate alongside Thirteen anyways, so appreciate Hoshikawa’s quick thinking.” Aizawa says, as he readies himself to jump.

“Mr. Aizawa, you can’t be serious! You can’t fight them all alone!” Izuku says, catching the classes’ attention. “Against that many, you can’t nullify all of their quirks, and besides that, your fighting style is more suited for stealth confrontations, not head on battles!”

“No good hero is a one-trick pony Midoriya.” Aizawa says sternly, cutting off Izuku before he can continue. “Thirteen, take care of them!” Aizawa yells, before leaping from the top of the stairs, kneeing one of the villains directly in the jaw.

Subaru watches the teacher jump away, before continuing towards the door. ‘That guy really does want me to be divisive, doesn’t he?’ He thinks to himself, as he stops in front of them. “Come on! Let’s get out of here!”

Suddenly the purple swirl from the center of the plaza disappears, only to reappear behind Subaru, the boy jumping out of the way of a wispy tentacle about to attack him. “My apologies, but I cannot allow you to do that.” The wisp speaks, as a metal collar appears in the air. “Greetings, we are the League of Villains. Forgive the intrusion, but today, we have come to UA, a bastion of heroics, with one simple goal. We are here, to kill the Symbol of Peace… All Might.” He continues, Subaru tensing a little. “We were under the impression that he would be here today, but it seems his presence is lacking. Perhaps the schedule was changed?”

Subaru reaches to connect the two H-Touches behind his back, continuing his scared appearance. ‘That’s right, big guy, just keep talking. I’ll transform, and use lightspeed to take you out before you can hurt-’ An explosion cuts off Subaru’s thoughts, as Eijiro and Bakugou attack the wispy man, Subaru being blown back by the force of the attack, landing next to Momo and Kyoka.

“Betcha didn’t see that coming, huh?! If we take you down before you can do anything, then what does it matter?!” Eijiro shouts, Bakugou staying quiet.

‘Oh. They’re idiots. Great.’ Subaru thinks to himself as he stands up with Momo’s help.

“That was quite close. Students you may be, you are definitely strong.” The wisp continues, as his yellow eyes glow brightly.

“No, you two, get back!” Thirteen shouts, before the villain seems to expand, surrounding everyone.

“Begone! Writhe in torment… Until you breathe your last!” The man shouts, as people around him fade away into darkness. Izuku, Tsuyu, and Denki. Todoroki and the invisible girl, Hagakure. Bakugou and Eijiro. And then finally, Kyoka, Momo, and…

Himself.

When Izuku opens his eyes, he opens them to a pool of water in front of himself, as he begins to fall. ‘The flood zone?!’ He shouts in his mind as he quickly takes as deep a breath as he can, before he falls into the cold water below him. ‘He teleported! Not just himself, but everyone! That must be his quirk… But what did he mean by wanting to kill All Might? Surely they can’t actually-’

“There you are!” A voice shouts, Izuku turning to suddenly see a shark bodied man staring right at him. “Nuthin’ personal kid… But say goodbye!” The shark villain yells, before launching at Izuku, with jaws open wide… Before As-Tsuyu appears from nowhere, kicking the villain away.

“I’ve got you Midoriya.” She says, grabbing onto her fellow greenette with her tongue. “Let’s say goodbye to this creep, kero.” Tsuyu propels herself and Izuku upwards, before slinging the boy up onto a boat in the middle of the zone, before hopping up herself.

“Ah, thank goodness it’s you two!” A new voice yells, the two looking to see the electric blonde, Kaminari looking at them in joy. “I thought for a second you were villains who got onto the boat, and I would have to hit you or something.”

“It’s fine, uh, Kaminari.” Izuku says, before turning to Tsuyu. “Thanks for the help, As-Tsuyu. Sorry, it’s hard getting used to given names for me.”

“It’s fine, but more importantly we seem to be in trouble.” She replies, Izuku nodding.

“They knew our schedule. It’s only fair to assume that the media rush that happened yesterday was caused by them in order to get the info.” Izuku says, as he grimaces. “It’s like Todoroki said, this was well planned.”

“Didn’t they say they were going to try and kill All Might? The guy’s crazy strong, but I’m kind of scared they got something prepared to do that. I mean, did you see that crazy muscle bird guy?!” Kaminari freaks out, Tsuyu whipping him across the back of the head. “Thanks, I kind of needed that.”

“No problem, kero.” She replies with a nod.

Splashes of water pop out from around the boat, as various villains pop their heads out of the water. The three students get closer to the inside of the boat, huddling around each other.

“So they must have figured out a way to kill All Might, probably that big thing we saw, but why? Why kill him? Because he stands against villains? Against evil? Because everyone calls him the Symbol of Peace?” Izuku begins muttering to himself, covering his mouth with a hand. “No, there has to be a specific reason… A reason…” His eyes shrink in realization, as memories flood to the surface. Flashes of the man in both buff and shrunken form, of a power passed down, of times spent together. Izuku straightens himself out, lowering his head, as his wet hair covers his eyes. “If they… If there’s even a chance they have a way to kill All Might… Then we have to fight and win!”

“You say that, but how?” Kaminari asks, Izuku and Tsuyu looking at him in reaction. “I mean, what can we do against these guys?”

“Kaminari, those guys down there, they’re suited for aquatic combat, right?” Izuku starts, the group looking out at the villains.

“The ringleader must have invited them knowing about the USJ’s environments, right?” Tsuyu asks, getting a nod from Izuku in response.

“Exactly! Or their intel told them as much, at least. But with all of that planning, one odd part sticks out.” Izuku continues, before pointing at his fellow greenette. “They zapped you into the flood zone too, As-Tsuyu!” He points out, the frog girl nodding alongside the blonde. “Oh, uh, what I’m saying is that they must not know about our quirks.”

“If they’d known about me having a flood quirk, they would have placed me in the conflagration zone.” Tsuyu points out, getting a nod from Izuku.

“It’s because they don’t know our quirks, that they planned on dumping us in different areas and overwhelming us with sheer number.” Izuku continues, as he looks back at the flood zone. “They have beat in that corner, as well as experience, but we can still win! As long as we exploit the fact that they don’t know our quirks.” He says, still focusing on the villains. “Look, them staying in the water and not doing anything supports that theory.” He finishes, his gaze unwavering. ‘But, that also means that they’re not going to underestimate us…’

“Well, when it comes to quirks, mine is pretty self explanatory, kero. Anything a frog can do, so can I. I can jump really high, stick to walls, and my tongue can extend about twenty meters, kero. I can also spit out my stomach to clean it, and I secrete a poisonous liquid, er, well I say that but it really just stings a little.” Tsuyu says, getting a nod from Izuku. “Those two aren’t that useful, so forget about them, kero.”

“I… I have super strength, but because I only unlocked my quirk recently, it shatters my bones after use. I can concentrate it to smaller parts of my body though, so I should be able to use it a little bit if I try.” Izuku says, clenching a fist. The two then look at Kaminari, the blood looking around for a second, before realizing what they were doing.

“Oh, uh, I can charge and discharge electricity. It’s a bit hard to control though, so if I use too much, I can hurt those around me. And if I go over a wattage limit, I fry my brain, leaving me a bit stupid.” Kaminari explains, scratching the back of his head, before he looks back to see Izuku and Tsuyu staring at him, stupefied. “What? Look I get it’s not physical but-”

“No, that’s not it… Kaminari, we’re on a lake.” Izuku says, Kaminari looking at him in confusion. “Lakes are made of water.” More confusion. “Water conducts electricity.”

Tick… Tick… Ding! “Ohhhhhh! You mean- I can- But won’t that kill them?” Kaminari asks, looking back at the villains.

“Not if you keep the wattage low.” Izuku says, before looking back at the lake. “Then we can just… Leave.” He says, looking back at Kaminari.

“Oh. Sweet! I’m actually really useful here then! Just leave it to me!” He says, before he looks at the lake. He steps back, before running forward, jumping into the water. Izuku runs and grabs the lifesaver, watching as the villains move back. Suddenly, yellow arcs of electricity spark across the water, as all of the villains jolt in pain, before passing out. Soon after, Kaminari floats to the surface, a dumb look on his face. “Whey~!”

“That was surprisingly easy, kero.” Tsuyu says, before Izuku tosses the lifesaver, catching Kaminari in it. “I’ve got it from here. Hold tight to me.” She continues, grabbing Izuku, before extending her tongue and wrapping around the stupefied blonde, before she jumps off of the boat with the two in tow.

Izuku watches behind them as the group leave the area, looking over the lake with curiosity. ‘We managed to get out of there without any serious harm, but even still… Not everything will be this easy. Not to mention the others must be having a hard time as well…’ A flash of a certain brunette goes through Izuku’s mind, as he remembered how ready the boy was to fight. ‘Subaru… Why were you prepared for the attack so quickly? What’s happened to you in the past?’

‘And where are you now?’

Subaru throws out a buster shot, as he dodges another swing from a villain, the boy jumping up to headbutt the attacker, before shoving him away. “Damn it, these guys just keep coming!” He exclaims, as he backs away from another villain, now standing back to back with Kyoka and Momo, as they stand in the center of the Mountain Zone, all of them surrounded by villains on all sides.

“Why do you not use those attacks you used at the entrance exam, Hoshikawa?” Momo asks, as she swings a bo staff out, thwacking a small group away from herself. “Surely that would help ‘thin the herd’ so to say.”

“Well, I would, heck, I have the perfect combo to clear them all away too, but if I use them, you two might get swept up with them.” Subaru replies, blasting away at a few more villains. “If you can find something to cling to for dear life, then yeah, I’d be more than happy to use my battle cards.”

“Well if that’s what you need.” Momo says, as she unzips Subaru’s jacket and proceeds to throw it to the side.

“What are you- WHOA!” Kyoka shouts, before she quickly grabs Subaru’s shoulders with her jacks. “I know you’re not that kind of guy, but I’m gonna need you to keep your eyes on anything but YaoMomo right now!” She exclaims, Subaru keeping his aim on the villains.

“Well that’s kind of the idea!” He replies, raising an arm up as his shield pops out, blocking the punch of one villain holding up a rock over their fist. “Man you guys are annoying!” Subaru weaves out of one villain's knife swing, before punching him in the gut knocking his wind out, before blasting him away with another buster shot. ‘Bet Izuku doesn’t have to deal with this right now…’

“It’s ready!” Momo shouts, as Subaru hears a loud crashing sound behind him. “Hoshikawa, whatever you have planned, get ready to do it! Jirou, grab onto the pike!”

“Did you seriously make a pike?!” Subaru calls back, kicking away another villain, as he readies his arm to activate his attacks.

“Yes, now attack already!” Kyoka shouts out, Subaru giving a nod, before looking at the villains with a smirk.

“Alright… Time to cut loose!” He shouts, before swiping his hand against the screen of his buster. “Battle Card, predation! Windy Attack!” Subaru’s buster transforms, as the base of his sword hand appears, before the green wave energy transforms into a shape similar to a traditional eastern fan, the boy swiping it to the side, as a small tornado of green wind picks up, some of the villains being sucked into it. “And follow it up, Hurricane Dance!” The boy exclaims as he jumps into the middle of the tornado, as he sticks out a leg, and begins to spin around. The tornado begins to intensify as the wind turns red, before accelerating through the horde of villains, each one being picked up, rocked around the winds with great force, before being tossed out, unconscious. The tornado comes to a stop when all of the villains have been knocked out, Subaru screeching to a halt against the rocky terrain. “Enemy dele-er, defeated!”

“Don’t look yet!” Kyoka shouts, Subaru turning around suddenly, a red and blue dusting on his cheeks.

“Sorry!” Subaru exclaims, turning around quickly, only to be surprised when a hand suddenly launches out of the dirt, followed by a whole person, as he grabs onto the boy’s lower face, lifting him up with ease. “Gah!”

“Subaru!/Hoshikawa!” Kyoka and Momo shout as one, as the boy grabs at his attacker's hand.

“Ah, ah! Don’t try anything! Any of you’s try something and I’ll fry the little fly boy here like he’s chicken!” The villain exclaims, the three falling motionless. “Good. Now here's the thing, your little group might actually cause a challenge for my boss and his plan, so what you’re all gonna do is sit still and look pretty, while the big guy kills All Might, okay?”

‘Kill All Might? That’s right, that was their plan, wasn’t it? Maybe I can get some more info out of this guy. He seems like the chatty type.’ Subaru thinks, before acting on his plan. “So, what makes you think that ugly bird thing can kill the Symbol of Peace? Everyone’s seen All Might take down things way tougher looking than that, so what can this guy do that others can’t?”

“Eh? Soundy a little co*cky there brat. Maybe I should kill you for speaking.” Small yellow sparks fly off of the other man’s hand, Subaru pretending to flinch at the sight. “Seems you know ya place. Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Shigaraki, the boss, says that there Nomu thing’s got more than one Quirk! He’s a weapon created specifically to kill All Might. Now, I don’t know what kinda powers he's got going on, but he can take a hit and deal it back too!” The villain laughs, Subaru narrowing his eyes. “Now then, I think that’s enough for your curiosity. So, just sit back and get your hands offa mine. See, I’d really like to trade you with one of these broads here. Maybe I’ll take the bus-” The man is cut off when Subaru suddenly aims his buster at the man’s throat and fires a small blast, causing the man to drop the boy.

“Thanks for the info, but creeps like you freak me out. As a treat, I’ll beat you with your own power. Battle Card, predation!” Subaru shouts, as his right hand is covered in metallic yellow gauntlet with grey fingers. “Stun Knuckle!” The fist connects at the man’s gut, electrifying him with tremendous power, before he falls to the ground unconscious. “And word to the wise, don’t call my friends ‘broads’, you damn pervert bastard.” Subaru turns around, watching as Momo and Kyoka let out breaths of relief, the taller girl once more dressed in Subaru’s jacket. “We need to get out of here.”

“Agreed. I believe the exit is off that way.” Momo says, pointing over towards another part of the mountain.

“Alright, let’s go!” Subaru shouts, as the three sprint off.

“So, what should we do now, kero?” Tsuyu asks, Izuku shaking himself out of an anxiety filled mutter storm.

“Well, calling for help should be the priority. For now, we should follow the shoreline and make for the exit, avoiding the plaza altogether.” Izuku explains, before the group looks out to said location.

“Looks like Mr. Aizawa is dragging a whole bunch of them into the plaza. Would very much like it if we were not dragged into that, thank you.” Kaminari says, the boy recovering from his brain frying.

“...There are too many of them.” Izuku says, catching his classmates’ attention. “Of course he’s more than holding his own out there, but it’s too much for him. He knew that, but jumped in to protect us anyways.” He finishes, clenching his fist.

“Dude, we just escaped a lake full of villains! Don’t tell me you’re that stupid!” Kaminari yells, Izuku shaking his head in response.

“I’m not saying we dive in right away to fight.” He retorts, before looking back at the fight. “Just that we watch for an opening and do what we can to lighten his load.”

“I think this is seriously a bad idea.” Kyoka says, as she and Momo follow Subaru as he sneaks around the edge of the plaza, the boy sticking to the edges of the zones. “I mean seriously, we should be heading for the exit to contact for help.”

“I already did.” Subaru replies, confusing the two girls. “Electro back there was the guy cutting off communications. Soon as his quirk cut out I sent a message for help to the school. They should be here in twenty minutes or so.” The boy replies, as he suddenly tucks himself against the wall, the girls following suit as a villain that was knocked out goes flying past him. “But right now, Aizawa needs to know that the big guy has multiple quirks, and can majorly and utterly, mess him up. We don’t need to fight, just tell him to watch out for that.”

“I suppose giving our teacher valuable information such as that is okay, as long as we stay out of any altercations.” Momo says, Subaru nodding his head as they detach from the wall, continuing on their path.

The three continue onwards, getting closer and closer to the plaza until…

“GWAHHH!!” A voice screams out, all too similar to that of their teacher, the teens pausing, as fear washes over Kyoka and Momo’s faces, Subaru’s draining of life.

“Was that… Mr. Aizawa?” Momo asks, taking a step back.

“H-He’s not hurt… Is he?” Kyoka asks next, as she looks at Subaru.

“A-” Subaru begins, his eyes shrinking smaller and smaller. ‘Not again, not again, not again, not again-’ His mind repeats on loop, as his mind begins to haze. In his head, fire begins to form around him, as a man in white armor is laid out across the floor, slowly fading away into pixels. Subaru shakes his head, the sight disappearing, before his fist clenches up. “I won’t let that happen again!” He suddenly screams, before taking off, his speed at a much higher pace than before.

“Wait!” Kyoka shouts, both she and Momo reaching out for Subaru just a moment too late.

The man with a hand covering his face, Shigaraki, that portal mist guy, Kurogiri, called him, is in front of As-Tsuyu in a second, the shock of their teacher’s broken and battered body still fresh in their mind, as he struggles to keep the villain’s quirk off. “You're way too cool… Eraserhead.”

“Get… Off her!” Izuku yells, One for All charging in his fist as he throws out a punch. “SMASH!” He braces himself for it to break but… It doesn’t. It connects, and carries through, definitely hitting its target. ‘Now?! Now is when I figure out how to manage it?!’ But looking up, he sees not Shigaraki, but instead the weird creature, Nomu, in his place. ‘So fast… When did he…?’

“Quite a move you just pulled off.” Shigaraki speaks from behind the creature, Izuku looking up in fear. “And with a ‘Smash’ too. Are you a fan of All Might?” The Nomu gets closer to Izuku, it’s fist reared back. “Well, whatever.”

Izuku begins to fall back, fear on his face, as tears sting at the corner of his eyes. Tsuyu’s tongue reaches out for him, but it’s already too late…

Until-

“GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BASTARD!” Subaru yells, zooming in from nowhere in a streak of blue light, as he places his left fist against the Nomu, his hand changing into the buster, before it changes again, now resembling a bird, and then fires out, launching the Nomu and the bird away.

“What the hell?!” The blue haired man Subaru can only guess to be Shigaraki exclaims, watching as the Nomu skips across the water like a thrown pebble. “That’s not possible, Nomu’s shock absorption should have countered an attack like that easily. What kind of cheats, no, hacks are you using?!”

“Don’t you ever mess with my friends!” Subaru yells out, the end of his sentence coming with a beastly gravel, as his eyes seem to flash red underneath his visor for a moment. “Izuku, you okay?”

“I’m fine. Subaru, what did you-”

“Let’s grab Aizawa, and get out of here.” Subaru cuts Izuku off, standing firm in his spot as he does so. “That thing was only sent across the lake because I used an attack for quick distance travel as a way to get it away. I didn’t hurt it in the slightest. So we need to go now.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t an attack at all? Interesting, seems like you just used an exploit.” Shigaraki continues, scratching at his neck. “But I’ve got one as well.” He looks at the mist guy, who swirls up and spits out the Nomu. Subaru readies himself again, his gaze swapping focus rapidly, which of the three will be moving first.

“So like I said, take Aizawa and get out of here!” Subaru shouts again, before Shigaraki dashes forwards suddenly, as Subaru raises up his shield, the man’s fingers tapping against it. The waves distort a little, but remain intact, something that confuses both offense and defense, but Subaru shakes it off quickly. “He’s injured, and needs help! Get him out of here!”

Izuku nods, before running off to his teacher, Tsuyu and Denki join him in carrying the man away. Subaru returns focus to defense as he hears Shigaraki grumble. “You hero types are so disgusting. He’s already rotting, why try to save him?”

“Because he, like anyone, is worth saving. Every life within reach is.” Subaru responds, dropping his shield and ducking underneath the resulting hand drop as he dodges a portal trying to form above him. “Or did you never learn that from your video games?”

“Tch, don’t act co*cky brat, you’re still outnumbered here.” Shigaraki says, as suddenly Subaru finds himself being lifted at the waist by Nomu's arms. “See, while you aren’t the intended target, it’s clear you’re quite the threat, aren’t you? And we can’t have that.” Nomu begins to squeeze, Subaru feeling the pressure wrapping around his body. He’s felt worse, but he can’t let these guys know that. Just a little more, let the others get to the exit, and he can cut loose and take these guys out in a flash-

“SUBARU!!!” Izuku yells, running in from the side and punching at the creature’s hands, a massive blast of air pressure knocking them off of Subaru, as the boy recoils from his now broken hand. The boy in blue drops to the ground, as a set of russian stacking dolls roll in from nowhere, exploding at the monster’s feet. Tearing them apart, before the ground breaks apart around it, swallowing the creature. Subaru and Izuku roll out of the way to see Kyoka and Momo being the sources of the attacks.

“What are you three-” Subaru starts, before being cut off by Kyoka.

“We’re not gonna leave you alone to fight these assholes, idiot. That would be pretty sh*tty of us as friends, let alone hero students.” She replies, a grimace across her face.

“Besides, it seemed like you needed help.” Momo continues, placing a hand over the center of her chest.

Subaru turns to Izuku, the greenette looking at Subaru with tears at the corners of his eyes. “I… I have a lot of questions, I’ve been having them. Who do you keep talking to when you lower your glasses a little, why are you so prepared to fight, why can’t we find your hometown, I-... I want to be able to ask you these things. I want to keep hanging out with you. I mean, nothing can compare to the strength of our bond, right?” He asks, a shaky smile forming on his face.

Subaru looks at Izuku in agape shock, before a soft smile covers his face as well. He nods, before looking back at the group of villains. Nomu begins to tear itself out from the ground, it’s legs regrowing at a quick and rapid pace. “Right, that shocking pervert said this thing had multiple Quirks. Guess that shock absorption is only one of them, and this regeneration is another.”

“So one of our grunts spilled the beans, huh? Well, suffice to say, you’d be correct. See, Nomu here was made-”

“Specifically to kill All Might, yeah I heard.” Subaru said, a bit of his co*ckiness returning to him. “See, I’d let you go on your spiel if I was still in a bit of a panic, but seeing as my friends here have got me back on track, I think it’s time we show how we roll UA style.” The boy boasts as he punches a fist into his palm. Izuku rolls down his elbow guard, using it to cover his broken hand, before Momo hands him a sword, Kyoka brandishing the Katana she was given earlier, as the ravenette recreates another bo staff.

“What’s the plan here? Give ‘em a couple hits and then book it?” Kyoka asks, Subaru shaking his head.

“No, if we do that it would only bring that Nomu to the rest of the class. I need you three to keep Shigaraki and the Portal distracted while I take care of the big guy.” Subaru says, as he readies himself into his battle position once more. ‘War-Rock, how we doing on Noise reserves?’ He thinks, his mental connection to his partner forming the conversation.

‘Considering we got to this Earth from how much we had absorbed during Meteor G, I’d say we have plenty. Why? You planning on using a Finalize? Cause I can tell you that won’t work, seeing as we don’t have any access to the Meteor Server, since we’re both in another universe, and also because we destroyed it.’ The alien responds, Subaru smirking a little.

‘No, I wasn’t going to try anyways. I was thinking instead about getting rid of it by using the Noise Force Big Bangs in sequence. One last hoorah for the Noise, before we rid ourselves of the stuff forever.’ Subaru responds, before hearing a series of beeps from his buster, the boy looking to see the attacks primed and readied.

‘I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how well this is gonna work for you. And, since you want to get rid of this stuff permanently, I’d say we need to blast it out all at once like a certain form’s finisher.’ War-Rock says, adding one final card to the set on the buster. ‘So, after we beat this guy, you might pass out.’

‘That’s alright with me.’ Subaru responds, as he shifts his heels a little. “Been a couple months, but I think it’s only right to say this again… Wave Battle, Ride On!” The boy shouts as he runs forwards, Nomu letting out a screech as it does the same.

“Kurogiri!” Shigaraki shouts, the misty man going to reach out in kind.

“No you don’t!” Kyoka shouts as she plugs a jack into her boot, a soundwave rippling out as it forces the warper back. “Break 'em down, Subaru!”

“Here we go, here we go, here we go!” The boy shouts as he dodges a series of punches from the creature, moving towards the flood zone. “Come on big guy, can’t you hit a moving target?!” Subaru shouts as he zips and zooms between the punches, leading the creature closer and closer to the flood zone. “Come on ya big lug, or should I say-” Subaru leaps back, landing in the water, before he begins to rise up, water joining him. “Ya big drip! Dynamic Wave!” Subaru spins in place, before kicking out in a series of three consecutive roundhouses, as it makes contact with the water, the massive waves created from the attack crashing against Nomu with ferocity, as it forces the creature away, towards the back end of the plaza.

Subaru leaps out from the water, as he holds out his hand, grey pixels forming into a handle within it. “Does the birdy not like getting wet? Well how about a real ‘shock’ for you?! Thunderbolt Blade!” He yells out, a large jagged blade made of electricity forming from the grip, before Subaru swings it out, striking through the monster several times, each hit electrocuting the beast more and more, as it’s dragged along the ground by the force. Soon the two land in the small group of trees, as the blade dissipates from Subaru’s hands.

“Don’t be scared to answer the call of nature now!” Subaru continues, as wind begins to pick up around him, leaves swirling together as the boy in blue lifts off the ground. “Elemental Cyclone!” Subaru drags Nomu in as the wind picks up into a tornado, the boy once more kicking in a continuous roundhouse, as he hits the monster over and over. With a final kick, he sends Nomu up skyward, leaves attached to its body still.

“I’m not done yet! This one will really burn you up!” The boy yells as he drops to the ground, his hand glowing a furious red. “Atomic Blazer!” Subaru thrusts his clenched fist upwards, a large concentrated beam of spiraling fire flying out of it as it launches the now burning Nomu up even higher.

‘Really kid? Is now really the time for puns?’ War-Rock asks, Subaru simply chuckling a bit.

“Relieves the tension. And I could really do with relieving some tension.” Subaru says, as he bounds up into the sky, ending up above the Nomu with ease. “And I know this guy’s about to have a rough time of it. Meteorite Barrage!” He shouts, pushing forth both of his hands as several orbs of light come spewing out of them, hitting Nomu from several angles, and pushing him to the edge of the forest, Subaru following shortly after. The boy crashes down to the ground, as Nomu grabs at his legs, the creature only now getting a chance to counterattack after the relentless assault. “Sorry, but it's not going to happen!” Subaru, with all the might he’s able to show right now, kicks up his legs, the boy falling backwards as Nomu is lifted into the air, Subaru landing on his outstretched hands. He bends his arms and pushes against the ground, jumping from his handstand back into the plaza, where he kicks the monster into the pavement, leaving the creature in the ground. “Remind me to do more physical stuff, cause that was actually a real struggle.” Subaru remarks through panted breaths as he watches the Nomu begin to slowly make it’s way from its hole in the ground.

Momo forces Shigaraki away, her fifth bo staff turning to dust, as she starts to feel hunger eat away at her, as Izuku catches up to her. Kyoka kicks out another soundwave forcing Kurogiri to retreat back to Shigaraki, the two separated from Nomu. “How?! Nomu should be wailing away on you with ease!” The handy man screams, scratching away at his neck.

“Call it cliche, but you just can’t beat the power of friendship and teamwork.” Subaru says, still struggling to catch his breath. “And, I’m pretty sure your little pet there doesn’t have any real stamina enhancers outside of his sponginess.” Subaru’s right hand begins to swirl with red energy, as he stares down Nomu. ‘I’m not faring well either. You were right, partner, after this last attack I’ll be out within a couple of minutes, a few if I’m lucky.’ Subaru readies himself, as the energy begins to swirl more and more. “But just remember this, if you ever threaten me or my friends, there will be a whole world of pain in your future!” Subaru takes off running, meeting the now recovered Nomu, before the blue bomber punches forwards, his armor flashing in colors for a few moments. From teal green, to black and salmon pink, to red and yellow, before shifting back to blue. His fist connects with Nomu’s gut, as he lets out a furious roar. "RED GAIA ERASER!” He screams out, before a large blast of red energy escapes from his hand, engulfing Nomu as it flies back, crashing it through several trees in the forest, before colliding with the wall.

Subaru skids back across the ground, the boy too tired to deal with the knockback that would usually be cancelled by the bulkiness of the form associated with the attack. Suddenly, he feels a series of three forces pushing against him, his head flitting back to see Izuku, Kyoka, and Momo pushing against him. The boy smiles, before turning his head back to the still firing attack. He digs his feet into the ground, before pushing his arm forwards. “WOAHHHH!!!” The four yell as one, as the attack’s seed increases, finally pushing Nomu through the wall of the complex and pushing further beyond, as the attack ends red dissipating into air, while the monster is continuously buried beneath the earth by the strength of the attack.

The three quirked teens back off of Subaru, the boy panting as he smoke trails off of his hand and arm, a weak smile still on his face. He turns to look at his friends, all of them in awe at the display of strength he just put on for them, as he continues to give them a smile. “I’ll… Explain everything… Later.” He says weakly, before looking back at the villains. “Give… Up.” He says as sternly as possible, raising his fists up with what strength he has left.

“No… Nomu was supposed to beat All Might… You four cheated… You cheated, cheated, cheated!!!” Shigaraki screams as he runs at the students, the others readying themselves too. Suddenly, the metal door to the facility bursts open, flying off the hinges, and landing right in between the students and the villains.

“Fear no more, students.” An angry, familiar voice roars out, as a thunderous step echoes through the USJ. “For I Am Here!” All Might yells in fury, tearing off his tie.

Shigaraki narrows his eyes in anger and fear. Izuku begins to tear up, as do Kyoka and Momo. Kurogiri remains silent. And Subaru only smiles wider, before turning his attention back to Shigaraki. “War-Rock, aim for me.” The boy says weakly, as he begins to fall. His hand changes to the Rock Buster, before firing out a weak shot, piercing through the handy man’s shoulder, eliciting a sharp hiss from the villain, one heard by the Number One at the entrance, who focuses in on the altercation.

Subaru finally falls to the ground, a smile still on his face, as his vision begins to blur. “Took him long enough… Mission accomplished… No… Casualties…” Subaru says to himself as he closes his eyes.

The last sight he sees before falling unconscious is Momo, Izuku, and Kyoka running up to him, their faces focused solely on him… As Shigaraki and Kurogiri escape.

Despite this, Subaru passes out with a smile on his face, as War-Rock and him finally separate.

Chapter 9: Explanations

Chapter Text

When Subaru woke up, he was in a familiar looking hospital-like room, an IV drip connected to his arm, with his hero costume hung up in the corner. The H-Touches were rolled up to their shorter length, and War-Rock was looking over him in his full physical state.

"So, how long was I out for?" Subaru asks, not bothering to lean up.

"Rest of the day and following all night. It's about nine in the morning now. Classes were canceled due to the attack, so you get a three day weekend." The alien replies, floating around as he moves towards the window, sunlight pouring in. "Shuzenji expected you to wake up soon and went to Lunch Rush to grab you some food."

"That's nice of her." Subaru observes, before finally sitting upright. "And what about the others? I saw from the bio-waves there weren't any casualties, but injuries are another story."

"Aside from the broccoli boy's broken hand, everyone got out with only a couple scrapes and bruises. Well, except for the teachers." War-Rock answers, scratching at the back of his head.

“What do you mean?” Subaru asks, his eyes focusing in worry on the alien.

“I couldn’t get everything, had to stick by you after all, but from what I heard, Aizawa had some severa bone fracturing and cranial damage. His eye sockets were damaged, and he’s probably not going to be getting out of the hospital without some scarring. But, Hirooki… She’s gonna be incapacitated for a while kid. She ended up using her quirk on herself, thanks to that warping bastard. She… She lost a bit of her backside.” War-Rock, looking away as he rubs his arm. “I’m sorry.”

Subaru looks down, his face twisted in anger and pain for a second. He… He barely knows Hirooki, honestly. The woman reminded Subaru too much of his mom, that he avoided her constantly. Right when he decided it was time to learn more about her, she was taken away from him. Granted, not in the same way as Subaru’s father, or the man he considered his brother, she gets a chance to recover, but even still… “Were they at least caught?” Subaru shakes away his pain, looking to War-Rock for further answers.

“Sorry kid, those two got out before anyone else could catch up. Misty just warped them out of there.” War-Rock says, Subaru nodding in response.

"Shigaraki and Kurogiri." Subaru states, looking down in thought. 'Those two were adamant in that Nomu thing being able to kill All Might. What's the purpose in doing so?' He thinks to himself, cupping his chin in his hand.

The door to the nurse’s office opens, as All Might, or rather, Toshinori walks in, the lanky man surprised at seeing Subaru awake. “I thought you were going to be out until the afternoon. It’s good to see you up and about so early.”

“Well, early isn’t exactly what I’d call this time.” Subaru says with a smile, before looking over at the window. “I’m still thinking about it all. A night and some change has already passed for you all, but that fight was only moments ago for me still. I’m half expecting them to attack again.”

“Ah well, I believe we’ll be safe for now. Cementoss and Power Loader have gotten to work on increasing security. Nezu even mentioned to me an optional safety measure for some students.” The man says, Subaru nodding in response, as the blonde sits down next to him. “I must say, your takedown of that creature was incredible. I heard accounts from Young Midoriya and your friends.”

“I couldn’t have done it without them. Seriously, I don’t think it would have happened as smoothly as it did without those three.” Subaru remarks, before he raises his head in realization. “I promised to explain to them.”

Toshinori tilts his head. “Explain what to them?”

Subaru looks at the man, his face turning serious. “Explain me. I promised I would tell them what they wanted to know about me, the real truth this time.” His hand grips at the blanket on top of him, scrunching it up in his hand. “They deserve to know, after helping me like they did.”

Toshinori is taken aback by the words said, before he rests his elbows on his knees, linking his hands together. “I see… If that is your decision, then I will trust in that, and I can only assume that Nezu does as well.” The man gets up, his tone filled with an edge Subaru had never heard from him before.

“Mr. Yagi, is there a reason you’re always so fidgety about my secret?” Subaru asks, causing the man to pause. “I get that my mere existence changes… Well, a lot of things about how the world works and stuff, and if it were to get out, things would happen that affects so many… But, I also think that the people who already knew and trusted me would be able to help me manage it all. I trusted them with the truth already, why wouldn’t I trust them to help me too?”

Toshinori looks back at the boy, who merely looks back with a soft smile on his face. Toshinori finds himself looking away in thought, as he approaches the door. “Once you have finished explaining your situation to your friends, meet me at the beach you met Young Midoriya at, and bring him with you. There is something you should know, as a trusted ally.” The man leaves the room on that ominous note, right as Recovery Girl, Shuuzenji enters the room.

“Goodness me, he was rather serious there.” The elderly woman speaks, as she focuses on Subaru. “Well, let’s get you filled up and checked out. We should have you out of here by the afternoon, so you can see your friends. Though, I believe you’ll want to check up on a certain woman first.”

Subaru nods, as the Youthful Heroine approaches, before the boy lies back in bed.

Hours later, Subaru was sitting in a hospital chair, and returned into a normal outfit. He scrolls away at a holographic screen, news on the attacks from the day before being the only thing he could see. Well, news and memes, seeing as everyone likes to make jokes about literally anything. (He did quite like the one where it was the group of ducks chasing some guy away, the caption reading ‘UA Students When Someone Says That Wack sh*t’.)

A nurse clears his throat, catching Subaru’s attention. “You’re cleared to see her now, Mr. Hoshikawa.” He says, standing to the side as he opens up a room door. It’s a system Subaru doesn’t like, but is needed considering the lives of heroes. Background checks have to be performed before anyone can visit a hero in the hospital, which keeps in disguise villains and rabid fans from entering and doing anything. Subaru enters the room carefully, the heart beeps of the ekg ringing dutifully as he enters. Off in the corner is Thirteen’s Hero Costume, the back shredded to pieces, and there on the sole bed in the room… Is Hirooki.

The woman opens her purple eyes, a weak expression covering her face, as bandages cover half of her body. “Hey, Space cadet…” She says weakly, a strained smile on her face. Subaru clenches his fists, as he does his best not to get over emotional. He grabs a chair from the wall and moves over to her, sitting down only a little bit away from her bed. “I was real worried about you. When you showed up, I was excited, because I’d get to spend the day teaching my favorite cadet about my job. But when the villains attacked…”

“I know. Your job takes precedence over the guardianship. I-...” Subaru starts, stopping her so she could rest more. “I didn’t hear about you helping the others until I woke up. I didn’t know you got hurt until it was too late…” Subaru says, looking away in shame. “I-I was always so scared of getting close to you, because you reminded me so much of mom and…”

“I’m not her.” Hirooki says, cutting Subaru off. “Subaru, I am not and never will be the mom you were separated from. I can’t be. But I can still look after you, because you're still a growing child. Don’t feel like you need to treat me as anything else. I’m not your mom, because I’m me.” Hirooki says, reaching her hand out to the boy.

Subaru begins to tear up, as he grabs her hand, holding onto it softly, while also clinging to it like it was a lifeline. “I want to get to know you better… Not as the woman who I saw too much of mom in, but as you, Hirooki. When you get out, do you think we can hang out sometime?”

Hirooki smiles, a pleasant one instead of the pained expression she held earlier. “Of course we can, Space Explorer. We’re connected after all.”

Subaru smiles back despite his tears, as he continues to hold hands with his Guardian. Background checks would run even longer if he tried to check up on his teacher, so for the time being, Subaru spends his hour at the hospital with Hirooki, simply talking with the woman, about space, life, and what Subaru is doing next.

Subaru sends a text to three different people, asking them to meet him somewhere, before looking back at Hirooki. The woman asleep from exhaustion, but a smile on her face from the time that she had spent with Subaru. The boy smiles as well, before heading out, his hands in his pockets.

He had two more important things to do today.

Subaru stood against the wall of UA’s Training Ground Beta, the large city closed off from the public, as well as any students, due to the events of the day prior. The boy perks up as he hears footsteps approaching, the brunette raising his head to see three figures approaching.

Izuku, dressed in an All Might hoodie, loose blue jeans, and his usual high tops. Kyoka, in her usual sneakers, some black pants, a lilac shirt, and a striped cardigan. And finally, Momo, in a poofy shirt, with fashionable jeans, and a pair of flats. The three approach Subaru, the boy dressed in his usual stylings, as he pushes himself off against the wall.

“So, what’d you call us out here for? And, why did they let us all in?” Kyoka asks, looking around the rocky terrain separating the training grounds from the school.

“I said I’d explain myself to you all, and I intend to uphold that promise. I… I can’t tell you everything at once, but I can at least give you the info that you’ll need to know to explain why I’m not exactly… Like anyone else.” Subaru says, scratching at the back of his head.

“Subaru, it’s barely even been a day since the attack, why do this now? I know I’m curious to know the truth, but can’t this wait for when classes start back up again?” Izuku asks, Subaru shaking his head.

“I want as few people as possible to know this for right now. Think of it as a precaution. I can trust you three, I know this, but due to the sensitive nature of this topic, it’s best to keep cards close right now. Sorry.” Subaru says, as he places his hands at his sides.

“We understand.” Momo says, stepping to the front. “If that is how you wish for this to be, then so be it. I’m sure why we’re out here will be explained as well.”

“Thank you, Momo.” Subaru says with a nod, before he leans back against the wall once more. “I guess the best place to start with would be the beginning, and then further back.” The boy looks up at the sky, pointing in a seemingly random direction, or it would be to the others, to him, it was a sight he would never forget. “July Fifteenth, around six in the morning, daybreak. I was hurtling towards Earth at terminal velocity, body on fire, and wounds created by a being made of the malfunctions in Wave based technology. All Might, using one of his punches, extinguished the flames and caught me, where we landed around here.” Subaru begins, Izuku looking up with wide eyes.

“The day All Might saved you… Was my birthday?” Izuku asks, looking back at Subaru, who responds with a nod. “Wow… But wait, you said you were in a fight? Why did no one see it?”

“Because this fight threatened not your Earth, but mine.” Subaru says, his serious tone unchanging. The three look at him in confusion, before Subaru looks back down at the ground. “This ground is not mine, your sky is not mine, and the sight of the stars in space aren’t mine either. Yet they are, because I come from Earth, but not his one. I’m from an alternate universe. One where quirks never existed, technology close to mine is the norm, and outside of the odd threat, Earth is pretty peaceful.”

“Th-that’s insane!” Kyoka shouts, stepping back from the boy. “You built your tech yourself, sure with some help here and there, and you lived in the town of Kodama, which used to be close by! You’ve said these things without a lie, I know you have because I heard your heartbeat!”

“But he was always vague when he answered.” Izuku says, the girl looking back in shock. “THink about it. It was always ‘close by’, but he never said where. He always said he had help with his tech, not that he built it directly. Heck, even when he talks about his parents he only talks about…” Izuku looks at Subaru, the boy looking down melancholically. “What really happened with your dad, Subaru? What happened?”

Subaru chuckles, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Funnily enough, I was going to tell you anyway, seeing as it’s important to how I got here.” Subaru starts, before he begins to slide down against the wall, looking back up at the sky. “See, my dad was a scientist, but more specifically he was a theoretical physicist, but also studied astronomy. He was an astronaut in fact, recruited for the Space Station ‘PEACE’. The mission: Befriend the recently discovered alien life on Planet FM.” The others watch Subaru with interest, before they sit down on the ground too, keeping focus solely on him. “But, the life of FM was not one of kindness. Their king had been paranoid for most of his life, with good reason. He was under threat of death multiple times, always by those he would consider the closest to him. It made him easy to manipulate, which is what his advisor Gemini would often do. He would take the king’s fears and twist them to his own goal, having used this silver tongue to destroy the FMians sister planet, AM many years ago in the past.”

"Wait, why would that detail be important? I thought we were talking about your father." Kyoka asks, as Subaru lifts up an arm. Emerging from the H-Touch, sprouting from green flames, arrives War-Rock, the alien taking form from the kid's device.

"Because without me, one of the remaining AMians, the kid wouldn't be able to transform. The name's War-Rock, and don't you forget that!" The beastly figure growls out, the other three teens flinching back in surprise.

Subaru pushes War-Rock to the side, as he looks back at the three. "Ignore any sort of scariness he might have. Guy's actually a big old lug with an even bigger heart."

"Hey, I'm plenty scary still!" The alien complains, Subaru letting out a laugh.

"Uhhhh…" Izuku stammers, as Subaru focuses on him.

"Don't worry, like I said. War-Rock's a good guy, which brings me back to the story. See, FMians and AMians only have subtle differences, so when Planet AM was destroyed, War-Rock fled and blended in among the ranks of FM, hoping for a shot at revenge." Subaru continued, War-Rock back to the front.

"I've got time to kill, so let me get this part!" The alien boasts, Subaru rolling his eyes. "See, I ended up being really good at the incognito stuff. Ended up becoming one of the king's personal generals. So, when the time came to attack the satellite, thanks to Gemini saying they should, I figured that would be the best time to enact my plan. Aboard the station, I found the kid's old man and learned his waves matched mine enough that we could fuse. Using that power I whooped some serious butt, and stole the key to the king's planet breaking weapon! But… The attack took too much energy from Daigo, and the station was under fire from the other generals. Doing what I could, I turned the crew into wave beings and fled, tracking the scent of Subaru's waves to Earth, to keep the key out of FM's clutches, and warn the kid in case anything happened."

"But, life is never that simple. The generals followed and three years after that attack, the day me and War-Rock met, we fused for the first time to protect lives. We became the protector of Earth… Rockman." Subaru says, as he and his partner bump fists, smiles on both of their faces.

"Then how did you end up here?" Momo asks, the smiles leaving the duo's expression instantly. Subaru moves his head towards the H-Touches, War-Rock nodding as he zips inside of the device. The three teens look at Subaru, his solemn expression worrying them.

"See, being the protector of Earth means a lot of things. Mostly, it means taking on the big threats, namely… That monster I mentioned earlier, created from overused and malfunctioning wave tech. I…" Flashes of a blood red landscape flashes through Subaru's head, the liquid out waves of the terrain messing with his sense of direction. "I don't like talking about it too much… But I promised I'd explain everything as best I could."

Momo scoots closer to Subaru, as do the others. "We're here to listen." Izuku and Kyoka nodding in support.

Subaru smiles, before he looks back up at the sky. He takes a breath, and let's it out. "I was the last one with the program that would let me traverse that space safely. So, I was sent up to defeat the threat to the planet. My allies, people who could transform like me, were left behind to protect the Earth in my absence, which I knew they could do. When we arrived at the meteor… We found that my dad was the one keeping the monster from fully crashing into the Earth." Subaru clenches his fists, breathing deeply again. "The monster, he-it absorbed my dad, taking his power and adding it on. The beast was weakened by his will though, allowing me to strike it down…"

Rockman pants heavily, his stark black armor clashing against the red pools of Noise around him, flaring wings of red energy pulsing in rage. In his left hand formed a small Black Hole, as his right hand held a blade of red.

"BLACK END…!" He begins his attack, launching forward the Black Hole, as it swallows up the monster before him. In an instant, Rockman is now behind the Black Hole, the sword swung to his side. "Galaxy." He whispers, turning the blade in his hand as the Dragon, his enemy… And his father, begin to explode alongside the rest of the Meteor.

"But the material still posed a threat to Earth. I began absorbing it, taking in as much as I can, before… The emergency overload system of the control program kicked in. My body began shifting frequency rapidly, trying to expunge as much of the hazardous waste as possible, until…" Subaru waves his hand around, until he points back up in the sky.

"You shifted frequencies so much that you ended up here." Izuku finishes, getting a nod in response from Subaru.

"And that brings you up to speed. I've been here since then, trying to live as best as I could." Subaru smiles, the other three trying to take in the information.

"Have you tried getting home? I mean, you changed your frequency to get here, right? Couldn't you just reverse it?" Kyoka asks, getting a shake of the head in response.

"Not as easy as it sounds. See, the frequency of this world is so different from my own, that until we arrived here, we never thought of marking down the different frequencies both War-Rock and I can take. We need to track down the original frequency of my home universe before we can even begin to think of attempting to go over there." Subaru explains, a vibration in his hand prompting him to lift up an arm.

"It'd be a lot easier if it weren't for the fact that the Noise that forced us here is also blocking me from tracking that origin frequency. If we had something else from our universe, we could establish a full linking point and we'd be there and back within a few days." War-Rock says, Subaru taking his hand back as he finishes. Izuku looks down in thought, index finger and thumb pulling at his bottom lip for a moment, before looking back at Subaru.

"What does he mean by 'there and back? Wouldn't you only need to say your goodbyes once if you're going home?" Izuku asks, Subaru sighing as he grabs at the back of his neck.

"I… I'm not staying there once we establish that connection point." The boy says, the others looking even more perplexed than before. "How old are you going to be when you become Pro Heroes? And I don't mean graduation. I mean full fledged heroes with your own names, fans, merchandise, the works." The three remain silent. "You can't say, because it's a dream you're still working towards, a future goal of your own design. Me? I accomplished all of my childhood dreams in a few years back there. I went to space, made friends for the first time in years after shutting myself away, I found my dad! But, the more I thought about it… The more I realized that I didn't want anything more than that. I did… Everything."

Subaru pulls in on himself a bit more, resting his head on his knees. "When I was offered the chance to attend UA while looking for a way back, it gave me the opportunity to think about my life. It let me choose something new, while still sticking to what I knew." The boy looks back up at the sky, the blue fading into orange as the sun begins to set above. "I knew someone, for a bit, who was like a brother to me. And he always said that in his eyes, I was a hero. And maybe part of me wants to live up to that. Be a hero for others, so many others, like I was to him. A hero who can unite people."

The group falls silent, before Izuku stands up and walks over to Subaru, his hand outstretched. "You can be a hero." He says, his voice soft yet firm. Subaru looks up at him, the two meeting eyes. "You just told us something crazy, and it'll take time to adjust to, but… But it's clear you want to help people, so many, in any way you can. You've risked your life for people so many times, something that I was told all heroes are prepared to do. Subaru… You too can become a hero!"

Subaru looks up at his friends, as tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes. Kyoka stands up next, leaning an arm on Izuku's shoulder. "You managed to get me and greenie here wrapped up in your life, so don't think our friendship will be ending any time soon, Star Cluster. We got you to change your hair after all, I think that's a bond for life."

"I…" Momo begins as she stands up, focus shifting to her. "I have not known you as long as these two, our interactions limited to the few days we've known each other. Yet, you also encourage me to break from the shell I wear around others, and all with this sense of everything will be okay… You have entrusted me with a secret that shouldn't be mine, not yet, but one that I will keep to the best of my abilities." She approaches the group, standing just a bit away from the two who met Subaru first. "Until the day I can catch up with you all, in terms of being a friend, I swear to stay by your sides."

Subaru looks at them all, before he sniffles, and then laughs. He laughs as tears slowly stream down his cheeks, before he grabs onto Izuku's hand, the greenette pulling him up with a light tug. With tear stained cheeks, Subaru looks at his friends with a smile, before he wipes at his eyes with his arm. "Thank you, all of you."

Izuku, Kyoka, and Momo smile, and the four stay there for a few moments longer, appreciating each other's company.

"All Might said he wanted us to meet here?" Izuku asks, Subaru nodding as the two cross the sands of Dagobah Beach. The two come to a stop as they reach the small pier reaching across the waves, the lanky figure of All Might sitting on the bench of the gazebo at the end.

The two boys approach, the man looking at the two with cautious eyes. His sole focus turns to Izuku, as he coughs into a hand. "Young Midoriya, my boy, I believe it is time I had a word with you about your own feelings in the matter of secrets." He says, Izuku looking at Subaru in concern, the brunette merely giving a shrug back as he walks off, letting the two speak in private. All Might stands up, approaching and placing a hand on the greenette's shoulder. "Secrets are a heavy burden for the one it originates from and the ones they choose to share it with. They can be difficult to maintain, and there may be days when you worry it has spread too far, but do not be afraid of them. A secret like the ones you know now, are yours to carry, but the one I have given you has become your choice, not mine to tell others. I should have told you that a long time ago now, my boy."

"All Might, what do you-" Izuku begins, the blonde man raising a hand, stopping Izuku, before he turns the boy around to have him look at Subaru, the brunette standing at the edge of the pier.

"Subaru could have lied and given a false explanation, but he wanted to trust you all with the truth. Now, he knows there's a connection between us. Whatever you choose to tell him, is your choice. Your secret is yours, not mine." All Might finishes, as Izuku looks back up at him, and then at his friend. The greenette clenches a fist, and then walks to him, the boy from another Earth turning to face him.

"Subaru… You trusted me with a secret, and now I want to trust you with one of my own." Izuku begins, Subaru looking at him in interest. "But… I still need time. Time to figure what I want to say, and time to figure out if I'm ready to share this secret. Is that okay?"

Subaru smiles, giving his friend a nod. "I get it. Whenever you want to share it is fine. I just figured you guys deserved the whole truth. Take your time, okay Izuku?"

Izuku nods, as Subaru walks away, the brunette humming a little tune as he does so. Izuku looks down at his hands, and clenches them.

'I need to get a better handle on it first… I'll tell you when I can use it better, Subaru.'

Subaru returned home that evening physically tired, mentally tired, and so hungry he could eat a virus. Stepping into the empty house of his legal guardian, the boy was surprised to see various movers taking things from his room upstairs into the backyard.

"What the fu-" The boy begins, before the small chuckles of a certain principal catch his attention. Subaru turns to see Nezu sitting down in one of the living room recliners, the animalistic school runner drinking a small cup of tea. "So, mind explaining why I'm moving again?"

"Due to your guardian being incapacitated at the moment, and also being a member of UA staff with pretty much next door access to the school, I thought it best to move you into the dorms first." Nezu says, hopping from the seat without so much as spilling any of the tea.

"Dorms?" Subaru asks, getting a nod from the principal.

"An optional security measure. Everyone's parents have been contacted about it, and a few families have already agreed. You'll have dorm mates by tomorrow morning. I've been wanting to do them for years now, and were it not for the fact it could raise suspicion, I would have had them made for you when you agreed to study with us." Nezu continues, walking up to the boy with his usual smile. "Of course, I understand the invasion of privacy, and that sometimes you'll miss home, so all of this is just for show." The movers taking Subaru's stuff suddenly disappear in a holographic phase, the recording disk falling into Nezu's hand. "I simply looked at the purchase record on the credit card I gave you and replicated your room at the new dorm, since I have a spare key to all of my staff member's homes."

"I see…" Subaru says, walking over to the back door and closing it. "So, you want me to head back to campus and set up for the night?"

"Oh heaven no, not yet at least. The dorms have their wiring and such set up already, but the actual buildings need to be put up. I'm having Cementoss put them together as we speak, I just wanted to inform you of what your living situation will be like starting tomorrow. A listing of what room is yours will be sent to your email in the morning." Nezu explains, as he heads to leave. "When Hirooki wakes tomorrow, I believe she will be in a much better state, so I will inform her of the move then. And, do not worry about bonding time, I'm sure to give you all the time you need." The animal leaves, leaving Subaru behind in the empty house.

"God he's creepy." War-Rock says, Subaru's hand shaking a bit at the noise.

"Watch what you say, it'll bite you in the ass." The brunette replies, heading towards the fridge. "He's also our closest ally in living on this earth, so be nice… Even if you are right."

Subaru spends his night recuperating, before the assured hecticness that will be his move into the dorms tomorrow.

Chapter 10: Orbital CHange

Chapter Text

The hecticness Subaru was convinced would happen, was not to come however.

Instead, what happened was that Aizawa dropped a key in his hand, told him that his room was on the fifth floor, an empty room between him and Todoroki, and then he was moved along. In fact the only ones to move into the dorm alongside him were the aforementioned Todoroki and the silent bird headed boy Tokoyami, and neither one exactly did a whole lot of talking. Even when Subaru had prepared dinner for the two, all they did was give their thanks before heading into their rooms.

So, here Subaru was, on the last night of the extended break before classes resumed the next day, exhausted from the lack of social interaction from the past two days. He tried getting in contact with Izuku, Kyoka, and Momo, but most of their time was spent with their families… Like Subaru should have been doing, staying by Hirooki's side, instead of listening to Nezu and moving in here.

Subaru lets out a sigh. 'It's just anger from the USJ still talking.' He thinks to himself, as he swivels in his desk chair. He looks around the room, intent on burning the location into his memory for the time being. The painted dark blue walls kept the room in a moody light, both brooding and calming, which helped Subaru think about things. On the wall opposite of him, there hung a TV, underneath of which was a shelf holding a gaming device of some kind, one recommended by Nezu of all people, of which Subaru was slowly building a collection of games for. To the side of it was a green bean bag, a mini fridge off to the other side holding various drinks inside. The wall at which Subaru resided currently held his bed and desk, which were actually one item, with the bed resting above the work bench holding Subaru's laptop, tools, and music device.

Like Nezu said, it was a direct recreation of his room at home, which was honestly a little bit creepy. Perhaps he should consider putting some blocking space between the principal and his personal life, even if they are working together, mostly for the sake of his own sanity.

Subaru gets up from his seat, before climbing up into bed, his eyes looking up at the ceiling and it's glow in the dark stars, as lets out a sigh.

Hopefully things will return to normal tomorrow.

As Subaru went over the class roster one last time, he felt a sense of melancholic nostalgia wash through him. This situation… It was just like back home, wasn't it? A constant threat looming over the heads of himself, War-Rock, and their friends and allies. He had really hoped that he could escape situations like this, but it seems his luck will always be to face difficulties like this.

Taking his seat, Subaru lowered his chin into his hand, losing himself to thought. Kyoka at his side, Izuku behind, and Momo even further behind looked at the boy in worry, his lack of energy betraying what they have known of him for as long as they’ve known him. Before any of them can say anything, the door to the room opens, and… A mummified Aizawa walks in, his capture weapon blending in with his bandages. He turns what can only be assured to be his head, giving a small bow with the sound of creaking bones accompanying it. “Mornin’.”

“You’re back already, Mr. Aizawa?!” The class exclaims, surprised at his entrance.

"It's good to see you doing so well, sir!" Tenya exclaims, chopping his arm as robotically as usual.

'Yeah, about as well as a used roll of toilet paper.' Subaru thinks to himself, straightening himself out in his seat, though he did end crossing one leg over the other, if only to ease his mind a bit.

"My well being aside, it's time we get down to business. Your fight is not yet over." The teacher speaks ominously, a sense of dread washing over the class. Fight? Are there more villains targeting them?! "...The UA Sports Festival will be occurring in two weeks."

'THAT'S SO ORDINARY!' The class seems to think as one, Subaru faltering a little bit himself in surprise.

"Wait, is it really such a good idea to hold it so soon after we were attacked by villains?!" Eijiro says, Denki nodding as well.

"According to the higher ups, it's necessary to show that UA's crisis protocols are sound and that we won't falter to any villains." Aizawa lets out, a sigh escaping his breath afterwards. "Compared to previous years, security will be increased by a comparative five times. And in any case… This is the greatest opportunity you'll get. It's not an event that can be canceled by any villains."

"I guess that's good thinking and all, but it does seem like they don't really care about our lives…" Subaru lets out, the three of his closest fans looking at him in worry. The class falls a bit quiet at this saying as well, before Aizawa lets out a cough.

"While I can't speak for the heart of the school board, I can say that our staff and faculty is devoted to the wellbeing of the students. Both your lives of now, and that of your lives in the future. That said, our Sports Festival is one of the most important events in Japan. As you should know, the Olympics were once the world's biggest sporting events, though thanks to the advent of Quirks it has become lower and lower in importance over the years. As far as Japan is concerned, what's taken its place is our Sports Festival." Aizawa explains, Subaru nodding in response, finally understanding the weight of this event.

"The nation's top heroes will all be watching as well, right? They'll be acting as scouts." Momo states, so Subaru can absorb this information as well. So they'll be watched by those up top, right? That includes people from the Commission too…

"After we graduate, they'll be looking to hire us as sidekicks. That's how it's done!" Denki cheers, getting into the event too, despite his earlier stance.

"A lot of those sidekicks never manage to go solo, and stay like that forever. That's likely how you'll end up, Kaminari, you dunce." Kyoka says, a coy smile on her face, as the electric blonde pouts at her.

"Naturally, you'll gain notable experience and popularity if you're picked up by a big name pro. But your time is limited. Show the pro's what you're made of here and you'll make futures for yourselves." Aizawa continues, ignoring the chatter of the class. "This only happens once a year, so you all only get three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, then you cannot miss this event!"

Subaru and Izuku sit in silence, staring at their teacher in complete focus.

Lunchtime arrives soon after, the class separating or staying in the room depending.

"Even after what we just went through…" Eijiro starts, before pumping his fists to his sides. "This has got me so pumped up now! If we show what we've got here, then that's just one full step to being a pro!" The redhead exclaims, having completely switched his stance from earlier.

"I guess everyone's getting excited, huh?" Subaru asks, the boy leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, it's a big opportunity for us all." Momo says, approaching the boy of another Earth alongside Izuku and Kyoka. "This is a chance to show the world the extent of our abilities."

"My folks are probably gonna throw a party, knowing how they get." Kyoka says, scratching at the back of her head. "Man, they can be embarrassing sometimes."

"I think it's nice to have that much support. Though, I imagine the festival is gonna be a bit difficult for you, huh, Subaru?" Izuku says, looking at his friend. "I mean, you are… You know."

"Oh I wouldn't say he won't have a righting chance!" A chipper voice rings out, Izuku and Kyoka jumping closer together, as they reveal the ever odd principal of UA, Nezu, standing where Izuku once was. "My apologies, I forget how easily I can sneak up on people quite often."

"Also forget manners all the time." War-Rock grumbles from the H-Touch, Subaru muffling the sounds with a hand.

"How can I help you, Principal Nezu?" Subaru asks, the animal being pulling a bento from behind his back.

"I was hoping you would join me for lunch! I have something very important to discuss with you after all." Nezu chirps, a smile crossing his face. Subaru looks at the others who give him a nod, before he begins to follow the now moving principal.

As the two (technically three) leave, Subaru watches as Tenya and a very serious looking Ochako approach the group, the two showing their own excitement. 'I wonder what they'll be talking about.' Subaru thinks to himself as they finally exit the room.

"I'll be blunt, I want you to be in the top three of the festival." Nezu begins, the principal pouring a cup of tea and sliding it over to Subaru.

The boy takes the cup happily, taking a calm sip. "I figured that would be the case. With the whole country watching, it's only practical that if we are to start making changes, we start with a quirkless student winning in the Sports Festival."

"You don't have to get first place, but if you manage to get that far… Well I imagine those will make quite the headlines." Nezu nods, taking a sip of his own tea. "Though, there are a few stipulations that I must inform you of before you start your training for the events."

"Stipulations?"

Nezu nods again. "Normally, students in the hero course are only allowed to use support tech if it keeps them harming themselves with their quirk. Your classmate, Aoyama, will be allowed to keep his belt for instance. However, due to your unique status, I have been able to sway a few of the rules. For starters, you will be allowed to transform, as well as use two other pieces of support tech from your costume." The principal pulls out a piece of paper, sliding it towards Subaru. "However, you will need to make your armor of similar appearance to the gym uniform, or as close as you can get it to be. And lastly, you will not be allowed to use any battle cards. I tried to allow minimum usage, but the school board wouldn't budge. My apologies."

"It's fine. My buster and my skills should be enough. Does prove that I should work on developing a melee style though. Guess I'll have to work on that…" Subaru cups his chin in his hands for a moment, before leaning forward in his chair, looking at Nezu in thought. "Sir… What made you want to be a teacher?" He asks, the principal looking at him in curiosity, before cracking a small smile.

"You always prove to be a surprise. For a moment I thought you would ask if I was thinking of rigging the festival, which before you do ask that, no I intend to keep it as fair and balanced as possible. As to answer your question…" Nezu takes another sip of tea, before looking down at his reflection on the surface of his drink. "It's because I want people to be kind. Long long ago, I was nothing more than an experiment to a lab, since animals with Quirks have always been rare. They wanted to find out how they develop, and… Didn't care if they harmed a sentient being in the process." Nezu scoots forward in his own chair, looking up at Subaru. "It was actually my predecessor who saved me, you know. Introduced me as a teacher here at UA not a year later, working as the Classic Lic Instructor, as I worked on getting both my heroics and teaching license. Truth be told, I only became the principal of this establishment twelve years ago, when my savior went missing… I do miss her dearly."

Subaru nods, leaning back up right in his seat.

"Though, I must inquire, why do you ask?" Nezu returns in question, Subaru letting out a small sigh.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since the USJ, mostly in regards to why I was so excited to be a hero." Subaru begins, Nezu taking immediate interest. "I mean, even before I became Rockman, before my dad… It's just something every kid finds cool. But, now I'm here, I've been a hero on my Earth, and now I'm going to be a professional hero on this one. I want to be a hero of justice that unites people, like my bro thought I was… But is that all? Is there another reason I should be fighting?"

Nezu hums in thought, before letting out a breath. "When I first met my savior, she said this to me: 'Being a hero must spawn from two places. One, the desire for others, and two, the desire for oneself.' At the time I had no idea what she meant, but overtime I came to learn." Nezu sips at his tea, before looking at Subaru with a smile. "I will not ruin this puzzle for you, but I will say this… You're part way on both ends. Find the other half for both, and you'll be set." Subaru nods, though still in confusion to what the words mean.

"Now then, would you care for some tea to go? Lunch is almost over after all."

Subaru sat through the rest of classes with a thermos full of tea in his hands, the others questioning where it came from.

Finally at the end of class, Subaru made his way to the door first, ready to start planning his training for the Sports Festival. However, that would not come to pass quite yet, as upon opening the door, he was met with a crowd of people at the door, all chattering amongst themselves, as they looked inside the classroom. Subaru silently closes the door slowly, before turning around. He turns once more, opening the door again, seeing the same thing. He repeats closing the door, this time turning to see the rest of the class looking at him and the door in confusion and worry. He lets out one last sigh, something he finds himself doing a lot honestly, before turning to open the door once more, facing the crowd once more. "Can I help you all?"

"Move out the way, Space Case. It's clear that all of these extras are just checking out the competition." Bakugou says, shoving Subaru with a shoulder bump. "We're the kids who survived a villain attack, makes sense they'd want to see what they'll be losing to." He continues in a more serious version of his usual co*cky tone. "Not like this cannon fodder will be winning though."

"Is it possible for you to go a single day without insulting anybody, or would you just lose your battery life like a phone that hasn't been charged in a while?" Subaru retorts, getting a scoff in return.

"Despite that arrogance, he is right." A voice speaks out amongst the crowd, as a tall purple haired teen with tired, baggy eyes walks forward, hand resting on the back of his neck. "Are all of you hero coursers this obtuse, or is it just him? Either way, gotta say I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're bringing to the table."

Bakugou glares at the other teen, Subaru taking a more cautious approach as he pulls down his Visualizers and looks at the purple haired youth. Yep, Loneliness Waves, just like so many others at this school.

"Those who didn't make the cut got put into general studies and the other courses. There's quite a few of us, you know?" The teen continues, this time looking at the class with an intense seriousness. "Depending on the results of the festival, the school might consider moving us into the hero course, but I understand the reverse is also possible for you." Subaru tenses a little, an extra weight adding onto his plate of things to fight for in the festival (though, Nezu would likely not transfer out a requested student, especially considering Subaru's special status). "Scoping out the competition… For a general studies kid like me, this'll be the perfect chance to knock you off your pedestals. Consider this a declaration of war."

Silence perpetuates between the crowd and the class, a student with grey hair taking a deep breath before Subaru takes a loud step forward, glaring up into the general studies teens eyes. "Are you really that pretentious?" Subaru asks, shocking everyone. What was he doing?!

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Though, I guess I'll clarify. Are you really that pretentious to assume that we won't be giving our all? After the sh*t went through a few days ago, you'd think there would be at least some consideration into the fact that, despite fearing for our lives in an attack, we not only survived, but kicked ass while doing so." Subaru takes another step forward, keeping his eyes clear on the other boy. "Don't assume anything about other people just because of their abilities. Judge a person's character first and foremost, then think of their actions. Otherwise you'll be left dumbfounded when they pull the wool off from over your eyes."

The two stare at each other for a moment, before the purple haired teen moves to the side, allowing for Subaru to pass through. The boy accepts this happily, as he continues onwards, only getting stopped by the grey haired teen that had almost gotten to speak, putting a hand on his shoulder. The teen nodded with a serious looking expression, mixed with a bit of awe, which Subaru nodded back to with a bit of confusion.

Subaru continued onwards, only stopping when he reached the gate of the school, where he let out a large breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "Oh my Sages, that guy was tall! It was like talking to a tree!"

Subaru remained by the gate until he saw his usual friend group approaching, the boy of another Earth walking up to them in cheer. "Hey! Sorry about that little stint back there, the guy was really bugging me out."

"It's alright man, but I'm pretty sure you painted a target on your back doing that." Kyoka says, pointing out a finger at him, which Subaru had to agree with.

"Well, let's just hope nothing comes out of it." Izuku says, scratching his cheek as he does so. "Though, are you going to be okay for the festival? I heard there's some strict rules when it comes to support items."

Subaru pulls out the papers Nezu had given him earlier, a small smile crossing his face. "Nezu gave me a little bit of leeway, I just need to sign this stuff, and tell them what items I'll be using." He put the papers away right after, before lowering his head. "Now I just need to worry about training. I'm not going to be able to use my battle cards, so I've got to find a way to use punches and kicks better than just what I've got instinct wise."

"Well, my home has a dedicated training field. If you like, you all could come over one day to use it." Momo offers, Subaru perking up instantly at the offer.

"Really? Oh thank you, Momo! That means a lot! Would Saturday work best for you? I'm free pretty much every day, but I think that one is best overall." Subaru asks, getting a nod and smile in response from the vice rep.

"I'll have to ask my mom, but I think I can swing by." Izuku says, a small smile of his own crossing his face.

"Depends on the folks, but it should go over well." Kyoka adds in, her usual smirk crossing her face as well.

"It's agreed! I shall prepare the servants for a day of training on Saturday then!" Momo says excitedly, her cheer apparent in her tone of voice. Though…

'SERVANTS?!' The other three yell in their minds, as they learn just what kind of life Momo lives once more.

Subaru lets out a chuckle, as they all continue down the steps, Subaru intending to return to the dorms once they reach the bottom. Ah, who knows, maybe this Sports Festival will actually be a lot of fun. Just all the classes getting chances to shine and stuff.

He means, what can go wrong?