Chapter 61: Motives, Hidden or Not

With so much happening, so many people make moves for open reasons, but also for hidden ones. With the heroes needing to handle teaching their students at the same time, students which aren't as innocent as they might have been in another life.

“Text” – Normal speech

‘Text’ – Thought

“Text” – Quirk Spirit speaking in the human world

“Text” - Attack

“Text” – Radio/Communication lines

“Text” – None Japanese speech

(text) – Subtext/meaning behind a spoken word

Chapter 61: Motives, Hidden or Not

U.A. was the only school in Japan and one of the few in the world that broadcast its Sports Festival to the public. It had become a staple of Japanese television, an annual event that drew in millions who wished to see what their next generation of heroes could do. Thanks to this, it also served another purpose: showing that heroes and their agencies could scout talent.

It was beneficial to both sides. Students gained access to heroes, forged possible connections they could rely on for years after graduation, and gained useful experience and information they otherwise couldn't have from a classroom. Heroes gained extra hands around their agencies, even if only office workers, most would handle some level of field work, freeing up pros and their sidekicks to better focus on other aspects of the job. Students also brought additional attention to their agencies.

However, one thing that was often overlooked was that it wasn't just the U.A. that hosted an internship program; it was mandatory across hero schools, with few exceptions. Most schools held their own Sports Festivals, either before U.A.'s or after it, to free up time for the big event. These were in-house events with pros invited to observe, or sent recordings of the proceedings after the fact to review on their own time. Other schools merely sent agencies student performance files and notes from their teachers on the student’s personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

Seiai Academy followed the latter, as their Sports Festival would be held in July, right before finals. This is also why Saiko found herself handling minor duties within the Sir Nighteye hero agency.

“You need some help with that, Strategem?” One of Nighteye's two sidekicks asked. Centipeder was a tall, but thin man. His hero costume was a black tuxedo. He would have looked like any other attendant if not for the fact that his face was that of a brown centipede draped over his shoulders.

"No, I'm quite capable of handling this. I wouldn't wish for you to take time off from your own duties." Saiko, under her chosen hero name of Strategem, replied. She had been with them for a day, and after meeting with Nightye, she was placed with his sidekicks, who took her through the hows and whys of proper paperwork.

Boring and somewhat insulting, it was necessary work for someone like her, who planned to be a strategist and command-type hero rather than one who primarily worked in the field.

"It's not an issue; heroes are around to assist where they can, that includes helping our fellow heroes." Centipeder retorted, getting a small smile from the college student. Centipeder certainly lived up to the gentlemanly ideals his hero costume implied.

"Hero in training, you mean? I don't even have a provisional license yet; right now, I'm a glorified intern, " she retorted, as it wasn't as if she could do much in the field.

“Well, it’s called an internship after all, chin up, girl, you had to have impressed Sir if you reached out to you. Last person he did that for Lemillion.” Another voice spoke up, cheery and friendly.

Bubble Girl was perhaps odd, considering how her co-worker and boss dressed, but she seemed to have her place here and enjoyed it. She was in reasonable shape for a heroine, with short ruffled dark blue hair, wide yellow eyes, and thick eyelashes. Her hero costume features a skintight dark blue crop top with a white high collar, zipper, and chest panel exposing her torso beneath the breasts. She wears black tights under loose white shorts with yellow side markings, thick white boots with lines and yellow rings, dark blue gloves, and a transparent visor with side air filters.

But like Centipeder, she had something that would have made her stand out in a crowd: her skin was naturally a light blue shade, darker than her hair.

Strategem shivered as she recalled that encounter. She had no issue with her senior; Lemillion seemed like an exceptional type of person. She just wished she hadn't walked in on him training and seen him in the nude. "I can see why he's on a whole other level."

"It wasn't always like that. He could barely use his quirk when he first started here in his first year, despite years of practice. I would say you're at a much higher starting level." Centipeder noted, thinking of those early days when he and Bubble Girl had wondered why Nighteye bothered with the boy.

But now, Bubble could safely Sir had a real eye for potential and bringing it out. “And he got really good, like insanely good, so imagine what you’ll be able to achieve.” She smiled at their second student member.

Strategem smiled, as she would also like to see how great her improvements could be should she stick with Nighteye. “I can’t wait to find out myself,” But for now, she had other tasks to handle.

Line break

Upstairs from them, Nighteye sat in his office. It was by far the largest in the building, as befitting the man who led the agency, but unlike so many others, it was dry on the aesthetics. It resembled the office of a mid-level manager more than one belonging to a hero. Still, it fit with the image Nighteye had of himself.

The only exceptions to this would be All Might memorabilia scattered around the space, whether posters, wallpapers, figurines, or other items. It was one thing that Sir Nighteye would never take kindly if someone implied it was merely a joke.

“Sir, could I ask something?” Lemillion talked with Sir over his radio, his student and apprentice out for the day on patrols.

"Ask away, Mirio," Nighteye replied, focused on handling some paperwork. Perhaps the one part of his persona that he despised was the tedious, mind-numbing paperwork, and with things having been for a loop since the Musutafu incident, he had even more to handle.

“Well, why did you accept her? I get she's smart, and drinking that tea only strengthens it, but well…she's not the type I would imagine you'll pick.” Lemillion didn’t need to say who he was talking about for Sir to pick up on it.

Many might have taken issue with the question, perhaps seeing it as his apprentice slighting his intern. But Nighteye couldn't detect a hint of dismissal, disinterest, or ignorance in Lemillion's voice. His apprentice was merely asking an honest question.

"Well, it's a little concerning that you think so little of me that you'll assume I would think about dating a college student," Nighteye replied, Lemillon getting tripped up over the line.

“Wha-no!”

Nighteye felt a hint of a smile on his face, but should he be asked, he would deny it as he continued to joke. “Besides, despite my appearances, I would like a more spontaneous and comedic partner who helps add colour to the room."

“Really?” Lemillion now seemed curious about it, as Sir wasn't one to reveal much about his private life, even with close colleagues. This had led to many theories over the years that he just didn't have time for it, was secretly married with kids somewhere, was asexual or perhaps such an All Might stand that he couldn't hold a relationship if he tried.

And as funny as it would be to continue to throw off his apprentice, he did need to treat him with the respect he was owed.

Leaning back in his seat, he pulled out another folder, one that contained young Saiko's information. "But as for your observation, Mirio, you're right. She's not the type, but one could say the same about Centipeder and Bubble Girl. Bubble can never land a good joke, and Centipeder is too formal for such. I've tried to change it and learned it was as impossible as getting All Might to rest regularly.”

Nighteye sighed, as the less said about the challenge of getting their Symbol of Peace to properly care for himself, the better.

“However, while she’s like them, she’s also different. Besides, considering she wishes to work more closely with the police and assist in investigations and planning of hero work, I felt it wouldn't hurt to assist her in learning that." Nighteye explained, as he was also someone who regularly aided and even carried out investigations of his own.

He wasn't anywhere near the top 100 pros, but he was still respected for his skills and results in the hero community. He had worked cases with several in the top 100, even those in the top 10, like Ryukyu, Yoroi Musha, and Best Jeanist.

It helped that he had been All Might's sole hero sidekick, but he didn't advertise that.

“Oh, that makes a lot more sense,” Lemillion sounded, before pausing for a moment. “Oh, well, look at the time, I gotta get going. That patrol isn't gonna run itself.”

Listening to the radio cut so Lemillion could focus on his patrol, Nighteye thought about what he said. He hadn’t lied, but those hadn’t been his only reasons for inviting the young lady to his agency. In fact, if not for certain circumstances, he wouldn’t have known she existed. ‘I’m sorry, Mirio, but this isn’t something you should get involved with.’

Line Break

Days earlier, before the internships could be finalised, Nighteye was surprised, but nervous when he got a call from All Might. The two hadn't parted on good terms to say the least. When they spoke last, All Might told him he wouldn't even meet Lemillion, having found another successor for One for All in Uraraka, a freshman.

He was man enough to admit that he hadn’t that call well, as no matter what he believed, it was ultimately All Might’s choice and he had to trust and respect that, especially as if there was one person who would always put hero work first, it was All Might…for better or worse, so if he thought this freshmen from the sticks could live up to the example he had set…

But that only brought him back to this call. All Might didn’t do friendly calls or texts. He was always too busy, too focused on his job for such. So this couldn't have been mere chance, and with it coming days after U.A.'s own town was attacked by an unidentified force, he had reason to believe it was related.

It couldn't be hero-related, not at its base, as All Might was calling his private number. This was personal, and he didn't want it to end up on some agency record, which only added to the stew of nerves in Nighteye's gut, but in the end, he answered the call.

What the call ended up being about was not what he expected.

“Nighteye, could you take a person under your wing? We would like to ensure they have…the best guidance they can have.” All Might…Toshinori requested.

“If it’s your chosen successor, they’ll need to prove themselves-” Nighteye wouldn't play favourites, even with One for All. Still, All Might countered before he could finish.

“It’s not young Uraraka. It’s not even a U.A. student but someone who's connected to the attacks we've had in recent days.” Nighteye frowned, as that was vague, something rare from his friend.

"Connected, how? I hope this isn't the family of those villains." Nighteye replied, as such things did exist. Contrary to what the public believed, one could have heroes and villains in the same family. But like the TV dramas painted it, it was always drama and, at times, dangerous. Has U.A. taken in a student like that?

“Not as far as we can tell, and Nezu and Tsukauchi have already conducted thorough background checks on them.” Nighteye listened, as that was intriguing. Nezu, he could believe, would look into a suspicious individual before allowing them into his school. But to bring in the detective meant they checked sources the crafty dean couldn't easily get his paws on.

All Might sent him the file they had on the girl, which he quickly opened and scanned over. As he did so, his frown only grew, not at her performance, as it wasn't something easily dismissed. It was what else came with it, such as her connections to Professor Midoriya and the fact she and her son were wrapped up in things they shouldn't exist. “You can’t be serious.”

Toshinori sighed. “It wasn't my idea, but with how much has happened and how little even Professor Midoriya knows, I agree that it would be ideal if someone like young Intelli were under someone we could trust to train and protect her.”

A fancy way of saying they wished for him to spy on her, no doubt also using his quirk to see her future and try to glean more about these…quirk spirits. It sounded like fantasy, insane writings, but if All Might passed this information to him, it was as real as the blood in his veins.

“As well as to watch her and attempt to gain her trust,” Nighteye finished for All Might. "Toshinori, if this were any other time, I would question if you're you."

“But?”

It was now Nighteye’s turn to sigh, melting into his chair as he reached for his brow. All of this was just…a lot to handle. And with it, it brought forth many terrifying possibilities and theories he would unfortunately need to think about at length later to better judge them.

"But it's not, and I can't ignore this problem. Besides, with the USJ incident, I suspect he's still around, or someone connected to him. But now more than ever, I pray he's dead as one can be, ghost quirks would be too irresistible a prize for him.”

Nighteye left unsaid the idea that…some part of that damned monster could still be around as a quirk spirit chilled him to his bones.

“So, you’ll do it?” All Might asked him.

“I will, but I won’t go easy on her, nor can I say she would accept my offer.” Nighteye agreed.

Line Break

And yet, despite all he had done to disprove it, all other possibilities, he couldn’t help but fear what this meant. And what it would mean for All Might’s future. “Please…let me be wrong, let there be something that can be done…”

Outside his door, Strategem. She had some files she wished to inquire about in her hands, though her hand remained raised to knock. She had sharper ears than most realised, and had heard Sir's prayer, but for what?

'Is it to do with his quirk? Did he see something unpleasant? Tragic? Horrible?' She thought the lingering tea taste boasted her intellect as she tried to figure out this puzzle. Still, she lacked too many pieces and had too little evidence to scrap together a case.

'Is it to do with me?' She wondered, as it had been a surprise when her teachers informed her about the offer. Nighteye wasn't known for taking in students, and certainly none from her school. Some of her friends didn't see anything wrong with that, seeing it as proof that she was something different, or that Nighteye saw potential in her when he otherwise wouldn't have looked.

But that was just where he looked. He had been a solo hero for five years now, and not once had anyone from her area ever been given a chance to work with him, not unless they were already fully trained and licensed pros, and those were short-term partnerships for cases. So, why’d he break that habit?

What she suspected was that he and All Might kept in contact, and he knew more than most. She was here not because of her potential or talents but because of her connection to a party he and the rest of the hero world barely knew or understood. He wanted to forge ties with her and possibly gain greater access to that third fraction.

It was a wise move, just what she would expect from the man known as the brains behind their Symbol of Peace.

Still, it didn't account for his words just now. She'll need to think about it and maybe contact her hero-loving boyfriend about it for his opinion later. Right now, she had to get this done.

Knocking on the door, she waited a few seconds before entering. “Pardon the intrusion, but I have some files on a recent trigger case you might wish to look at…”

Line break

Kendo and Yaoyorozu had different experiences from those of their classmates.

While Iida joined his brother on patrols and learned the finer points of interacting with the public, Todoroki faced a major decision regarding how he would work and live as a hero. Midoriya and Tokoyami chased after Hawks with newly gained skills; they worked more as aides than anything else.

The heroine they had both chosen hadn't taken them through the expected hero work, but had explained other points on their first day relating to how pros handled having second jobs, or in the race case, 3 jobs. For some, as she explained, it was simple finances, as when you didn't get much done, maybe because crime was low, it meant a lower paycheck.

But for many, especially those of notable fame and standing, it was to help spread goodwill about pros, showcasing new products, doing interviews, and even appearing in popular media like movies and TV shows. At present, they stood to the side as Uwabami went through a series of poses for the photographer, the set having a bed, and from what Kendo could tell, it was a professional operation, as despite the heroine's beauty being on full display, not a single one eyed her.

Yaoyorozu was taking this much more seriously than Kendo, having been placed in charge of their pro's schedule. "After this, she'll be a guest on a radio show, and then there's the magazine interview." Yaoyorozu, or her hero name, Creati, read off the schedule book she carried.

“We’re basically her pretty entourage.” Kendo, who chose the name Battle Fist, sighed. Having accepted that this wouldn't be the typical internship.

Creati didn’t see it like that. "This is all necessary; we'll need these skills if we both wish to be media savvy when we graduate. You wouldn’t wish to end up like Captain Celebrity, would you?”

Battle Fist groaned, just a little. As Uwabami had discussed, the American hero had spent time in Japan to escape his many…many scandals back in the States. Most of which involve women. The weird part was that he wasn't, in fact, cheating on his wife with several hot women. He was just an idiot who liked spending time with people and didn't realize the optics. “I think she used an extreme example with him…”

The head photographer snapped one last picture before lowering his camera and signaling the rest to pack up. "And that's that. We got all we need."

“I appreciate it, Mill.” Uwabami smiled as she stood from the bed, straightening out her dress as she did so.

“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.” The man nodded as he turned to walk off, probably to ensure his pictures were saved in several places in case something happened. Watching this, Battle Fist breathed a sigh of relief, but Creati frowned.

“That’s not right…” She muttered as she opened the booklet again to see if she had made a mistake.

“What is it? She’s done, isn’t she?” Battle Fist asked, as it didn’t seem like a big deal to her.

"Her schedule still has her here for another 20 minutes," Creati replied, showing Battle Fist the time marking so she could see it herself, and with a glance at the wall clock, they could tell it was too early.

"That would be my mistake, Creati," Uwabami stated as she approached, and not for the first time, both girls could say that the heroine was something else. She was a curvy woman whose long blonde hair always seemed to have just been done up by a professional hair stylist, with skin as smooth and soft-looking as a supermodel's. Golden eyes only added to the allure, as if she was something that should be avoided, and yet was sought all the same, a feeling strengthened by her quirk giving her 3 snakes in her hair.

Even her hero costume didn't seem like a hero costume. It was a maroon dress with scale-like details, matching 2-inch heels, and a choker and golden snake bracelets on her wrists and ankles. She didn't seem like a hero. She seemed like she was about to attend the biggest gala of the year or walk down the red carpet.

But for the moment, she didn't seem like the knowing vixen who charmed with but a glance. She seemed much more approachable. “I hadn’t had time to update it since you arrived, but I’ve already had my agent cancel my radio show appearance and magazine interview.”

That was a big surprise for the two, who recalled how much they had followed her through her appointments the day before and the weight she had put on them. "B-but why? Didn't you inform us that such moves can breed negative views of heroes?" Yaoyorozu asked, recalling something they had heard from the pro the previous day.

Uwabami nodded. “It can, but it can be handled if you explain it. Heroes, no matter their second jobs or obligations, are heroes. We should always put this job first.”

‘Is it sad that I’m surprised to hear her say that?’ Kendo asked herself. Yaoyorozu looked at the woman in wonder, her respect for her growing while Kendo just dealt with a minor internal crisis. “But then are we…going on patrol then?” she asked, pushing that aside and trying to keep her anticipation out of her voice.

“Not in the traditional sense.” Uwabami smiled as she led them out of the studio, taking the elevator down, not to street level but towards the underground parking. Both students were in for a shock.

“Holy…” Kendo murmured as she took in the sight of what had been waiting for them.

“A mobile operations centre?” Yaoyorozu, raised in what many would call insane amounts of wealth, was less shocked to see the massive vehicle, one blazed with Uwabami's colours and face like a tour bus, and more at the fact that the media-focused heroine would have something like this.

Uwabami laughed at their faces as she walked towards the vehicle. Some of her staff were waiting for them outside of it, one of whom was opening the door for her like a proper gentleman. "Of course. You both probably guessed I'm not dressed for street fights, right?"

Kendo, put on the spot, having thought just that, now tried to find her way out of potentially insulting the heroine and getting a negative comment added to her record, one she knew Eraser wouldn’t take kindly to. “Well, I mean-Midnight doesn’t really dress for it and she’s no pushover.”

“We didn’t wish to assume. Your heels and dress could have easily been adjusted for such." Yaoyorozu sounded more confident, but the sweat on her brow showed her faith wasn't as strong as she had been presenting it.

There was a beat of silence as the staff and Uwabami looked them over, none making a move. The mood grew tense as the heroine's face grew all the stormier. The two got ready for the yelling and disappointment before the woman burst out laughing.

Now thoroughly confused, they watched as the fashionista of a heroine doubled over laughing, barely keeping on her 2 feet. A sight made weirder by the fact that her staff seemed just as amused as she was. Eventually, she got herself under control, wiping a tear from her face. "Oh, don't be so tense, I'm not offended. If anything, it just means my costume does its job. After all, most crooks don't think a woman dressed up for a gala like me can kick their butts."

Turning on her heel, she walked into the vehicle, gesturing for the two to follow. "But it's not my strong suit. That would be commanding other heroes, coordinating with law enforcement, ensuring those who are needed are sent where they can do the most good, and keeping egos in check."

As she explained this, the 2 students entered the vehicle and saw that it was decked out. Four others had already been inside, some manning screens, others on phones, and one tapping into what looked to be a communication system, though they wondered why it was separate from the phone line station.

The vehicle was also well designed, as despite the limitations of the vehicle, and all the equipment and modifications that it had gone through to host all of it, it didn’t feel cramped.

With the door closed behind them, one of the staff members approached Uwabami and gave her a report: "Ma'am, we're linked into the network."

The hero nodded, her stance and demeanour shifting completely. From the seductive party host to the calm, just deadly serpent. “And the new sensory arrays?”

"No issues; they're working as we were told." The woman showed her what she meant, handed her a tablet, and ran her through the new reading and some comments from the technicians who had installed them.

“Pardon, what is this about?” Creati asked, as this was nothing like the hero work she had thought it would be. If she didn't know better, she would assume the heroine was running a spy operation.

When Uwabami glanced towards them, Creti swore her eyes appeared predatory in how observant and piercing they were. "You two brought us those new quirk sensors, didn't you? Instead of placing them on buildings and having them be stationary, we had them fitted onto agency vehicles that drive around set patrol routes." The hero explained.

She nodded towards one of the screens, and as they looked, the sidekick manning it flicked through some settings and displayed a digital map of the city, with 3 pink vehicles driving along major roads. From which they seemed to set pulses that passed through buildings. One remained clear, but there was a return signal on one side.

“And it looks like it just picked one up,” Uwabami frowned. She had hoped these new sensors wouldn't detect anything, that she wouldn't need to handle something like this, but she wouldn't step away. “Horus, be a dear and get us to sector C19.”

The well-dressed sidekick bowed his head. "As you wish, ma'am. We'll be there in 10. Shall we also inform any local heroes of our moves?"

“It doesn’t seem to be moving, and we’ve gotten no reports from the area, so no. Hold off on that, but should something happen.” She directed, but the sidekick caught what she would say.

“You needn’t give the word.” With that, he turned and left for the driver's cabin. Moments later, they heard the engine start as the motor coach started to move, steering towards the entrance to the underground parking.

On the move, the pro turned to the students she knew had been itching for some action. Well, now they'll have it. “Now, Battle First, Creati, it's time you show me how you all handle these quirk spirits. Hopefully, this won't end up being a dangerous one."

Line Break

Hours later, the sun was setting. For many, it was time to head home. Students who had after-school clubs and sports were waving goodbye to their friends, and workers were clocking out as they prepped to head out drinking, clubbing, or just to crash at home.

Even at a school like U.A., where students were pushed to go beyond and work harder than others, they were calling it for the day. Its hero course students were all gone, either in their internships or work studies for those in their third year. Others had long since packed up, with few exceptions of some making use of the school's facilities like labs, workshops, and libraries for extra study time or research.

One girl was cackling like a mad woman, having had a fire lit in her ever since the announcement destroyed a fundamental aspect of reality as they understood it. Many had been shaken, many scared, and some envious of those they saw to have profited from this.

But for one Hatsume Mei, she was ecstatic, her mind exploding with new theories and ideas she had to try out.

But this went unseen by Inko. She sat in her newly acquired office, head in her hands, as she read through a 20-page report for the third time, trying to spot something she hadn’t before.

“It doesn’t make any sense…” She groaned, biting her lip as she reached for a mug. She took a quick sip of coffee as she went over this report and the files that U.A. had managed to acquire about both attacks. For the USJ incident, they had managed to recover camera footage, and the in-house system had recorded all it could; it was merely unable at the time to send any sort of distress.

She had already gone over the fights around the USJ and was impressed and proud at what she had seen in them, but she now had to focus once more on the final confrontation. The one that was part of the source of her frustrations and sleepless nights. It didn't matter if this was the 6th time she saw it; she still shivered watching her son's attack being turned on him, cutting him down.

Watching the Nomu mutate into a creature best described as a giant black cancerous tumour fed through a nightmare machine, he paused the footage. Then he turned to a collection of photos from the second incident. Captured by people who had been caught in it. Most volunteered their pictures to the police to help speed up the investigation.

She ignored how some came from the deceased's phones and cameras.

"The USJ was a fluke, a near certainty of probability, no matter how rare, but this…" One was easily explained. It had mutated in the moment and was dealt with in the same incident. It had fallen well into their class range, and while strong, it was ultimately the same as others in behaviour.

But the second attack was nothing like it. It was planned, widespread, and had no clear goal other than pandemonium and death. “Even for a Shishiha, to move like this, plan and bring in aides from distant locations…"

That was more troubling than she dared to voice. As a scientist, she had long accepted that there would never be absolutes, that there would always be some room for exceptions, new discoveries, or new definitions to what had once been believed.

But it was so much easier to think that about a lab and experiments than about monsters that most couldn't see, couldn't touch, and couldn't defend themselves against as they broke from the behaviour she and the rest of those who followed her had believed.

"And we don't know the why. Why was all that done? What was the reason? Who could have had such a strong hatred for Musutafu?” Inko stressed, as she had already gone over a list of murders and other tragic deaths in the city going back a decade, and couldn't find anything even close to a fire quirk that created this bloodstained mess.

“You know, I’ve been told that working so hard is bad for your health.” Nezu popped in, and Inko nearly jumped out of her seat in fright as the chimera had just opened the door without warning. Closing it just as fast as he strolled into her office. “You might not possess the same lovable coat as I, but I would hate to see you go bald.”

Getting her heart rate back under control, she wondered if Nezu was for a kick out of scaring her like that, as he always seemed to show up when she was most distracted. “Afternoon to you as well, Dean Nezu.”

"Please, we're not handling guests, so you can call me Nezu." Nezu laughed off her greeting, all smiles typical for him. “Can I assume you’re not grading papers?”

"No one signed up for my class yet, Nezu." Inko reminded him, though it went unsaid, that people weren't signed up only because her newly established theoretical quirk studies class was new.

Patting a stack of tests to the side of her desk, she had a small grin. “I helped grade some for your second-year chemistry students. Kids these days are getting smarter, almost too smart.”

Nezu chuckled once more, but it was with the pride of a teacher with exceptional students. “Well, U.A. attracts only the best.”

"And some who need some polishing, I wonder if this was what professors felt when I was so close to something and still missed the mark," Inko recalled her college days. These memories made her smile and feel old at the same time.

Nezu couldn't relate to such, but he didn't let him stop him. Unfortunately, it wasn't why he had decided to pay the sole non-hero staff member a visit. "Oh, it's an experience from what I've observed, but I suspect that isn't the only thing on your mind."

“It’s not…” Inko breathed out, her frustration returning, along with a sense of exhaustion. "I've not had time to be in the lab as much, but I don't know what else we can do. We've run all the tests. Interviewed the Gekiha in question. Even checked records of deaths and disappearances.”

“And nothing more has made itself known?” Nezu guessed, and when she nodded, he let out a quiet hum as he jumped onto the chair facing her desk. "Well, it's not as if I bring good news. You recall the USJ incident?"

Well, such a question at least helped disprove the idea that Nezu watched them through hidden cameras. "How can I forget? If not for that, I wouldn't be here, and you and the rest of U.A. would still be in the dark."

Nezu smiled, though it wasn’t a pleasant one. "Wouldn't that have been blissful ignorance, but ignorance all the same, and I despise such." There was more to the statement, some hidden meaning, but Nezu wasn't telling, and she wasn't asking. “Back on track, I bring it up because of the Nomu corpse we recovered. As expected, its body was too mutated for any search through appearance-centric databases, so we conducted a search with DNA."

"I assume its secondary mutations made finding a viable strand to test even harder?" Inko asked, as for a body to just…change shape like that, it spoke to a fundamental divergence, a break from the typical genetic code amplified by the hundreds. Or it would, if quirks didn’t represent a variable galaxy of unknown factors which at times, seemed to take logic and science and use it as a skip rope.

“Quite so, the lab its corpse was transferred to was both thrilled at the chance to study it, and frustrated by our requests they match it to a name.” Nezu hadn't enjoyed that little interaction, and how the scientist had looked at the bloody, mutated corpse like it was a surprise birthday present. “The police were able to confirm that the Nomu had once been this man, a petty criminal with a record of assault and extortion.”

His words were accompanied by him slipping a photo over to Inko. Picking it up, she saw the face of an average man, clearly taken by the police during an arrest. He then slipped her another one, detailing how he had gone missing and no trace had been found.

"However, there was a catch. His DNA was indeed confirmed; it was the one with the most.” Nezu continued, leading to Inko’s brow creasing.

“The most? You mean there were more?” As she would expect, she asked, seeing how many had been fighting the beast when it went down, but surely such DNA had been ruled out, right?

"At least 4 others intermingled into that genetic mess of a body," Nezu revealed, having been surprised when he had seen the report. He wasn't a doctor, but he read up on medical textbooks occasionally, and none had anything on how this could have been possible.

Inko had a deeper understanding of it than he did, and even she was stunned by such a finding. "That…is troubling, and can't occur outside a lab environment. Even so, the body destroys foreign cells like DNA quickly, so for them to appear would imply that they had been thoroughly integrated into the structure before death."

"It's believed at this time it was done to help prepare the body for multiple quirks, in this case, the 2. Shock Absorption and its Super Regeneration.” Nezu replied, as the report had detailed how the surviving muscles, ligaments, and bones they could examine pointed towards a creature 10 times stronger than the average person.

Inko sneered at the images she had. Of the once human thug, and the grotesque monster he had been turned into. "Clearly, what depraved doctors who made this didn't go far enough. They prepared the body for such a load, yet not the mind. The thing is a mindless puppet, right?"

Nezu confirmed that. "That could have been intentional, as if it was designed as a weapon, so why give it free will? Though we should be grateful for that all the same, as it limits its own critical thinking skills and makes problems easier to handle."

“Already suspecting more?” Inko pressed.

“Wouldn’t you?” The middle-aged mother had to give it to him; he wasn't wrong about that. If there was a person so twisted they could make one of these, then they had to be making more, if they hadn't already.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me?" She asked, to which Nezu handed her more to look over.

“I wished to pick your brain on its quirks and how they were implemented, see the differences between your methods and our unseen and hopefully mis-identified adversary in the shadows.” Her face twisted as she, too, wished that All Might had succeeded in ending that individual. As if he were still around, she and her son in particular would have targets on their backs.

Line Break

It's the second last day of the month…man, it really doesn't feel like that much time has passed. We have just this and the Path of Waves chapter before we cross into October, the spooky month for those who celebrate Halloween.

With the last chapter, yes-Midoriya and Tokoyami both made breakthroughs with their quirks and how they use them. For Izuku, he achieved a form comparable to a Shiny Eevee in terms of colour palette. Tokoyami merely gained the ability he would have otherwise picked up during their internships. Why did he gain it early? Well, I've pretty made that obvious; it's really different now. Besides, having someone to bounce ideas off of can and has proven invaluable time and time again.