章 29: Trial of Fools: Ch 8
Howdy Folks! Finals are over, college is out, and I'm back!
Also, I know this is kinda redundant, but the world is f*ckin weird nowadays.
A guy I know contacted me from his vacation to China . (I know- why the Hell anyone would go to China's surveillance state dystopia, let alone willingly and on vacation, is a fucking mystery)
Anyway, he was distraught because he was in quarantine and his family got caught up in one of China's city-wide lockdowns, and he couldn't get to them because the government had put up a giant metal fence with armed guards in hazmat suits, with police dogs. (Guys it's literally a fucking Dystopia movie, you can't make this shit up)
Meanwhile I had kinda forgot Covid existed.
I caught it back when it first came to the States, then the mask thing came around and there was backlash against that (not for any real reason, just that folks round here don't like being told what to do by the government), then once the vaccine got FDA approved everyone took it, dropped the masks, and moved on with life.
I haven't heard anything about it in, God, it feels like forever.
*Sips Hot Chocolate*
Yeah.
The world's weird.
*Sips Hot Chocolate*
But before I get into a spiral about "the good old days" before even pre Covid-
(God, I'm starting to sound like my Grandfather. "Listen Boy, back in my day ya could get a gallon ah gas fer a quarter, and buy a house fer a good boddle uh liquor! This is all 'cuz Nixon took us off the Gold standard!" "But Gran-Pah, modern economics-" "SCREW YER MODERN ECA-NAMICS! Our industry won us th' war, and we sold it uhway!" Ahh, good memories.)
-Let's actually get to the chapter.
-Rain of Sins-
-Trial of Fools: Ch 8-
The UA sports festival was a major event, lasting the whole week, with stands, stalls, booths, and vendors on every corner. There was food and entertainment of all kinds, from rigged carnival games, to the Heroes walking around as security- more than willing to show off for their fans and sign autographs.
But there was no doubt that the star attraction, the crown jewel of the festival, were the tournaments that took place in the giant stadium that towered overhead, smack dab in the center of the whole thing.
The first years started it off with a bang on Monday, showing their abilities off to the world for the first time, then on Wednesday the second years got to show off how much they'd improved since the previous year, and then on Friday the Third years finished everything off with a glorious display of what the next generation of Heroes was going to be,
The tournaments were UA's golden goose, in a sense. They showed off the school's accomplishments and ability to train Heroes, brought international attention to the school, attracted potential students and capital investments at the same time, let students show off their abilities and attract Pro Heroes for internships, and it did all this while also hyping up the public for the next generation of Heroes, which made everyone feel just as safe when the old Heroes retired.
It was a win-win-win-win for UA, and Nezu's genius was on full display in how he'd designed it.
And to think, the prime minister had called him "reckless" back when he'd first suggested it, all those years ago.
The little mouse chuckled to himself as he placed down his half full tea cup.
Really, it'd take more than some broken noses and a big lizard to make him call off the festival, and with the ramped up security, nothing was messing with UA's big event!
…
Nothing at all.
…
All for One drummed his fingers and let a twisted grin overcome him as he received a reply email, from his new favorite pawn.
Dixie rested his chin on his hands and hummed as he read over the documents scattered across his desk.
Gentle Criminal stroked his mustache in thought as LaBrava briefed him on their entrance strategy.
Stain sharpened his blades in the shadows as he glared at the fireworks that signaled the start of the festival.
And Izuku Midoriya smiled as he stepped up to the counter.
"Hello, I'm here for the medical assistant job opening."
-Rain of Sins-
"This is the second time you've come in here with severe head trauma! And worse, you have the audacity, the audacity, to crawl back here injured after forging my signature to get into a training exercise that I did NOT greenlight you for!"
Shūzenji Chiyo, better known as the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl, glared down (up) at her most recent headache, Aoyama from class 1-A. She had held her tongue for the past three days since he was wheeled back to her office, and was waiting patiently until he was healthy enough to release to lecture him. She refused to let her temper affect her treatment, but unfortunately…
"And then you have the gaul to go behind me back AGAIN! And go directly to Nezu for permission to participate in the festival, before I'VE EVEN CLEARED YOU!" Her voice rose to shouting and she hurled her walking cane after the insolent delinquent as he ran out the door and down the hallway, in the middle of her speech, safe with Nezu's note of approval.
And Neu approved, because of course the mouse would want as many flashy quirks in his festival as he could get!
Chiyo was half tempted to chase down the boy, if only to pound it into his head that even though she was technically retired, she was still a Pro Hero back in the day, and he should show her the same respect he did any other faculty member!
But she was dissuaded as a different head popped through the open door, holding the cane she'd thrown through it.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" The green haired man asked with an apologetic smile. "The staff told me I was supposed to report here to a Ms Chiyo."
"Oh, you must be the assistant. Mr Midoriya, I believe it was? Thank you." She nodded gratefully as he handed her her cane, and she motioned for him to sit down.
"With all the injuries our students obtain during the festival, we usually hire an entire staff of medical assistants to help carry the increased load, but with the attack on the USJ, Nezu's been extraordinarily tight on security and background checks. Combine that with some of our regulars dropping out in fear of another attack, and we've been running thin on hands."
She sighed, clearly exhausted just from all the work going into the festival's setup.
"I don't know Doctor Garaki all that well, but both he as well as his hospital's board have done nothing but sing praises of your short time working there, so when we saw your application, the choice in hiring you was a no brainer, really."
"Thank you, it means a lot." Izuku said honestly, fighting down a slight blush at the praise.
"It's not flattery, I only speak the truth." Chiyo waved her hand. "But I do have one personal question I want answered, before I let you onboard." She leaned forward, her face serious. "I was one of the judges for the entrance exam." Her eyes narrowed. "I know you took the practical, and I know you failed. Given that history, why would you volunteer to help us?"
Izuku's eyes widened, and he leaned back defensively, preparing to come up with something-
…
Only to sigh in defeat and slump in his seat.
"I took the exam because all my life I wanted to be a Hero, all my life I wanted to help people. But about two months before the exam, I ran into All Might." Izuku laughed weakly, not noticing Chiyo's eyebrows rising. "He was my Hero, ya know, he's everyone's Hero, and he told me very plainly that he didn't think I had the ability to become a Hero."'
Chiyo leaned back in her chair, doing some quick math in her head.
"That was about the time you started working at Jaku General Hospital, right? You started working there because All Might shot down your dream?"
"Yup, you got it in one." He sighed, but looked back to her with determination in his eyes. "I realized that just because I couldn't be a Hero doesn't mean I can't help people. It doesn't mean I can't do the right thing."
"And your attempt at the exam was just a last roll of the dice for your old dream, hmm?"
Recovery Girl stared at him for a long few seconds, before she gradually let the professional mask break into a friendly smile.
"Well then Mr Midoriya." Chiyo smiled and shook his hand. "I look forward to working with you."
Ten minutes of paperwork later, and Izuku once again shook the old Hero's hand as he made to leave.
"Although I do have to wonder," The doctor tilted her head as he left the room. "Why the color?"
"Oh nothing much," Izuku shrugged, "I can only afford so many coats, and black just makes it easier to wash out stains."
-Rain of Sins-
Momo walked down the hallway, in her Hero suit, from their class' recent meeting with the support department, chatting with Ochako. Her first day back at school, after her argument(?) fight(?) friend-breakup(?) with Bakugo last Friday had been… quiet. No one had talked to her between classes, no one had bugged her during classes, and she'd eaten that day's abnormally early lunch alone at the corner of the cafeteria.
Mina and Ochako, bless their souls, had noticed her alone, and had tried their best to fill the air. Unfortunately Mina had been a nervous wreck with the Festival happening later, and Ochako, despite her best efforts, clearly had something else weighing down on her mind.
"So are your parents coming to watch you compete?"
"No, fo-er-unfortunately." Momo sighed at the question. "How about yours?"
"Ah, no, my parents are out in the country, they won't be able to make it."
That perked her interest.
"Wait, I thought that you were one of the people who reserved the extra ticket that students get for attending family members."
"O-Oh, a-about that…" Ochako trailed off, oddly nervous. "It was for, a, uh, a f-friend asked me to reserve one for them?"
Momo blinked, her brain taking a moment to process that sentence.
"A friend? As in a question? Ochako, are you oka-"
But her mental process came to a screeching halt as they turned the corner.
…
"Bakugo." Momo greeted curtly.
"Hey Momo." Bajugo said weakly.
The three students stood awkwardly in the hall, as a silence fell over all of them, with Momo crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.
"…Umm, I uh," Ochako figited nervously and slowly began inching away. "I'll leave you two to talk things out."
Bakugo winced as one of his core lifelines in plan "try to make Momo not hate me" fled the scene with her tail tucked between her legs.
…
"Momo, I… I am…"
Momo raised an eyebrow as Bakugo grit his teeth and balled his fists, trying to keep his quirk from going off accidentally as an almost physical pain gripped his chest.
He'd lived his entire life by a set of simple rules he'd sworn to himself when he first decided to be a Hero as a kid.
Work to be the best at everything. Never lose. Always work to be better than he was yesterday. Live with no regrets. And most importantly…
A certain part of him, a very loud part of him was screaming at him to walk away, she was the one who hit him, she should be the one to apologize! Why should he break his rules for her?
NEVER Apologize, or ask for Pity!
"Momo, I'm sorry!"
He bowed over at a 90 degree angle, as professional as he knew how, forcing the word that burned like acid off his tongue.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me."
…
A heavy silence filled the hallway, and Bakugo was almost certain that she'd just walk away, or maybe even slap him again… at least he'd have tried.
"Then prove it."
"Huh?" The question cut through the silence like a cannonshot.
Momo grabbed his gauntleted arm and pulled it between them. "Let me redesign these, all they're good for right now is a giant deadly blast, they have no versatility. Let me help you adjust your fighting style in general to something more useful, rely less on brute forcing things and get you to the point you're more likely to capture a criminal than kill them." She paused and made a point to stare him in the eye. "And most importantly you have to stop treating people like they're disposable!"
"Do that… start becoming the person I thought you were…" She let ice creep into her tone as she glared at him dead in the eye. "Then I'll forgive you."
"You'll forgive me?" He asked, genuinely surprised. "You'll be my friend again?" -Only to immediately cringe, as his mouth slipped, from the surprise.
"Friends? No." Momo crossed her arms and resumed glaring at him. "We can be 'friends' when you're a better person."
Bakugo winced and hung his head. Yeah… he knew it was a long shot.
"But until then…"
He looked up to see her smiling weakly at him.
"I guess we can go back to being rivals, if you want."
-Rain of Sins-
Izuku sighed as he walked through the unused maintenance halls of the UA stadium, he actually rather liked his labcoat, and while his current one was… standard, he'd grown used to having his thicker coat for down in his lab. Wearing one this thin was strange, and even though he knew logically that the extra centimeter or so didn't make any real difference, it almost made him feel exposed in such a flimsy covering.
The barren concrete tunnel, and numerous pipes that ran overhead, eventually broke the pattern of being completely uninteresting that had plagued it for the past 15 minutes of walking. There, off to the left hand side, was an old maintenance hatch that led down into the sewers.
It was large, easily around three feet in diameter, and was discolored from all the rust it had accrued over the years. It was also obviously abandoned, either something left over from the original construction, or something that'd just become obsolete over time. Honestly Izuku didn't care why, that wasn't important, what did matter was the welding marks that ran along its edges. Apparently UA had reasoned that just welding it shut was both cheaper and just as effective as getting it completely removed.
Which, to be fair, was a decent assumption.
It was a shame that rust did such terrible things to metal…
A horrible mix of a "clang" and a "screech" reverberated in the narrow tunnel as Izuku drove the crowbar he'd "borrowed" from a convenient maintenance closet in the maintenance hall, between the rusted plates. And with a swift serum-enhanced stomp onto the crowbar, the old hatch popped open like it had back in its prime.
The next course of action was clearly the most obvious thing to do after opening a suspicious hatch.
He tossed the crowbar down into the dark below, and slammed the door closed.
Izuku dusted his hands off and resumed his walk down the hallway, but he only got a few feet before he frowned. According to the schedule, there should have been a-
"Hey you! Halt!"
Ah, there it is.
Izuku glanced over his shoulder to see a, well, exactly the grade of Hero Nezu would have patrol the most useless part of the facility.
"Evildoer! Cease thy evilness! For it is I! REALLY RED TORNADO!"
The poor, middle aged, and slightly overweight Hero 'Relly Red Tornado' struck the single most generic "I got you" pose imaginable, slightly crouched, legs spread out, and a finger pointed aggressively at Izuku. He had a bright yellow tank top and green shorts over a red skinsuit, with leather gloves, a black cape, and a lumpy metal helmet that covered his face and completed the look.
"These halls are off limits!" He shouted as small fan-strength gusts of wind began to congregate around his hands. "Surrender now or prepare to- OWCHIE!"
The wind dispersed, and the Really Red Tornado tentatively prodded at the syringe sticking out of his shoulder.
"What was that for? What did you do? Am I poisoned!?"
"Don't worry, it wasn't anything permanent." Izuku shrugged with his hands upturned in a non threatening manner, revealing the black devices strapped to his arms beneath his coat sleeves.. "Just insurance."
"Wha-"
But that was as far as the Hero got before his head tilted, and tumbled off his shoulders.
"Tch, pathetic."
Stain grumbled to himself as he finished pulling himself out of the old sewers.
"I still don't see why you couldn't have just teleported me here."
"The longer we can keep from tipping the Heroes off that there's a warp quirk on the board, the better. There have been teleporting Villains in the past, and the authorities do have ways of countering them, but they can't plan around things they don't know we have."
"Yeah, I get that, but I still think we could have just faked an entry route." Stain frowned and double checked his blades. "Whatever, we're burning daylight. You remember the plan, right?"
"Of course I remember the plan, I made the plan." The scientist scoffed. "You thin out the security and deliver our 'gift' to Endeavor. I'll set up the escape preparations, and get you into the system. Today, all of Japan will hear your message." Izuku narrowed his eyes at Stain. "But remember, it's your message, do not hint about me. I have enough to worry about without Heroes hunting me down. I'm here for Endeavor, and only Endeavor."
"Whatever." The red ghost scoffed. "You sure didn't seem to be out for 'only Endeavor' when you helped me with the Hot-Cold twins."
"You were going to kill them regardless, my intervention did nothing to change the outcome, it was simply an opportunity to run a live experiment." The scientist frowned. "It would be cruel to waste research materials, after all."
"That's the kind of lies we all tell ourselves at the start." Stain said as he took the black package Izuku offered him from beneath his coat. "Alright, I'll get this joy to Endeavor, what will you be doing in the meantime?"
"Oh nothing major, don't worry." Izuku chuckled, opening his coat to reveal numerous empty blood vials. "I'll be playing the good doctor, with just a little sampling on the side… You know, of the quirks UA deems good enough to be the face of the new Hero generation."
-Rain of Sins-
All for One smiled to himself as he drummed his fingers on his arm rest.
Ujiko's apprentice was shaping to be a very interesting piece- and more than that, a very useful piece. It was such a rare combination to find a piece that had the capacity to operate independently- operate well independently at that, but also had the intelligence to run his plans through the upper channels for permission before doing anything.
The two traits combined meant that, not only could the young Midoriya contribute useful ideas, but he could work in a constructive manner, rather than just being an arm that flailed about independently from the brain, like so many of his strongest pieces had been in the past.
Yes, the boy was developing into a fine piece, and All for One could easily tell the boy was the type who would grow best through his own work, with only minor course corrections when necessary. Sutch was the reason why he hadn't added anything to the boy's plan for the Festival, even though he had another objective he personally wanted fulfilled.
Fortunately he had another piece he could use.
… actually, no. That wasn't right. "Piece" would imply something of value, something he'd care to lose- even if only enough to use it in a sacrificial play. He'd sarcastically referred to his rat at UA as his "gravity pet" before, but that wasn't really right either.
He'd had a pet before, and he had actually grown quite attached to the little feline. But alas all good things must eventually come to an end, and he eventually realized that keeping Coco alive, for so many decades, with his quirks was unfair to the poor animal, forcing it to live with the constant pain of its own body failing on it. He'd let the old cat pass on peacefully in her sleep, purring as she lay curled up on his lap.
Ms Ochako Uraraka was none of the above, just an extra chip he'd picked up offhandedly, and that he could tug on to make her do things. She'd been hesitant to hand over her extra ticket, but some light coercion with some cash was all she needed.
Ironically the longer she hesitated to cut ties, the more leverage he'd have over her when she inevitably tried to. He'd gotten very good at putting strings on people over the many years.
Strings…
Strings! Yes, that was it! She was like a puppet! Not a piece, not a pet, but a puppet, who had tangled herself into the very strings he was using to control her. (Well, right now he was using money, but the point still stood- every trap needs its bait, after all.)
Yes, she was a puppet, and he was going to use his puppet to teach his former piece a very important lesson.
"Did you really think you could just walk away?" The only SSS ranked Villain in history chuckled darkly to himself as the photo of a certain blond haired boy flashed across his screen. "I never let a good deed go unpunished, after all."
Even if you're the most worthless and forgetful pawn, off in your own corner of candyland, doing fucks all, NO ONE betrays All for One!
-End Chapter-
"Reviews are Love! ( ^-^)/ ~"
-Quote from another author's ED card, and while I wouldn't say it with as much… bubbliness? The concept is the same.
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