Chapter 5: Any Resemblances to Individuals
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be, huh~?"
Blackmore, a quiet and reserved young man, was finding the high-volume of Katsuki Bakugo quite intolerable, particularly when it was directly next to his ear. He sighed and looked out the window, away from the boy's leering face and the strange, sugary scent that seemed to waft from his hands. In all honesty Blackmore was less annoyed and more concerned; had he done something to offend Katsuki? Was there some misdeed he had committed that had resulted in the boy being angered by his mere presence?
"Blackmore." he replied, voice soft. "Roland Blackmore."
"You an American or something?" Katsuki asked next, to which Blackmore nodded. "Great. So you're some sort of exchange student then… eh, fuck it. You look a little tougher than the last extra, at least."
Blackmore said nothing, staring out at the landscape as it rushed by. It boggled his mind that this much territory could be used for a school; when Blackmore had gone to school, it had been about the size of a small house, with some twelve students attending. That had been before things had changed, before the accident and his exile, before he found purpose at the side of President Valentine.
And long before his death.
The fact that he had died confused Blackmore somewhat. It was strange to know that he had, at one point, left the mortal coil. His soul had escaped his body, his mind had ceased function, his heart had stopped beating. And yet, in spite of that, here he stood, being harassed by a young Japanese boy some two hundred years in the future after his death, in a world where nothing worked the way it had when he had walked it last.
Yes… it was a curious dilemma. At least he had Master Izuku, he supposed, and the fact that his master was willing to listen to his concerns at all was quite something to him. President Valentine, for all his kindness in hiring and caring for a defective thing such as himself, was not an easy man to get close to. His was a higher purpose, and to him men like Blackmore, Disco and Soundman were simply means to an end. Blackmore had been happy being a means to an end. But Master Izuku being a much more open and kind leader was something that made Blackmore happier than he'd ever been before.
Also, he was learning to be a hero. That was something quite interesting in and of itself. Apparently 'hero' was now a profession, akin to a soldier or an officer of the law. Blackmore wasn't wholly certain how to feel about that; if a hero was simply a working man, was he truly heroic? Was not a hero one who fought for something greater, like President Valentine? What was to stop a hero from becoming just another sort of job, like a bank clerk or a farmer? What made a hero a hero in a world where a hero was a working man?
Blackmore wasn't sure. But he expected he would likely find out, given that he was apparently going to learn how to be one. He sat in his bench, next to a somewhat sullen girl apparently named Kyoka, though he was informed that he would have to call her Jiro. Apparently first names were special in this country, something reserved for friends and family. That wasn't actually all that strange to Blackmore; he had been referred to by his last name for years.
"Hey." the girl spoke up, catching his attention. "Yo. Blackmore, right?"
Blackmore looked at her, blinking. Katsuki… or, Bakugo, he supposed, had ducked back into his own bench next to a muscular boy with spiky red hair. Kyoka Jiro was a smaller girl, slender and pale with purple hair. Blackmore stared for a moment, noting that she froze under his gaze and seemed almost shocked for a second, before she shook her head and continued speaking.
"Are you… are you related to Richie Blackmore?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Famous American rockstar-type? You have the exact same last name, and I just thought since you were also from America…"
"I…" Blackmore pondered that question for a second. He didn't know what a rockstar was, unfortunately, nor did he know all that much about his family. Due to his… defect, he had been something of a shameful secret for his parents to hide, kept out of sight and mind of the rest of his family until the incident had occurred. However… he did remember a grandfather.
"I had a grandfather named… Richard Blackmore." he said, nodding once. "Yes, my grandfather's name was Richard. I-I do not believe he was a rock-star of any sort. He was a farmer, as far as I know."
"Maybe further back?" Jiro pressed, and Blackmore shook his head. He didn't know. He presumed not, considering most of the references these people made were from after his time alive. He had recognized Lincoln's name, and a few other presidents, but beyond that… nothing much rang a bell. Chances were this 'Richie Blackmore' fellow had lived long after Blackmore, likely a descendant of his. His brother had wed, as far as he knew. Chances were Blackmore was related to this Richie somehow.
"Wait…" Jiro held up a hand. "Didn't you say your… Quirk was named Catch the Rainbow? Like, the song by Rainbow? Richie Blackmore's band with Ronnie James Dio?"
Dio. Blackmore blinked when she said the name. Diego Brando, another enemy and also sometimes agent of President Valentine's. Had Diego Brando survived the events of the Steel Ball Run after Blackmore's death? There was a curious question, but not one he could answer. Looking through books in the library (he was able to read Japanese, somehow) had taught him that in this world, the Steel Ball Run either hadn't happened or had been a very minor event, likely the former. President Valentine had not existed either, curiously enough.
But did Diego Brando still exist? What of Disco and Mike O, and even perhaps Blackmore himself? Had President Valentine simply died in the desert, rather than finding that fated piece of the Holy Corpse? Where had the world shifted so radically from his own? What had been the great change that saw so much end up so differently?
Blackmore did not know. And that did not worry him, not as much as perhaps it should. But then again, Blackmore did not think it his place to think. He thought it his place to serve, and serve he would. No matter what.
"Master Valentine named my Stand." Blackmore declared. "It was named for… no. I shall not say, not unless ordered. That is my secret to keep, and I apologize for wasting your time."
Jiro cocked her head to the side, before chuckling. Blackmore blinked again, and she looked away.
"Alright, keep your secrets, mystery boy." she said, obviously amused. "I'm not gonna force you to talk."
Whilst Blackmore attempted to discern the whims of the opposite gender, a fearsome task for any boy no matter their age, Izuku was being grilled on the strange (and attractive, according to Mina Ashido) foreigner who had rather suddenly replaced Mineta Minoru as their twentieth student. The smaller boy had been shuffled away with a surprising swiftness, before Blackmore had been dropped in his desk and Izuku had realized that his life was simply going to stop being simple now, thank you for asking.
The fact that Blackmore still called him 'Master Midoriya' and was exceedingly polite to anyone and everyone who gathered around him was not helping matters in the slightest. At that point, Izuku had given up on convincing Blackmore to just call him 'Midoriya' or something of the sort. Apparently his title was here to stay, and neither hell nor high water could convince Blackmore to drop the honorific and treat him normally.
"So, he's American, right?" Tsuyu asked, cocking her head to the side. "Or maybe British?"
"American." Izuku replied, nodding. "He's from… erm… Virginia."
"Blackmore was born in Pennsylvania, but I suppose it's close enough." Funny added in his mind, Izuku practically able to see the man nodding in his mind's eye. "Just remember that he is an exchange student. Your headmaster and teachers were all quite insistent on that."
"Man, I wonder what happened to get him swapped with Mineta so quickly." Kaminari added from behind. "He just showed up so fast, it was crazy."
"I bet it has something to do with All Might." Hanta Sero interjected. "He spent a lot of time in America, right? Maybe Blackmore has something to do with a hero he worked with, or something like that."
Izuku didn't say anything. The less he connected himself to Blackmore, the better things were. He had at least managed to convince the boy to act as normally as possible in front of his classmates, which mostly meant not constantly standing beside Izuku with his umbrella in his hands. He was wearing his black coat and hood again, deciding that those and his mask would be his hero costume; at least, for now. He was open to change, however, something Izuku was grateful for.
The bus rolled to a halt in front of an enormous glass and steel dome, one Izuku recognized immediately as he stepped down off the bus. Unforeseen Simulation Joint; the USJ for short. Also known as Universal Studios Japan to several of the online forums he inhabited when he was bored and needed something to do. His hands folded behind his back as he stood waiting, shoulders squared and chin up. Valentine had been drilling him in appropriate posture for a president. A true leader stood straight and true, making it clear he was in charge. Hands behind the back in peaceful situations to display trust, hands in front during more hostile engagements to make it clear violence was an option you were willing to consider.
Eyes open, no squinting. Face kept even, neutral expression at all times. Only exceptions were smiles when greeting someone or subtle frowns to display discontent with something being said. Invite respect, project authority. Hostility is the tool of the lesser man, the tyrant and the coward. A true leader, a true man, should be able to make it clear he is in charge with a single look. That was the mark of a great president, Funny said.
Izuku hadn't known any of this before, but he certainly did now. His classmates seemed to notice the change, several staring outright for several seconds before looking away. Izuku didn't look back; he had to stay focused, or his veneer would likely crack. It was a thin line he was walking, but he believed he had his balance.
That was Thirteen walking toward them. THE Thirteen, Ochaco Uraraka's favourite hero. Don't fanboy, he told himself. Don't fanboy, don't fanboy, don't fanboy… DON'T YOU DARE FANBOY.
Thirteen nodded at him. At him. Izuku Midoriya. Deku. The useless one, the one nobody liked until he showed them what he was. His eyes went wide for a split second, before he felt a gentle mental prod from Funny and forced his expression to even out again. Mission accomplished. He set his jaw and smiled, bowing at the waist and bringing his arms to his sides. This was something he had explained to Funny; bowing was akin to shaking hands. It was something Funny was unsure of but at least seemed to understand.
They were headed inside now. Good. Hands at the sides again, expression neutral. Don't trip on the stairs. Don't trip on the stairs. Made it inside. Holy crap, he noted, this place was huge. The dome was big from the outside, but on the inside the highest point was at least two hundred feet up at its highest point. He let his gaze wander, taking in the various zones the actual USJ was divided into. There was an enclosed area, a city-like sector billowing with smoke, a large body of water with a boat in the middle…
And on the central platform, a gathering of roguish individuals, whom Izuku realized after a moment were villains of some sort. But… surely they were hired actors of some kind? Fake villains, for the sake of their exercises? But when Eraserhead and Thirteen saw them, they both looked surprised, before Eraserhead dropped into a fighting stance, pulling down his goggles.
From amidst the crowd stepped a tall, lanky figure, pale and clad in loose black, with his face and arm covered in what looked like severed hands connected by wires, or some sort of narrow tubing. Izuku's eyes went wide, and he took an involuntary step back. The figure grinned a large, sickening grin before raising a hand in greeting.
"Good afternoon, prospective heroes!" he called, voice echoing through the whole dome, likely enhanced by some other villain's Quirk, or just his own natural speaking ability. "We are the League of Villains, and we are here today for one reason and one reason alone; to kill the fake known as All Might!"
Chapter 6: Reprehensible Actions on a Low Budget
The Shipwreck Zone
Izuku was not on a boat, though he had no doubts that was where he was intended to be. Izuku was on the shoreline, watching from the shadow of a tree as a band of villainous individuals circled the boat. He was not aboard the boat because while he had been teleported to it by a man wreathed in purple fog who had a powerful warp Quirk, he had used Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap to teleport away from the water and to the shoreline.
As a result, there was only one person actually aboard the boat; one Tsuyu Asui, the frog-girl Izuku knew almost nothing about. She had voted for him, he supposed, given that she had told him as much while they were aboard the bus on their way here. Apparently she had thought him more mature than most of their classmates, and more self assured than Momo, her other favourite candidate.
Tsuyu Asui spoke plainly, declaring her opinions and beliefs without any sort of sugar-coating. Izuku respected that, and as such he resolved to rescue her; if she needed rescuing. It appeared as though she did, however, given that the boat she was on was itself completely surrounded by aquatic villains. Izuku measured the distance in his mind, grabbing a fistful of his coat and adjusting it slightly, before swallowing back any trepidation and moving.
He disappeared into thin air, his coat coming with him. It was Valentine's coat, though his mother had done a bit of work on it to shrink it down a tad and make it wearable for a fifteen year old boy. She had also died it purple, a colour that didn't clash so heavily with Izuku's green hair. It was still large on him, which was exactly what he needed.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was a deceptively simple power, that had changed somewhat when he had received it from Funny Valentine. It's former Ability was easy to explain; it could teleport objects and people that were between two different surfaces. The surfaces needed to be large enough to fully cover the object or person from both ends, meaning Izuku could teleport with the coat. Normally this only moved the object between two surfaces, in his case his body beneath the coat, but as it was large enough for him to fold it into itself, it would teleport along with him.
This trick hadn't worked for Funny Valentine, since D4C was technically a separate entity from himself and therefore its powers were its own. But D4C was now a part of Izuku's body, enhanced by the power of One For All (though Izuku did not know this just yet) and thereby capable of greater things than it had been before. Though Izuku doubted he would ever gain access to a power as great as that of Funny's D4C-Love Train, he was certain he would be able to strengthen this new Quirk somehow. Likely through training. Training made everything better.
Izuku materialized behind Tsuyu, from the space between the door into the boat's cabin and the actual doorframe. It was a tight squeeze considering the door was only a little open, but he managed to make it work with some twisting and wriggling. He popped out and hit the deck with a dull thud, grunting at the impact before standing up.
"Hey, Asui." he said, nodding at the girl, who had reacted to his appearance by dropping low to the ground and extending her tongue. A logical response, at least for a frog-girl. "You wanna get out of here?"
"That sounds like a plan." she agreed, nodding slowly when she realized it was him. "Can you use your Quirk to teleport us, gero?"
She ended the sentence with a strange ribbit sound, which gave Izuku pause before he reached up and unbuttoned the only button on his coat he ever bothered to do up. He pulled it off, shaking it a little, before nodding to Tsuyu, who was still crouched. She closed her eyes and he dropped his coat on top of her, D4C surrounding him in its strange ghost armour as she disappeared under the coat, appearing under the same tree had had warped from. Izuku slung the coat back on and surrounded himself in its fabric, appearing beside her with a dramatic bow.
"Now... I'm going to try and help Aizawa-Sensei." he informed her, looking up at the courtyard where he could hear battle raging. "Those guys in the water might spot you if you stay here, so try and make a break for it. Head for the entrance, it should be safe there if the fog-guy left."
Tsuyu nodded, apparently agreeing with his idea, and began hopping on all fours towards the entrance, skirting the edge of the courtyard. Izuku, meanwhile, swallowed, and wondered for a moment where Blackmore had ended up, along with the rest of his class.
The Downpour Zone
Blackmore was on his knees in the midst of a rainstorm. His mask was in one hand, his umbrella in the other, and his eyes were shut. His anger was palpable, rolling off him in waves that could be felt like pressure by those around him. There were many around him, all of them clad in roughshod costumes and carrying themselves with a rather menacing aura. At least, an aura that attempted to be menacing.
Blackmore had seen Funny Valentine angry. Menacing was beneath him at this point; when his former master was angry, the earth itself seemed to shake as the winds came to a halt. The world stopped turning and the sun halted in the sky, all as Blackmore's president turned his gaze to the one who had inspired in him such fury. If looks could kill, the men would be gone, reduced to atoms and dispelled in the wind. Blackmore likely would have swept up the pile.
These men did not scare him. They annoyed him, they angered him, but they did not scare him. They never could.
One, a tall fellow with a face somewhere between that of a spider and a man, laughed when he saw Blackmore rise, umbrella in hand and braced against the ground to help him up. This was the downpour zone, where he and his fellows had been assigned. They were to kill any students who entered their area and collect the bodies, for some unknown reason. The spider-man's name was Hachi, though his friends and enemies both called him Mandible.
He was a low-level crook; his Quirk let him spew high-tensile webbing from his mouth, a useful ability, but it also gave him a hideously deformed face that scared children and unsettled adults. He had spent most of his life as a pariah, falling in with the worst sorts of people and discovering that he relished in inflicting pain on others, the same way they inflicted pain on him. He clenched his fists when he saw the boy look up, noting his handsome face. He would have to be sure to disfigure this little snot a bit, he decided.
"Get out of my way, please." Blackmore said aloud, voice low and menacing. The villains, all six of them, laughed and jeered, one taking a step forward. All around them, the rain poured, and Blackmore felt his frustration build.
Hachi smirked and darted forward, stopping inches from the boy and hissing in that spider-like way that scared so many of his prospective victims. The boy didn't even flinch. Instead, he raised a single hand, wrapped up in a black leather glove, and snapped his fingers.
Hachi felt... different. Something was wrong, something had changed. He turned his head, and gasped as holes opened up on his mandibles, one of them being torn off instantly by some unknown force. Behind him, a woman screamed, and Blackmore took a step back. The rain, Hachi realized, the rain had stopped moving! What kind of Quirk was this?
"My apologies." The boy put a mask on his face, a weird thing like a hockey-goalie would wear, but painted with a rainbow across the mouth. "But I have business to attend to. I recommend you remain still, or my Stand will tear you to shreds. Water is a harsh thing when it is frozen in place."
Hachi realized with horror that this kid was just walking through the frozen raindrops... or, more accurately, they were just passing through him, like he wasn't even there. Was this kid a ghost? Or some kind of ghost? Or maybe his Stand was... what was a Stand? Didn't he mean Quirk? Hachi's mind was addled by the pain of losing a mandible, and having his body frozen in place. The rain had cut right through him in its frozen state. This... this was a killer's Quirk! This kid was going to kill them if they moved!
"What the fuck kind of hero are you anyway?" Hachi asked, turning his many eyes to the boy and speaking in a low rasp.
The boy sighed, shaking his head. Behind the mask, he was frowning.
"I am not a hero." Blackmore replied, before stepping up on the raindrops. "I am a butler. And you are ruffians, who will stay here restrained as you are until the authorities come to pick you up. Farewell."
He turned to his liquid form and flowed up and away, through the downpour zone, leaving Hachi and the other villains trapped in place by his Stand. They couldn't even watch him leave, unable to turn for fear of being pierced by the rain. So they stood in silent fear.
And in a nearby alleyway, under the shelter of a torn-off dumpster-lid but still surrounded by the deadly frozen rain, Katsuki Bakugo watched him go with a snarl of rage.
The Courtyard
A hammer blow to the side knocked Shouta off his feet, sending him skidding across the concrete of the central platform. He narrowly avoided plunging off the edge by throwing his capture weapon around a nearby villain, using the man's weight to stop himself from falling before twisting around and reversing his own momentum, firing the man off the edge as he himself skidded to a halt and brought his capture weapon back around.
He dropped to one knee, coughing, and a coppery taste in his mouth sent a shot of panic straight through his heart. He was coughing blood, always an ill omen. Furthermore, his vision was blurring, his dry-eye growing worse and worse with every passing moment. He longed to close his eyes and rest, his every muscle burning with stress and fatigue, but he ignored those demands and forced himself to his feet, the splitting pain in his side a mere footnote in his mind. He had bigger problems to deal with than a few fractured ribs; the remaining villains, for one, and that monstrous black creature for another.
He dropped his stance again, capture weapon at the ready. His eyes narrowed behind his goggles, and he let his Quirk activate with a flash of red from his irises. Instantly his eyes flared with pain, but he bit back a cry and grunted instead, pushing forward and then lunging to close the gap. One villain came to him, hands raised high, the electricity crackling around them disappearing as Shouta turned his nullifying gaze to him. The man was given a split second to realize his attack was now much less powerful, before Shouta slammed a foot into his gut and he was sent sprawling.
Shouta twisted and threw his capture weapon again, wrapping it around one man's arm and turning the other way, swinging him back around. The man staggered in an effort to keep up, before Shouta nimbly back-stepped another man's high kick before yanking his capture weapon back toward himself, pulling the man wrapped up in it along for the ride. The two connected with a dull crack of skull-on-skull, before Shouta pushed them both away with one foot, pulling his capture weapon free as he did so.
The other villains were much more hesitant now; they had seen him demolish over two dozen of their own, their numbers insufficient in the face of his skill and experience. He had spent years mastering his fighting style; the idea that merely being outnumbered would somehow keep him from success was as ludicrous as it was insulting. Shouta quickly counted out five remaining villains, not counting the black creature or the man covered in hands. He grasped his capture scarf in both hands and squinted at the latter two; the pitch black creature was gone. Where had it-
His train of thought was derailed by the impact of a fist the colour of a midnight sky, and his mind was consumed by a single overwhelming message; PAIN. Every nerve was firing it full blast, especially those in his eyes and the ones along the right side of his body. He lost all sensation in his right arm; he supposed it had been demolished, the bone likely obliterated by the impact. That thing was strong!
But that was not what Shouta was afraid of. It was not the reason that when he hit the ground he had to swallow back his terror. It was something far worse; he knew his body was being ruined. He could accept that; it was part of the job. No, his fear was for his students. If they died... he had failed. Failed to protect them. Failed to nurture them. Failed to guide them. Failed to be their teacher, their Sensei. And that was unacceptable.
Shouta Aizawa forced himself to roll over, fending off the agonized wails of his right side. He watched the pitch black monster approach, saw it descending upon him like a mountain lion would approach crippled prey. Slow, careful, bulging eyes staying locked on him. Shouta let his own eyes glow again, trying to shut down his opponent's Quirk.
A monstrous hand grasped his face, the palm alone blotting out all vision, before the creature lifted him up. He could feel his feet dangling, his head throbbing and most of all his arm flopping limply to the side. His capture weapon hung loosely in his left hand, the one he could still move, but when he threw it around the creature's tree-trunk ankle and wrenched on it, the beast didn't even shift.
Then he went higher, as the creature raised him up, before hurtling down. He hit the concrete, and in an explosion of shards and dust was crushed into it. His mind blanked for a moment, a split second of pure darkness before everything rebooted. The creature kept pressing down, trying to pulp his skull against the concrete. He couldn't do anything, his vision darkening and his body going numb; Shouta Aizawa realized in that moment that he was going to die.
Then something shifted the creature's arm, a powerful impact that managed to move it's grip. The beast released Shouta's head, twisting to face this new threat, and through his blackening vision Shouta saw two bright colours moving; green, he noted, a dark pine green. And a deep, rich purple, regal and kingly. Then his eyes closed, and he lost his battle against unconscious.
Izuku Midoriya saw his Sensei pass out and sighed with relief as the black monster turned to face him, bulging eyes refocusing on his form. Izuku's left arm was broken from his last punch, but fortunately he had a plan. It was probably a bad plan, one that would never actually work, but it was at the very least worth a try. He dropped down low and lunges at the monster, right fist crackling with the power of One For All, before he twisted in a dodge away from a wicked fast punch and let himself fall to the ground.
He pulled his coat around, using the way it was loosely draped on his shoulders and held in place by a single button, and sank into the ground using Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Funny had told him of this tactic, one he had frequently used to prolong his battles. It was a way Izuku could use to go all out, to fight to the point of death, and keep on fighting afterwards. Izuku sank into the ground and rose back up from under a person, he noticed, a collapsed form.
Denki Kaminari was absolutely exhausted from a long day of rescue exercises, and in his exhaustion it took him a moment to realize there was somebody under him, inside the concrete and emerging slowly, until a hand grabbed his forearm and pushed, rolling him into his side long enough for the figure to scramble free. The rest of Class 1-A stared at Izuku Midoriya, including Izuku Midoriya, who looked far less surprised than the rest of them.
"Is it... is it time?" an Izuku Midoriya without a purple coat asked, the tips of his fingers pressing together.
The Izuku Midoriya who had come from beneath Kaminari nodded once, pulling his coat off and tossing it to the second Izuku. The one the class knew caught it and pulled it on, and suddenly the change of costume to a simple spandex top and black pants made much more sense. The floor-Izuku dropped to one knee, cradling a busted arm, and this world's original Izuku smiled at him.
"These guys c-can take care of that." he said, before nodding at the new Izuku. "I'll handle it, don't worry. You're safe here."
The floor-Izuku just nodded back, before the Izuku now wearing the coat pulled it around himself and materialized again. He came up from the ground, right behind the black monster where a large chunk of concrete had left a space between itself and the floor for him to exploit. He materialized, and then cocked his arm back and delivered a one-hundred percent punch with his left arm and fist, shattering the creature's left shoulder blade. It whirled around, but Izuku had already dodged the opposite way and so brought his foot around in a wicked roundhouse to the creature's face, knocking a small chunk off of its beak.
He saw the beak growing back almost instantly, and swallowed before shrouding himself in the coat again and disappearing. He landed on the ground with a groan, before a hand grabbed his coat and pulled. He rolled over, eyes blurring for a moment, and saw a third Izuku pulling on the coat, glancing down and giving him a nod.
"It can regenerate..." the Izuku on the floor warned, and the new, silent Izuku nodded again before disappearing.
He reappeared and immediately chose a crippling blow, driving a boot into the back of the monster's knee with One For All, snapping the more fragile bone. He used the kickback from the attack to push off the creature, turning and raising a fist to deliver a one-hundred percent punch into the ground beneath him. This sling-shotted him sky high, and he turned to adjust his angle one more time and bring a One For All charged leg crashing down on the monster's exposed brain.
He missed, his foot smashing into its already damaged shoulder and breaking it with all the combined momentum and the power of One For All, before he used his remaining arm to shroud himself in his coat and disappear again.
The next Izuku had a different gambit in mind; he directed his first punch at the floor, smashing his fist into the ground and raising a massive cloud of dust to hide the field, before making a break for it. Hopefully his idea would work, though he wasn't wholly certain...
Shigaraki Tomura watched with wide-eyed shock as the boy disappeared and reappeared, over and over again, always showing up just to deliver a couple of powerful, ultimately distracting blows to his Noumu before disappearing. He looked around to find himself alone, the five remaining trash-mob villains all having run off. Useless sacks of meat and hit-points... he would settle this himself. Years of battling bosses and plotting raids had prepared him for this sort of fight.
He already knew the boy had a weakness; his warping seemed to rely on his coat. Shigaraki wasn't sure how he healed during his disappearances, but he didn't really care either. All he wanted was to cripple the little bastard and move on with his plan. Eraserhead was down, the students were still mostly scattered and communications were still jammed. He still had a chance; he just needed to bait All Might somehow. Killing these kids would probably do that easily enough.
Shigaraki snarled and got moving, hands curled into claw-like shapes at his sides. One grab would be enough, one good firm grip to turn this agitating glass-cannon into dust. He just had to stay low and let Noumu draw his attention, then strike when the kid wasn't able to predict it. The coat, the coat was crucial, he reminded himself. He skulked around the edge of the fight, watching the boy use his weird-ass Quirk to appear and disappear, before he saw an opportunity. The kid disappeared, and materialized mere feet from Shigaraki, hands still clutching his jacket.
Shigaraki lunged forward, and grabbed a fistful of the kid's shoulder. He tightened his grip to a bone-crushing white-knuckle hold, and then blinked in confusion when nothing happened. The kid turned, and Shigaraki released and took a step back, before spotting a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. Eraserhead was supposed to be dead! Eraserhead had been beaten, bludgeoned and crushed into the goddamn floor!
But here he was, standing upright, body fully intact and free of any battle damage. Shigaraki felt that stupid scarf-weapon wrap around his body, his Quirk failing to activate when he took another long stare from those glowing red eyes. He noted a second too late that Eraserhead *did* have a tell; his hair lifted up when he used his Quirk. Dammit! He should have seen it sooner. He bucked and writhed in the clutches of the weapon, screaming for his Noumu.
"No such luck." Eraserhead spoke, and Shigaraki blinked when the voice was that of a woman. "Midoriya's been keeping that thing pressured. He's popped both eardrums and gouged out an eye. Your backup isn't going to-"
A hole of black shadow appeared in reality itself, a flat plan in a three-dimensional space, and then closed, severing the capture weapon part way through its own length. Both Shigaraki and the weird female-Eraserhead fell backwards, stumbling as their mutual struggle was suddenly brought to an end. Shigaraki fell down and into the floor, through a portal opened behind his back, and found himself standing next to Kurogiri on the far end of the concrete platform.
"This is a disaster!" Shigaraki declared, disintegrating the loosened capture weapon with his restored Quirk and freeing himself. "That kid is hacking, he has to be! Nobody is that powerful besides Sensei!"
"It would appear his Quirk is quite impressive, Shigaraki Tomura." Kurogiri agreed, nodding his gaseous head. "However, take note. He has not defeated Noumu in the slightest; he has only succeeded in slowing it down. When All Might comes, Noumu will still be able to kill him."
Shigaraki scowled and kept watching. The kid was still disappearing and reappearing, usually looking a little different with each appearance. Sometimes he seemed a little taller or a little shorter, at one point he had incredibly short hair and at another his hair was long, tied back in a pony-tail. It was a strange thing to watch; maybe the kid could clone himself, or something? That didn't make much sense, but Shigaraki couldn't decipher any other reason for teleportation-healing.
Then there was a thunderous booming sound from the front doors, and Shigaraki's eyes went wide as he saw the target of all this just walk into the room like he owned the place. Noumu turned to, ignoring a kick to the head from the green-haired kid as it focused it's one intact and one regenerating eye on All Might, who was pulling off his tie and shouting, his every word a booming declaration.
"Kurogiri..." Shigaraki muttered. "Get ready."
All Might lunged, and smashed a fist into the Noumu's gut. And Shigaraki screamed as the monster was thrown backwards.
Noumu wasn't ready. Every attack from the annoying green kid had been focused on crippling and hampering the creature, breaking important bones or damaging tendons and muscle fibres crucial to the running of it's enormous form. It's eyes had each been destroyed at least twice, and it had gone through more eardrums than one could shake a multitude of sticks at. And now, a fully intact (and female, what the hell?) Eraserhead was focusing her(?) nullifying gaze on it.
Noumu had multiple Quirks. Shigaraki had known that with its strength being mutation-based, that meant it was unable to lose its most important weapon. Eraserhead would either remove the regeneration, which was fine since it was already monstrously resilient and All-Might wasn't given to pulling his enemies apart, or its shock absorption, which would be much worse but still recoverable.
But regeneration had its limits, and constantly growing back complicated things like eyeballs and eardrums has taxed it to something approaching a natural limit. Meanwhile, with it's shock absorption gone, that meant All Might has just pulped most of its innards with a single strike. Shigaraki watched in horror as his vaunted 'All Might Killer', the most important aspect of this plan, was hammered across the concrete square and into the ground.
All Might didn't just stop with one attack either; he gave chase, delivering a powerful two-fisted smash attack that slammed the creature into the floor. Then he started digging, punching a veritable trench in the ground using his two fists and Noumu's body. Noumu had been pushed to the limit, and tragically without orders from its master or any real strategic thinking of its own, it was brought to the end of its unnatural, monstrous life by one final crushing strike from All Might.
Shigaraki snarled, but before he could do much of anything besides be angry the boy in the purple coat came running toward them, his fist crackling with that green energy. He looked more or less the same as the original now, with slightly longer hair and a little taller. Shigaraki snarled before lunging as well, reaching out with his hand, before a wall of darkness rose in front of him and he found himself falling to the floor inside Kurogiri's bar, Kurogiri stepping through the same portal with him.
The message was clear as daylight, even without words. Kurogiri stepped behind the bar and leaned on its surface, his gaseous head falling, and Shigaraki raged on the floor, screaming his anger.
They had lost.
Chapter 7: After the Storm
In the wake of a villain attack, certain things were inevitable as the rising sun. The first and foremost of these things was the arrival of the police, usually shortly after the heroes had finished handling the situation. In the case of UA's property being invaded by a small army of villains, the police presence far exceeded the normal response numbers, over two-dozen officers and a squad of anti-Quirk personnel all swarming the USJ facility, cuffing and carting off no less than seventy-one villains who had been brought down by the hero students. Several who had faced the wrath of a particular student, a thin boy clad in a white mask marked with a rainbow, effectively begged to be taken away.
The boy had said nothing of what had occurred, only that he had restrained the villains and moved on. None of the police had asked for any information beyond that, and so the boy was satisfied. They didn't even request the name of his 'Quirk', something that made him particularly happy.
Yes, Blackmore was satisfied, sitting on the curb outside the USJ some distance from the rest of the students, his mask at his hip as he drank long, deep gulps from a water bottle given to him by one of the EMTs. Apparently Catch the Rainbow now came with the cost of steadily draining his fluids, leaving him dehydrated after using it for too long. He had, however, learned that this only applied when he was in his liquid form, and even then only if he used it outside of natural rainfall. It was a good thing to know, and so after he had confirmed that his master was well he had retreated from the crowd of police, hero students and EMTs to take a break.
He heard footsteps approach from behind him, however, loud ones, the walk of someone upset by something. They came to a halt directly behind him, casting a shadow over him in the light of the mid-day sun. Heavy breathing, and then a low growl.
"I saw that shit." the voice of Katsuki Bakugo declared, a snarl in his tone displaying his anger. "In the downpour zone. I saw you with those fuckers. I saw that power of yours. You were gonna kill them."
Blackmore said nothing, taking another sip of water.
"That's not what heroes do, Blackmore." Katsuki continued, evidently having bent down to growl directly into Blackmore's ear. "That kind of thing could probably get you in a lot of trouble with the school, you know?"
Blackmore continued to ignore Katsuki, bringing his water bottle up to his lips again. A hand came down and wrenched the bottle from his hand, a series of gulps from behind him telling him where all the water was disappearing to. There was the crackle of the plastic bottle being crushed, and then it bounced off his head and landed at his feet. Blackmore sighed.
"What is that you want from me, Mr. Bakugo?" Blackmore asked, speaking aloud. "Or are you simply looking to antagonize me? In that case, why?"
Katsuki said nothing at first, before his voice started up right next to Blackmore's ear, a dreadful whisper full of malice.
"I don't know who the fuck you are or where the fuck you came from, but don't think that just because you can spook some pathetic extras you're somehow hot shit." Katsuki said. "You're just another stepping stone for me, and I will not hesitate to crush you like the rest of these-"
Blackmore snapped his fingers, and Katsuki choked as one of the water droplets still in his throat froze in place. Blackmore's hand came up and grabbed Katsuki by the collar, holding him in place.
"I apologize for this, but should you move, the water in your throat will not move with you, and will instead punch a hole in your throat." Blackmore warned, his own voice having dropped to a mutter. "So I recommend you sit still and listen to me for a moment."
Katsuki swallowed, and seemed to regret it when the water droplet in his throat collided with the contracting flesh, punching a tiny hole inside his throat.
"I DO know who you are, and where you come from." Blackmore declared. "I know your home address and I know your bedroom, I know which window is yours and I know everything you have ever done to Master Midoriya. And I wish to now warn you that if you so much as lay a finger on him outside of training courses I will not hesitate to immobilize every drop of water in your body so you tear yourself to pieces trying to flee my wrath."
Blackmore's voice was cold, calm, the opposite of Bakugo's fiery growl. He pressed a single finger into the blonde's throat and stroked back and forth, right around where the water droplet was frozen. He looked up and saw an expression of murder on the boy's face.
Blackmore smiled.
"So do be careful in the rain." he said, voice back to its normal tone and volume. "I wouldn't want to see you get wet."
Blackmore rose, turned and walked away, snapping his fingers again to release Katsuki from his hold. The water slid down his throat so suddenly it made Katsuki wretch, and Blackmore ignored his undignified sputtering, walking away with his hands folded behind his back and his mask on his hip. His umbrella was still with Izuku, who was using it to shield himself and his pounding headache from the brightness and heat of the sun.
Izuku was having a hard time ignoring the fact that the woman sitting beside him was actually his home room teacher, Shota Aizawa. The fact that her name was Shotaka did not make this any easier for him to deal with. She herself seemed all too aware that her appearance, arrival and demeanour were all strange, having been given an explanation by Izuku himself, who was not looking forward to giving the same explanation to UA's Headmaster and the rest of his teachers.
"So... y-you aren't mad?" Izuku asked, voice quiet.
"No, not really." Shotaka replied, shaking her head and shrugging. "The me from this world looked pretty messed up, so I figured the situations was bad. Turned out it was. I'm more worried about the rest of your class. I am... different from your last teacher."
She gestured to herself, the more feminine form hard to discern under the baggy black clothes but still obvious, as was the way her hair was kept back in a long black braid. She was just as sickly pale and tired looking as the other Aizawa, just with breasts and no stubble. At least, probably not on her face...
Izuku slapped himself. Damn Funny and his mature, adult mind for being partially fused with his own hormone-addled teen brain! He already had enough to deal with without his mind suddenly remembering that girls were a thing alongside all the inter-dimensional hijinks and villainous invasions interrupting his school field trips. Now was not the time for girls!
"So, how do we explain this?" Shotaka asked, before breaking up her next sentence with a yawn. "I mean, I'm a woman... and your class is used to me being a man. That's going to cause some problems."
"I might have to come out and admit what Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap does after all." Izuku sighed. "I mean... I think everybody just assumed it was some sort of warp Quirk. But now... most warp Quirks can't do stuff like this, pulling people from other dimensions into this one."
"That is true." Shotaka agreed, before looking over at the approaching Blackmore. "Here comes Blackmore. Wait... how do I know that name?"
Shotaka blinked, pressing a hand to her head and shaking her head as if trying to jar something loose. Izuku didn't mind her, waving to Blackmore, who came and dropped down in front of Izuku, sitting across from him. The boy spared exactly one glance at the now female Aizawa, cocking his head to one side and raising an eyebrow before shrugging and looking back to Izuku, who groaned.
"I... had to help Aizawa-Sensei." he explained. "He was hurt really bad, so I pulled him to another dimension with me and swapped with the Aizawa already there. This is Shotaka, the other Aizawa, by the way."
"Greetings, Miss Aizawa." Blackmore bowed his head, and Shotaka ignored him in favour of rubbing her forehead. "It is good to see you made your transition without losing anything important."
Izuku blinked.
"Blackmore... what does that mean?" he asked, looking at Blackmore, who smiled innocently. "Blackmore, are you saying I could accidentally... damage people, by moving them?"
"No." Blackmore shook his head. "That would be silly. I was attempting to make a joke, sir, to lighten the mood. Sorry if it failed to be funny, sir, I will endeavour to be more humorous in the future."
Izuku groaned again, pressing two fingers to each temple and gently massaging them in circular motions with a bit of pressure. His head hurt, probably a result of warping so much today. He had never actually had to blink so many times before. Blackmore took a long look at Izuku and realized it was surely an Izuku of another dimension; this one had a pattern of five freckles in a pentagon shape under each eye, rather than the original Izuku's four-freckle-diamond pattern. He also had much longer hair, tied back into an ad-hoc pony-tail.
"Yeah, I'm Izuku... I'm not sure, we didn't really bother counting." Izuku said, nodding as he confirmed Blackmore's suspicions. "Probably fourteen or so. The others blasted away with full power on our Quirk, and then we swapped out when we blew through too many limbs. I got swapped in at the end, after All Might showed up. It'd be a pain to find the original Izuku, and unnecessary, since we're all basically the exact same guy past some surface level stuff. So I'm gonna stay until I need to swap out."
Blackmore nodded again, before glancing over Izuku's shoulder.
"In warning, sir, it would appear Miss Tsuyu is approaching." he said, voice low. "She looks... well, as blank as ever, sir."
Asui Tsuyu was approaching from behind Izuku, her face just as calm and expression was as ever. Behind her followed several other students; Kyoka Jiro, Momo Yaoyorozu and Hanta Sero, all of whom had managed to avoid any real injury or strain during the USJ battle besides a few minor cuts and bruises on Sero and a small amount of Quirk over-usage for Momo.
Izuku knew that, because he had checked with the EMTs first thing after being checked up himself. The EMTs had been shocked at his 'lack of injury' and allowed him to go, after informing him of all his classmates conditions. Hagakure Tooru had been found unconscious in the downpour zone, badly hurt by some sort of electricity Quirk, but she was the only one who had suffered severe injury. The EMTs had been the first to learn of Shotaka Aizawa, however, and that had kept them quite busy for a while as they tried to figure out how a biological male had become a biological female without any signs of Quirk interference.
D4C, as it turned out, didn't really show up on Quirk tests. The same went for Catch the Rainbow; both were detectable, but Funny had theorized in Izuku's head that since Stands were of the soul, they were still linked to the metaphysical moreso than the physical. This meant that while they had a clear effect on physiology (Blackmore's ability to turn into liquid and the resultant nonsensical mess that was his genetic structure, or Izuku's utterly incomprehensible cell structure that could shift between realities) their greater powers were nearly impossible to explain or detect.
There was no scientific explanation for Blackmore's ability to freeze water in mid air, nor was there a reason for Izuku's ability to appear in other realities by moving between objects. One scientist would later write in his journal: 'Though there is surely much to be discovered in the field of Quirk science, it remains a fact that some Quirks can only really be explained with a single phrase; it just works.'
Izuku turned to face his approaching classmates, bowing his head in greeting before rising to his feet. He realized too late that he was also approximately two inches taller than the Izuku who had originated in this reality, and therefore stood taller than he ever had before. The three froze for a moment, blinking.
"Hey guys." Izuku said, smiling. "Everything okay?"
Sero looked at the two girls, who each shrugged at one another before Momo sighed, stepping forward. Izuku forced his eyes to stay on her face, resisting the inexorable gravitational pull downwards towards that enormous window in her costume. He was far more successful than he had dared hope, able to not only keep his eyes off her cleavage but also fight back his urge to blush in any way.
"Midoriya... we heard from the doctors that something had happened to Aizawa-Sensei." Momo said. "Is... is he okay?"
"Fine." Shotaka said, startling all three students as she stood up, turning and revealing that she was definitely a woman as far as facial features and build went, not to mention voice. "Shotaka Aizawa. Oh... Sero. You're a boy in this dimension, I see."
Sero blinked twice, before turning around and walking away, muttering something Izuku made out to be 'maybe later'. Momo and Kyoka just stared, and Izuku rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly grinning.
"Yeah... about that..." he said. "I... should probably explain."
Kyoka looked back at him, smirking.
"Oh, I can't wait to hear this." she said. "Alright, green-bean. Spill. What did you do to turn Aizawa-Sensei into a girl?"
"Actually, I was always a girl." Shotaka interjected. "At least, in my dimension."
"D-dimensions?" Momo asked, her head swivelling between Shotaka and Izuku at a frankly unhealthy speed. "W-what is the t-talking about, Izuku?"
Izuku willed D4C to appear around him, the ghostly afterimage of the Stand it had once been materializing over his body. Momo nodded once, before shaking her head and looking twice.
"This is D4C, another aspect of my Quirk." Izuku lied. "It gives me the ability to warp, not just between points in space, but also between alternate worlds."
Momo dropped into her ass, while Kyoka just stared, mouth agape. Blackmore poked his head around Izuku's leg and waved, before adding something very unhelpful.
"I was originally from the eighteen-nineties." he said. "Unfortunately, I perished, and D4C brought me here from the afterlife."
Momo emitted a small squeaking sound, and Kyoka fell over too. Izuku swallowed, rubbing one forearm with his hand and sighing.
"This is... gonna be a long story." he said, before dropping on his butt as well.
If you can't beat 'em, he reasoned, join 'em.
Funny disagreed with that sentiment.
Chapter 8: Answers and Accidents
Izuku Midoriya was in dire need of a nap. Or at least, an opportunity to lay down and do nothing for a period of at least sixty uninterrupted minutes. However, this was a leisure he was not to be afforded, considering he was walking in full hero regalia to the headmaster's office, flanked by Blackmore on one side and Shotaka Aizawa on the other. His hands were folded behind his back, his coat flapping dramatically behind him as he marched forward into what could very well be yet another battle.
He hoped it would not turn into something so dire. He hoped the headmaster simply wished to discuss something cordial, like the state of his class. Izuku paused for a moment internally, wondering when he had begun to consider his class his responsibility, rather than just his friends and peers.
"Most likely when you broke some nineteen limbs in their defense." Funny noted, voice alive with quiet mirth. "I believe a sacrifice like that earns you the right to be at least a touch possessive."
Izuku said nothing in reply, not wanting to look like a madman in front of his homeroom teacher and his… butler. Yes, they had agreed upon butler, given that 'manservant' was a little too slavish for Izuku's tastes and 'aide' didn't really explain their relationship and also translated very poorly when spoken aloud. As such, Blackmore became his butler, and life became just a little easier.
Speaking not of easiness but rather a lack of it, Izuku sighed when he saw the headmaster's office doors. He had hoped to delay this for as long as possible; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was immensely powerful, and it was possible that the headmaster would want Izuku tested to discover its upper limits. A Quirk of this power would have him watched like for the rest of his days, and even All Might's mentor status probably couldn't save him from curious government scientists wanting to dissect him to discern how he did what he did.
Blackmore drew up straight when they paused in front of the doors, Shotaka giving him a sideways glance before turning back to the door. Izuku swallowed, before raising a hand to knock. Right before his gloved knuckles could make contact with the dual wooden doors, however, they swung open with a quiet whirring of machinery. Cameras, then. Wonderful. He was likely being recorded.
He stepped inside, Blackmore and Shotaka following. The office was an impressive space, the far wall dominated by a vast series of glass panels forming a single gargantuan window. The two walls to their left and right were lined with a series of life-size statues, depicting various famous heroes. Endeavour was represented, and of course All Might stood tall and proud in the far corner by the window. The centre of the room was taken up by a great wooden desk, easily larger than Izuku's bed, occupied by a single individual.
An individual who appeared to be some sort of strange, white-furred fusion of mouse, bear and… perhaps a dog? Izuku wasn't sure he'd ever seen an animal quite like it before. He realized a moment later it was wearing a finely tailored black and white suit, with a pocket watch in its right breast pocket.
"Ah, Mr. Midoriya!" the creature squeaked, in what was definitely a human voice. "So good to see you. And young Mr. Blackmore at your side, of course… and of course, the woman of the hour, Miss Aizawa! You of course know me as Nezu, the adorable headmaster of UA!"
Izuku looked at Blackmore, who himself seemed contrite. Ah, he knew then. And was likely told to say nothing. Understandable, at least; he had wanted to join the class with Izuku. That had likely been a condition of his sudden entry into 1-A. Confidentiality. Funny certainly appreciated it, though he was also a little set aback by the appearance of the headmaster. Izuku, for once, adapted faster; he had seen mutant-Quirks before. He was in class with Shoji, for goodness' sake; the boy had six arms! That could turn into eye-stalks or long ears or mouths!
Nezu, as his name apparently was, gestured to a set of chairs in front of his desk. Three in total, likely set up in anticipation of their arrival. Izuku took the middle seat, Blackmore remaining at his left and Shotaka slipping into the chair at his right. The three sat silently for a moment as Nezu slid back into his own (likely very well-padded) chair, and the four sat in the quiet for a short while.
"I trust you are well, Mr. Midoriya?" Nezu asked, sounding genuinely concerned and therefore surprising Izuku a little. "I heard the battle in the USJ was quite trying for all involved, yourself most certainly included."
"I'm fine, actually." Izuku replied, fighting off his nerves and nodding. "I… this is why you brought us here, isn't it?"
"Among other things, of course." Nezu smiled. "First young Blackmore arrives, informing me that he is in fact from another timeline and dimension entirely, brought across by a power called, and I quote, 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'. This happening the morning after you displayed a previously unknown warp Quirk of questionable origins, using it to succeed in a training exercise despite having a broken arm."
Nezu glanced at Shotaka before continuing.
"And now I am informed that not only is one of our homeroom teachers, not to mention a former student, suddenly the opposite sex they were that morning, I am also told that Izuku Midoriya managed to battle a monstrous multi-Quirked creature to stand still, breaking his own limbs many times in the process and somehow always standing back up fully intact." Nezu said, a single sentence that didn't seem to strain him at all. "It is curious then that all these things happened in a single week, all of them involving you, Izuku Midoriya, either directly or indirectly. So I want to ask you…"
Nezu leaned in, and despite being the size of a stuffed toy a child would snuggle with, he seemed to loom over them all. Izuku swallowed.
"What is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap?" Nezu asked. "How did you acquire it? And most importantly; what can it do?"
Izuku looked at Blackmore, who simply nodded. He glanced at Shotaka, who was sitting and watching the proceedings with narrowed eyes and an overall watchful gaze. Izuku took a deep breath, before nodding.
And then, he began to explain.
He started with Funny's sudden arrival and abduction (rescue, Funny corrected internally) before his gaining the power, being given it by Funny. He explained his defeat of Bakugo and Iida, his victory in the training battle. He told him about Blackmore laying on raindrops, and of their first conversation. He told Nezu about the dreams of infinite worlds, about the fact that he could, in a way, feel the infinite light of his soul across infinite universes, all of them accessible using his D4C. He told Nezu about the mechanics of his power, the need for two objects or one object folded, about how he had bent the rules using the loose and flowing coat.
He told Nezu about the rigours of the USJ battle. About his ability to pass on D4C to other versions of himself, and about how he had continuously sacrificed his own body to keep the monster from hurting anybody else. How he had swapped Shota Aizawa for Shotaka, in a desperate bid to save the man's life. How he had held the line until All Might's arrival, how he had switched one last time to ensure he could back the man up if need be.
And he finished by admitting the Valentine was still in his head, still watching and listening and speaking, now a part of D4C the same way it was a part of Izuku.
And through it all Nezu was listening, nodding his head and occasionally requesting clarification on a certain topic or question. He asked little, however, and spent most of his time listening and nodding. Blackmore interjected at one point, noting that he had been following Izuku for some time, unsure if the other boy was aware of his coming due to D4C or not. Shotaka also added that she had agreed to replace her other self when she heard Class 1-A was in danger in this universe.
"As far as I can tell, this was the only universe where the League of Villains attacked the USJ on this day." Izuku declared. "In my original universe, we simply went through the different zones and performed rescue training. The worst that happened was Snipe-Sensei accidentally hitting one of the faux-villains with a bullet through the arm."
"Snipe was involved with the USJ trip in your dimension?" Nezu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, in my original universe Snipe-Sensei is our homeroom teacher." Izuku replied, nodding. "I seem to be an outlier in that regard; most other universes still have Aizawa-Sensei as their homeroom teacher, although sex obviously switches sometimes."
"Intriguing…" Nezu rubbed his chin, before looking at Shotaka. "I suppose the evidence before speaks for itself. I may not have a Quirk that informs me of falsehoods, but I like to think I can tell when people are being honest with me. You are telling the truth… and that means I'm going to have to make a few changes around the school."
He looked at Blackmore and Izuku, nodding.
"The two of you are dismissed." he declared. "Young Midoriya, I am most impressed with your conduct during this meeting, and do not think you won't be commended for your valiant actions today. And Miss Aizawa, would you remain here for a while? We'll need to go through some paperwork and of course inform your coworkers of the shift. I trust our staff roster hasn't changed in your original dimension?"
Shotaka groaned, rubbing her temples with her hands while Izuku smiled apologetically and stood up. Blackmore stood as well, but Izuku hesitates before walking away. He turned and placed a hand on Shotaka's shoulder, smiling at Nezu.
"Actually, sir, maybe I should stay here?" he asked politely. "It is my fault that Aizawa-Sensei has to go through all this. I should probably stay and help with any trouble it brings. Responsibility for your actions and all that."
"Humility is crucial to earning this one's respect." Funny advised, referencing Nezu. "He is a modern Chiron, a trainer of heroes. It makes since that he would respect those who respect others."
"Shall I remain too, sir?" Blackmore asked, and Izuku shook his head.
"No, Blackmore, head home and tell my mom I'll be a little late today." he replied. "Don't let her panic about the USJ battle please. You know how she can get when she's worried about me. Help her with dinner, she'd like that."
"Of course, sir." Blackmore bowed, before withdrawing.
Izuku took a seat next to Shotaka, who was giving him a look that contained the shadow of a grateful smile. Izuku said nothing, but he did smile back, before looking at Nezu and nodding.
"Alright…" he said softly. "Paperwork."
Shotaka groaned again.
Blackmore, meanwhile, made a quick trip to the bathroom. Not to use the toilet, heavens no; he wanted to wash up a touch. He had put himself through quite the ordeal today, fending off villains and being stuck inside the downpour zone because of its domed roof and his own inability to find a door… he shook his head, sticking his hands under the stream of water and scrubbing them clean, his black gloves in his jacket pocket and his mask at his hip once again.
He scrubbed them clean for a long minute, using a bountiful amount of soap, before shaking his hands clean and hearing a door open behind him. One of the stalls, he surmised. He had thought himself to be alone. He wiped his face, and then froze the water with Catch the Rainbow and took a step back, into the other person.
"Ah, many apologies!" he darted forward, letting the frozen water fall into the sink and thereby drying his face, before noting that there were two interesting bulges pressed against his back. His eyes went wide and he whirled around, seeing a young woman of average height standing behind him, with what seemed to be green vines growing from her scalp rather than hair.
Blackmore blinked, before looking around. He had never known gender-segregated restrooms before; he had never known public restrooms before. Most places of business were lucky to have a single toilet inside; the idea that he had accidentally entered the women's washroom rather than the men's was unfortunately unsurprising to him. He swallowed, bowing his head.
"I am so very, very sorry…" he began, backing toward the door as he spoke. "I have erred severely, the fault lay entirely with me. I will endeavour to extricate myself immediately…"
He did so, turning and streaming out of the room in liquid form, reforming into a solid outside the door and then turning to smack his forehead into the wall. Once, twice, three times, just as mother taught him. It was the only way to keep his fool brain straight, he reminded himself, blinking away the spots in his vision before repeating the action, driving his face into the wall three more times.
"Damn it all…" he groaned, rubbing his now bruised forehead. "Why can't I just be normal for a second of the day?"
His mother's question, not his. She had not been all too fond of her only son's more defective traits, such as his lack of social acumen or inability to discern right from wrong until after doing some deed that fell into one of the two categories. He squeezed his eyes shut, before moving to slam his head into the wall one more time. Seven was a good number, a lucky number. Ringo had sworn by the number seven, the cowboy's lucky seventh bullet.
Blackmore missed Ringo. He also missed Mike O, and of course he missed President Valentine. They had all been kind men, far kinder than a defective thing like Blackmore deserved. As was Master Midoriya, who had forgiven Izuku in spite of his stupidity and inability to escape a simple metal dome. He was an idiot, a worthless manservant who couldn't even stand by his master's side when he needed it most, in the face of great danger.
Before he could bring his head into contact with the wall, he felt something wrap around his forehead, pulling it back and away from the wall. Blackmore stumbled, turning to liquid and catching himself by reforming on his own two feet, before seeing the girl with the vine hair standing a few feet away, several strands of her vegetation-hair outstretched. Had she stopped him? What did she want?
"Please stop that," she said, her voice soft, serene to Blackmore's ears. "It would not be good for you to hurt yourself."
Blackmore swallowed. This girl… more specifically her voice, so calm and kind, filled with such gentleness and goodness, her posture so demure and yet so self-assured, her look of concern… it reminded him, and he begged forgiveness for this trespass… it reminded him of when he had attained a piece of the Holy Corpse, and had witnessed the face of Christ.
"I apologize again…" Blackmore said, rubbing his forehead with one hand as he bowed again. "I intruded upon you and violated the sanctity of your privacy. I understand that you are likely cross with me."
"Why were you in the bathroom?" the girl asked.
"I… I wasn't aware it was a women's washroom." he replied. "I simply wished to clean myself a little and take a moment to reflect. Today has been… strenuous."
"You're from Class 1-A, aren't you?" She took a step forward as she spoke, closing the distance between them and reaching up to touch a hand to his forehead. "I don't know your name, but I've seen you in the halls. I am Ibara Shiozaki. Are you hurt?"
"No more than I deserve." Blackmore replied, shaking his head and noting that her hands were soft, but firm in the way they explored his injury. "I… I apologize again."
"You just wanted to wash your hands." she replied, a smile gracing her features and shining upon Blackmore like a ray of the sun's light. "But… what do you mean, 'no more than you deserve'? Surely you don't think you somehow deserve pain?"
"I have erred twice today." Blackmore replied, shaking his head. "I failed to stand beside my master when he needed it most, and after that I threatened your dignity due to my inability to look where I am going. It is the place of a servant to-"
Ibara, this ever-so-strange girl, placed a hand over his mouth, silencing him. She shook her head, the expression on her face severe and serious as she stared him down. Blackmore did not try to argue, or pull away. He wasn't sure he could while she looked at him like that. Or, indeed, if she looked at him at all. She radiated a sense of calm, of peace, one Blackmore felt deep inside. It would have shook him to his core were it not also making him feel so utterly still and steady.
"No one deserves to suffer." she said, shaking her head slowly. "Not a failed servant, nor the greatest villain. Penance is not what you should seek; it's pain will do nothing for you. And there is no greater pain than that which a guilty heart feels. Do not seek punishment, seek forgiveness. And if this master of yours believes you somehow deserve to be in pain…"
Her eyes grew cold for a moment.
"Then he and I will share words." she concluded.
She withdrew her hand from Blackmore's mouth, and he blinked twice before bowing again, this time at the waist.
"My apologies, a hundred-fold." he said. "I…"
He fell silent when he felt himself being straightened up, before Ibara Shiozaki wrapped him in a tight hug. Blackmore had not been hugged in a long time. None of President Valentine's men, nor the President himself, were the hugging type. Izuku Midoriya and his mother were kind, but he avoided their physical affection. He was a servant, not a friend, even if Master Midoriya insisted he could somehow be both.
Blackmore felt warm inside, safer than he had ever felt before. He let his posture slump a little, leaning into her, and she only tightened her grip.
"Don't be sorry." she said, voice soft. "I have a feeling this was meant to be. You needed to hear what I had to say."
Blackmore just stood there, eyes closed and head bowed, all his concerns and guilt slipping away for a moment. He put his arms around the girl as well, and after a long moment they both pulled away. She smiled at him, and he felt a pang of something he didn't recognize in his heart.
"Go in peace, Raymond Blackmore." she said, bowing her head.
"And you as well, Ibara Shiozaki." Blackmore replied.
The two walked their separate ways, and Blackmore felt as though he were floating on a cloud. He was so out of it, in fact, he never even pondered how it was a girl he had never spoken to before or even seen knew his full name.