159Chapter 12; Exam Arc pt. 12
Tuesday, Afternoon, 182 Days until U.A Entrance Exam
'Maybe I should just be blunt about it?' Izuku asked himself as he paced across the sands of Dagobah beach, idly picking up bits of litter with telekinesis and tossing them into the nearest trash bins. 'Maybe I should ease into this, it's not exactly a simple situation?'
He was ashamed to admit that it took him a week to work up the nerve to talk to All Might about this.
"In your defense, this isn't a normal question."
'But still, a kid's been kidnapped!' Izuku felt like smacking himself.
"By a woman that we are both very sure would take Eri and run if this isn't handled right."
"Besides, I don't think Toga is lying about how or why she 'adopted' Eri, so this is more trying to figure out how we should look into her past."
'I think All Might is going to get caught on the kidnapping point.' Izuku grimaced. 'Do you think I should-'
"Izuku, is everything alright?" Toshinori asked, laying a gentle hand on Izuku's shoulder and snapping him out of his thoughts, "You sounded rather upset when you called me down here."
"Yes- ah, not really, but yeah?" Izuku stammered, sighing as he tried to calm himself.
"Izuku, I'll do whatever I can to help you." Toshinori gave a reassuring smile, "Besides, if you nervously pace anymore, this beach will have a new trench."
The young hero in training chuckled weakly, noticing the fairly deep track he had put in to the beach from his pacing.
"I'm… in a bit of a bind All Might." Izuku bit his lip, "There's this girl, and-"
"Oh my god," Toshinori's eyes widened in realization, "You got Katsumi pregnant."
"WHAT!" Izuku shouted, flabbergasted.
"It's okay Izuku," Toshinori started to reassure the teen, "While I would hope you would be smart enough to us protection, this is by no means a bad thi-"
"Katsumi isn't pregnant!" Izuku hastily interrupted the man, "I have a friend who kidnapped a little girl and asked me to help raise her,"
"I wasn't sure I could talk her out of it without her disappearing on me, and she claims that she saved this girl from a bad situation." Izuku continued to ramble, "So I took her to another friend who's been sheltering them for the last week, and I don't know what I need to do!"
"That is… certainly troubling." Toshinori pursed his lips, "Why don't you start from the beginning?"
Izuku couldn't help but sigh in relief that his idol wasn't immediately angry with him, and recounted the events of the night to the older man.
"I'm assuming I am your Hero friend for this situation," Toshinori finally asked after a pregnant pause when Izuku had finished his recap.
"Yeah," Izuku sheepishly scratched his head, "I figured your current form would probably be useful for this."
"You are probably right," Toshinori chuckled, "It is rather strange that I'm less intimidating as I am, considering I look more like a corpse than a man."
"But I would like to meet these three, to decide myself if they are truly trustworthy."
Izuku nodded, considering that a more than optimal outcome for what he dreaded. "I can call Tomura right now and see when they're willing to meet up."
"The sooner the better," Toshinori nodded, adding as Izuku pulled out his phone, "Please put it on speakerphone, I would like to have an idea of who I'm going to be dealing with."
Izuku shrugged and did as the hero asked, hoping that Tomura wouldn't make a bad first impression.
"Yo, Broccoli head," Tomura answered, the faint sounds of a shooter game in the background, "Whatcha need?"
"Uh, you busy?" Izuku hesitantly asked, "It's kind of important."
"Gimme one second, I need to-YOU CAMPING SON OF A BITCH" Tomura's sudden rage-filled scream nearly caused Izuku to drop his phone, the sounds of wood splintering not helping, "I'm free now, whatcha need?"
"You, uh… You remember how I said I would talk to a hero friend about Eri and Toga?" Izuku asked, trying not to look at Toshinori after Tomura's outburst.
"...Yeah?" Tomura answered after a moment, "Did you finally do that?"
"Yeah, I explained the situation and he's wanting to meet you all himself," Izuku explained.
"How soon?" Tomura asked, not sounding at all pleased by the development.
"As soon as possible." Izuku looked up at Toshinori.
"Does now work then, Mr. Hero Friend?" Tomura asked, causing Izuku to worriedly look up at Toshinori.
"And before you think I did something cool Izuku, please remember that being on speakerphone outside is annoying as fuck for the person you're calling." Tomura deadpanned, causing Izuku's face to heat up in embarrassment, earning a hearty laugh from All Might.
"Now will work, yes." Toshinori finally answered.
"Izuku, send me your coordinates," Tomura grunted, the sound of broken wood being shuffled around echoing him, "Try not to trip on the portals lip."
"Well, that was easier than I thought." Izuku couldn't help but smile as he hung up.
"Oh, the hard part is only just starting my boy." Toshinori's smile fell, "I won't hesitate to haul your "friends" in if I believe a hair is out of place on that girl's head."
Izuku's smile fell at his mentor's statement, feeling a pit open in his stomach as a portal opened a few feet away from them.
"Where did you dig this guy up?" Tomura asked from a bar stool as Izuku and Toshinori stepped through the portal.
"Great start Tomura," Toga deadpanned, sitting in a nearby booth, Eri seated next to her, happily munching on apple slices. Izuku had to take a moment to marvel at how much healthier the little girl looked from when he first met her.
Originally she was a pale, sullen, nearly malnourished child dressed only in bandages and sackcloth. Now she seemed lively and energetic, her skin having taken a far healthier hue, complemented by the red dress Toga had dressed her in. Although he couldn't keep a frown from his face when he noticed the still present bandages.
"I'm assuming Izuku filled you in on the details, Mr…" Toga Trailed off.
"Yagi." Toshinori supplied, taking a moment to look over the trio, "What might your names be?"
"I'm Tenko, Blondie's name is Nana." Tomura answered before Toga could introduce herself.
"But I thought your names were Tomura and Toga?" Izuku dumbly asked, almost missing an emotion he couldn't identify flash Toshinori's eyes.
"Izuku, you have clearly never heard of a fake alias before." Tomura sighed, "Broccoli boy told you our first names, and that's all you're going to get for now."
"I would appreciate more honesty, but I understand." Toshinori hummed, "I assume that one of you two made the portal?"
"What, are we in trouble for improper quirk use?" Tomura's eyes narrowed.
"No, I'm simply curious." Toshinori chuckled softly, "It's not every day you find a quirk that useful."
"Right," Disbelief colored Tomura's tone, "So you going to give us the first degree now?"
"More or less," Toshinori answered dryly as he moved to sit across from Toga, "Now what would this little girl's name be?"
"I'm Eri!" the silver girl answered.
"Well, Hello Eri," Toshinori smiled brightly, "How old are you?"
"I'm, uh…" She looked down at her hands and began counting fingers under her breath, lifting the same number of fingers as she answered, "four!"
"Oh wow, you're practically a grown-up," Toshinori said in a cheery tone, earning a giggle from the little girl. "So tell me Eri, how do you like it here?"
Izuku glanced up at Toga and Tomura, the two looking calm and just as displeased as before All Might had begun his questions. 'At least they're not getting worse.'
"I love it!" Eri cheered, "I get to share a room with Momma, she takes me to all kinds of fun places, and I get to stay up till Nine!"
"She says that like she doesn't fall asleep before Eight-Thirty." Toga sighed.
"I assume you're "Momma" then?" Toshinori asked, icy blue eyes drifting over to the blond girl.
"Damn straight," Toga answered, not looking away from the man's gaze.
"How did you come into possession of Eri?" Toshinori asked, the tone that he held with Eri replaced by something far harder.
"I was taking a walk down an alley, was tackled by a little girl begging to not be taken away, and then stabbed the guy who was chasing her thirty-seven times." Toga answered.
Toshinori blinked in shock at the girl's bold declaration of assault, "Are you telling me that you-?"
"I didn't kill him," Toga interrupted the hero, "I know I didn't hit anything important, and he wasn't bleeding badly enough to die on his way to the hospital."
She paused as she remembered something, "I stole his wallet actually, I think it had an ID in it."
"Toga, you do realize you've just admitted to two crimes, right?" Izuku asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Admitted to defending a child and petty theft." Tomura corrected.
"An investigation will have to be made to determine that, but if you would provide any ID for the man, that will help to look into Eri's past." Toshinori turned back to Eri, "Can you tell me what your time was like before you, uh… met Toga?"
Eri's face fell, "I don't want to go back there..."
Toga gave Toshinori an "I told you so" look.
"I never said I was going to take you back there," Toshinori elaborated in a soothing voice, "But it's my job as a hero to find bad guys and put a stop to them."
Tomura audibly tisked at that, earning a side glare from Toshinori, although the hero chose not to humor it beyond that. "Anything you can tell me would help me do that."
Eri looked up at Toga, earning a reluctant nod from the blond, "... The masked men would poke at me, poked at me until I screamed and the big bird would fix it, but he never made the pain stop completely."
"Is that why your arms are bandaged?" Toshinori asked softly, earning a nod from the little girl, "May I look at them?"
Eri again looked up at Toga.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, sweetie." Toga soothed.
"She's right, but it would help me get an idea of your treatment," Toshinori added.
Eri hesitantly nodded.
Toshinori rose from his seat and kneeled beside the young girl, tenderly taking her arm and undoing one of the bandages, Tomura moving from his bar stool to get a better angle as he and Toga watched the man like a hawk.
Toshinroi had barely undone the bandage when he could see the severe scarring tracing up the girl's arm, scars that were too orderly to have been made by random abuse, looking almost surgical in nature. "These are all from the masked men?"
Eri nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You're a brave little girl Eri," Toshinori said encouragingly, placing a large hand on the girl's head, "I know what it's like to have nasty scars."
"You do?" Eri asked in a small voice as Toshinori re-did her bandages.
"I do, would you like to see it?" He chuckled, "I will warn you, it's not pretty to look at."
"... I would like to see it," Eri finally answered after a moment of thought.
"I got this bad boy fighting a villain a couple of years ago," Toshinori started to explain, lifting his t-shirt to show the scar that dominated his torso, "I know that they never stop hurting, never stop reminding you of what gave you it in the first place."
"I can't imagine what you went through to get your scars, but for a girl your age to be able to live with them is a pretty special thing." Toshinori gave a smile to the young girl, earning a giggle from her.
"Would you be willing to let her leave the room? I have some questions for you two." Toshinori asked, looking between Toshinori and Toga.
"Eri, go see if you can annoy Kurogiri." Toga stage whispered to the young girl, causing her to happily nod and sprint out of the room.
"She seems content and well cared for, I'll give you both that." Toshinori started as he took up his seat again. "Have you been able to gather anything about her past?"
"She hates guys in masks and hospital equipment with a passion." Tomura answered, taking Eri's place in the booth. "We took her to the doctors to get a full once over, and the only way she'd let them get close is if it was a nurse using a face shield, and even then she was practically petrified sitting in the hospital room."
"How did you take her to a doctor without it getting reported?" Toshinori asked.
"I have a friend, he's legitimate so don't think we took her to some back alley shit," Tomura answered.
"She looks a lot healthier than when I first met her." Izuku offered up.
"So far, I'm inclined to believe young Toga's story." Toshinori frowned, "But there are certain procedures that need to be followed for this."
"I'm not letting you take her anywhere, not without me." Toga declared.
"And you're not taking Toga anywhere unless she wants to." Tomura added, "I can make sure you never find them again if you try."
Toshinori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You've been willing to cooperate thus far, I'm willing to bend the rules a little."
"I do have a friend who's a detective, and he would be willing to assist in looking into her past, but," Toshinori looked them both in the eye, "If she pops up as a missing person case, I will have to do my duty."
"You're not taking her back to whoever did that to her," Toga growled.
"Trust me," Toshinori started, rage glowing in his eyes, "I would never dream of doing such."
"It is my duty to make sure to act in that child's best interest, if she registers as a missing person then I will fully investigate her guardians."
"As long as I believe you two are taking proper care of her, then… I'm willing to leave her in your care." Toshinori said reluctantly, "I want to check up on her monthly to make sure of that."
Tomura and Toga shared a side glance, a silent conversation happening in what seemed like a moment. Toga finally answered, "I'm willing to allow that."
"Good, might I have both of your contact information?" Toshinori asked as he pulled out his phone.
"Why mine?" Tomura asked as Toga gave her information to Toshinori.
"Izuku called you for using your friends portal, I assume you are the most direct route to that," Toshinori answered.
"... Fine," Tomura grumbled as he gave the hero his information.
"Then I believe we are done here." Toshinori rose from his seat and extended his hand, "I trust you understand what risk I'm taking."
"Yeah, sure." Tomura hesitantly shook the man's hand, making sure to tuck a pinky behind his ring finger, "I trust you understand that you'll never find us again if you fuck up."
"You've made that apparent." Toshinori sighed as he shook Toga's hand, "I only want what's best for this girl."
"But I believe we are about to overstay our welcome if you would be so kind…" Toshinori trailed off, Tomura snapping his fingers twice, causing a portal to open a few feet away.
"Can I say that it went better than I expected?" Izuku asked as the two stepped back onto Dagobah beach.
"You may," Toshinori answered, turning to give Izuku a serious look, "I want you to give me weekly updates on their situation."
"I… What?" Izuku asked, caught off guard by the sudden order.
"I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they clearly trust you more than me." Toshinori answered, "And I trust you more than I trust them, so I expect you to give me a better picture of the situation."
"I can do that." Izuku nodded after a moment of thought, "Am I in trouble?"
"Of course not my boy," Toshinori wrapped an arm around the teens shoulder, "I recognize that this is a messy situation, and I'm proud that you chose to confide in me about it."
"On an unrelated note, it has been a while since we've been to Mikawa Bay," Toshinori said in an innocent voice, "Do you think you're strong enough to swim with a fridge strapped to your back?"
Izuku had a feeling he was in more trouble than Toshinori was willing to admit.
Saturday, mid-evening, 159 days until U.A. Entrance Exam
"It's almost shocking how trusting you can be." Tomura deadpanned as Izuku stepped through Kurogiri's portal. He assumed he was in a different part of the bar, in a side room that only held a cabinet, and a fridge, and a large round table with four other people sitting at it, excluding Tomura. "Jin, no smoking in the fucking building."
Izuku watched as a blond man with a scar down the middle of his forehead huffed before extinguishing the fresh cigarette in a pocket ashtray, "Happy?"
"Yeah, I like breathing air that doesn't try to kill me." Tomura rolled his eyes.
"And yet you let this place smell like a barn," Toga dryly commented, "If you'd just let me use some scented candles-"
"Listen, you find some that won't fuck with my allergies, and I'll let you put as many candles around my bar," Tomura huffed, "So we going to play some Demons and Dipsticks or what?"
"Dungeons and Dragons," a reptilian man corrected, "Demons and Dipsticks is a different system"
"That's a thing?" Tomura asked.
"There's a lot of dumb systems out there." The Lizardman sighed.
"I think introductions should be our first order of business." He continued, as Izuku took a seat, "We've all been chatting online for a couple of months now, but this is the first time most of us have met."
"I'm Shuichi Iguchi, or as you've known me; Igucci-gang." Shuichi introduced himself.
"I actually want to punch you in the face for that name." Tomura grunted, "My name's Tomura Shigaraki, y'all know me by DustBunny."
"You're talking a lot of smack for someone whose username is fucking DustBunny" the blond man chuckled, "I'm Jin Bubaigawara, otherwise known as NotDeadpool."
"I'm Toga Himoka, hopefully soon to be Toga Midoriya-" Toga started her introduction, causing Izuku's cheeks to flare red, "-But my username is I'mfeelingstabby."
"Uhm, I'm Izuku Midoriya and I'm MightyFan#9" Izuku barely avoided stuttering after Toga's introduction.
"Dabi, FuckEndeavor" A dark-haired man who looked like his burned skin was barely clinging to his body through staples pointed to himself with his introduction.
"Not a man of many words, are you." Shuichi deadpanned.
"What, was I supposed to have a music number for my introduction?" Dabi scoffed, "Or was I supposed to declare my love for someone like stabby did over there?"
"Nah," Shuichi shrugged, "But a bit more effort would make a good first impression."
"First impressions aren't always a deal-breaker," Tomura added in, "Isn't that right, Izuku."
"Are you referring to the fact I initially talked to you because I thought you were going to kill someone over a game console, or the fact I met Toga in a back alley while she was in her birthday suit?" Izuku asked dryly.
"As much as I would love to hear that later story," Shuichi deadpanned, "I feel like that would derail this and I put a lot of effort into this campaign."
"So as my first act of DM," Shuichi said, putting up a fold-out screen, "I want everyone to roll a D-twenty, just to see how their luck is going to fair for the night."
"Is that necessary?" Dabi asked with a raised brow.
"Some dice may be cursed with bad luck," Jin explained, a haunted look in his eyes, "It's better to root them out as soon as possible."
Izuku couldn't argue against that, so he reached into the bag of dice he had bought earlier in the month and rolled the green twenty-sided piece of plastic.
"Twelve," Tomura grunted.
"Nineteen!" Toga cheered.
"Eighteen! That sucks!" Jin cheered as well, now wearing a grey and black mask.
"Fourteen," Dabi added.
"Uh," Izuku looked down at his green, "I rolled a one."
"Oh, that's a rough start to the night." Shuichi chuckled good-naturedly, "If those turn out to be cursed, I have another set you can borrow."
"Thanks, but I'm sure I'll be fine." Izuku nervously chuckled, "What's the worst that can happen?"
"Conditions met, Dungeon will now begin."
Izuku looked down in shock at the screen that hung mockingly in front of his face,
'Game, what is the meaning of this?'
"This isn't my fault! I have no idea what's happening!"
"Hold onto your ass!"
Izuku had only a moment to brace himself as his die exploded outward in a wall of green light, knocking the teen unconscious.
"Izuku, if I ever hear you say "What's the worst that can happen," again, I will put you in the ground." Tomura's voice was the first thing Izuku heard as the teen came to, his voice sounding like he was speaking into a can.
"What the genuine fuck just happened?" Shuichi asked as Izuku looked around. From what he could tell, the group was in a thick forest, dark enough that Izuku could barely see ten feet in front of him.
"As opposed to an ingenuine fuck?" Jin asked in response.
"Your sass is not needed right now." Shuichi grumbled, "What am I even wearing?"
Izuku looked over to the lizard man, finding him dressed in garb similar to a Tibetan monk.
"Strike that," The scaled man added as he looked to the rest of the group, "What is everyone wearing?"
Izuku looked down at himself, finding that he was dressed in a black leather suit and trench coat combo, featuring an excessive amount of belt buckles and decorative chains.
"I look like someone tried to make a medieval Green Arrow. Sick!" Jin exclaimed happily as he rubbed his hands up and down his leather chest piece, a green cloak resting on his shoulders.
"You could've just said Robin Hood you uncultured fuck." Tomura's voice echoed from inside a helmet, causing Izuku to realize the man was clad in full Plate mail.
"Am I in a dress?" Dabi asked, pinching the edges of a more European-style cloak and looking down in a mix of disgust and confusion.
"I don't know what you all are complaining about," Toga shrugged, "I look great in this."
It took Izuku all but half of a second to realize that Toga was wearing a loincloth.
Only a loincloth.
"Would you mind putting your chesticles away, they're rather distracting." Jin calmly asked, not even attempting to hide where he was looking. An act itself that almost took effort since his mask hid his face.
"That sounds like a 'you' problem." Toga giggled.
"Toga, Please put something on," Izuku begged, offering the Blond his trenchcoat after he figured out the tangle of belt buckles to remove it.
"Fine." Toga huffed, taking the coat and pulling it over her shoulders, not bothering to try and close it. "So what just happened anyway?"
"I think my quirk may be responsible for this." Izuku hesitantly answered.
"Oh sure, ignore the lizard man when he asks the question," Shuichi rolled his eyes, "But seriously, the fuck is your quirk?"
"It makes my life act like a video game." Izuku looked around, "I got a message that said I met the conditions to activate a dungeon, but this is new."
"Alright, so we're in a dungeon." Tomura nodded, "What does that mean we need to do?"
"Not a clue." Izuku shrugged, "I just got dungeon access almost two months ago, I haven't gone into one yet."
"How do you have access to a video game dungeon and wait two months to enter it?" Shuichi asked in disbelief, "I wouldn't have even waited a minute."
"I wanted to be sure I was ready for one, most of them sounded extremely dangerous." Izuku looked around, "Although it looks like the choice was made for me on that."
'What's the name of the game, game?' Izuku mentally asked.
"Are you guys done with your pre-session socializing?"
"Cause I'm going to start the session now."
"Welcome, Ye Brave and Foolish Adventurers!" A booming voice bellowed from the skies. "Tonight will be a gallant tale of bloodshed and heroics! Storm the Tower and save the princess from the grasp of the Emerald Dragon's Cultists!"
"Did it just say "Emerald Dragon's Cult"?" Shuichi asked after a moment of stunned silence.
"We just heard the sky speak, and that's what you focus on?" Jin asked.
"Yeah, yeah it is scar-face." Shuichi bit back in response, "That sounds like what I had planned for the session tonight…"
"Which if that's the case…" He trailed off, eye's widening as something made its presence known in the woods, not bothering to hide the sounds it made as twigs snapped and leaves rustled.
"Square up! We've got company!" Shuichi ordered moments before eight hooded figures burst from the surrounding foliage.
"Halt, in the name of the great-!" A cultist started to shout before all of the hooded figures were enveloped in a great blue wall of fire. The bodies seemed to explode into clouds of pixels as they died, their cloaks burning to ash in the azure flames.
"For defeating enemies, you gained 80 EXP"
"Dabi!" Shuichi shouted, causing Izuku to turn to the man in question.
"What?" Dabi asked with still smoldering hands.
"Warn us if you're going to unleash the gates of hell on people!" Shuichi huffed before grumbling. "So much for a balanced encounter."
"Alright then, Mr. Dungeon Master," Tomura started, managing to lift the face grate of his helmet, "What do we need to do?"
"Is no one going to comment on the fact that Dabi just burned Eight people alive?" Izuku asked before Shuichi could answer. Earning a confused look from everyone present.
"Silly Izuku, people forfeit their right to living when they attack another person." Jin patted Izuku's head as he answered patronizingly.
"Anyways," Shuichi turned back to Tomura, "I had planned that you guys would find a map of the forest after beating the bandits,"
"But thanks to someone," Shuichi side-eyed Dabi, who casually flipped the lizard man off, "has made that impossible."
"Maybe we can get our bearings at the top of that large ominous tower over there!" Jin shouted, pointing to a large and ominous tower in the distance.
"Actually, that's where we need to go." Shuichi deadpanned.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jin asked, boldly striving towards the tower, only to nearly fall into a pit trap.
"Yeah, the forest is booby-trapped," Shuichi sighed, "Luckily I didn't plan for any more combat encounters in the forest, so I should be good on that front."
"Heh, boobies." Jin chuckled.
"How many traps are between us and the Tower? Tomura asked, a note of frustration in his voice.
"Heh, Traps." Jin chuckled again.
"... Thirty-seven…" Shuichi answered in a small voice.
"You sadistic fuck." Tomura sighed, "All in favor of letting Jin DM the next session, say 'I'."
"I." Toga, Jin, Dabi, and Shuichi all voiced.
"Sounds like we're in agreement," Tomura declared, "Now how do we handle these traps?"
"Heh, the best way to handle traps is-" Jin started to say, only to stop as Tomura leveled the point of his greatsword at the man's throat.
"I swear if you finish that joke," Tomura let the threat hang in the air as he glared at Jin.
"I was going to suggest using my quirk." Jin answered, "What did you think I was going to say?"
"I- Nothing." Tomura lowered his sword, closing his face gate as well.
"With that resolved, Toga, what's your measurements?" Jin boldly asked, turning to the girl in question.
"Dude, you can't just ask a woman that." Shuichi rebuked the man.
"I need to know her exact measurements to make sure my quirk works, although I don't need to specifically use her." Jin explained, "Who's fine with potentially seeing themselves die thirty-seven times?"
An awkward silence fell over the group at the question, Shuichi finally answering with: "I guess they're my traps, I should be the one to take care of them."
"Heh, that sounded dirty." Jin chuckled.
"I'm going to kill him," Tomura swore under his breath, barely loud enough for Izuku to hear through the man's face grate.
"Wow, I can't believe you managed to die forty times just getting here," Jin exclaimed as the group took a break in front of the tower's gate, "That's awesome!"
"I'm going to need so much therapy after this," Shuichi grumbled under his breath, "Why did I think an acid bomb was a good idea for a trap?"
"Worry about your trauma later," Tomura grumbled, "What can we expect in this tower?
"Well, there's five floors to the tower. The first floors each have ten cultists on them. The Dragons on the top floor." Shuichi explained.
"Dude, we were going to play with Level two characters." Jin said, flabbergasted.
"I had plans that would've let you survive," Shuichi grumbled.
"Well, I'll just send in a couple of dozen clones of everyone and have them take care of this for us." Jin extended his hands, blobs of goo dripping from his palms, hitting the ground and expanding upwards into copies of the present party sans himself.
"Go my minions, die in our steed!" He ordered, earning grumbling remarks from the clones as they marched forward and pushed through the door. Immediately dissolving back into piles of goop as they stepped through the threshold.
"Well then." Jin stated dully, "Fuck."
"Guess we'll have to go in ourselves." Shigirki sighed, "Killing forty people shouldn't be too hard."
"I do not like how casually you said that." Izuku sighed.
"I, uh… I think I'll stay out here." Jin said in an uncharacteristically nervous voice. "My quirk apparently isn't going to work in there, and I think someone should stand as a lookout."
"Oh don't be a big baby," Dabi growled, grabbing Jin by his cloak and dragging him towards the door, "You're not just going to sit out because there's a little danger."
"No-, you don't understand-, wait, wait!" Jin struggled as Dabi pushed him to the door, causing the burned man to shove him through the doorway and stumble onto the threshold.
"No, No NO! I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm-" Jin started to writhe on the ground, only to look down at himself in shock, "I'm… okay?"
"What the genuine fuck was that?" Tomura asked as the rest of the party stepped into the tower.
"I… I wasn't sure I was the original me." Jin answered, "A while back my clones rebelled and we all started killing each other, I wasn't sure if I was the original or just the clone who survived…"
"So you weren't sure that whatever affected your clones wouldn't affect you…" Izuku trailed off. "You thought Dabi was about to kill you?"
"Sounds like you should be thanking me," Dabi smirked, patting the still kneeling man on the shoulder as he passed, "I just solved a big issue for you."
"I'd kill you if I wasn't so happy to still be alive." Jin declared, glaring at the man.
"See, who needs therapy when you have D&D." Tomura sarcastically cheered, now I think we have a massacre to commit."
"Can you be any less casual about this?" Izuku asked, "Just because they seem to be a byproduct of my quirk doesn't mean that they look any less human."
"Silly Izuku, Cultists aren't people." Toga chastised the green haired teen, patting him on the cheek patronizingly.
"Everyone else still able to use their quirks?" Tomura asked.
"Yep," Dabi answered, a blue flame dancing on the tip of his finger.
"I'm not sure." Shuichi deadpanned.
"Mine's not working," Jin answered, blobs of goo falling from his fingers and splattering against the ground.
Izuku exhaled a small blast of flame from his mouth and pulled at one of Jin's falling globs with his telekinesis, "I'm good."
"Izuku, if your quirk wasn't working, we wouldn't be in this mess," Tomura grumbled as he pulled out something that looked like a holy symbol, and let it dissolve in his hands.
"One second," Toga said as she reached out and grabbed Izuku's hand, taking his thumb and sticking it in her mouth while giving him a suggestive look.
"Uh, What are you doing To-" Izuku started to ask before gasping in pain as the blond girl bit into his finger hard enough to draw blood and started sucking.
"You took 1 point of piercing damage."
Toga let the green-haired boy pull his thumb from her mouth, giving him a shit-eating grin as her body secreted a grey goop that morphed along her skin, taking the shape of Izuku.
"Everything's functional," she said in his voice, looking down to admire Izuku's body from her perspective, still clad in only a loincloth and his coat. "Damn, you're jacked."
"Can you please not look like me while dressed as a medieval stripper?" Izuku all but begged, his face burning.
"It is rather distracting," Tomura added, his voice muffled behind his faceplate.
"Fine," Toga pouted, the goops that made up her from falling off her body.
"Alright, what's the game plan?" Izuku asked.
"I can send this tower up in flames and take care of everyone." Dabi suggested.
"And that would kill the princess," Shuichi pointed out, "This place is old, so I would suggest against anything fire-based."
"So we've lost one quirk entirely, two more that can't be used for safety, and then two more that aren't immediately combat-oriented." Tomura grunted, "Great, looks like I'll take point."
"At least the rest of us are still armed," Tomura sighed, "I'll draw their attention and take care of them. Toga, Shuichi, protect the squishy caster's and the guy going through a midlife crisis."
"I wouldn't call it a crisis, more of a reawakening." Jin objected, "But I have no idea how to use this bow, so I'm rather useless."
"Did I ask?" Tomura grunted, "Anyways, let's move."
Izuku was starting to reconsider his new group of friends, their eagerness to commit acts of violence against very human-looking beings was disconcerting. Admittedly, all of this was a game, and everything they were doing could be classified under a mix of self-defense and necessary evil to rescue a princess.
But it was still disconcerting.
At least he leveled up on the way up here.
"And that's the last grunt," Tomura grunted as he pushed away a crumbling body that quickly exploded into pixels. "So our sadistic DM prepared a dragon for us at the top of Murder tower?"
"It's a Young Green dragon, thank you!" Shuichi grunted, "It's not like I'm completely sadistic."
"Dude, that's supposed to be a fair challenge for a four-man team of level eight characters." Jin raised his hands in exasperation, "We're fucking level two!"
"I never said I was a good DM!" Shuichi objected, somehow blushing through his scales.
"So we just have to go in, kill the dragon, nab the princess and get out of here?" Tomura asked.
"Technically we just have to nab the princess," Shuichi answered, "If you think we can take the Dragon, then be my guest."
"Well, if Me, Toga, and Shuichi focus on distracting the dragon, Izuku, Dabi, and Jin can focus on getting the princess." Tomura hummed in thought, "And then Dabi can torch the place as we escape."
"I'm game," Dabi smirked, an act that worried Izuku.
"That plan sounds good to everyone?" Tomura asked when no one objected he continued with, "Then let's do this."
The group climbed the remaining staircase, entering the large circular room.
"So if I promise to give you a bushel of apples every day, You won't try and run away?" The booming voice of the Green Dragon nearly shook Izuku's bones, even if it somehow seemed to have a young child's tone.
The dragon was large, standing twice as tall as Izuku, and several times longer. He had no idea how the dragon had managed to fit into the chamber, but even with it completely taking up the entirety of the level. The dragon looked like it would soon outgrow its room, and would probably have to break its way out if it wanted to leave.
"Maybe." A familiar girl's voice echoed from in front of the dragon, the speaker blocked by the dragon's mass.
"Wait, is that…?" Toga started to ask, trailing off as the dragon turned its head to the sudden noise.
"Ah, It seems my cult has failed me." The Dragon grumbled, "You foolish adventurers dare trespass into a Dragon's lair?"
"We've come for the princess," Shuichi boldly declared, "Hand her over and we will leave in peace."
"The fuck you talking about peace for," Tomura asked in a stage whisper, "I want to fight a fucking dragon."
"Listen, if we can get the princess taken care of, then we can fight without worrying," Shuichi whispered back.
"You two do know I can hear you, right?" The dragon asked in a deadpan tone, "But I will not relinquish the princess,"
The large dragon stepped aside, revealing the princess to be Eri, dressed in a pink dress with a golden tiara on her head, and tied to a chair. "I stole her fair and-"
"MY BABY!" Toga didn't give the dragon a chance to finish, charging the vermilion dragon and beating its leg with a club.
"Ow! I had this whole speech prepared- OW!" The dragon started to complain, wincing as Toga smacked at its toe, causing it to flinch.
"Stick to the plan!" Tomura shouted, charging at the dragon, hacking with his sword at the dragon's other leg.
"You guys are being very rude-" The dragon hissed, as Izuku, Jin, and Dabi ran around it.
"Anyone have a knife?" Izuku asked, Jin and Dabil both pulling ones from their belts and offering them to the green-haired teen.
"Hi, Izuku!" Eri cheerily greeted the teen, kicking her legs happily.
"Hi Eri," Izuku smiled softly as he set to cutting her from the chair, "Are you hurt?"
"Just bored, the big green guy likes to talk a lot." The little girl complained.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but we're here to take you home now." Izuku explained as he cut through the last of the ropes.
"Upsy-daisy," He muttered under his breath as he picked the young girl up and held her in a princess carry.
"Guys, we got her!" Jin shouted, causing the dragon to turn its attention to the trio. "Maybe I should've waited to say that when we were closer to the door…"
"You think?" Dabi asked.
"LOOK AT ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Toga shouted from atop the dragon, slamming her club into its eye.
"Head to the exit!" Izuku shouted as the dragon recoiled in pain, swinging its head and causing Toga to slam into the wall above the staircase.
"Toga!" Izuku shouted as they sprinted towards the exit.
"You hit like a bitch!" Toga shouted at the dragon, pulling herself from the wall, only bleeding from most points on her body, but still able to move to Izuku's shock.
"You know, I think fighting the Dragon was a bad idea!" Shuichi shouted, scooping Toga up as he ran by and carrying her in a fireman's carry.
"Shut it!" Tomura Shouted back, "Dabi, torch this floor!"
Dabi didn't answer beyond cackling in joy, turning at the top of the stairs and letting a sea of azure flames pour from his hands and fill the floor.
The group sprinted as fast as they could down the stairs, Dabi leaving a trail of fire in his wake. They had just stepped onto the first floor when the dragon's roar echoed through the tower, shaking the walls as a mighty crash echoed from above, another soon following it.
"It's coming down!" Jin shouted, the groups sprinting harder as another, closer crash followed from the floor above, The group barely crossed the threshold of the tower when the ceiling came down in a mix of red and blue flame.
The group was just about to be washed in a wave of fire when everything froze.
"Congratulations, Brave adventurers!" A booming voice echoed around them, "Not only have you destroyed the Cult of the Emerald Dragon, but you have bested their idol and saved the princess!"
"For performing so well, you have earned yourself spoils of war." The voice declared, "As well as earn your place in history and myth!"
"Session ending, Thank you for playing."
And just as quickly as he had found himself in the dungeon, Izuku found himself in his seat, still holding Eri in his arms.
"So… That just happened." Jin broke the silence that had enveloped the group.
"Shuichi, can you put me down?" Toga asked, still dangling from the lizard man's shoulder.
"Oh shit, sorry." Shuichi apologized as he set her down."
"So what did it mean by "Spoils of war?" Dabi asked.
"Uh.. good question." Izuku answered, 'Game?'
"Luckily for you, I can show you the list."
Izuku: Reward, Book of Shadows + 1560 exp
Tomura: Reward, Divine Smite skill
Dabi: Reward, Transmuted Spell Metamagic skill
Toga: Reward, Barbarian Rage Skill
Twice: Reward, Animal Companion
Spinner: Reward, Ki skill
"You leveled up twice from that exp btw."
Izuku listed off the items and skills that each person received, finding that his Book was already in his inventory.
"Well, that explains the dog in my lap," Jin said, looking down at his lap, a wolf cub placed its head on the table.
"So what's mine mean," Dabi asked, lighting his finger on fire, "If I just think that I want to make Ice, my quirk will make-"
The man had started to run his finger over the wooden table and froze as he found a trail of frost on the table rather than burns.
"Well, at least we all got something out of it." Tomura smirked.
Dabi silently rose and left the room, an unreadable expression on his face as he did so.
"Wonder what's up with him?" Toga asked when the door closed behind him.
"No clue." Tomura grunted, "So when do we want to meet up for our next session?"
Author Note:
Hey look, I'm not dead. At least I think I'm not.
So as I'm typing this part of the A/N, It's been more than two months since my last upload. For that, I'm genuinely sorry. The two scenes that make up this chapter ended up being more complicated for me to write, and I'm not entirely satisfied with how they are, but I feel they are probably the best I'll be able to get out of them. Not to mention life is the fickle thing that it usually is, so my time management has been shit.
I originally meant for this chapter to cover a hell of a lot more content, but between how long what I have here is, and the fact that these were originally two of seven points I wanted to cover, I felt it would be better to break it off here and try to pound out the rest as a separate chapter. Or chapters...
So now we get to the part of the author note that totally wasn't written before the actual chapter itself:
I've got two story ideas that I was rather fond of when I first thought of them and developed them, but have since decided not to do them for the same core reason.
So here's my best attempt at making a challenge in the author note of a chapter:
"Weight of a Legacy"
Two inches. Two inches is all it takes to alter a lifetime. Two inches, such a small distance can feel far wider than any chasm. This was the truth Ochako had learned during the entrance exam. She had been Two inches from saving him, two inches to prevent him from dying in her arms, two inches from never hearing his dying words.
That's my pretentious attempt at a summary. Basically, the idea is that Ochako wasn't able to keep Izuku from going splat after saving her from the Giant robot. Izuku, in his dying moments, passes One for All onto her and points her in the direction of All Might.
The checklist of things I had wanted to do was something like this:
-Ochako gets One for All
-Focus on Ochako dealing with survival guilt/whatever term applies to this situation.
-Bakuraka ship since I wanted the two to bond over both dealing with Izuku's death/guilt associated with him (Katsuki realizing how much of a dick he is, Ochako for above mentioned reason)
-If you're caught up on the Manga, you should know what the consequences of this will be for Ochako, so more Drama
I tapped out on this since I realized two things.
1) I'm not qualified for any of the things I wanted to cover in this story.
2) This was way too depressing for me to consider writing.
"Tsuyu Gamer"
Tsuyu wakes up one day with the gamer. Chaos ensues.
Not as much of a description, but that's because the reason/more interesting thing I wanted to do with this is a bit harder to put in the summary and will elaborate on in the checklist.
The checklist of things I had wanted to do was something like this:
-Tsuyu gets the gamer
-"Villain" Izuku
-Bakugo dies in the sludge incident
-Tsuyu/Habuko ship
I originally had this planned as my attempt at the villain Izuku trope (Which I have found a whole one interpretation of that I'm willing to tolerate) and I thought the best route through Bakugo dying in the sludge incident due to Tsuyu summoning Izuku after his rooftop chat with All Might.
More specifically, I thought Tsuyu giving Izuku a behelit (obtained from the game itself) was a good way of setting him on that path (I wanted him to use it when he got home, learned about Bakugo, and then sacrifice his mother to gain slug based abilities)
His actual devolvement into being the main villain was going to come around the time of the cultural sports festival, where Izuku planned to confess to Tsuyu, only to get beaten to the punch by Habuko (and subsequently trigger an Eclipse scenario out of incel/simp rage)
If you couldn't tell, this took a lot of inspiration from Berserk with Izuku stepping in as a Griffith substitute and taking a flavor of an altered tale of Jiraiya of the Gallant. (Just swapping the rolls of Tsunade (the Slug) and Orochimaru (the Snake).)
I tapped out on this since I realized two things.
1) This story was too depressing for me to consider writing
2) I had a more interesting idea for a Gamer bnha fic that's similar to this, but a hella lot less depressing for me.
So if you want to do anything with them, or are inspired by them in any way, then go crazy and get to writing. No need to ask me for permission/publicly claim the challenge.
Hell, don't even need to credit me if you do take up this challenge.
PM me if you have any questions, or just make it up as you go.
Have a good whatever now!