The problem, Dazai finds, with randomly assigning groups is that it rarely ever plays to anyone's skills. Sure, sometimes you might get lucky and people that work well together might end up in the same group, hell, you might even discover a whole new pairing with previously unseen potential. When possible Dazai prefers to hand select groups, at least then if it all turns to chaos then it will be the most optimised chaos.
Dazai slumps down in his chair a little and risks a glance over at Chuuya's little 'research group'. Their teacher for this lesson, some pro he hasn't bothered to remember the name of, had decided that looking answers up to questions is absolutely a group activity and refused to listen to any arguments saying otherwise. That ended up with Chuuya being paired up with Bakugou and Mineta, which really is the worst combination possible. Mineta is so clearly terrified of the both of them, which means he's too busy almost crying to actually do any research. Bakugou is flipping through textbooks with such speed that Dazai is surprised none of the pages have ripped off yet, every time he finds an answer his flipping stops for a moment and his grin gets wider. It's obvious he's trying to 'win' at finding the answers and from the looks of it Chuuya might just be playing along. Anyone else would think that Chuuya is just quietly doing the work, but Dazai knows the slug much better than most.
Dazai's own group isn't much better to be honest, in fact it may even be worse. Somehow he's ended up with two of the more forgettable members of 1A and the sparkly guy that sits behind him. Despite calling them forgettable Dazai has made an effort to remember everyone's names, faces, and Quirks in 1A just in case he needs the information later on.
First in this rag tag group is Koda Koji who can talk to animals, his Quirk isn't the worst out there but just rather easy to beat, after all if there are no animals around left alive who will he talk to? Although, Dazai isn't so sure the guy even talks in the first place. So far, despite being a good half hour into this research task, he has not said a single word. Sometimes it looks like he wants to say something, but he always ends up staying silent. Either he struggles with speaking to others, or he's just scared to say anything with Dazai sitting so close… Hmm, he'll have to keep an eye on this kid to see which one it is.
Next is Sato Rikido, strength Quirk based on how much sugar he intakes. His personality does seem a little plain at times, but he certainty does have that 'heroic spirit' that seems to be a requirement to get into UA. Then again, that tiny pervert made it in and he seems the type to run away crying at an ant- maybe it isn't a requirement after all.
The most interesting of the lot is naturally Aoyama Yuuga. There are a few reasons Dazai likes this kid the most out of the group, firstly, his reactions are just fantastic. Always so over the top and dramatic, somehow always including a reference to sparkles, randomly swapping to French halfway through a sentence- what isn't there to like? If Dazai started acting like this he actually thinks Chuuya would kill him, which makes it even more important he spends more time around this kid to properly learn how to be like him. There's also another thing about the kid that catches Dazai's eye, something that he'll have to test out over the next few days. If he's right about this little hunch, well, that would be valuable intel indeed.
Sato sighs and sets his textbook down, "I can't find the answer to question ten in here."
Dazai flicks his eyes over to the question sheet, before this he hadn't bothered to put much effort into this research task. He probably should have helped a little, if only to improve opinions about him, but oh well, better late than never.
Question 10: What item is illegal to put through a mailbox?
Well, that's an odd question. Dazai understands that heroes in training need to learn the law to properly enforce it and stop villains, that much is a given, but really who cares about mailboxes? Surely UA should be teaching them more important laws, or at the very least teach them the important stuff first and leave these types of laws for later?
Aoyama physically wilts, "We simply must find the answer, another failing grade will dampen my sparkle…"
When he says something like that, who is Dazai to argue? Leaning back in his chair a little, Dazai says, "It's ice cream."
All three of them look at him in a mix of shock and confusion, if he were betting then Dazai would say that they're currently thinking 'Woah, he's actually going to help' and 'That can't be right.' It is right though, which Dazai says as much.
Sato gives him a dubious look, "And you're sure about that?"
Dazai nods, "I need to know what the laws are first before I can break them all, that's one of my life goals you know."
Sato does write Dazai's answer down, which he's happy about because he knows it's right, but looks uncomfortable while doing it. Hmm, maybe that last comment wasn't a good idea after all. Oh well, he'll work on getting this odd little trio to like him more another time. Maybe they'll end up in the same research group again, wouldn't that be fun?
-
"You're not very good at making new friends are you Chibi~"
Chuuya throws a half-hearted punch in Dazai's direction, mainly because if he hits the bastard like he wants then Aizawa would come over and scold him.
Dazai pouts, "What was that for?"
Stepping to the side, Chuuya easily dodges as Dazai attacks back, "You're annoying, that's why."
"Well," Dazai starts, "Maybe if you made some other frie-"
A sense of satisfaction fills him as Dazai yelps and falls to the ground when Chuuya throws out a much stronger punch. Dazai shoots him an offended look, Chuuya rolls his eyes in response, "This is your fault, so you should be taking the brunt of responsibility."
Chuuya takes a quick look around the training hall while Dazai whines on the ground. Much like the last time they were here everyone in 1A has been split off into groups to practise with their Quirks. A good few kids seem to just be messing around, something he doubts they'd be doing if they had noticed Aizawa lurking in the shadows right beside them. If Chuuya had to guess then he'd say the pro plans to sit there quietly and add to their punishment until someone notices him, that certainly seems like his style anyway.
"But Chuuuyya," his eyes flick back to Dazai who is still lounging on the floor, "I have such an unlikeable personality, you'll have a much easier time making friends than I would!"
Chuuya snorts, "You got that right."
Dazai, finally, pulls himself up. Then, in true Dazai fashion, leans his entire body weight onto Chuuya's back, "How about this Chibi, let's divide and conquer! You take your little gravity friend, how's that?"
Uraraka is on the other side of the hall working with a few of the girls, she seems to be trying to master jumping from one floating object to another. So far, from what Chuuya's observed, she's fallen more times than she's succeeded. Well, it couldn't hurt to go over and give some pointers but first…. Chuuya angles his head to face Dazai, "And who will you be taking?"
Dazai gives his best 'I'll only cause a little bit of trouble' smirk before answering, "No need to worry about that!"
Chuuya thinks he does, in fact, need to worry about that given Dazai might go and get himself killed. While he would love for the idiot to suffer the consequences of his actions, Chuuya simply cannot allow him to die by anyone else's hand, that will be Chuuya's reward for dealing with him for years thank you very much.
Chuuya sighs, shrugs Dazai off his back, and leaves without saying anything more. A few kids look over to him as he walks across the hall but most keep focused on what they're doing, a couple of those kids that look over are from the group messing around. It seems that taking their attention away from each other allowed at least one of them to gain spacial awareness, if the shout of 'A-Aizawa-sensei!' is anything to go by. Speaking of, even as he begins scolding the 1A kids, Chuuya can feel Aizawa's eyes on his back tracking him. In Chuuya's opinion, he should be keeping an eye on the real troublemaker (Dazai) but whatever.
It doesn't take long to arrive in the corner of the hall Uraraka and her friends are working in, instead of just walking up to them Chuuya decides to observe a little. Somehow none of them notice him, which raises the question of how do these kids have such little awareness?
With a critical eye Chuuya watches as the group continues working. Uraraka is still jumping between different floating platforms with varying levels of success, she seems a lot more confident when jumping but not so much when she lands. It probably doesn't help that her Quirk doesn't keep the platforms level, each time she lands the things wobble just enough to make her trip over her own feet. Chuuya, naturally, does not experience this when he uses his own Ability but he does have a few ideas to help her improve.
Mina and Jirou seem to be working together to destroy a rather thick slab of concrete, the combination of acid and sound waves are doing a decent job at eating away at it. Chuuya's never handled acid or sound waves before, or at least not in a way that would be helpful right now, but he's sure he could come up with some advice to give them. If worse comes to worse he can give them a couple pointers for hand to hand combat, from what he's seen 1A are severely lacking in that skill so he's sure they'll appreciate it.
When Mina, finally, notices him she gasps, "W-When did you get here?"
The other two girls turn in shock along with a few other nearby students, well that confirms that 1A sucks at paying attention to their surroundings. Chuuya shrugs, "Couple of minutes ago."
Jirou sends her friends a confused glance before looking at him, "Uh, why?"
Now, Chuuya could explain that he saw Uraraka struggling and thought he would help, or he could say that Dazai annoyed him too much so he left the idiot. He doesn't do either, instead he turns to Uraraka, "You're struggling right?"
Caught off guard all the girl can do is nod. Chuuya hums, "Well, use your Quirk on me." Normally, he wouldn't let anyone get close enough to use their Quirk or Ability on him, minus Dazai of course, due to it being too much of a risk. Of course, there are people he trusts wouldn't hurt him, but outside of that group anyone could be waiting for the chance to get close enough to hurt him. He's taking the risk now though, mainly because he doubts Uraraka would strike first like that. Well, she might if the situation was different, but right now he's not actively being a threat.
He waits a moment for her to answer but gets nothing, "I have a few suggestions in mind, but I need to know how your Quirk actually works to make 'em any good."
Understanding dawns in Uraraka, "Ah, alright!" She quickly manoeuvres herself back to the ground and makes her way over to Chuuya. After a moment of thinking, or perhaps hesitation, she leans down and taps her fingertips against both of his ankles. The effect is… Strange. Almost immediately, Chuuya's feet rise up from the ground and leave him hovering, while that isn't a new experience for him it certainly is different. Now, he understands why Uraraka was struggling to keep her balance so much. Upon the Tainted Sorrow affects his whole body which makes for stable and uniform movement, in contrast Uraraka's Quirk is only affecting his ankles.
"I was actually wondering this, but how different is your Ability compared to Uraraka's Quirk?" Mina asks with genuine curiosity. Chuuya watches in amusement when a little distance away Midoriya's head twitches in their direction.
"For floating like this? Well, the best way to imagine it would be to think of a swimming pool," Chuuya starts as he begins moving a little to get used to it, "Upon the Tainted Sorrow is like standing on a big raft, there's a lot of room to move and you don't really need to worry about falling. This Quirk feels more like standing on a kick board, you're still floating but it's way less stable." If Uraraka used her Quirk on more of her body then she'd probably have an easier time, Chuuya isn't sure she's able to do that though.
The three girls around him nod in understanding, Uraraka in particular. "Then… Do you still think you can help?" She asks in a hopeful tone.
Chuuya makes a show of rolling his shoulders, he's a bit wary of doing this and falling straight on his face since Dazai would never let him live it down. It'll be harder to manoeuvre given the differences between his Ability and her Quirk but…
He wills himself forward, pleased to find it isn't too different than when using his Ability. He's slower than normal, but that's to be expected, even still he quickly jumps and lands in the centre of one of the floating platforms. Chuuya allows himself a moment before leaping over to the next one, beneath his feet the platform wobbles but he stays steady.
"H-how did you do that so quickly?" Mina gasps, Chuuya almost laughs at her over-dramatic behaviour.
Chuuya looks over at Uraraka, "Did you see what I did different?"
Uraraka thinks for a moment, Chuuya simply stays silent to allow her a moment to think it through. To other people it may not have been much of a difference, but any gravity manipulator should have been able to notice and know the importance behind it. Well, any gravity manipulator that uses their power often for this stuff, from what he's seen so far Uraraka is inexperienced.
While he's looking in her direction, which just so happens to allow him to see another group of 1A kids some distance away, he notices them up to something…. He can't quite tell what that something is, but he swears he just heard Dazai laugh so whatever it is can't be good. From the looks of it the group is composed of Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and that arm guy, whose name might be Shouji? Chuuya hasn't spoken to him really, so he can't be sure of that.
After a minute passes Uraraka sighs, "I know it was something to do with the landing but I didn't see it…" She sounds disappointed with herself which causes her classmates to shoot her concerned looks.
"I'll do it again but slower, so pay attention," Chuuya says. It'll be harder going slower due to the loss of momentum but it shouldn't be too bad. He hears some yelling, along with the sound of Dazai laughing once again, he decides to ignore it. Whatever that idiot is up to isn't his problem right now.
This time when he readies himself and leaps across to the other platform and back he can feel Uraraka's intense focus on him, part of him feels a little flustered about it. When was the last time he displayed a skill like this and had such an attentive audience? Probably when he was doing something with Dazai if he's being honest, but that fishy idiot doesn't count.
Once Chuuya has steadily landed and turned his attention to the three girls, Uraraka nods, "I saw it this time!"
Chuuya smiles and jumps down from the platform, "Think you can do it yourself then?"
Mina whips her head from one gravity manipulator to the other, "Wait wait wait! I didn't see it!" She exclaims before Uraraka can get an answer in.
"I think," Jirou starts, "the trick is to crouch a little as you land, right?"
Mina still looks confused, so Chuuya decides to elaborate a little for her sake, "It's all gotta do with your centre of gravity-"
For a second Mina still looks confused, she must have thought it through though as a moment later her face changes to one of dread. "Don't bring physics into this! I totally suck with that subject…."
Chuuya is a little caught off guard by that actually, "You do know gravity is physics right?" He really, really hopes she does.
Mina flushes, "Of course I know that!" She hesitates a moment and when she speaks again her voice trails off a little, "I just didn't realise you guys needed to know that stuff…"
Alright, that makes sense. "Technically I don't need to be good at physics to use my Ability, it just makes things a lot easier," Chuuya explains.
Uraraka nods in agreement, "It was only recently that I realised how much getting good at physics would help. I haven't even touched the advanced content yet but I already feel like I understand my Quirk better."
Both Mina and Jirou nod understandingly, in contrast Chuuya looks at her with a questioning expression, "Only recently?" Even back before he had joined the Sheep, back when he was freshly out of that lab and wandering around Yokohama trying to make sense of things he had, on some level, understood what physics was and how it could help him get better with his Ability. Of course, back then he had no clue it was called physics and was widely taught in schools around the world, instead, he had just noticed common trends when he did certain things and dove into exploring how that all worked.
"Oh, well," Uraraka begins, "I don't know how it is in Yokohama, but here we aren't allowed to use our Quirks unless we have a special licence or we're in a training setting, like a hero school for example. I just never thought about improving my Quirk control before UA."
Jirou is the next to speak, "How is it in Yokohama anyway, I imagine they must have some laws about Abilities right?"
Chuuya nods, "Yea, there are it's just… Well, hardly anyone pays them any attention at this point." Compared to what else goes on in the Port Mafia, breaking a few laws about Ability use is the least of anyone's worries.
Maybe he shouldn't have said that actually, given the way the mood seems to drop a little at that. The 1A kids are definitely warming up to both him and Dazai, which is good for that idiot's plan, but it seems that every step forward is accompanied by two steps back the second the kids remember why exactly they're at UA. From now on he'll have to avoid speaking about anything related to the Port Mafia and maybe Yokohama in general too but that might be harder.
Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere doesn't last for long when shouts and groans echo around the training hall. Chuuya doesn't need to look to know Dazai is at fault, he does anyway though if only to access the damage. Lo and behold, Yaoyorozu, Shouji, and Kaminari are sprawled across the ground with electricity dancing around them, Dazai stands in the centre of this mess with a sly grin on his face. When he notices Chuuya watching he waves and then, in true Dazai fashion, simply steps over the groaning Kaminari and walks away- most likely going to find some other kids to terrorise.
Chuuya sighs heavily and then physically turns around so he doesn't have to deal with whatever Dazai is up to now, teachers should be responsible for their students right? Yea, so Aizawa can deal with this while Chuuya actually has a little bit of fun teaching Uraraka.
His reaction gets a few laughs from the girls around him. After she finishes laughing Jirou asks, "How are you two even friends?"
"Trust me, we're not," Chuuya huffs.
"What? But you two are so close!" Mina exclaims, beside her both Jirou and Uraraka nod along.
"I spoke to him once and haven't been able to get rid of the fucker since, he's more like a parasite than a friend," Chuuya explains which once again gets a few laughs. They think he's joking, but Dazai really is like a parasite sometimes. Chuuya shakes his head a little to clear his thoughts, "Well, that's enough about that idiot, let's get back to what we were doing."
Uraraka smiles once more before adopting a more serious expression, "Right! With your help I'm sure I'll be able to master this trick!" Chuuya smiles back in return and watches as Uraraka activates her Quirk and begins preparing herself to make another attempt. Back in the cops vs robbers fight Uraraka had taken his advice and managed to pull off that wall kick rather quickly, so he's sure it won't take her long to get the hang of it. Maybe after she's more stable doing basic jumps between the platforms he can teach her a few tricks, mostly ones just for show though, after all, he can't let her get too good. While both he and Dazai could beat her with or without their Abilities, it might come back to bite him if he teaches her too much.
"Hey," Mina says, interrupting his thoughts, "You think you could show us some tricks too?"
Chuuya takes in Mina's hopeful expression along with Jirou's not so subtle interest in the topic, "Not for your Quirks no, but I could show you a few hand to hand combat moves?" Again, he won't show them anything too detailed but the basics like how to throw a punch and how to block should be fine.
Jirou smirks, "I don't suppose you have some tips for dealing with creeps like Mineta?"
Ah, yes, now that's something he can do. "I sure do, courtesy of my mentor back home."
Uraraka, who had seemingly delayed beginning her training to listen to their conversation, chimes in, "Your mentor? You mentioned her before I think... She wouldn't be mad at you for sharing her techniques?"
Chuuya shakes his head, "Nah, back when I first met her Ane-san made it damn clear what would happen if I wasn't respectful to women. If I didn't teach you this stuff she'd probably come to UA herself to set me straight." Which is absolutely the truth, Ane-san had made it clear from the beginning that she expected him to be a gentleman regardless of if he was in the Mafia or not. While he had managed to scare Mineta away from harassing the girls for now, he gets the feeling that won't last, especially once he and Dazai get back to Yokohama. Showing them a few moves he's seen Ane-san use is the least he can do really.
That earns a few laughs, along with a couple looks of admiration. "She sounds awesome," Mina smiles excitedly, "Alright, teach me everything so I can be a badass like her!"
-
Midoriya is trying his best not to get distracted, he really needs all the practice he can get with his Quirk so training time is valuable but… But he can't help but keep looking over at Dazai and Chuuya! Getting to see those two in action is always so interesting and distracting, it was honestly so hard not to start rambling about Abilities during the cops and robbers fight when he had, at multiple different times, got a close up view of Chuuya using his Ability. Every time he felt his mind starting to wonder he had to mentally slap himself to focus again. Now though, there are no consequences if he lets his attention wander and starts to theorise about Abilities. Well, there might be if Aizawa-sensei catches him, but Midoriya is banking on him being too busy watching other students to notice.
Chuuya isn't using his Ability right now, which makes sense given the Ability erasing bands he always has on. Part of Midoriya thinks that's unfair, but that part of him is just desperate to find out exactly how his Ability works. It's such a cool Ability when he thinks about it from an analytical standpoint, completely changing the gravity on any object he touches, including himself, is just insane. It's even more insane when Midoriya thinks about how much control Chuuya must have to be able to even use his Ability, surely if he wasn't careful he would just go smashing through a wall if he tried to walk up it?
A few minutes ago Midoriya had watched as Chuuya easily jumped from floating platform to floating platform, he moved with such a fluidity that just screamed experience and total mastery- which would make sense if he hadn't been under Uraraka's Quirk's control. Just moments before Chuuya had gone over there Midoriya had watched as Uraraka struggled to stick the landing, he knows for a fact that Uraraka's Quirk works differently than Chuuya's Ability due to eavesdropping on their conversation, so how was he able to so easily adapt and succeed? Is being able to easily move around mid-air a side effect of his Ability? Or maybe he's just so used to it that the difference provided by Uraraka's Quirk isn't an obstacle. It could also be the case that he's just got a really good understanding of physics and is able to easily figure out what he needs to do to pull a move off, which if that is the case that creates more questions of if that is a learnt skill or something that came along with his Ability. For people with Quirks, their bodies naturally change to accommodate them with the exception of the mind. Sure some Quirks are mental based and likely boost the user's memory and critical thinking skills but none have given the user an innate understanding of something like this, not that Midoriya knows of anyway- but of course that doesn't apply to Abilities. Everything Midoriya knows about Quirks is useless when thinking about Abilities.
For a few minutes he had just stared in Chuuya's direction hoping he would be able to figure out the answers to his questions. It hadn't worked though, so he had decided to shelve those ideas for now and swap his attention to somewhere, or someone, else.
Midoriya now watches with an attentive eye as Dazai nods along to whatever Kaminari is saying. That little group is just too far away for Midoriya to be able to hear anything, which is a shame, but he's able to make an educated guess as to what is happening. Yaoyorozu is currently crouched over making what looks to be a large blanket, Shouji already has one wrapped around his arms, Kaminari doesn't have one though which makes Midoriya think that the blankets must be insulated to protect the wearer against electricity. That group must be planning to have Kaminari let off some electricity while Shouji and Yaoyorozu try and withstand it, or maybe they'll be trying to get close to Kaminari, maybe even try and fight him. Midoriya isn't sure how good of an idea it is, but he's in no position to go over and interrupt.
"What are you looking at?"
Midoriya jumps at the voice, Todoroki's voice he realises after a moment. With a sheepish smile he turns to his classmate, "Oh well, I was just watching Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Shouji. I think they're about to do something that will-"
Midoriya notices sparks of electricity in the corner of his eye and turns to fully watch the scene. It starts off well enough with Yaoyorozu and Shouji easily advancing through the field of electricity, but then Kaminari lets off what must be just a little too much electricity. In a matter of moments both Yaoyorozu and Shouji shout, in shock or pain, and drop to the ground, Kaminari follows soon after with a vacant expression on his face. Midoriya would be more worried about the trio if he could not see them rolling around and groaning, they mustn't be too hurt then.
Todoroki makes some sort of sound from beside him but Midoriya is in no position to properly focus on him. Just a moment ago, when Kaminari let off that too big attack, Midoriya saw as it hit Dazai- or well, as it didn't hit him. As soon as the electricity got close the blue light from Dazai's Ability appeared and protected him from ending up on the floor groaning, even now as the last few sparks of electricity bounce around Midoriya can see as his Ability quietly activates. Dazai waves at someone, probably Chuuya, but Midoriya pays it no mind. Instead he keeps his eyes on the string of kanji floating around Dazai's feet, it's faint but if he squints then he can just make it out. That's another thing he's desperate to know about, why does kanji appear when an Ability is activated? And also, what's with the names? No Longer Human and Upon the Tainted Sorrow. Dazai had previously said that they don't name their Abilities, which now makes sense knowing about the kanji, but also how is that possible? Why does it happen? The names must mean something right? It just- It just makes no sense and Midoriya is itching to ask questions.
Dazai steps over Kaminari, who is still drooling away on the floor, and begins walking away… Actually, he begins walking in Midoriya's direction. Oh man, did he notice him staring? Is Dazai going to yell at him or something? Well, actually, Dazai doesn't seem the type to yell but still.
As Dazai saunters closer Midoriya can feel Todoroki stiffen from beside him and immediately feels guilty. Todoroki is still upset about what Dazai said during their fight, he should be focusing on that and supporting his friend and not geeking out over Abilities.
Dazai gets closer and Midoriya prepares himself to tell him to go somewhere else when, without any warning, Todoroki turns and walks away. He supposes he shouldn't be so surprised, but still, he expected more of a confrontation.
"No, wait!" Dazai exclaims. Todoroki pauses for a moment, like he's contemplating hearing Dazai out, before glancing over his shoulder. Seeing that this is likely the most he'll get, Dazai quickly says, "I didn't know you'd be so upset over what I said, so I'd like to apologise."
Well, that's surprising. Midoriya didn't think Dazai was the apologising type, then again, what does he actually know about the guy? Dazai and Chuuya haven't been here that long, and yet he feels he knows Chuuya far better than Dazai. Not that he knows Chuuya all that much, but still, what he does know is leagues more than what he knows of Dazai. Oh, maybe that's a side effect of his Ability? Being so mysterious does create an inhuman vibe sometimes, so maybe…
Midoriya snaps his wandering mind back to attention just as Todoroki turns to him, "I'll see you later Midoriya." With that he continues walking away, not a word said in regards to Dazai's apology.
He half expects Dazai to try and run after him, but instead he just shrugs, "Oh well, can't win them all."
He feels conflicted for a second on if he should follow Todoroki himself, but ultimately decides to stay where he is. It does feel like a somewhat selfish decision, given how badly he wants to question Dazai, but he reasons with himself that if Todoroki wanted him to follow then he wouldn't have said goodbye to him.
"So, Midori-kun, you were looking at me?" Dazai asks, much to Midoriya's horror. He had been hoping Dazai hadn't noticed. What would be the best way to answer though? He could just lie and say he happened to be looking in that direction, or that he was curious what was happening with Kaminari's group but he gets the feeling Dazai will see straight through that. Maybe it would be best to be honest? If he is then Dazai might even answer some of his questions, which would be amazing. Or maybe he should lie after all, then Dazai will leave and Midoriya can focus on training like he should be doing. Oh, but if he-
"Midori-kun?"
Midoriya snaps out of his spiral of thoughts, right, he needs to answer now. Sheepishly, he nods, "Sorry, I was just curious about your Ability..."
"Well, No longer Human is the best Ability out there, so I suppose I can forgive you," Dazai says nonchalantly, unaware of the storm of thoughts that sets off in Midoriya's mind. He can't tell if Dazai is lying about having the best Ability or not and it's seriously getting to him. Sure, being able to nullify Abilities is a strong power, but there must be other Abilities that are better right? For example Chuuya's Upon the Tainted Sorrow, ah, but then again what does it matter about other Abilities if Dazai can just nullify them away? Actually, are there any limits to his nullifying powers? Is he able to nullify mutant Abilities, if those even exist?
Well, there's only one way to find out. Stealing his nerves Midoriya takes a deep breath, "I was wondering if I could ask some questions actually, a-about Abilities that is."
For a second Dazai doesn't say anything, which does cause Midoriya some anxiety. His brain wants to run at double speed to try and figure out what to say in case he's made Dazai mad or something but he resists the urge. Dazai seems to contemplate before answering, "Hmmm, alright but you have to answer my questions on Quirks in return!"
"Deal," Midoriya says before he can even comprehend it.
Dazai grins, "Midori-kun, you always make the best deals, you know that?"
Midoriya feels an odd sense of pride at that, something he's not sure is all that appropriate. Well, he can think about that another time, right now he has to focus and make sure he asks the most important questions. Which are… All of them? Damn, why did he never think about which ones he wants an answer to most before this? Once he gets back to the dorms he will be ordering all his questions to avoid this ever happening again.
"So, Midori-kun," Dazai says, taking the choice away from him, "How do Quirk genetics work?"
"Quirk genetics?"
Dazai nods, "Yep! I know a few things, of course, but I was just curious about the exacts… For example, what happens if two people have completely opposite Quirks and they have kids?"
Thankfully, Midoriya has always had an interest in that topic so he's easily able to come up with an answer, "Oh well, the most common outcome would be to just get one of your parents' Quirks. The second most common would be to get some sort of mix between the two Quirks and the most rare outcome would be getting both." The real rarest outcome would be getting no Quirk but Midoriya doubts Dazai wants to hear about that.
"Someone could have two Quirks?" Dazai looks thoughtful at this.
"Well technically it would only be one Quirk, but yes," Midoriya hesitates before continuing, "Todoroki's Quirk is like that."
Dazai nods but doesn't say anything further. Midoriya waits a moment before deciding it's time for him to ask a question, it may not be the most important question he could ask but it's something he's been wondering about. "Do you know anything about how Abilities are named?"
Dazai raises an eyebrow, or more accurately the only eyebrow visible, "We don't pick the names."
Midoriya nods, "Ah, yes, I remember you saying that! I was just curious because the names are oddly specific and must have some sort of meaning, if you get what I mean…" He hopes there is a meaning anyway.
"Well, the meanings are up to interpretation," Dazai thinks for a moment, "For example, what do you think the Ability Love Disappears Tonight does?"
Love Disappears Tonight? Based on the name Midoriya assumes that it involves something being taken away or 'disappearing'. The inclusion of the word 'love' makes him think it has to do with emotions, so making emotions disappear?
Midoriya says as much to Dazai and is disheartened when he shakes his head, "Close but not quite!" Dazai waves his hand behind him in the direction of Chuuya, "A few months ago Chuuya was sent to find this Ability user, Misaki something, and got a little too close during the fight, he ended up getting hit with Love Disappears Tonight. For the next week until we found her again he kept forgetting everything that happened the day before."
Midoriya takes in that information and makes sure to commit it to memory. "So the Ability gave him amnesia?"
Dazai nods, "Yep, now, your interpretation of the name wasn't entirely wrong given that Chuuya would forget what emotions he felt the day before, but it wasn't entirely right either."
"So," Midoriya starts already knowing he's pushing it, asking another question, "What about No Longer Human? What do you think that name means?"
Dazai is silent for a moment, then, " Well, if Abilities and Quirks are what makes up a person, what makes up their identity, then getting rid of it would make them no longer themselves or even inhuman, right?"
Midoriya feels conflicted by that. He, partly, understands what Dazai means but there surely has to be more to it… The idea that someone can't be considered human if they no longer have their Quirk or Ability just doesn't sit right with him.
There isn't time to think about that though as Dazai doesn't take too long to ask his question, "So, other than genetics, is there any other way to pass along a Quirk?"
Midoriya feels his heart skip a beat at that, that question is far too close to the secret of One for All. He wills himself to calm down because there is no way in hell that Dazai has figured him out no matter how smart he is. In a tone that he hopes sounds relaxed, Midoriya answers, "No, the only way is genetics."
For a second he swears Dazai looks at him in a way that says 'I see through that lie' but the next moment it's gone. Midoriya resists the urge to nervously laugh, which will only give Dazai reason to be suspicious. Although, this line of questioning has sparked an idea in his head, "Can you pass Abilities along?"
Dazai shrugs, "It's happened a few times in the past but it's a rare situation."
Midoriya feels like he's going to have twice the amount of questions by the end of this, the idea that Abilities can be passed along opens up so many different ideas. Dazai said it's rare, but how rare? Is there some sort of requirement or limitation, for example only being able to pass an Ability along to a family member? What would happen if someone passed an Ability along to someone who already had one, would they get two or would one take dominance over the other? How would Quirks come into play, could someone with a Quirk also get an Ability? Midoriya, desperate for more information, quickly asks, "Could you tell me about the past times it's happened?"
There has to be a common link between the cases where it's happened, but what is it?
"I would, but it's my turn to ask a question Midori-kun," Dazai replies, "I want to know about how the body adapts for a Quirk."
He's slightly disappointed that he'll have to wait to hear more but that was the deal they made. "Um, I'm not sure how to explain it… The body just, adapts?" Midoriya cringes at his terrible explanation.
Dazai sighs, "Obviously, but to what extent? Do people get injured by using their own Quirk often, or have their bodies developed an immunity to it?"
It's a reasonable question, a reasonable question that gives Midoriya a lot of anxiety all of a sudden. The question Dazai asked earlier about passing along Quirks along with this… Has he figured out that Midoriya's Quirk hasn't always been his? The rational part of his brain tries to calm himself down, Midoriya hasn't broken a single bone while Dazai and Chuuya have been at UA- which means there is no way that Dazai could have realised anything amiss. Although, if he had watched the Sports Festi- No, Midoriya cuts his thoughts off there. He needs to answer now before Dazai gets suspicious, "In most cases they'll be immune, but there might be side effects to their Quirks that might hurt them."
Dazai nods in understanding and, thankfully, doesn't seem to pick up on Midoriya's panic. After giving himself a moment to calm down Midoriya feels a little excitement at knowing it's his turn to ask a question.
"So, about people passing Abilities alo-" Midoriya starts but is quickly cut off when explosions echo around the training hall. In one swift movement, Dazai darts forward and twists around Midoriya.
Bakugou, now in the spot where Dazai just was, growls, "Don't run, bastard, I want a rematch!" Midoriya feels a spark of annoyance at his appearance, couldn't he have waited a few minutes more or just, you know, not done this at all? Midoriya is trying to gather important information here!
Dazai, still using Midoriya as a human shield, huffs, "It's rude to interrupt a conversation you know. Besides, if you can't even beat Chuuya in a cooking contest, what hope do you have of beating me?"
"I won that contest!!"
"Oh yea? How come everyone praised Chuuya's food more then?"
That seems to piss Bakugou off more, which, in turn, causes Midoriya to get anxious. He knows the anger isn't aimed at him, but still, he spent so many years being the target of said anger that it's hard to brush it off.
Dazai shifts behind him, likely about to say something to further annoy Bakugou, when, for just a moment, they make contact. Midoriya stiffens as he feels One for All being ripped away from him, the power he worked so hard to gain just gone in a moment. He's being irrational, he knows, and yet he can't stop the spike of fear that runs up his spine at once again being Quirkless. Yaoyorozu had once asked him after his one on one with Dazai what his Ability felt like, back then he had said he felt Quirkless with no hope of getting it back… His classmates didn't understand the truth behind that statement. They didn't understand that he knew what it was like to be Quirkless, and this is it. This feeling of missing something so so important, of missing something that almost seems vital to life…
" Well, if Abilities and Quirks are what makes up a person, what makes up their identity, then getting rid of it would make them no longer themselves or even inhuman, right?"
Midoriya now finds himself agreeing with Dazai just a little bit more.
Just as quick as it happens, that sensation ends. One for All comes crashing back to him, something that causes Midoriya to sigh in relief.
Dazai, now standing further away from him, shrugs a little, "Oops."
Midoriya turns to him with the intent of saying something, he isn't sure what yet, but quickly loses that opportunity. Bakugou takes a step towards Dazai, "Oi, use your shitty Ability on me!"
Shocked, Midoriya can only stutter out, "K-Kacchan? Why would you wan-"
Bakugou glares him into shutting up, "Don't call me that Deku!" He jerks his head in Dazai direction, "That bastard only won last time because I was caught off guard, if I get used to it then I'll definitely beat him next time!"
While that does make a lot of sense, Midoriya really can't imagine willingly having his Quirk nullified. Even just that second he spent in contact with Dazai was terrible, experiencing that for longer periods of time and more often sounds like a nightmare. Realistically, he knows it would get better the more he got used to the feeling but still…
"And why would I get rid of my advantage like that?"
For a second Midoriya thinks Bakugou might just leap forward and grab Dazai anyway, but fortunately, that doesn't happen. Instead, someone, Aizawa-sensei, claps to get everyone's attention on him.
"Dazai, Nakahara, and Yaoyorozu are free to leave," Aizawa-sensei says simply.
Midoriya reckons it's the end of the lesson, so how come only three people are allowed to leave?
Aizawa-sensei, seeing the looks of confusion around the hall, grins, "I said there would be punishment for the team that lost, did you think I forgot?"
Ah.
Dazai chuckles, "Have fun Midori-kun!"
Midoriya mentally prepares himself for whatever Aizawa-sensei has prepared for them, if the smirk on his face is anything to go off then Midoriya guesses it's going to make most of the class miserable by the end.
Bakugou looks mad at his chance to rematch Dazai, or his chance to build up a resolve against No Longer Human, being cut short. He turns and stomps away and if Midoriya had to guess, then he'd say that Bakugou plans to 'win' whatever they'll be doing next to make up for it.
Most of the class has started moving to gather around Aizawa-sensei by now, so Midoriya begins walking over there himself. While doing that he can't help but take one last glance over to Dazai, who is now walking side-by-side with Chuuya. One of his arms is slung over Chuuya's shoulders, something that by now isn't a surprise. Those two always stand and sit close to each other, most of the time with some part of their bodies touching. It looks so natural for them that Midoriya has no doubt that the two of them have been like that for a while.
Chuuya leans slightly into Dazai and Midoriya is struck with a sudden realisation, if they have been like this long before coming to UA then that means Chuuya must have constantly been having his Ability nullified. Midoriya can't help but wonder how he would be able to put up with that, living in a dangerous place like Yokohama would surely mean he would feel anxious not being able to use his Ability. Maybe he's used to it after so long? Or maybe he puts up with it because he and Dazai are close? Or maybe…
"Midoriya."
Snapping his head back over to Aizawa-sensei, Midoriya sheepishly nods, "Sorry sensei!" He gained a lot of information about Abilities today that he'll have to mentally sort through later, analysing Dazai and Chuuya's relationship will have to be a task for another day.
-
"What are you doing?"
Mina, who was not expecting the sudden question, jerks backwards. Her back hits into one of the sofa cushions they had set on its side and- shit.
Her friends around her groan, "Dude" Kaminari starts, "We spent so long on that part!"
Mina huffs and turns around to face him, in doing so she can also see Dazai watches from the corner of the room. "It's his fault, I was startled!" She points an accusing finger at Dazai and only a moment later does her mind catch up to her action. It totally was his fault but like, Mina has met people that refuse to take responsibility and get all pissy when people point that out. Who knows if Dazai's going to get pissy or like… call out her deepest secret and laugh.
Dazai crosses his arms, "People have told me before to stop sneaking up on them, apparently I'm very startling." Huh, ok, he took that pretty well. He sighs and tilts his head like he's genuinely confused, "That aside, what is this mess?"
Kaminari squawks a little, "What- hey! This isn't a mess, it's our blanket fort!"
From beside him Kirishima nods proudly, "Training today was super tiring, so we made this fort as a reward."
Dazai looks at him sceptically, he doesn't say anything but it's clear he has Opinions. Sero jumps to the defence of their beloved blanket fort, "Don't make fun of it! We've worked really hard!"
And isn't that the truth. It's kinda stupid considering they all know it won't survive more than 24 hours, which is for two reasons. Either when they sleep in it it'll collapse on them or the second they leave for class tomorrow someone will knock it down, both of which have happened before. Mina suspects it's Iida who keeps knocking down their fort but she has yet to get any evidence. He always gets so annoyed when they make forts in the common area.
Dazai shakes his head, "No no I'm not here to make fun it's just…. that's a terrible fort." Everyone's kinda silent for a second, which gives Dazai the chance to walk closer and begin circling around their fort. "There is no structure here, oh and over there that blanket has nothing holding it down. Don't even get me started on the dipping in the middle."
Kaminari grips the pillow in his hands tighter, Mina isn't surprised. Whenever they get the chance to make a fort he takes it really seriously, once she even thinks he called it his baby. "Not like you could do better," he sniffs, and wow is he crying?
Dazai ignores the crying, "Oh I could, and I will."
"Huh," Mina says with clearly a lot of thought, "You're going to help us?"
Dazai nods and then, without any hesitation, ruthlessly kicks a pillow and the whole fort comes crashing down. Kaminari makes the sound of a dying animal, Kirishima gasps as if he just witnessed a murder. Dazai looks up with an innocent expression, "What? Anyone with sense could tell that was holding the whole thing up, if you want it to withstand force you need to spread the pressure out more."
Dazai begins shifting the pillows and blankets, or to be more specific he kicks them out of the way so he can get to the pile of paper and pens they had previously dumped on the floor. Mina was planning to make up a bunch of signs like 'do not kick down!', 'private property', and 'only cool kids allowed'. Dazai picks up a pen and quickly begins sketching out a very detailed and professional plan.
"I'm familiar with the best ways to knock down a house, so I know which parts need fortifying to keep it up," Dazai explains casually like that's normal knowledge to have.
Mina decides to roll with it though. If Dazai can help their fort withstand attack (by Iida who definitely is the secret fort smasher) then she'll do anything for him…. well, not anything, but like anything legal. Hopefully with his help they'll finish up sooner too, it's already getting late and Mina is exhausted from training with Chuuya today. Don't get her wrong, it was absolutely amazing and she learnt so much (that she will be using on Mineta the moment she gets the chance) but man, she'll need like a week of rest before she's up for it again!
-
Over the years that UA has existed many things have changed but there is one thing that, no matter how many years pass, never seems to go away. That would be the rivalry between the A and B heroics classes, whether it be academically or physically those two classes are always at each other's throats trying to 'win'. In some cases even after students have graduated and joined the world of Pro Heroes they still cling onto those rivalries, in Aizawa's opinion, the whole thing is stupid. There isn't a way to stop teenagers from being competitive though, so Aizawa has to begrudgingly put up with it.
This year's 1A and 1B are no different.
There is another thing that has always remained true, something that only staff of UA are aware of. It is something that really shouldn't happen given they are Pro Heroes and, more importantly, adults but, as many before him, Aizawa finds it hard to resist this one 'tradition' of sorts. He still stands by the fact the rivalry between heroics classes is stupid but…
"Soooo, which class is stronger anyway?"
"1A."
"1B."
Vlad King shoots him a glare, Aizawa easily ignores him.
The other truth, the 'tradition' of sorts is simple; while the kids of the A and B heroics classes have their rivalry, so do the homeroom teachers of those classes.
Dazai, who once again is lounging on Nakahara without a care in the world, smirks, "Sensei, I didn't know you're the competitive type."
Aizawa resists the urge to roll his eyes, "I'm not." Which is true, the only time Aizawa had ever made an effort to win something was back when he needed to win the Sports Festival to get into the heroics course. Since then Aizawa has worked hard but 'winning' has never been a priority. As long as the goal, whatever that may be, has been accomplished and he worked hard then it hardly matters where he places. The only reason Aizawa entertains the staff rivalry is because Vlad King insists his class is better, which Aizawa knows for a fact to be false. The 1B kids are strong and smart, they'll all make great Pros one day but Aizawa can't bring himself to say his class is worse.
Dazai doesn't look convinced, "Sure Sensei, whatever you say."
Nakahara rolls his shoulders back, or at least he tries to with Dazai still leaning on him, Aizawa wonders if the kid ever gets back pain due to Dazai. "When are these kids getting here anyway?"
Vlad King glances at him with a look of suspicion and caution, "Any moment now." Aizawa understands why he's on guard, he was the same when Dazai and Nakahara first got to 1A. Of course, he still makes sure to keep an eye on those two and not let himself get too complacent but when over half the time they're just bickering and being childish he has learnt not to waste energy being on guard all the time.
Now that he's thinking about it actually, he should probably say something to Dazai before the matches start. It's his duty as a teacher to make sure all students, regardless of class, are safe at all times… It may also have something to do with the fact that Vlad King would forever hound him if a 1B kid was hurt too badly. Never mind the fact that he's just as responsible for Dazai and Nakahara as Aizawa is.
"Dazai," he waits until the boy turns to look at him, "No messing around, got it?"
Dazai pouts, "You have such a low opinion of me Sensei."
Vlad King looks between the two of them before huffing, Aizawa ignores him once again. Unfortunately, Dazai does not, "So Vlad King, or should we call you Sensei too? Anyway, I bet you think 1B will do better against us, right?"
"Call me Vlad King and yes, I do," he answers simply.
Dazai smirks and Aizawa, despite not having known the kid for long, immediately knows it means trouble. Now that Dazai knows what Vlad King expects, he's probably even figured out about the rivalry between classes, he's sure to do something to cause chaos.
Before Aizawa can call the kid out on it, because that's part of his job while watching over those two, the students of 1B start trailing into the room. They all seem a little nervous and apprehensive, which is understandable. At the front of the group walks the class president, Kendo, and the vice-president, Shoda. They too seem a little nervous about what is about to happen and yet they walk on despite that, the rest of the class seem to be inspired by the two of them. Aizawa can see why they were picked for the positions of president and vice-president.
Once all the kids have come to a stop in, Vlad King introduces the lesson, "You all already know what's happening today, so let's get right to it."
In a normal lesson this might be where Aizawa would chime in to explain something, but he's not here to teach 1B. Instead his job is to be on hand in case Nakahara tries anything with his Ability, so he stays quiet.
Vlad King gestures to the large screen behind him, "You'll be fighting in teams of four against those two, if you get captured then you're out. If you all get captured then your team fails, you can also fail if time runs out and you have more people captured than the other team."
The 1B kids all seem to understand well enough, so hopefully they'll be able to start soon. The sooner they start the sooner it will end and Aizawa will be able to go take a nap.
"Here are the teams in the order you'll be fighting," Vlad presses a button and the screen behind him flicks to a list of students in five groups. Aizawa glances back to see what the teams are, he may not be too familiar with the 1B kids but he does know all of their Quirks, by the looks of it the teams might actually give Dazai and Nakahara a challenge. Hopefully not more of a challenge than 1A did, otherwise Vlad King will never let him live it down.
Team A: Tsunotori, Tetsutetsu, Honenuki, Kaibara
Team B: Shishida, Shiozaki, Rin, Tsuburaba
Team C: Tokage, Kamikiri, Bondo, Awase
Team D: Yanagi, Kodai, Monoma, Shoda
Team E: Kendo, Komori, Fukidashi, Kuroiro
The 1B kids start looking at each other and grinning, likely already thinking up plans on how to win. One kid in particular seems to gain some confidence from seeing the team ups as he laughs loudly then, with a somewhat shaky finger, he points at Dazai and Nakahara, "You two have no chance against the superior class of 1B!"
For a second everything is quiet, a few 1B kids look at Dazai and Nakahara anxiously like they expect the pair to pounce on Monoma for saying that. Vlad King looks ready to step in and protect his students but Aizawa gets the feeling that won't be needed.
Dazai once again smiles in a way that promises trouble, "If you say so~" He then, finally, stops leaning on Nakahara. Instead he turns and takes a step closer to Aizawa, "Sensei…"
Aizawa sighs already knowing exactly where he's going with this. Before pulling the paintball gun out of his pocket Aizawa turns to address the class, "This is a fake weapon but you'll treat it as a real one for training." He takes the gun out and watches as some of 1B tense up despite the warning, Aizawa turns his attention to Dazai, "Don't do anything inappropriate or you won't be getting this back for a long time."
Dazai seems to think about that for a moment before speaking, "Does shooting myself in the head count as inappropriate?"
Before anyone else can say anything Nakahara reaches over and smacks Dazai hard, "Idiot! I've told you not to say shit like that."
Dazai pouts, "But Chuuuyya, it was a real question!"
"A real stupid question more like," Nakahara says while rolling his eyes.
Aizawa keeps his eyes on those two as Vlad King tries to move past Dazai's question, he might be explaining something further about the matches about to happen but Aizawa pays it no mind. Nedzu had made it clear that after the incident with Bakugou all teachers were to take Dazai's suicidal comments seriously, no matter how comical he might try to make them. Aizawa has tried to keep a close eye on the kid in case he tries anything but he suspects that might be a pointless task. Dazai is smart, if he did something he would most definitely keep it as secret as he could from everyone else. Well, maybe not everyone.
Nakahara sighs as Dazai pokes him, much like how one pokes a sleeping bear. Despite their near constant arguments it's clear that those two care for each other, if Dazai were to try something then Aizawa suspects Nakahara would be the first to find out. Of course, Aizawa will need to mention that comment Dazai just made to Nedzu and still make an effort to keep an eye on the kid but he thinks that, for now at least, Nakahara seems to have a handle on the situation. It might be for the best to let Nakahara take the lead on dealing with Dazai's suicidal tendencies for now anyway, the kid clearly has experience with it and Dazai is leagues more comfortable with him then with any of the Pros at UA.
Aizawa can only hope that the kid won't need to be in the position of keeping Dazai from making a serious attempt or helping him heal after one any time soon.