Chapter 293 - 29-30

Chapter 29: Claws and Chibis

Both Hydro Claw and Elven Prince braced themselves as their opponents, the big purple villain and the long-fingered one, charged straight at them in their own way. The more muscular of the two leapt into the air with a scream of rage, throwing his fists into the air as he was flung in their direction. Meanwhile, the lender, long-fingered villain ran towards them so fast that his movements had become a blur.

"Babunk!" yelled Elven Prince as the two teens jumped backwards. A good thing. The massive purple villain landed on the ground, denting the floor as he did so, before swinging his arms around with such force that the wind pressure alone could have knocked them both off their feet. As for the second villain, he had gotten behind his partner before jumping onto his shoulders. From there he leapt up higher, throwing more of those air balls as the teens. Hydro Claw sent out waves of highly pressurized water from his fingertips, only to watch as they vanished once more.

'Ok. Like, this is really bad,' thought Hydro Claw as the villains pressed their attacks. The big purple guy was moving towards Elven Prince with a single meaty fist raised over his head. Sadly, this caused Elven to panic more as he began to hurriedly look around for something he could use his quirk on. Meanwhile, the freaky guy with the fingers was moving closer. In fact-

"Got ya," said the lener villain as he appeared right in front of Hydro Claw, one of his hands shrinking to normal before wrapping his fingers around the teen's neck.

Hydro Claw, despite feeling the pressure around his neck, grinned. "Calsumma tata," he said, though what he meant to say was 'right where I wanted you'. The villain blinked at that before realizing that Hyrdo Claw had his fingers pointed in his direction. Letting go, the long-fingered villain leapt away just as Hydro claw unleashed a powerful stream of water while clawing at the air. So powerful, in fact, that he left claw marks on the metal wall right in front of him.

As he turned to look at the man who had attacked him, Hydro Claw placed a hand on his neck as he breathed in hard. 'Ok, this just isn't cool,' he thought gloomily while wincing at the pain in his fingers. A side effect of running that much pressurized water through them. He then looked back at the villain, who had gained some distance and was about to throw another airball thingy at him. As he did, Hydro noticed the four cuts on the villain's side. He was bleeding, but the injury didn't look like it was going to slow him down much.

When the attack came, Hydro Claw rolled to the side before charging towards the finger villain, as he knew he had to get close in order for him to win. From what he had seen, this villain needed to first form that weird air thing in his hand before literally throwing it in order to use his quirk. While it was dangerous enough to cancel out Hydro Claw's water jets, if he got in close then the villain wouldn't be able to use it to its maximum potential. At least, Hydro hoped that was the case. But, that would still prove difficult, as the villain was fast and was now aware that Hydro Claw could use his quirk for close-range combat. Add to the fact that his fingers were killing him and his internal tank was half empty, and it already painted a bad picture.

So, deciding to conserve his water for the moment, Hydro Claw went with a fist aimed right at the guy's chest. Since he was pretty much a stick figure, the teen felt like a punch might do a lot of damage. However, he never got his chance. Right before he was close enough, the villain leapt over Hydro Claw and even used the teen's back as a springboard and knocking him down. Training kicked in instantly as Hydro Claw rolled to the side. An action that probably saved his life, as the next moment, an air ball thing hit the ground where he had just been, creating a crater.

After righting himself, Hydro managed to see how his classmate was doing. To put it simply: not well. Not well at all, as Elven Prince was running around like a chicken that had its head cut off. He dashed this way and that through the corridor, sometimes missing blows from the purple villain behind him while other times-

Just then, Elven Prince was struck in the back as a loud cracking sound could be heard that made Hydro wince. He could see blood shooting out of his classmate's mouth as the blow landed before he shot forward several yards, skidding on the metal floor for a moment before he began to roll until his momentum ended. A painful noise followed by a wet cough escaped Prince as he fought with himself to stand up on shaky legs, coughing out a little blood as he did so.

Dodging another blow from his opponent and being pushed further away from Prince, Hydro Claw's mind raced with something he could do to help his fellow hero-in-training. But what could he do? Elven Prince's quirk was an odd form of telekinesis that required him to actually touch something. It had a weight limit, but as long as he didn't exceed it then the blonde teen could move his target around with precise precision. His favorite move was to spin things around rapidly within his mental grasp, turning things like blades into buzzsaws. But right now, he had nothing. Every time that purple villain smashed a wall or the floor, he only dented it, leaving nothing for Prince to grab. The same went with the finger villain. There was nothing for him to-

"Pollymay vevenu crisp!" yelled Hydro, though what he meant to say was 'use your sheaths!'. He had brought the sheaths, not the blades, and from what Hydro remembered then could be taken off. They might not do a lot, but something was better than nothing.

Of course, Prince didn't understand what had been said to him. Worse, he looked at Hydro with an expression on his face that screamed of confusion and pain. All Hydro had time to do was pat his sides before the Elven Prince was swatted to the side and collided with the wall.

'Damn it!' swore Hydro Claw as he noticed the big purple guy turning to look at him while the finger villain launched another air orb that collided with the ground right behind him! 'This really isn't good. Because of that quirk, talking to each other is more of a hindrance. All we're doing is distracting each other. Meanwhile, these two clearly work well with each other.'

Thunderous movement then filled the corridor as the purple, muscular villain charged towards Hydro Claw while screaming his head off. But, before he could reach him, something happened. A cape, and just a cape, flew past the purple villain before wrapping itself around his face. This caused the villain to stop in his tracks, his muffled cries of anger filling the corridor as he tried his best to pull it off. But the light green glow that surrounded it refused to let it be budged.

As Hydro Claw jumped to the side to avoid another air bomb, he glanced over to see Elven Prince, who was now slumped against the wall, and was not out of the fight yet. Half the teen's face was covered in blood with one eye shut and swollen, but he held up one hand to help him focus on the cloak while his other was slowly unfastening his sheathes. Honestly, Hydro was impressed as he had not thought of the teen's cape before.

Spinning around, Hydro Claw tried again to use his quirk on the long-fingered villain. He had hoped that this, along with the fact that his partner was suddenly struggling, would take him by surprise. No dice as the villain sent again weird ball of air right in the middle, causing the water blasts to vanish like they were never there.

Then, new movement and a loud cracking noise caught Hydro Claw's attention. The cracking sound had come from one of the sheathes breaking at it slammed itself on the back of the head of the purple-skinned villain. Not that it did much, as said villain continued to trash around, finally beginning to rip the cape. But that wasn't the thing that caught his and the long-fingered villain's attention. It was the other sheath that passed by them. Where was it-

"Kid, look out!" screamed the long, webbed-fingered villain. With eyes widening in realization, Hydro Claw looked down the semi-destroyed hallway to find that the kid who had used their quirk on them was still standing there. Judging by the kid's body language, they had been taken off guard by the attack. Had it been because they had been so engrossed in watching the fight play out, or was it that they never thought that they would be targeted when there were two more powerful villains right in front of the heroes-in-training? Whatever the reason. The kid was so stunned that they just stood there until the sheath collided with their skill, knocking them backwards until they hit the floor.

"Palarious switch!" coughed Prince loudly. "Switch opponents!"

"You got it, bud!" exclaimed Hydro Claw with a thumbs up, happy to be able to talk normally again. No doubt it was because Prince had knocked out the person who had done this to them.

"Not so fast!" yelled the slender villain as Hydro Claw rushed over the massive, purple one. While not wanting to look behind him, Hydro could all but see the other villain rushing towards him while raising a hand to throw another one of those air bombs.

Thankfully, the tables had turned for Elven Prince was now directing his two remaining sheathes as well as the one that had struck the kid towards the long-fingered villain. As three were spinning rapidly, to the point where they had become a blur, they neared their target. Glancing over his shoulder, Hydro Claw watched the whole thing play out. The villain, seeing the first attack, leapt into the air to avoid the first sheath that was aimed at his legs. He then twisted his body to the side, throwing another one of those airball things at the second sheath that was aiming for his side. The villain's attack landed, seeming to annihilate the sheath. But it was then, while the villain had a smirk on his face, that his luck ran out. A loud crack could be heard along with the villain hacking out fluids, the third sheath collided with his back. As he then fell to the ground, the two remaining sheathes collided with his sides at the same time before moving to his back and pressing down to add additional force to his crash landing.

Seeing his classmate going all out, Hydro Claw knew he could hold nothing back. As pressure built in his fingers, he turned to look at the purple-skinned villain. Said villain had managed to grip the cape with both hands, pulling it apart down the middle of his face as he roared in pure rage.

That was the moment that Hydro Claw struck. While releasing nearly all of the water stored within his body, the teen swung his arms in a wide X motion. The attack took the attack head-on, either because he thought he could tank it or because he just didn't have time to react. But whatever the reason, claw marks appeared on the villain's body, causing long, bloody wounds to appear that crisscrossed over his skin. Then, he fell to his knees before his face collided with the ground.

Feeling weak, Hydro Claw reached for one of his water bottles and began to gulp it down while keeping an eye on the villain. It would take time for the water to reach the part of his body that helped store and compress all this water, so if this villain was faking it or would get back up soon, then every second counted. However, by the time he was half finished, that seemed unlikely. The reason? Because the villain was returning to his original human shape.

"Well, at least we took down two of these guys. But I don't think we'll be much use when we reach the top of the tower," muttered Hydro as he lowered his water bottle and did his best not to flinch. His fingers right now felt like something exploded right under the skin, followed by being run over by a semi-truck. Even what he was doing now, by holding his water bottle, was putting him through so much pain. But rather than complaining, the teen just powered through as best he could.

"Obviously," groaned the Elven Prince as he continued to sit against the wall, arms now hanging limply at his sides. "But I still think that Pack Master's lessons are far worse."

That got a chuckle from Hydro Claw as he moved towards his classmate. "Sure, buddy, sure," he laughed before hoisting the blonde up to his feet. Carefully, he moved one of Prince's arms over his neck while wrapping an arm around the other teen's side in order to help them move. He didn't know if they would be able to reach the tower in time. Hell, he didn't even know if they would make it at all. But, he was willing to try because, if they did make it up there and the other needed help, then they would do whatever it was that they could. Even in this sorry state.

Because, to him at least, that's what being a hero meant.

-x-

Meanwhile, over near the wind turbines, Toga's survival instincts screamed at her to move! It was like she could feel the hand of death moving closer. A fitting description, as the complete silence of the area made the whole thing unnaturally unnerving.

Spinning on her heel, Toga turned just in time to see the hand of Miss Drop inches from her face. With narrowed eyes ready for battle, she ducked under the older woman's palm before lunging under her. Or, at least, that was the plan. As Toga began to move, an orb of water appeared in Miss Drop's grasp, which she clung onto. The blue-haired woman then spun around it like she was holding onto a pole, her feet colliding with Toga's shoulder. The force of the kick was enough that it sent the blonde bloodsucker hurtling into the railings.

The force of the collision was enough that Toga opened up her mouth to yelp in pain while also feeling the railing rattling. Still, not a sound came. Not from her nor the railing, as it still something vibrating from what happened. Clutching her shoulder, Toga looked up in time to dodge as Miss Drop, who had landed on the ground, launched a powerful kick aimed right at Himiko's chest. Seeing this, Toga leaned to the side into a roll as she watched the villain's foot strike the railing with enough force that it bent. If that had been her, then she would have…

Shaking her head to rid herself of the terrible 'what ifs, ' Toga refocused her attention on what was right in front of her. Miss Drop was slowly lowering her foot back onto the ground, as if putting on a show to further play with her prey. Meanwhile, past the blue-haired bitch, was Lady Sting, who was having some trouble of her own. The creep in the yellow raincoat was still firing his gun, trying to shoot the scorpion girl. Going off how Lady Sting had positioned her body, Toga had to quickly guess that she was using those exoskeleton hands of hers to block the attack. Hopefully, they were bulletproof. But what clearly wasn't was the rest of her body. Lady Sting was still limping after getting shot in the leg, and she had taken a glancing blow to her upper arms and hips.

Then, Toga noticed something that caused her to jerk her head to the side. Thanks to the lack of sound and light, the girl nearly missed the bullet that had been gunning for her eye! She didn't know if it was a stray bullet or if he had aimed for her, but it was still a close call!

What wasn't a close call were the following blows that came from Miss Drop. The woman had closed the distance and delivered a knee into Toga's gut! Feeling air and saliva leaving her, the U.A. student found herself leaning forward until the villain grabbed her by the air. Looking up, Toga had just enough time to see the sadistic smile on the woman's face before she sent one, two, three rapid uppercuts right into her stomach before spinning her backwards and pushing the blonde. While trying her best to regain her breath, Toga was forced to stumble backwards until her back collided with something. Turning around, she saw it was the water ball that Miss Drop had created, though it felt solid like ice without the cold.

Then, something happened. A bullet struck the water orb only to then flatten upon impact! Seeing this, Toga's eyes widened in fear and alarm as she realized just on bad the situation was. Not only could this woman create orbs of water that acted like they were solid, but those gunshots were getting closer to hitting her. If it hadn't been for a stroke of luck, she might have been killed or paralyzed!

'Shit!' swore Toga mentally as she began to do a mental inventory of everything she had on her…which didn't take more than a second. She had a plastic spork and a plastic knife. All of her actual weapons and support gear were back at U.A. She didn't even have any blood on her that would allow her to even the odds.

'I wish Izu were here,' thought Toga as she glanced around for something she could use to stab this water bitch in front of her. 'He could probably analyze their quirks in a heartbeat. At least then the odds would be evened out a little. Well, if I could hear him, that is.'

Then, Toga blinked before looking up towards the sky. In that moment, her world changed as she went into one of her fantasies. There both she and her Izuku were chibified, each wearing their hero costumes and both standing apart from each other with a large white board filling the background like they were characters on a screen.

"Don't worry Toga, because I am here!" exclaimed Chibi Izu as he lifted his little hands into the air. As he spoke, a crude drawing of Miss Drop appeared on the whiteboard, complete with stink lines. At the same time, the Toga Chibi placed a hand on her chin as she stared at the image with wide-eyed wonder. 'Let's go over what we know about her. From what we have seen, this mean woman seems to have a quirk that allows her to create orbs of water in her hands. Then, when she lets go of them, they seem to be locked in place. It might be possible to move or shatter them with enough force, but given how a bullet got stopped by one, it would take a great deal more.'

"Yeah, but the weirdest thing is what I felt when I bumped into it,' added Toga as one hand waved in the air for a moment. 'It sort of felt like the rippling water on top of a lake or something instead of ice. How is she doing this?'

'That's a good question,' began Izu as the image changed. Now it showed Miss Drop holding out her hand while creating a water ball. 'My best guess is that her quirk works in two parts. The first is gathering water itself, either from her own body or from the surrounding area. The second is that, when the orb is formed, she adds an energy or substance from her body that allows it to ignore Newton's Laws. It could be the First Law, which states that an object's state of motion with remain unchanged unless a force makes it change. If it's this one, then the reality of that orb is that no outside force will change its motion. Not a person, an object, or gravity. It will remain where it is until the effect wears off or she mentally commands it to deactivate. The Second Law basically tells us how much force is required to move an object. So, if this is the law that she is rewriting, she probably set the amount of force to an insane degree.'

'Well, that's not good,' complained Chibi Toga. 'Wait, is that why she aimed for my head that one time? To drown me?'

'Most likely,' stated Chibi Izuku. 'Also, if she manages to catch your arms or legs in those orbs, you'll most likely be stuck. Kind of like what would happen if you were captured by Mineta's quirk.'

'NO!' screamed Chibi Toga as she waved her arms around as if to shoo away the idea. 'Don't remind me of him!'

'So, now that we have an understanding of how her quirk works, we can form an idea of how to defeat her,' continued Chibi Izu. 'The most obvious thing to do is to avoid her hands. Keep your eyes on them. She also seems to be pretty smart, as she isn't just throwing her quirk around like crazy. Since she can't move those water balls either, they would most likely get in her way and make things more difficult for her partner. That, or she is being careful since she doesn't know what your quirk can do. You can use that to your advantage.'

'Sounds good,' replied Chibi Toga.

'However, it's her partner that is a slightly bigger threat,' stated Chibi Izuku as the image changed to show the raincoat kid. 'It's clear that his quirk caused everything to go quiet, meaning you can't hear Lady Sting or any of the gunshots. In fact, you wouldn't even be able to know if someone is sneaking up behind you! No breaking twigs to alert you at the last moment.'

'Yeah, that's a pain,' admitted Chibi Toga, her cheeks puffing out more as a pouty face appeared on her body. 'What I don't get is how he's doing this. I mean, is it like Shinso where all he has to do is say something and that's the last thing we hear? Or is it with his eyes? You know, one he looks at goes deaf.'

'That's an excellent question, Toga!' cheered Chibi Izu as he suddenly appeared next to Chibi Toga to pat her on her head. The Chibi Blonde blushed and purred at the contact before pouting as Chibi Izu returned to his side. 'I don't think it's like Shino as, with his quirk, it requires a response of some kind. If it does require you to hear something he said, then it would require you to actually hear it, which you didn't. As for the sight thing, then it would be akin to something like Erasurehead's quirk, which requires that he keep his gaze on you. But instead of preventing you from activating your quirk, it would be preventing your eardrums from working. However, I don't think this is the case as every time he blinked, sound would instantly return. And with the high winds up hear, it seems unlikely that he could keep his gaze on you for that long.

'Thankfully, there is a third and much simpler solution!' exclaimed Chibi Izu as a dome appeared around the drawing of the raincoat kid. 'See, sound is created by vibrations in the air that we pick up with our ears. So, this kid could have an emitter-type quirk that emits counter-vibration waves that cancel out all other vibrations in the air within a certain area. Possible side effects could include headaches, intense body pain, loss of taste, intolerance to milk, saying weird, random things like super fluffy kitty, or a dependence on yak hairs.'

'Wow! I'm learning so much,' declared Chibi Toga. 'You really are smart Izu!'

'Well, technically, I'm just a figment of your memories and imagination. So all this really came from you,' replied Chibi Izu. Then, everything changed. The whiteboard vanished, being replaced with something that reminded Toga of the heart-shaped bed they had all slept on. Also, neither of them were Chibis anymore. They were back to their normal size and shape, bodies pressed against each other as Izu held her closely in a loving embrace.

Oh, and they were naked. Well, mostly naked as some weird sheet was wrapped around them, seeming to censor this moment. It was also weird as they were now on a tilt, the sheet blowing in an imaginary wind that only affected it, but not their hair.

'You're so smart…Himiko,' whispered Izu in a seductive tone in her ear as his hands moved down to touch…

Meanwhile, back in reality, only a half a second had passed as Toga's nose began gushing blood. So much so that it shocked Miss Drop. But it wasn't just the blood. It was the fact that Toga's eyes looked like they were about to roll into the back of her skull, while an insane grin appeared on her face, which showed off all her teeth. As Toga placed her hands on her reddening cheeks, she began to lean back with the water ball pressed against her back. So much so that it looked like she would land headfirst into the ground.

However, that didn't happen as Toga twisted her body around at the last moment so that she landed on all fours while facing where Lady Sting and Raincoat Kid were fighting. Lady Sting had taken a few more shots and was bleeding badly, but she was still standing and getting closer to the kid. Meanwhile, Raincoat wasn't looking too hot. He had one hand on the side of his head, and Toga could see something glistening on his cheeks. Most likely tears. Perhaps from a powerful headache like Chibi Izu had suggested. The longer this went on, the more painful it became for him.

With her grin never leaving her face, Toga rushed towards the gunman at a breakneck pace. Faster than she had ever felt herself run before, the world almost seemed to blur around her, though one thing remained in focus: the Raincoat Kid. And it seemed that he realized this as he jumped in surprise at seeing Toga's expression of love for her Izu that was still on her face as she charged at him.

Then, just as he was about to pull the trigger, Toga used her vanishing trick. An act that surprised not just the Raincoat kid but also Miss Drop, who had been right before her. For a moment, both stood there looking like they were trying to process what had just happened. No doubt wondering if she had a warp quirk or an invisibility quirk. Neither of them realized what she had really done, even after it was too late to do anything about for Toga struck Miss Drop right in the back with several blows that would have made Kendo proud. Maybe even enough for her to pat Toga on the head as the blonde drank some of her blood.

Toga's gleeful expression never faded as she watched Miss Drop begin to fall to the floor with her mouth open in a silent scream. Then, her pain turned to anger as she slammed her palms on the floor before using them as a springboard to push herself off the ground and back onto her feet. Miss Drop then turned to Toga, swinging a kick at the blonde, who simply bent down to dodge it. The blue-haired villain then saw this as her chance, as she then brought an open palm down towards Toga's head. Too bad for her that the U.A. student knew that was coming, jumping backwards to avoid the attack with her blood thundering in her ears.

Suddenly, sound returned, which was quickly followed by a gunshot!

Not even a second later, Miss Drop screamed in pain as a hand reached down right above her hip. Her outfit was quickly being coated in blood, growing despite the pressure the woman was putting on it. With frustration in her eyes she turned to see that her partner in all this was on the ground with Lady Sting, who was now standing next to him, had her stinger impaling his back.

"Shit," swore Miss Drop. "I really wanted to drag this out a little longer to vent some frustrations. But it seems run time is over."

With that, Miss Drop charged at Toga, moving faster than she had before. The woman tried to throw a punch right into Toga's gut but, as Toga moved out of the way, she moved the hand that had been holding her side to grab Toga by one of her buns. With a yelp of pain, Toga was forced downward, where a knee was shooting up towards her face. The attack collided, her nose breaking from the impac,t but never breaking her smile.

Before Miss Drop could do anything else, either using her quirk or pounding her face again, Lady Sting was upon her. The scorpion girl had moved quickly down the catwalk, fighting against the pain as she did, to get behind the villain with her exoskeletal hand pulled back. But it seemed that Miss Drop had heard this, barely turning her head to look at her while raising an open palm as if to catch the attack. Perhaps even capturing her hand the moment the impact came.

Only, that's not what happened. Before the attack connected, Miss Drop created a sphere of water right in the path of the punch so that it took the hit instead of her. There was a loud cracking sound, like stepping on a large beetle or something, but magnified a hundred times followed by Lady Sting's cry of pain. As the American teen stumbled backwards, Miss Drop, with her grip tightening on Toga's bun, flung the blonde into the other girl, causing both to crash onto the ground.

Toga was about to get up, ready to fight some more, only to freeze when she felt something grip her bare foot. At once, her mind went to work as she felt something wet around it. She needed to do something before that orb finished. Should she try her disappearing trick? No, that wouldn't…Wait! Kendo's dad had taught her that new, improved version of her disappearing trick! Maybe that would…

While she wasn't in the right pose, Toga began to stop everything. She stopped moving, she stopped breathing, and most importantly, she stopped feeling. She filled her entire being with emptiness and silence. It was difficult to push away the love she felt for Izu, both the real him and the mental version of him that was in her head, but she placed all those feelings in a ziplock blood baggie to open as soon as this was done.

"What the fuck?!?" yelled Miss Drop, releasing her hold on Toga's foot in surprise. Looking down, she could see that Lady Sting was surprised as well. It seemed that Kendo's dad had been right; if done right, then your opponent wouldn't even feel you touching them…at least not at first.

Not wasting a moment, Toga sped over to get behind Miss Drop to unleash her attack.

"Haku Dato Shin Sho!" declared Toga as she began striking Miss Drop's back rapidly. While not as fast as anything Kendo could do, as well as having practiced this more with knives than fists, it still struck hard, causing the woman to stumble forward as the back of the jacket she wore was destroyed.

And as she stumbled, Lady Sting struck. The scorpion tail in the back of her head swung, shooting right for Miss Drop's stomach. The villain let out a curse, reaching with both hands to pull the stinger that was now piercing her flesh out. Or to use her quirk.

This, however, ended quickly as her eyes widened in horror before she fell to the ground in a heap. As she lay there, her tongue wagged around her mouth while random fingers twitched and her ears wiggled.

"Is…Is she dying?" asked Toga.

Lady Sting shook her head. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have been allowed in the hero course," she answered. "My venom is like a nerve toxin. It messes with the signals and commands the brain is giving out and sends them to different parts of the body. And it does all of it at random, making it harder to adapt. They'll both be under its effects for at least an hour or two."

"Well…that's good to know," breathed Toga…until she felt the hand of Miss Drop grabbing her by the ankle.

Chapter 30: Bleak Origins 2

Flashback

"Here we are bro! Detroit Mercy!" declared Will, patting the older of the two on the back with a little too much force.

Andrew made a noise of agreement as the brothers made their way through the entrance of the school, dragging their luggage behind them as they did. The place was massive, having once been a college before being converted into a boarding school for heroism. Around the brothers were many other students, all of them carrying their own luggage as they walked down the sidewalks or down the streets. This naturally annoyed those of the faculty as they tried to drive various vehicles, honking their horns in order to get through the mass of incoming students.

As the pair walked, Andrew noticed that they were catching the attention of several students. While there were those who paused to look at them with what looked like excitement, even pulling out their phones to take a picture, there were those who could not hide their shock. Some even back away from Andrew in particular. Not that Will seemed to notice.

"Look at that! We're famous!" said Will while giving a thumbs up to one of the pretty girls who was taking a picture of them. "Must of heard how I expertly handled that bank robbery in the entrance exam."

Andrew felt himself rolling his eyes at that.

"You hit the robot with a rock," he said dryly, having heard this tale more times than was necessary.

"It was a big rock," stated Will, pride almost dripping from every word.

Andrew groaned to himself, shaking his head as they continued down the sidewalk. While his younger brother seemed to prefer the idea that everyone here had heard of his 'amazing success', the elder brother had a different idea. It was what they were wearing. Will was wearing a tight-fitting, one-piece outfit that resembled a football uniform. The outfit itself was mostly a light blue with thick, jagged lighting marks going down the sides, while his shoulders were reinforced with padding. On the younger teen's head was a helmet of similar color with a sky blue see-through visor that really didn't do anything. As for Andrew, his quirk was active so that his bio-armor was covering his entire body.

This was one of the policies regarding students studying to be heroes at Detroit Mercy. All of them, without exception, were to be in costume while on campus, even when they didn't have class. According to the forms the brothers had been given after their acceptance had been confirmed, this was to help them adjust to hero life. That when they became sidekicks and pros, they would be wearing their costumes nearly all day and at private events such as functions. So, if they wanted to go pro, they needed to get used to it sooner rather than later.

Doing his best to ignore the looks from students who were clearly not in the hero course, Andrew instead focused on finding their dorms. Along the way, the brothers passed by many of the actual school buildings, each one of them three to four stories tall with red tiled roofs. While each one looked very similar, Andrew was thankful that someone had the foresight to have signs above the doorways of each building. Together the brothers passed by three building that said General Studies before passing by two that read Research and Development. As for Legal, Business, and Heroics, they each got one building a piece.

Seeing the Heroics building, Andrew quickly took note of the surroundings. Right next to it was a large stone clock tower as well as a grassy park like area with a small pound in its center. The bio-armored teen made note of both, should he ever find himself turned around or in a hurry.

Eventually, the pair found their way to one of the newer buildings: the hero student dorms. Unlike the others, this building was circular while looking like it was made mostly of glass save for the ground floor. Said floor looked like everything there was made of polished marble with several elevators placed right in the center. Along the most barren floor were several groups of young heroes, Will's eyes wandering over all the women in their tight-fitting uniforms save for a few. An act that didn't go unnoticed by Andrew, nearly growing through his bio-armor as he urged his brother to keep moving.

"Do not make a pass at every girl here like you did during the cruise!" stated Andrew, keeping his words forceful but low enough so that only the two of them could hear him.

"Hey, don't hate the player," laughed Well as they stepped in front of the elevator, which opened automatically for them. "And I didn't make a pass at every girl!"

"Oh, how can I forget?" grumbled Andrew as they stepped inside, a line of green light descending from the ceiling to scan them before taking them to their floor. No, Andrew had not forgotten what had happened during a family vacation during their Easter break. Will had spent the first day of the cruise going from girl to girl making a pass at them. He had approached them, taking their hand and kissing it in an over the top gesture.

"I look forward to getting to know you on this marvelous trip," he would say before releasing the girl's hands.

That was more or less what he had said to most of the girls. At least, that's what Andrew had heard. Those that he had skipped over couldn't help but notice the one thing they all had in common: they weren't white. That led to them talking to their brothers and their friends. And, well, to make a long story short Andrew had found himself cornered by this large group of teens who had mistaken him for Will. He was thankful that one of the girls had come with them, managing to tell them they had gotten the wrong person before this escalated too far. To their credit, they had looked really embarrassed by what they had done before apologizing which Andrew had accepted. He had even hung out with them from time to time until the last day of the cruise.

As the elevator began to swiftly move upwards, Andrew hoped that history would not repeat itself.

End Flashback

Back in the present, Bleak looked into Will's face. While there were still traces of his cocky arrogance, the beaming excitement had been replaced with an angry sneer. And if what Bleak had seen before was any indication, there was a lot of anger inside his brother.

Still, there was something he needed to clarify.

"Revenge?" echoed Bleak as he stared right back at his brother. "Really? You're still saying that after all this time?"

"Of course! Because it's all your fault!" raged Will, a vein appearing on his forehead. For a moment, it looked like rage would take over the younger of the two brothers. That he would charge forward to strike the elder. But it seemed that his survival instincts had managed to rein in his worst impulses. No doubt the biggest factor was that Bleak had his quirk at the ready and had an ally who could do the same while Will had neither.

At least for the moment.

Flashback

"Can we make this quick?" complained Rockback as he sat in the office of Pack Master. "I've got plans to go into town tonight." As he said this, slouching down, the teen took a curious look around the office and found it…lacking. There were no trophies or awards on display, proof she had actually achieved something of significance. Nor were there any framed news or magazine articles about her achievements. Nothing that spoke of her triumphs or victories. Instead, the room had a fair number of cages. Several of them had creatures that looked like a mix of wolves and skunks. All of them were pups with the build of what was going to be a large dog with the coloration and tails of a skunk. Then there were a few bat-like creatures that had pouches that reminded Rockback of the kind he had seen on mosquitoes. He could already imagine how this woman had designed them; biting into their target and storing as much blood into the pouch. And given the size of those pouches…

Shaking his head, Rockback focused his attention on his teacher. It really pained him to have to show even this amount of respect to someone of her inferior race. He had tried several times to see if it was possible to change teachers, to find one that was more suitable. But no, he was stuck with her.

"Rockback," she began while sitting down behind her desk. She then gave him an uncomfortable look, no doubt remembering that she was in the presence of the future number one hero of the U.S.A. Possibly even the world! "We need to have a serious talk about your daily report forms. I know you have been lying on them."

Rockback rolled his eyes at that. The daily report forms was an idiotic practice at this school where students were required to waste their time filling out forms on what they did that day.

"First of all, I didn't lie about anything," he stated. "And, even if I was, you have no way of proving it unless you were following me. Besides, those forms are pretty pointless. So, if that's all you wanted to talk about, then I'm just going to-" Rockback began to straighten up so he could leave, but Pack Master, holding up a hand, stopped him.

"Rockback, those forms are laid out in a nearly identical fashion as the police reports that heroes submit to the police," she countered. "They determine the amount the hero is paid after capturing a villain as well as serving as evidence should something unexpected happen in the field. As we went over in class, embellishing or fabricating on these forms as a pro hero can not just cost your license but also your freedom. Also, there is a much simpler way for us to know that you haven't been going to your classes as you have stated on your forms."

"Fine," complained Rockback as he threw up his arms. "I'll play along. How did you know I wasn't going to my classes when none of the teachers here take attendance?"

"By comparing the rest of your class's forms before checking your grades," said Pack Master in a flat tone. She then pulled out a tablet, which was already set to something, before pushing it towards Rockback. Said teen gave her a quizzical look before turning his attention to the information, before his blood ran cold.

"You have missed every assignment, every quiz, and every test," said Pack Master as Rockback stared at the zeroes plaguing the section next to each of his classes save for Heroics. "My class seems to be the only one you haven't missed. But, even there, your performance has been…in need of improvement. But even that grade has now dropped, knowing that you have been falsifying your daily reports. Something I warned the entire class about on the first day."

"No," said Rockback, still trying to comprehend this while shaking his head. "No, no, no. This isn't right. This…This isn't fair! No one told me about any of this. This is Andrew's fault! He should have-"

"It is not Bleak's responsibility, or any of your other classmates for that matter, to inform you of your assignments on a daily basis," interrupted Pack Master. "Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. As soon as I saw this, I checked with our security logs. You have been off campus nearly every night, arriving back just before sunrise, before returning to your dorm or another. Normally, we place a great deal of trust in our heroic students but given what we have seen from your actions, we may need to rescind some of those privileges for everyone."

"B-But it's Andrew's fault," stammered Rockback. "He's supposed to be-"

"I'm sorry," said Pack Master, her stony face melting into something closer resembling pity. Seeing it, nearly bad Rockback's blood boiling. This woman from an inferior race was pitying HIM! He was Rockback, the hero who would one day become the richest and most popular hero in the world! "I will need to place you on academic probation and will be speaking to Principal Robstone about your behavior. Perhaps you're not ready to handle this level of responsibility."

Rockback stormed out of Pack Master's office shortly after that. He barely heard anything she had said. Stuff like monitoring his departures and returns to campus grounds more closely, along with random searches, would be added to his probation, given the seriousness of his situation as well as the lack of trust. As for his grades, he would need to make significant improvements before the end of the year or else he would be expelled. He couldn't believe it. They were treating him like a child!

With a growl, Rockback made his way to the heroic dorm before getting into the elevator, which took him to his floor. Said area was like a penthouse apartment, taking up the entire floor. Next to the elevator was the kitchen area, complete with everything they needed, with a countertop eating area and stools. On the other side of the elevator was a workout area, complete with treadmills, stair machines, weight machines, and so forth. Rockback knew that behind him were several doors, leading into their rooms.

What stopped him from walking around the elevator and heading towards one of the rooms was that the person he was seeking was within eyesight. Andrew was on the large sectional couch with several textbooks on the large coffee table in front of it. But those books were being forgotten for the moment as he laid there, his bio-suit stretching out along his stomach to hold up a book, while that freak Gel lay next to him. It disgusted Rockback to no end, watching as his brother allowed something that was not only an inferior race but also a freak to press its disgusting, grey body against his own.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have bothered Rockback all that much. He didn't want either of the two girls on their floor, so if his big brother wanted to debase himself by befriending and fawning after these leftovers when there was a feast everywhere else, then so be it. Less competition for him…not that Andrew was anything close. But today was different as Rockback felt white hot fire running through his veins.

"Andrew!" screamed Rockback as he stormed over to where his brother lay. He watched as both jumped from their seat, no doubt too engrossed in whatever mundane crap they were into.

"Rockback, what?" began Andrew as he got to his feet, his disgustingly distorted voice filled with confusion. But he didn't get far, as soon Rockback was standing over him.

"You messed up big time," snarled the younger of the two brothers, shoving a finger into Andrew's bio-mass-covered chest. "So get your ass to Pack Master's office and take responsibility for your mess NOW!" Doors opened, their occupants peaking their heads out to see what was going on. Which was fine as far as Rockback was concerned. More people around just added to the shame that Andrew deserved for his failure.

For several moments, Andrew just stood there staring at Rockback. The fact that the younger brother couldn't see the expression his brother was making was slightly unnerving…but only slightly. Add to the fact that parts of his biomass were making a hissing sound while rippling did not help matters.

"What am I taking responsibility for?" Andrew eventually asked.

"Are you serious right now?!?" screamed Rockback. He then reached down to grab one of the textbooks on the coffee table and held it up in one hand before thrusting it into Andrew's face. "This! This is what I'm talking about! You never told me about any of the assignments from any class. Not a peep about quizzes that were coming up. Not even the tests! How could you be so stupid! YOU'RE THE oldest so you should have known better. Because of you, I'M on probation!"

"…I did tell you," said Andrew slowly, placing a hand on the book and lowering Rockback's arm as he spoke. His words caused confusion within Rockback, interrupting the flow of his anger and almost causing him to stumble back. Almost.

"Don't lie to me," Rockback stated while doing his best to bring himself to his full height. There was no way he was going to let his brother talk his way out of this. To make pathetic excuses that he thought would justify his failure.

"I did," said Andrew simply with a shrug. "Or, at least, I did when the year started. But you either ignored me or said you'd get to it later, after some party. Eventually, I just got tired and stopped."

"Yeah, I was there so I can-" began Gel.

"NO ONE ASKED YOU!" screamed Rockback while his anger returned in full force. Truth is, now that he was thinking more about it, his brother had tried talking with him. But it was always when he was off to do something important. Like heading into the city to meet up with his buddy, a really cool dude who seemed to always have a party going on at his place, packed with beer, women, and drugs. Not stuff like Trigger, but the king that made him feel so good whenever he used his quirk. Or when he was going to spend the night with his girlfriend of the month.

Rockback then turned to Andrew, pointing a finger right in his face, the way their parents did. "It doesn't matter," he began, remembering all the stuff their parents said to Andrew whenever he messed up. Or they messed up. "You're the oldest. You should have known better and been watching out for me! You're supposed to be setting a good example! So all of this is your fault. You are going to march down to Pack Master's office or speak to Principal Robstone and take full responsibility. You are the one who deserves all those zeroes! You are the one who deserves academic probation! And if you don't, then so help me God, you don't want to know what's in store for you!"

For a moment, Andrew just stood there. Rockback didn't know if he was having a flashback, reliving all the times he cowered whenever their parents did this to him as they pinned the formerly quirkless boy to the wall, or if he was thinking on the best way to do what had to be done. But Rockback knew he had his brother right where he wanted him. Andrew would-

"No," said Andrew suddenly, seeming surprised by his own defiance. As Rockback stared in disbelief, Andrew shook his head. "No. No, I'm…" The then swatted away Rockback's hand before beginning to pace while placing a hand on his temple. "I can't do this anymore. I'm done with this. I am your brother, not your security, babysitter, or fall guy! If you think I'm going to spend the rest of my life looking after you and picking up your messes, then you have another thing coming. You made your choices, so you should be the one to deal with them!"

"Oh yeah?" shouted Rockback, feeling a tremble of fear going down his spine. "Well, maybe I should get mom and dad on the phone."

"And tell them what?" demanded Andrew, whirling on Rockback. "That you needed me to escort you to all your classes just to make sure you went? To stand over you while you did your homework or bar the door with my body to make sure you didn't go out partying every night? Let's have them make that argument to Principal Robstone and see if he still thinks you're ready to be in the hero course."

Rockback felt his cheeks turning red with rage and embarrassment. The way his stupid brother was talking about him made him sound like he was a helpless child and not the future greatest hero the world had ever seen! Then, he heard chuckling that caused his face to fully turn red. Behind him, Prince was standing there not bothering to hold back his laughter.

So, Rockback round towards his brother. "Then you know what will happen," he breathed. "If I get kicked out, then they will pull your sorry ass out of here as well."

That caused Andrew to pause for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe," he said, glancing over at Gel and the others for a moment before turning his focus back to Rockback. "Or maybe, just maybe, they won't. After all, having one student being pulled out of Detroit Mercy is bad enough. Two? Oh, they wouldn't like that at all, now would they? Can you imagine what the neighborhood gossip would be?"

Hearing that, Rockback froze. Shit, he hadn't thought of that. Reputation meant everything to their parents. That was why they got rid of Andrew in the first place, because they couldn't handle the shame of having a quirkless child in this day in age. They even moved away so that they could start anew!

Then Andrew sighed. "Look, I get that you're upset and scared right now," he said, sounding like his usual self. "So, how about we both calm down and look on the bright side. They haven't kicked you out yet, just placing you on probation. Meaning you still have a chance to stay here. You just need to buckle down, work hard, and go to classes. And I'll help you if you want."

"YOU THINK I NEED YOUR HELP?!" screamed Rockback, anger flaring up inside him beyond his control. He, the straight-A student his entire life and star player in football (an actual sport), receiving help from his brother? That was an insult that shook him to his core. With a scream of rage, Rockback charged forward, ready to attack Andrew.

However, before he had taken more than a couple of steps, he felt something prick the side of his neck. The next thing he knew was that he was on the ground. He tried to push himself up, but instead, all he could muster was blinking as feeling muscles in his legs tensed. But he knew who had done this to him even before her tail came into view.

"Trust me, you need a lot of help," said Lady Sting flatly. Then, she turned away to check on Andrew. Not just her, but everyone on their floor! And, as the great Rockback lay there, his mind came to the only conclusion that truly made sense: they wanted to take him down. The teachers had laid a trap for him, knowing that he would outshine all of them, and they couldn't handle that. The students? Well, he was going to be their main competition to become the greatest hero ever. The one who would have all the money, all the women, and all the fame. The person who could do anything he wanted. So they were taking him down now before he reached that point. It was the only thing that made sense.

That evening, Rockback was called into the Principal's office along with his parents. Instead of going to a party and drinking all the beer he could ever want, he had to endure this nightmare. Apparently, his classmates had snitched on him, citing that his temper was out of control and made childish demands. Robstone then added that this behavior was in line with what Pack Master had told him when they spoke earlier.

After Robstone finished speaking, he opened the floor to allow the parents to ask any questions. What he got instead was outrage. Rockback's father slammed his fist on the table, demanding to know why the school hadn't taken better measures to prevent things from getting this far before accusing them of sabotaging his son. Meanwhile, his mother went with her normal threats. She spoke of the people she knew and of the various committees she was a part of. That she would use every connection she had to see Robstone jobless and homeless if he dared expel her son for just having a little fun.

Robstone, however, was not intimidated. He just looked at the pair like he was bored, even yawning at one point, as he waited for them to finish. When they had, he said he now understood where Rockback got his immaturity from, if this was how they were taking the school's concerns.

Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Wrouble then wanted to know what would happen to their other son as he should he held accountable for the failures of the younger brother. And if Andrew wasn't going to be placed under academic probation, then they would be pulling him out of the school that very night.

Upon hearing that, Robstone told Rockback to leave the room as he wanted to have a private word with his parents. Whatever they talked about, it lasted over half an hour, and when he re-entered, his parents looked both unnerved and angry. Meanwhile, Robstone was looking at them the same way Rockback looked at skinny losers who couldn't make it onto the football team back in middle school.

In the end, his probation was finalized with a few additions. He could still leave campus, but he would be subjected to more random searches. He would also need to see the guidance counselor twice a week. Finally, if he failed to turn in one more assignment, then he would be expelled following the incineration of his hero costume.

The only good outcome to this was that, during their brief return home, he got to see Andrew being punished for his failures by his parents. It soothed his anger to see Andrew on the ground, face bleeding and bruised, with their father standing over him demanding that he get back up. And while this was going on, their mother watched the streets. Whenever a car drove by or would be parked across the street, she would signal a pause in Andrew's punishment. As for their sisters, they just stayed in the rooms.

But, beyond that, Rockback had to attend all his classes. He had to sit there like everyone else, going over useless information that no real hero would ever need. Then, when he got back to their dorm, he would find the rest of his classmates giving him the cold shoulder, while Andrew became less willing to leave his room. All the while, the need to get a drink of the good stuff called out to him.

Then, when it became too much to bear, Rockback went out again.

End Flashback

The earth around them began to quake as Will activated his quirk. Large chunks of soil and rock flew out of the ground, uprooting the plants that had been there. All of this earth began to circle around Will as he stood there, glaring at Bleak and Gel with utter hatred, while the material his quirk had gathered began to change. It compressed before taking on various shapes as it clung to Will's body. On his head was a football helmet made of earth, along with matching shoulder pads and chest armor. More dirt clung to his legs to create rocky armor while gauntlets of earth covered his hands.

This was Will Wrouble's quirk: Earth Armor. As long as he had dirt or rocks nearby, his quirk could compress in and form it around his body in any manner the teen wanted in order to boost his basic abilities.

While this was going on, neither Bleak nor Gel were standing there idly. Gel's slime hair turned from sickly yellow to red before parts of it broke off and began travelling down her arms. As they moved, both grew the stick-like arms of the Battle Slime, complete with a blade sticking out at the end. But that wasn't the end. Once they had formed, her hair changed again to become as light green. It slithered down her back, making a wet sound as it landed on the ground and jiggled. For a moment, it just sat there as it opened and closed a mouth that had finally formed before slowly slithering towards the fallen plant life.

As for Bleak, he braced himself for what was to come.

Though he didn't need to wait long. The moment Will's armor had finished forming, the teen seemed to launch himself forward. It almost looked like the earth itself was propelling the dirt and stone-covered teen towards his target. And, with a loud battle cry filled with rage, Will pulled his fist back, ready to strike with everything he had.

Something that both Bleak and Gel saw coming a mile away. As Will charged forward, Bleak bent his legs while placing one in front of the other and holding up one hand in a stop motion. All over his outstretched hand, boils appeared and grew at a frightening pace while the white mass shifted around. Then, from the palm, five spikes similar to those on Bleak's cape (which had vanished) shoot out in a five-pointed star formation. As two of the spikes dug into the stone and metal ground beneath their feet, webbing formed between them. This was quickly reinforced as tendrils formed from the boils, moving towards the webbing before shifting large amounts of biomass to it. As a final touch, the same compound-eyed visor appeared on the biomass shield that Bleak had created.

Will, seeing this and unable to stop, crashed into the shield made by his brother with his fist. The younger teen gritted his teeth, frustration building as he could tell he failed to even budge it or make a dent. But he wouldn't let that stop him, slamming his other fist into the biomass with enough force that it displaced the air around them. Over and over, the younger teen struck while his eyes went white. Each blow caused a wave of air to shoot out in a circle around them. But, no matter how many times he struck it, the barrier stood strong.

Then, Will looked up while continuing his punches, his eyes turning to look at the visor image on the shield. Or was it an image? Even though it hadn't moved or shown any sign, the teen reacted as though it were looking at him. Watching him.

The shield then began to ripple in dozens of various isolated spots. Will leapt back, but it was too late. While he was still airborne, tendrils shot out from the middle of each ripple. Each struck with the force of a whip as they connected with parts of Will's armor, causing it to shatter. The younger teen cried out before finding his back colliding with the ground and being completely defenseless.

But the heroes weren't done. As Bleak's biomass reformed into his costume, the Battle Slimes were charging ahead. They both scooted rapidly towards the prone teen, the blade at the end of their twig-like arms stabbing at the air around them. Seeing them, Will could not hide the panic on his face as he scrabbled to get to his feet, as he summoned more earth to shield his body.

Bleak watched this while keeping an eye on the surrounding area as new dirt and stone rose from various areas all around. This was the biggest weakness that Will had. Once he dismissed or the armor on his body was destroyed it could not be used again for twenty-four hours. It was as if the dirt was repulsed by his presence, only to later forget about him. In most circumstances, it wasn't so bad. In an area like an open field, he had a near limitless supply of earth to constantly create more and more armor, however he wanted. And, in the cities, he could use loose gravel or chips of broken cement for his quirk…though he ran a greater chance of running out of his supplies.

So, him being on this man-made island and within a tower meant that he had a very limited amount of earth to work with. Thus, the plan was to keep breaking his armor until he ran out, rendering him helpless.

Quickly, the earth stopped moving and revealed Will's newly created armor, which…wasn't that impressive. It was similar in design to the first one, but with a few minor changes. First of all, on his helmet, Will had added horns that resembled those of a bull. Spikes now decorated his shoulder pads, gauntlets, his legs, and shoes. Also, one of his hands had been replaced with a spiked ball. The only other thing that Bleak could see was that the armor looked thicker.

'Well, if he wants to play that game,' thought Bleak as he and the Battle Slimes charged. Since they were closer, the Battle Slimes reached Will first. One somehow jumped up, stabbing into his right gauntlet while the other began viciously stabbing into the teen's leg. Will, however, just growled before beginning to deal with the two. He started by swinging his right arm to the side, knocking off the slime before bringing the spiked ball down on the body of the second. The Battle Slime went splat, pieces of it going everywhere before remaining still.

By the time Will righted himself, Bleak was upon him with one of his hands now taking the form of an axe. The bio-mass covered teen swung down, but Will used his own weapon hand to deliver an uppercut to Bleak's arm. The hero in white let out a cry of pain as he felt his bones break from the impact and could feel Gel staring at him in alarm. Meanwhile, Will sneered cruelly as he pressed the attack, pulling back his weapon to aim for Bleak's head.

Bleak saw it coming and was already moving to counter. The biomass was already on the move, condensing parts of itself in order to create a cast around the injury while sending a tiny portion of itself to begin mending the bones. He could hear a voice in the back of his head, screaming to focus more on healing, which he dismissed instantly. No matter what, it would take time to repair the bones as well as any other damage he had taken. Nor could he divert his biomass every time he got an injury. So, he needed to push through the pain and finish this fight as soon as possible before healing! With that in mind, Bleak used the biomass to move and strengthen his arm as if it were as good as new already. There was still pain as he blocked Will's strike, his eyes watering from it, but he instead focused on the fact that his blade had dug into the earth orb and had even sliced off a couple of its spikes.

"Still playing with your fantasy axes, Andrew?" sneered Will, their weapons locked. "Still pretending you're some loser from one of grandpa's crappy books? When will you grow the fuck up?" At that moment, a loud noise could be heard by all as, while the earth teen had been talking, Bleak had focused on his weapon, making it denser and sharper. That sound? It wasn't Bleak's bones but the sound of cracks forming in Will's weapon.

"Seems to work just fine!" declared Bleak, putting additional pressure on the hand mace before it shattered.

Rather than stumble back, Will used his other hand to attack as he balled it into a fist before slamming it right into Bleak's gut. The older of the two felt like he was about to cough up blood, but was prevented only due to the biomass protecting him. Will then pulled his fist back for another strike, no doubt preparing for another blow, when Bleak's cape extended as far as it could to reach out behind him and dig its clawed tips into the ground. As it pulled him away from his brother and the fist that would have landed in his gut, two tendrils shot out of Bleak's shoulder. As they flew towards the earthy shoulder pads used by Will, small axe blades appeared at the end of each, to when they struck their targets, they not only impaled them but also latched onto them.

So, as Bleak was pulled back, Will was pulled forward in a surprise move. As the younger of the two flew forward towards the ground, the tendrils became more liquid-like as they returned to Bleak, whose other arm began to change. At first, it looked like a long tentacle that was at least three to four yards in length. But then, just after it formed, the tip began to change. The sides began to grow looking like bone masses which were just highly condensed and hardened bio-mass. In the end, however, it looked like the tail of an ankylosaurus which Bleak slammed into the back of Will to shatter his armor from a safe distance.

"N-No," grunted Will as he tried to push himself up while looking at Bleak with nothing short of absolute hatred in his eyes.

That turned out to be a mistake as he had forgotten about the Battle Slime as well as Gel's other slime. The Battle Slime scooted over to him, waving its stick-like arm about like a crazy person before sticking the blade right into Will's upper arm. The teen screamed, both in pain and surprise, before rolling away from it. To that, the Battle Slime hopped up and down, seeming giddy. Like it was playing a game.

And while Will was trying to put some distance, Gel was standing next to the other slime she had created. Said slime had grown in size, a large mass of green that was nearly as tall as Stars and Stripes! It was also more transparent, showing that the wood it had been consuming now appeared as millions of sharpened, splintered shards of wood.

"Launcher Slime: Attack!" Gel declared, pointing at Will. The now-named Launcher Slime opened its mouth wide as it turned in Will's direction. The teen tried to get up, but as he got onto one knee, the wooden splinters began to exit the slime's body as they flew through the air at impressive speeds towards their target. Will scream and thrashed as the debris penetrated his clothing and skin to embed itself into his flesh. Though this was mostly his upper body, as his jeans offered him more protection. But, in the end, he ended up looking more like a human with a porcupine quirk.

"You…You…didn't have that before," gasped Will as he fell onto his knees, his teeth grit tightly due to the pain. As he spoke, Bleak's hands returned to normal while getting to work on healing his injuries. Meanwhile, the slimes, even the splattered Battle Slime, returned to Gel's hair.

"We've been learning since you were expelled," said Bleak simply. "All of us have. We've been moving forward while you've remained the same. It's over Will."

Upon hearing that, Will's eyes widened and became bloodshot. "NO! NO! IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL I WIN! HEAL ME! HEAL ME!" he roared, confusing the other teens. Will had always been proud of his quirk and thus never shied away from bragging about it. He could make any armor in any fashion he wanted so long as he had earth, allowing him to become stronger and have a higher level of defense than others. One thing that he had never mentioned before was a healing factor. So where was-

Suddenly, the figure that had entered the room along with Will shambled over to him in a clear panic. One that both teens had forgotten about, seeing as this person never helped Will. In fact, whoever this person was had been cowering off to the side the entire time. Now, however, the figure moved while dragging a broken leg towards Will.

For a moment, both Bleak and Gel were wondering what was going on. Sadly, that moment was all the figure needed before they fell to the ground and touched Will. A scream then followed, the other person throwing back their head to reveal their features. The face looked like it had been beaten, bruised, and even stitched back together in various parts. Teeth and hair were missing, with only scars and bleeding gums to take their place. Then, the splinters began to eject themselves from Will's body, while thousands of dots covered the others' body as well as their upper arm, beginning to bleed.

"That's not healing," whispered Bleak in horror. "That's injury transfer!"

By the time Bleak had said that, the figure was on the ground, wailing and thrashing about. And as they cried out wordlessly, Will stood up. For a moment, he seemed to check himself, as if making sure that his body was in good condition. Then he turned to the figure before kicking them.

"Next time, don't wait so long, you useless bitch!" he snarled before turning back to look at Bleak and Gel. Both of whom had horrified expressions. Not just because Will was back on his feet, but also the utter inhumane treatment of his ally, who was in pain.

"Gel," whispered Bleak as Will activated his quirk again, gathering a lot more earth this time. "Do you have a healing slime?"

"…I wish," she whispered back. "The closest thing I have is one that secretes a painkiller and cleans wounds."

"Ok," replied Bleak with a sigh, his focus on Will as more earth covered his body. "Can you see what you can do for that villain? Whoever it is, their hurting right now."

"I can, but," began Gel, her eyes darting from the injured villain, to Will, and then to Bleak's arm. "Are you sure you can handle him alone? Like that?"

"For a while," answered Bleak, a shimmer appearing on his organic visor. "Just long enough for you to get that other villain to safety and help with their pain. Then, I think I'll need some help."

Gel was silent for a moment, but nodded. They both knew that one of their top priorities as heroes was to save lives. Even those of a villain. Also, Bleak had faith that Gel would move as quickly as possible to get back into the fight.

However, Gel would have to go the long way around to avoid getting in reach of Will who was finishing his latest armor. And it was the one that Bleak feared the most. Earth covered Will from the neck down, his arms longer and thicker, while his hands became massive. His torso had bulked up as well, making Bleak wonder just how thick it was. Though it might have been thicker had Will not added the appearance of a muscular chest. Finally, there were his legs, thicker and bent, making it seem like her was about to launch forward at any time. All in all, he looked like a gorilla made of earth with a human head sticking out.

The only warning Bleak had was a roar from Will, who then charged forward on all fours. His cape reached out behind him again, preparing to pull him back, yet the more savage teen reached Bleak first. Will backhanded him with all his might, sending Bleak flying to the side as he felt more of his bones creak from the impact. While still flying in the air, Will managed to grab his brother before slamming him into the ground. An impact that caused the teen to cough up enough blood that it stained the organic plating on his mouth. All while Will watched, a manic smile on his face.

"You did this to yourself!" laughed Will, pressing Bleak against the ground hard enough to make a dent in the metallic floor. Then, Will began to charge forward while keeping his brother down. Bleak screamed in pain as metal bent and broke around his body, with his biomass doing everything it could to patch up the wounds as they were being made. "And this time, there's no one to bail your worthless ass out. No Robstone to use his quirk on me at the last minute. This time I'll kill you! Then, I'll get that Mexican freak before-"

Will was cut off by what he saw next. Bleak's cape had spread out wide on either side of him, the clawed tips becoming longer and sharper while more mass was added to it. The cape then seemed to stiffen before closing swiftly, biting into Will's gorilla arm like a massive bear trap, which shattered due to the impact. This caused the earth user to stumble back, staring in disbelief at his stump of an arm. There was only earth there, most likely meaning that his true arm was will there. But still, Will turned his anger towards Bleak, who was struggling to get up.

"You think you can do that to me and get away with it?!?" bellowed Will as he raised his other arm.

Only, this time, Bleak was ready. He raised an arm as it quickly turned into a tentacle, which he then whipped towards Will's. It armed around the earthen arm, causing Will to look on in confusion. Then, the fallen hero in training smirked. No doubt he thought that Bleak had messed up, That all he had to do was pull back, and he could send Bleak flying. But what Will didn't know was that the moment Bleak had done that, he had sent his biomass into every crack and space it could find, running in as deep as it could. Then, the biomass expanded rapidly, causing the arm to explode right as Will looked ready to throw him.

"HOW?!?" screamed an enraged Will, his eyes fixed on the tiny human arm on this massive body. He then turned to look at Bleak, who was panting heavily as all the injuries he had accumulated began piling up. However, before he could do anything else, Will fell forward.

The reason? Gel was back in the fight. Two of her Battle Slimes were stabbing at Will's legs, chipping away at them like a cartoon woodpecker. And because he had so much weight, without the use of his arms, there was a limit to how long he could move with those legs. Made even shorter now that their structure had been damaged. As for Gel herself, she held the other villain in her arms with a purple slime spread itself on the disfigured person's chest. The nameless villain looked like they were no longer feeling any pain, a grateful expression on their face.

"Not yet!" hissed Will, loud enough to draw Bleak's attention. As Will tried to push himself up on his stump of an arm, Bleak limped towards him while rearranging his biomass. "I'm not done yet. I will kill you all and then become a hero. I'll have it all. Money. Women. Fame. I'll be able to do whatever I want for the rest of my life. No one will stop me! No one!"

"You're living in a dream," replied Bleak in his distorted voice as he stood before Will. But now, he had taken as much of his biomass as he could, condensing it as much as possible so that he was now holding an axe similar to the one that his hero Brox used. "It's time to wake up."

With that, Bleak swung the axe down. It cut through Will's earthen body with ease, causing the quirk user to cry out. But Bleak wasn't done, he brought the axe down again and again as he cut his brother out of his armor. All Will could do was scream in rage, thrashing about but helpless to stop not only his brother but the two slimes as well from removing him from the earth that gave him power. And it didn't take long as Bleak found a spot near the spine that, when he struck down, caused the entire armor to shatter.

As his armor crumbled around him, Will let out one final cry while looking like the last of his sanity had left him. Thankfully, none of them had to listen to him for very long as Bleak, who had reabsorbed his bio-mass, punched Will right in the face. The hero in training watched as his brother's skull collided with the ground and saw that his nose was broken.

With that done, Bleak limped over to Gel. The slime-themed hero was already in the process of recalling her slimes as he held onto the villain. As he got closer, Bleak felt his stomach drop, for he could now see that he was closer and no longer had to spend most of his focus on Will, he got a better look at his brother's 'partner'. Whoever this person was, they were small. Maybe even still a child.

"I…I think she's a girl," whispered Gel as she looked down at the mangled and disfigured body she held before looking up at Bleak. "How did she end up with Will and those other villains?"

"Maybe they found her on the streets?" suggested Bleak while silently wishing he could do more to help. He could aid in her healing by placing a hand on her and then spreading his bio-mass over parts of her body. The only issue with that, currently, was that he was in no shape to aid her as his bio-mass was already working hard to keep him up and running. Before he had started that fight, he had been sore from opening that sealed door. Now? Well, let's just say he was in worse shape.

At the very least, it didn't look like her life was in danger despite how she appeared. Once they got rid of the villains, they could then take her to Principal Robstone. Bleak was sure that the man would know what to do.

Just as Bleak was about to voice this, he spotted movement on the edge of his visor. Earth flying behind him. Knowing what that meant, Bleak turned to see that Will was almost upon them. The teen's eyes were deranged, holding out one arm as he focused all of the last remaining pieces of rock and soil around it to form a lance. Well, more like a thick, jagged, and distorted sword no sane person would say 'yeah, that works'. Gel also saw it, but Bleak was the first to get on his feet as his friend still held the girl, thus slowing down the time it took for her to get onto her feet.

If Bleak dodged, then they would take the hit. Thus, it was a no-brainer for what Bleak knew he had to do: take the attack head-on!

Grounding his feet as the earth weapon was about to touch his chest, Bleak sent all of his bio-mass out for one final, all-or-nothing move! It went straight for Will, forming a thick, human-sized bridge between them. Without missing a beat, Bleak used the momentum that his brother had as well as every bit of his strength he had left to spin around on his heels. Will screamed as he found himself being flung through the air, the bio-mass latching onto him while shattering his final weapon. Bleak's quirk then seemed to stretch itself, pushing Will further away until he collided with the wall with all of the biomass following him. The white substance with the black veins splattered on him like a water balloon, covering him from the head down as it almost instantly hardened. And, as Will let out unintelligible screams of insanity, Bleak fell to his knees as bloody pages of a book scattered around him.

"BLEAK!" screamed Gel, rushing to her feet as the little villain trembled. The eyes of the slime-themed hero were fixed on her friend, who now had a gapping hole in his chest. One so large that you would see the bones puncturing organs within his own body. Not even the book, his favorite that he had moved over his chest in some last moment to give him extra protection, was enough as it now laid there.

"No, no, no, no," cried Gel quickly, making it in time to catch Bleak as he nearly tumbled to his side. Blood was flowing out of his mouth now, his eyes starting to go dim. "Come on, stay with me. Stay with me Bleak. I-It's going to be ok. We're going to make it out of here. We're," Gel paused to gulp as tears formed in her eyes and her heart thundered in her chest. "Remember, we're going to read Lady Mechanika together. Just you and me. Just you and me."

"A-Angel," whispered Bleak.

"Oh no, oh no," sobbed Gel. "You…You can't be seeing angels right now. Please, just stay with me. Just stay with me. They'll fix you r-right up."

"Leave…me," whispered Bleak, blood seeping from his mouth as he spoke. "Save…yourself."

"No, no, no," wept Gel. "I'm not leaving you here all alone. Please, just stop talking and save your strength. Ok, h-how about this. J-Just listen to my voice, ok? J-Just focus on that and stay with me. Ok?"

Bleak, however, turned his head to look at her. "A-Alexis…I…was…looking…forward," was all he was able to say before the light finally left his eyes and his body went limp.

For a moment, Gel just sat there as the world around her went silent. She couldn't hear anything, not even her own heart, as she stared into the reality of the situation. "Bleak?" she then said, shaking his body a little. "Bleak? If…If this is a joke, it's n-not funny. Please, say something. Bleak? Bleak? Andrew? Please Andrew. Please." But no matter what, Bleak said nothing.

So, Gel did the only thing she could: she screamed. A scream that carried with it all of her pain and anger and regrets, which reverberated around the entire room. Tears flowed freely as she sobbed without restraint, not caring how she looked at that moment. And as she cried, as if a final signal that the hero Bleak was dead, the biomass keeping Will in place shattered.

Despite falling on his ass, the fiend who had killed his own brother grinned in pure triumph. "Finally, he's gone," laughed Will. "Now, all I have to do is get rid of the witnesses, and soon I'll be able to become a hero again." After that utterly illogical statement, Will actived his quirk…only for nothing to happen. He tried again and again while Gel wailed, only to realize he had used up all the earth in this massive room.

Realizing now that he was essentially quirkless, Will did the most heroic thing he could think of: he ran away. But as he did, his movements finally caught the attention of Gel. Her wailing stopped, her eyes devoid of any kindness or compassion as she looked at him. No, a cold fury filled her. So, slowly, she stood up, not caring that she was covered in blood. She would go after Will and, this time, she would kill him for all he had done.

And as she did, Gel left the little villain alone while the last bits of the biomass seemed to slip through the cracks of the floor.

-x-

Andrew found himself in a tunnel of composed of shifting lights and colors. He did not know how he knew this was a tunnel, but somehow he did. Looking behind him, he could see that there was no end to the tunnel. Now, normally, one would wonder how they ended up in the middle of a place like this. Andrew, however, just reached down to touch his chest finding there to be no wound.

"…I guess I died," he said sadly, tears forming in his eyes. "I…I really wanted to spend more time with them."

When Andrew looked up from checking his wound, he saw that he was no longer alone. Standing a fair distance away was his grandfather, looking the way he remembered. The same wrinkled skin, large nose, and button-up shirt with suspenders. A wave of guilt flowed through Andrew as he saw the man standing there, watching him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "My story wasn't as long or as interesting as I hoped it would be. I..I let you down. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I-" Andrew was then cut off as his grandfather sprinted towards him in a manner the teen had never seen him do before pulling him in for a hug. A wave of familiar scents washed over him. The scent of cabbage soup that his grandmother used to make all the time. The scent of leather-bound books and old pages. The smell of his pipe. All those familiar sensations washed over Andrew as the old man embraced him.

And there they stayed, grandfather and grandson, until it was time to head on to the afterlife.