Something was off when they got back from the provisional license exam.
He'd expected Bakugo to be tense but for him to go to Midoriya marked it as strange.
Midoriya told Nathan not to worry about it so he relented and told Cursed Arm to keep an eye on him from the shadows as was his way.
So when Hundred Faces shook him awake he knew something was up.
"Bakugo and Midoriya are fighting on the Beta training ground."
Nathan looked at her for a moment before her words sunk in.
There was no way UA didn't already know.
What could he do from here?
He got out of bed and grabbed his phone.
"Mini-moto can you give me some surveillance?"
"Hacking into UA's security system. Confirmed."
The screen lit up, showing the two of them locked in a battle of wills.
It was clear that despite speaking with him before, All Might's retirement still weighed heavily on Bakugo.
And he was smart enough to figure out the connection between him and Midoriya. Bakugo was the type that needed to be confronted directly and physically. Some people communicate best through battle after all.
Nathan was glad that they were working this out, everything about their relationship was tense so the fact that it was exploding relatively safely on UA's campus was better than out on the field like he'd seen with Todoroki and Isana.
Even if Midoriya wasn't the type to communicate with violence he was a natural when it came to heroics. Rising to Bakugo's challenge would save him, so Midoriya was doing just that.
But he wasn't winning the fight it seemed. He was still working out how to make One for All truly his own after all, despite the extra lessons with Servants he was still floundering.
It would be a close call for sure…
"Should we move to intercept?"
"No. Better to let this play out don't you think? Besides, All Might is on the way isn't he?"
And.
Nathan knew his words had already failed to reach Bakugo.
They brought him momentary comfort and smoothed over their own relationship but there was nothing he could say that could resolve the situation playing out before them.
"We'll leave them to it. Thanks for bringing this to my attention though."
"Of course Master."
Bakugo sat on the ground, still reeling from All Might's words.
The two of them becoming the ultimate heroes?
…
"So… Who all knows about this? This thing you and Deku have going on…" He muttered, not daring to make eye contact.
"Recovery girl. The principal. And… Among the students… You, and Young Relnor."
Of course Relnor knew.
What didn't that guy know?
"And you still don't want this getting out… Right? Then I won't say a word… I'll keep your secret. But how… How did that dragon bastard find out?"
"Er. Well… I um-" Midoriya began to stammer out.
"Young Relnor figured out my skeletal form and put two and two together much like you…" All Might supplied.
Bakugo wondered exactly what the two of them knew about Relnor. He was a very close friend to Deku after all, and he'd been pulled aside to speak to All Might a few times.
All Might went on to detail exactly what the deal was with All for One and One for All. Of Deku's inheritance and the magnitude of the threat he faced and how he was chosen to face it.
It made no difference to him, he would keep charging forward. But.
"What he said is true wasn't it…?"
"Hm?" All Might turned to Bakugo.
"Sometimes you can only push forward. Even if you lose pieces of yourself in the process… Fine. Nothing has changed. I'll keep moving forward. I'll build my own strength and surpass you Chosen One." Bakugo said sharply, "You and him."
Midoriya nodded.
"I'll rise even higher too. I'll pass both of you!"
With that they returned to the dorms.
The tongue lashing they got from Aizawa was something of legend but somehow they got off relatively easily. All Might pitching in to defend them helped lower their punishment down to four days of suspension for Bakugo and three for Midoriya.
With everything settled they went to go get their superficial injuries treated before turning in.
All Might bowed to Aizawa as he turned to leave.
But something caught his eye as he walked away from the dorms.
The Shadow Border's hatch was open.
He approached it and found Nathan sitting at the threshold.
"What are you doing up Young Relnor?" All Might asked.
"I was watching the fight. Wasn't sure if Chaldea should step in but it looks like you guys sorted everything out ok."
All Might paused as Nathan showed the surveillance feed displayed on his phone.
"I see. You don't need to take such matters into your hands. But. I'm glad you restrained yourself. It seems to have done wonders helping young Bakugo and Midoriya to smooth things over."
"Even after he talked to me I couldn't do anything to soothe his heart, nothing more than a temporary salve anyway." Nathan said wistfully, "Human beings are still really hard to speak to for me."
That was an odd thing to say for one of the most charismatic people he'd ever met.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I just wish I was a little better at certain things. Even after all this time I'm still not quite good enough to save people with just my words."
All Might nodded.
"I've never been good at that either. All I could use was overwhelming force to put a smile on other people's faces."
"You still saved people with that. I've never been able to reach quite that far. Although I never really got much of a choice in the matter most of the time."
…
"That boy is a murderer."
All Might had not been able to shake that sentence because every interaction he'd had with Nathan left him with a strange feeling.
Nathan was looking for acceptance for something he couldn't put to words.
He had been in his office that day basically pleading for him to accept him without being able to say anything about what it was.
Was it because…
"This. Might be an unbelievably cruel question. But. Have you ever had to take a life in order to save another… During your fights leading Chaldea?"
Nathan went quiet at that. The two of them sat together on the edge of the Shadow Borders open bay for quite a while as he tried to put the words together in his mind.
Eventually.
A quiet murmur escaped him.
"Yes."
That answer hit All Might straight in the heart.
Was that why he'd asked those questions of him back then? About if he could sacrifice a life if he had to save the world?
That was not a hypothetical for Nathan.
That was something he'd been forced to confront directly.
And he'd made his choice.
"Oh my boy…"
He grasped Nathan's shoulder firmly.
"I'm so sorry."
"... So. Do you still think you and I are alike?"
"Young Relnor. You are already every bit the hero I ever was."
Those words tumbled through him for a moment before a wheeze escaped him.
Nathan leaned over and began sobbing deeply. All Might simply patted the young man's back as he cried.
It took him several minutes before he managed to compose himself again.
"I'm sorry. I-"
"There's no need for apologies young man… I. I should be apologizing to you. I'm sure my answer to you back then must have caused you no end of grief."
"... Thank you…" Nathan said softly. "I'll head back inside then…"
"Ah. Yes. Well. Have a good night young man. If you need something else, please let me know."
"Of course All Might."
In the morning news broke of Midoriya and Bakugo's fight causing them to receive no end of jeering from some of their class.
Everyone of course made sure they were alright first.
But life had to move on. The rest of the class left them in order to attend some big meeting that was being held for the entire student body leaving the two of them to their punishment of cleaning the dorms.
Iida was doing his absolute best to organize the class into their respective place but it was 1-A's nature to be ever so slightly chaotic.
And it was 1-B's nature to strive to one up them in every possible way.
Monoma came out swinging with the revelation that every last one of them had passed their provisional license exam.
Nathan was just amazed that they had the resources to have more than one of those exams in a single year, they'd blown up so many buildings hadn't they?
Then again with heroes like Cementoss out there there was no doubt that would be a quick fix.
The hero world was a lot more extravagant than he'd expected it to be.
A student from 1-B stepped up and informed them that they'd be having a joint class sometime soon.
But her accent.
"Are you American perchance?" Nathan asked in English.
"Ah! Yes! You're- What kind of accent is that?" She said excitedly, responding in kind and leaving the rest of their classes in the dust.
"My accent is a little mangled but I'm from Cambridge actually, in the UK." He said with a smile and a nod.
It was a little worrying that when speaking his native tongue his accent couldn't be recognized anymore but…
Well it wasn't the most devastating loss he'd received.
"Oh wow! Japanese is really hard to learn isn't it? I've been struggling to keep up with everyone!"
"I still introduce myself the wrong way around all the time even though I've been fluent for ages."
"Hey, aren't you guys holding up the line? Oh. It's you. Is that just how you are now?"
Nathan glanced back and saw Shinso, giving him a bright smile as Pony fell back in with Class 1-B.
"Ah! You're looking well Shinso… Have you been getting extra training in?"
"Maybe."
"Ah come on, tell me about it! I can give you some pointers if you want!" Nathan said excitedly as he lagged to the very back of his class in an effort to speak with Shinso more.
Sero just watched as Nathan effortlessly shifted through three classes, speaking amicably to people who on paper hated their guts.
But that wasn't surprising at this juncture, he just wished he was better at that sort of thing.
It was tough to be everyone's big brother when there were still walls like 1-Bs intense rivalry, or the intense jealousy of the general studies students.
However, if Nathan could learn how to clear them, he'd just have to ask him how he did it.
They filed out into one of the large open training fields with a podium set up for the assembly.
Nezu took to the stage first, going on about a few mundane things before touching on something worthy of attention.
The fact that All Might's retirement had knocked down one of the pillars maintaining society.
The world was about to change and it was going to get harder before it got easier.
This was especially true for students in the hero course.
He mentioned second and third year students who were already doing their work studies, a term that sent his class murmuring to themselves.
Common consensus was that it was the next step above the internships they did.
He hoped Rumi wouldn't be knocking on his door this time next year…
Nezu continued his speech addressing the other student bodies before wrapping up, proud of his own sense of brevity.
The assembly went on, a few more teachers speaking of one thing or another before something truly unusual happened.
Sherlock Holmes walked up to the podium.
"Hahaha. Well then. I'm sure you're all quite ready to be dismissed but I fear there are a few extra points to address. As you know Chaldea is here on campus. I would like to extend an open invitation to all of you. Should you see a Chaldean hero wandering about campus feel free to speak with them. They might have some pointers you can apply in the field after all."
Nathan was about to die from embarrassment.
He had never in his life imagined that Sherlock might be giving a presentation to a student body.
Moriarty must have been furious when they delegated this task to Chaldea's acting figurehead.
He went on to say that Chaldea would be doing everything they could to help them ease into the new era unfolding before them and that there were threats out there it was ok to run away from since they were the future of society.
"This world is full of villains the likes of which you've never seen. Should you encounter such an enemy please use the emergency line to summon a Chaldean hero. We will do our absolute best to save you."
With that he left the podium to Hound Dog.
His speech was less a speech and more incoherent howling.
1-B's homeroom teacher Vlad had to clarify that he was speaking about the fight between Midoriya and Bakugo and urging the students to control themselves. Everyone knew this was a monumental change in their lives and that tensions might be high but even so they had to set a standard.
With that the assembly was dismissed.
The third years were let go first but Sherlock motioned for Nathan to approach.
"What's up?" Nathan asked as went to meet him.
"Your hero suit is being reworked again. You have a few casters that would like to speak with you on potential upgrades."
"Ah. Alright. I'll meet with them tonight,"
"Excellent, feel free to come by whenever you have time."
"Got it. But-"
"Hey! Hey! Nathan!"
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Nejire waving at him, with Tamaki and Mirio next to her.
"You were pulling me out of line so they'd spot me weren't you?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
Nathan just shook his head, Sherlock could never be honest with him. Well, this was how he remembered him best so it was only natural this summoning of him would maintain that…
"Hey Nejire," He said as he approached the three of them.
"Do you know anything about that fight at 1-A? Huh? I heard some about it but we figured you would know more!"
"Ah yeah. I'm not sure how much I should say but Bakugo and Midoriya got into it. It was a fight to communicate their wills to each other," Nathan answered with a small nod as he began walking with them like he was supposed to be there.
"Oh? Midoriya Izuku huh? He's the excitable one that fought Todoroki right?" Mirio asked.
"At the sports festival? Yeah." Nathan replied casually as Nejire began patting his head and stroking his hair as they walked along.
"Hoh… Maybe I should pay him a visit then."
"He's super grounded." Nathan supplied, Nejire hooking her arm around his neck and pulling him close which was amazingly not enough to knock him off balance.
"That tracks…" Amajiki said quietly.
"He's confined to the dorm cleaning up so I'm sure you could catch him around there sometime."
"What about you! Hey! You passed your provisional exam right? I heard a few of you failed!"
"I passed,"
"Oooh that must be exciting! We need to celebrate! Hey hey! What should we do to celebrate?"
"Apparently our classes are about to pick up all things considered but I'll see if I can make some time to hang out soon."
"Ah Good! I promise I won't miss out this time! It'll be a blast!" Mirio supplied.
"Um. Nejire."
"What's up Tamaki?"
"He probably needs to go back to his own classroom."
"..."
The three of them looked at Amajiki, they were at the threshold of 3-A's room with a few other students giving them odd looks.
"Hahaha… Oops. You know your way back right?"
Despite the detour Nathan made it back to class just in time. He absolutely didn't need to call in a favor and have Abby connect a doorway for him. Absolutely not.
With the assembly out of the way Aizawa began the day welcoming them to the return of normal classes.
Tsuyu quickly asked him to clarify about work studies, prompting him to go over the broad strokes.
He was clearly waiting for the rest of their class to rejoin the fray before truly going in depth.
Uraraka wondered aloud why the sports festival was so important if these work studies were how they were going to proceed.
Aizawa was quick to point out that their networking from the sports festivals and their internships would give them a foot in the door to their work study.
Nathan quietly cursed himself. There was no way Rumi had any connections on that front. Oh well. He could always ask Nejire or any of her friends for advice.
Mic entered the classroom and their lessons began, even by his standards the English they were learning was rather difficult but… He found his mind drifting a little bit.
A soft smile crossed his face.
He hadn't noticed but… He wasn't about to jump out of his own skin out of boredom.
He was getting used to this normal.
When they returned from class a few people began going over Midoriya and Bakugo's cleaning job which was somewhat substandard but still fairly well done given the size of the space. They had a few more days to work things out so he was sure it would be spotless before long.
Everyone was abuzz with the events of class and of the potential for work studies.
And.
"Hm. I suppose I should return to Chaldea proper."
Nathan glanced at the younger version of James Moriarty.
"Were you here all day?"
He felt all of the color drain out of his face.
"Bastard was so annoying…" Bakugo grumbled.
"B-But I really appreciated it! He um. Was loudly going over some hero policies and math lessons. I felt like he was trying to help us deal with the fact we were missing things!" Midoriya cut in.
"I- I'm glad you thought of it that way but he's kind of just like that all the time."
"W-what?"
Moriarty gave a short laugh before gathering his things and beginning to move out of the dorms.
"Midoriya. Don't forget to take the garbage out," He said casually before disappearing behind the entrance doors.
"A-Ah right! If everyone could gather that up for me I'll take everything out!"
Everything was gathered into four large trash bags for him. Midoriya was strong enough to carry them all but it was simply a massive handful and likely it didn't smell very nice either.
He left out the front door as Nathan went back to the kitchen to start brewing some tea.
The door didn't get the chance to close before another Chaldean barged through it.
Or rather a group of them.
Abigail, Nursery Rhyme, and Jack all rushed into the dorm room, splitting paths around the various obstacles before converging on the kitchen.
It was a veritable whirlwind as Jack bounced off the wall and landed on Nathan's back while Abigail and Nursery Rhyme began tugging at his uniform.
"Ah I'm so sorry everyone!" Boudica said as she entered after them, "They got away from me. I'll get them out of your hair in a moment."
"Oh. It's fine," Yaoyorozu said, "There are children at Chaldea?"
"I started living there at 11 you know," Nathan said casually as he struggled to reach for his mug while being pulled in three different directions.
"We take in children who don't have anywhere else to go and who have quirks that would make them difficult for regular orphanages to take in. We have proper facilities for them and caretakers like me but sometimes they want to play outside-"
A murmur shifted through the gathered students. That made some kind of sense at least.
Bakugo shot a meaningful glare from Boudica to Nathan but said nothing.
"Mommy! Mommy! Sing for us!" Jack said loudly, pulling out a toy knife and lightly stabbing it against Nathan's right shoulder.
"Alright alright give me one second," Nathan said.
"Yaaaaaay!" Jack back flipped off of Nathan, landing on her feet and bounding over the kitchen counter before landing on the couch.
She was met with applause from Kirishima and Kaminari who were suitably impressed with her display of acrobatics.
"You can sing?" Jiro asked.
Nathan just shrugged in response as he added some honey to his tea before taking labored steps out of the kitchen, Abigail and Nursery Rhyme still clinging to his waist and right leg respectively.
The scene was comical to say the least. Nathan usually shied away from direct contact but he hadn't even flinched when those three kids latched onto him. Then again Nathan always seemed very comfortable with Chaldeans no matter who they were.
"Sing! Sing! Sing!"
Jack began the chorus, quickly joined by Abigail, Nursery Rhyme, and eventually Kaminari and Sero.
Nathan set his mug on a nearby table and cleared his throat before singing a slow but cheerful song. His voice was even and practiced as if he'd received no small amount of training. In truth there were enough idols in Chaldea that he'd taken up lessons in order to sing with them somewhat confidently. He was glad he'd decided to sing rather than play an instrument in retrospect.
He picked a song he distantly remembered that had always resonated with him.
Uraraka furrowed her brow as she listened.
Sure he was a good singer, but…
He was singing in english but she knew enough to start picking out some things that were a little concerning.
"I'll start walking from this point on…
I'm not here at all, I don't exist here at all.
I've got to search for me.
I wish that I will find myself soon.
I need to find myself, myself."
When he finished everyone clapped with a few cheers of encore.
"Are you three satisfied?"
"Yes! Yes! Thank you!" Abigail and Nursery Rhyme said as Jack simply bounded over to Boudica and jumped onto her shoulders.
"I'll take them back, thank you for indulging them Nathan," She said with a smile.
With that the four of them exited the dorm, Midoriya entering just as they left.
"Still, I can't believe you can sing like that! Did you practice or is that just a natural talent you dog?" Sero asked.
"I practiced a lot."
Midoriya just looked at the small crowd gathered around Nathan as he sipped his tea.
"Wh- What else did I miss!?"
The next few days passed without incident.
Finally.
Midoriya Izuku returned to class after what felt like an eternity to him.
And he was raring to go, greeting the class with a determined energy Nathan rarely saw outside of a battle to the death.
"Alright everyone, now that Midoriya's back, let's talk about work studies in earnest."
Aizawa began building up an introduction. Students who had been out and experienced work studies were here to talk to the class about them.
The door cracked open and they confidently strode in.
"UA's cream of the crop, The Big Three."
Murmurs swept through 1-A as recognition and awe flared in equal measure.
"Alright, let's get started with introductions. Why don't you start Amajiki."
He met eyes with Nathan before an intense focus overcame him.
Knowing him as he did he probably was trying desperately to imagine that his fellow students weren't there so he could talk properly.
"I can't. I want to go home."
He turned to face the wall and placed his head against it.
"The only one I can make eye contact with is Relnor…" He muttered.
"Well you tried your best Amajiki-senpai," Nathan said with a laugh.
The fact that he already knew Nathan's name struck the rest of the class as odd. Midoriya only recognized Mirio from their meeting the other day and they'd only barely exchanged pleasantries.
How did Amajiki already know his name?
"He's Amajiki Tamaki! And I'm Hado Nejire!" She said as she walked confidently up to Nathan's desk and began to pry him out of his seat.
The desk made a loud clattering sound as Nathan tried to cling to it while hooking his leg around his chair but Nejire was having none of it.
With a loud crash she forcibly dragged him back to the front of the class while he struggled valiantly against her vice grip.
"Must you?" He said, giving up and hanging limply in her arms.
It was a fairly comical image considering he was a bit taller than she was.
"We were supposed to hang out soon weren't we? But! But! You never messaged me back! This is only fair!"
"I told you our classes were picking up! And it's only been two days, Nejire! Also for the record you can message me too!"
"Buuuuut I've been busy! It's hard balancing my work study and classes you know! I'm way busier than you! You're the one that has to make an effort!"
"What… Are you doing?" Aizawa asked plainly, causing the two of them to glance over at him.
"Perpetuating the cycle of violence," They said in unison.
"That's just how they are…" Tamaki said quietly.
Aizawa couldn't help but feel the wind leave his sails. One of his students was already friends with the big three? How did that happen? This was supposed to be their first taste of the top level of UA.
Then again if there was a student that could reach that top level and find enough mutual ground to be friends it would be the Master of Chaldea.
Nejire began peppering 1-A with questions, jumping from one student to the next before they could answer her and dragging Nathan along for the ride like a ragdoll.
"Why are you tolerating this?" Jiro asked, an expression somewhere between pity and struggling not to laugh on her face.
"Would you believe me if I told you this just happens to me so much that I don't really mind it anymore?" Nathan said with a straight face.
Well. That mystery solved, Mirio tried to take control of the meeting, Nejire returning to the front with her prisoner still in tow.
With the speech going so poorly he decided a demonstration was in order.
And so everyone found themselves in gym gamma.
Nejire was absolutely devastated when she'd had to let go of Nathan so they could change, only to immediately latch onto him as soon as she saw him again.
"There is something cosmically unfair about this, you know that right you bastard?" Kaminari said as Nejire clambered onto Nathan's back again.
"First of all. I never asked for this."
"You don't say no." Amajiki murmured quietly from his place against the far wall.
"Second of all-" Nathan started before having to regain his balance as Nejire finished climbing onto his shoulders, "- Shinsou and I hung out with her for a few hours once and he almost died so you're free to try and keep up with us if you want."
"That's true, he did almost fall off the polar bear," Nejire nodded sagely.
Kaminari's mouth opened as he stared at the two.
It was as if he forgot every single word he ever knew, simply uttering a loud crackly squawk as he turned and walked towards the rest of the class.
Mirio was across from them, stretching.
He was going to show them the gap in experience a proper work study gave them in person.
"Hey! Be careful! Don't discourage them too much!" Nejire said aloud while poking Nathan's face, feeling the edge of the scales covering his right eye.
Mirio just laughed, prompting Amajiki to offer a similar sentiment.
1-A was unsteady with the two of them clearly thinking they were about to lose so badly that they might drop out of school in a 20 vs 1 scenario.
Nathan admittedly didn't actually know that much about Mirio's combat capabilities. They'd never directly hung out all that much because he was so busy at Night Eye's agency usually.
1-A might have experienced real battle, and fought against teachers wearing limiters.
But.
There was a very real chance they would still collectively lose against Mirio.
Just looking at him, Nathan knew his skill level was immense.
Without Bakugo or Todoroki… This was going to be a slaughter.
"Are you going to fight Relnor?" Mirio asked.
"Sure. Do you mind?"
Nejire looked down as he looked up, their eyes meeting for a moment before she smiled at him and jumped off of his shoulders.
With that he took point near the middle group, with Midoriya leading them in an effort to make up for lost time.
Nathan began building up a charge in his arm as the rest of the class got ready to fight.
And.
Just as everything was beginning.
Mirio's electromagnetic field disappeared causing Nathan to hold his initial attack back.
His clothes began phasing through his body too.
His guard was down but that was because…
Midoriya let a kick fly only to pass harmlessly through Mirio's upper half.
It was extremely bizarre to see from Nathan's perspective, he was selectively becoming intangible. He'd only ever seen Servants be present or completely disappear, never partially manifest like that…
Just as all of the long ranged attacks hit, Mirio disappeared.
He'd only caught a glimpse of it but it looked like he fell straight through the floor.
He'd gone completely intangible.
Where… Where was he going to come out?
If Nathan had that ability… He would start at the back. They'd led with a vanguard of most of their physical fighters, leaving their flank unable to deal with a strong physical attacker. The person at the absolute rear of their formation was-
"Jiro! Move!"
She did not react to his command, rather she dove out of the way to dodge the bolt of electricity he'd fired at her.
"Long range atta-" Was all he managed to get out before he was immediately forced to turn his entire body intangible to avoid Nathan's attack.
He'd been predicted? So fast?
No. This made sense.
With the way Nejire and Amajiki spoke of him and his own observations, plus his sports festival performance.
Nathan Relnor was exactly like he was.
Born with a mediocre quirk that had to be reforged with the flames of experience.
This turned the fight in a different direction.
He would need to out predict someone predicting his own actions. How many steps ahead did Nathan think? How many steps ahead did he need to be to overcome that boy.
"This is getting exciting!"
He disappeared under the floor again causing Nathan to call out.
"Watch your backs!"
Mirio emerged half way through his call out, slamming his fist into Sero's solar plexus and knocking him out in that single blow before disappearing again.
He was so fast.
No. He had to be fast didn't he? He has to predict and capitalize faster than his opponent can do the same to him.
"Scatter!" Nathan jumped up, magnetizing himself to the ceiling and watching the battlefield below him.
Mirio worked his way through Momo, Mina, and Tokoyami before Nathan noticed something odd.
He would always solidify his head and look around while attacking. He was plotting his next move before going under rather than using the time he had under the ground to plan.
Was that because…
Nathan made a gamble and magnetized to Aoyama's belt, yanking him aside as Mirio popped out of the ground.
He hadn't pulled Aoyama far enough to avoid the kick Mirio opted into but Nathan had valuable intel.
"Move while he's under!"
Amajiki glanced up at Nathan as he held himself suspended over the ground. Had Nathan already pieced together one of the limitations of Mirio's Permeation? The fight had only lasted 30 seconds at max and he already had enough information to start disrupting Mirio's attacks.
"Yeah! Go Nathan!" Nejire called out.
Aizawa glanced from the seniors to the floundering class 1-A. Mirio was working his way through the long ranged fighters but it was taking him longer as they'd taken to running around while he was under. Granted he was so fast that most of the time he could still reach them somehow but.
"Hahaha! So this is how you fight huh Relnor?" Mirio shouted as he finished off the long ranged attackers, just in time for the close combat specialists to join the fray.
Nathan touched down gently at the head of the pack, cracking his neck as he let his arm spark wildly.
"To be quite frank Mirio-senpai. I haven't started fighting yet."
"Hoh? Powerful stuff huh? Well then. Let's wrap up with the close quarters specialists then!"
By now, Midoriya had caught on to what Mirio was doing. So when he popped up behind him Midioriya was already attacking. But his foot passed through Mirio's head harmlessly. In response Mirio passed his hand through Midoriya's eyes, causing him to lose his balance before receiving a hammer blow from Mirio's right, knocking him out of the fight.
"Iida keep moving! Kirishima keep your core hardened! Uraraka, float Ojirou!" Nathan barked out as he dashed forward wondering where Mirio was going to pop out at.
He didn't make a sound when he transitioned so he'd need his helmet to truly keep up with him. He let out a low level charge that would produce a pop should anything solid enter close range on his right where he could not see properly.
So when Mirio surfaced he felt a light static shock as his head became solid.
The catastrophic bolt of lightning that came out in the next instant nearly caught him but Mirio knew that sort of thing was coming.
Nathan's electricity could hit him so fast and so widely that he needed to stay intangible until the last second in order to stay safe and actually strike him.
So Mirio only solidified his fist a single moment before impact.
A jolt shot through him causing his muscles to jump slightly.
The resulting blow was not as strong as he'd wanted it to be, only sending Nathan skidding back.
He needed to solidify to breath but he could not do so while Nathan was still locked onto him.
He gave a quick scan of the arena and…
That was bad.
Ojirou was in the air with Uraraka waiting to drop him.
Iida was circling the arena keeping a keen eye on his senior and Kirishima was rushing him.
They were playing to counter him in a few different ways, and waiting to capitalize on each and every potential opening those methods created was someone who could generate millions of volts in a second.
Mirio disappeared underground yet again.
Nathan had electrocuted himself in order to dull the incoming blow so he needed a moment, opting to crouch down low now that Mirio couldn't see him again.
"I can't believe he took a blow from Mirio! Hey hey! That's amazing isn't it Tamaki? He's just a first year!"
Aizawa had to admit as he watched Mirio take out Kirishima, Uraraka, and Ojirou, that Nejire had a point. Each and every student had been taken out by a single powerful blow to the chest that Nathan had managed to barely counter.
Soon enough it was just the two of them.
Lightning danced around the ground near Nathan as he locked onto Mirio. This wasn't ideal, especially considering in a live combat scenario this meant that his entire squad had died without him being able to save them but that was ok. This was not a life or death struggle after all.
Mirio took a stance as he began pacing, phasing through the ground was a trick Nathan had now seen way too many times. He had paced out how Mirio would need to strike him and the amount of time he needed to reassess his surroundings every time he came back up.
It was honestly thrilling, to fight an opponent who was thinking on his feet just as quickly as he was, someone who could counter him and adjust.
"Alright Relnor! Are you ready!?"
Wordlessly Nathan unleashed a massive blast of electricity.
It was a tactic he'd used against Gang Orca, an electrical attack meant to blind the opponent rather than hit them. Mirio only barely managed to turn away in time.
And when he turned back.
Nathan was gone.
Nathan Relnor could not phase through the floor so he'd clearly zoomed to one edge of his peripheral vision before the flash of light faded.
But that would take a second.
Mirio disappeared under the ground, knowing Nathan would attack him in the time it would take to find him again.
He would be attacked no matter what as soon as he reemerged but there was a chance he'd manage to get out of his effective range.
So when Mirio popped back out and didn't feel the stinging pain of being electrocuted he considered that maneuver a success. At least until he felt his hair stand on end. He was inside Nathan's static field about to be struck by lightning in all likelihood.
He immediately went intangible as he whirled around and rocketed forward, electricity searing the ground he'd been standing on black.
Mirio deactivated his quirk for just long enough to try and see where that arc of electricity had come from but a follow up attack struck him the instant he did. The voltage surging through him caused him to stumble as he fell back, trying to put as much distance as he could between the two of them.
"Consecutive attacks huh!?" He ground out as he activated his quirk to shrug off the lingering electrical energy. Nathan was just as capable of acting and reacting as he was, if there was going to be a winner between the two of them…
"Alright that's enough."
Mirio turned to look at Aizawa.
"This was supposed to be a demonstration not a serious bout."
Mirio's attention went to Nejire who was waving at something, he followed her eyeline and saw Nathan drop down from the rafters.
"So you jumped up there huh? That's crazy! Hahaha. I didn't think you'd be able to clear that kind of distance so fast!"
"Your quirk activates so quickly, how did you manage to phase through lightning that quickly?" Nathan asked as he walked up to the small group of people that were still standing.
"Oooh Oooh! Me! Me! I'll tell you!" Nejire said as she rushed up to Nathan, crashing into him and clinging onto him. She began to regale Nathan with stories of Mirio's quirk while the rest of 1-A began to scrape themselves off the ground.
They assembled together as Mirio began to talk about the experience he'd gone through, how his quirk was unwieldy and difficult to use but through the kind of training offered by a work study he'd managed to become this strong.
He spoke about how his quirk was not strong but he'd made it strong. Of the hardships and the rewards inherent in that training.
Nathan nodded along. He was familiar with that struggle for sure.
His quirk initially could not produce the kind of voltage it could now. His scales were an annoyance more than they were a powerful quirk but through endless effort and training he'd managed to become as strong as he was today.
"But I'm curious!" Nejire whispered to Nathan as Mirio was talking to the rest of his class, "When did you start training your quirk like Mirio?"
"When I was picked up by Chaldea at 11," Nathan said with a nod.
That answer put a frown on Nejire's face. She'd seen exactly how difficult the path Mirio had walked was, and Nathan began walking it at 11?
"Hm. I don't think I like that answer!" She said poking him again.
"It is what it is. It was nobody's choice but it had to be done," Nathan said with a shrug as Mirio finished his speech.
Nejire kept poking him over and over again until he retaliated, poking her face and causing Tamaki to let out a small chuckle.
Pointedly a few students were glancing over at them.
Ojirou stared at Nathan and realized something from Mirio's speech.
He'd always assumed Nathan was simply effortlessly strong, but seeing him act, seeing him try to outfight someone like Mirio. It put it into perspective…
"You're a lot like that too huh?" He asked.
"Hm?" Nathan turned to look at him, he and Nejire freezing mid grapple.
"You bet! You've got an example of what I'm talking about right in your class don't you? You made your quirk strong didn't you Relnor, rather than being born with a strong quirk!"
"Truth be told, I was extremely weak when I was young. The scales were a lot smaller but I learned techniques to grow them into different shapes that let me generate more electricity. And now that they're in the right shape and I have enough of them I can use them to actually fight properly. I always wanted to be a hero but I knew it was a pipe dream until Chaldea took me in and showed me there was a way towards that goal." Nathan said with a smile.
Nejire gently patted Nathan's head as that glowing smile washed over his classmates.
"Haha! I thought so! The way you fight tells the tale for sure!"
With that it was time to part ways. Aizawa dismissed the three seniors before having to remind Nejire not to drag Nathan off with her.
The three of them walked off together with Nejire asking Mirio what he thought of the class and how it was amazing that they managed to get back up so quickly after he hit them so hard.
"Still, I know you've spoken a lot about Relnor but he was just as amazing as you said! I wasn't expecting a first year to be keeping up with me!"
"I know right! I wonder if Ryukyu would take him? Hey? Don't you think it would be great if he worked with us? Right?"
"Hahaha! I'm sure Fatgum would take him too, right Tamaki?"
"Probably… Although… Being around that smile all day… I might just shrivel up… How does he have so much love?"
"Hehehehe! I'm gonna ask for sure!"
As the world of those students turned, so to did that of the underworld.
Villains scattered by All Might at Kamino had their footing back under them.
And they were looking to expand.
Twice stood outside a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of civilization before two figures.
Both of them he'd met before but things seemed a little odd.
"Are they ready for us?" Aleister asked, adjusting his hood slightly.
"Yeah let me just-" Twice said as he opened the door, beckoning for the two of them.
"Ah. Quite the catch you've pulled in for us…" Shigaraki said from his place against the wall, the other league members scattered around him.
Yes. Twice had made contact with the young head of the Shie Hassaikai, a man by the name of Overhaul, on behalf of the League of Villains.
But Aleister had contacted Overhaul for entirely different reasons.
The meeting here was one of convenience at this point.
Compress took the time to explain the concept of the Yakuza to Toga as they'd largely left public relevance before she was aware of the movings of the criminal underworld.
"What are you doing over there Aleister?" Shigaraki asked as Compress spoke.
"Ah. Isn't it obvious? Your master has stepped out of the picture and I needed someone who could procure the resources for my work. He's just the first person that I happened to find with the means I needed, even if he's short on the cash he needs for his own plans."
It was simply a matter of who could bring him bodies faster.
That's all these people were to him after all, resources for him to mine so he could reach the ultimate end of his studies. And now. He was so close.
"I trust you still have a healthy supply of Anti Chaldea devices."
"Anti-Chaldea? Those things are junk, barely even slowed them down."
"I can't help that you only used one expecting it to stand up to the full might of Chaldea crashing on top of you. They are meant for one on one encounters and only to even the odds. Well. That generation anyway. We're moving on and up of course."
"Eh? You've got something better for us now?" Twice asked.
"... Well. I've got something bigger and better for whoever can continue to provide me with what I need."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed.
This was a scale for Aleister, whoever could provide him with the best materials would earn his services.
He knew exactly how badly he would need Aleister's devices in the future should they continue to run up against such heavy Chaldean opposition.
"Regardless. Both the light and the dark sides have lost their leaders. So the question remains. Who will stand to fill their seats?" Overhaul asked, directing attention back to the matter at hand.
This was enough to begin pushing Shigaraki over the edge, obviously taking issue with the fact that Overhaul was challenging him for that leadership spot.
However.
Shigaraki did not have a plan.
He had ambition but neither the resources or the knowhow to manage those resources.
Overhaul had them soundly beat in that regard.
Given that his forces had followed him all the way here without Twice noticing after all.
"What about you? You fancy yourself a leader?" Shigaraki turned to Aleister.
The magi shook his head, removing his hood. Long silver hair spilled out from it as pale green eyes locked onto him
This was not the same face they saw before back at their hideout…
"I've no interest in your squabbles. My work takes priority over all things. The people who can help me reach my work can reap the benefits of my byproducts. That is all there is to me. And currently Overhaul stands in the best position to supply me with what I need. Should you supplant him I will simply change sides,"
Overhaul could barely stand to hear that man talk but from all the run-ins his men had with Chaldeans he knew weapons to combat them would be essential for the future he wanted to build.
He launched into a speech about what it would truly take to become the new leader of villains and gave them an offer. Join him. He will lead them. He will use them effectively.
It was not an offer that went over well.
Magne dragged Overhaul over with her power.
It was over in an instant.
"If you're going to kill them, at least preserve their bodies so I can use them," Aleister said carelessly as what was left of Magne hit the ground.
"You!"
Compress leaped into action next but it was already far far too late for the dwindling league to strike against Overhaul effectively.
Something struck Compress in the shoulder from the rafters, disabling his quirk.
He lost his extended arm in the next moment.
With this going nowhere fast Shigaraki entered the fray.
Two men who could kill with a touch would be an interesting mirror match for Aleister to observe but Overhaul played it smart, having a shield take the hit and die in his place before calling out to the others that had followed them.
Four more Yakuza entered the battle.
This wasn't going well for any involved party so Overhaul elected to call it quits with a death on each side.
He flung his card over to Shigaraki with instructions to call him when they'd calmed down before fleeing.
"I should get going with them then," Aleister said casually, having let all of that carnage go off around him without so much as a raised eyebrow. Counter to his words he approached Compress and Twice.
"Gonna finish the job!?" Twice called out, Toga leaning forward menacingly with her knife.
"Your master did a great many things to help me establish myself in this country, including getting me the connections I'm using now."
He pressed his hand against Compress' wound and began healing it, stitching all the severed blood vessels closed with magecraft.
"A temporary measure but now he won't bleed to death before you can get him some help. Like I said, I don't care who gets me the supplies I need. If you happen to come into the windfall left for you by those who walked your path ahead of you feel free to reach out to me. All For One should have left you the means by which to contact me."
"Just get out of my sight," Shigaraki ground out.
"Gladly. Until next time my intrepid villains. Do struggle your hardest to reach the center of the stage."