[A Few Days Later - U.A. - Class 1A Homeroom]
"Psst, Metal."
Metal's lens turned on before the robot glanced to his right.
"Do you have last week's homework?" Sero asked nervously.
Metal's response echoed through the classroom making certain individuals look at him with envy.
"What?! That's unfair!" Ashido exclaimed as she stared at Metal in shock.
"Is that even allowed, Class Rep?" Sero said as he glanced over his shoulder at the corner of the classroom where Yaoyorozu's desk was located.
"None of the teachers gave me any worksheets for Metal so I assume it is. More importantly it's only the start of the school year and you've already fallen behind?" Yaoyorozu shook her head in disapproval making Sero flinch in his seat.
"It's Agnes' fault, not mine..."
"Just someone with low cortisol."
Metal's red lens turned into a question mark for a moment.
"Quiet down..." Aizawa's voice came from the podium in front of the class making everyone focus on him. "Today's training will be supervised by three teachers: All Might, another person, and me..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa!" Sero raised his hand. "What are we doing today?"
Aizawa rubbed his eyelids before pulling a white card with the word: RESCUE, out of his back pocket.
"Natural disasters, accidents, and whatever falls in between, we'll take into account all instances of rescue training..."
"Rescue?!" Most of the class said at the same time with excitement in their voices.
"I'm ready for anything!" Kirishima said as he clenched both hands.
"I hope there's something involving water, ribbit."
"I wasn't finished..."
Aizawa stared at the class with a deadpan expression for a moment.
"You can decide if you want to put on your costumes or not," Aizawa pulled out a controller before pressing a button making the shelves inside the wall emerge, "Some of your costumes could get in the way so think carefully, the training will take place outside of U.A. so we'll be taking a bus. Meet me outside once you're ready, don't take long..."
Having said his part Aizawa walked out of the classroom.
---
[U.A. Entrance - Metal's POV]
"Why aren't you wearing your belt, Metal?" A pair of floating gloves asked as the owner pointed at Metal's waist.
"Overheating?... Oh!" Toru snapped her fingers. "You mean that thing you did to get out of Todoroki's ice at the end?"
FWEET! FWEET!
"Everyone! Please make two lines in order corresponding to your seat number!"
Iida said as he stood beside the bus entrance with a whistle in his hand.
"He's really taking this seriously, eh?" Toru let out a small giggle.
---
[Road To The U.S.J.]
"Damn it!" Iida doubled over in his seat. "I didn't expect it to be this type of bus!"
"It was all for nothing, eh?" Ashido said from Iida's right side.
Meanwhile following the order Aoyama and Kaminari were seated in the same row.
Metal's small body was in the seat just in front of Iida. To his left were Midoriya, Asui, and Kirishima.
"I'll do better in the future!" Iida stated as he straightened his posture.
"I always say what's on my mind. Midoriya?" Asui called out to the nervous boy sitting beside her.
"A-Ah? Y-Yes, Asui?"
"Call me Tsu."
"O-Okay..."
"Your Quirk looks a lot like All Might's."
At Asui's words Midoriya started looking around nervously.
"Y-You t-think so? A-ah, t-that's n-not real-"
"Wait, Tsu, All Might doesn't hurt himself when using his Quirk, they just look similar." Kirishima said while glancing at the frog girl.
"See? Even the smartest guy in class agrees with me."
"Oi, shitty hair! Are you saying that piece of junk is smarter th-"
BONK!
"FUCK!"
"Call my baby 'junk' again and I'll wipe the entire workshop with your tongue."
At the sound of the unfamiliar voice the whole class turned to look at the seat behind Jiro where a pink-haired girl was sitting beside the sleeping Todoroki.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Bakugo said as he held the back of his head.
"I'm Mei Hatsume, Support Course student, Metal's mother and future CEO of Hatsume Industries, pleased to meet you, future moneybags!"
The girl, currently wearing the U.A. gym uniform, said as she waved at everyone.
'Moneybags?!' The whole class thought in sync.
"Hatsume? What are you doing here?" Yaoyorozu asked from her seat beside Uraraka.
"Wha-?! Of course not!" Mei put a hand on her chest in indignation. "Do you really think I would do something like that?"
"Hmph! Well I didn't!"
Mei cleared her throat before explaining.
"You remember how you told me I could try asking for the recordings of your battle training?"
Metal nodded slightly.
"Well the day after that I went to the principal and asked for them alongside asking for permission to see the next training!"
"But why though?" Kaminari scratched the back of his neck as he looked at the inventor in confusion. "Couldn't you just ask for the recordings of today's training too?"
"That's not the same! I want to see my baby in action with my own eyes, plus-" The girl leaned down to grab some sort of big handgun from between her feet before showing it to the class. "The principal said I could do tests if there was free time!"
The gun looked like a steampunk version of a double-barreled shotgun painted completely black, with a small hook peeking out from the left barrel while some kind of sticky liquid leaked from the other. On top of it, a bright yellow and silver logo shone brightly.
'Is that allowed?!'
"Mr. Aizawa, did you know about this?!" Iida asked the teacher who was sitting in the front seat on Metal's right side.
"Yes..." Aizawa answered as he leaned back on his seat.
"Why didn't you inform any of the class representatives?" Ingenium's brother did his signature hand chops in the air.
"You didn't ask."
'Again?!'
'Almost as big as Yaoyorozu's, ehehe...' A certain someone thought from the furthest corner of the bus.
Metal's flamethrower popped out of his palm without any input.
---
[U.S.J. Entrance - Metal's POV]
"Everyone, let me welcome you to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or U.S.J for short! A facility I designed to prepare the future generations for the most important part of Hero work: rescue!"
A distorted voice coming from a chubby spacesuit said while facing the class.
[Scanning...
Data Found: ???/Thirteen — User Designation: Pro Hero
Gender: Unable To Identify
Estimated Age: Unable To Calculate
Quirk Threat Level: 6.8]
Metal, currently standing between Mei and Toru, finished his scan just before the class started talking.
"It's Thirteen! They're my favorite Hero!" a bubbly voice at the front of the class said in excitement.
"Thirteen is one of the most effective rescue Heroes across Japan!" Midoriya spoke up from his spot beside Uraraka.
While the class talked among themselves, Aizawa approached his fellow teacher before whispering something.
The Space Hero only shook their head before lifting three fingers, making Aizawa let out a sigh before turning back towards the class.
"All of you, quiet... let Thirteen speak." At the sound of Aizawa's voice, the class immediately stopped talking.
"Before we start, let me tell you all one thing... or two... or three... four... maybe five..."
Most students sweatdropped as the list kept growing.
"Ahem... Most of you probably know my Quirk: Blackhole," Thirteen lifted a gloved hand. "It allows me to attract anything and turn it into dust."
"Yeah! It's an amazing Quirk! You've used it to save a lot of people!" the green-haired boy at the front said while the girl next to him nodded quickly.
"Yeah, but it is also a Quirk that can kill easily."
Thirteen's words made the students' faces drop slightly.
"Some of you have Quirks like that, right? ...While others..." Thirteen's helmet turned slightly to look at Metal for a moment, "just have the abilities to do so. In this superhuman society, Quirks are strictly regulated to avoid any accidents, but that has the side effect of making people forget the danger Quirks can cause."
Thirteen stopped to look at every student before continuing.
"With Aizawa's test, you've discovered your limits, while with All Might's training, you've seen the danger of using your Quirks against other people. In this class, I want to teach you all what I consider the reason Quirks exist: saving lives. It doesn't matter how dangerous a Quirk could look at first glance, there's always a way to use it to help others. I hope that with my teachings, you can all come to understand that being a Hero is not about beating villains, but instead is about saving lives."
Having finished their long speech, Thirteen bowed to the class.
"That's everything, thanks for paying attention!"
"BRAVO! BRAVO!" Iida cheered as he clapped, which the class quickly followed along with.
"So coool!"
"Please sign my costume!"
"Silence."
Aizawa's tired voice cut the cheering instantly.
"Alright... let's start wit—"
The lights running along the dome flickered as a current of electricity passed through them for a second. Then, the fountain in the middle, just in front of the stairs, distorted slightly as a blackish-purple cloud appeared.
Trusting his instincts, Aizawa quickly turned around to look towards the central plaza, just as the cloud grew in size before a pale hand slowly emerged.
"Everyone, form a group and don't move!"
The students looked at their teacher in confusion.
"Thirteen, protect the students!"
At the sound of Metal's voice, Mei looked down to find the little robot holding his arms up towards her.
The girl put her gun down on the floor before grabbing Metal by the armpits.
"Did you finally decide to act as a kid?"
Mei asked as she picked Metal up before holding him above her head.
Once up, Metal's head rotated so he could face backwards towards the central plaza, where multiple individuals were emerging from the expanding cloud.
[Scanning...
Scanning...
Scanning...
Multiple Matches Found In The Public Police Database
Sending Distress Signal To: U.A.
Unsuccessful]
Kirishima squinted his eyes to try and get a better look at the place. "Did the tes—"
Clank!
Metal landed in front of Mei after breaking free from her grasp, making the girl sigh in disappointment.
Metal said as his head rotated back into place.
"W-what? Y-you're messing with us, r-r—"
"Don't move!"
Aizawa ordered just as some of the students were stepping forward.
"Metal is saying the truth. These are real villains."
At Aizawa's words, the students gasped slightly, while Mei put a hand over Metal's head.
"Did they only appear here or on the entire school?" Todoroki asked as he looked down at the plaza, where the villains kept pouring out of the portal.
Todoroki nodded.
"You're right. If they had such manpower, there would be no need to wait until a singular class was away in a secluded zone. And if they're blocking the signals, then that means there's someone with a Quirk for that, so they're not as dumb as they look."
At Todoroki's words, some of the class members recoiled slightly while looking down at the plaza.
"Thirteen, start the evacuation and contact the school once you have the chance. Whatever Quirk is interrupting the signals should have a limited range."
Aizawa said as he walked to the front of the stairs while putting on his yellow goggles.
"Kaminari, try with your Quirk too. You may be able to brute force through the block."
"Yes, sir." Kaminari responded as he put a hand on the square-shaped earphone over his right ear.
"W-Wait, Mr. Aizawa!" Aizawa glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Midoriya's voice.
"There are too many villains! Eraserhead specializes in ambushes and quick takedowns, not direct confrontation!"
"You're right, Midoriya, but I don't plan on fighting alone. Metal—"
Metal turned around to look at his teacher.
"You're coming with m—"
"No way!" Mei said as she moved to stand in front of the little robot. "Why would you ask that?! Why not ice-dude?! He has AOE attacks!"
"How do you even know my Quirk?..." Todoroki asked but was ignored.
"Metal is the most rational choice. He can't get tired and he's just a—"
"Just a robot? Is that what you were going to say? Do you think I can just replace him?" Mei asked the Pro Hero in a low voice.
"Yes." Aizawa answered without hesitation.
"That's cruel!" Toru said as she moved her gloves up and down in protest, while the rest of the class looked on with conflicted expressions.
"Fuck you," Mei stepped forward fully intending to smack the teacher, but a small clawed hand grabbed the back of her uniform, making the girl glance down over her shoulder.
"Let me go, Metal. I'm going to give this homeless dude a good bea—"
"W-well, that's his problem! It's in the job description!" Mei tried to sound indifferent, but the clenched fists at her sides started shaking slightly.
"Doesn't matter! He's the Pro Hero, not you!"
[Synthesizing Mother's previous voice...
Success]
"It's not fair if you use my words against me..."
Metal let go of Mei's gym uniform before walking around the girl to stand in front of her.
"That's not the problem..." Mei crouched down before petting Metal's head. "I-I'm afraid that if you get too damaged, you may go back to being just a robot instead of Metal..."
Mei chuckled softly.
"One is just a soulless puppet, while the other is my baby."
Mei lifted her gaze to look towards the stairs, where the villains were starting to approach.
"Y-You promise Metal will be the one that comes back to me?"
Mei took a deep breath before standing up and looking straight towards Aizawa, who had his eyes fixed on the approaching villains.
"If something happens to my baby, I swear I'll make human experimentation my new hobby. Do you hear me, hobo-man?"
"Noted."
With that said, Mei turned around before picking up her gun. "Go already before I change my mind."
Vrrrrt!
Metal quickly turned around and rolled down the stairs, knocking down the villains that were crawling up as if they were bowling pins.
"Shit!"
"ACK! M-MY BACK!"
Once Metal reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned back to his normal form. Not even a second later, his teacher landed on Metal's right side.
"You said my chances go up with you around, but what about your chances?"
Eraserhead asked as he kept his eyes fixed on the group of villains.
Aizawa glanced at Metal from the corner of his eye.
"Make sure to keep yourself within my blind spots and don't kill anyone."
With the order delivered, Aizawa threw his scarf forward towards a villain with barrels for fingers before using him to pull himself forward towards the group.
[Main Command: Restrain the villains
Finding Optimal Role To Support Eraserhead...
Adapting Fighting Style To Eraserhead...
Success
---
Software Instability: 45.5% -> 48%]