198 Chapter 197
(A/N: This chapter was made available by Ian Agbaga. Enjoy.)
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[November 17th, 2149]
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." muttered Izuku, staring up at the increasingly dark sky from the prow of the USS Samantha Grey, a nearly half-kilometer-long, fully submersible aircraft carrier. Its size and ability to submerge gave the impression it was an unsinkable vessel, but Izuku felt increasingly nervous as they drew ever-closer to their destination, a five-kilometer-wide whirlpool that looked like it was determined to suck up all the water in the ocean.
"Should we contact the Principal and see if we can postpone the mission to a later date...?" asked the person standing next to Izuku, a 164cm tall, well-developed beauty with short periwinkle hair styled with spiral, horn-like tufts and sporting the upper half of a Serafuku outfit over a modified sukumizu-style school swimsuit. More notably, she had tiny, fox-like ears and a roughly 15cm long white tail tipped with periwinkle blue.
Shaking his head, Izuku replied, "It couldn't have been easy for Sensei to mobilize one of the US's twelfth-generation ACCs to transport a bunch of students. Besides, once we get inside, the weather out here won't matter."
"Then, do you want to hold my hand? You might feel better~" mused the girl, not waiting for Izuku's response before grasping his hand. And why shouldn't she? After all, she 'was' a member of his harem.
"Thanks, Nejire..." muttered Izuku, squeezing the female member of The Big 3's hand and smiling as she nestled her head against his shoulder and arm. Nezu had arranged for her, Mirio, and Tamaki to accompany him, but they weren't the only ones. Aizawa, a revitalized Gran Torino, and several members of the Nighteye Agency were escorting them and a pair of third-years who were especially adept at underwater combat.
Interrupting Izuku's and Nejire's pensive sea gazing, a ponytailed girl with silvery white hair and stark blue eyes approached them with her hands in the front pockets of her stylish, blue-and-white waterproof jacket, saying, "Oi, the Senseis said to tell you two to come inside. If this storm gets any worse, the ship'll need to submerge."
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Name: [Ginka Samehada]
Title: Fiesty Land Shark(Vit/Dex+50)
Quirk: Rip Tide
Bond Level: 89
Current Level: 59
Effective Level: 110
[Attributes]
Strength: 122
Agility: 100
Vitality: 398
Intelligence: 100
Dexterity: 124
Luck: 261
Free Attributes: 0
[Perks]
[Healthy Body], [Darkvision], [Hyperosmia]
[Skills]
[Bite], [Water Whip], [Water Hammer], [Suffocate]
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Turning to face the girl alongside Izuku, Nejire blinked in surprise as she remarked, "Oh, hey, Samehada-chan. It's unusual to see you without your brother. Did the two of you get into another fight?"
Clicking her tongue, Ginka remarked, "Don't be nosy, Hado-san..." before turning her perpetually grinning, sharp-toothed gaze to Izuku and adding, "But, no, we didn't fight. Genji's in the gym. He gets...restless when we're this far out at sea..."
Removing her hands from her pockets and crossing her arms in a way that highlighted her sizeable bosom, Ginka added, "Anyways, let's head inside. I'd rather not have to fish either of you out of the sea."
Without waiting for Izuku or Nejire to respond, Ginka turned around, the former's eyes drawn to her bluish-white, shark-like tail and voluminous ass, barely contained by a custom blue-and-white diving suit that cut off halfway down her thighs. She also had a grey-blue shark fin between her shoulders, and when she pulled up the hood of her custom-made jacket, it resembled the mouth of a great white.
Feeling a slight pinch at his side, Izuku looked down to find Nejire staring up at him with slightly puffed cheeks. She didn't mind if Izuku decided to pursue Ginka, but she didn't approve of him gawking at another girl's butt when hers was ripe and ready to be plucked.
"You're cute when you're jealous..." mused Izuku, bending down to give Nejire a peck on the lips. Then, hand-in-hand, they made their way into the ship's interior, following a few meters behind Ginka until she stopped and waited for them to catch up, unable to endure the awkward feeling of being tailed as they headed in the same direction...
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"Oi, fish breath! You still in here...!?" shouted Ginka, unable to see her twin's Proximity Marker since her brother had yet to join Izuku's Party. Still, even if she hadn't called out, her brother wasn't exactly difficult to find in the somewhat cramped gym, especially with Mirio standing nearby in a red-white-blue-and-yellow leotard.
"Oh, hey guys...!" exclaimed Mirio, sporting a friendly smile and raising his right hand nearly as robotically as Iida. Next to him, lying on his back with a modified bench that made room for his fin, a shirtless, muscular, 188cm tall youth with grey-blue skin and the literal head of a great white casually bench-pressed over a thousand kilograms of weight.
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Name: [Genji Samehada]
Title: Rugged Land Shark(Vit+100)
Quirk: Great White
Bond Level: 68
Current Level: 59
Effective Level: 101(304)
[Attributes]
Strength: 214(480)
Agility: 37
Vitality: 497(2,216)
Intelligence: 59
Dexterity: 65
Luck: 147
Free Attributes: 165
[Perks]
[Darkvision], [Hyperosmia]
[Skills]
[Bite], [Jaw Vice], [Tackle], [Skull Crack]
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"Where's Tamaki, Kaiba, and Subaru...?" asked Nejire, looking around for the third member of their group and the kitsunes who had accompanied them for the past few weeks. Her own, Keiko, was presently 'possessing' her, but she was a lot closer to her kitsune than Mirio and Tamaki.
"Suneater wasn't feeling well, so he went to the medical bay to see if they had any extra-strength medicine for motion sickness," answered Mirio, his expression paling slightly as he recalled the scene of Tamaki emptying his guts.
While Mirio answered Nejir's question, Ginka drew everyone's gaze as she abruptly stepped on her brother's stomach, nearly causing him to drop his weights. Instead, he racked them before sitting up, his rough skin leaving abrasions on the bench's metal surface.
"You tryna' kill me, chum?" asked Genji, the natural tilt of his shark-like head making it seem like he was looking down on others, but he simply couldn't tilt it any lower.
"As if some puny ass weights could get you to kick the bucket," quipped Ginka, surprising the persons in question by thumbing toward Izuku and Nejire as she said, "Anyway, I'm gonna go grab some grub with our Senpai and Kouhai. If you wanna come with us, hurry and go and wash your rank, fish-smelling ass or play Hide the Zucchini with Mirio-senpai. I'll give you three minutes."
Rolling his eyes, Genji appeared to disregard Ginka's comments but rose to his feet and headed for the shower room. He was 'much' stronger than Ginka, at least physically, but since she was born a few minutes earlier, he got relegated to the position of the younger, subservient sibling.
Turning her ever-grinning gaze to Mirio, Ginka asked, "Well, what are you waiting for, Senpai? You ain't afraid of showering alongside a great white, are ya~?"
"Ahahaha, of course not~!" replied Mirio, striking a heroic, muscular pose as he exclaimed, "A true Hero never discriminates against people based on their physical appearance!" Then, standing normally, he caused Ginka to burst out cackling and Nejire to roll her eyes as he scratched his cheek and asked, "But, what did you mean by hide the zucchini...? I don't believe I've ever heard of such a game."
Restraining her laughter, Ginka gave Mirio a not-so-gentle shove as she said, "Just go take a shower, you dork. And be quick about it...!"
"Then, off I go," replied Mirio, giving a two-fingered salute before jogging toward the showers. In his wake, Ginka couldn't help turning to Izuku and Nejire, questioning, "Are you sure Intelligence improves a person's mental faculties? If so, why is Mirio-senpai still as dumb as a brick?"
Shrugging, Izuku replied, "Having high Intelligence doesn't mean you know more. Without sufficient knowledge and experience, it just makes you dumb faster."
"Guess I'll need to hit the books before end-of-term and college entrance exams," said Ginka, her smile broadening as she added, "Assuming I don't become a Goddess of whatever once this mission is over. If I do, I'll need to change my Hero Name. Maybe something along the lines of Samehajin? Samewatatsumi?"
"I think Shark Girl or Same-chan are cute," said Nejire, but Ginka ignored her, focusing her somewhat predatory eyes on Izuku.
"Since you and your brother are a duo, how about Deep Ocean Levia and Great White Leviathan?" asked Izuku. "They're flashier than your current Hero Names, but Rip Tide Tsunami and King Shark are pretty good as they are."
"Then I'll just keep my current name~" chimed Ginka, delighted that Izuku thought it was good. She was the seventh-ranked member of his fan club, so his opinion meant much more to her than Nejire's, someone she viewed as a rival since they were first-years.
Emerging from the shower room in a modified, dark-blue dive suit and with a gym bag over his shoulder, Genji made his way over to the group and offered a curt, "I'm ready." while 'scowling' down at everyone. Right after him, Mirio emerged in a red-and-white letterman jacket, a maroon-red-and-white striped t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans with folded ankle fabric, tan combat boots, and a brown belt, hand raised as he said, "I'm good to go~!" in a spirited tone.
"Nobody asked," quipped Ginka, but Mirio, as usual, just laughed her off without taking her words to heart. Then, after stopping by the medical bay to ensure Tamaki was still alive, the group of five, six if they included the kitsune possessing Nejire, made their way to the mess deck to enjoy the surprisingly high-quality buffet they had available twenty-four hours a day...
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With the storm outside turning into a tropical storm, the USS Samantha Grey initiated its dive protocol, sinking to a depth of 300m to avoid being battered about or capsized by a rogue wave. As such, Izuku was lying in the bunk of his cabin, clenching and unclenching his fists as he breathed in and out through his nose in long, steadying breaths. He ordinarily didn't have claustrophobia, but being trapped inside a pressurized cylinder deep beneath the ocean's surface left him feeling vulnerable. It didn't help that the world of BNHA had literal sea monsters, ordinary sea critters that had evolved into borderline eldrich monstrosities after awakening Quirks...
*ting* *ting* *ting* *ting*
Hearing the metallic twang of someone knocking on the bulkhead that served as his door, Izuku rose to a seated position, wiped the sweat from his brow, and made his way over to turn the 'dog wheel' that allowed the heavy door to swing open, revealing a nearly 210cm tall man with spiky, off-white hair and sharp brown eyes. A black eye mask adorned his eyes, and his muscular body was garbed in a predominately white bodysuit, a yellow cape, a matching belt with a G-shaped silver buckle, yellow gloves, and oversized yellow boots that, when turned over, had tiny holes in their metallic base.
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Name: [Sorahiko Torino]
Title: Revitalized Sonic Fox(Agi/Vit+50)
Quirk: Jet
Bond Level: 83
Current Level: 94
Effective Level: 141
[Attributes]
Strength: 103
Agility: 293
Vitality: 407
Intelligence: 118
Dexterity: 156
Luck: 338
Free Attributes: 0
[Perks]
[Healthy Body], [Keen Senses], [Spring-Like Legs], [Afterburner]
[Skills]
[Meteor Kick], [Jet Cannon], [Overburst]
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"Hey there, kiddo. Just thought I'd check up on you young'uns to see how you're holding up. Are you doing okay...?" asked the inordinately tall man, Toshinori's mentor and a man fated to be Izuku's, Sorahiko, better known as Gran Torino.
"I've been better," admitted Izuku, smiling wryly. What he didn't expect was for Gran Torino to abruptly hold out a bar of chocolate, stating, "Here, this should help settle your nerves. If it doesn't, well, one of those lasses from your school should be up to the task. Just don't go stir crazy on us."
Exhaling faintly through his nose, Izuku accepted the bar of chocolate and said, "Thanks..." in an uncharacteristically subdued tone. In response, Gran Torino nodded approvingly and gave him a firm clap on the shoulder, but didn't stick around. Not because he wasn't concerned about Izuku but because he didn't want to get in the way as Ginka poked her head around the corner, asking, "You good, chum?" with her usual toothy grin.
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(A/N: Shark, shaaaaaa (O,.....,O)...!)
