MHA : Evolving : Chapter 15

' Kaminari '

Teeth grit and eyes blazing with determination, Kaminari held out both of his hands as he sat alone in his room. Ever since the Police had returned him home, the school notifying everyone that classes were cancelled for the rest of the week to resume Monday, Kaminari had only left to eat and use the restroom.

All of his attention during every waking moment absorbed by the task he had set himself to.

"Come on." Kaminari ground out, his left hand sparking and dancing with the electricity of his quirk while his right hand trembled as he struggled to do something he'd never tried before.

"You're my power so obey me damnit!" after a few more moments, Kaminari let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, his power fading away at yet another failed attempt to be able to absorb electricity, specifically his own.

"There has to be something I'm missing." Kaminari's leg bounced, his entire body filled with restless energy as he once again started looking through the internet for anything about how regular electricity or the few tips other electricity quirk users would post online.

Due to a fear of villains and using any quirk training advice online it was hard to find, most if any quirk training only being done in person by other people which made his situation all that much harder.

Leaning back in his desk chair with a sigh, Kaminari took a sniff before wincing, deciding that he probably should at least add showering to the things he did besides training before classes resumed. The smell was probably just making concentration harder anyway.

When he finally went down to dinner, hair still damp from the shower, he saw the relief on his parents faces. Had him working as hard had really worried them that much? "Hey Sweetie." His mom smiled, setting a plate for him at the table as he sat down, "Still training?"

"I have to." Kaminari's knuckles turned white as he gripped his fork, "I…after the USJ I can't…not again." As much as he'd been studying more the past few days, he still wasn't the best at putting his intent into words at times.

"Well, your mother and I saw how seriously you've been taking this so." His father gave him a proud nod "And I managed to get something for you.

I spoke to the police who looked into the incident and from the reports this was yours right?" His father pulled up a bag and set the aluminum chain from the USJ on the table by Kaminari's spot. Seeing his reflection in the gleaming metal, the police having apparently cleaned it before returning it to his father, Kaminari trembled.

He smelt Midoriya's burning flesh again. He heard the screams of pain from both Midoriya and the villains. Saw the flashes of blinding light form his quirk being unleashed.

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" Kaminari lashed out, sending the chain flying from the table as he fell from his chair, scrambling back against the wall, eyes wide and breaths shaking.

His parents rushed over, trying to comfort him as he shook with shallow frantic breaths, reliving the USJ again, reliving his failures again. He didn't need that chain, he didn't need more ways to cause pain, didn't need to make his quirk 'stronger'.

What he needed more than anything else, was control.

...

' Yayorozu '

Fingers steepled, Yayorozu poured over her records of what had transpired at the USJ, over the models of the event she'd made. Simulation after simulation, idea after idea, all trying to figure out how she could have possibly done better. How she could have helped without…without Midoriya getting…

Taking a forceful bite of food, Yayorozu forced it down, along with the feelings that she might not be good enough for the UA hero track. What help had she really been at the USJ? In the lake all she had done was make a chain.

Kaminari was the one who'd actually used it, had figured out how much power to put through and subdued the horde of villains that had aimed to kill them. Asui had saved her and Kaminari from the initial fall in the lake and then gotten them to shore.

She was the Class President! She was supposed to protect her classmates, to lead them!

"Miss Yayorozu." The anxious voice of a maid called out as they brought another meal to her, her room littered with various items she'd created using her quirk, franticly working to improve the speed and complexity of her creations "I brought your food. Are you sure you don't need rest young miss?"

"I don't need rest." Yayorozu forced down the food as the prismatic glow shone from her skin once again "I need to get better! I can't be useless again!" she had a responsibility to her class, and a debt to repay to Midoriya for what she had done, no matter what it took to repay.

-Mina-

Breathing hard, Mina ran through the USJ, tears running down her face as she went. She passed blood, broken stone, shattered tree and glass.

All around she could hear the terrified screams of her classmates and teachers but couldn't find any of them, only the villains here to kill everyone.

Said villains would swipe and paw at her whenever she came close, driving and corralling her towards the plaza central where she could see the villain covered in severed hands sitting on Aizawa's mangled but still living body while the giant black monstrosity continued to rain blow after blow upon a staggering Midoriya.

"No!" Mina screamed, seeing the only classmate she'd managed to come across being beaten down, "No!" she ran, desperate to help, "NO!" acid surged from her in quantities she'd never before achieved, rocketing like a geyser from her arms, legs, and torso at the giant black beast.

None of it made it.

A black misty portal appeared in the way, sucking up her acid as numerous gates opened throughout the USJ, acid rain falling down over everyone but herself, the mist villain, the hand villain, and the black beast. She heard the screams of agony from her friends, her teachers, and even the villains.

She saw Midoriya, one of her best friends, melting before her eyes, Mina's acid eating away at his body as she was forced to watch, unable to stop the acid from rushing out, her body growing weaker and weaker as the torrent continued. All while that fucking hand covered villain laughed like a psychopath.

And then she awoke.

Screams echoed throughout her bedroom, it took a few moments for Mina to realize the screams were her own as lights blared to life throughout the house and those nearby. "Mina?!" her father burst through the door, eyes so much like her own wide and frantic.

"What's wrong?!" Shaking, Mina clutched onto her father, sobbing as the memory of the nightmare, only the latest of many, replayed through her mind. In the doorway she saw her mother observe them in concern before moving to go calm any frantic neighbors awoken by her terrified screaming.

...

' Endeavor '

Rubbing the back of his neck, Endeavor entered his home after another long day of patrols, his body barely through the front door when his elder surviving son, Natsuo, grabbing the front of his hero Uniform snarling.

"Are you fucking happy you bastard?!" his son, one he knew despised him, shouted with eyes wide and full of angry tears "So desperate to make Shoto use his fire you make him terrified of mom's ice?!"

"What are you talking about?" Endeavor demanded; eyes boring into his elder son's while Fuyumi wrung her hands nervously. Thinking about recent events, Endeavor deduced what the likely situation was and removed Natsuo's hands "Where is Shoto?"

"T-training room." Fuyumi gulped nervously as Endeavor strode past her and her brother, Natsuo still glaring angrily. Getting to the dojo, Endeavor saw his son backed against the wall and shaking, very few pieces of ice in the room, and ones far sloppier than he knew his youngest was capable of creating.

"Here to gloat?" Shoto panted, frost scaling up and down his son's right side.

"What happened?" Endeavor didn't rise to the bait, falling into a routine that, while familiar to him, would be unfamiliar to any of his children, "Walk me through the event."

"What do you care?" Shoto looked confused but quickly snapped back to his usual vitriol.

"You're afraid of your own power Shoto and that's dangerous, both for you and everyone around you." Endeavor's tone was firm, broking no argument "Now tell me what happened."

Shoto looked suspicious but relented, likely as there was no mention of flame anywhere "At the USJ. I used my ice to subdue the villains in the area I first landed in without issue. When I went to the plaza, I saw a classmate fighting the largest of the thugs and was losing ground.

I…I sent ice spikes to impale parts of the villain and slow it down, but a portal appeared in their way, the spikes hitting my classmate along with attacks from others in 1-A." Shoto shook, looking close to throwing up "My spikes impaled him, shredded off one of his feet and ankles and perforated his torso. I saw blood…so much blood."

"And now whenever you use your ice, you see that event again, saw what you did to a comrade." Endeavor rose up, observing his son intently before continuing "Do you wish to be removed from the Hero track?"

"W-what?!" Shoto reeled back before narrowing his eyes in suspicion "What about your 'great creation'? You've been pushing me to be a hero since I can remember."

"You stated you wished to be a hero." Endeavor stared him back dead in the eye "So I trained you as you never stated that was no longer the case. Natsuo and Fuyumi did not wish to be heroes, so I did not train them.

Toya…Toya wished to be a hero, but I begged him to take another path." Endeavor forced back the memories of his eldest child's death "You may complain at my training methods but at least I gave you and your siblings a choice, mine didn't."

"What?" Shoto blinked confused as Endeavor realized he'd never really discussed his family history with any of his children.

"Our ancestor was one of the first Professional Heroes of Japan Shoto, our line being the first to ever show a fire Quirk." Endeavor realized he was giving the same lecture, near word for word, that his father had given to him as a boy.

"Our family have had prominent Heroes in the service of Japan ever since, always high-ranking members of Japan's Defenders."

"You said you had siblings." Shoto frowned, likely at the fact that the boy had never met any relatives outside of those who lived in this house at some point.

"Had siblings." Endeavor's fire bears flickered out for a moment before he regained control of himself "I was the youngest of seven. Four died before reaching the age to attend UA and one died in their second year during their work study."

"…And the last?" Shoto studied him, the boy possibly looking for any signs of dishonesty.

"Was born quirkless and my parents threw him out into the streets the moment he was of age. He was found dead a week later."

Endeavor clenched his fist as he remembered his favorite elder brother, "They gave none of us a choice which killed my siblings. I would not do the same. So, I trained you as you said you wished to be a hero. If that is no longer the case, then I will pull you out."

"I WILL be a Hero!" Shoto snarled, eyes blazing with defiance.

"Then get up, it's time to train." Endeavor melted the ice already in the room easily.

"I won't use my flames." Shoto showed he still was more than a little defiant.

"We're training your ice." Endeavor looked Shoto in the eye "That is the issue right now.

You fear causing injury or death when you don't intend to. So, you must improve your ability to restrain and detain without any injury dealt."

He raised his body temperature "Fire your ice at me, restrain me even through my heat cloak.

Or is your statement that you'll be a hero all talk?!" Shoto's response was a rapid rush of ice hurtling at Endeavor, melting upon contact with his skin. "Keep going Shoto." Endeavor didn't even bat an eye as another wave came, Shoto seeming much more determined with him as a target.

He'd helped dozens upon dozens of sidekicks through this same issue that near every pro hero went through at some point, he just hadn't expected to have to help his own child with it so soon.

...

' Aizawa '

Standing in front of his class, covered in bandages but mostly mobile, Aizawa looked around at the nineteen students already here. He could see bags under eyes from lack of sleep. He could see they were somewhat thinner from fewer meals. He could see trauma, fear, rage, and determination. Although in the case of one purple haired student it was more desperation.

The thought filled him with displeasure as he remembered the reports that the police had taken from the incident about Mineta's actions. Aizawa had been prepared to expel him on the spot but had been overruled by the hero Commission of all people.

The commission stated that the traumatic experience of the USJ made it extenuating circumstances and that Mineta was to be given another chance, that they didn't want to throw away a potential pro hero who's quirk was perfect for restraining villains without worry of high-cost collateral damage. So, they'd been forced to give Mineta an ultimatum.

That he must both impress them and show he deserved to be in the Hero track by the end of the Sports festival if he wished to remain. Whether the boy figured the meaning of made the same mistakes most everyone who'd gotten that ultimatum did was not of any consequences to him. He was just about to begin, regardless of Midoriya's lack of presence, when the door slid open.

"Sorry I'm late sir, train got delayed and my phone was destroyed at the USJ, haven't had a chance to get a new one yet." Stepping through he saw Midoriya looking fresh faced and whole. No bags under his eyes, no gaunt features from lack of food, no shaken fear from the incident.

"Midori!" Mina rushed, grasping him with wide eyed desperation as she felt and saw all four limbs were perfect there and whole.

"I…but…my acid…how?!" the others from the incident, as well as young Kirishima and Ururaka, were rushing to the boy as well and just as confused.

"I told you, I heal." Midoriya smiled "With Recovery Girl's help it didn't even take the full twenty-four hours like I expected." Mina started sobbing as she clutched Midoriya's shirt, babbling out apology after apology for her quirk hurting him like it had. Midoriya's response chilled Aizawa to the bone.

"It's no big deal Mina, you didn't mean to him me." Midoriya smiled with warm forgiveness at his friends and classmates at that, showing little care for himself, for his health.

Or potentially even his life. Easy forgiveness, and signs that the boy wasn't crippled, would likely help in the mental recovery of his classmates but now Aizawa had a bigger concern. Midoriya's mental state was not healthy, and he wasn't sure how to fix it.

...

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