10

Chapter 10: Gym Time – Part IIISummary:

Quirk Analysis of:

Tenya Ida - [Engine]

Fumikage Tokoyami - [Dark Shadow]

Mezo Shoji - [Dupli-Arms]

Minoru Mineta - [Pop Off]

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Wow Green, are you planning on bringing in the whole class someday?" Kyoka asked, raising her eyebrows at the sight of the greenette entering together with Minoru, Mezo and Fumikage.

He looked at her as if the answer should have been obvious. "Yep, that's exactly it. Didn't I make that clear the first day?"

"To be fair, most of us thought you were not being serious," Momo pointed out, not taking her eyes off the little ball-headed guy. She looked a bit doubtful, as if she couldn't believe that Minoru had not looked towards her since entering. Luckily for her and the other girls, she wasn't mistaken, nor had her imagination played a trick on her.

Tenya nodded strongly. "Indeed, Midoriya. I too thought you were just jesting."

"Well, I never joke around about training. So, Tokoyami, Shoji, Mineta, would you mind if I help Ida first? He's been waiting since last time."

"Fine with me," Minoru replied, nodding along.

One of the taller teen's tentacles turned into a smiling mouth. "Don't mind at all."

"Who is last shall be first," Fumikage proclaimed, with [Dark Shadow] making her own "Yeah, break a leg!" comment.

- Awkward encouragement for a speed Quirk. -

"Thank you." Izuku moved forward, taking note of Cementoss off to the side, sitting on a newly made cement chair and reading a novel. His eyes would be darting around to inspect them soon enough.

"So, Ida, I've got a general idea of your Quirk, but I've got some questions for you."

The student made his typical chopping motion. "I'll answer to the best of my ability then. Go on."

Izuku nodded, starting his inquiry. "I heard you mention gears, which I imagine are similar to those you could find on cars and such. How many do you have and what are their limits?"

"I have managed to access four gears up to this point, but I do feel like there are more since my brother's limit is six. I feel comfortable using up to the third gear, as the fourth one burns through a great deal of my reserves and heats up my engines significantly in a short time. It also requires me to warm up for a longer distance, as I can't start directly at higher gears."

- Not starting cold, you can't. -

"Got it. I'd suggest warming up before moving by stretching a bit. I'll teach you some movements, and we'll see if that does it for you. Next, I've seen you drink a lot of orange juice during lunch hour. Is that a Quirk requirement or just a personal preference?"

Ida brightened up with surprise. "You're very observant. Yes, orange juice is the perfect fuel for my Quirk. It's sort of a family requirement. My brother prefers grape juice, but I digress."

- Not so "perfect" really. You'll be exhausting your stomach too early this way. Food intolerance would break you apart. -

"I see. I imagine you would have tried many juices, but I suggest adding other types to your diet. Orange juice is rich in sugar, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium, so those are probably the main components your Quirk requires. Don't limit yourself to a single option, since your stomach may grow to shun something with age even if your Quirk requires it. Better keep your options open."

Tenya took notes, like the good student he was. "That is something I hadn't thought about, but it is a risk I'd rather avoid. I'll be sure to experiment then."

"Perfect," Izuku moved forward, going to the middle of the room. "Now, I think that what you should be trying to do is learn to acclimate to both very long stretches of low power and very short burst of high power." He pointed towards his friend's legs. "Your engines must grow accustomed to suffering great changes in temperature. The greater a temperature change you can endure, the faster you can warm up your engines. Still, that's something that's best trained by yourself. What I can help you with now is reducing your reaction time. Your mind should outpace your legs, not just keep up with them."

Izuku hid his hands behind his back, turning to face Tenya. "I'll now raise some paper tags with numbers on them while you run in circles around me. Try to read them as fast as possible. Yaoyorozu, could you keep track with a stopwatch?"

The girl nodded, preparing herself to keep up with the exercise.

Tenya concentrated as his legs started running, looking for the tiniest movement of the greenette's arms and shouting his answer each time. "3! 7! 4! 8! 5!"

"Too slow! Don't follow the arm! Think about where the tag will turn!"

"9! 3! 6! 7! 1!"

"You're wasting time on numbers that look similar! Follow you gut!"

"2! 4! 5! 3! 8!"

"Wrong! 3 again! You can't miss details either!"

Five minutes later, seeing his friend noticeably slowing down, Izuku ended the exercise. "Alright, let's take a break, rest your eyes a little. How did he do, Yaoyorozu?"

"There is some progress," she admitted, "he cut some milliseconds as the exercise progressed."

Looking at the numbers, he nodded, content with the result. "Not bad for your first time, Ida."

"That was intense, Green," Kyoka said, squinting her eyes.

"It was hard to follow and we weren't even running," Ochaco added, blinking a couple of times.

"It took a bit for me too," Mezo admitted, despite having half of his tentacles turned into eyes.

"I don't think I could have kept up," Minoru admitted.

"It's good training though," he shrugged as he walked closer to the bluenette. "Are you alright? I remember how much my head hurt after the first time."

"Thank you, but I'm fine," the taller teen rubbed his eyes while keeping his glasses off. "I had never thought about it, but it is true that I may encounter difficulties while moving at my top speed."

- Man, if I had a penny for every time that I watched you miss a turn or try and fail to stop, I'd be rich, - Izuku thought, chuckling inside.

"You'll get better, I'm sure of it," he replied kindly before moving on with his last question. "Though, sorry, I have one more question... Are your engines made completely of metal, or are they partially bone?"

"I believe them to be a mixture," Tenya replied. "My whole legs are a system quite different from your typical ones, starting from their reinforced bone structure. My family gets born with the Quirk, even if it only activates at the proper age."

Izuku made a show of looking thoughtful, knowing that the whole group was watching and expecting something weird. "Good... Ok, this may sound a bit out of nowhere but... Ida, have you ever thought of replacing or removing your mufflers?"

"What?!" a shout came from the girls' side.

"But wouldn't that be like breaking apart his Quirk?" Ochaco muttered, somewhat scared.

"I also think that may be a bit excessive," Momo confirmed.

"I must admit the thought never crossed my mind. What brought forth this line of inquiry, Midoriya?" Tenya looked more uncertain than angry, as he was still partially curious of his friend's motives.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I don't know a whole lot about car engines and such, so mine is only a theory, but I've heard of a process called 'muffler delete,' which means removing the muffler from the exhaust system and replacing it with a pipe. In older vehicles removing the muffler helped boost horsepower, though in current cars the change in less drastic and is mainly about volume."

"You can hear a lot of motorcycles making a mess in some parts of town," Kyoka said, rolling her jacks around her fingers. "I don't know about performances, but the sound becomes loud as heck."

"And you believe that the same process could be applied to Ida's engines?" Momo inquired, now curious.

He gave a non-committal shrug. "It's just a feeling I got, since his look kind of 'retro.' Maybe it's nothing, but you could ask your folks if it's something you could do. Who knows, maybe they are waiting to tell you until you're older."

- And hopefully that will get you the big family secret without Tensei having to lose his career. -

He couldn't save them all, but he could nudge them in the right direction.

"I do not know if it is possible, but it won't hurt to ask. Though, by increasing the noise I produce, I would be giving up most of my stealth capabilities."

"Dude, it's not like you're gonna be a featherweight in that armor of yours," Kyoka pointed out.

"She's kind of right, Ida," Ochaco agreed, "you're going for speed rather than stealth anyway."

"You're not aiming to be an Underground Hero, right?" Izuku sealed the deal. "If it helps empower you so that in turn you could help others more efficiently, it may be worth a try."

"Indeed," the bluenette confirmed. "I'll be looking into it. Thank you, Midoriya."

"You're welcome!" Izuku turned towards the remaining three "untrained" classmates. "Who wants to go next?"

Minoru made a gesture, giving precedence to Fumikage, and the bird-headed boy accepted with a nod and a thanks. Mezo was just standing on the side.

"We're not going last!" [Dark Shadow] spoke up, cackling.

"You sure aren't," Izuku replied with a smirk, raising a hand for the Quirk to high-five him, which they did with passion.

"M-Midoriya looks very at ease with it," Koji whispered, making Kyoka turn his way.

"I think he really is. Why, does it scare you?"

Koji fidgeted with his fingers which was something she would understand very well given her own habits. "N-No, he's nice... B-But [Dark S-Shadow] is a bit..."

"Too much?" One of Mezo's mouths whispered, making the animal-speaker jump for the surprise before he could nod.

"The m-mice were v-very scared when it grew bigger than this."

- And you haven't seen him in a pitch-black room... that was a nightmare waiting to happen. -

"So, Tokoyami and [Dark Shadow], I'll admit I haven't seen that many sentient Quirks before so I'm kinda in the dark about this."

- Unless having a Quirk haunted by its previous users' ghosts counts. -

"It does. Now get to the interesting part," Banjo replied for the rest of them, but Izuku could hear a couple of sighs, probably from Nana and Yoichi.

"I've got a few things in mind, so I'm willing to experiment a bit if you are," he proposed, knowing well how that would capture the Quirk's attention.

"Ha! Fumi, I like this one. He's daring," the Quirk laughed.

Fumikage nodded. "We're willing, as long as it's nothing too dangerous."

"Of course. First, a question: Do you have to speak to communicate, or can you exchange sensations, talk telepathically, or do some other kind of thing?"

"We are able to speak into one another's minds," Fumikage confirmed.

"Well, that's handy and definitely a boon. So, I've seen you fight, and I don't have many pointers about that, apart from suggesting some kind of martial art or training to synchronize your moves better," Izuku started, remembering his classmate's combat trial. "I've gathered that light makes [Dark Shadow] weaker, and that's a key problem we'll need to solve. However, it's intrinsic to your Quirk, so let's leave it for later. What's important now is the weakness you've showed every time, even if you two may not have noticed it."

"Every time? As in, even when I'm strong?" The Quirk's tone made it very clear it didn't like being judged weak.

[Dark Shadow] was Fumikage's life companion, personal guardian and best friend, despite their different personalities. The Quirk had always reminded Izuku of a dog, more than a bird. Mostly because, as a being that thrived on emotions, he could sense and act on fear.

All he needed to do was hold his head up and keep eye contact. "Yes, [Dark Shadow], even then. Every time you move away to attack, you're leaving Tokoyami wide open. Of course, you may think that he should be able to take care of himself for that brief period, but the fact that he's weaker without your direct aid is undeniable." The greenette crossed his arms as he explained. "Also what would happen if [Dark Shadow] was trapped by some unknown Quirk? Or if a sudden burst of light made it unable to come back and defend you in time? Your mid-range combat ability is good, but your close-range is lacking."

Fumikage took the criticism in stride, nodding along without complaining. "What do you propose we should do then? Making my body stronger to cover the weakness would require time."

"It would, but you've got a cheating method right there. You just haven't thought of it yet," Izuku grinned, looking up to the Quirk. "[Dark Shadow], can you change your form? If so, are you limited to your current size?"

It grinned back. "Yeah, I can, and I can get bigger than this when I want to."

"Then try this. Put your form over Tokoyami's, as if you were a jacket he's wearing. Circle once between his legs to find a stable hold, then once again around his torso, and then use your limbs to cover his. Your head can go over his like a helmet, connected from a side or the back, to cover his blind spots."

The Quirk and their host looked at each other, one smiling wickedly, the other nodding in assent.

Beneath half-a-dozen studying gazes, the entity whirled around its master, letting itself be worn like armor. By the end of the process, Fumikage's body was clad by the shadowy vest, making him much, much more intimidating.

Poor Koji wasn't the only one gulping.

"Not bad," Izuku said, letting out crackling green energy. "How about a friendly duel?"

Fumikage's eyes gleamed at the proposal. "It would be my pleasure. I'm not one to cower from a challenge issued courteously."

"Let's kick his ass, Fumi!" the Quirk barked as its master jumped forward, making the first move.

Izuku dodged both of their hands, making them miss the grab by a wide margin. Still on defense, he parried another blow by raising a knee to intercept it, jumping back to create some distance.

"You're doing better, but you're still thinking and fighting like a normal person! You're two in one, fight like it! Communicate!" Izuku chided the duo, going on the offensive.

His first attack, a left hook, was blocked and swatted away. Another blow, a straight punch, brought the bird-headed boy to cross his arms on his chest to try and stop it, which he did successfully.

The greenette kept grinning, attacking and advising. "Did that hurt as much as it should have, or did [Dark Shadow] shield you from the pain? If so, start risking a little!"

The Quirk screeched instead of its host. Fumikage lunged and, as his fist shot forward, so did [Dark Shadow]'s claw. Izuku raised his power and moved faster, barely avoiding the sharp tips. To prove a point he kept going, pivoting and hitting that same arm where it was devoid of protection.

"Good! Follow Tokoyami's attacks with your own, but don't forget to keep him covered!"

The Quirk answered with a low growl, enveloping Fumikage's form more tightly while Izuku concentrated on speed, looking for every blind spot he could find. He didn't hit the boy, only touching to let him know where he was more vulnerable before retreating and staying on the move.

"Keep up, try to catch me! You've got four eyes, use them!"

Fumikage's eyes kept darting around, as did [Dark Shadow]'s yellow glowing slits. It took them a couple of minutes to start getting used to "sharing" their vision, but the progress was astounding.

Seeing their eyes focus and reach the point of following him, he went for a blow to the back of the head, but it was caught before it could reach its mark. His fist was blocked between the back of Fumikage's right hand and the palm of [Dark Shadow]'s claws.

Izuku smiled as they let go, the Quirk releasing its hold and reappearing on the teen's side.

"Will you name those techniques?"

The bird-headed boy didn't think for long. "Black Abyss, Piercing Twilight Claws, Demonic Eyes."

Some feet away, Kyoka's smirk grew, and even Mezo's mouth grinned widely.

"Your naming sense is terrible, Tokoyami," the purple-haired girl snickered.

"You tell me," the Quirk lamented, "I'm the one stuck listening to him all day."

"Shush, you," the teen reprimanded, his cheeks' feathers vibrating a bit.

"That was amazing, Tokoyami! And very cool to watch," Ochaco offered her support.

"An effective way of covering your weakness, I'm impressed," Tenya approved.

"V-Very cool, y-yes," even Koji smiled, receiving a wider one from the Quirk.

"You may need some more time to get used to it and iron out the kinks, but I hope this works for now."

Fumikage showed one of his rare smiles of appreciation. "It does. We thank you for your teaching, Midoriya. I recognize you as a fellow Shadow Master from today onwards."

- Eh, and I haven't even showed him Black Whip yet... -

"T-thank you, Tokoyami."

"Don't sweat it! You're ok in my book now!" [Dark Shadow] offered before starting to pull his master's arms. "Come on Fumi, we can't hog him forever! I want to see what else he'll do!"

Nodding to appease the Quirk, the boy stepped back into the group, leaving his place to Mezo, as Minoru seemed to prefer going last.

"Ok, Shoji, your Quirk allows you to transform your tentacle-like appendages into other parts of your body. I've seen you use your copied ears to listen from a long distance in the battle trial, which normally wouldn't be feasible. Are your replicated sensory organs identical to your own or are they better? Or are your senses just overall better than average?"

Forming a mouth from a tentacle, the bigger teen answered. "The copies are stronger; I can see, hear, taste and smell better. Touch is also improved, but I haven't found it very useful. Mostly it just means that I feel greater pain when being hit there."

"Mm, I thought so, there must be too many nerves bundled up under there," Izuku mused while taking a closer look. "What's the biggest part you can replicate? An arm? A torso?"

"I cannot replicate a full torso, no," Mezo shook his head. "Arms and legs are the highest point I can reach. I can also duplicate the copying buds themselves, so my tentacles can grow to some meters in length." He showed the Quirk growing up to resemble a long whip with the thickness of an arm.

"Oh, that's cool. A greater range opens a lot of doors, from grabbing to lashing. But there's something else we should check. We'll need a weight scale."

With the object produced and placed on the ground, Izuku directed the teen to stand on it. The display read "104 Kg" in bright red numbers.

"Now try and create as many limbs as you can muster."

Complying, the tall teen broadened his shoulders and started multiplying his parts. In a few seconds he resembled a thousand-armed god.

"That's my maximum," a mouth mumbled as Mezo's whole body trembled because of the unstable position.

Smiling at the impressive display, Izuku looked down at the measured weight again. "The number hasn't changed one bit. It's still 104."

"Wait, did it break under the strain?" Ochaco asked, wondering how the towering figure could weigh as much as the boy's typical one.

"In that case we would have seen an error or the maximum number," Momo countered, sure of her creation's sturdiness. "No, it's working just fine."

"But how is that possible? Shoji's grown to at least twice his normal size," Tenya wondered, a hand on his chin.

"You're confusing volume and mass," Izuku explained, signaling to the boy to undo his transformation. "When Shoji duplicates, he's increasing his volume, but that doesn't change his intrinsic mass. Since we know that those arms aren't weightless, it's probable that his whole mass is getting moved around each time he duplicates something."

"Mm, I think I get it," Mezo nodded his head, crossing his front arms. "But what does that imply?"

"That you could play around with how your weight affects your hits if you can manage to control how the process works," Izuku said, taking a second to start an illustrative drawing. "Typically, you'd punch with the sole weight of your arm and that's it. That's how I and almost everybody else does it. You, though, can create more arms and use them as well. Of course, that doesn't mean that the total weight behind them is suddenly double, triple, or more. Since the mass is moving around to fill the new empty limbs, you get just a bit less weight behind each hit. Not enough to matter in the short run, but it would probably make you less and less dense as you continue."

"But isn't that bad?" Kyoka asked. "The more he makes, the less effective each of them is."

"It's a diminishing return," Momo nodded.

"If you were to consider each punch individually, you would be right. But Shoji can punch with everything he's got every time. Think about it: He's moving mass from his torso and legs, which he isn't using, and putting it into his arms and increasing the weight of his hits. Seems like an improvement to me."

"You're not wrong," the subject in question agreed, "but that's something I'm doing subconsciously already."

"Yes, but I think that you could try and alter the process. Perhaps you could try and visualize what you duplicate as heavier or lighter to manipulate your Quirk. And, if that still doesn't work, you should try and use legs instead of arms." Izuku let Full Cowl lighten up, showing a punch first, and a kick second. The difference is the sound produced and air moved was remarkable. "Legs can hit way stronger, so if you don't need to grab anything they would be better. Plus, imagine the surprise on a criminal's face when he's kicked thrice in a single move."

- Or getting hit by a backhand with the weight of a wall of bricks behind it. -

The boy nodded, raising a dupli-arm and concentrating deeply on the copying process. It took him a good ten minutes to come up with something different from the rest, having called and canceled a good thousands of arms in the meantime.

"I think I got it. This one feels slightly heavier..." The giant swung the arm around.

"We've got to try it out then," Izuku offered a couple of the same dynamometers they'd used on the first day with Aizawa. "One per hand. If I'm right, more mass should translate to more muscles and thus more strength."

Shoji gripped the handles with all his might, stopping after a few seconds to see the results. As predicted, the custom-made heavier arm had scored slightly higher than his normal one.

Izuku grinned and patted the other's back as he looked from under his shoulder. "Just as predicted! Great job, Shoji!"

A tentacle-mouth turned his way with a grin. "No, thank you, Midoriya. It's not easy, but I can't wait to improve of this technique."

"Wow, I wish my lobes could get stronger like that," Kyoka clicked her tongue, holding in a sigh.

"Come on, you're doing fine already!" Ochaco interrupted her self-deprecating muttering by squeezing her arm.

"He would be an interesting foe to challenge," Fumikage mused, probably thinking about a contest between his newfound power and Mezo's.

"A commendable effort!" Tenya rejoiced as the giant teen rejoined their ranks, making space for Minoru.

Izuku smiled widely to welcome the student. "Last but not least, come on. I'm very interested in what you could offer."

"Thanks, I'll try my best," the smaller boy stepped forward, never taking his eyes away from Izuku.

"Alright then. Your... [Pop Off], was it? You can take off those purple balls, which are very sticky to the point of being unremovable and use them in a variety of ways. They regrow just as they are plucked off. You're the only one who can't get stuck on them, as you just bounce off them instead. Missed anything?"

"Just my limit. If I take too many too fast I'll start to bleed from my head," Minoru added while showing the balls' properties and passing one to the greenette.

"Mm, ok. Do you know what those things are made of?"

Mineta nodded. "My parents had them analyzed a while back, though it wasn't easy as they kept getting stuck everywhere. They are similar to hair in a way, as they're a biomaterial made mostly out of protein. The composition changes slightly as the stickiness wears off, which the doctors though was a result of a component drying out slowly. We couldn't identify it though because, again, the stickiness made it super hard and nobody wanted their instruments ruined," the boy explained, ending with a sigh. 

It was good to know that the boy had come prepared. The little guy may have seemed a pushover when compared to others possessing more intimidating Quirks, but Minoru's intellect and adaptability made him a good ally.

After he managed to deal with his problems, that is.

Izuku showed a thoughtful look before snapping his fingers. "It's your blood, isn't it? That's what makes them sticky."

The boy and the others raised their collective eyebrows at the idea.

"Come on guys, think about it," Izuku went, gesturing with a ball which wouldn't leave his hand. "If his limit was just 'how fresh they are', why wouldn't it start as soon as they're regenerated, instead of when he takes them off? There must be a tiny trickle of blood flowing to your Quirk as long as they're connected to your head, which may also be the reason you bleed when you remove too many of the balls too quickly; the veins can't connect to the new balls before you remove them, so some blood spills out. Which may also mean that the balls on your head are just a system provided by your Quirk to use your blood without cutting yourself open. It's possible that your Quirk's key component is in your blood flow, and it could be found with a specific exam. We should ask Recovery Girl later."

"Wait wait wait!" Minoru raised his hands, interrupting his fast muttering. The teen was looking at Izuku as if he'd said the most absurd thing in the world (which, in context, he probably had), and he was fast in taking off the ball in his hand in a swift move. "I've bled before, you know? I've never gotten stuck to anything then!"

Izuku smiled, seizing the opportunity. "Precisely! Isn't that what your Quirk does? It's sticky for everything else, but not for you, which makes sense. Imagine having your blood becoming sticky inside your veins, ugh."

"Too graphic, Green," Kyoka shook her head, pointing with a jack towards the other girls and Koji, who hadn't liked the image. Fumikage seemed to enjoy it though.

He bowed sheepishly. "Sorry guys. Anyway, I imagine it would have been easy to mistake your blood sticking to some surfaces as something normal, since it does that when becoming stale. And you, of course, wouldn't be stuck to anything, since you're immune to the effect." The greenette clicked his tongue, before going forward with his plan. "What we should try is applying some of it to something else. I'll volunteer, of course. See if you can get my hands stuck together."

The other didn't look half as cheerful as he usually did. Which, given Minoru's already pessimistic nature, meant not at all.

Minoru blinked twice, still weirdly trying to avoid his gaze. "You're weirder than I thought, Midoriya..." He looked down, crossing his arms and letting himself fall to the ground with a thud.

Izuku hated this part. Seeing any member of his family suffer made his heart twist and stutter.

" It's your fault... " the voice called, now closer and closer.

- Shut it. He can do it. I know he can. -

Izuku turned his head a bit. "Jiro, plug your ears, please. Mezo, no ears."

The girl seemed taken aback for a second before complying, taking a couple of soundproofing headphones from Momo and hiding their jacks inside. The tall boy nodded, letting his extra appendages fade and covering his own with his hands. The group took a step back, but kept looking, wondering what was happening.

He got down on one knee, getting as close as he knew the other was comfortable with.

The ball-haired boy was gritting his teeth, trying his best to keep his eyes from watering. "It's just my luck, you know? I hate the sight of blood, and now you say that's my real Quirk? It's one thing after the other today, isn't it? Damn it," he spoke with a broken voice.

The others stood in silence, unsure about butting in. They didn't need to. Izuku had this.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Mineta. I'm not going to force you, and I would never make the choice for you. We still have a lot of time before we graduate, and even then, your Quirk works fine just as is. It's an amazing, versatile Quirk. All I'm offering is a possibility for something more." He was practically whispering, since this was a conversation for the two of them only. "I've told you before, we will deal with it together before the time comes. Would you trust me?"

He extended his hand, waiting for the other to take it. They passed a few seconds in silence, letting it talk for them.

"Ok. I trust you, Midoriya." The smaller teen sniffled, taking a minute to put himself back into an acceptable condition and take the offer. "I'll do it for science. But if I'm bleeding for nothing, you'll owe me one."

"Then I really hope I'm right about it," he joked to lighten the tension as he brought them both to their feet. "And it's alright to do it for yourself too. It's fine to be a bit selfish, from time to time, as long as you respect others' boundaries."

Minoru did look a guilty at that, but his nod was genuine. He was already getting better.

Izuku turned. "Momo, would you be so kind as to make us a sharp scalpel and some disinfectant and sterile gauze?"

"Y-Yeah," the girl came out of the trance that had gotten the group. "But I'd wait until the cut is made to keep the last two clean."

"Fair enough," he agreed, taking the small instrument in his hand and turning back to his classmate. "Do you want to do it, or should I?"

Minoru thought about it for a second. "I don't think my hands will be steady. You can do it."

Izuku nodded, proceeding by cutting a small incision over the boy's thumb and letting some drops trickle on his own palms. He pressed them together under the group's curious stares, then tried his hardest to detach them to no avail. They were stuck as if he'd used a ton of superglue.

"Well, this feels weird," he laughed, showing off the result.

"No way!" Ochaco covered her open mouth with her hands.

"The power resides in the blood," Fumikage commented in his eerie tone.

"Oh my god," Minoru's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh my god! It worked!"

"Yep," Izuku popped the word while still trying his best, even using Full Cowl. "I can't move them an inch even now."

"It's strong enough to withstand that kind of force, incredible." Momo took a closer look while putting the gauze on the small wound.

Even Tenya joined the jubilation. "It's a marvelous discovery! Congratulations, Mineta!"

On the side, Cementoss was still sitting, keeping the book up to hide his utter astonishment.

"M-Midoriya, I d-don't know what to say! T-This is incredible!" The teen stuttered, incapable of keeping his emotions in. "I can't thank you enough!"

"It's fine, really," Izuku shook his head lightly, "helping you become better heroes is already the greatest satisfaction I could ask for."

"Geez, you're a dork, Green," Kyoka snickered, trying to hide a hint of a blush by turning away.

"But it's really sweet!" Ochaco laughed gently.

"A great endeavor worthy of a great hero," Tenya nodded again and again.

"You're too kind guys."

But it really was enough.

"Come on, we've still got time to spare. We must look for some more applications of your Quirk, Mineta. Then how about going over a couple more things anotehr time?" Izuku faced the whole group as Minoru unstuck his hands. "In the meantime... Uraraka, how is your training going? Jiro, have you tried those moves I showed you? Koda, are those the ants I suggested?"

"Midoriya, I wanted to ask you something."

Momo approached the greenette as they reached the school's gate, staying a few steps behind the rest of the group who was talking animatedly on their way to get supper.

"Of course, what's up?"

She mulled over her words for a moment, undecided, before going for it.

"Midoriya, I... I don't wish to come off as rude, and it's probably not my place to ask, but..."

He caught her eyes even as she had difficulty at keeping them straight.

"You want to know what happened to Mineta, don't you?"

- Perceptive as always, - she thought, letting out a sigh.

"Yes. I imagine you would have noticed how is previous behavior was..."

"Lecherous, crude and overall unbecoming of a hero in training?" he offered with a small grin.

"...yes." She cleared her throat, trying to get to the point. "I was quite startled when he joined us today, but I have to say that I was even more surprised by his actions. He hasn't made a single inappropriate comment or leered at any of us in the last few hours. But that wasn't the case this morning, so I must wonder. What happened?"

Midoriya kept walking slowly, his gaze stuck on hers. "Yaoyorozu, do you believe that people are capable of change?"

"Change?" She wondered what the question had to do with the answer she was expecting but decided to play along. "Why, of course they are. Reformation is a critical component of our justice system, perhaps one of its most important ones."

"I'm not talking about those kinds of great changes," he laughed a bit. "Though it's nice knowing you believe even criminals can get a second chance. No, I'm talking about the small changes you can make every day. Improving knowledge by studying, changing styles if they get outdated, correcting mistakes that make others uncomfortable... Those kinds of changes."

She nodded, understanding. "Well, in that case, yes. I see them every day myself."

"Then you should just think about it as a small change for the better," Izuku smiled, turning to look forward to the group, where Mineta was having a conversation with Shoji and Ida. "His words and actions were the result of circumstances he had little to nothing to do with. Being nurtured into a mindset can skew your reasoning more than you'd imagine. Of course, he could have kept himself from speaking, but it's hard to see something as a problem if it hasn't been for your whole life."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Who wouldn't condemn perverted behavior like that?"

He hummed. "You'd be surprised at how many different places and people there are out there, but that's not the whole story. I won't talk about it, as it's something private that he has shared with me in moments of distress and I don't wish to betray his trust."

The greenette stopped, going back to catch her breath with his gaze. He seemed serious now. "Believe me, Minoru got the memo, and he won't be acting like that again. He can be quite nice when you get to know him. I only ask of you to give him a second chance, Yaomomo."

She gulped lightly. The reasoning was sound, and even though her curiosity asked her to get more information as to when Midoriya had the time to get to known Mineta the way he proposed, she knew she could trust her classmate and friend.

"Alright, I will. Just keep an eye on him, ok?"

His mouth moved back to that friendly smile of his as he thanked her for her faith, speeding their walk as to catch up.

Only later, when she had reached her house, did she realize that he'd started using her nickname, and that she hadn't even noticed.

Then on the next morning, before homeroom started, Mineta bowed before each and every girl in the class, telling them he was sorry for any improper comment or action he'd taken. He hadn't asked for forgiveness, opting instead to swearing to stop and change his ways. The boy said he'd understand if none of them would ever be fine working by his side, and that he'd take the blame and responsibility of asking the teachers to change groups if any of them demanded it.

Momo couldn't say she hadn't been left at a loss for words about the matter, but she did notice how Midoriya watched the entire exchange with a kind smile and genuine understanding, approaching the boy later to say some whispered words that got him a short, but tight, hug.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she'd asked Kyoka if she'd heard anything.

"I'm proud of you," the girl replied, leaving them both as confused as before.

Cementoss entered the teacher's lounge, closing the door behind himself with a sigh.

"You sound tired," Midnight's voice came from his left, by her desk.

"You could say that," he answered moving to place his book on his desk.

Mic's head appeared from behind a screen. "Wasn't this your free afternoon?"

"Yes, but I was supervising Midoriya's training."

A ruckus of moving chairs and desks followed, making the modern literature teacher cover his ears from the sudden noise.

Raising his head, he saw two thirds of the faculty looking expectantly his way. He hadn't even seen Eraser Head and Ectoplasm in the room a second ago.

"Gym Gamma?" Mic asked with a grin, his hands hovering the keyboard of a computer.

He nodded. "Yes. He's done it again, with a few new entries."

"I didn't expect any less!" Nezu's voice came from one of the speakers.

- Does he know something we don't? … Who am I kidding, of course he does. -

"What he said. Now put that thing on the big screen," Snipe called to Mic, who had already opened the chosen video feed.

Cementoss looked around as the others began sitting around the projector, notepads and pens at the ready.

"You're taking notes?" he asked, seeing Vlad skimming the first ten filled pages of his own.

"And you aren't?" the blood-Quirk user questioned back, eyebrow raised.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "Watching it a second time won't hurt, I guess."

They stopped at the fourth.

Notes:

Long chapter is long.

Time well spent for our new entries. Tenya's and Fumikage's are almost canon-compliant, while I got my fun dealing with Mezo and Minoru.

Regarding Mineta: Yes, in this AU he won't show (anymore) most of the perverse tendencies that make him a little shit despised by every girl that knows him. He'll be a decent human being. Why? First, I don't like getting rid of characters directly, as it deprives them of the chance of a redemption. Second, what I want to convey here is Izuku's work to keep his "family" together. I can't have him as part of said "family" if he's hated by everybody else. And to be clear, Izuku didn't 'force' anything. He knew what buttons to push after he discovered the root of the problem and helped a friend. Minoru still won't be completely OOC though, as I think that he'll be far more interesting as the smart but terribly pessimistic character of the ensemble. I hope that works for you, and if it doesn't, I thank you for sticking around until this point.