36

Chapter 36: Gym Time – Part VIIISummary:

Quirk Analysis of:

Kojiro Bondo - [Cemedine]

Manga Fukidashi - [Comic]

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - [Steel]

Juzo Honenuki - [Softening]

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"I'll-!" Tetsutetsu started before cutting his response short as Reiko began to speak. 

"We should let Bondo undertake the trial," she proposed, her tone candid. 

The members of Class B all knew how the giant was in truth a shrinking violet, usually too shy to speak out of turn. 

"Yeah! Come one, Bondo, your turn!" Kinoko supported the idea, stepping aside and showing the opening with a swift move of her hand, worthy of an entertainer. 

"R-Right," the boy hastily nodded, stepping forward. 

Izuku kept on a gentle smile. Kojiro wasn't so different from Koji but, in this case, he didn't have the option of simplifying the exchange by using JSL. He could only maintain his tone mild and offer any comfort he could give. 

"So, Bondo, could you give me a quick rundown of your Quirk?" 

"Y-Yes," the other spoke, stumbling upon his own words. "My Q-Quirk is called [Cemedine], and it's a M-Mutation Type. I c-can spray a glue-like liquid from the h-holes on my head," he pointed towards his face, "w-which are also my eyes, so it's not always pleasant. B-But they don't g-get stuck or anything!" he quickly tried to amend. 

"Mm, interesting," Izuku moved on, glossing over the topic that would only make Kojiro more bashful. "What about the glue itself?" 

"I-It hardens and traps a-anything it touches. I c-can adjust the drying speed." 

"How about range? How far can you reach?" Izuku pressed on. 

"D-Depends on the output. I-I usually stick to a few m-meters for big o-outbursts, but I can spray up to a d-dozen if I try really hard," he explained, saying the last few words with just a bit of pride. 

The greenette hummed approvingly. "Do you have any control over the glue itself, or is it just a projectile?" 

"N-None," the giant teen bashfully shook his head. 

"Alright..." Izuku moved a hand to cup his chin, looking thoughtful. "Quirks able to produce materials are always interesting, but they also require time to analyze the chemical structure, so we may have to postpone that part of the analysis." 

"O-Oh," Kojiro gulped, his tone uncertain between surprise and dejection. 

"But we can still look into adhesives together," Izuku kindly added. "The research may give us some insight on the kind of glue you can make and if you're able to make different kinds." 

"L-Like drying glue and hot glue?" the other asked. 

"Precisely. If I remember correctly, adhesive types are typically organized by the method of adhesion, then further into reactive and non-reactive if they require a chemical reaction to function properly. There is also the natural versus synthetic option... but we won't know anything about that for a while." Izuku stepped over to a target. "Can you show me?" 

Kojiro nodded and proceeded to emit a string of material in his direction, hitting the mark and submerging it in grey goo. 

"Would you look at that," Izuku mused, stepping over and trying his hands on the substance. "It's certainly stickier than most hobbyist glues, I'll give you that," he chuckled before powering up to 8% and tearing his hand away. "It's likely to fall under the drying glue category... which may mean that it's also non-reactive. The preferable, simpler alternative." 

"Super-fast drying," Tetsutetsu chimed in. "The stuff only takes a few seconds when he wants to!" 

"There's no category for that, but it surely doesn't hurt," he chuckled. "Anyway, the other two things we may look into are methods to improve the adhesion and counteract the failure." 

Izuku moved his hand on the glue again, which had now solidified more and looked like a weird sculpture of an exploding slime. "Adhesion can be improved by treating the targets to increase the surface free energy, since low-surface-energy polymers don't bond well with strong adhesives, which have high-surface-energy. The three preferred techniques are plasma activation, flame treatment and wet chemistry priming, and they are further divided into smaller processes." 

"Plasma activations seems like a Quirk's name," Manga commented. 

"Maybe it is," Pony chided in. 

"You should look them up, some seem unreal. Buuut," he sighed, making the other teen squirm in place, "problem is, they require time, and villains won't stay put for you to proceed carefully." 

"So there's no way of improving?" Kinoko asked, dejected for Bondo's sake. 

"I didn't say that. It's just very difficult," he said to stop their worrying. "Good news is that one of the three can be achieved without wasting too much time. Flame treatment only require a high-temperature flame and a few seconds to work." 

"How high?" Juzo inquired, seeing where the idea was going. 

"1800 °Celsius." 

"DAMN! That's higher than steel's melting point!" Tetsutetsu interjected, yelling one of the few pieces of knowledge he had put his mind into remembering. 

"It is, so I wouldn't use it on people," Izuku admitted, "but it may help to stabilize structures, to seal a leak, or in other rescue operations." 

"I admit I hadn't thought of those applications. The idea seems to be fairly useful," Reiko hummed. 

"A-And what about the failure?" Kojro asked, finally speaking up. 

"Oh, knowing how your product usually fails may help you cover that weakness during training. And that's something we can look at now," he made a gesture to have everybody come closer. "I want you to inspect the spaces between the glue and other surfaces, then the glue itself. We should search for any fracture there may be," he said as he got to work. "Cohesive fractures happen in the glue itself, when a crack forms in the polymer. An adhesive fracture occurs when there is a debonding between the glue and the surface. There could also be a mix of the two." 

"I think I see something here," Hiryu offered after a bit, pointing his finger at an indentation. "See here? Structure's a bit weak." 

"It is," Izuku agreed, happy to have been given a reason to guide Kojiro in a certain direction. "Bondo, you should try and make your creations tougher. We may have to wait for the chemical composition for answers, but you should stick to short compact emissions for now. The less gaps appear in your glue, the stronger it will be." 

"O-Okay," the teen nodded, rubbing his yellow head. "D-do I need to do a-anything else?" 

"It would be great if I could have a scan of which organ produces the glue inside your body. If it's half as interesting as Kamakiri's... well, let's say that you won't believe what you'll be able to do with it." As Kojiro swallowed audibly again, he hearted him with a light chuckle and gentle pat on the back. For all his shyness, the big guy secretly loved physical touch. "Don't worry, I'll come with you to Recovery Girl's infirmary later, and to bring the glue to the labs." 

"T-Thank you," the kind giant sheepishly said, stepping back with the others as they did their best to calm him with some jokes and praising words. 

"Can I go next?" Manga asked, looking at Tetsutetsu in particular. 

"Fine, I can wait another round," the steel boy grunted. 

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," Reiko whispered, producing some questioning looks. 

"She's saying you've gotta learn some patience, Tetsu," Juzo explained, smirking a bit. 

"I can be patient!" the teen quipped back, though he was the only one to believe it. 

Izuku turned to Manga to move along, or else they'd be here all afternoon. 

"So, Fukidashi, care to give me a quick rundown?" 

"Yes!" The teen's head showed a thumbs up before starting to turn into different combinations of characters. "[Comic] allows me to materialize any onomatopoeia as I speak it! They take the form of giant letters, but the size depends on how loudly I shout them." 

"Oh, that must mean that you're incredibly versatile!"

And he was. Comicman's arsenal was vast, up to the point of being nonsensical. But it did him little good if he didn't have the stamina to make any use out of it.

"How many can you make? How fast?" 

"Well, as fast as I can speak," Manga replied, getting out the easier answer first. "As to how many... it depends on how loud I get. If I stick to small words, speaking normally, I can make up to thirty or forty." 

"And if you scream as loudly as you can?" he pressured. 

"... Two before my throat hurts... Three and I make myself mute for the day," Manga replied, ashamed of the admission. 

"Hey, it's fine, nobody starts perfect. Three is already better than one or two," Izuku offered to calm the other, remembering how dumb his first attempts to master [One For All] had been. "Can you give me a couple of smaller examples for now?" He moved a hand to show the empty space behind himself, making the boy speak his magic words. 

[Comic] was really interesting. Its power was similar to that of [Creation], as it broke physics by producing mass with minimal energy requirement, but it also had some stringent blocks. Only onomatopoeias would work, so the quirk's jurisdiction was quite limited in that sense. The energy had to pass through Manga's vocal cords which, despite being stronger than normal as his entire head was basically mutated to accommodate them, would show sign of wear and tear after a few big vocalizations. Lastly, the upper limit to the creations' dimensions was set by Manga's lung capacity, which right now was abysmally low. 

Despite all of that, the possibilities were virtually endless. Some of the onomatopoeias were so generic that Manga's own input mattered so, for example, a "ROAR" could describe a booming sound or a wild fire. Furthermore, combinations of specific words would increase their potential to deadly levels, like the union of a sound to create gas and another to light a flame. 

So much to amend, he'd better start soon. 

"Alright, I think I know how to help you out," Izuku declared after a rather scorching clash between a "DAMP" and a "CRACKLE." "First of all, we'll need to strengthen those vocal cords and lungs of yours." 

"Why the lungs too?" Hiryu asked. 

"If the size of his product depends on how loud he can be, the amount of air he gets to output in a single go will be important," Izuku explained. "Plus, anybody could benefit from breathing better. Care to see who can hold their breath longer?" 

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Tetsu yelled. 

"Oh, me too!" Kinoko jumped at the challenge, the others nodding and joining in. 

A minute and change later, and half of the group had already given up. Surprisingly for them, but not for him, the four outliers were Tetsutetsu, Kinoko, Hiryu, and Juzo, the skull-faced boy lasting the most as he had trained to use his Quirk even without oxygen tanks. 

"Oof, I need to catch my breath," Pony huffed, slightly bent and clutching her stomach. 

"I thought I'd last longer," Hiryu shook his head, even thought he'd been third to last. 

Izuku, having managed to stop breathing for a little over two minutes, took a big one in before speaking. "It's not a vital skill to have, but it's still useful. And remember that you were doing that while standing still. Moving around makes it even harder." 

"Understood," Manga mumbled, having barely regained his posture after exaggerating. "How do I improve that? Exercises?" 

"Ah! You're welcome in the gym with me!" the steel teen interjected. 

"Yes, physical training is good, but I think you should also look into another kind of exercise," Izuku stated. "What you need, as strange as it might sound, is singing practice." 

"Come again?" Manga's bubble turned into a big question mark. 

"Singing. Practice," he repeated, clearing his throat before attempting his next move. "It would be perfect, for both your throat and lungs. Just the warming exercises may save you from some harsh pain and going mute all the time. And, if you can imitate something like this..." 

Izuku produced a note that sounded like a rumble in a deep cavern, the lowest he could produce at this point. His throat felt the hit, but he had withstood worse soreness in the past. 

- Thanks again, Kyo. - 

"... you'll be miles ahead in preventing Quirk overuse." 

"What was that, Green?!" the punkette's voice came from the other side of the gym, and he answered by smiling widely and waving his arm at her, making her go back to fighting with a huff and a shake of her head. 

"That was..." 

"Unexpected," Reiko offered, impressed. 

"I was gonna say intense, but yeah," Hiryu nodded. 

"I-I have to do that?" Manga asked, his expression three dots. 

"Not necessarily. It was just an example. Though I'm certain you might be able to do even better, since your mutation should have improved your vocal range," Izuku replied with a grin. "Start by asking Vlad King or Nezu to be exempted by the usual 'Hero Course students can't join clubs' rule, or ask them to be trained separately. I heard a few things about U.A.'s music teacher, and she looks promising." 

"Will do!" The teen straightened up. 

"We can practice together! Maybe I can use it defensively to not breath my own spores!" Kinoko quipped, suddenly engrossed by the topic. 

"That's a nice idea, you should go for it," Izuku smiled at the duo. "We'll talk about trying to combine some of your onomatopoeias to increase their effect later, since that may require some long testing," the greenette said as Manga stepped back with a grateful "Thank you!" 

He was immediately replaced by their eager classmate. "Finally! Let's do this!" Tetsutetsu yelled, his fists clanking against each other. 

"I like the enthusiasm," Izuku chuckled. "Yours is called [Steel], right? You can turn your whole body into metal..." 

"Yeah!" the teen replied by showing his transformation, his weight increasing dramatically. 

"In truth, it's a steel-like material," Reiko pointed out helpfully, knowing that Tetsutetsu was one to gloss over details. 

"Ah, yeah, that's it," the other grinned, stomping and making more heavy sounds. 

Izuku nodded at the added information, thankful. "Alright. It's everything at once, isn't it? You can't just harden a single hand or feet?" 

"No can do. No half measures!" 

"Mm, at least your mobility isn't impeded that much, since your limbs are as nimble as before... But you do seem to move slower... Can you run to the wall and back? I want to time you." 

The process was soon completed, much to the chagrin of the boy and his classmate's amusement. 

"Yep, definitely slower when you weight a ton, should have imagined that," Izuku noted, looking at the signs of footsteps the teen had left with his run. 

"Ah, that's nothing Midoriya! You should have seen him on our first day," Manga piped up. 

"The moron kept his Quirk on during every trial of the Quirk assessment test," Juzo shook his head. 

"It wasn't the most rational decision, but we know he just misunderstood the assignment," Reiko sighed. 

"It was a Quirk assessment! I had to use my Quirk!" Tetsu yelled back. 

"Not when it impairs you, man," Hiryu snickered at his friend. 

"Well, we have seen yesterday how speed isn't your strong suit, but that's just something you'll have to work on. You seem to be virtually impenetrable and plenty strong, so focus on covering for your weaknesses," Izuku stated before moving on. "But now let's talk about the interesting part of your Quirk. Does it have any requirement, or you can just turn into metal with no cost?" 

"Nah, I need a lot of iron in my diet. The more I eat, the longer I can use it and the stronger I am," Tetsu replied with a grin. 

"Alright, so you need to follow a specific diet. If you don't have one, we'll get some help from Lunch Rush and Recovery Girl to make it," the greenette said, adding the second part as the other looked like a deer caught by headlights. 

"Y-Yeah, that might work. Gotta eat well to stay in shape," the other rumbled. 

Izuku took a few steps, coming to try the boy's metallic skin with his knuckles. "I'm not an expert, and we'll probably need to test you too, but I think you're closer to basic carbon steel than anything else, not a complex alloy" 

"Huh? Isn't steel an alloy?" Tetsutetsu spoke, confused. 

"Of iron and carbon, yeah. But that's the baseline, and you can't forget that anything has small impurities. Making something 100% pure requires mass spectroscopy, and even then, there is almost no way of preventing a single atom of, let's say, hydrogen from coming into the picture," Izuku explained, starting to raise his fingers one at a time. 

"There are four kinds of steel. Carbon steels are the simplest ones, and the most used, up to 90% of the whole steel industry. There are subgroups depending on the how much carbon is in the metal, going from 0.3% up to 0.6%." 

"That's not a lot," Kinoko hummed. 

"Iron is the main component after all," he shrugged. 

"Explains this one's diet," Hiryu nodded, pointing with his head. 

"The second type is made by alloy steels. Adding other metals, like nickel, copper, chromium, and aluminum, enhances strength, ductility, corrosion resistance, and machinability. A small percentage goes a long way. Then we have stainless steels, which contain 10 to 20% chromium as their alloying element, plus some nickel, manganese, silicon, and carbon. They have the highest corrosion resistance, can withstand rough weather, and are widely utilized in electrical and sanitary equipment. Last but not least, tool steels, the best kind for cutting and drilling utensils. They're made by adding tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, and vanadium to increase the heat resistance and overall durability," Izuku explained fast enough not to be interrupted again. 

"Uh, that's a lot of stuff to remember," Tetsu groaned, "how would it help me?" 

"Well, for starters, I think you should be able to incorporate these variants with your Quirk," he grinned at his widening eyes. 

"HOW?" The teen lunged forward, grabbing Izuku by the arms and looking at him straight in the face.

Much like Mei, Tetsutetsu could sometimes forget the existence of personal boundaries. 

"Think about it," he sighed, knowing that the other meant no ill will despite his brashness, "how do you add iron to your steel?" 

The teen's eyes widened further, his thick eyelashes beating multiple times as his brain took in the information. "I have to eat that stuff?" 

"Well, not directly I hope," Izuku chuckled, "although we could ask for a steel lollipop and see how it goes." 

"Uh, that's cool," Pony piped up, finding the image of Tetsu going around with a stick in his mouth amusing. 

"Please don't," Juzo whined with a shake of his head. 

"Anyway," Izuku interjected, "the right way would be adding more items to your diet, or special bars with the required nutrients. I know of some heroes who use them to satisfy their Quirk's needs, and you would be no different." 

- Be grateful to your senior Tamaki for that, - he mentally laughed. 

"That's great! I get to try new stuff and get stronger too!" Tetsutetsu cackled at the discovery. "I can't wait to see the results! Guys! What if I get strong enough to withstand stuff like Ashido's acid, Kaminari's electricity... or even Todoroki's fire!" 

"Actually, that last one wouldn't be that hard," Izuku pointed out, since it would be part of his personal training anyway. "You may have to get your body used to higher temperatures, but being made of steel will make it easy enough. Todoroki can't reach a temperature high enough to melt you," - Yet. - "but staying in an oven for some hours should do the trick." 

"Ah! It'll be just like a hot bath!" 

"Let's hope he survives the sauna experience," Juzo sighed, but had a light on his face in response to his classmate's antics. 

"He doesn't leave mush-room for debate anyway," Kinoko giggled, the others groaned. Izuku let out a short chortle. 

"How was that humorous in any way?" Third asked, his frustration evident in his tone. 

- They grow on you, - he replied, smirking. 

"Grown on you? How can-" Hikage started before realizing the hidden pun with a groan. "That's it, no more Danger Sense for a day."  

"I thought it was funny," Daigoro tried to defend him. 

- Ah, I guess not everyone can find it fun-gi, sorry. - 

"... A week," the Fourth raised the punishment, deadpan. 

"Yeah, can't defend that one," the Fifth sighed. 

Izuku mentally chuckled as the group gave a similar treatment to Kinoko, as they had yet to come to terms with her particular sense of humor.

"Come on man, your turn," Tetsu moved by Juzo and gave him a high-five. 

"About time," Juzo joked, happy to get his crack at it, stepping over to the greenette. "So, my Quirk is called [Softening], and it lets me soften anything I touch, effectively turning solids into semi-liquids. I still haven't found a material immune to its effect, apart from living beings. My current range is of twenty-seven meters and forty-two centimeters." 

"Thanks for the precision, it's really convenient."

Izuku always appreciated Juzo's thoroughness. He wasn't a recommended student for nothing, and it was apparent that he had put a lot of his time before enrolling into testing his own limits. 

"Par for the course," the other shrugged, "anybody would do it." 

Honenuki also had a bit of pride regarding his status. It wasn't always pronounced, and it usually calmed down after some months, but if Setsuna's words were to be believed (and they were), he was quite an ass for the first few weeks. Thankfully he had been capable enough to see the error of his ways by himself after being beaten for the representative position and in various training exercises. Katsuki and Shoto weren't the only ones who benefitted from being thrown off their high horses. 

The greenette let out a small hum. "How about the reversion?" 

"I simply need to touch the same object again. The effect also fades on his own if I fall unconscious," Juzo explained. "That's why I tend to stay hidden during fights. I'm striving to be a capture specialist." 

"Understandable," Izuku nodded. "I seem to recall the ground turning into mud, or maybe quicksand, when you used it against us during the cavalry battle. How do you move around in it?" 

"I'm a good swimmer," the skeletal one answered. "I more or less lived in the gym near my parent's places growing up, as it had a good swimming pool, then I got used to swimming in the dirt." 

"I imagine your costume has some kind of oxygen reserve to let you stay 'underwater' longer," the analyst mused. 

Juzo nodded. "And an infrared visor. Had to find a way to see where enemies are, since spatial awareness can't always account for everything." 

"Ah, that makes sense. You've got a good costume, practical. Maybe I'd add some measure of propulsion to improve your speed while you're hidden, but that shouldn't be hard." 

"Not a bad idea," Juzo approved. 

"But now that I think about it, you don't have any skin showing in your costume, not even your hands," Izuku pondered aloud, looking at the other from top to bottom. "What counts as 'in contact' for you to use [Softening]?" 

"Ah, good question. The contact doesn't have to be direct, I can manage with a couple of centimeters of other material in between, like my shoes or my costume. It's been a pain learning how to save my shoes from turning into puddles all the time," Juzo explained and sighed. 

"So, hypothetically, if a weapon were to try and hit you, you'd be able to turn it into mush before it could deal any damage?" Izuku questioned, knowing the current answer and where it could go. 

Juzo crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "I think it would depend on the speed. After all, if I'm not aware of it, I can't touch it," he finally said, gesturing widely with his hands. 

"That would be the case only if you needed to touch with your hands, but yours is not a five-finger-activation Quirk," Izuku pointed out, his finger pointing at the other's body, moving up and down. "Every inch of your skin should be capable of functioning as an activation point. Why don't you try? Use your elbow." 

The greenette looked as Juzo's face moved from shock to realization. The teen quickly got down on his knees, rapidly activating his power from various extremities. After a try from his back that got him immerged in the gym's floor and a swift helping hand from Hiryu and Tetsu, the guy was back on his feet with the most disappointed expression. 

"I can't believe I never thought of that," he grumbled, "and it's so easy too." 

Izuku chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, it's quite a common mistake. I bet you activated your Quirk from your feet the first time, and then only added the use of your hands because that's what any sane person would try." 

"Ah, I should be grateful you're not then," Juzo joked, the two laughing at the relaxing atmosphere. 

"Lateral thinking is my specialty, and I'm too curious for my own good," he offered. "It's nice when I can actually help people with it. So, now that we've proved that you've got more than four starting points, let's get back to the previous discussion."

"Melting weapons, uh? I guess it'll work for most direct blows... But I don't know, unless I always keep my Quirk active it's going to be hard to stop things I don't see," Juzo clicked his tongue. "And I'm used to only activating my Quirk for the necessary transformation. Keeping it active is... uncomfortable. Like being surrounded by goo." 

"Weird analogy," Manga tilted his head. 

Izuku nodded, showing a thoughtful expression. Juzo's strange sensation was actually the smallest solid particles in the air momentarily reacting with his power, but he had no way of knowing that yet. 

"If keeping it active all the time won't work, we just have to train your reflexes to do it subconsciously," he proposed, soliciting a few looks. 

"How would he do that?" Hiryu asked, knowing a thing or two about reaction speeds. 

"Oh, the act itself is easy, it might just be hell for you," he sheepishly explained, moving to take some softballs from a shelf. "Bullets are fast, and you may not see them coming in time, or at all. If we instigate a reaction to activate your Quirk anytime something comes closer to you, then that problem may solve itself." 

"W-Wouldn't that be b-bad when people get close?" Bondo asked worriedly. 

"[Softening] won't work on living beings, so it won't harm anyone. And it's not like softened material won't regain its previous shape when he turns it off," he said with a light shrug.

- For now, at least, but there's a lot more to do before that point. - 

"Just keep in mind that your clothes do count as things that may melt and you'll be fine."

Reassured, the giant nodded with a smile, as the others focused on Juzo's back as the teen began to pale. 

"Wait a sec... You're saying that he's got to stand around and take a dozen softballs to his face?" Tetsutetsu asked, his tone all too eager and his grin not hidden in the least. 

"Not necessarily to the face, and probably a lot more than a dozen, but yes," he sighed. There was only one direction this training could go." Sorry, Honenuki, I still think it's in your best interest. Are you up for it?" 

The skull-faced teen let out a long sigh, shaking his head a bit. "Alright, just try not to blind me or something," he surrendered to his inevitable fate. 

The group began to circle around him, as he shouldn't know which direction the projectiles came from. 

"We will make sure to do our best to make this endeavor as painless as possible," Reiko said, [Poltergeist] already lifting over ten spheres. 

"Sure, we won't! We don't want to get in truffle!" Kinoko added, skipping to the other side. 

"Terrible pun, but this is gonna be fun," the steel boy exclaimed, gripping his ball all too tightly. 

Juzo's training wasn't the worst, but Izuku couldn't help but feel an accomplice to an execution of sorts. But, if by the end of it, even one softball appeared to be melted, he would be happy with the result.

Now, to check how the others were doing... 

The not-a-boy entered his office when it was already late. His teachers were still examining their classes' latest tribulations under Midoriya's tutorship and would likely continue for a while. Nezu wouldn't take as long to grasp every concept explained during the analysis or to confront the fighting styles and suggestions he added later for the whole group, but he had to admit the process itself kept being remarkable. 

"Midoriya, welcome," Nezu spoke as he served a second cup of tea. "I hope your child fell asleep with a smile." With the press of a button, his desk's top moved aside, being swiftly substituted by a shogi board, ready for a game. 

"She did, thank you for your concern," Midoriya nodded, sitting down and stretching his arm to take his beverage. Without need for further input, he made the first move. "Was today's lesson entertaining?" 

"Oh, they both were," the chimera chuckled, referring to the greenette's and that of his young ward. "I'm preparing the necessary papers for your classmates' requests. It wouldn't do to make them wait." 

The teen nodded, responding with a quick word of thanks. "Could you also send me the video feed from the gym? I need to review if any committed mistakes I can amend while I wasn't watching." 

Nezu blinked at his words, letting out a curious hum as the pieces on the board kept switching places in a fantastically vivacious fashion. "Do you ever sleep, Midoriya?" 

"Only when I need to," the greenette replied, pushing the matter aside. He deflected most discussions he deemed a waste of time. "Is that a no?" 

"Of course not, I was just curious. It's in my nature," the principal laughed lightly before taking a sip and making a move. "I will send you the feed as you return to the dormitories." 

"Much appreciated," Midoriya said, taking away a vital piece of Nezu's strategy.

The way he played was so unconventional that the chimera was once again certain of the not-a-boy's words. Nobody could pose that much of challenge against [High Spec], unless they knew each move that was going to happen. 

The principal decided to change the subject as he started his countermove. "Your classmates will soon be busy, preparing for their exams... But I guess you would know how they will fare against our usual finals." 

"With the right tutoring, as well as they could." 

"There has been a notable improvement since their entrance exam from those ranked in the lower half, yes," the chimera agreed. "Ms. Ashido and Mr. Kaminari, in particular, have managed to see their average rise by almost twenty points from their middle school grades, coming closer to an above-acceptable level, even considering our admittedly high standards." 

"They just needed the right help to understand how to tackle the problems," the teen shrugged. "Everyone learns differently." 

"You can't ask a fish to climb a tree, that's certain," Nezu laughed. 

- Unless that fish was Saka, - the chimera's brain offered, but he quickly averted his train of thought. Reminiscing about the days they had spent in the lab was reserved for the chimera's alone time. 

"Would you like to be challenged as well? I imagine the current curriculum must be beneath your capabilities... terribly dull even," he proposed as he took the advantage with a risky move. 

Midoriya chuckled. "You're not the first to offer that, but sure. Try to surprise me." 

A challenge to create a challenge. Yes, Nezu could get behind that. He wondered how many layers of his own thinking should he surpass... Ten? Fifteen? Perhaps twenty. 

"I'll be sure to," he clicked his tongue at a most unusual combination of positioned pieces, calculating the odds of winning he had left. "We will also be preparing some surprises regarding the practical part." 

"And I'll keep my mouth shut about it," Midoriya sighed. "It wouldn't be as effective without the surprise factor." 

Nezu cackled. "It certainly wouldn't. Like this!"

The [High Spec] user placed another piece on the board, but his grin didn't last long as the teen looked only barely impressed. With another move, Midoriya was back in an advantageous position, and a few minutes later the game had ended. 

The chimera sighed, relaxing on his chair, as the greenette got up to leave the room. "It's always a pleasure, Midoriya." 

The not-a-boy turned with a gentle expression, bowing. "Likewise, Principal Nezu. Goodnight." 

"Goodnight, Midoriya." 

The door closed and the chimera was left alone with his thoughts. 

With a sigh, he turned to the side, uncovered a piece of paper, and marked another tally on his list of lost games. 

Nezu believed Midoriya's words. Being naturally smart, even as much as the teen seemed to be, wasn't enough to top the chimera's intelligence. A combination of foresight and memory of previous matches, however, could give him enough insight of his moves to counter anything he could throw at him... up to a certain point. By his calculations, Izuku would have needed hundreds, if not thousands, of games to become a worthy adversary... for a single game, before Nezu could outsmart him. This was their eighth match of the year, and Nezu still hadn't found a way out of his convoluted strategies. 

Each tally on that list represented hundreds of lost games, in who knows how many cycles of the teen's life. The way the number kept increasing didn't bode well, in Nezu's opinion. 

Was he a man, trapped in a teen's body, or a child, trapped in an old mind? 

Perhaps neither, perhaps both. 

- How far have you gone, Midoriya Izuku? -

Notes:

Only 3 from 1-B and 2 from 1-A left! We'll get to them, sooner or later.

[Comic] may be ridiculous, but I love it anyway.

I see [Softening] as incredibly effective against any weapon, though it seems that in a world of Heroes and Villains where most prefer to punch or use elemental projectiles it won't be as useful. Still great. I wonder if Tetsu still counts as a living being when he's metal or not...

Free time has been scarce lately, and I'm writing a few oneshots for this series, so I'm down a chapter in my reserves. Hope I'll be able to get more done so I won't have to skip a week.