The Armorer

After Tuesday's classes, Kai had another round of juku. This time, he let everyone relax, at least compared to the other day. He had everyone run basic sparring exercises against each other without their Quirks. Meanwhile, he and Ayako made interviews with each student one at a time. For the most part, Kai asked questions about the details of what their Quirk did, rather than try to pry into their techniques and such.

And the results were… mixed.

Shoto, for example, had a deep understanding of his Quirk. Probably the only thing that old Flame Face was good for, though he had put his son through hell. Then again, understanding comes from being tested.

Iida, on another hand, had little that could be improved right away. His Quirk is pretty much exactly what the "Engine" title said. Other than learning martial arts techniques that capitalized on his legs' power, there wasn't much to be done, but that wasn't going to be fast.

Then there were those like Mineta. After a few quick questions to confirm what he knew, Kai realized that he had taken the details for granted. Mineta had so much more potential that he hadn't thought he could tap into.

For one thing, he could choose what his orbs would stick to or not. He just didn't realize he could. He just knew the default settings- stick to objects, but he himself would bounce off. However, he could stick them together into a cluster, and the fact that his clothing wasn't actually a part of him didn't get himself stuck. This opened up so many possibilities if he could take control.

Well, even though it was clear he could change those settings, it would not be as simple as "you realize you can do this, right?" Psychology could be an inconsistent science even without being applied to Quirks. Still, it was worth a try to expound on.

Asui was a case where it was just a question of what she hadn't tried to do yet. Since her Quirk was mimetic, the list of things to try could basically be up to Googling "interesting frog abilities."

Bakugo refused to say anything, too ready to take on all comers and only yelling curses when asked to come over. So, while Ayako hunted him down for cursing at her, Kai talked to Deku, as he would be the expert.

At the end of the day, Kai found himself with plenty of questions and even more ideas. Of course, only time would tell how many of those answers would actually matter. However, there were a few that were safe to say that they would be useful. As Kai dismissed everyone, he was typing up a list of things that would help boost everyone's base level.

There was only one place to turn now- the Support Department. Kai hadn't had time to go there himself, yet. After all, this was just the second week of school, and the changelings had been able to go in during the night for scraps. This time, he needed to talk with someone and get some special orders in.

However, he knew he was in the right place when the ground shook as he reached the door. Then, an excited whoop came from behind the department door. Kai smiled. More than an hour and a half had passed since school had officially ended, and someone was working on something that had presumably just exploded. And they were excited about it.

Exactly the kind of crazy person Kai wanted to recruit.

He still had to go through the rest of the school, but right now, a craftsman took priority. Right now, everyone needed equipment that could broaden their horizons and increase their capabilities.

And on a lesser note, he had ruined Bakugo's equipment, and needed some kind of replacement. Just… something less inherently lethal. For Bakugo's sake.

Just as Kai was about to open the door, he noticed a thin line of dark smoke going through the opening between door and frame. There was some muffled coughing as well. Perhaps now wasn't quite-

Suddenly, the door flew open and a figure threw themselves through it. Luckily, Kai's hesitation had kept him far enough from the door that he had time to step back and catch them, rather than being bowled over into a potentially awkward position. As the person he caught looked up, he found himself face to face with a pair of yellow eyes. Instead of normal irises, this girl, as he realized due to a soft feeling pressing against his chest, had crosshairs dividing the bright yellow in her eyes.

"Thanks for that," she said, coughing again. "That particular baby needs a little more work, but this time, it was really close to not blowing up! Maybe if I tightened that part, and reshaped that part to reduce stress…"

She started rambling to herself, not even caring about Kai's presence. He took a step back and let her mind run its course. He was in no rush, and from what he could follow of what she said, she really knew her engineering. Kai took the time to look over his potential armorer.

She was a couple inches shorter than Kai. She had pink hair and goggles that were both slightly stained black from the soot of her little explosion. She wore a plain black tank top with workshop coveralls tied casually around her waist. A quick look at her hands revealed calluses that spoke of many hours spent with both tool and pen.

Meanwhile, her rambling and slow meander towards the lab without another word to Kai spoke of her obsession with her work.

"Uh…. Hi! I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. Now, I've got to get back to work. That baby isn't going to-"

"Hatsume! What have I told you about causing explosions in the workshop!?! Actually, before that, why the hell aren't you going home?!?" A rough voice interrupted her from behind the dissipating smoke.

"Sorry Power Loader sensei! But I'm really close to finishing this one! It was a much smaller explosion this time! Just give me a few minutes, maybe an hour or so…" Kai followed Hatsume as she walked into the workshop and made a beeline for a workbench that was littered with spare parts, tools, and the shards of whatever had destroyed itself.

"Dammit kid! You need to- oh, sorry." A short man rounded the corner of the workshop angrily before freezing as he realized that Hatsume wasn't the only one in the room. He had a costume that Kai found a bit ridiculous- he was shirtless, and wearing a metal helmet that was designed to look like an excavator's claw, which matched his gigantic hands that ended in metal digging tips like the same machine. Sure, the helmet matched the aesthetic of his Quirk, but that didn't make it look less silly in Kai's eyes.

At least it wasn't as bad as Mineta's look.

"No problem, sensei! It's no bother to me. In fact," Kai paused, glancing towards Hatsume, "I'd like to ask you some questions about her before I ask anything of her."

Suddenly, Hatsume raced around the workbench to get right in front of Kai's face. She looked very excited.

"Did I hear that you want to ask for something from me? You need something upgraded? I'm sure I've got just the thing for you. And if I don't, just give me some time!" Hatsume pressed her face closer and closer to Kai, eager to hear what she could make next.

Kai backed up and turned to Power Loader.

"How good is her work?"

"As long as she doesn't push it onto you while it's still prototyping, it'll be good," he said begrudgingly. As much as she annoyed him for staying late after school and messing up the workshop, he admired her work. She was absolutely insane, but it freed her from the thoughts that would normally tell someone that something was impossible. Hatsume already had her own corner of the workshop dedicated to her projects, and it was just the second week of school!

Once he heard that, Kai was sold.

"Sensei, I think that's perfect! Now, I think I can get her out of here so you can relax, and she will get some semblance of rest. Hatsume-san, was it?" Kai turned to the mad scientist.

"Yes?" Her eyes were shining. She had no sense of personal space or other social cues like the fact that Kai didn't like her getting so close to him, but she could tell that he was going to be a source of requests and inspiration.

"Let's walk and talk. I think that there is a lot to discuss about your 'babies' and what else you can do. We can do a lot for each other. Now…."