KRRRNK - CLANK
(Pov: Ri-ORAGA)
'...huh?'
He was awake. His head hurt, but he remained awake. He couldn't sleep. His body felt fine. Good even.
Pain was in his arm, but it did not bother him. He felt his bone protrude out of his forearm, forming a blade.
'...blade of... ex-'
"Nomu! Ki- ... dAmN cHeAtEr!"
A shrill voice from outside. He didn't understand.
Then, impact in his stomach. He flew back, crashing into the ground.
His brain was foggy but his body moved.
'...a threat?'
He shot forward, his legs propelling him towards the threat.
'The threat cannot be punched.'
He didn't fully remember why. Or how. But his body knew. Any idea of punching had disappeared as his body approached the threat.
'Cut. If the threat is cut, it is no threat.'
If he went for the legs, the threat would not move. Then Cutting would become easier.
The threat punched first, but again, his body moved fast, lowering its center of gravity and ducking beneath the punch, then cutting of the leg.
'...'
Now. The Arm.
Blood splurted as his blade cut through the arm like butter. The warm sticky feeling was promptly ignored. Irrelevant.
'...the leg is nearly back. Regeneration.'
It wouldn't be good. His arm snapped up, preparing to try to cut again.
BAM
Strong impact. The threat's fist embedded in his stomach, knocking him backwards.
Cursed Energy reinforced the stomach, but it was not enough. His Tail lashed out mid-air, helping him regain balance. His feet embedded themselves into the ground, skidding as they brought him to a halt.
Instinct. The feeling was familiar. It felt like when your body flinches at a punch. When your body reacts before you think. Slightly uncomfortable, leaving you wondering who is in control.
But ultimately, useful.
Holding his Body in a low stance, he rushed forwards once more. Again, his blade cut through the Leg. Again, regeneration began.
KRRRNK- CLANK
'The Leg won't heal if its already healed.'
Reverse Cursed Technique. High output. Applied on the blade.
His Cursed Energy shifted. The sensory field converged around the Threat, making it easier to sense every detail. The way his muscles contracted before movement. The way his body alerted his brain of need of Regeneration.
SPLURT
The Arm was cut off. The threat did not react in any way, only attempting to regenerate, but its regeneration faltered as the wound had already been closed.
'...Now. The Leg.'
The motion was more controlled. Carefully, he grabbed the threat's leg and stretched it, preparing for a clean cut.
SPLURT.
The Leg fell. The wound was closed. It too, did not regenerate.
To that, followed the other Leg. Then the arm.
One after another, they were severed from the body of the Nomu. Only then, when sensing the Nomu's inability to move, did his body relax.
There was nothing more to be done.
...
?
He was calm. The threat had been neutralized.
'...the Nomu?'
A quiet groan escaped him. The figure on the ground... the attacker?
"...AM HERE!!!"
A voice rang out in the background. It was loud. Where did the voice came from anyway?
"Hizashi... one of my... wake him u..."
"-zawa. Sure...him up."
'Who?'
He knew that voice. No. Those voices.
'threat?'
His body tensed up. Someone approached. Cursed Energy expanded, creating the large sensory dome.
In an instant, he became aware of the presence of people. There were many. Among them, a shining light.
'...power. So much power.'
He... knew that power? All Might? He wasn't sure. But it was dangerous. A threat.
His Cursed Energy locked in on the figure, but the others who approached could be dangerous too. But they did not attack him? They spread out and talked to his classmates?
'...classmates. Hero school.'
Riku's head hurt. He was awake and he couldn't sleep. Every ounce of power he sensed jolted his body as though forcing him to be ready to fight.
Thinking was difficult. But he and his classmates were under attack. One threat had been neutralized. But... there had been more, had there not?
The people approached. So did the shining beacon of power.
Riku's body was tense. If they attacked, he was ready.
"-ku. Riku?"
'Fumi...kage?'
He recognized the figure. Fumikage. A friend.
"Mic, wait! He seems docile now, we don't know if screaming will set him off."
"We should put him to sleep. Midnight?"
"He'll just adapt. We don't know if Erasure will stop him."
"Then...maybe if he understands there is no need to...adapt?"
'...'
Riku's tail twitched in confusion. They weren't fighting. Why... No. Who...?
His brain hurt as he attempted to recall the events. The attack. The Teleportation. The... fight at the Plaza? His forced adaptation...? Ah?
He felt his body relax as his thoughts organized themselves, snapping out of its defensiveness.
The Nomu. The blade. The mutilation.
Not really memories, but rather Realizations of what he had done flashed through his mind.
'It... doesn't bother me.'
Not a sliver of guilt or sickness. Even as his Cursed Energy sensed the Mutilated Nomu a few steps away, he did not feel anything for the Nomu.
'...its not really alive.'
His Cursed Energy decreed it. Not a sliver of emotion rolled off the mutilated entity. It was no different than a robot built with flesh.
Slowly, he turned his attention away. The fog on his mind had not fully lifted, but he now at least remembered the situation he'd been in before his passing out.
The people in front of him. Those were... his teachers. Pro Heroes.
A tired but wary voice rang out.
"Riku. There are no enemies. Wake up or sleep. Don't stay in between."
'I don't know how.'
His body stayed awake. He felt it. He could not sleep. His Cursed Energy picked up on any sliver of force which he considered dangerous, then triggered his body to jolt itself awake. As long as something could pose a danger, he had to remain ready.
'Its the adaptation...'
The wheel. He must have adapted to something... To danger?
"Hey kid. Do you know who i am?"
'Midnight.'
"My Quirk can put you to sleep, but you'll have to let it. Don't adapt! You're not in any danger."
'Sleep would be pretty cool now.'
He managed a nod. His Cursed energy felt around, noticing... recognizing a few of his classmates. 'Shoji... Midoriya, Kirishima.'
"I heard you have a different way to breathe than others, so you might need to inhale it through the mouth. I don't know if your skin can be affected."
Riku did not nod. He dismissed his Cursed Energy sensor, turning himself blind to the world, then opened his mouth and inhaled repeatedly.
Then, came a sensation of tiredness. A light numbing feeling on his skin but Riku ignored it, heaving more deep breaths.
His mind relaxed. So did his body. Weakness spread through his legs and he barely managed to sat down as his senses dulled.
"-just a precaution. We don't know if you'll adapt, so we'll use Erasure to..."
The Eraserhead's muffled voice rang out once more but Riku did not hear the rest and gave into the sweet embrace of sleep.
-[1]
-
(Pov: Fumikage Tokoyami)
His classmates were agitated and Tokoyami couldn't blame them. Because so was he.
Riku stood a distance away, his body unnaturally tense and ready. Even with all his Mutant traits, anyone could tell he was ready for a fight.
So did the Pro Heroes. Still, they approached him. One of them warned Present Mic not to go through with the wake-up part. There was no telling whether Riku would lash out at that, and Fumikage agreed it was not something they needed to find out.
Instead, they talked. Riku seemed disoriented but his body seemed to slowly wake up as his muscles tensed or tail twitched. If he could recognize those around him... the problem would be solved.
And it seemed like it worked. Midnight, after explaining something and receiving a weak nod, used her Quirk and Riku's large frame soon started swaying before he plopped down onto the ground. Aizawa stared at the wheel, but Fumikage couldn't tell if he used his Quirk.
"...he just mutilated the Nomu."
Fumikage turned his head, meeting Kirishima's conflicted eyes. His classmates were no different, staring towards the Mutilated villain and Riku alike.
"...it was necessary. The villain would not have stopped."
He turned his head towards where the Nomu lied. Its Limbless torso twitched and its head still moved in jerky movements. A knot tightened in his stomach as his gaze remained fixed on the monstrosity and the limbs spread out on the ground around it.
He may only have arrived late, but even seeing it like this one the ground made it clear: This Nomu was a monster.
Its arms and legs were cut, yet there were no tears, no frustration, no screams. No pain. Nothing. Not a single sign it had once been a Human.
Kirishima's voice rang out again, loud enough to catch attention.
"I know it was necessary but..."
Asui's voice interjected. Her expression did not change but her demeanor was sheepish, as though not wanting to say it.
"Its how easily he did it. Like it didn't bother him. Ribbit."
A frown covered Fumikage's face at what she said.
'If he adapted... then he did not get a choice.'
He opened his mouth, about to defend his friend but stopped himself. The looks on their faces were filled with disbelief and disgust, but guilt and worry shared place on their expressions.
The students, all 15 in age, had just been attacked and scattered in the midst of villains. They had fought their way through to reach the Plaza, only to continue the fight against the Villain's strongest.
They had been outmatched to a point of helplessness, which lead to a single Classmate, Riku Shindai, who had faced the villain's leader and that... Nomu in single combat.
Their classmate had been knocked out. His Quirk reawakened him, forcing him back into the fight.
'...they aren't blaming him.'
Disgust and disbelief was for the situation. Guilt and worry was for their classmate.
Despite the realization, Fumikage's anxiety levels rose. Even with the realization that most of his classmates only needed some time to process the day's events, another realization settled.
Legal trouble.
Self defense involving Quirks was allowed for individuals, even if they held no Hero License. Given that a Hero class had been attacked, that held true even more. The fact that a Quirk was used illegally would be ignored.
UNLESS. Certain limits were crossed.
In the corner of Fumikage's sight, still lied the figure of the Nomu. Missing its limbs.
Which happened due to a Quirk acting without control.
"Tokoyami. Stop overthinking and get going. We're going to round you up for check ups. You're probably going to get questioned afterwards, so you all are going home late today."
Aizawa's voice rang out.
He shook his head and exhaled, ruffling his dark feathers, then nodded and joined his classmates.
-
-
(Pov: Narration) (Sometime later)
Footsteps and muffled voices echoed through the Administrative building of the Hero school. Shota Aizawa adjusted his scarf as he walked, holding a thermo bottle of coffee in his other hand. Bandages covered his body in numerous wounds, but none of them were important enough to immobilize him or pose serious threat. His expression, despite his usual lazy looks, was focused as he entered the Conference room.
The other Pro Heroes were already present, quietly chattering with each other, waiting for the conference to begin.
His gait did not change as he made a beeline to his seat, plopping down between Midnight and Vlad, acknowledging them with a nod.
Minutes passed by until some time later, the door opened again, revealing three figures. Most notable was the large figure of a man dressed in brown fur, with elongated facial traits covered by a muzzle the likes used on Dogs.
The man was Ryo Inui, also known as Hound Dog, and he served as Head of Student Discipline at UA.
Behind him, followed another figure whose appearance opposed the former's due to being almost completely human. The man dressed in a black Suit, was Naomasa Tsukauchi and served as a high ranking detective in the Police force. He entered the room with quiet but confident demeanor, then turned to wait for the last figure.
The last figure, was one so small it could have been unnoticed. A small rodent like creature, wearing a suit and with a scar on its eye. It entered with small steps, then hopped onto its seat, looking around the room with before starting to speak.
That was Nezu, the Principal of UA and smartest creature alive.
"Hello everyone. It seems we were the last to come. Still, now that we're all here, we can finally begin with the meeting."
Nezu's high-pitched voice easily resonated through the room as he spoke.
"For a short sum-up of the situation. Yesterday, during the Trial of Rescue at USJ, Class 1-A found itself under attack by a group who introduced themselves as the League of Villains. They managed to bypass our security measures with a Warping Quirk and escaped in the same way.
Eraser Head and Thirteen were the two only Pro-Heroes on site but were outnumbered by the villains, leading to the Students being scattered onsite and being ambushed by villains. Luckily and thanks to Class 1-A's competence, no major injuries were sustained on our side."
The Principal's tone changed a little as he continued.
"Our meeting today, is due to several reasons. This is to serve as an update for the situation, to make you all aware of the incident and the details around it. The so called "League of villains" and their ringleader "Tomura Shigaraki" are obvious focal points along with the Nomu. This newly introduced League will have to be properly assessed on Danger level and if possible, i would like to discover Tomura's Shigaraki background and History.
Before that, we will brief you on what we have discovered so far."
Nezu leaned forward in his seat and folded his paws on his lap, before continuing.
"In terms of risks, we found out rather... troublesome information about the League. Aizawa, if you would?"
The Principal's request was acquiesced by Aizawa with a nod as he stood up and stepped forward, papers in hand. His tired voice rang out.
"The League of Villain announced their goal the moment they came in, they want to kill the Symbol of Peace."
Silent gasps and furrowing brows met Aizawa's blunt statement. Their gazes shifted over to the lanky figure of Toshinori Yagi, who sat next to the principal and listened with obvious focus.
That, was All Might. His true form, when out of combat or sight.
Aizawa continued.
"They were confident they could do it and that is around the time i engaged their grunts to cover my students retreat. The man with the warping Quirk, however, intervened and used his Quirk to scatter most of my students throughout USJ. From there on, everyone fought their way out and back to the Plaza.
The warp Quirk, Kurogiri he was called, fought with Thirteen as she attempted to gain an opening for the students to escape. She got badly injured, but managed to get Tenya Iida the opportunity to escape and call for help with the support of some of my students."
Aizawa's voice grew a bit louder as he spoke before pausing for a moment. Irritation simmered in his gaze but was quickly suppressed as the Pro Hero continued.
"The other students who were scattered, managed to regroup at the Plaza, where we fought the League's leader, Shigaraki and the entity known as : Nomu.
To put it plainly, their entire plan was build around the Nomu being powerful enough to defeat All Might. It didn't seem to feel any pain and had a shock absorption Quirk along with Regeneration abilities. We were outmatched. Badly. It was too fast, too strong and too durable. There is no doubt this was their win-condition."
Silence fell. Everyone's eyes flickered with uncertainty and worry as their gazes shifted back to All Might who remained still in his seat. The only noise present was the detective, Tsukauchi who was taking notes. Until, Nezu chimed in.
"The Nomu was apprehended. He is unresponsive but docile and currently being probed for information on himself or the league. But nothing has come out of it yet. I suspect a few days before anymore information can be found.
And now, i bet you all wonder how such a strong opponent was subdued?"
The Principal smiled at the Heroes while pushing forwards a small folder. Hound Dog acted quickly and distributed the papers to everyone before returning to his place behind the Principal.
"These, are our files on Riku Shindai. Everyone who was present at USJ should know, but he was the student who defeated the Nomu."
No reaction followed, with the single exception of Tsukauchi's head shooting up as he stared at Nezu.
"Excuse me, but are you saying this Nomu, supposedly capable of fighting All Might, was defeated by a student?"
"Yes."
The detective didn't follow up with another question, but threw All Might a questioning look which was answered by All Might shaking his head.
Nezu ignored the interaction between the two and continued.
"Riku Shindai's Quirk is a bit of a special case. It is called "Adaptation" and its abilities are as vague as the name itself. Sparing the many details of his Quirk, he is capable of Adapting to Phenomena he experiences. The Limit of said Adaptations however, is not set. We do not know of any conditions for his Quirk, although i have a theory or two. But that is off the point.
The student, has next to no control over his Quirk, meaning that his Adaptations are uncontrolled and often involuntary. To make it short, he adapted to the Nomu and managed to beat it."
Tsukauchi's expression did not change as he stared down the Principal.
"Define, beat."
Nezu's expression too, did not change.
"It happened through several stages. The Nomu was too fast and strong and the student had injuries piled on his body. The first adaptation, was Shindai adapting to being injured by gaining a regenerative ability."
"He GAINED a Quirk?"
The detective's outburst went ignored.
"His second Adaptation, was a bit special. Despite our student's poor control over his Quirk, he is capable of forcibly inducing an Adaptation, although this specific one backfired due to the consequences of doing so. He turned himself into a giant, diverting the enemies attention and beating the Nomu into the ground before being knocked out as a result."
The detective's mouth hung open. "Wait, hold on, you're saying..."
"The third adaptation is where the problem lies. He adapted... to being unconscious. We questioned him a bit and he seemed to have fallen into an instinctual, nearly animalistic state in which he then battled the Nomu. In addition to that, a blade grew out of his forearm, probably bypassing the shock absorption."
"He adapted to being... wait no! A blade? Don't tell me he..."
"After failing to mutilate the Nomu," The detective's face went white as Nezu spoke. "he adapted to find a solution to its Regeneration, namely by closing the wounds of the Nomu before they healed, turning him into a living Torso. Any questions?"
"..."
Not just the Detective, but the other Teachers and staff members rubbed their heads at the Principals blunt description of the situation.
Sweat ran down Tsukauchi's forehead as he exhaled, before talking.
"...You're telling me that a first year student manifested Regeneration, Gigantification, unconscious combat and anti-regeneration, during a single battle, as a result of a single Quirk? Then used these abilities to mutilate this Nomu?"
"Yes." Nezu answered mildly.
The detective turned to Aizawa, heaving a deep breath.
"Was the force necessary?"
Aizawa's eyes met the detective's straight on and his answer was devoid of hesitation.
"Yes. I don't know if you saw the Nomu, but its not Human. It did not react to pain and it didn't feel anything. It was as if made for combat. I don't see another way it could have been stopped."
Silence fell at the Eraser Head's cold evaluation of the incident. The people present were well aware of the Pro-Hero's mindset and judgement, words like these coming from him were not to be taken lightly.
All Might's heavy voice rang out, catching everyone's attention even in his scrawny frame. "Young Shindai worked hard to protect his classmates and took on a heavy burden. We saw the state the Nomu was left in and it only further confirmed the Nomu's monstrosity. Had it gotten the chance, i am sure it would not have hesitated to cripple or kill anyone."
His gaze shifted over to the student's file.
"But neither did young Shindai."
It was not an accusation. But it reminded everyone in the room of what had happened. Of how a 15 year old aspiring Hero had mutilated an enemy.
"But... if he did so while knocked out, we can't really blame him, can we?"
Present Mic's question was quickly answered by Tsukauchi who stared at his notes with a frown.
"We can't. But this isn't an issue of Morals as much as it is Quirk safety. If his Adaptation can change him so drastically, his potential for growth is unimaginable. If his Quirk ever adapts to something wrong, it could deal incredible damage. This matter is for the QSB, possibly even the Public Safety Commission."
Momentary Silence ensued as the implications settled on the present people.
Cementoss, his stone-carved face unchanging, crossed his arms.
"Is there a chance he can control his Quirk?"
Nezu didn't answer immediately.
"He can force his Quirk to adapt, but we don't know if he can stop himself from adapting. I have two theories on how his Quirk works, and the first one would make it controllable.
The first one: The more his emotions spike, the easier it becomes for him to adapt until it becomes natural or he forces it.
The second one: Its just Stimuli. The Adaptation seems to operate conceptually, so the trigger for his Adaptation might be the same. He needs to experience a Phenomenon and gradually overcome it.
I lean towards the first option. He has a strange energy linked to emotions, it might be the trigger for his Quirk."
More beats of silence followed as the people thought the matter over. The real question was whether Riku Shindai was safe to keep in school with his Quirk. Although some would rather ask whether they could afford not to keep him here with such an ability.
"...How is his psyche?"
Hound Dog's rough voice echoed through the room and was promptly answered by Aizawa.
"Stable. He doesn't seem to feel any remorse."
The sentence lingered and All Might closed his eyes for a bit.
"No remorse... nothing at all? Not just hiding it?"
Aizawa's answer was quiet.
"He doesn't see the Nomu as Human."
The atmosphere in the room remained uncomfortable for a moment, before Nezu clapped his hands.
"Well my friends! Putting question of the Nomu's or our Students Humanity aside, i propose we switch topics! Tsukauchi, is there something you can tell us about the League of villains? Perhaps how they amassed such numbers for their attack?"
Strangely enough, the question lightened the atmosphere and Tsukauchi exhaled in relief before starting to speak.
"Of course. You see, we interrogated some of the captured villains and found out..."
But despite that, the biggest problem remained unsolved. What problems would follow Riku Shindai's actions how should UA deal with those?
-
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CHAPTER END
AN:
The Press is everyone's number one Enemy.
Alright, second of all: Sorry for the late release. I finished my exams and had some vacation during which i visited my grandparents in Austria. On god, i think i was trapped in an infinite Tsukuyome because the past week was pure happiness in which i literally forgot i had university, a fic, a future and everything.
Now, i'm back Home and i can write again.
This Chapter was kinda weird. I didn't know how to end the conflict without problems, so i tried to show Riku's mental state during his "unconsciousness."
I have no clue if this was comprehensible enough, but it should hopefully portray he was knocked out, with only the "instincts" of his brain keeping him standing and moving, while he slowly wakes up. That was the plan.
So, yeah. Hope it was alright.
PS: I am suffering. I promised the next fic to be a Mechamaru fic, but the Elden Ring love i have is pulling me away. Had an idea with several characters from JJK, being kidnapped to Elden Ring before the Shibuya incident. Like both Kyoto school and Tokyo school.
With Yuji being a perfect vessel for the flame of frenzy (Thank Kenjaku for that) and Gojo and Co trying to get that stoopid yellow flame out of him.
Of course, massive upscale for Elden Ring, cuz no way am i letting Gojo easily beat Radahn. I like Gojo, but my glorious Star-scourge whoops his ass. (In my delusions.)
[1] Didn't know any other way to stop this. So i settled on an Ass pull. Forgive me.