Yellow Jacket 2

Yellow Jacket 2

…

Commissioned by Sivantic

Word Count: 2557

…

Approachability was an important factor for anyone I wanted to recruit into my plans. People are only as close to one as the situation requires them to be. To go beyond the status quo, time needs to be invested, resources utilized, and connections made. I had plenty of the first, little of the second, and a foot in the door for all the individuals I wanted to recruit. Honestly, it was more than what I had when I first started out in my previous life, and I knew I should have appreciated it, but it was a far cry from the infamy I used to enjoy, what Protectorate supported me with, and the absolute dominance I had as Khepri.

What I had seemed meagre compared to what I used to have, so I had to keep myself in check. I had plenty, more than what most would enjoy, and I needed to see it that way, even if I couldn’t deny the fact that I had to be more careful than I wanted to be.

So, again, I had to consider approachability, as my first recruit/ally would reflect on me.

Bakugo, Todoroki, and Iida weren’t individuals I could recruit. Each one could hold the status second-in-command with ease, therefore having them onboard at the earliest opportunity would only destabilize my operations. They had both power and will, and even if I managed to recruit them, it was likely they’ll want to know more, fight me for control, or even act against me. I could only approach them when I had a solid base of power.

The vast majority of the class weren’t applicable for the status of my first recruit, either. While everyone managed the Entrance Exam, and were uninjured by the League of Villain’s attack, I needed to best of what I had left of the class. The bar wasn’t UA Academy, but whoever could reach Bakugo, Todoroki, and Iida with a little effort on my part, who was also capable of making friends and providing me with more connections to the rest of the class. Needless to say, that left me with only a few candidates. 

Two, to be exact.

Yaoyorozu was my vice president. She was excellent by all accounts, easily holding a candle to the three powerhouses of the class, but was far more approachable and amicable. The statuesque young woman was like a comic-book fantasy made into flesh. She was beautiful, charismatic, and powerful, with a good head between her shoulders, as well as a wealthy family backing her. Overall, her potential was immense, and her lack of ego made her compliant. The two of us, together, can easily be the start of what I needed to exist for the coming, tumultuous future.

Without a doubt, I should simply recruit her.

However, Midoriya caught my eye, too.

Overall, in every respect, Midoriya was an inferior choice to Yaoyorozu. While well-trained, and studiously growing stronger even in class, he lacked experience. His academics weren’t anything to scoff at, but he remained below Yaoyorozu. In terms of friends, he was close to Iida and Uraraka before the event, and Mineta and Tsuyu afterwards, while Yaoyorozu could claim the respect of the whole class, was looked to for help in academics by those who needed it, and was listened to when she mustered the courage to speak. 

But, All Might, in every class he conducted and even outside of it, though the man tried to hide it, regarded him the most. 

So, though there was only two weeks before the UA Sports Festival, I found myself setting out to recruit Midoriya.

For whatever reason, All Might, the absolute pinnacle of heroes in Japan, had plans for him.

Naturally, so would I 

…

Judging from Midoriya’s state of profound shock, complete with dropped jaw, it’s possible he’s never had a classmate over at his house. 

“Kaa-san!? Kaichou!? ”

“Oh, Izuku-kun! One of your classmates came over to visit you! Isn’t it wonderful?” Midoriya’s mother was a sweet woman with the same emerald-tinged black hair as her son. She was on the chubby side of things, but when combined her pleasant demeanor and smile, almost made me think Quirk was to literally exude motherly bubbliness. I apologize, both of my mothers, but the two of you have been soundly trounced by the jovial, peppy, and perpetually happy woman before me. “She’s such a nice-looking girl, too! Really, you should tell me if you’ve got such pretty friends!”

“Kaa-san! No! Please!” 

While Midoriya seized his mother, presumably to talk to her, I took the opportunity to sip some of the excellent tea I’d been served and nibble on some cookies. As mother and son frantically spoke past one another over the current circumstances, I glanced idly about the house. It was neat and clean, a housewife’s pride showing clearly and cleanly, while pictures of Midoriya’s family permeated the apartment thoroughly. 

With my evaluation of those pictures, went whatever thoughts I had about Midoriya being All Might’s undeclared child. Midoriya’s mother simply seemed completely smitten with Midoriya’s father, and all the hanged pictures were happy.

It was a stable, average Japanese household, nothing extraordinary, though there were a few dumbbells and tension springs about that wouldn’t fit the ordinary picture. 

I finished my scan of the house, idly ordering the vermin out as a secondary housewarming gift, when Midoriya managed to get his giggling mother behind the kitchen sink and address me personally. 

“Kaichou! U-ummm, hi! I-I didn’t expect you here! I’m sorry if I forgot that invited you!” Midoriya assumed the worst of himself, apologized for something he didn’t do, and bit his tongue twice in rapid succession. He might have been nervous. I had a hunch. And, now, he was bowing. “Thank you very much for the gift! I will take care it for the rest of my life!”

“It’s a cantaloupe, Midoriya-san, from my mother’s garden.”

“Then, it’ll be a treasure my whole family will worship for the rest of eternity then, Kaichou!”

I’d known he was easily flustered outside of serious situations, but this was silly.

I put my excellent tea down, straightened my back, and addressed Midoriya.

“Midoriya, raise your head, look me in the eyes, and thank me for coming, then ask why I’m here uninvited.” I might have had a slight advantage over all my peers in terms of confidence. Some might say that I ought to be ashamed about using said confidence upon children. I would like them all to go through everything I’ve gone through to gain my aforementioned asset. I recommend fighting Lung to start off and working your way up. “Maybe, if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can ask me about how I’m training for the tournament, before asking why I’m at your house without warning.”

Maybe I should stop watching anime, because, for a moment, I truly imagined gears turning within Midoriya’s head. 

“Ummm, sure thing… ah… how’s your training going, Kaichou?” Midoriya, thankfully, did raise his head and look me in the eyes. Though, mid-cheek scratch, he very nearly bowed again. “Oh! Sorry! Thanks for coming, Kaichou!”

If the boy before me hasn’t demonstrated his ability to destroy a five-story robot with a single punch, with the only cost being breaking his foot and fist, I would’ve told him to man up. Given his abilities, All Might’s interest in him, and his excellent study habits, I was willing to offer him some leeway, so I simply sipped the excellent tea I’d been given and spoke to him, instead of launching any words at him that would’ve let me tear down the teetering tower he’d called his confidence. I was tempted to. Very tempted. However, I wouldn’t, even if I could built him back up better. I wasn’t going to invest what little I had in a project that I wasn’t confident in, after all. 

“I’m not training. I intend to  make a good showing, but fail in the first round of the Tournament.” The upcoming UA Tournament is a testament to how superpowers would change society if there wasn’t an unrelenting drive for conflict driving everyone with powers to kill one another. It was a festival to show off UA’s student body to all of Japan. The next generation of heroes, first-responders, and national assets would be in display. It was a way to get one’s name out, be taken in by prospective employers, and find oneself a foundation to start off of. I wasn’t terribly interested. “Most of my abilities will be extremely limited in any of all the possible events, given the rules regarding equipment, and it’s unlikely there’ll be anything I can use will be available in the stadium.”

That was a lie, of course, especially in the final, mandatory tournament period that decided winners and losers. Yelling hard enough, in an acoustic area like the stadium, would elicit a massive response. “Come to me” is all I would have to scream, before I found myself with a veritable flock, floods of vermin, and a deluge of insects. Voice guided projectiles at the very least, and a veritable army of dread at most, I was confident I’d be able to take on most challenges and opponents if I chose to do so—

“But, even if that’s the case, y-you’re still amazing! You can’t just give up, K-Kaichou!” I blinked at Midoriya’s sudden outburst. Moving my train of thought to a stop, I boarded another as I found my mental profile of Midoriya suddenly changing. Drive and determination that I hadn’t expected were both presenting themselves to me. I served myself another cup of tea as he spoke. “In the physical exams, you were in the middle of the class, due to training alone! Y-you have an incredible body!”

The ensuing silence from his words would have been best made more pronounced by an errant summer breeze, but I supposed my lowering of the kettle onto the serving tray sufficed.

Silently, I gazed at Midoriya, as he slowly turned blue instead of scarlet, whilst completely froze stiff.

Really, truly, I appreciated the compliment about my extensive training of my body, and how I managed to be considered average in physical abilities in a class of Brutes and Movers. It was great thing to hear, given the amount of hardship I’d endured to build up my body over the last few years, though I was certainly grateful for the return of my tall frame to accentuate it. Honestly, I should simply thank Midoriya for the compliment, and move own.

However, in my previous life, I’d been friends with a bad influence. Lisa, if you’re still alive, know that you’re causing a young man to suffer, despite doing nothing, because you have managed to corrupt me into enjoying the embarrassment of others. Watching Midoriya scared stiff, utterly incapable of speaking, as I merely stared at him, was very entertaining. Tattletale, you have created me, look upon the fruits of your labor, and please have a modicum of guilt for what has occurred due to your actions. 

Anyway, Midoriya’s suffering reached a threshold as his mother giggled and spoke, reminding him of the unfortunate fact that we were not alone. 

“Dohohohoho. Kami-sama, thanks to you, my son has grown splendidly! He knows how to complement a girl well!”

Thus, ended the life of Midoriya Izuku.

Due to my cruelty, he died without pride, honor, or happiness.

My apologies, Midoriya.

Blame Lisa.

Everything’s her fault, in the end.

…

“So, you want to work together, Kaichou? As more than just classmates?”

I nodded at the deft summary of my long-winded explanation. Midoriya’s intelligence wasn’t something to be scoffed at. In fact, given how quickly he’d come to the conclusion, I had every reason to believe his mind was more of an asset than his academics implied. Retaining information and having excellent study habits are both good assets, but rapid assessment, planning, and execution are more important. I should know, since that allowed me to survive by the skin of my teeth for most of my previous life, until someone with a power that let her do that instantly and perfectly put a bullet through my brain.

“I feel that it’s necessary to start augmenting our strengths with one another’s sooner rather than later, Midoriya-kun.” The term of affection I tacked on at the end managed to elicit a blush from my audience. I was more than slightly embarrassed to use the term, even if really was just being friendly when conjoined with his surname, but I found him less nervous when some care was sent his way. He was quite skittish, like a frightened rabbit, though I doubted most rabbits could punch through a building. “The League of Villains was composed mostly of thugs, but you saw how three, well-trained, and coordinated individuals could do.”

“R-right, those three were really the only threats, huh? Everyone else managed to take on all the thugs, easily.” Midoriya muttered beneath his breath, with his arms crossed and a thumb on his cheek. Outside, in a park nearby to Midoriya’s apartment,  he was more relaxed and capable of thinking. He actually looked somewhat intense as he considered my words. I was impressed, though that might simply be because of my low expectations. “Working with each other, we can achieve the same results, and be safer for it.”

“Which is why I’ve proposed it and come to you, Midoriya-kun. I feel that we can help one another the most.” I was both laying it on thick and lying to him, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. I didn’t intend to be safe, I wanted a force that could strike fear into and destroy villains. He couldn’t help me, not by much, at least. I would be doing the most helping, most likely. “After all, we have the same limitations: as good as our powers are, our bodies need to become stronger to use them more effectively.” 

Huh, I never thought a human being could go so pale in such little time.

“H-how’d y-you know, that!?”

I kept myself from frowning, even as his voice rang in my ears. 

Before he could continue yelling, I held up three fingers to his face, bringing them down in succession with my words.

“First: don’t ever yell at me. Second: Do not yell at me. Third: it’s obvious.” I rattled out all the little clues I’d gleaned for my discovery. He trained idly during class. His body broke when he unleashed his power. The Physical Exam, where Aizawa pointed it out to everyone with half a brain. Getting up during my explanation, I didn’t break my gaze with him, so I ended up looming over him with wide shoulders and hands hidden. It was a poor substitute for a swarm, but he was sweating furiously, so I counted it as a win. Anyway, I wanted him to be nervous now, or rather I wanted him to know he needed me, not the other way around. “So, what do you say to your Kaichou when she offers to train you up, Midoriya-kun?”

The situation was perfect. Midoriya wasn’t the sort to turn down help. He was timid, aware of his limitations, and lacked confidence. Overall, he should have complied. 

So, naturally, I was surprised when Midoriya refused.