Chapter 10 - Choice and Armor
AUTHOR'S NOTE: AfO is alive. Some of you may have needed clarification on my earlier mistake in earlier chapters. Glad some of you brought it up so I was able to fix it. In that paragraph, I meant All Might killed AfO's henchmen but fought AfO, though not killing him.
ENJOY, REVIEW, and STONES
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Morningstar Household
"Now... Leo, be a dear and repeat to your honorary Aunt Farah what school you picked," Lucy stressed, with emotions stirring within her; the majority was anger.
She just couldn't believe what Hero school Leo picked. Out of the dozens of top-qualified Hero schools in America, he chose the cherry's stem! And the one to notify her was not even Leo, but Siren!
Don't get her wrong, she loves Siren dearly, but to hear it from someone else's mouth was shocking. Well, it was only shocking because of the school her son picked. Anything else would've been fine.
"Well, c'mon, honey! Did you pick that pompous Titan Academy? Or maybe that floating school sponsored by I-Island, Sky High? Ohh, or maybe..." Farah excitedly asked school after school, trying to guess.
Each school she mouthed was a decent one. Any Hero who graduated from these can keep their chins high and credibility secured!
Massaging his brows using his forefingers, Leo sighed. "No, Aunt. I'm examining for Strategic Heroics Intervention, Enforcement, Leadership, and Development Academy. Or... SHIELD Academy, for short." Leo's face, as he explained, tried to smile, attempting to ease the mood.
"Haha... I'm sorry, Honey. I must've misheard. Care to repeat that!?" Farah's southern sarcastic voice heightened at the end, expressing her stupefaction.
"Right, Mom~!?" Joining Farah was her melodic daughter, pointing at Leo accusingly, "even Mr. Sean miraculously shut up with his Irish and spoke American!" Her comments not helping her honorary brother.
"Ugh... I don't see the shock factor here. Why are all of you acting as if I would die or something!?" he asked with wide arms, showcasing his thoughts.
"""It's because you can!""" Three synchronous voices sounded almost in tune were it not for their raised emotions. Still, without a doubt, Leo pushed.
"I read their exam and terms and conditions. I'm confident I can survive that exam and pass." Were Leo's excuse, why wouldn't he be? While the exam was the hardest of them all, it still had to account for their test takers being thirteen-year-olds, right?
SHIELD Academy has a reputation for having casualties during its exam and rarely, at times, a fatality. Funnily enough, they never change the exams. It's always a survival free-for-all on an island for one entire week.
Now, suppose a fatality happens within a Hero Academy exam. In that case, an evaluation will be conducted on the exam's procedures and would, in the future, be eased and regulated closely by the countries' respective departments.
However, SHIELD Academy? No such thing. It has the U.S. Government's backing and is also the bastion of the U.S. for creating legitimate QUALITY Heroes. The trump card factory, if you will.
This is why numerous paperwork and medical exams are required for test takers to ensure they are in peak health and condition before the exam. And if the student's school records aren't spotless, then a credited psych eval would be conducted.
From the get-go, SHIELD examines everything a test taker is and has. How they react in stressful environments, combat evaluation, skills for anything, mental fortitude to not give up, character and morals, how they conduct themselves on the island, and most importantly, their quirk.
When attempting the exam, test takers are not allowed to bring anything. Fair for all. However, life-support items are permitted as long as the necessary paperwork is provided. [Aoyama's belt]
The Academy's operation is militaristic, opposite to UA High's standard operation with mixed students and general education. While the Academy still teaches general education, it does not bring in general studies students, but they do enroll Scientific and Support course students, whose exams are different as well.
Another fact is that most of the students in SHIELD are actually the students who take law enforcement and scientific and support courses.
While law enforcement is looked down upon, people who graduate from SHIELD are different. They get a fast track to higher positions as long as they graduate, of course.
The scientific and support course, famously known for support items, is not all about it. Quirk sciences and support are also available there to those who want to help others train their quirks in the future.
Of course, this isn't all the Academy is all about. The Academy is also Number One in the World, yes, the World. The reason is that SHIELD graduates tend to go overseas to help countries that struggle to contain their villains. Hence why, countries support the motif of them being Number One.
Notable graduates are Stars And Stripes, Captain America, Patriot, Hawkeye, Minuteman, Scarlett Witch, Hulk, Falcon, and many more.
However, while the history, program, and its graduates are outstanding, there is one reason for Leo being so adamant about studying here. Students who succeed in enrolling will get their privacy, information about their family, quirk, and history redacted from the public.
No other school in the U.S. provides this, for the simple fact that they do not have the complete and full support of its Government. For a simple reason, you can't be a trump card if a villain can use your family against you.
It will be up to the students and alumni how they handle their information.
And this is what he got from his research when finding a Hero school to pick from. Everything just made it easier once he saw that his information would be redacted from the public ones he enrolled in SHIELD Academy.
After Leo said his excuse, he went on an hour-long information dump on the three before they could even say anything.
"Going back, SHIELD Academy is the only school that will give me peace of mind when I become a Hero. No other school does so. This is why this Academy is my only choice. I won't enter this profession knowing mom will be in danger," his thoughtfulness roused his mom's heart, and she hugged him lovingly.
Hugging him with her quirk active, she was practically almost strangling him. "That's very sweet of you, dear, but do receive my hug as punishment. You aren't at your dad's level yet to sweet talk out of your way from anything!" She said as she squeezed, though Lucy only did so because she knew her son's body was different.
Hell, Leo was only feeling discomfort from the hug and nothing else.
Ending the embrace, Lucy looked at her son. Hazel met gold, and in these instances, she remembers that their appearances aren't what is truly shown.
She, at times, wonders how her son would look if they never got their features altered by Talos. Would Leonidas look more like her or his father? Now, no one would know.
"So... do you agree?" The son asked, looking for his mother's support in the matter. Sighing, she couldn't help but form minute wrinkles from the thought of her son injuring himself.
"I-I do." She agreed. 'This is my son's future. I can't be an obstacle. It will only have adverse effects. He had already lost his childhood; no reason to block the future. Especially when he is doing this for us and not himself.'
After those thoughts, she spoke again, "But I have to test you. Know how long you can go without food, water, and sleep. Then, knowing how well you can perform under those conditions, do you agree?" her voice stern and features frowned.
Leo, hearing this was glad for his mother's approval. But to listen to the conditions of her approval made his brows widen. However, with a quick reflection, it was a sound argument.
Survival exam? Then let's learn your body's limits.
Nodding at his mother, "What kind of son am I to turn down their mother's training? Especially one who studies the body and trains quirks?"
"*Ahem~* Then can we have surf and turf(Lobster and steak dish) soon~?" Siren asked not so innocently, but Leo, who heard this, had an incredulous face.
"Wh-what!?" was all he could say, but his questions were answered. "That's for getting sweat and oil on me, Oh Mister Hero~" her melodic voice only annoyed Leo.
"*Clap* What a good idea, hun! I just had a craving for steak, and Leo here has gotta learn to control his temptations, less these muscles of yours get round!" Leave it to Aunt Farah to back her daughter up.
Leo looked at his mother unbelievably, "After days of vegetables, now you eat meat... meat!"
"Hmmm, did anyone hear that? Must've been the wind," was all Lucy said before walking away with the other girls.
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2 Days without food, sleep, and minimal water intake.
A teen could be seen getting bathed by the sun while receiving punches from a woman. The said woman was his mother.
Her platinum-blonde hair swayed with each air-pressuring punch, only getting wilder with each impact battering Leo's body.
On the other hand, Leo is constantly flexing his body, trying to harden his muscles as naturally as he can. "Urk! Why can't I Ack! Use my quirk again?" In his pained tone, he managed to speak out.
"Like, I said," *BAM!* she talked while hammering onto her son's body, "the more harm your body encounters, the more your quirk cells feel a need to improve."
*BAM!*
"Why do you think most quirk awakenings happen during life-and-death situations?" she mused while battering Leo's body evenly, "It's because the body doesn't want to die, but what can it upgrade within the body?"
"The... Ock! Q-quirk!" he powered his answer through. "Exactly. Before quirks, our body only had adrenaline during such situations. It's usually known as Hysterical Strength. So, when a quirk evolves during such times, they are called Hysterical Evolution."
Lucy said, lecturing her son about quirks. "However, I believe there is a downside to this." This time she stopped, giving Leo breathing room.
"How can the evolution of a quirk be a downside?"
Without even pondering, Lucy answered, "It's because the quirk evolved forcefully. Hence your body chooses its own route for survival. It's good and all, but what happens after the event?" her hazel eyes bored into Leo's.
"Hmmm, it now gives you an evolved quirk that might have some new controls you're unaware of?" he guessed what he thought was right. And he did, "Right, that's correct. But it's incomplete." Lucy's reply was quick.
"Evolved quirks are more potent, but did the body become more vital to handle it as well? If you're a Hero by profession who has a well-trained body, it's okay. However, your body is slowly getting harmed if you're an ordinary citizen with an unfit body. You still follow?"
Leo nodded, to which Lucy praised, mentally, "Which is why I'm hammering your body to make your quirk grow towards a route that you desire, not a route out of necessity." she words while pointing at his body.
"Strength, durability, and energy manipulation are your quirks' traits; straying from that will give you a quirk with a bonus, not an evolved quirk."
Hearing her explanation made it so much more apparent to Leo. Ever since he reached the height of 6ft, his mom ramped up the training drastically.
With both muscle and bones prepared, she figured the extraordinary body of Leo could now be trained like it should be.
His body is passively rugged, even for quirked people, so he can take the punishment and abuse on his body to further improve.
"Now," his mom propped into a punching stance, "Show me that armored form of yours that I keep hearing from Siren." And now this stumped Leo, "Awww! I was keeping that as a surprise, tsk~" he whined.
But, obey he shall. Standing up from his downed position, he clenched both hands and breathed slowly. He surged the energy within his body, releasing an aura of gold around him.
His eyes glowed along with the markings around his body. It was surreal to look at. 'At least he isn't shouting like a madman,' were Lucy's comments to herself.
His mane-like hair, raising and dropping with the outline of fiery gold, while simultaneously, his skin hardened and darkened like a deep gold. Finally, with a shout,"[Reinforcement]!" his aura of energy exploded.
What appeared from it was a goliath in walking armor of darkened gold. And his height actually rose to 6ft 8'!
Lucy, staring at this, gawked. 'W-WHAT IS THIS!? Atreus was never able to do this! He could only harden his energy and form things like weapons, but this is actual armor!' were here wild thoughts.
"W-Well? Color me surprised. How long can you last in this?" Curiously, she asked for data and all.
"I can last for about a minute in this form right now. Considering I've been thirsty and starving while constantly training for the past few days, this is pretty good." Rather than Leo's normal voice, it was backed up with an even deeper but armored voice.
"Deep voice as well?"
"Yup, I, too, was shocked, haha! Anyway, mom, aren't you going to punch me?"
Remembering her earlier goal, she re-entered her punching stance. Then after some solid seconds of preparatory breathing, she punched with might.
*BHANG!*
*CRACK!*
Instead of being blasted off into the shores near their house, he remained standing with a meter skid mark. To top things off, the armor of his abdomen cracked.
However, rather than minding the results, Leo noticed something else. "M-Mom! Your hand is bruised and broken! Quick, hospital!"
He shouted while powering down, but he plopped tiredly before he could even take a step.
Lucy, on the other hand, could only marvel at her hand. 'Guess I'll just call Farah.'
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Any Hero mentioned that comes from other Universes like Marvel will only be references. Meaning their names are the same but their powers look a like. So... Don't go spouting how Scarlett Witch doesn't have realty bending powers. If mentioned, will probably just give her telekinesis with a red outlining glow. MHA's powers are biological, not extra dimensional stuff, enjoy!
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CHEERS!