Spacetime Anomaly: MHA Fanfic

Chapter 14.3: Monoma's Dilemma

"Tch," Izuku could hear Monoma click his tongue from afar, "I don't need your pity, so you can save your little show for someone more weak-willed. Defending me won't change my plans of dismantling Class 1-A's reputation as the best hero worthy students at U.A."

"Mhmm… As long as that's your goal, I can't really do anything to dissuade you. In all honesty, I think it's fine if you want to improve the impression of your own class. Though to be blunt… Your methods aren't very hero-like..."

"Hmph! Well soorrrrryyy," he rolled his eyes sarcastically, "but not all of us hero hopeful have the luxury of possessing a flashy and powerful Quirk. Some of us have to scratch and claw at every and any opening to even have a hope of succeeding."

"So the ends justify the means? You're telling me you're completely fine with resorting to blackmail if it means getting early information on our class' Quirks?"

"You're damn right the ends justify the means! You wouldn't break a law or two if it meant being able to save a person?" Monoma's eyes narrowed, "I understand that my actions have consequences and the risks involved with what I did. The worst that will happen to me if word got out will be worth it in the end if it means granting my comrades an additional bit of support."

"So now you think of yourself as a martyr?" Izuku shook his head as he asked, "Did you even ask them if they wanted your help? We're students at U.A., the greatest hero high school in the nation, and you think that the members of your Class, Class 1-B, 20 hero prospects handpicked by said school, want you to resort to blackmail?"

Scowling at Izuku, Monoma didn't say a word. He didn't have anything with which to retort. Truth be told, he had yet to ask a single one of his peers if of their opinions concerning his plan. The most he had done was to persuade the six that would have come along with those that did, that Izuku's training group probably wouldn't amount to much compared to the training the students could do on their own. Intelligence wasn't something Monoma lacked and through his cunning and manipulative speech, it wasn't a surprise that he managed to cut the participation rate from his Class by more than half.

…

After school, just a couple hours before the dual-class training started, after being released, Monoma immediately took to the class' podium to announce, "Guys, I know Kendo-san has been very eager to see this Joint-Class Training Camp come to fruition, but let's not kid ourselves. We're dealing with those Class 1-A punks. After having their heinies saved by All Might, they think their hotshots for coming out of the USJ attack. So, I think I'd be a better use of all our time if we just stuck to personal training. In any case, it'd be better than whatever some random kid our age could think up for us."

"Monoma!" Kendo barely stopped herself from screaming, staring holes into his being as she said, "Have you even met anyone from Class 1-A? Why would sabotage this opportunity?!"

"Met them?" Monoma snickered, "All of us were there on Monday when that angry blond declared everyone outside his class as worthless, rejects, and extras." He turned to address the class as a whole as he asked, "Do any of you guys want to be subject to that kind of treatment for however long this 'training camp' — he used air quotes to intensify his sarcasm — is supposed to last?"

A chubby sheepish-looking boy added, "I also think I heard some of his classmates agree with his actions..." He was naturally referring to the aftermath where Tokoyami among several in Class 1-A, including Izuku, agreed that Bakugo was in the right for aiming for the top.

Of course, Monoma spun the truth such that he merely agreed with his chubby peer, saying, "That was only one of those 1-A punks. Imagine what it'd be like to have to train with fourteen more narcissistic assholes."

"You!" Kendo resisted the urge to chop the disagreeable blond unconscious as she venomously spat, "You don't even know if that guy's going to be a part of the training group! And you don't know how they'll act when they face us for training! Where's this prejudice of yours coming from?!"

Shaking his head as he sighed, Monoma said, "You really have that much faith in your little boyfriend? You think he can better prepare us for the Sports Festival in a week than we can, having trained thus far with our Quirks for as long as we all can remember?"

"Boyfriend? Sorry to burst your bubble, but Izuku's not my boyfriend. He doesn't have to be for me to place that much faith in him as someone who's trained with him before. Moreover, he has Kan-sensei to vouch for him! Doubt me all you want but Kan-sensei wouldn't trick us all for my sake!"

"Alright, alright..." Monoma waved his hands, seemingly acquiescing as he said, "Maybe he can help us with physical conditioning, but we should be focusing on mastering our Quirks as much as possible. You really think he'll be able to work on developing the Quirks of ten strangers he just met? Even if he had the ability, do you really think it would be in his best interest to help our class out in favor of his with the Sport's Festival a mere week away?"

As Monoma caught the eyes of some of his peers that once had the intention of going to the joint-class training look down to reconsider, he smiled internally as he made the final push, saying, "You know what? Maybe I shouldn't assume as much without giving them the benefit of the doubt. I still believe this will turn out to be a great waste of time, but I can't deny your efforts in arranging for this whole thing. So," a light of false acceptance passed through his eyes as he continued, "why don't we test out how they'll receive us first? I can see that a lot of you guys are rethinking going, so for this first day, how about only Kendo and I check out the Joint Training?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he said, "If it bothers the ones rethinking either of our biases," he pointed at himself and then Kendo, "we could add another person and report tomorrow on the validity of the training camp."

With Monoma done speaking his mind, the room grew silent before a fiery silver-haired boy rose up to say, "I still want to go and see if I can challenge that loudmouth blond!"

Monoma nodded, though before he could speak, a girl with dark-green wavy hair added, "I'm also hyped to check out Class 1-A out. Even if they turn out to be jerks, it'll be quite a treat to see some of their Quirks before leaving."

Gritting his teeth, Monoma just barely managed to conceal his disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e as he asked, "Anyone else want to risk coming with us?" No one said anything and from thereon it was to the school gates to meet with Class 1-A.

…

"For someone who gets off on calling others stupid, it doesn't seem like you thought through your decision if you didn't even consider the possibility that your peers would turn down whatever material you got from us..." Izuku said.

"Tch," Monoma glared back at Izuku scowling as he spat, "Like you'd ever understand where we came from and where we are. For a second, I had an inkling that you might be worth respecting, but on second thought, 'big-shots' with Quirks like yours will never understand the struggle we go through."

Chuckling to himself, Izuku earned Monoma's ire as this was the first time he had managed to get a reaction; one he very much didn't appreciate... "What's so funny? You didn't laugh when I made a fool out of myself earlier..."

"Oh, it's just..." Izuku couldn't stop himself from squeezing out a laugh in between his sentence, "This is going to be like the fifth time I have to explain that I'm Quirkless." It was seriously starting to become a chore, yet he managed to find humor out of his tedious predicament…

"Quirkless?" Thinking Izuku was making fun of him, Monoma poked the green-haired esper's arm, ready to blow up this obvious lie right in the boy's face, when he suddenly froze. Upon succeeding in making skin contact, his Copy Quirk should have replicated Izuku's power, but it didn't; there was nothing for it to replicate; there was no Quirk…

"What the hell?" Monoma withdrew his hands mildly frightened. "Clearly you showed off a Space Manipulation-type Quirk. Just how are you Quirkless?!"

Dismissing the random physical contact as Monoma had already scurried away, Izuku ran through the Esper Speech — as he had come to call it… — loud enough that those out of the loop would hear and would save himself from having to repeat himself; again…

When Izuku finally finished, Monoma only stared at him uncomfortably. Eventually, he asked. "Why… would you tell me everything I would want to know about your Esper power? I'd guess it was to show off if you didn't just breeze through your list as if it were a chore..."

"Listen Monoma, I don't really care if you know about my powers. After becoming a pro it's inevitable that all our abilities will be well known; if not internationally, then nationally. It will become routine having to combat against people that know all if not most of my abilities while I know next to little about theirs. So losing the element of surprise is something I think would be better to get over as soon as possible."

"That and you're overpowered beyond needing to hide anything," Kaminari blurted out as he stood up and stretched. "You took on a monster that was made for the sole purpose of killing All Might, dude… The least you could do is give the rest of us a chance by listing off your abilities."

"We were supposed to keep that under wraps..." Izuku face-palmed as Kaminari panicked.

"Sorry! Training as a group after school made me forget Class 1-B was with us and it just sort of slipped..."

"Welp, good thing Monoma was the only one close enough to hear." Izuku lamented his friend's forgetfulness as he commented, "He's the last person I'd imagine wanting to give me or anyone from our Class credit for playing my role at the USJ."

Now unsure of what he should say or do Monoma could only stare at Izuku, looking lost in thought. Though Izuku didn't mind, break time was almost over so he said, "Alright guys, let's get to Quirk Development training already. We've rested for long enough~"

As Izuku walked over to start giving people directions for today's Quirk Development Training, Monoma had a look of self-doubt that no-one had ever seen. Looking at the odd Spacetime Esper, the blond Copy-Quirk user thought, 'Is he just the best actor I've ever seen or is he really that humble? Shit… I better not drop my guard. Overpowered and infinitely powerful people are the last people I should be trusting.'