Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There weren’t many things Denki Kaminari had to complain about in his life. He had the privilege of having cool parents who actually supported his dream to become a hero. He had good (enough… barely. He didn’t like dwelling on that-) grades and a nice track record to get into the entrance exam of the most prestigious hero school in Japan, which he managed to pass without getting too roughed up. He managed to stand out in his class full of impressive heroes in training with his electric Quirk during their apprehension test with their scary homeroom teacher.

All in all, things were going good for Kaminari so far. Until they got to actual training.

That was roughly when he realized just how incredible some of his classmates were, with Izuku Midoriya being a prime example. Here was a kid that was plain in almost every sense of the word with little to no confidence in himself despite the powerful Quirk he wielded that let him just obliterate giant robots like it was nothing. He stood toe to toe with a dude that had serious anger issues, and managed to come out on top by giving it his all, even if that meant breaking an arm.

Then there was Denki, who only managed to help his teammate by being a living taser. Don’t get him wrong, he still thought his Quirk was pretty great! It was just hard to really accept that after watching the likes of Shoto freeze an entire building without breaking a sweat. It was more than a little demoralizing if he was being honest…

He didn’t want to lag behind his classmates when it came to strength. He knew the hero scene was just as dangerous as it was amazing. If he wanted to be a great hero one day, he was going to need to shape up quickly! He couldn’t expect himself to be a great hero if the only thing he could do was shock people and make himself an idiot for a short while. What girl was going to dig that?!

This train of thought led him to the iconic place where his desire to be a hero started, where he first started using his Quirk without fear of hurting anyone else. The Musutafu Scrapyard!

…Okay, maybe it wasn’t very iconic, but it was his best training spot considering the vast quantity of cars that came through the place. It wasn’t too surprising considering how often fights between heroes and villains break out.

Denki took a few steps into the scrapyard, pocketing his uncle’s keys while looking around. His uncle was usually kind enough to leave some cars with their batteries still connected. A quick glance around showed that there were a few new cars amongst the rusty ones, waiting to be processed. The sight made him grin. “Nice! Guess this place has been pretty busy while I was gone.” He said to himself with a chuckle, approaching a two door sedan while rubbing his hands together. Electricity hummed between his palms as he cracked open the hood, staring at the intact battery before getting to work.

His routine consisted of carefully loading up the battery with as much electricity as it could handle, using it as a conduit to focus his electricity into. If the battery still had juice in it, he’d sap what was left and try his best to handle the added voltage. The results were usually a little mixed, with some giving him enough power to feel like he was exceeding his limits, only for his brain to short circuit shortly after.

Two hours passed and found Denki panting on top of a truck, a cold bottle of water in his left hand as he wiped some sweat off his brow. His shirt had long become damp with sweat, the scent mingling with ozone as he took greedy gulps of water. He let out a loud sigh and slouched against the windshield.  ‘Hah… still haven’t gone beyond my usual voltage… but I feel like I’m getting the hang of keeping it all bottled up better…’ He thought with a slight smile. Even if it was only a little bit of progress, it was better than nothing. That had to be what the others thought when they were training, right?

A pessimistic side of him couldn’t help but remind him that he was still nowhere near the same level as Katsuki or Izuku. It would take months to even get there, and by then they’d probably be mastering new ways to utilize their Quirks. The thoughts followed him as he slid off the truck, finishing his bottle and tossing it aside with a small frown. They already had plenty of time to cultivate outstanding Quirks, probably training everyday to the point of exhaustion. Could he really match that type of dedication and drive?

‘How’s he going to be a hero with a Quirk that makes him stupid?’

‘It’s flashy, sure, but in real hero work…’

‘He’s better off just joining his uncle in the scrapyard.’

The taunting voices of his old classmates made him scowl, a bitter feeling welling in his chest as he stomped off towards another car. The hell did they know? People loved to talk when they didn’t have anything going for them. It was easier to pick apart someone who actually had potential. So what if he wasn’t as great as other heroes with his Quirk? That didn’t mean he couldn’t get there with time! He wished he could see the looks on their faces when they realized that he actually got into UA.

Denki was brought out of his sour thoughts when he felt his foot snag on a fallen fender, falling face first on the ground with a pained grunt. The pain was swiftly ignored as he heard the pile of parts next to him rumble from the disturbance, screws and small parts falling like rain as he scrambled away from the ensuing avalanche of junk. A thunderous crash echoed behind him as he covered his head protectively, turning around and wincing at the mess. All sorts of parts were spread across the ground now, the sharp edges of some of the pieces made him feel lucky that he didn’t get caught in the mess.

‘ Shit! Yuto is going to kill me if he sees this! ’ He thought with panic, standing up and doing his best to put most of the parts back where they belong. It was by no means as good as what it was originally, but at least it would be less noticeable. The thought of potentially getting banned from the scrapyard spurred him on, his previous thoughts long forgotten.

He was just about done when he noticed something under the crumbled remains of a bumper. Denki threw the bumper up on the mound, peering down at what was under it.  

It was… a battery of some kind.

It was large and grayish-black, like any of the others in the yard. Despite the car he found the battery in being totally wrecked, the battery itself looked almost unscathed. He slowly reached down to the cables along the side of the box. He grabbed onto them and-

“Jeez-!” Dropped them just as quickly, reeling at the jolt that came from them. If it could make a big enough shock to make him flinch… “What kinda monster truck did this come from?” He looked at the brand, not recognizing the company or language written on it. There was an odd logo on top of it; a blue zigzagged arrow shaped like a W, then another arrow going straight through it. Despite the tingling in his hands, he grinned. 

“I guess I’ll just have to get used to this, then! Plus Ultra!” He thought back to Izuku’s performance with the bomb exercise, getting fired up at the mere memory. This could very well be the thing he needed to catch up to his classmates!

With that in mind, he reached down and grabbed the cables once more. The jolt hit him again, but he was much more prepared for it. The familiar feeling of energy pulsing in his veins was amplified greatly, causing him to grin widely. His vision sharpened and he could practically hear the low hum of electricity in the street lamps and machines around him. The rush was beyond exhilarating, better than any other battery he’s ever sapped from! He felt like he could run a marathon around the city without getting winded in the slightest! He couldn’t tell how much electricity was flowing through him, but the strong scent of ozone was enough to tell him that he was getting dangerously close to reaching his limit.

He reluctantly released the battery, clenching his fists as he tried to keep the built up energy contained inside him. Arcs of electricity danced off his arms and shoulders as he gritted his teeth, focusing as much as possible to hold everything in. The electricity around him slowly went from yellow to blue, reacting wildly and violently as it shocked nearby parts and cars. Headlights turned on and off randomly as Denki felt the surge of energy slipping out of his control.

He was moments away from discharging it all when everything… stabilized.

The electricity within and around him slowly died down, small sparks surrounding his fingertips until the feeling faded entirely. Denki was left blinking down at his hands in confusion. Normally he’d have to discharge whatever electricity he sapped to get rid of it, or simply wait for it to fizzle out. Something that strong and empowering shouldn't have just left like that. His gaze eventually fell on the weird battery. The desire to further his training and chase the high the energy brought made him reach out and grab the cables again.

Only for nothing to happen.

He frowned to himself, squeezing the cables like one would an orange. No matter how hard he squeezed or focused, the battery wouldn’t so much as offer a spark. “Crap… guess I drained it…” It wasn’t too surprising considering just how much power he felt flowing through him. He was sure he could power a whole city block with what the battery gave him!

His excitement died down when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took out the fully charged device, growing pale at the wall of texts from his mom. The electric user’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull when he saw it was nearly an hour past midnight. “Shit! How long have I been out here!? Oh she’s going to kill me when I get home…” He lamented with fear, quickly grabbing his things and stuffing them into a gym bag he brought along. He was seconds away from leaving when he glanced down at the battery. A debate to bring it along raged in his head before he picked it up, bringing it over to a small pile of parts. He carefully hid the battery there, memorizing the spot as best he could before sprinting home.

In his terror filled run, he hardly noticed how much faster he was moving. It barely registered as he entered his home, mentally preparing to face the music. Despite the scolding he was bound to receive, he couldn’t help but feel elated.

He finally reached a breakthrough for his Quirk! Things were looking up for Denki Kaminari!

Denki woke up the next morning like he usually would. He’d get up, give his phone some juice after forgetting to charge it, and get dressed for the day. The young man would go to his bathroom, slick his hair back and wash his teeth before giving his eyepatch wearing reflection a confident wink.

He made it three steps out of the bathroom before his brain caught up with what he just saw. He sprinted back inside, staring at his face in the mirror with surprise and disbelief.

“W-What the hell…?”

A metallic eye patch sat over his right eye as if it had always been there, with a sleek appearance that was complemented by dark blue sheen of its surface. The most noticeable thing was the three slitted red eyes that sat over the metal patch, the slight glow they gave freaking Denki out a bit as he felt the cool surface of the eye patch. Honestly, it was only an “eyepatch” because it went over his eye. For one thing, he didn't see any strap or anything attaching it to his face, it just kinda stuck there. Touching the red eyes didn’t seem to bother him. He found himself able to see just fine despite it completely covering his eye, with the only difference being that things seemed… sharper? Like he could see more clearly, tiny details popping out at him if he focused a bit. It was beyond weird to blink and still be able to see, the red eyes seemingly incapable of blinking.

He wasn’t aware of how much time he spent looking at his reflection, only snapping out of it when he heard his mother calling him from the living room. “Denki, are you alright? You’ve been in the bathroom for a while now.” Jun Kaminari shouted with a bit of concern in her voice. The woman was currently fiddling with the TV, using her static Quirk to try and get it to work.

“I-I’m fine!” He shouted back, the slight panic in his voice making the red eyes glow brighter. He had no idea how to approach this! How do you explain suddenly having a badass (and slightly freaky) eyepatch that came from nowhere! This wasn’t something he could just keep from his mom. He did his best to rationalize his latest accessory. ‘Could it be some sort of byproduct of my Quirk? It’s a little late for something like this to pop up, but it happens sometimes…’ He thought, recalling articles he used to read surrounding the topic. Some people often gained new mutations from their Quirks down the line, with some appearing in their early to late teens. It made it easier for him to accept this new development, giving him enough courage to finish up and step out of the bathroom.

His mom turned at the sound of him stepping into the living room. “It’s about time, breakfast was getting co-” She trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of the strange accessory on her baby boy’s face. Denki could practically see her mind going a mile a minute, static dancing across her clothes as she practically ran to his side. “Denki Kaminari, what in God’s good name is on your face?!”

‘ Oh, full name. Lovely… ’ He mentally winced, quickly answering. “I-I don’t know! Everything was normal when I was training last night, next thing I know I woke up with this on my face!” He said, pointing to the metallic eyepatch. The small amount of uncertainty in his voice made his mother’s worry grow as she examined the strange metal, raising a hand to look for any sort of latch or release. She instead received a light shock that made her yelp, quickly retracting her hand away from it. Denki’s visible eye widened, not at all expecting the eyepatch to shock her. Mornings were times where he hardly had enough power to charge a pair of batteries, let alone shock someone!

The small shock made her realize something; the electricity that arced out of the eyepatch wasn’t yellow like usual, it was blue. “Was your lightning… different during your training? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it turn blue.” She noted, personally recalling how many times her son had used his Quirk when he was little. Not once was the electric discharge ever blue.

Denki frowned slightly, looking down at his hands as he focused on drawing some electricity. Sure enough, yellow and blue arcs of lightning surrounded his fingertips. Unlike last night, they were much more controlled. “Yeah… it turned a different color when I used this weird looking battery. It had a lot of juice in it, can’t imagine what car it was attached to.” He said honestly. The weird logo and language made him believe it was some sort of foreign car. Noticing how his mom got concerned about him sapping batteries and hitting his limit, he quickly added. “It’s okay! I didn’t hit my limit and fry my brain! I actually kept a pretty tight lid on the energy I sapped from it!” He said proudly.

Jun blinked a bit in surprise. She was well aware of the drawback of his Quirk. She herself couldn’t generate much static in her arms in fear of them going numb and unresponsive. His was arguably worse, being a constant worry for the woman considering his chosen profession. Hearing him making progress in overcoming it nearly made her forget about how scary it was to see some metal patch covering one of her baby’s bright eyes. The sheer excitement in his voice was enough to make her smile. “While that’s really great to hear, I’d still like to know how that made you get that weird eyepatch.” She said.

Denki had a pensive look on his face, trying to isolate a reason for the sudden manifestation. “Maybe it's like a sign of progress? My Quirk might have gotten stronger and evolved or something! If I keep it up, I might be able to increase the voltage I can use without frying my brain!” He said with clear excitement. The thought of being able to output more electricity without fear was nothing short of amazing to him. He could even work towards increasing the range of his electricity!

Jun could see her son getting more and more lost in his thoughts. She found it slightly odd that his Quirk would manifest something so… strange looking. The electric streak in his hair was easy enough to explain, but this? She wasn’t so sure. Nevertheless, she couldn’t entertain the idea of raining on his parade. She knew how hard he trained to overcome his voltage limit, how he’d come home exhausted with electrically singed clothes. He didn’t look too bothered by it after the initial shock wore off, the red eyes seemingly glowing with his excitement. It still left an unpleasant feeling in her stomach, but she tried to convince herself it was nothing major, that nothing would go wrong.

It was only when Denki went off to school did she realize she wasn’t doing a good job.

Denki was usually a pretty confident guy, even though said confidence could be misplaced depending on who you asked. It was the cornerstone of being a great hero, after all.

That being said, he wasn’t too sure about how he was going to face his classmates. There was no easy way to explain how his Quirk suddenly evolved and gave him an eyepatch. He had debated hiding it before realizing his hair was barely long enough to conceal it, and he couldn’t just show up with a hoodie when there was a strict uniform policy. Iida would probably talk his ear off about being a ‘Student befitting UA’s honor’ or something.

With no real gameplan in mind, Denki settled with what felt best.

He casually strolled into class, hearing the usual banter as they waited for Aizawa to come in and start the day. He took his seat behind Ojiro, leaning back on his chair as he usually did while nodding at Eijiro in greeting. “Sup man?”

Eijiro looked at him with his usual smile, said smile faltering slightly when he saw the patch sitting over Denki’s eye. “Woah, what’s with the eyepatch, dude?” He asked quite loudly, drawing the attention of their surrounding classmates. His curious tone instantly told Denki that his plan of playing it off was failing miserably.

“Oh this?” He asked nonchalantly, his voice wavering slightly in his attempt to sound chill. “Just something I got after training with my Quirk.” He said rather smugly, propping his head up on his desk while staring at the wide eyed redhead.

His claim instantly made those like Mina and Tooru crowd around him excitedly, examining the patch. None of them were faster than Izuku, who already had his notebook in his hands to sketch the accessory with rapt attention.

“Whoa! It looks so cool!” Mina said with sparkling eyes.

“It is radiant much like moi, no?” Yuga asked, posing dramatically behind the pink skinned girl.

“It looks kinda scary with those red eyes…” Tooru said, her gloved hands shaking slightly as she hid behind Mina despite being… well, invisible.

“That’s so amazing! I knew Quirks could evolve but this is something else entirely! It’s such an unprecedented change considering what your Quirk is!” Izuku cut in, his shy and bashful nature gone as he voiced his thoughts. “Could it act like a conduit for your electricity, maybe an amplifier? How much could it handle before short circuiting? It could boost your Quirk and make it more-!”

“Oi! Stop mumbling about Pikachu’s stupid eyepatch, Deku!” Katsuki shouted. His anger filled yell made Izuku flinch and sputter apologetically while Denki felt a rare spark of irritation in his chest. He didn’t even see what he could do with it!

“I thought it was just something you were using to make yourself look cooler.” Kyoka said with a slight smirk, though she was still a little curious about this sudden development. Her ear jacks could pick up the sound of crackling static within the patch, as if Denki was constantly firing off his Quirk. “Doesn’t really fit your usual style, though. Not very "Denki Kaminari".”

“What, it can’t play double duty?” He chuckled. “Gotta agree on it kinda clashing with my aesthetic, though. Maybe I can get some paint or something to make it yellow or black.” 

 “Aw, but I think the primary color thing fits you well.” Kyoka said. 

“Really? Why’s that?” He asked. 

“W-Well…” Kyoka snickered. “When you short circuit, I bet you’ll need to be reminded of what they are- Pffffft!”

“Kyoka! Come on, man!” Denki retorted, small blue sparks flying from his patch. Kyoka continued to lose herself in giggles, lightly slapping her desk. 

The banter died down as the late bell rang and their teacher walked in, disheveled as ever. 

“Alright, listen up. Today will be your first taste of rescue training. Contrary to popular belief-” Aizawa shot a brief, but sharp glance with his Quirk at Katsuki, who merely scoffed. “Heroics are more about keeping people alive than making villains dead. We'll be headed for the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. Don't be late, and show up in your hero uniforms, or else.” 

Denki pumped his fist at the sound of a field trip. No leaving half the math worksheet blank this time! ‘ Rescue training, huh…? Wonder what my Quirk could do for that kind of stuff. Maybe I could be, like… What's it called? An AED? ’ The sound of moving bodies knocked him out of his thoughts. “Ah- H-Hey, hang on! Wait for me!” He flinched, scrambling out of his desk. Despite his trepidation, he was excited to learn how to help people. What could go wrong?

Chapter Text

Things had rapidly gone wrong at the USJ. Denki wouldn’t know if he could be used as an AED because now, he was running around a random zone with Momo and Kyoka, trying to keep his neck from getting snapped by a villain triple his size. What a great start to the day.   

The blonde haired teen ducked under a large man’s attempt to grab him, wasting no time in slamming into him and shocking him into submission. He could scarcely hear Momo and Kyoka fighting the other villains behind him, deflecting and attacking with swords, courtesy of the vice class rep.

“Don’t suppose I could get one of those?!” Denki called, ducking under a midair throwing knife that shaved off just a bit of his hair. 

“You’re the electric user here! We just saw you zap someone!” Kyoka called, knocking away another knife. “Fry everyone here and we can split!”

“Oh sure, lemme just haul back some freshly zapped Kyoka and Momo to the others, why don’t I?! Did you seriously forget what happened at the combat training? I can’t control where my electricity goes if it leaves my body!” He retorted. “Besides, you’re seriously overestimating my wattage without becoming dead weight!”

“Indeed… I would rather not see Kaminari fall out another window, so to speak.” Momo said. She deflected a blob of sludge headed for her into one of the rock walls, readying herself to make another sword in case her current one failed.

“Tch… Damn it…” Kyoka grumbled. “If we don’t do something, we’ll be surrounded!” 

“Yeah, I noticed!” Denki snapped back. ‘ Damn it… Of course I had to be completely useless here… ’ 

“...! I have an idea!” Kyoka turned to Momo, a frantic fire in her eyes. “How much insulation can you make at once?” 

Momo blinked, caught off guard, but immediately understood Kyoka’s game plan. “Enough for what you’re planning, I assume.” 

Denki’s eyes widened as he realized what his friends had in mind, followed by a cocky smirk. It may have been reckless, but if it worked out… “Can I guess you guys need an opening?” He summoned an appreciable handful of electricity, his eyepatch crackling with energy. 

A large sheet of insulation fell over the two girls once they managed to get a safe distance away from the villains. “More like a lightshow! Hit em’ where it hurts, sparky!” Kyoka called out.

Denki grinned, electricity slowly surrounding his body as he drew as much power as he could. His eyepatch slowly began to glow, red eyes gleaming as the air crackled around him. The familiar surge of power made his heart beat against his chest as he held his hands up in the air. “Badass… I don’t have to worry about hurting you guys.” He turned towards the approaching villains. Their charge halted when they saw the amount of electricity the boy was giving off, eyes widening as he stared at them with barely repressed glee.

He clutched his hands into fists before sending them down.

“You guys are fried! 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!”

A surge of yellow and blue colored electricity overtook the cliff face, hitting the unprepared villains with full force. Their pained screams and gasps made something stir in Denki’s chest, his eyepatch thrumming with power as he discharged his Quirk with a wide grin. The villains could do nothing more than spasm, muscles and nerve endings going haywire as they endured one of the worst shocks of their lives. 

After a few seconds, the electricity relented, allowing the villains to fall over with smoke rising from their bodies.

Denki let out a sigh as his 1.3 Million Volts attack dissipated, wiping the sweat off his brow. He looked around the area, in case he’d missed anyone, yellow and blue lightning hopping from finger to finger as his patch seemed to shimmer.

It was only after finishing his scan that he realized his brain wasn’t fried. Tired? Sure, any attack strong enough to floor like, fifteen people had to expend more than a little energy. But that was his absolute limit before training! There wasn’t even a trace of the cottony fuzz that usually clogged his head after a big release. 

‘ What the hell was in that foreign battery? ’ Cocky as he was, Denki wasn’t stupid enough to think that one session in the Scrapyard was enough to raise his wattage cap enough that his previous one barely affected him now. Combined with the eyepatch he got after using it… Before he could think about that any further, he heard the sound of rustling insulation.

His eyes widened when he saw some of the villains standing up from the shock, mild discomfort in their faces as electricity danced along their palms. One man with a skull helmet cracked his neck, looking rather impressed by the shock he just endured.

“Damn kid, I think that might have tickled my spine a bit!” He laughed, carelessly stepping over one of his twitching companions. “Shame I got to kill ya, always felt a bit of brotherhood with other electric types like you.” He said, his arms soon being coated in electricity. “Let’s see how much you can take now!”

That was the only warning Denki received before the villain charged, quickly closing in on the panting blonde and forcing him to roll away from a deadly discharge of electricity. So hasty in his retreat, he didn’t notice another villain creeping behind him until it was too late.

A stone covered fist smashed into his back, sending him stumbling forward with a cry of pain. The electric villain wasted no time in kicking the reeling student in the stomach, sending him crashing into the ground with spittle flying from his mouth. His vision swam as his head hit the ground, barely making out the forms of Momo and Kyoka fighting by the cliff face.

“Kaminari!” Momo shouted, trying to make a stun grenade to help her classmate. She was forced to defend herself from a grinning villain with toxic claws, deflecting their wild swings with great effort.

“Shit!” Kyoka cursed as a barbed tongue left a nasty gash on her thigh, the pain making her falter long enough for a villain to knock her back. A quick blast from her leg amps disoriented the assailant long enough for her to knock him out with the flat side of her blade. “Hang in there, Jamming Whey! We’re coming!”

Denki watched helplessly on the ground as his friends struggled against the horde of villains, fighting to reach and protect him. The pain left him immobile, and even if he could move, he doubted he had the juice to be anything better than a joy buzzer. Every blow Kyoka and Momo took was another nail through his heart, frustrated at the way nothing he did meant a damn thing. Not his training, not his big attack, not his lucidity. He fought to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. Would the sight satisfy the villains, or wither away at his classmates’ resolve? Either way, he didn’t like the idea. 

He was brought out of his mental anguish when two rough hands gripped his head, clasping over his ears and lifting him off the ground effortlessly. He was brought up to head height of the skull masked villain, who looked amused at the painful look on his face. “Two ladies rushing to help? You must be one lucky guy…” The man chuckled maliciously, slowly squeezing as Denki grimaced. “They’re going to be real heartbroken once I’m through with you, it’ll make killing them a little easier.”

The hero in training sneered, his hands snapping up and clutching the man’s forearms. Yellow electricity coated the two, causing the man to laugh as he took the shock in stride. “That was way weaker than before! Am I tuckering you out? Lost steam?” The man mocked. The hateful look on Denki’s face grew, the electric current around him slowly turning blue before the man tightened his grip.

“Let me show you a real shock!”

The man discharged his own electricity straight into Denki’s head. The young man screamed as he felt arcs of lightning spark across his face and eyes. He may have had a strong resistance to electricity, but even something this close and extreme was bound to hurt like hell. He could practically feel every inch of his brain getting zapped as he writhed in the man’s grip.

“Can’t take what you dish out, huh?! Don’t worry! I’ll be sure to use the juice you gave me to flash fry your little friends!” The villain laughed, glancing over at the horrified looking girls as Denki yelled in agony.

“Kaminari!” Kyoka yelled in fear, her grip on her sword tightening as she made to rush out to her friend’s aid.

Momo quickly pulled her back before she could, getting an outraged look from the punk rocker. “What are you doing?!”

“You can’t help him! There’s too much electricity around them and…” The class rep’s panicked voice slowly trailed off, eyes widening as she looked past Kyoka. The angered girl quickly noticed her look, glancing back at the fight only to see something strange.

Denki’s electricity was quickly becoming blue, angry arcs sparking out of his eyepatch as the eyes glowed blood red. Even from where they were standing they could feel their hairs standing on edge from the static. The villain’s laughs slowly died down, replaced with confusion and moderate pain as Denki’s electricity slowly overtook his own.

“F-Fuck!” The man screamed as a bolt struck his mask, sparking it and nearly frying his eye as he quickly released Denki. His hands shook, blue arcs of lighting dancing across his arms as Denki continued to spasm and groan in pain.

The blue lightning covering his body almost seemed to writhe as it mounted. His eyes were unfocused and his heart felt more like it was vibrating than beating. His head felt like it was throbbing, as if someone had crawled inside and was now taking a sledgehammer to his brain’s walls. He didn’t know if it was the pain, the villain rushing at them, or the thought of his friends in danger that was the final straw. With the last of her strength, Momo yanked a final sheet of insulation over herself and Kyoka as they hid from the coming storm, barely able to keep herself from passing out. Denki felt a hot, sharp sting of hatred as the electricity reached its peak.

As soon as he discharged his attack, the world went dark.

There were voices outside the room. Bodies without faces stood at a control panel. 

‘What the…?’ Denki looked around, finding himself in some sort of glass tank. He tried to open his mouth, but only found silence. The only sounds he could hear were the tapping of glass as something scuttled across it. He didn’t know if he wanted to know what was causing such a noise. He approached the people across the wall, searching for answers. 

His only warning was a soft beep before the room flooded with water in the blink of an eye. Panic rushed through his chest as he watched bubbles float to the surface, followed by an awful burning sensation all over his body. The people behind the glass just watched as he thrashed mindlessly, gasping for air without any lungs to speak of. It felt as if nails were being driven into his head and limbs, a horrible heat encompassing his body.

His gaze wandered to the ones at the panel, panic giving way to despair as he watched them stand by, despair soon giving way to rage . What the hell did he do to them? Why did they want him dead? In pain? Why weren’t they helping him?

In a moment of clarity, he saw it. The walls were too thick to allow such minute noises through, but the water’s distortion did nothing to hide the way the people outside were writing on their clipboards. When he twisted, they wrote checkmarks. When he turned, they glanced at the panel and nodded. Muffled zaps and sparks dissolved into the water around him as hatred bubbled in his waterlogged chest. If they loved watching him suffer so much…

Maybe he should see what all the fuss is about.

He lashed out at the glass, cracking the wall. He couldn’t help the unheroic grin creeping on his face. He struck the wall again, and again, and again, gladly watching as the researchers started frantically backing away. He slammed the wall one more time, and-

“Warning, Shock Centipede has breached containment.”

With the sound of shattering glass, the world around Denki Kaminari splintered. The odd eyepatch he’d worn all day was now glowing brighter than ever before despite the giant nail sticking out of it now. Bright red sparks flew out from it frequently. That was the least of the changes, though. 

For one thing, his normally electric yellow eyes were now a disconcerting crimson, with a multitude more insectile eyes surrounding his one visible human one, all locking onto the still-remaining villains. Metallic blue mandibles jutted out by his mouth, which was left hanging slightly open. His earpiece looked as if it were haphazardly nailed and bolted together, the same blue metal gripping onto the side of his head with sharp edges, almost resembling legs, that dug into his cheek. His arms and legs were haphazardly covered in more blue metal sheets, dented and worn with clear electrical discharge. Giant nails like the one through his right eye stuck into and through said limbs, sometimes through metal and sometimes through flesh. His hands had been replaced with what looked like insect heads, eyes searching wildly as the mandibles crashed into each other with harsh clanging sounds. Bright blue lightning darted all around his body, making noises oddly reminiscent of insectile scuttling. His body slouched slightly, shoulders low due to the weight of his new arms. His stance was akin to a tightly wound coil, ready to spring at the drop of a hat.

“What the…?” Kyoka muttered softly, not believing her eyes. Momo pressed a hand to her mouth, stunned and horrified at the sudden transformation. Denki tilted his head aside, eyes seeming to glow as he stared at the villains in his way. The two girls wisely decided to stay under the tarp, out of their friend’s sight… Assuming he was still a friend. 

“The hell…? Where did those freaky arms come from?” A villain uttered in confusion and budding dread, not at all liking the way their mandibles clicked and thrummed with electricity.

“I thought his Quirk was just an electric type, not a mutator!”

“That doesn’t look like any mutator I’ve ever seen…”

 “You… You’re the ones responsible for this pain… ” The student muttered, a metallic shuddering layered over his voice, as if it weren’t his own. His blank expression split into something sadistic as he suddenly lunged at one of the villains, lightning crackling louder than ever before. “ Kahahahaha… Kahahahahahaha!” With a laugh that should never come out of any child’s mouth, the heads at the end of his arms bit into the villain’s neck hard enough to draw blood, followed by a horrific stream of blue lightning. They let out a strangled cry, the grip on their neck too tight to properly scream. 

“It hurts, right? Agonizing, isn’t it?! It’s my turn, now… I’ll fry you all to a crisp! ” He laughed again. “ How many ways can I make you scream…?” He threw the villain aside, cackling.

“How is he-?” Kyoka covered her mouth, fearful of drawing attention to herself and Momo while Denki was like this. How is he channeling that much electricity? I’m not as smart as Momo, but I can definitely tell that even half of that would have left him a drooling dumbass for the rest of the day! She thought. That wasn’t even getting to whatever was coming out of his mouth. It'd be hilarious how edgy it was if it wasn't deadly obvious that he meant everything that he said.

“This can’t be right… he’s like a feral animal!” Momo said with terror, wincing as Denki threw the villain in his grasp aside like a broken toy. The body smashed into two other villains, knocking them down and leaving them open as the transformed student lunged at them. Both centipede heads kept the villains pinned to the ground, mandibles snapping together as they shook with barely restrained electricity.

The discharge they released made the two trapped men scream in agony, something Denki deeply relished as he sneered down at them. The brutality and focus on drawing pain made a new sort of fear fester in Momo’s heart, something even the villains couldn’t accomplish with their bloodlust. It was like watching a tiger rip through a pack of yelping dogs. The villains were no longer faced with a scared student, instead forced to contend with some monstrous… thing that yearned for violence.

“Where did all that fight go?! Not so fun when it’s YOU getting zapped now, is it?!” Denki cackled madly, jumping off the two sparking villains and intercepting a blade meant for his neck. The student grinned at the terrified villain, one of his arms snapping forward and clamping down on her wrist. A swift tug snapped the wrist like a twig, bones jutting through flesh as the woman screamed. She was only allowed a few seconds of pain before the insectoid arm coiled around her head, squeezing and shocking the woman.

All the while Denki laughed, watching the villain in his grasp squirm and spasm from the vicious shocks. The rush it gave him, knowing he had so much power in his hands was amazing! He could rip through these bastards like it was child’s play! Every hit he landed made the blood in his veins sing, supercharged with the same electricity that was surrounding him. He barely felt a dent in his electric reserves even as he released the badly burnt woman. Hell, he could probably even kill that bird freak he saw with the rest of the villains!

His joyous thoughts were interrupted by a blunt object striking the back of his head. His ears rang for a moment as he sneered, eyes glowing a hateful red as another punch from a stone fisted villain sent him stumbling forward. The man threw another punch, only for it to bounce off one of Denki’s arms as they coiled around him protectively.

The young man glared at the few villains left standing within his metal cocoon. He took their cautious and fearful stares in stride, grinning as he felt his arms beginning to generate more electricity for him to use. The field of static around him was like a comforting and empowering veil, one that grew stronger with each passing second.

The skull masked villain stiffened in realization, practically feeling the electricity building up around the teen. “He’s charging up in there! Someone fucking kill him before it’s too late!”

The last three villains rushed him while the skull masked villain hung back, eyes nervously darting between the two coiled up arms. He felt raw terror fill him when he realized the eyes on the arm were glaring at him, completely ignoring the incoming threat in favor of staring balefully at him. He already knew that his comrades couldn’t take the kid out, at best they’d slow him down or preoccupy him. He had to start cutting his losses and regroup with the others in the plaza.

His eyes landed on the terrified classmates hiding under the insulation sheet. None of them could tear their eyes away from the fight as the villains desperately tried to break through Denki’s arms to reach him. Even if they singed or cut their hands on the unforgiving metal, they continued to attack in a last ditch effort of self preservation.

‘They’re distracted!’ The villain thought, his legs already moving towards them as he grinned under his mask. ‘I can use them as leverage! As crazy as that brat is acting, there’s no way he’d risk getting his friends killed!’

Kyoka heard the man coming, eyes widening as she looked to see the villain rapidly approaching. She reached for her sword, taking a stance in front of Momo.

Just as the man was about to leap at her, a thunderous sound echoed from Denki’s position.

Suddenly, the arms surrounding him sprung out, knocking the villains back. They were staggered by the unexpected counter attack, unable to do anything as the two arms scooped them up and tossed them into the air. The three villains began to fall right back towards Denki. With a wide smile, the boy raised his arms and spread them wide. Both centipede heads began to glow, electricity flowing wildly from their bodies before it violently discharged towards the airborne villains. They were suspended in the air by the volatile lightning, their screams creating a chorus of agony as electricity arced and chained between them.

Denki burned the sight into his mind, finding beauty in the way the electric currents jumped from person to person. In the moment, nothing could compare to what he was feeling!

He eventually released them, the electricity dying down and allowing the unconscious and severely burned villains to fall limply to the ground. He turned away from them, spotting the man who tormented him. Denki felt pure elation at the terrified eyes that stared back at him, arm mandibles snapping with anticipation as he slowly walked forward.

“Where do you think you’re going? Didn’t you like my little lightshow?” He chuckled, eyepatch gleaming as he stared at the man with nothing but murder in his eyes. The pure killing intent around him rooted the man in place, making something as normal as breathing a monumental task.

The villain turned, and Kyoka wasn’t sure if he was trying to grab her or run. She wouldn’t be able to find out.

The moment he turned, Denki blitzed forward, smashing into the villain and sending him bouncing off a boulder with a shout of pain. The man groaned, struggling to find his bearings as he slowly dragged himself up to his feet. “W-Wait! Please! Y-You don’t have to do this! I’ll split and you’ll never see me again! I promise-!”

His words turned into a shrill scream as one of Denki’s arms clamped down on his shoulder, mandibles digging deep into flesh and scratching against bone before he was hoisted up. “What was that you said earlier? About a real shock?”

The man felt his heart stop as Denki grinned savagely.

“Let’s see how well YOU can take it!”

“No, no, please-!”

The rest of his pleas were turned into blood curdling screams as Denki pumped electricity straight into the wound, covering the man’s body in blue lightning. Whatever resistances he had crumpled before the voltage Denki’s arm was discharging, legs shaking in the air erratically as the student cackled with glee. 

Denki grabbed the largest, heaviest rock he could lift with ease, then slammed the villain with the skull mask to the ground, pinning him as he clamped one of his centipede heads around their neck. Before his victim could get his bearings, he slammed the rock onto their face, cracks blossoming on the helmet from the impact. He struck again, shattering it into fragments. Momo took a crumb of solace in the way he tossed the rock away, sparing them from having to stop their classmate from bludgeoning someone to death, but Kyoka screamed as Denki then plunged his remaining hand into his eyes, mandibles first, then ripping them out with a spurt of red. And then he did it again. And again. And again. Repeatedly. His expression was that of euphoric catharsis, spots of blood haphazardly covering his face. Denki grinned as he finally had his fill of ravaging the villain’s eyes, the mandibles around his neck beginning to tighten. The razor sharp tips breached skin, then-

“Denki, STOP!” Before he could go further than that, and before Kyoka realized what she was doing, she’d cried out. 

As the last villain fell still, Denki turned around, spotting the two girls hiding under the tarp. He took a few staggering steps towards them, the sound of lightning getting ever closer. Just as they were prepared to fight, however, the world splintered again. In a silent crash, all evidence of what had just happened to him vanished as suddenly as it came. No metal sheets, no nails, no excessive lightning. Not even the blood remained. The only sign left was his eyepatch, which still glowed softly, but was quickly going dull. His expression was devoid of the dopey grin he usually had when overexerting his wattage limit, now replaced with a purely dazed gape. 

“... Huh...?” He swayed for a moment, then collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

“Kaminari?!”

“DENKI!”

Chapter Text

Electricity rushed around the halls. Heavy metallic footsteps scuttled and raced through, frenzied and vengeful. Warnings and sirens blared over loudspeakers as screams echoed all around. 

Flashes illuminated a darkened hallway, some orange, most of them blue. It took a moment for Denki to get his bearings in the darkness.

There were silhouettes in front of him, brief flashes coming from their bodies along with orders and shouts of terror. A closer look revealed the flashes to be nothing more than muzzle flares, bullets flying and striking… him?

Such a thing would have startled him. Watching the rounds fly close to his face only for them to bounce off like pebbles, they served to irritate him somewhat. Why was he being shot at?! What was going on?! His confusion slowly began to bleed into anger, something that grew with every gunshot.

“It’s not going down! The fuck are these guns good for?!”

“Where’s the Control Captain?! We can’t suppress it like this!”

“Call for a suppression team! We need Agents down here, NOW!”

The word ‘suppression’ resonated in Denki’s mind, followed by a sharp spike of anger and indignation. All he wanted was answers and a little bit of freedom, some space and charge to really let loose! What was so bad about that? Why should he be forced to just conform to what these faceless people wanted? Was his needs so below their own?

The will to persist echoed in his heart, a fire that gave strength to a weary body. Clarity flooded his confused mind, amplified by the smell of ozone and burnt flesh. It was what drove him forward, ignoring the panicked screams to barrel through three humanoid figures. One of the walls was splattered with gore, a sticky and warm feeling clinging to Denki as he made his way further down the hall.

The survivors ran, knowing their chances of winning were hopelessly slim. Denki barely made any effort to catch up to them since the wild arcs of electricity around him were wearing them down well enough. He adored the feeling of power, electrical and otherwise. No being weak and one note Denki, not when people were screaming at the sight of him alone. A small vague part of him was a little scared he was relishing in this carnage, but that was swiftly ignored in favor of cutting someone's head off with a single smooth motion.

His advance was only halted when something green hit him, pain blossoming in his head as a bubbling sound reached his ears.

“I'm here now! What's the situation?!” Ah, more people talking. He turned to the source, finding a woman wearing some sort of green suit with a halberd poised and ready. “Shit… This thing got free?!”

The pain the acid brought hardly mattered to Denki as he rushed forward, giving the woman little time to deflect a strike that would have bisected her. She stepped back, every swing of her weapon creating more pools of that annoying and sticky acid. It slowly began to irritate Denki, electricity arcing off his body wildly as he struggled to hit the woman.

“Get the others over here! I’ll keep it distracted until-!”

Fed up with her constant evasion, Denki channeled as much electricity as he could before releasing it with a yell. The resulting wave of electricity completely covered the hall, giving the woman no chance in evading. She let out a piercing scream that made him grin as she collapsed onto the ground, smoke rising from her body as she struggled to regain control of her twitching limbs.

She looked up as a shadow loomed over her, tears of terror and desperation in her eyes as she raised a hand in a futile attempt to stop Denki.

Her upper body was ripped clean off, torso sent flying down the hall and colliding wetly with the steel door at the end. There was only one other living person in the hallway, the others reduced to charred corpses. He stared at the body with horror, disbelief in his eyes as he tried to get the door to open. Denki took a few steps, staring at the man as he fell to his knees with a whimper of fear.

He turned to face Denki, tears running down his cheeks as he shakily aimed his gun at the teen.

The sheer amount of dread and fear in his eyes stuck with Denki as the man stared into his eyes, resolve cracking swiftly with every step Denki took.

The man soon turned the pistol on himself, placing the barrel against his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

A single gunshot echoed, followed by the sound of the body collapsing. The gun clattered to the ground, blood slowly pooling around the corpse as Denki stepped towards the door. He raised a hand to open it when he noticed something in the bloody pool.

The flickering lights above allowed him to see the reflection of… something. The constant flickering made it difficult, but he could make out six glowing red eyes peering back at him. Electricity danced along a chattering mandible, an air of malice joined by rampant sparks. All he could see was a head… but he knew whatever he was looking at was much larger.

He didn’t know how long he spent staring at those unfeeling eyes, only snapped out of his daze when he heard the door in front of him open.

He looked up and was greeted by a whole wall of bodies, various weapons aimed at him. Cannons, guns, blades and bows. Instruments of violence of varying color and design were directed towards him with the sole purpose of stopping his quest for freedom and answers.

Denki barely got the chance to blink before they charged him.

He jolted awake with a gasp, a gasp that soon melted into a coughing fit. His mouth felt dry and numb, like he'd been given some sort of dollar store anesthesia then left to have his mouth shrivel by a dentist from the same dollar store. Denki opened his eyes properly, the blurry world around him slowly coming into focus. He spotted Kyoka and Momo by his bedside, looking worried. Normally, a pair of beautiful girls sitting at his side worried for his well-being as he woke from some kind of coma would be a dream come true, but he was too confused and exhausted to revel in it. 

“What… happened…?” He asked hoarsely. 

“I'll tell you what happened!” He flinched as Recovery Girl made herself and her fury known. “You made me treat the worst case of Quirk exhaustion I've ever seen in my career!” 

Denki blinked as his stomach began to drop. “E-Ever??”

“Ever.” She frowned. “You discharged so much electricity that you overpowered your own body’s defenses against your Quirk, meaning you, against all odds, managed to electrocute yourself.” Denki was too stunned to notice Momo looking away nervously, or Kyoka suddenly deciding to scroll through her MP3 player. ‘Should I be scared or hyped that I managed to do that…?’ He wondered.

Recovery Girl sighed. “Now, thankfully the electrocution was mild enough that I could wait until your stamina recovered to heal you. You shouldn’t have any scars, just some occasional muscle spasms and numbness for a few days.” She proceeded to lightly bonk him on the head with her cane. “But if you ever come in here again with that level of exhaustion, I’ll make you regret it!” 

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” He yelped. 

“Good. You’ll be staying in here for the rest of the day just in case, but you’re free to have visitors.” Recovery Girl walked off to treat some of the other injured students from the USJ attack. Once she was a safe distance away, the two girls focused back on Denki. Despite himself, he managed to put on his best impression of a cocky grin.

“So, I guess I saved all our hides back there, huh?” He chuckled, barely holding back a cough. Denki grabbed a water bottle sitting on the table by his cot, draining it in seconds. ‘I hope I helped them out. If I discharged that much, then I gotta have taken down a villain or two, right?’

“You could… Say that…” Momo said, biting her lip. 

“No, we’re not beating around the bush here.” Kyoka said sharply. “We’re talking about what happened.”

Kyoka rushed over to Denki’s unmoving body, sighing with relief as she found a pulse. Momo ran to the villain he had brutalized, inspecting his victim’s injuries. Despite herself, she let out a small sigh of relief. Though she found herself sickened at the carnage, she was also happy that her friend wouldn’t be a murderer. The two looked at each other, equally disturbed by the display.

“... That can’t have been him. We can agree on that much, yes?” Momo said. 

“No shit! Last I checked, Denki was a dorky dumbass, not a horror movie villain!” Kyoka snapped, then withered. “S-Sorry. I just… God, what just happened?” 

“I don’t know. But frankly… That eyepatch of his is clearly malicious in some manner.” Momo said. She tore off a piece of insulation from earlier, using it as a makeshift glove. After making entirely sure that none of the villains would try and ambush them again, an easy task with how rough Denki had been with them, she reached out to try and pry the item off her friend’s face. 

“AGH-!” She was rewarded with a violent shock, yanking her hand away from the metal. Her fingers felt numb and tingly, taking a moment longer to respond to her brain’s commands. 

“Holy crap!” Kyoka flinched at the sharp electric crack. “Are you alright?” 

“Y-Yes… I think. It s-shouldn’t be anything Recovery Girl cannot fix.” Momo massaged the feeling back into her fingers, trying to keep calm. “We should get going soon. As… Fearsome as Kaminari’s rampage was, he did merely knock the villains out. If they wake up, we’ll be exceedingly vulnerable.” Kyoka opened her mouth in protest, but closed it just as quickly. She wasn’t even sure what she would object to, but something about it felt off. 

The two rushed out of their USJ zone, carrying a classmate in their arms. Whether he was friend or foe remained uncertain. They were simply thankful that he was back to normal now.

Denki’s mouth hung open as they finished recounting the incident. “Woooah, woah, woah, woah, woah. Back up! I blacked out after my second Indiscriminate Shock… Geez, it's weird to say that. Well, whatever the hell happened after I passed out, it wasn’t that! I think I’d remember if I lost my mind and almost murdered, like, ten people!” His thoughts briefly wandered to the odd dream he had after passing out, but he dismissed it just as quickly. Dreams were dreams, and if he really went so far beyond his normal limits that he electrocuted himself with his own Quirk, he probably fried his brain in the process. 

He’d never have so much fun in a massacre if it wasn’t fried to a crisp. And the patch sitting on his eye, metallic blue with hateful red eyes, was… Nothing at all. It had to be. What sort of hero was a sadist, after all?

… Well, Miruko could be argued for that, but she had limits. 

“Well, then how do you explain what we saw?!” Denki flinched out of his thoughts at Kyoka’s snap. She didn’t want to relive his rampage, but if there were some security footage or something, they’d have proof… Of course those asshole villains and their jamming signal had to cut the cams too.

“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it was wrong!” Denki retorted, going into a coughing fit as he raised his voice. “Ugh… Look, I’m sorry if I scared you. But really, I don’t have a damn clue what you’re talking about.” And really, he didn’t want to. If what they were saying was even the slightest bit true-

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t, it wasn’t, it wasn’t. He wasn’t some crazy villain who enjoyed hurting others. He wasn’t a monster. He was Denki Kaminari, UA student, Hero-in-training, and human stun gun. 

That was all he’d ever be.

Kyoka looked as if she was going to say something when Momo spoke up. “Kaminari, I seriously think something might be wrong with you. I’m almost certain it's connected to that… eyepatch of yours.” Denki blinked in surprise, feeling slightly angered by her words as she pointed at it. “I tried to remove it but suffered a severe shock. And that was through a layer of high quality insulation.”

Denki’s eye widened slightly at that, a small, unexplainable part of him feeling enraged that she would even attempt to remove the eyepatch. It was a part of him! That would be like trying to take off one of Mina’s horns or something! Whatever words he had were swiftly silenced when she continued.

“I may not know much about your Quirk, but I’m sure it doesn’t activate while you're unconscious.”

Denki fell silent for a moment, thinking back on what happened to his mother when she had tried to touch the eyepatch. It was a small shock, but it was something that he definitely didn’t do himself. He had assumed that his Quirk was passively charging the eyepatch when he was awake, which would explain his enhanced eyesight and electric output. As far as he could remember, he had never used his Quirk in his sleep, not even when he was having nightmares.

“Kaminari, if there’s anything we can do to help, please tell us.” Momo said gently. “I… This was honestly disturbing.”

He couldn’t help the developing scowl on his face. “I told you, I don’t remember anything but it’s fine.”

“I’d think that’d be the opposite, actually! Do you usually lose your memory when you go overboard?” Kyoka cut in.

His patch sparked again as his frustration spiked. “It’s better than-!” 

“Yo, Denki, bro!” The three turned to the new voice. It was Eijiro, flanked by Sero and Mina. The new trio rushed into the room.

“We heard some of what Recovery Girl said. You were electrocuted from zapping a bunch of villains super hard? I dunno if it’s manly you pushed your limits that much or unmanly that you hurt yourself like that!” Eijiro said. 

“Dude, you gotta tell us what happened. There’s some huge story behind that, right?” Sero asked excitedly.

Denki glanced over at Kyoka and Momo. “Sure thing, as long as you guys let me know what happened with you guys. I uh, kinda passed out and everything.” He launched into what he remembered of the USJ, pointedly omitting much of what his other classmates had told him. He didn’t think they were lying, exactly, it’d be a cruel as hell prank to pull if that was the case, but at the same time, he was a thousand percent certain that they weren’t right, either. 

“Woooahh… So you can shoot off two big attacks now instead of just one?” Mina asked eagerly. “Awesome! I guess that means two of our friends went Plus Ultra today!” 

“Oh, who was the other one?” Denki said. 

“Izuku, bro! You should have seen him!” Eijiro replied. 

“Yeah, he almost took down the Nomu- Oh, right, you don't know what that is, huh?” Sero said. Momo and Kyoka watched the four chatter as Denki's exhaustion faded into the background. 

“We really should tell them…” Kyoka said quietly. But even with that, she couldn't bring herself to ruin Denki's good mood. 

“Would any of them believe us? We have little to no proof. Besides…” Momo subtly gestured to the joyous expression on the blonde’s face. 

Kyoka sighed. “Fair, we'll wait. But we can't put it off for too long.”

“Agreed.” Momo said. “Or who knows what will happen…”

Chapter Text

Class resumed as usual after a few days. Security had been upgraded, property had been fixed, students had been healed, and everything had been business as usual since. Once again, the class was talking before the day truly began, happy for some respite after a hectic few days. Momo and Kyoka seemed especially happy, though Denki didn't notice that much and he didn't ask.

“He's a sweet enough guy, even if he is kind of dense. Actually, he got me into stamp collecting when we last hung out, so maybe I could show my collection off to you guys some time.” Ojiro said.

“Are you sure he's a Management course student and not a 72 year old man?” Kyoka said flatly. 

“Ojiro, dude, when I said you should get a hobby to be more interesting, I didn't think you'd choose literally the plainest one possible.” Sero added, equally deadpan despite his usual grin. 

“Nah, he could have chosen bird watching or something.” Kyoka snickered. 

“I dunno, Fumikage does some pretty wacky stuff sometimes.” Sero gestured to the student in question, who frowned at his sticky elbowed classmate. 

“What are you looking at, Duct Face?!” Dark Shadow said irritably. 

“Elbows, actually.” Sero responded as Kyoka promptly burst into laughter. 

“C-Come on, guys… You're just being cruel…” Ojiro said. 

Denki idly toyed with Ojiro’s tail, eyes fluttering as he struggled to stay awake. Everything around him felt like it was going a half second faster than usual. Ever since he'd woken up from whatever happened at the USJ, he'd felt… Weird. It was nothing at first, but as he got back to his usual self, there was this hollow sluggishness that just wouldn't fuck off no matter how much caffeine he drank. Getting out of bed this morning took a colossal amount of effort. Even under his covers, he felt so cold, not wanting to lose what warmth he was able to retain. He couldn’t imagine himself lasting long in even Present Mic’s class.

‘Ugh… I could sleep the whole damn day away.’ He thought to himself, slumping on his desk slightly as his fingers absentmindedly brushed against the furred tip of Ojiro’s tail. He found himself almost using it as a pillow, though he shook himself awake enough to stop that from happening. He'd probably drool all over it, and while Ojiro was a cool dude, he wasn't that cool. 

Denki took out his phone to charge it, having dozed off early the night before, unable to plug it in. As he siphoned the electricity into the port, he felt his lethargy drain away. “?” He stopped, a bit confused, and soon, he started feeling tired again. ‘That’s kinda weird… I should probably go see Recovery Girl about this later.’ He mused to himself, then continued to charge his phone, wondering how to keep this up. He couldn't charge his phone all day, that'd be impractical and probably damage the battery or something. 

In a flash of insight, he used his Quirk to summon a bit of lightning around him. Not a lot, barely enough to be considered static, but he smiled as he felt his energy return. 

The school day went on as normal from there, homeroom starting up as the late bell rang.

The school day passed without incident for once, unless you considered learning how to take derivatives to be an incident, coming to a close with the ring of the bell.

“So are you guys gonna be free this weekend?” Mina asked chipperly. “Since the Sports Festival is coming up soon, I think we should all do something to unwind and bond and stuff!” 

“Oh, I'd love to spend some time with all of you!” Momo said. “Perhaps someone could host us all as guests? A house party!” 

“All nineteen of us at once? I feel like it might get a bit crowded if we go to one person’s house.” Ojiro said. “Well, I guess it wouldn't be crowded at your house, Momo, but, uh…” 

“But what? I would be delighted to have all of you over for a spell!” Momo’s eyes shone. “Oh, I should arrange the ballroom for something truly splendid! Do all of you have suitable black tie formal wear? If not, I would be delighted to pick things out for you all!” 

“I-I think that might be a bit much for a pre-Festival party, Yaomomo.” Denki chuckled somewhat awkwardly, glancing at a very pale Ochako. 

“Maybe we could all go to the mall or something?” Sero suggested. 

“Mmm, I dunno. That seems too like, isolative for something supposed to make us all closer. We’d all just go to different stores. Besides, I don't really think spending a bunch of money is the best way to have fun.” Ochako replied. 

“I say we should spend our day at the gym getting stronger together!” Eijiro shouted, flexing his arm. 

“I must say, I concur with Eijiro! There is no reason our bonding time cannot be constructive!” Tenya said. 

“I mean, I guess you're right, but I dunno, the gym seems so…” Mina’s face scrunched up with distaste.

“Gross?” Tsuyu said. 

“Yeah, basically…” Mina sighed. “Something about a bunch of people sweating in the same place on the same stuff all doing the same thing rubs me the wrong way.”

“Isn't that basically just Hero Training?” Kyoka asked.

“Well, yeah, but the gym is boring, too! You're just like, running or standing in place carrying something heavy!” Mina said. 

“So we need something that'll fit all of us, isn't too fancy, is entirely inclusive, relatively cheap, and also helps us with the Sports Festival…” Izuku muttered, writing all the criteria down in his notebook as he tried to brainstorm. 

“Hm…” Kyoka played with her earlobes pensively. “How about a pool party? We can ask the teachers if we can use the school’s pool and spend the day swimming and playing or training in the water.” 

Denki flinched at the invitation, skin starting to crawl. “A-A pool party?” He stuttered. His mouth felt dry as a desert, though he had no clue why. 

“An excellent suggestion, Kyoka!” Tenya shouted. “Do we have any objections?” 

“I'm cool with it!” Ojiro said, tail swaying enthusiastically. 

“Aw yeah, that sounds like a blast!” Sero agreed. 

“This is gonna be awesome!” Mina cheered, eyes practically twinkling. “I can’t wait to show off this adorable swimsuit I bought the other day!”

“You realize that we’ll need to be wearing the suits the school provided, right?” Tsuyu remarked. “At least if we're swimming here to save money.”

“Ah- Oh, right…” Mina chuckled sheepishly, though the rest of her words just slid off Denki's brain.

He slowly backed away from the group, trembling. Their conversation blurred into white noise as he got farther away. The idea of his hot classmates in swimsuits should have made his day, but that elation was more than drowned ou- overtaken by a roiling sense of dread. His thoughts went back to the odd nightmare he’d had at the USJ, trapped in a glass cell full of water as faceless bodies watched him drown.

‘Is that seriously why I’m so shaken? One bad dream from one bad shock?’ He scowled at his own weakness.

He looked around to make sure he was alone. Even when the voices of his fellow students were barely a murmur in his ears, they were still too loud, too present. He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched even though he was in a relatively secluded nook of the school. His lungs started burning despite the perfectly open air, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Sparks flew off his body like fireworks, popping and fizzing as he shook. His quick breathing progressed into gasping until he heard footsteps behind him.

“Denki?” Kyoka called. 

He whipped around to face her, visibly nervous. “O-Oh, Kyoka! What’s up, huh?” He forced on a casual grin and hoped she didn't notice how pale he was.

“I noticed you trying to sneak off. It’s just…” She looked off to the side, fidgeting with her earlobes. “You alright? I saw you sweating and shivering and stuff. Are you still hung up about the USJ?” 

“Yeah! I mean, no! I mean- Uh, I’m peachy!” He replied, a little too quickly to be reassuring. “I just… Uh…”

“Just?” She gestured for him to continue. 

‘I can’t tell her I’m nervous about swimming because of some stupid nightmare! That’d just be dumb!’ He thought. What he wanted to say was something that would placate both Kyoka’s worries and his own, letting everything pass like water under- like nothing had happened. 

What came out of his mouth was “Oh, you know, just, like, uh, had to handle… Guy stuff?” He squeaked. 

“Guy stuff? What do you-” Kyoka went as red as Eijiro’s hair as her mind came to the most obvious conclusion. “You damn pervert! I knew you were a horndog, but this fucking low?!” She proceeded to slap him across the face, hard. “Not even at your own god-damned home!”

“OW!” He rubbed his cheek, confused. “What are you talking ab-”

‘Wait… She saw me sweating and shaking as I was backing away from the others. I wasn’t facing her when she came to find me, and I was kinda curled in on myself… And panting. After the others brought up a pool party. And I told her I was taking care of “guy stuff”.

… I’m dead.’ Denki realized he had made a grave error.

“H-Hey, wait, I just realized what that sounds like but it’s really not-” He stammered, desperately trying to save face. 

Kyoka jammed one of her jacks into Denki’s ear with a scowl, making him squirm and sputter. She left him like that for a good few seconds, then removed herself. “Tch. See you at the pool, pervert.” She stormed off.

“Brrr…” Denki shook his head, rubbing his ears to clear them. “S-See you too, Kyoka!” Despite the tingling in his ear, he felt a comforting warmth in his chest. It felt good to know things were normal. It felt good to not think about the stress from the past few days. It felt good to know his friends were by his side.

The days passed by, and soon enough, it was time for the pool party. Despite every inch of his body screaming at him not to, he still slipped into his swim trunks, hell bent on attending. He’d beat that stupid dream, see there was nothing to it, and everything would go back to normal, no matter how badly his heart was hammering in his chest. Denki took a deep breath as he pushed past the doors and onto the poolside, hoping to calm himself down before everyone saw. 

It did nothing. 

He knew his classmates were having a blast. He could, if he wanted, see them playing in the water without a care in the world for once. Mina and Ochako were having a splash fight, Ochako making small lumps of water float in the air before letting them fall onto her opponent. They turned on Momo the second she came into range, who retaliated with a water gun pulled from her bicep. Tenya was lecturing all who would listen on pool safety, though his only audience member was Izuku. Tooru was tanning on one of the poolside chairs.

None of that mattered to Denki. The only thing on his mind was that horrible, horrible water trying to claw its way into his lungs and burning his body and the cold unseen eyes behind the glass watching him writhe and struggle and thrash in agony let him out let him out LET ME OUT-

“Denki? You gonna get in, dude?” Sero snapped his friend from his spiral. “Thought you’d be all for a shindig like this.”

It took him a moment to find his voice again. “Wh-Wha-? Oh, right, yeah!” Denki stammered, taking a shaky step towards the pool. His face started burning as he felt his classmates’ gazes settle on him.

“Denki! If you are not feeling well, there is no obligation to attend! I insist that you return to your home if you feel the need!” Tenya exclaimed. 

“Guys, it’s fine, really. I don’t- It’s nothing.” Denki replied, taking another agonizing step towards the pool’s edge. 

Izuku opened his mouth, then shut it. If Denki really insisted he was fine, then there wasn’t much they could do to dissuade him… But that didn’t explain the chills down his spine. Judging by the various worried looks on everyone else, they weren’t convinced, either.

Denki huffed, small sparks coming from his patch. “Look, I’ll prove it right now! I’m fine!” He shouted, trying to convince himself as much as the others, as he leapt into the pool. 

The second the water touched him, it was agony. The burning and suffocating feelings came back stronger than ever, not helped by the way he screamed on instinct. His limbs flailed helplessly as panic blinded him. Everyone else in the pool scrambled to leave as they felt a mild tingling in the water. The second after Yuga pulled himself onto dry land, the pool lit up with yellow and blue electricity.

Tooru screamed as lightning arced out of the water, lashing out wildly and leaving scorch marks wherever the bolts landed. Momo tensed up, watching her classmate’s Quirk go utterly haywire. She pursed her lips, examining the way the electricity seemed to seek them out, static arcs hopping from puddle to puddle to ultimately fizzle at their feet. 

‘It almost seems… Alive…?’ She immediately feared for the worst, remembering the last time Denki’s Quirk had done something utterly anomalous.

“The hell are you all doing just standing there?! Shitty Hair, jump in and fish the fucker out before he DROWNS TO DEATH!” Katsuki snarled, frustrated at the electrical field stopping him from getting close enough to do it himself.

“! R-Right on, bro!” Eijiro steeled himself as he hardened, weathering the shocks, grabbing his hysteric classmate, and yanking him out of the water as quickly as possible before the current could really get to him. Denki rolled onto his front and vomited up lungfuls of water, gasping and shaking. Lightning raced from head to toe, his pupils shrunken to pinpricks as he stared at something that wasn’t the ground. 

His head was pounding, and his vision was starting to blur. The voices around him were melting together into a muted, muddied haze. Their indistinct words sounded like they were coming through a glass wall, thick and unyielding. Though it was hard to see, he knew they weren't moving. 

Denki couldn't pay attention to them, though. Wherever the water touched him, it felt as if a hundred nails were impaling him. Ice cold sweat mingled with pool water as he shivered relentlessly, both from the pain and the temperature. The chill from the air, the muddy voices stifling his ears, the sickly sweet drool that came before vomit mingling with the taste of chlorine, everything felt like it was screaming over each other, tearing his brain into pieces for a scrap of attention. He could barely move with how soaked he was, every twitch forcing another tiny sob past his lips.

On some level, he knew he was speaking, though he couldn't tell what he was saying. His eyes flitted to the group, which still hadn't moved. Irrational annoyance blossomed in his chest, soon escalating into manic resentment. Whatever rational parts of his brain that weren't on the fritz questioned where the feeling came from. It's not like his classmates knew about this. The electricity around him was too wild to approach safely. That wasn't the main thing on his mind, however. The excruciating pain and sensory overload was a much more prevalent issue. It was pissing him off in the worst ways, not letting him do anything to reach out, even to glance at his friends. The frustration compounded in the blink of an eye, the pain growing alongside it. He couldn't take it anymore. 

The last thing he heard before he passed out was the sound of shattering glass.

“Denki!” Mina cried out. She tried to step forward, but was yanked back by Sero. 

“Are you nuts?! Trying to go near him right now is suicide!” He said, gesturing to the wild electrical shocks arcing off their classmate. 

“Well, what are we supposed to do?! We can't leave him like this!” She snapped back.

“I will go fetch Recovery Girl and Mr. Aizawa posthaste! Please do your best to ensure Denki remains in as stable a state as you can manage!” Tenya said, rushing off as soon as he was on a dry enough surface to activate his Quirk. 

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it- That idiot! What the hell was he trying to prove with that?!’ Kyoka’s mind raced at a mile a minute. She shared a worried glance with Momo, praying that Tenya would come back quickly enough to get Denki the help he needed. 

“?” Her eyes widened as she picked up the sound of murmuring. It was quiet, especially with everyone else talking over each other.

“They’re… staring at me… just watching…” Denki practically whispered, shivering against the ground as he looked at the rest of the class. “No one’s helping me… And it hurts… so… much…!” His expression shifted from blank to enraged as he spoke, hints of crimson joining an ever growing sea of blue lightning.

Kyoka’s heart dropped as she realized what was about to happen. “Everyone, GET AWAY FROM HIM!” 

Anyone who wasn't too shocked by the outburst did as Kyoka said as the world splintered again. 

The only crumb of consolation was that they didn't need to see the nails from this… transformation going through more flesh than before. Instead, the whole class was “merely” subject to this twisted mockery of Chargebolt's uniform. 

Before anyone could gather their thoughts, Denki sprang at Yuga and slammed him into the lockers with a crackling swipe. He crashed into Tooru, who inadvertently cushioned his blow at her own expense.

“Augh-!” The glitzy blonde slumped onto the ground, trembling. He’d been struck right in the stomach, cracking his support belt. Additionally, the lightning the swipe came with left him numb all over, unable to move. ‘I-I can still feel her breathing, at least… Sacre bleu, she must have hit her head…’

“This again…!” Momo mentally kicked herself for not catching her classmate’s distress earlier.

“Again? What do you mean again?!” Izuku said frantically. 

“Not now! Just get ready to fight!” Kyoka replied, earlobes at the ready. 

Katsuki grunted as his palms began to light up with small explosions. “No need to tell me twice, Air Pods!” His expression was caught somewhere between a grin and a grimace. 

“It hurts… Why should I be the only one suffering?” The class could taste the hatred and frustration in Denki's words as he turned his aggression on the rest of them. “If you're going to watch me writhe in agony, you can feel the same!”

Chapter Text

Denki discharged a massive shockwave of electricity soon after his declaration, blasting a number of the unprepared students back and leaving them numb and immobile. In only a few short seconds, a recreational activity was turned into a mad brawl for survival.

The sound of mad laughter filled the air as a centipede head lunged for Izuku, who just barely managed to avoid the blow that left a cobweb of cracks along the locker wall. He couldn’t avoid the small shockwave of lightning, but it was better than getting crushed.

Denki reeled his arm back with a grin, sparks flying off his body and making the wet floor around him a hazard. Such an environment made it easy to get shocked, with the only plus side being his lack of coordination and balance. “Why’d you dodge, huh? Thought you’d be used to your bones being crushed. Or does it not feel as good for your ego when I do it?” The callous words made Izuku wince, unused to hearing such vitriol from the easy going teen.

“Everyone, be on guard! Your opponent is not above maiming or potentially lethal harm!” Momo shouted, taking charge as the Vice Class Representative. “Ojiro, Shoji, Koda, please protect the wounded!” The three quickly nodded as Dark Shadow raced to smack a screeching centipede head away from the downed Yuga. He was picked up by Shoji and dragged away from the hectic fight. Ojiro quickly swept Toru off the ground, getting out of the way just before Dark Shadow was repelled.

“Todoroki, Hanta, Tokoyami, prevent his escape! Everyone else, fight to subdue!” She emphasized the latter while looking at Katsuki specifically. 

“B-But how- What happened to him?!” Mina cried, still reeling. She threw around a few splashes of weak acid, unsure how powerful to make it so she wouldn't harm her friends. The splashes barely made the metal along Denki’s body sizzle as he moved to swat her into the wall, his attack barely blocked by a hardened Eijiro. 

“Do you think I'm some kind of dumbass?!” Katsuki snapped. “Sparky over there's a damn extra, so how’d he slam half the class like it’s nothing?! And how the hell do we fix him?! I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT ALL YOUR ASSES!” He roared while rushing Denki. He easily dodged a swipe from one of his arms, unleashing a point blank explosion to the delirious teen’s face. He grinned for a moment, only for his eyes to widen as Denki rushed through the smoke, shoulder checking him away with a sneer. The explosive blonde slid across the ground, small sparks dancing across his abdomen as he grimaced angrily. 

“We know he can snap out of it, we just need to force it!” Kyoka said, pointedly ignoring the rest of what Katsuki was saying. 

“THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!” Katsuki snarled. 

“It's the best you're getting!” Kyoka retorted. 

Izuku leaned against a locker door, panting as he carefully watched Denki’s movements. There was no real strategy in his attacks, just a simple desire to destroy anything he could get his hands on. Electricity surrounded him like a shroud, shocking anyone who managed to get a clean hit on him. Dark Shadow was barely able to clash against Denki’s terrifying new arms, the constant light from the sparking limbs making a prolonged fight hard for Fumikage. His manic thrashing made it hard to even get close to him.

“Yaomomo! Kyoka!” Eijiro hardened again in response to another one of Denki’s wild attacks. “You said this happened before, right?! What the hell were you talking about?!” He grunted, shoving the limb aside while shaking the sparks off his hands. 

“It was at the USJ!” Kyoka jammed her jacks into the ground, sending sound waves out to try and unbalance their opponent. 

“Indeed. I had made a tarp out of electrical insulation for Jiro and myself to hide under so he could shock all the villains around us without fear of harming us. After his first discharge, we’d thought we had eliminated all the villains around us, but we were caught off guard.” Momo formed a tranq gun and fired at Denki while his back was turned, cursing when one of his arms swiveled around and knocked the projectile off course. “We noticed Kaminari acting somewhat erratically as the fight wore on, but assumed it was fatigue from attempting to generate and preserve such a grand charge so soon after his last one, especially after the villains caught and assaulted him. He never got the chance to unleash it, though…”

“Cause he went fuckin’ crazy?” Sero finished, firing some tape out of his elbows to narrow Denki’s avenues of escape. 

“Exactly- ARGH!” Kyoka cried out as one of Denki’s centipede arms chomped her in the side. She managed to dislodge it with a controlled blast of sound from her ear jacks after piercing one of its eyes. A trail of crimson followed it as Denki glared at her, the punctured head snapping its mandibles angrily.

“Oh, of course it's you! You just love to do this kind of shit!” He snarled, a tinge of frustration peeking through the bottomless hatred. “It hurts… it hurts it hurts it hurts-!” He lunged at Kyoka, slamming one of the heads into her shoulder. Something snapped on impact, pain shooting through her arm as the bone broke into pieces. 

“I hate it! I HATE YOU! You're always the first to start staring and laughing… Standing and watching and always always always doing NOTHING TO HELP ME!” He ranted, grabbing Kyoka by the arms and swinging her into an incoming Eijiro. “ But that's fine. If you're going to laugh at my pain, I think I'll laugh at yours !” He yanked her other arm out of its socket, making her cry out. The head’s mandibles dug deep into her arm, blood dripping from the wounds as it narrowly missed bone. Manic laughter spilled out of the boy’s mouth, but before he could do any more, Dark Shadow snuck up behind him and bit him on the shoulder, loosening Denki’s grip as he shifted focus just enough for Tsuyu to yank Kyoka to the rest of the wounded. 

Kyoka was silent, unable to even clutch her open wound from both the pain and paralysis. ‘ What…? I didn't- Does he actually think I- No, no, he's being fucking possessed right now, there's no way he means what he's saying! Right? ’ 

“Kyoka!” Ochako cried out. She glared at Momo, frustrated. “You didn’t think to tell us about any of this?!” She yelled, trying to stand in spite of her numb legs as she nursed a broken nose. Trying to get close enough to make Denki weightless had failed rather spectacularly. “Or Mr. Aizawa?!”

“Would you have believed us?” Momo said, aiming another tranquilizer dart at Denki. “We had no concrete proof outside of our eyewitness testimony, and the shifts were so dramatic that we would sound delusional if we tried to explain. Denki didn’t even believe us, though that may have been denial. And… Well, I suppose we assumed that since Mr. Aizawa was involved with the incident’s aftermath, he would automatically know what happened in each zone. Or maybe we were just desperate to write off what happened as nonsense…” Momo winced. “Nothing had happened these past few days, so I thought we wouldn’t need to worry about it further. How careless of me…”

“What about the- Ah!” Izuku narrowly dodged a stream of lightning aimed at his general direction. “The villains and their injuries? That has to be some level of proof, right?”

“We couldn’t exactly ask them!” Kyoka snapped, then winced as the jolt made her arms move unfavorably.

It was at that moment that Denki decided to rush towards Momo, batting aside tranq darts with ease as he extended his left arm to zap her. The blast was thankfully misdirected when a roll of tape enveloped the arm, wrapping around the eyes and mandibles.

“Thank you, Hanta!” Momo said, preparing another dart. 

Sero nodded at Momo, glancing off of Denki for a brief moment. A grave mistake. “No prob-” 

The sensation of restraints enraged the mentally unstable teen. He planted his feet into the ground, tugging harshly and yanking Sero towards him. The moment he was within arms length, Denki’s left arm fired off towards the tape slinger’s arm, biting down on the elbow before bringing it and the hero in training to the ground. A sickening crack filled the air as Sero’s arm bent at the elbow, skin rupturing and giving way to bone as he screamed in pure agony. The horrid sound made the class of heroes in training turn pale with horror, wide eyes filled with disbelief as Denki grinned down at the helpless form of Sero.

“That’s it! Keep writhing on the floor like the maggot you are! I won’t stop till I stomp you all into nothing!” Denki screamed with a delirious laugh, raising his arms and sending both of them down towards Sero’s head.

His attack was swiftly intercepted by Eijiro, who visibly struggled to keep the two biting heads away from Sero. Tsuyu wrapped a tongue around Sero’s leg, pulling him back and out of danger as the hardening hero shouted. “Damn it, Denki! This isn’t like you! Can’t you see you’re hurting your friends?!”

“SERO! Holy shit, are you-?!” Mina couldn't even finish her sentence, unable to tear her horrified gaze away from the exposed bone. 

“I-I- My- My arm- M-My elbow-” Sero was even less coherent, tears streaming down his face. “I-It- It hu-hurts-” He shook like a leaf in a hurricane, red dots landing on the tile and bleeding into puddles of water. His face was paler than a sheet of paper, features twisted in pain, shock, and horror.

“That looks awful.” Tsuyu grimaced. She handed him to Ojiro, who winced at the gory sight, but steeled his will to protect nonetheless. 

Back at the heart of the fight, Denki’s face twitched with annoyance, a look of pure contempt aimed at Eijiro as he pressed forward. Eijiro’s heels left small trenches in the ground as Denki slowly pushed him back. “Tch! You want to keep getting in my way?! Fine! I’ll fry you all the way to the heart! ”  

With that shout, the mandibles clamped down on Eijiro’s wrists, keeping him from pulling away as their red eyes glowed along with Denki’s eyepatch. Electricity began to coalesce around the two, with Denki’s arms slowly becoming more and more volatile. The shocks spread to Eijiro quickly, forcing him to shut his eyes and endure the pain as lightning engulfed his hardened body. The pain was barely stunted by his Quirk, yet he refused to let go and allow Denki to hurt someone else.

‘ Just have to keep hardening… don’t let him through! ’ He mentally roared, gritting his teeth while tightly gripping Denki’s arms. The corroded teen continued to build up energy, his grin widening at the sheer euphoria the power brought to him. How could something that felt so good be wrong? Was it wrong for him to release something that clearly wanted to be free, to stretch and expand its strength? Who would want this amazing feeling to end?!

Just as Denki was about to release his built up energy, something slammed into him. It was as if a freight train had crashed into him full tilt, sending him flying into the lockers.

Eijiro fell to his knees, panting heavily as wild arcs of electricity danced across his skin. He looked up to see Izuku with a finger outstretched in a flicking motion, clearly broken from the power of his Quirk. He was gritting his teeth in pain, but still managed to stand with a resolved look on his face.

The red haired teen shot a weak grin over to his savior. “Finally got a clean shot on him, huh?” He asked with a slight cough.

Izuku managed a slight smile before the sound of rustling drew his attention towards the cratered locker shelf. One of Denki’s arms bit into the metal, bending it with ease as he pulled himself out of the wall with a hateful scowl. Despite the heavy hit from One For All, Denki was still able to stand. There was a slight sway in his stance, but he looked more pissed than injured.

“The wonder boy finally decides to do something, huh? About damn time!” Denki spat out a glob of blood, chuckling to himself. “Go ahead and break all the bones you like! It’ll make it easier for me to crush your skull into paste!”

A deafening blast temporarily made the class’ ears ring as Bakugo blasted off towards Denki. “You’re focusing on the wrong person, Pikachu!” The explosive teen roared.

Denki turned to face Katsuki, his grin returning with full force as he sent an arm towards the airborne teen, mandibles snapping wildly. His grin faltered when Bakugo managed to blast the arm aside, slipping into Denki’s space and firing off a heavy blast from both palms directly into his chest. The attack connected with tremendous force, sending Denki staggering back while the electric field around him waned somewhat. It was enough to allow Dark Shadow to get close and slam into his back, nearly toppling him.

Izuku watched while preparing another attack, blinking in confusion when he noticed the decrease in electricity. ‘He didn’t lose any charge when I hit him earlier… yet Kacchan managed to somehow lower it just now! Is it because we’re hitting his body instead of his arms? ’ He shook his head for a moment. ‘ No, that can’t be it… My attack would have decreased his electrical output otherwise… ’ The green haired hero wracked his brain for answers as Denki broke a wave of ice directed towards him, his electricity growing stronger as ice shards flew around him.

An idea slowly formed in his mind as One For All coursed through his body, building up in his left middle finger as he dashed towards Denki.

“Deku?! What are you doing?!” Ochako shouted in alarm.

“You can’t get close to him, Midoriya!” Momo said, already working on forming an insulation sheet to cover Midoriya.

Their words didn’t reach him as Denki turned towards him, sneering and swiping at him with one of his arms. Deku met the attack with his own, a heavy burst of wind pressure slamming into the arm and sending it off target. His eyes instantly caught the way Denki’s static field decreased once more, the slight shocks he exuded turning into a tingling sensation at worst. ‘ It decreased again! He can’t keep generating electricity if we keep overpowering him! ’

The revelation blinded Izuku to Denki’s rapidly approaching arm. He barely avoided getting pulverized as a tongue wrapped around his waist, pulling him away and to Tsuyu’s side.

“You have to be more careful, ribbit! He’s not pulling any punches!” The frog heroine chastised, keeping her eyes on Denki as he pulled his arm out of the floor with a growl.

“Thanks Tsuyu.” He said gratefully.

“Call me Tsu.”

Izuku quickly refocused on the fight, shouting loudly. “That electricity around him… it dies down a bit each time we overpower his attacks!” His words made Class 1-A look at him in shock, glancing back towards Denki to see if his claim was true. Sure enough, the static field around Denki had shrunk a considerable amount. Electricity was still flowing around his body, but it wasn’t as intense as before. “If we keep overpowering him, we might deplete his charge and get him back to normal!”

Momo’s eyes widened slightly, glancing at an equally surprised Kyoka. Was the solution really as easy as just beating him in terms of offensive power? “Then let’s keep weakening him! We might buy enough time for Mr. Aizawa or another teacher to arrive!”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Eijiro said with a smirk, hardening his arms and getting into a battle stance.

Mina narrowed her eyes, obviously still having reservations about hurting her friend. That didn’t stop her from preparing herself. “This is for your own good, Denki!”

Denki looked at each of his classmates, frowning deeply at their determined looks. His head lowered, gazing at the floor as he tried to make sense of it all.  Just minutes ago he was wiping the floor with them! How could they be standing up to him like this?! Why couldn’t they just leave him be?! Was he doomed to be trapped forever, at the mercy of that accursed room? He hated it, hated it so much it made him sick. They were free to prance around and laugh about their Quirks while he was forced to drown for their amusement, their curiosity! He didn’t deserve this… he didn’t deserve any of this!

“You bastards… how many of you do I have to crush until I’m free…?” He muttered, rage burning in his voice as his shoulders shook with repressed wrath. “Why do I have to swirl in agony while you gleefully stand by…? It’s not fair… It’s not fair!” His voice rose as he suddenly lifted his head to glare at the class with pure hatred, eyepatch sparking wildly. “If you really won’t stay out of my way, then you can all fry on your way down to hell!”

The whole class was shocked by his hateful and almost desperate words, bracing themselves for an attack… Only to blink in confusion when Denki’s arms wrapped around himself, leaving only his baleful eyes visible.

Momo and Kyoka instantly realized what he was up to. “He’s charging up for something big! We have to break through those arms, now!” Kyoka shouted with urgency as Momo materialized a small cannon, loading it and firing a cannon ball straight at Denki much to the shock of her classmates. The ball struck one of his arms before exploding, taking chunks of its mandibles off while mutilating some of its many eyes.

No one hesitated, quickly firing off all sorts of attacks as they watched the electricity around him fluctuate violently. Dark Shadow’s claws raked against Denki’s left arm while Shoto sent a miniature glacier crashing into his right. A wave of acid made the two arms bubble as it ate away at the metal. An explosion with the yield of an artillery shell brutalized the left arm. Hardened fists crashed against the few functioning eyes of the right arm, a wild haymaker leaving the mandibles in a slack jawed state. A weightless locker left a large dent on one of the mechanical heads.

Despite the abuse the arms suffered, the electric buildup didn't slow. The heavy feeling of static and ozone in the air made Izuku act, throwing caution to the wind as he flexed his right hand into a fist, One For All building up as he narrowed his eyes. He took off like a bullet, reeling his arm back as he met Denki’s hateful glare. For the briefest moment, he thought he could see something in Denki’s eyes as sparks flew around him. Mixed with the rage and hate was a fleeting look… a desperate plea that invoked Midoriya’s heroic spirit as parts of his arm began to glow red, releasing green bioelectricity.

‘ I swear… I’ll save you from whatever this is, Denki! ’

“SMASH!”

His fist struck the conjoined arms with bone rattling force. The wall behind Denki shattered as he was sent flying away from the strike, arms splayed out and flailing limply in the wind as he skidded across the ground. He tumbled and rolled, tearing gashes into the ground before smashing into a small hill. An explosion of dust and dirt erupted from the impact zone.

Izuku stood there with his fist outstretched, panting heavily as he looked down at his arm. A bruised and broken limb stared back at him, the pain slowly registering as he gazed out towards the dust covered hill. The rest of Class 1-A slowly peeked outside, concern clear on their faces as they looked for any sign of movement. 

“D-Did that do it?” Ochako asked tentatively.

“After all of that punishment, I’d be surprised if he was still conscious.” Shoto muttered, his breaths misty as he did his best to endure the cold of his Quirk.

“I doubt a demon such as this can be felled so easily.” Fumikage said darkly, drawing a few looks from his classmates before they heard something from the hill.

A soft crackle was followed by a shaky footstep, the sound making the students look on with wide eyes as Denki slowly shuffled out of the crater.

His body was covered in bruises, with small cuts scattered around his abdomen and head. His eyepatch was sparking erratically, red eye sputtering as it tried to stay online. His arms were reduced to cumbersome heaps of lifeless metal, the centipede like heads no longer moving at his command. Denki had to drag them behind him, his body slouched slightly as he grit his teeth in budding fury. The fact that he could even move in such a state was a feat in itself.

“Y-You lot really are p-p-pissing me off.” His voice stuttered slightly, becoming more glitched and distorted as he let out a deep breath. Whereas before the metallic shuddering was consistent, now it ebbed and surged; some words would almost sound like Denki was speaking normally, while others were barely coherent under all the warping. “I-I can’t do a damn thing with you around ... I have to k-kill all of you… just like before…”

‘ Before…? ’ Kyoka wondered, horrified by the implication.

The class felt dread fester in their hearts as they watched electricity slowly form around Denki, popping out erratically from his wounded arms. He let out a disgruntled sound as he kicked one of the heads roughly. Its red optics blinked for a moment before powering on, mandibles snapping as he did the same with the other head. They were soon active once more, generating electricity freely. It was as if their attacks had done nothing at all.

“H-How are those things still working?! We launched everything we had at them!” Eijiro said angrily, taking a step back as Denki began to build up more charge.

“He can’t possibly have that much energy in reserve!” Momo shouted, scrambling to make as many insulation sheets as she could to shield her classmates from the coming attack.

Just as the lightning fuelling Denki’s rampage left him, before it could discharge into the whole class, a long scarf darted out and knocked him onto the ground. 

“Mr. Aizawa!” Izuku sighed with relief as he saw their teacher, as well as Iida and Recovery Girl, arrive on the scene. 

Denki hit his head against the ground from the impact, and with that, the transformation dispelled, leaving the student back in his swim trunks with a terrible headache, a pale face, and mild, bordering moderate, electrical burns. While the injuries from his classmates didn’t appear, he clearly felt them, judging by the way he was groaning. He weakly turned onto his front and vomited up the last of the water in his lungs, along with some of the contents of his stomach. He flopped onto his back again, eyelids fluttering heavily as he panted.

“Don’t let him pass out! That hit to the head alone gave him a concussion!” Recovery Girl shouted. “Not to mention everything all of you did to him to try and get him to calm down. The fact he’s conscious at all is a miracle.” She turned to the rest of 1-A. “And on top of all that, I’ll need to examine all of you individually. Everyone, follow me to the infirmary.” 1-A did as instructed, still reeling from the battle. 

“I’m supremely disappointed in all of you, but being frank, you handled that as well as you could have considering everything else you screwed up on.” Mr. Aizawa said roughly. “Who can tell me something you all did wrong?”

Mina gaped at their teacher as she tried to help Sero cope with his broken elbow. “Are- Are you pop quizzing us on an impromptu fight for our lives?!” 

“Not before, but since you want it so badly, sure. This is now a graded assignment. Now answer the question.” Mr. Aizawa's tone left no room for argument, but the oppressive air brokered no speech. 

Eventually, someone broke under the pressure.

“We didn’t act on the warning signs.” Kyoka said. “Something was wrong and we ignored it.”

Mr. Aizawa nodded. “That’s a start. What else?” 

Answers piped up from various students, ranging from failure to analyze his weaknesses in a timely fashion to not getting the wounded far enough away from the crisis to a general lack of coordination between fighters. 

“You’re all on the right track, but do you know the biggest mistake you made at the end?” Their teacher asked. Silence settled over the group again.

Mr. Aizawa’s gaze sharpened harshly. “You hesitated. He was on his last legs and you didn’t take your shot to end things.”

Shocked murmurs made their way around the class. “Are you saying we should have just- Just put him down?!” Izuku said incredulously. 

“If that had to be the case, so be it. You can't hold back like that in the field; if an ally’s gone as rogue as Denki just did, then sometimes the best course of action is an execution. You're all supremely fortunate that didn't need to happen today, but I expect you to handle the situation more decisively if this happens again.” Mr. Aizawa said coldly. “Let this be a lesson on how catastrophe can strike at any moment from anyone or anywhere. I couldn't intervene due to my injuries, but honestly, I was planning to stand by and examine the situation anyway. I had my suspicions based on the USJ, but this confirms them. For now, though, we need to get you all sorted.” 

Shoji picked Denki up, making sure to follow Recovery Girl’s instructions on how to carry him. As the class moved to the infirmary with their tails between their legs from Aizawa's harsh lecture (almost literally, in Ojiro’s case), Kyoka walked over to Denki with a worried expression. He looked back at her as best as he could, eyes hazy with pain and fatigue. She could see the way he was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

“... Told you…” If it weren't for her enhanced hearing, she wouldn't have caught that. 

Kyoka frowned. “Told me what?”

Just like the USJ aftermath, he pulled on what he wanted to be a cocky, playful smirk. “Told you… it wasn't like that.” 

She blushed as she remembered what he was talking about, then wilted slightly. “Yeah… Guess you did. Sorry I didn't believe you.” 

Denki did his best to shrug, wincing at the motion. “ ‘S fine. Wouldn't‘ve told you the truth, anyway.” 

She scoffed lightly, putting on a smirk of her own. “You're lucky you're basically on the verge of a coma, or I'd slap you again for reminding me of that.” Silence passed between them for a few long minutes, occasionally broken up by Shoji jostling his passenger or Kyoka poking him insistently with her jacks so he wouldn't doze off. 

“... Kyoka?” Denki whispered. “... ‘m tired…” 

“I know.” She said, just firm enough to not lull him to sleep. “Just hang in there, alright? You can sleep after Recovery Girl's done with you.” 

“... Wheeeyyyyy…” It was forced, and both of them knew it. A paltry attempt to lighten the mood.

Kyoka almost smiled-

I hate it! I HATE YOU!

Before a memory of the fight wiped it off her face, never to be shown. ‘ It wasn't him… so why did it feel so much like him talking? ’ She couldn't help the wave of guilt, though out loud, she simply scoffed. “You're not funny, Jamming Whey. Just keep quiet.” It was bereft of her usual bite, with naught but exhaustion coloring her words. The rest of the walk was completely silent.

Chapter Text

The checkups at the infirmary passed without incident for the most part. Sero’s arm was patched up as well as it could be, though even with Recovery Girl’s Quirk, it would need time to get back to how it used to be, not to mention the bulky arm brace he would need to get very used to once it came in. Not even accounting for his Quirk, simply for use as an elbow. Everyone’s electric burns received proper treatment, some worse than others. Recovery Girl noted how quickly they healed, not to mention the lack of scars, though she said nothing out loud. Denki’s concussion was also troublesome, but a few gummies, some time, and a light kiss left him just well enough to be able to fall asleep without fear. Mr. Aizawa had walked out to speak with Principal Nezu, leaving the class on their lonesome with only Recovery Girl.

“... So, are we gonna talk about… Whatever just happened?” Ojiro asked awkwardly. “Denki’s not gonna talk to us about it for a while, at least.” 

“I have so many questions…” Mina moaned, looking over at her electrical friend. She, Sero, Eijiro, and Katsuki were all clustered around him, though Katsuki did his best to seem distant. 

“Everyone!” Momo stood up and gave a deep bow, tears beginning to bud in her eyes. “I offer you all my sincerest apologies… As the Vice Representative of Class 1-A, I have behaved in an utterly shameful manner! My inaction- no, my negligence has caused harm to befall all of you… This was completely careless of me, and I fully accept whatever punishments you all agree to inflict upon me!” 

“Hey, only if you punish me, too. We both acted stupid, like Mr. Aizawa said.” Kyoka said, looking down at the scar on her arm. 

“We may discuss punitive measures at a later time. For now, I believe it would be prudent to attempt to unravel the mystery of Denki's sudden transformation.” Tenya said. 

“Madness engulfed his very soul…” Fumikage said. “And that madness turned its wrath on us.”

“Or in normal person speak, he went crazy and tried to kill us!” Katsuki snapped. 

“Hey, Kyoka, Momo, now that we're not, uh, fighting for our lives, do you got any more details from the USJ?” Eijiro asked. 

“Nothing that we didn’t already tell you…” Momo said glumly.  “But… I did notice something slightly different about this time. Though it would normally be so minor as to be negligible, after what just happened, I would be remiss to leave anything off the table.”

“So what was it?” Ojiro asked. 

“He… His aggression was not so… So personal when we were at the USJ.” Momo remarked. “He taunted the villains, yes, demeaned them for their perceived weakness and arrogance, but he didn’t seem so hateful.”

“Yeah… He wasn’t really taking them seriously at the USJ. But here, it… It felt like he had a vendetta against us specifically.” Kyoka added. 

“That doesn’t make any sense, though. None of us have really done anything to Denki, have we?” Mina said worriedly.

“I mean, Katsuki’s pretty sharp-tongued, but he’s always like that. Denki didn’t really pay much attention to him unless he was attacking…” Eijiro mused.

“The fuck you say, Shitty Hair?!” Katsuki snapped. Kyoka toyed with her jacks pensively, looking down at the floor. 

“That’s enough! Let’s stop before we get off topic. The point of the matter is that Denki, or whatever entity was present at the pool using his body as a conduit, has reason to personally seek our harm.” Tenya cut in. 

“Maybe it's like a sleeper agent kind of thing…?” Tooru suggested. “Like trying to swim triggered some kinda brainwashing suggestion or whatever got implanted in him.”

“Bitch, if that was the case, how would he take a bath?!” Katsuki said. “And where would all the insect shit come from anyway?” 

“It has to be connected to the patch he got after training that day before the USJ… Probably acts as some kind of conductor…?” Izuku was already muttering away, talking at top speed. “The transformation clearly augmented his physical capabilities and appearance, and I don’t think he’d have the training or skill to direct his electricity like that or keep a lightning shield like the one he displayed earlier for as long as he did… Was it an external entity or just an artificial power high? No, it can’t be the second one, he seemed too lucid… Who would do this? Who could ?” The green-haired boy filled the dead air with his rambles, lost in his thoughts.

“Maybe it was someone speaking through him? A villain from the USJ with a grudge?” Shoji suggested. 

“Feh! Those small fry extras? We slapped their asses hard and cooked them harder, and you think they’d come back for seconds?” Katsuki scoffed.

“I must also express my doubts from that angle! Momo and Kyoka’s accounts would not align with such an idea!” Tenya said. “Why would the villains turn such a powerful asset against themselves? According to your own accounts, he had enough presence of mind to speak coherently and could recognize people, so if it were a mind control Quirk, he would have no reason to go rogue.”

“Uuuugh, this isn't getting us anywhere…!” Mina groaned. She looked over at the unconscious blonde worriedly. “I just want him to be okay…” 

“Don't worry, Mina. There's no doubt that the Heroes will get to the bottom of this!” Izuku reassured her. “A-And if not them, then us.”

“For fuck’s sake!” Katsuki shouted. “I can’t believe you’re all ignoring the obvious as fuck solution!” He stormed over to Denki, hand outstretched towards the metal on his face. 

“Wait, Bakugo, you shouldn’t-!” Momo gasped, but it was too late. A deafening crackle shook the infirmary as the vulgar blonde swore up a storm. His hand was covered in electrical burns again, and it twitched every so often with the remnants of the current.

“What happened?! Can’t I leave you children for five minutes?!” Recovery Girl shouted. She rushed over and examined Katsuki's hand, grimacing at the damage. “Goodness… If you'd been touching that patch for half a second longer, your hand would have been completely paralyzed.” 

“Bastard! Course the piece of shit has a fuckin' failsafe!” Katsuki snarled as she kissed his hand. His anger lowered to a simmer as his stamina was drained, but his scowl didn't recede. 

“D-Does that mean it's like, alive?!” Tooru squeaked. 

“That would explain a lot of things… but also raise a lot more questions.” Izuku said. “Maybe it's more like a semi autonomous product of a Quirk? Or an augmentative device? We would need to know where it came from to know that, though. He said he got it while training… Did he get it from some shady Support company? He doesn't seem like the type to do that… Unless he was tricked…?” 

The discussion halted as the boy in the cot stirred. Denki’s eyes fluttered open as his vision focused. “N-Ngh…” He mumbled hoarsely. 

“DENKI!” Mina’s expression lit up with relief and worry as she darted to his side. 

“Hey, careful, don’t overwhelm him.” Kyoka said. 

“I-I’m fine, Kyoka… So where’s the truck that hit me, huh…?” The bedridden blonde quipped weakly. 

“Denki, dude, I love the banter as much as you, but we got better things to talk about.” Sero said flatly. Denki withered back onto the bed, sighing. 

“So… what happened? I-I jumped in the pool and suddenly it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life? Bad enough to black out… A-And…” He shrunk in on himself, averting his eyes. “I didn’t get good looks at everyone, but you all seemed pretty beat up.” 

“Nothing good, that’s for sure.” The class all turned to their teacher, who’d made himself known out of nowhere. “I’ve been here for the past six minutes and forty-three seconds. Your situational awareness shouldn’t wane just because you’re worried.” 

Aizawa turned to look at Denki, expression unreadable. “Do you feel well enough to walk?” The student nodded, glancing at his classmates. “Good. Principal Nezu called your mother to the school to discuss what’s going to happen from now on. I’d suggest getting there as quickly as possible.”

 “Wait, he’s not going to be-?!” 

“Mr. Aizawa, I implore you to consider the extenuating circumstances-”

“What kind of bullshit-?!”

1-A was sent into an uproar at the obvious implications, silenced by a flare of red eyes. “That’s enough. It’s illogical to get yourself worked up over something you have no control over. Denki’s fate is not in your hands.” Aizawa said coldly. He turned away from the class and waved his hand dismissively. He glanced at Denki. “Let’s go, your mom is waiting for you.” He dryly droned.

Denki nodded, sliding out of bed and following his teacher after waving goodbye to his friends. Their assurances and concern made the pit of dread in his stomach easier to manage as walked behind his teacher.

Once he arrived at the principal’s office, his mom practically suffocated him in a hug. Usually the constant static made their embraces a bit prickly, but today, it was just what he needed. 

“Oh, thank God you’re alright!” Jun shouted, cradling her baby boy’s head in her arms, as if to shield him from some other danger. “I assumed the worst when the school called and said you were in the infirmary.” She gave him a look that was somewhere between fearful and angry, making Denki’s heart clench. “First a villain attack and now this? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” She cried, clutching him tightly as tears trailed down her cheeks.

Denki felt his own eyes tearing up a bit, feeling terrible about being the reason why his mother was in such a distressed state. He knew going to a hero school was going to make her anxious, no mother wanted their child going into a profession where most people die young. She respected his wishes and his drive to help people, but there was only so much her heart could take. Denki was quick to tighten his embrace, the uncomfortable static long forgotten. “I’m sorry, mom… I didn’t mean for things to get so crazy…” 

Jun couldn’t help but frown, noticing how tired her son sounded, a heavy weariness in his voice that made her run her hands through his hair. This hero business must have really been getting to him, especially after the whole USJ incident. “It’s okay, Denki. All that matters is that you’re safe. I can bear with this as long as that doesn’t change.” She said softly.

Denki managed a small smile, grateful that his mother was still so supportive of his dreams despite how much she hated the idea of her child potentially getting hurt. The two held each other for a little longer before breaking away, causing Nezu to smile at the sight.

“Now that you have settled yourselves a bit,” Principal Nezu said calmly. “I believe we have some important business regarding today’s incident to discuss.” He poured them all a small cup of tea. 

“I would like to preface this with a reassurance: no, your son will not be expelled from U.A. High School. While that does not mean he will be exempt from punitive measures, ultimately, this seems like the result of an incredibly volatile Quirk awakening or the effects of a Villain. Whatever the case, it is out of your son’s hands. Thus, it would be remiss of us to remove Denki from a place with all the necessary resources and support he would need to get it under control.” Nezu continued. The electric boy allowed himself a brief moment of relief, though his mother didn’t do the same. 

“So what will happen to him, then?” She asked, gently flexing her fingers in her son’s hair.

“Well, first of all, he will be suspended for the rest of this week and until next Wednesday at minimum. If he cannot provide evidence that he visited a Quirk counselor or other medical professional during that time frame, he will not be allowed back on campus until he does so. He will be permitted to participate in the Sports Festival, but not be allowed to choose his own internship hero; that will fall to Mr. Aizawa and myself.” Nezu said. “I also have a series of remedial course packets that I expect to be done by the end of his suspension so as not to leave him behind his peers. Last but not least, upon his return, he will be spending his lunch time helping Cementoss and Power Loader in fixing the pool; should he fail to show up without explanation, I will have to ask that you pay for the damages yourself, Mrs. Kaminari. I presume these terms are acceptable?”

Jun nodded, pursing her lips. 

“Excellent. Now, we can move on to something a bit more contentious.” The principal took out a series of folders and laid them on his desk. “Mrs. Kaminari, it would be irrational to assume that you have not heard about the USJ incident and your son's involvement with it. The security cameras had been disabled during the attack, but we did get some testimony from the captured villains.” He tapped one of the folders with his paw, sliding the others off to the side. 

“This contains all the details on the villains found in the Landslide Zone, where you were, Mr. Kaminari. And I will warn you, the contents are quite graphic.” He opened the folder to reveal a series of reports and testimonies. Atop the various papers laid a handful of photographs of the villains, mutilated and fearful. Jun gasped at the sight as Denki suddenly felt a wave of nausea. 

He'd done that. Kyoka and Momo hadn't been lying.

“The good news is that all of these villains are still alive, however cold a comfort it may be. The bad news is that, depending on your viewpoint, you have condemned them to a fate worse than death as they are currently on life support, completely paralyzed from the nerve damage. In a morbid sense, it's fortunate that the one villain who could even somewhat resist your rampage was the one who had been mutilated last. He was the only one who had seen everything… and the last thing he ever saw was you. He was an invaluable asset during our investigation.” Nezu said. “Compared to his allies, he managed to get off relatively lightly when ignoring the blinding. He only suffered paralysis in one limb.” His tone was polite, but clinical. 

Denki’s mother couldn’t stop her eyes from widening. To hear that her son had done such damage to someone was beyond shocking. The only thing that struck her more than the news was the pale face of her son, unshed tears in his eyes as the reality of the situation began to set in.

“Oh baby… What happened to you…?” Jun hugged Denki closer, small tears dripping onto his head.

Denki remained silent. He had no clue himself.

Returning to school was… awkward, to say the least. No one said anything out loud, but the fact Ojiro reflexively pulled his tail away from Denki's idle fingers during homeroom was worth a thousand words. He didn't really blame them, honestly, he'd want to avoid himself too. 

As he pulled out his things for the next class, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Denki turned around, finding Fumikage and Dark Shadow behind him. 

“Oh, hey you two.” He said. “What's-”

“Meet us at the gym at eventide.” Fumikage rumbled. “We have much to discuss.”

“A-Ah-?” Denki blinked, confused. ‘ It’s probably about what happened at the pool… ’ He thought to himself. “Alright, sure. I'd love to hang out, dude.” He chuckled as best as he could. Fumikage merely nodded, then went back to his seat. Dark Shadow narrowed their eyes at him before slinking off to follow their master. 

After school, he did his homework and went to the school gym, trying to force some pep into his step. As long as he acted chill, maybe things would blow over? He checked the knob, felt it was unlocked, opened the door, and-

“THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!” 

“DIIIIIIE!” 

“MINA, STOP!”

“KACCHAN, NO!”

Instinctually sent out a large jolt of electricity at the sudden screaming. He uncovered his eyes to see Mina and Katsuki coiled up in Dark Shadow’s grasp with a very annoyed Fumikage right behind them. All four were lightly fried from the shock. After the fear wore off, the confusion set in as Denki noticed Mina holding a spray can of something and Katsuki waving around a cross the size of his gauntlets as he struggled against Dark Shadow. 

“I know for certain that I told you two not to wield thine weapons with such little care, yet you still leapt into the jaws of hell. What fools. If you do not fear the darkness, you can never combat it. Your pitiful attempts at the arcane sicken me.” Fumikage said. 

“CAN IT, KFC!” Katsuki snapped, palms popping with small explosions. 

“U-Uh-? Can someone explain what the hell is going on?!” Denki stuttered. He looked further into the room to see Kyoka, Momo, Eijiro, and Izuku present too. “Huh??” 

“You two really just had to make it look like we wanted him dead…” Kyoka sighed. 

Mina blushed. “S-Sorry! I thought that if we caught it off guard, we could-” 

“That is a theory and you know it, Mina. It remains in uncertainty, left as either fiction or fact as Denki speaks his peace.” Fumikage said, to everyone else's confusion. “And even then, only as a last resort for confirmation.” 

“Why does Katsuki get a cross, then?!” She retorted.

“I have nary a clue as to where he found such an artifact.” He said. “I only know he wields it with the grace of a balding squirrel.” 

“Could you guys not talk like I'm not here?! And what do you mean “it”?!” Denki yelped. He knew he screwed up, but to not even see him as human anymore? That stung. 

Fumikage sighed and let Mina down. Katsuki was still in Dark Shadow's baby jail, though, to his displeasure.

“Come on in, man, it's gonna be a long night.” Eijiro said, giving his best encouraging smile. Denki let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and walked inside, lightly scratching around where his patch laid. 

“Kaminari, despite what Ashido and Bakugo may have implied-” Momo shot them both a mild glare. “We don't want to harm you.” She said gently. 

“She’s right, bro!” Eijiro said with a grin, crossing his arms as he stared at Denki. “No way I’m standing by when I can lend a hand, that’s what being a man is all about!”

“Indeed.” Tokoyami said with a sagely nod. “I cannot stand idly by when someone is afflicted by the vile machinations of something sinister. No one should face the darkness alone.” Despite his dramatic way of speaking, it was clear that the bird headed teen was invested in helping his classmate.

Mina bounded over Tokoyami’s shoulder, nearly knocking the boy over as she nodded in agreement. “Helping people is part of being a hero right? It’s only natural that we want to help our favorite spark bug.” She said enthusiastically.

“T-That’s right!” Midoriya said, his notebook in hand with a determined look in his eyes, something Denki was starting to get used to seeing on the timid boy. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t assuring to have that look directed at him. “I don’t really know what happened to you, but I’m sure we can figure it out together if we work hard enough!”

“The only one here allowed to beat everyone in this shitty class is me, got it?! You're not getting a pass just because you found a crappy piece of scrap metal!” Katsuki snapped, probably caring in his own hostile way.

Denki softened at everyone's resolve, relieved that they still saw him as a friend. “Thanks, guys…” 

“So, Kaminari, please tell us.” Momo asked, with Izuku at the ready with a notebook. 

“About?” He replied, already guessing the answer.

“Everything.”

Denki told them the whole story from his view, from the battery in the scrapyard to earlier that week. His patch glowed dully as he spoke, occasionally flaring as he recounted times like the USJ and the pool party. 

“... And that’s about it.” He finished. Fumikage nodded, closing his eyes in thought.

“And so it reveals itself as fact.” He opened his eyes. “I knew my theory was not built on sand, but this is beyond my expectations.”

“Fumikage, bro, you’ve been talking a bunch about that theory of yours, but you haven’t told any of us but Mina about it.” Eijiro said. 

“It is simple. Mina, you may put away the holy water. I have no need for confirmation now, and I have determined that, for the time being, it is unnecessary.” Fumikage said. 

“H-Holy water?” Somehow, Denki found himself continually surprised at the night’s turns of events. Also, he was pretty sure that wasn’t holy water; what kind of holy water came in aerosol cans? Especially cans labeled “pesticides”...? 

“Indeed. Based on everything I have studied and the tales you’ve told, the abyss of confusion around you has fallen under my purview.” Fumikage’s eyes somehow shone with darkness, full of enthusiasm. “Denki Kaminari, without a shadow of a doubt, you are possessed by a demon.”

Silence filled the room.

“A demon?! Like, from Hell?!” Eijiro asked.

“No, from Familymart. Of course from Hell, dummy!” Dark Shadow crowed.

“Are you serious?!” Denki yelled, thoroughly confused. “What about any of that makes you think I’m possessed?” 

“To be more specific, a demon has chosen you as its habitat.” The bird headed teen said. 

“Th-That doesn’t really answer the question, Tokoyami…” Momo said. “I admit I am not as, er, educated in the dark arts as you are, so some elaboration would be welcome.”

“Consider the mark upon his face, first and foremost.” The bird headed boy pointed at Denki's patch. “It constantly roils with dark energy, does it not? Kyoka can corroborate me.” 

“... Yeah. You can’t hear it most of the time, but it sounds like there’s constant static pumping in there.” Kyoka said. 

“You stated yourself that your dreams have been tainted post-acquisition, as well. Finding yourself in the body of a monster, surrounded by arcane environments and implements.” The bird boy continued.

“I-I wouldn’t call a weird prison cell “arcane”-” Denki interjected.

“Foreign sights and sensations plague your mind, leaving you lost and confused in the waking world. There is also the fact that this battery you mentioned had something written on it in a different language, likely a warning of the demon that lingered inside.” Tokoyami closed his eyes for a moment, crossing his arms as a weary sigh escaped him. “There is no telling how old this demon is… what sort of terrible wisdom it accumulated by now. The only thing we can say for certain is that it’s an entity of wrath and carnage, given how it altered your body to aid in its rampage.”

Denki opened and closed his mouth like a dead fish as he tried to explain why Fumikage was wrong. He couldn’t. 

“Er, anyway… Kaminari, if you have the opportunity, could you find that battery again and show it to me? If it is truly the source of your… affliction, I cannot help but yearn for a closer look at it.” Momo said.

“Me too!” Izuku chirped, finally looking up from his excited notebook scribblings. “If this really is Quirk based, maybe you can use it to your advantage. I mean, catching us off guard by the pool aside, you did put up a good fight.” 

“...” Denki put a hand to his patch thoughtfully, feeling a slight buzzing current. It would be nice to put all that power, electrical and otherwise, to actual use. If he could get it under control, then… 

He could change it, do away with whatever villainous properties it had and turn it into something that could help people. It was just like his electricity, something that could easily kill if he didn’t reign in his powers. He could make up for all of the damage he’s done by using it to save lives for the better.

Even if it left him tired and took all of his strength and effort, he would use this new power to be a better hero!

And with friends like these, he just might be able to do it.