El Gato Naranja

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

---

Divaldo was not unaware of the threat. Puffing himself up to his full, diminutive size, he reached behind his seat, producing a stick. It was about a foot long, so propably large for him... "What the yotz is that void-cursed creature doing here?" he demanded imperiously, but with an edge of panic in his voice, "Get back, you glop-faced vorrak, or I’ll ram this stick down your throat!" he declared, waving it threateningly at the cat.

@Dyelli Beybi

Verminslayer didn't feel threatened by the stick at all. Instead, she perceived the stick as a toy, and the Gendari’s production of it… as an invitation to play. During all the time that she had spent as Sarvenolos’ master (which is just her entire life), the Morelian had used sticks, sticks with doodads, and feathers to keep her entertained. All the other people in her life, whose utter disappearance would be a point of confusion, did the same.

The cat stood up on her two hind legs, raising her paws to swat at the stick that the Gendari Gloriont wielded. Her attacks struck true, as befitting a creature with superior reflexes to almost any sentient being, shunting the stick from left to right, then from right to left. She then grabbed the stick and nibbled at it. If she was a larger cat, she would have been able to simply drag the Gloriont from his mobility scooter and down into the ground. She could have done all that before Sarvenolos even got to her.

The cat barely even realized what happened next. Or rather, she… didn't really comprehend it. She had caught and devoured her fair share of mice and other vermin. That strange two-legged creature with a shining fang in his paw had attacked another man… before being himself attacked by another creature. Ah, well. Creatures kill other creatures all the time.

Not her pet, though.

“Ve- what is this?!” Sarve slithered into the room and immediately had to fight the urge to throw up. To describe the state of affairs that proceeded after his cat decided to run off was… well, to say ‘a lot’ would be an understatement. First of all, his cat was bothering a Gendari. Not just any other Gendari, mind you. Judging by the jewelry, meticulously groomed moustache and beard, and the fact that he has a mobility scooter, this particular Gendari was the Gloriont. He had read about the self-proclaimed leader of the Gendari species, who had basically sold his own people to corporate interests and slavery-in-all-but-name to enrich himself.

Then, there was the man. A dead man, to be precise. He had… several vital parts missing.

Sarve lost the fight. He saved himself the indignity of throwing up on the floor itself, as his body was long and dextrous, allowing him to slither over to a nearby trash can to deposit the half-digested remains of his previous meal there.

The cat threw up, too.

---

“So. You're the Gloriont of the Gendari, right?” Sarve practically towered over the Gendari, even as he was seated on his mobility scooter. “Overprelate and Keeper of the Sacred Flame? I'll have to apologize for the scare that Verminslayer here must have caused you,” the Morelian spoke as the cat just… sat on his head. “You musn’t fear. She only catches mice and rats, and other tiny things. She recognises that you're a sapient.” The cat purred as he petted her with one of his prehensile tongues. “A small one, that is. Like a baby. She gets along well with babies. I imagine you'll get along well too, yes?”

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

---

Sarvenolos was, for the most part, staying quiet at his seat. The bar had acted as a gravitational anchor, pulling in various individuals of different races and professions to a single place. It seemed that no matter who or what you are, drinking alcoholic beverages is the one commonality.

People had been introducing themselves to one another now. He up names. Lopez. Velia. John. Ren. Ginny. A few others. There appeared to be a priestess of a Kiellar faith present, along with members of other primitive races that had been integrated to the Edenite nation. As he drank from his glass, Sarve noticed that the others were all feeling rather uncomfortable in the heat. Not Sarve, though. In fact, he had more trouble when it comes to colder temperatures simply because his serpentine body plan didn't exactly do wonders for retaining heat. It's why Morelians were at home in the jungle and in the desert… but never in the tundra, in ice, or wherever it's too cold. So, right now, the heat was just a moderate warmth to him. It didn't even cause any sweating.

Still, it was clear that temperature controls were down. Sooner or later, the heat will become unbearable, even for him. The other races would probably be dying from heatstroke before he does… but Sarve wouldn't classify himself as a selfish person. Not when cooperating with a sufficiently numbered collective was advantageous toward survival in situations like this… like the end of the world.

Oh, and of course, Verminslayer would feel the heat, too. The cat may enjoy lounging on sunbeams and on top of working machinery… but she wouldn't like being in the desert.

He knocked back another drink, set the glass down with a clink, then stood, retrieving his rifle from where it rested against the bar.

“Shall we move then?”
@InfamousGuy101

“Perhaps I could assist. I could fit in-” Sarve began, but before he could finish his proposal, Verminslayer jumped away, seemingly abandoning him for… something. The cat quickly moved away from the counter, prompting Sarve to quickly begin uncoiling himself. “Verminthlayer! Get back here!” He called after his cat as he dunked the last of the tequila into his mouth using his prehensile tongues and set it back on the bar counter. The Morelian slithered to the bar’s entrance, just to see his cat walking towards the departure area.

“Verminslayer! Is there something you smell?”

As it would turn out, Verminslayer had indeed found something… interesting.

Across the room was a Gendari, sitting on his mobility scooter, visibly fuming with annoyance. This wasn't just any Gendari, either, but the Gloriont himself. Not that Verminslayer understood what a Gloriont was. She didn't care about such titles. She just knew that he was small. Awfully small.

She prepared herself to pounce even as Sarve slithered towards her.

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

---

“They are taking an awfully long time with the starship, aren’t they?” Sarvenolos muttered to his cat as he slithered away from the pole and headed to the bar. He still had a hefty sum of credits to spend on food, drink, and other miscellaneous expenses, having withdrawn every bit of money he still had in his bank account when news of Eden’s colonies falling to the Metacer menace reached him. Right now, there was just no banking system. The automated teller machines scattered all over the station, which would have facilitated commerce, registered… nothing. They all told the same story; the story of Eden’s fall, the near extermination of the populace.

This ATM is offline, please come back later.

Yeah, fat chance. The Metacer had crawled out of myth and legend to destroy this place. It was as though the stories themselves came to life, writhing and hungry for flesh.

Does currency still hold value now, even? There was no more central bank. No more government. No more vaults of gold that are represented by the credits held in the pockets and accounts of the citizenry. There were just the credits of those who were fortunate enough to still be alive and breathing at the moment.

Ah, well.

Sarvenolos slithered into the bar, his cat clinging onto the back of his head. He coiled himself on top of one of the chairs designed for humanoids just beside the man with a metal arm. With his tail-hand, he fished a few credits from his bag. “Capuccino, warm, not hot nor cold,” the Morelian spoke as though his voice was a two-part harmony; a little quirk of his biology. He could already feel the stares coming... and cared not. He extended both of his prehensile tongues, took the glass, and drank. In the meantime, his tail-hand continued to stroke Verminslayer's fur, making the cat purr.

@InfamousGuy101

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

---

Waiting was the worst part.

Sarvenolos didn’t sit in the same way humanoid sapients would. Or, rather, sitting by itself is a foreign concept to him. It was as foreign to a Morelian like himself as slithering would be for the two-legged people that he had spent most of his life accustomed to. Instead, Morelians coiled. They coiled around the branches of the trees that their ancestors based their lives around. They coiled around poles that the humanoid races would usually use for strange dances. Right now, Sarvenolos was coiled around a seemingly arbitrarily placed pole in the docking bays; if there was one thing that all Edenite colonies and Eden itself had in common, it would be that infrastructure wasn’t built with the Morelians in mind. Or that of the other predominantly primitive alien races of those worlds, for that matter.

Everything revolved around those three. Human. Dhasath. Kiellar.

And now, for all Sarvenolos knew, he might be the last of the Morelians. Maybe there were other Morelians aboard the other ships that had fled, he hoped. Right now, though, there was no way to know for sure. Communications to the surface were down; that, or there was quite literally no one left to receive messages down there. They would all be digested within the stomachs of the ravenous Metacer right now. They’d be protein slough, biomass, flesh soup, liquified meat ooze; whatever the hell the Metacer turned their victims into after digestion.

Damn the Metacer.

Why did those creatures have to enter his life? Why couldn’t they have come after he was already dead from old age? That way, he could at least just be watching from Providence rather than experiencing these events for himself.

Such are the tests of faith.

Ah, well. At the very least, he got to the space station before he was unceremoniously converted into Metacer groundchuck. That should at least count for something.

Sarvenolos’ ruminations would be interrupted by the last voice of his old life. “Meow.”

“Yes, I know, Verminslayer, but we are yet to get aboard the ship,” Sarvenolos turned his head to look back towards his cat, who had been sitting on his back. “The crew is still retrofitting it so that it may be worthy to cross the sea of stars and not sink into the tides the moment it lets the anchor loose.”

“Meow.” The cat nudged her head against her owner’s, communicating the need to be petted. Sarvenolos was only glad to oblige.

Instead of using his tail-that-is-also-a-hand. Sarvenolos used the other form of articulation that Morelians had: a pair of prehensile tongues. Cats were, of course, very accustomed to having a tongue touch their fur, as licking is how they cleaned themselves. Verminslayer purred as a pair of prehensile tongues rubbed against her fur; Sarvenolos didn’t mind that other people were watching. They are the weird ones, after all, using only their hands to pet their pets. Cowards! It is only proper that a cat’s affectionate licking be returned twofold.

Either way, there wasn’t much else to do. Sarvenolos doubted that people waiting to get aboard the last starship would be in the mood for a musical performance…

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

Character Description

Name: Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo. Goes by Sarve when interacting with humans, Dhasath, and Kiellar.
Species: Morelian. A sentient serpentine species from one of the Edenian colony worlds. They possess a pair of prehensile tongues, which are disturbingly dextrous and articulate. Their tails are also hands… in a quite literal manner.
Sex: A Man
Age: 26
Role/Job: Aspiring musician-turned-reservist-turned-tutor. Would rather stick to the first one.
Appearance:

Snek

He's around ten feet long.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

The Maestro - Sarve was and still is a pianist and violinist. He tried to join a choir, but he couldn't quite fit in, what with having very different vocal chords, so he only sang in solo.

The Art of War - Sarve was in the military for some time, mostly for the health and schooling benefits. Still, due to his serpentine physiology, he was trained to be a stealth specialist, slipping into places no humanoid (or kieloid, for those that despise humanocentrism) could fit into, such as ventilation shafts, pipes, and the innards of machinery. He's never been in actual combat yet, though…

Weaknesses:

Agoraphobic - Whether it be through genetic memory or simply not being used to it, Sarve is absolutely uncomfortable with wide open spaces. Such as… space. He would rather be involved in a scandal than go to a spacewalk.

Background

Backstory: Morelians are a society divided into two. There are those that stubbornly continue to cling to the jungles, maintaining their old way of life. Sarvenolos was not born as one of them.

Instead, Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo was one of the so-called “Sky Touched,” which is a distasteful Morelian term for members of their species that have committed heresy and actually integrated with the Outsiders.

Outreach missions by philanthropic, humanitarian, and religious groups were nothing new in Eden and her colonies. While corporations often simply bulldozed their way through the ancestral lands of the Morelians, there were those who instead wanted to integrate the native population into the colonies. It was a hard, slow, and painful process. Schools, hospitals, and missions were built in the fringes of the jungles that the Morelians called home; close enough that the Morelians could easily reach them if they wanted, and far enough that the Morelians didn't perceive them as a threat. Anthropologists ventured into the jungles; sometimes, they returned laden with gifts and the story about having to eat a leaf with writhing grubs inside it. Sometimes, they do not return at all.

Sarvenolos would be one such ‘gift,’ brought along by a human anthropologist back to Eden. He was but an infant back then, still blind as newborn Morelians are. His mother, whose name he barely remembers, practically begged the human to bring him to the colony. To an advanced civilization, away from a tribalistic society the poor woman said to be ‘where sickly children die.’ Sarvenolos would never meet her again.

Sarvenolos would be brought up in a communal kinder block; if there was one thing the primitive and Sky Touched Morelians had in common, it would be that everyone's children were raised together. The difference, however, is that Sky Touched Morelians interacted regularly with humans, Dhasath, and Kiellar; and it would be in one of these interactions that Sarve would discover his purpose in life.

When he was barely ten, he and the rest of the young Morelians would be treated to a small fundraising concert by a pair of Dhasath; a singer and an instrumentalist. He would describe what he heard and saw next to be “the most beautiful things in all of existence.” Inspired, he asked the kinder block’s administrators if he could learn how to do what those two did. His wish was granted.

Eventually, Sarve would outgrow the kinder block, and had to live and study for himself. Unfortunately, being a 20 year old street musician without a degree wasn't getting him much in terms of money, so the military appeared to be an attractive prospect. He told the recruiters that he was a true patriot; in reality, he just wanted the free subsidies into education and healthcare. Being a Morelian, though, his training would be focused more around stealth and sabotage, as his physiology was more suited to such operations. He never had to fight in actual combat, however; he finished the four years of service (along with a degree) in total peace.

After that, he would live in relative prosperity with his own apartment and pet cat as an online tutor. People were sometimes prejudiced, but he didn't care. The cat didn't judge. The anthropologist that basically saved his life as an infant would sometimes come by to ask how he was doing. And a Kiellar co-worker seemed to really like him for some reason.

This life of quiet calm would be rudely interrupted by the Metacer invasion, however. The military was obliterated almost immediately, and once again, Sarve didn't get to fight; a fact that he was infinitely thankful for. He knew for a fact that had the military actually gotten to call up the reservists like himself, the Metacer would have swept through them regardless.

Another relief would be that he managed to get to the last ship leaving Eden. He could only thank God for that.

Paradise Lost

Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo

Character Description

Name: Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo. Goes by Sarve when interacting with humans, Dhasath, and Kiellar.
Species: Morelian. A sentient serpentine species from one of the Edenian colony worlds. They possess a pair of prehensile tongues, which are disturbingly dextrous and articulate. Their tails are also hands… in a quite literal manner.
Sex: A Man
Age: 26
Role/Job: Aspiring musician-turned-reservist-turned-tutor. Would rather stick to the first one.
Appearance:

Snek

He's around ten feet long.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills:

The Maestro - Sarve was and still is a pianist and violinist. He tried to join a choir, but he couldn't quite fit in, what with having very different vocal chords, so he only sang in solo.

The Art of War - Sarve was in the military for some time, mostly for the health and schooling benefits. Still, due to his serpentine physiology, he was trained to be a stealth specialist, slipping into places no humanoid (or kieloid, for those that despise humanocentrism) could fit into, such as ventilation shafts, pipes, and the innards of machinery. He's never been in actual combat yet, though…

Weaknesses:

Agoraphobic - Whether it be through genetic memory or simply not being used to it, Sarve is absolutely uncomfortable with wide open spaces. Such as… space. He would rather be involved in a scandal than go to a spacewalk.

Background

Backstory: Morelians are a society divided into two. There are those that stubbornly continue to cling to the jungles, maintaining their old way of life. Sarvenolos was not born as one of them.

Instead, Sarvenolos of the Third Fane of Tekumo was one of the so-called “Sky Touched,” which is a distasteful Morelian term for members of their species that have committed heresy and actually integrated with the Outsiders.

Outreach missions by philanthropic, humanitarian, and religious groups were nothing new in Eden and her colonies. While corporations often simply bulldozed their way through the ancestral lands of the Morelians, there were those who instead wanted to integrate the native population into the colonies. It was a hard, slow, and painful process. Schools, hospitals, and missions were built in the fringes of the jungles that the Morelians called home; close enough that the Morelians could easily reach them if they wanted, and far enough that the Morelians didn't perceive them as a threat. Anthropologists ventured into the jungles; sometimes, they returned laden with gifts and the story about having to eat a leaf with writhing grubs inside it. Sometimes, they do not return at all.

Sarvenolos would be one such ‘gift,’ brought along by a human anthropologist back to Eden. He was but an infant back then, still blind as newborn Morelians are. His mother, whose name he barely remembers, practically begged the human to bring him to the colony. To an advanced civilization, away from a tribalistic society the poor woman said to be ‘where sickly children die.’ Sarvenolos would never meet her again.

Sarvenolos would be brought up in a communal kinder block; if there was one thing the primitive and Sky Touched Morelians had in common, it would be that everyone's children were raised together. The difference, however, is that Sky Touched Morelians interacted regularly with humans, Dhasath, and Kiellar; and it would be in one of these interactions that Sarve would discover his purpose in life.

When he was barely ten, he and the rest of the young Morelians would be treated to a small fundraising concert by a pair of Dhasath; a singer and an instrumentalist. He would describe what he heard and saw next to be “the most beautiful things in all of existence.” Inspired, he asked the kinder block’s administrators if he could learn how to do what those two did. His wish was granted.

Eventually, Sarve would outgrow the kinder block, and had to live and study for himself. Unfortunately, being a 20 year old street musician without a degree wasn't getting him much in terms of money, so the military appeared to be an attractive prospect. He told the recruiters that he was a true patriot; in reality, he just wanted the free subsidies into education and healthcare. Being a Morelian, though, his training would be focused more around stealth and sabotage, as his physiology was more suited to such operations. He never had to fight in actual combat, however; he finished the four years of service (along with a degree) in total peace.

After that, he would live in relative prosperity with his own apartment and pet cat as an online tutor. People were sometimes prejudiced, but he didn't care. The cat didn't judge. The anthropologist that basically saved his life as an infant would sometimes come by to ask how he was doing. And a Kiellar co-worker seemed to really like him for some reason.

This life of quiet calm would be rudely interrupted by the Metacer invasion, however. The military was obliterated almost immediately, and once again, Sarve didn't get to fight; a fact that he was infinitely thankful for. He knew for a fact that had the military actually gotten to call up the reservists like himself, the Metacer would have swept through them regardless.

Another relief would be that he managed to get to the last ship leaving Eden. He could only thank God for that.

My Hero Academia: Just Another Hero, Act 2

I am. It's nice to meet you, Ueno Haru. You can call me Hinata or Hina. Victorious Sun does have a great ring to it. Maybe we'll end up making a name for ourselves as the Sol Dyad. Let's shine bright!" She exclaimed for the entire class to hear while sticking her fist out to Haru.

Haru’s eyes seemed to sparkle at Hinata’s words. Sol… Dyad? A group of two? A partnership, even? He could see how someone could see him and Hinata in a duo of some kind… after all, both of them have photokinetic quirks. The power of the sun empowers them both. Their hero names, Solaris and Sol Invictus, even both begin with Sol.

He could already imagine the tabloid magazines shipping them. Or their classmates teasing. Though, to be completely fair, she's kind of-

“Why, yes, of course, let us bring light to all the dark places!” Haru met Hinata's fist bump with his own. Funny how they just met, but they're already hitting it off!

---

...”Haru can force Rin on the defensive with his ranged abilities and his Photons can potentially provide him with heat that might allow you to move…”

As he mentally noted how terribly skintight the Eirei PE uniform was (why couldn’t they just have a t-shirt and pants with the school's color scheme like UA?!) Haru just nodded along. Admittedly, he wasn't very familiar with the quirks of their senpais, at least those that weren't Matsuru’s. He had seen it firsthand during the battle against the High Ends and Keyaru. After all, this was probably the first time he'd met them in any official capacity. Unlike UA, Eirei is very secretive about the capabilities of its heroics course students, too, so it's not like he watched them during a Sports Festival broadcast.

“I see…” Haru nodded. “Long-ranged combat is my forte, so I will carry out this role in this plan. With Orbital Strike Laser, I can reliably target Rin even when she hides behind cover. I just hope we don't end up in an indoor battle. I kind of need the sun to stay strong, and I don't have my support item to give me photons.”

With that, Haru rested his piece. Then… Kyoya started talking.

---

“I get that heroes have always used skintight suits since comics first existed… but I will never get used to this…”

Being an avian heteromorph, having a skintight suit was… uncomfortable, to say the least. Izanagi had actual feathers covering his body; had he been using the normal PE uniform for normal people, it would probably feel very, very prickly. His feathers would be tightly pressed against each other and his skin. It would be difficult for him to even move properly.

So, while most others used a skin-tight PE uniform, his was looser, its composition and appearance closer to Ice Spice’s hero costume than that of Endeavour. Though, it had about the same dull black coloration. He could see the others squirming inside the skintight uniforms, though, and he could hardly suppress a snicker at how comfortable half of Class 1-B looked.

Now, as Izanagi walked alongside everyone to Gym Sigma, he could be heard whispering out words in Latin. Or rather… praying.

“Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis...”

It was a prayer for the dead, because, of course, Izanagi was just the type to mutter something like that while going to a training session.

Still, as long as they didn't know his secret weakness, it should be safe…

My Hero Academia: Just Another Hero, Act 2

Ueno Haru

---

What followed, of course, was one person after another telling Kyoya off for being a showboat as well as a warmonger (though some would call him “fightsexual”). Haru dragged him away from Jun’s desk, patting him his shoulders in the process. “So sorry,” he whispered to everyone he could whisper to along the way. It wouldn't take long for him physically place Kyoya back in his desk, something that Kyoka allowed only from him. Haru would then sit down, letting out a sigh of relief.

Seriously, though… antagonizing the Furious Five of all people? There's a reason they possess their titles.

On a lighter note, though, three new students had arrived at 1B. Haru liked meeting new people, so naturally, he responded to them as they introduced themselves.

"I'm sorry for not being here to help you all in the Shibuya Incident! I'm Hinata Todoroki, or Solaris, the #2 Hero in the United States. That is until they update it again now that I'm gone. I'm looking forward to learning with and getting to know you all! And it's great to see you again, Ace.”

“AH! Pray tell, Todoroki, you're also empowered by the sun, right?!” He had heard about Solaris; of course, since she was the #2 Hero in America. “Also… a #2 hero and her brother in this class. And here I thought we're just the hell class of Eirei, but… ehem, anyway. I’m Ueno Haru, the Luminous Hero, Sol Invictus. Yeah, pretty pretentious for me to use an actual deity as my hero name… but Victorious Sun does have a great ring to it, yes?”

"Hi, I'm Naito. I also go by Dark Paladin when I'm in costume. I'm Quirkless, but I don't hold that against anyone. I want to be a hero that can reach villain's hearts and minds which is why I'm double majoring with Quirk Psychology. And ummm... I just recently returned from Otheon if anyone needs a tour guide."

“My mom is quirkless too,” Haru piped up, “But anyway, nice to meet you. And we do need an Otheon tour guide… I only know about Salanaga, and that place is for couples. Not that I'd have anyone to bring there…”

Tokoyami Izanagi

---

Oh, and, don't mind Izanagi too much. The only chains and cages he knows about are stashed in his room, where he thinks I won't find them~.

“Fine, fine, I do have chains and cages in my room,” Izanagi shrugged nonchalantly (nevermind the damning implications of having such articles in his dorm room), "...but they're for the pets. I have two parrots, one of whom has heard far too many swears and is thus not to be exposed to decent company, and the other speaks in a British accent.”

Izanagi then coughed. “As for me, apologies for not introducing my name earlier, but I am Tokoyami Izanagi. Just call me Izanagi or Izanagi-senpai, whatever it is that you prefer. I am the Shadow Griffin Hero, Blackbeak, though none of you would know unless you're the type to delve into obscure hero forums. My cousin and I are underground heroes. So, all the work without any of the fame and glory… but that's what I gotta do when I've got a very scary quirk. How scary it is, you'll know later.” Izanagi finished his statement with a sinister grin, foreshadowing (hah) dark times to come.

"We're their senpais, yes. But as far as my opinion? Many of them outclass the five of us simply by the fight we had in Shibuya." Matsuru's expecting his words to fall on deaf ears. Do these people even remember him? Who knows. If it is true that he will be fighting alongside his four classmates from 2A against his peers from 1B, does that give him an advantage or a disadvantage? Even with his quirk still active, Matsuru was having a hard time deciding one or the other...
This was surely going to turn out to be an interesting year.

"..."
"Wait, please don't tell me I'm a part of this Furious Five.”

“Hah! Matsu, we're never escaping that title, ever!” Izanagi slapped his own lap and laughed. “Just as UA has the Big Three and Shiketsu has the Quadratic Force, so does Eirei have the Furious Five. Which is, as you can see, the five of us.” The part where Izanagi had been ranked as the strongest of the second years when it comes to raw power went unsaid, though, again, the first years didn't know that… yet. Besides, rankings changed all the time.

“Pleasure to meet you, senpais. Let’s try to get along.”

Preferably not, though.

“Back at you… whoever you are,” Izanagi laughed. “Also, you're late.” That part was, again, finished off with a toothy grin, which may be a little unsettling given that he had shark-like teeth.

Mischa looked at them with wide eyes and then stepped out of the room to look at the classroom plaque outside before she poked her head back in. "I, uh, I do have the right classroom, right? Class 1-B?" She said in very fluent Japanese, but her accent was quite different.

“I was wondering where the other new student went!” Haru practically teleported in front of Mischa as she asked where she was. “This is Class 1B, yes! You're… the Dutch girl, right?”

"Yeah, question. What's joint training about anyways?”

After everyone has pretty much settled down, Izanagi would take it upon himself to answer Kagari’s question. “As your homeroom professor just said, it is exactly as it sounds,” Izanagi began. “We're here to help you get stronger… and for that, you lot are going to fight us, the Furious Five, the top five students of this college. I'm not one to brag, but… well, the numbers don't lie. The matchups are going to be revealed when the joint training begins, but before it does, you're free to formulate your contingencies against us. We'll be doing the same against you, though. So… be prepared.”

My Hero Academia: Just Another Hero, Act 2

---

Ueno Haru

Last week was a disaster, Haru couldn't help but quietly groan as he thought about, well, everything that happened. First of all, there was a huge Nomu attack; while Haru had melted the brains of several of those flesh golems, civilian casualties were still unacceptably high; hell, even just one is unacceptable in his mind. To make matters even worse, it turns out that the yakuza had their slimy little hands in the villain scene! All Might had singlehandedly obliterated the organised crime scene years ago, with the yakuza laying low and foreign syndicates like the Triad too afraid to approach. As such, the fact that the yakuza had even been bold enough to directly engage heroes came as a surprise. It was also a shock that the mayor was a Yakuza. Or that… lady Yakuza seemed to be weirdly interested in Haru.

He couldn't help but shudder at the thought and memory. It was honestly terrifying. The witch (Haru couldn't remember her name, if she ever gave it) gave him the most perfect illusions of a better life.

Anyway, there's at least going to be a field trip to Otheon. As the homeroom teacher mentioned that, Haru pulled out a notebook and began scribbling out good vacation spots in Otheon. Crater Lake and the Overcity of Kessel were some good places. Salanaga was nice, too, but it's renowned more as a destination for couples. Who is he going to go with there? It's not like there's anyone… though some would tease him with Hinata.

"Everyone, I'm sure we can take our Senpais in a fight. Don't try to stop me Akira! I will fight them right now! No...that's boring." He went over to Jun's desk and bang his hand at her desk, sat on her desk with him directly having a close look at Jun.

"Oh I didn't know you went from blackhaired to whatever shade of brown dye that is? That's a good look, but you... me, here, now, FIGHT ME!

As soon as Kyoya decided to pick a fight, Haru could already feel several blood vessels in his head snap. “Kyoya-kun,” Haru followed him and took hold of his wrists, trying to drag him away from Jun’s desk. “Akira is right, this is not the time to taunt our classmates or, worse, the Furious Five! Come, I'll get you some sake- err, some nice canteen food. I have you answered for the month, remember?”

He then peered over at Jun. “Sometimes,” he began, not bothering to keep it down, “I think he's Mirko’s secret love child because of how much of a fight magnet he is!”

---

Tokoyami Izanagi

Akira then turned to the students of Class 2A and everyone who saw Kyoya's attitude for the first time. "Don't worry much about him, he loves picking fights with everyone."

"The Professor didn't really give me any details about the Joint Training Exercise, so any details on how will this work is appreciated."

“This is what someone I know would call a 'mad banquet of darkness,' but I see that someone in this class has manners.” Tokoyami Izanagi, ths one heteromorph in the aptly named Furious Five, stood up. It wasn't as easy for him to make facial expressions, as he had a rather rigid beak, but he could still emote somewhat. He smiled back at Akira, though for most people, it would just look like he was bearing the sharp teeth within his beak. “While I would certainly love to tell you the manner by which the Joint Training Sesh will work, I am afraid you'll know when you get there.” There was a mischievous glint in his purple eyes for a second. “But don't fret! It's nothing too complicated. Just know that it involves chains and cages.”

That may or may not be true, but Izanagi was really one for mischief.

My Hero Academia: Just Another Hero, Act 2

Ueno Haru

M Y H E R O
M Y H E R O

The Luminous Hero: Sol Invictus

I d e n t i t y
Ueno Haru, 19

_{3 ★ P R O H E R O Japan, Unranked - Eirei College}

An All Might fanboy that could give the likes of Sir Nighteye and Deku a run for their money. You wouldn't know at first glance, though. He's usually walking around, looking all serious and stuff... until he sees someone he knows and becomes 'pookie.'

He's also dazzling. Literally.

Q u i r k
Photokinesis

Gen 5 - Accumulator/Emitter Hybrid - Awakened

Haru’s Quirk allows him to absorb and store nearby photons to fuel his abilities. It has rather versatile applications; he can create orbs to illuminate dark places, emit powerful laser beams from his hands and eyes, blind enemies with flashbangs, and provide heating either through passive emission of warm “sunlight” or physical touch.

For the less intensive applications (warmth and lighting), the passive absorption of light throughout the day is more than enough. However, when firing beams or emitting blinding flashbangs, Haru will start consuming photons at an absurd rate, to the point that a 1 meter radius around him can become completely lightless whenever he uses a powerful move (and thus impossible to see in and out of without thermal goggles or a search type Quirk). As such, he has to keep changing positions in a fight to fully utilize his Quirk.

He will generally keep releasing absorbed photons over the course of a day, as storing too much at the same time can cause dangerous side effects such as nausea and fatigue. It's easy to tell when he has too much, too, as he'd quite literally be glowing by then.

When he's wounded, it would be apparent that his blood is glowing, at least when exposed to air
_Supermoves
Starlight Assault: Fires a destructive beam of light into a single direction; this supermove is capable of melting through solid steel.

Sunclap and Flash: Summons forth an enormous flashbang, temporarily blinding anyone nearby who had failed to protect their eyes. Repeated exposure can result in permanent blindness.

Sunfire Interceptor: Creates small, focused beams of light that can rapidly destroy small, quickly moving objects such as drones, insects, and minor pieces of debris.

Solarite Broadside: Coalesces photons into several arrows of light that are sent towards enemy targets.

Orbital Strike Laser: While not literally from orbit, it works with much the same principle. Haru gathers photons in a sphere or spheres of light, which he then sends out in a chosen direction. The spheres then expend their photokinetic payload directly below them in the form of searing laser beams upon his command. Allows him to attack enemies behind cover and destroy fortifications.

_Ultramoves
United States of the Big Bang: Absorbs all photons within a 300 meter radius, which coalesce into a massive, destructive sphere of burning light. This can either be released as a single beam into a focused direction, annihilating almost anything in its path, or sent out into every direction, incinerating everything within a short distance.

(Basically Prominence Burn from Temu)

S k i l l s
Cooking • Aiming • Music

Support ItemInward Lights - Patented

Inward Lights: Hundreds of tiny light emitters embedded into the interior of his hero costume. Allows him to have photons to use in any situation, though they can't make him as strong as he is under a full summer sun.

---

Tokoyami Izanagi

M Y H E R O
M Y H E R O

The Shadow Griffin Hero: Blackbeak

I d e n t i t y
Tokoyami Izanagi, 20

_{3 ★ P R O H E R O Japan, Unranked - Eirei College}

An avian heteromorph with the soul of a cat trapped inside him. Very casual to the point of assigning embarrassing nicknames to just about everyone he knows. May or may not be studying to be a hero mostly out of spite.

Q u i r k
Shadow Griffin

Gen 5 - Transformer/Mutant Hybrid- Awakened

Izanagi’s quirk allows him to turn part or all of his body into a semi-solid shadow that resembles a gryphon… if a gryphon had a crow's head instead of an eagle's, had a horn on its head, had sharp teeth inside the beak, and was made out of pure darkness, and had no wings. When he first started, he could only turn parts of himself into what would become the greater whole, but eventually, he was able to successfully fully transform for the first time since he was a kid without going into a berserk rage.

Unlike the quirk of his older cousin, Tokoyami Fumikage, Izanagi does not get empowered by darkness or debilitated by light. Rather, it becomes stronger and controllable when its user is motivated by what he believes to be a righteous cause, goes berserk if rage and other similar negative, powerful emotions are at the forefront, and is weakened by feelings of sorrow and regret. Izanagi uses his desire for a more peaceful and just society as an anchor, keeping his quirk at its strongest possible state.

When transformed for a long time, he would often forget that he is, in fact, a person, and starts acting more like a cat. He will demand attention and pets, going as far as purr when that desire is granted. Embarrassingly enough, he will remember it all when he finally decides to turn back.
_Supermoves
Terror in the Dark: Unleashes a smoke screen with the Dark Shroud before partially transforming into the Shadow Griffin, attacking enemies that had been blinded and confused by the smokescreen.

Umbral Joust: In a fully transformed state, charges forward with the intent of smashing against anything in his path.

Konshu’s Fury: By expressing repressed strong, empowering emotion, Izanagi enlarges his Shadow Griffin form to become what some may call a “raid boss.” This is extremely draining, though.

_{Ultra Moves}
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: While Konshu's Fury is active, he grabs an opponent and puts them in his beak before chomping down hard in an attempt to rip them in half. A theoretical killing ultramove reserved only for the worst of the worst villains, like All For One.


S k i l l s
Close Quarters Combatant • Prodigious Singer • Finding the best occultic items

Support Item
The Dark Shroud - Patented

The Dark Shroud: Smoke dispensers integrated into his costume, turning the battlefield into a dark, eerie place.