56Welcome back, folks! This one is a little bit more exposition-y that action-oriented. I want to make sure I have everything I need to make the next part just that little bit more exciting. Regardless, we're still going to go full throttle! Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Izuku: A tournament? My, how spicy!
Harry: ...I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.
Izuku: I-I never said I was good at jokes.
Harry: Yeah, I can tell!
I + H: Plus Ultra! With a magic touch!
Alien worlds and foreign dimensions burst into Izuku's dreams.
That alone couldn't be considered uncommon, not with the many tales Gai had recounted over the years. If his mind wasn't filled with the latest exploits of whatever hero caught his eye, Izuku would surely be dreaming of the fierce battles between creatures beyond comprehension and giants of light. No, such dreams were a regular occurrence for the green-haired boy.
The intensity, however? That was a novel experience.
The dust and ash that filled the air as the strongest saucer creature attempted to rampage threatened to choke Izuku. As he gazed upon the Lord of Darkness colliding with a burning Ultra, it took all of Izuku's might to remain standing in the face of the violent powers flowing off both. When lances of light and dark met in a climactic duel between a single being split, Izuku was one step away from being blinded. If you were to ask him, telling the difference between those dreams and reality would be impossible.
Perhaps the most amazing part of it all for Izuku, though, was that he was able to recognise this in the middle of said bombastic battles.
"They call this… lucid dreaming, right?" Izuku asked to no one. Even if the massive aliens clashing above could hear him, they were far too occupied with more important matters to care. "Why now though? What's so special about this time?"
Before there was even time to finish his thoughts, the world around him morphed with unsettling speed. The craterous terrain that firmed the moon's surface disappeared in an instant, replaced by far too familiar urban scenery. Izuku was forced to cover his eyes as the darkness of the cosmos was replaced by burning light, nearly thrown over the edge of a building forming beneath his feet. Rapidly elevated to such a height, the boy was given a perfect view of a tainted Ultra staring down the son of his best friend, laughing in the face of four friends' powers combined.
"I thought you were meant to be able to control lucid dreams…" Izuku could only mutter, drowned out by the sound of a body forcibly exploding. No matter how hard he tried, the land of candy envisioned within Izuku's mind refused to materialise. That wasn't to say he was entirely disappointed; had his bizarre realm appeared, Izuku knew full well how badly he would freak out. "Is this because it's my first time? No, something doesn't feel right… all these aliens, the way they speak, they fight – my mind shouldn't be able to process this much."
As incredible as the human brain was, there was only so much it was capable of. Creating faces one had never seen before was beyond its abilities. No matter how many stories Gai may have told, the only chance Izuku had to actually see the monsters had been that unfortunate attack upon the exam. For him to so vividly dream of these creatures, each with their unique combat style and fleshed-out backstories, it shouldn't have been possible. Combined with the fact that Izuku had woefully little control of what should be his own dreams, Izuku's confusion was inevitable.
The light that appeared behind him did little to solve Izuku's conundrum. Turning around, Izuku was too slow in shielding his eyes, hissing at the pain. All that could be made out in that split second was a vaguely card-shaped source, yet the light had been too strong to make out its face.
"What the-?" and from the way that the light grew, it didn't seem as if it was going to abate any time soon. Much the opposite: before Izuku knew it, the entire world had been engulfed by its brightness, the boy thrown onto his back. It was fortunate that there was no sign of the city that had been present; landing on a flat surface was far more preferable to debris ridden streets of before. "Tch, my back… wait, I can see?"
Not that there was much to see anyway. Once Izuku managed to muster the courage to open his eyes, only an infinite wide void greeted him. Not even the source of the light was anywhere to be seen. It took Izuku looking up for him to finally find another existence, though the swirls of crackling energy gathering like a swarm above made sure that revelation wasn't as pleasant as it could've been.
Luckily for Izuku though, the way he threw his hands in front of his face was ultimately unnecessary. It would take several seconds before Izuku realised that no, he wasn't being attacked; it would take several more before he could just make out the silhouette gradually being formed within the particles. By the time the transformation was complete however, a wave of indescribable fatigue meant that Izuku could no longer keep his eyes open. All that Izuku saw was but a glimpse of a single feature-
"Red eyes…"
"Hey, wake up kid. You'd think after making me rush last night, you'd try not to oversleep."
Brought into the waking world by Gai's taunting words, it took several moments before Iuzku could muster the strength to speak. Rubbing bleary eyes revealed the far more familiar landscape of his bedroom, the sight bringing a tone of relief to Izuku's voice.
"Great… the first time I lucid dream and I can't remember the most important parts." The boy moaned, grabbing his forehead. Despite the rest he managed to get thanks to Gai's little trip, the slightest pounding sensation persisted in the back of his mind. "How could everything be so clear except the card and the man at the end?"
"You had a lucid dream? What was it about?" Gai spoke as Izuku gradually dragged himself out of bed. As much as the green-haired boy didn't want to, the clock was getting dangerously close to seven. Izuku had already lost time that would've been spent training – no reason to lose any more if he didn't have to.
"A whole bunch of fights, but they seemed different from the usual. I don't know if its because I was aware or not, but everything felt way too real." Izuku said. "It was all so vivid. Not like a dream, but a memory. You've told me bits and pieces about Ultramen like Ginga and Mebius, but those dreams made it seem like I had been there personally. Then – I think – a card made everything disappear and the Ultra it came from approached. I just can't remember that part save for their red eyes."
"…Forget it for now. It's probably not important." Sleepy as he was, Izuku wasn't ignorant. The sharp contrast in Gai's voice couldn't have been clearer. Still, the boy's mind recovering from sleep meant the energy to question failed to come. "More importantly, check your cards. There should be a couple of additions you might find useful."
"Cards?" now that had Izuku sober in a second, already by his desk before you could think of blinking. As eager hands pulled the Ultra Card Holder open, it didn't take long before Izuku was gazing upon the foreign pair. "You mean you managed to get me stuff from the Land of Light? Even though I'm just a host for your powers?"
"Well, Hikari was oddly insistent upon it. Ultramen haven't visited Earth for a long time; back when most of my seniors took on hosts, the only real issue was facing the giant monsters." Explained Gai as Izuku greeted his mother. Perhaps in any other situation, the pensive look upon her child's face so early in the day might have concerned her. After witnessing it so many times though, Inko had rapidly become accustomed to the expression. "With the advent of quirks though, things on the ground have become a whole lot more dangerous. The Space Garrison wouldn't be able to call themselves a proper guardian force if they weren't able to adapt to the evolution of other species. Try and get to your school early; you'll need a quiet place to materialise the weapons. I would've brought them back physically, but you were still fast asleep. It was enough of a hassle getting you into bed and convincing your mother that you were awake and totally not being controlled by me. If you'd come back wearing a strange outfit and wielding a weird weapon, you probably would still be getting yelled at."
"Should be simple enough. How did you manage to control me while I was asleep though?" Izuku replied, switching to mental conversation with the ease of breathing. Considering the weary sigh that escaped Gai however, Izuku wasn't exactly certain he wanted to hear the answer.
"Let's just say it took a lot of forced body movements. With all I had to do, I'm probably the reason why you were dreaming so strangely." The Ultra muttered. "Now get your breakfast down you. You'll need to set off soon if you want to get your gear sorted before lessons!"
"R-right…"
Thankfully, thoughts of his new gear meant any further questions were quelled. All the better for Gai to mull over the information plaguing his mind.
There weren't many Ultramen who bore red eyes. Even among those who had been tainted by darkness, it wasn't a common feature. For Izuku to have seen a red-eyed Ultra in his dreams, there could only be two options. If it was the first, then Gai had to wonder why he would choose to appear before a human after isolating for so long. His appearances among his fellow Ultramen were limited, only the worst of situations requiring his intervention. To randomly appear in a human's dream didn't speak well about Izuku's future. As for the other… Gai shuddered at the thought of him having the power to do so. He had already become an irritating cockroach to kill; knowing that he was gaining more powers brought a chill to the Ultra's spine. Then again, with what Xenon and Zoffy had reported, it wasn't entirely outside the realms of possibility.
There was only so much Gai could do for now though. With nothing but theories to work with, acting hastily would lead to ruin. Better to approach a true lead cautiously then act recklessly for a false one. If the dreams persisted, then there would be adequate evidence to move; as it was, there was nothing concrete to say it wasn't simply a freak coincidence. It wasn't enough to entirely settle Gai's mind, but it gave him the smallest sliver of confidence. Gai would just have to place his faith in his seniors, that they'd find a way to put the whole mess behind them.
There weren't many places one could find privacy in at Yuuei Academy. Such was the curse of being the greatest hero academy in Japan; the number of villains who sought to infiltrate their campus was immeasurable. What need was there for student privacy when it meant their continued safety? It wasn't as if they were doing anything secretive, after all – Yuuei was still a school in the end. Despite this, the security cameras weren't as omniscient as they would have you believe. The budget was not infinite; unless the staff wanted to seriously reform their entire financial allocations, certain concessions would have to be made.
That was why Izuku showed no hesitation the moment that he stepped into the storage shed, not a single camera in sight. With a bunch for rusting sports equipment and broken furniture, the shed might as well have had a physical barrier preventing people from entering. Perfect for someone about to do something human technology had yet to match.
"So, I just have to scan these cards, right?" Izuku muttered as he pulled the two items from their holder. "Well, here goes nothing."
KAKUSEI! SLUGGER KOURIN!
In a burst of rainbow light, a golden ring emerged with Orb's emblem in the centre, Izuku reaching out grasp a handle of silver. That it could be a weapon seemed impossible to the boy, until several blades shot out from within the moment that Izuku brought the Slugger Kourin close to his face. A second later and he might not have survived; the sharp yelp Izuku let out as he dropped the weapon was inevitable.
"The Slugger Kourin, based on a weapon Rosso and Blue created when they fused. If you scan a pair of cards on the symbol in the centre, you'll be able to use combined techniques." Gai helpfully explained. The provided information was perfectly welcomed by Izuku. The clear amusement in the Ultra's voice? Well, not so much. "Maybe the armour was more necessary than I expected."
"You could've warned me…" came the grumbled response before Izuku prepared the second card.
KAKUSEI! ULTRA HOST SUIT!
Fortunately, Izuku's fortitude was a little more tempered the second time around. When the summoned light began to wrap around him, Izuku was proud to say he didn't freak out in the slightest. Regardless, there was still a distinct difference between becoming Ultraman Orb and having a suit materialise around Izuku's body. The shivers crawling across Izuku's skin wouldn't fade until the final particles dissipated to leave nothing but cool metal and fabric. That didn't diminish the boy's intrigue though; dragging forth a broken mirror, Izuku gazed at his reflection with unbridled curiosity.
"As for the suit, you should recognise it. It's based on the armour worn by Shinjiro Hayata. The original idea was for it to be based off my Origin form like a whole bunch of other Ultraman suits, but I figured keeping people from making the connection was already difficult enough."
"This is cool and all, but… why is it green?" that wasn't to knock the emerald colouration at all. If Izuku had to choose one colour to wear for the rest of his life, he could certainly do far worst. Considering how the tribes of the Land of Light functioned however, it wasn' exactly a conventional choice. "I thought it was either silver, red or blue."
"You said you wanted it to be your hero costume, right? Then it's not meant to be an accurate representation of an Ultraman." Gai retorted, no small hint of pride entering his voice. "This suit represents who you are and how you fight. You may call upon aspects of our strength, but you're still Izuku Midoriya. Consider this a reminder that for all you borrow from the Ultramen, your strength is still what drives you forward. Wear this suit with pride; it's the only one of its kind on this planet."
It certainly felt like it. Once the initial strange sensation faded, Izuku could tell no difference between the armour and his own body. No matter how erratically Izuku moved, the armour moved with flawless grace, the weight of the metal forming it near undetectable. If it weren't for the helmet, Izuku might've been fooled into thinking he wasn't wearing armour at all. When his punching the wall left no pain in his hand however, Izuku couldn't ignore the excitement welling in his chest.
"You'll be able to return them to their card forms, but it's probably best if you take them in physically for the time being. If you want to register these with the school, they'll probably want to check them." Echoed Gai's warning in Izuku's head. "Luckily, Hikari was pretty certain that the Ultra Fusion Card scanner in the Slugger Kourin wouldn't be detected and the suit should feel like regular armour to anyone else. It's only your connection to me that allows you to utilise their full strength."
"Heh, so it really is your power that lets me fight like this? What happened to all that talk about moving forward with my own strength?" Izuku teasingly retorted as he slipped out the armour, a far simpler task than he had been expecting. Considering the strange way in which he had equipped it, it wasn't entirely unreasonable to expect the same show when Izuku removed the suit. When a seam unravelled and practically spat Izuku out before resealing itself, Izuku's blank confusion couldn't be seen until the back of his helmet opened so the front could fall off his face. "…Can't you tell me about things like this before I experience them?"
"Hey, didn't expect that to happen either. I've never experienced this sort of thing before. I guess this is what happens when you have a species where the closest things to clothes are capes try and make a suit for humans."
Fortunately for Izuku, the automatic removal was optional; though it may have taken several tries, he soon got the hang of opening the suit in a more normal manner. Sure, it may have opened by Izuku dragging his finger down rather than a proper zipper, but at least that could be explained in human technology more easily than the suit somehow ejecting its user. The helmet's functions couldn't be changed, but that didn't seem to bother Izuku as much. Perhaps it was how cool the boy felt when he put the front to his face and felt the helmet secure itself, not that he would ever admit such a thing.
With his newly acquired gear in hand, Izuku tried his best to leave the shed inconspicuously. Now that he had sorted out the more difficult to explain parts of the process, the only suspicions people would hold was why Izuku would be in such a hidden, broken area. With the school bell soon to ring though, people were too consumed with getting to their classes on time to care about the boy running from the fields. Save for the odd second glance, Izuku reached Class 1-B without issue.
"Sheesh, cutting it a little close aren't ya?" Tokage greeted, drowning out Ibara and Yui's more tame welcomes. "We're gonna – hey, what's all that meant to be?"
"A friend of mine managed to get me some gear ready. I was planning on getting approved for usage."
"Good timing. You might have the chance to use it right away." The huge hand landing upon his shoulder quickly made Izuku jump, while the booming laughter that followed made him blush. "Don't get too comfortable in your seats! Class is going to be held elsewhere!"
And we'll end it here for now! Barely a couple of lessons in and it's already time for a field trip? A place where disaster strikes regularly, where heroes must face indomitable environments, and Izuku must put his newly found equipment to good use! Please, look forward to the next chapter!
Super hero time! See you next time!
