Chapter 114: Discussions and Decisions
Summary: A hard turn toward left field...
Chapter 114: Discussions and Decisions
Izumi, Momo and Kyoka were all three still and silent as they sat around the low table of their loft. Kyoka had, at this point, effectively moved in. Even with her parents having recently been allowed to return to their home, she had opted to take this chance to 'move out.' Partially, that was to remain closer to her two girlfriends. Equally important, however, was simplicity of access to UA. Whatever the three of them decided, that access made all of their lives easier. The dorms would have offered that, too, of course. But the dorms lacked in kinky sex and infinite cuddles. Thus they were obviously the inferior option in Kyoka's considered opinion.
Not that their joint status of now living together was what was on their mind at the moment, no matter how big a step that was under more ordinary circumstances.
No, the topic that had them all staring into their respective favorite teas, or coffee in Kyoka's case, was their upcoming choice of which path they wanted to follow. Discussion of pros and cons had already been had, debates had been leveled in favor of one option or another, a third option entirely had been brought up and worked through. Now, it was up to all three of them to make their own choices. One thing that they'd each been absolutely, explicitly clear on was that their choices needed to be individual, not collective. What was right for Izumi might not be right for Momo, and certainly could be completely wrong for Kyoka.
Finally, it was Momo who sighed and bit the proverbial bullet, taking the reins of the conversation.
"I think Izumi and I know what we need to do. For all our personal power, the truth is that both of us have more to contribute to the future than is contained in either of UA's new options. Despite being a critical player in several battles, Izumi has done more good with the Siphons, RADS arrays, and Harvest Stone research than in direct combat."
Momo looked at her girlfriend, who grimaced but nodded. Izumi had very badly wanted to be a Hero for virtually her entire life. She could always have done massive good by being a researcher and inventor, but had taken the relatively selfish route and pursued being a Hero. Not knowing what sort of threat was coming, it had been easy to justify, and something she'd desperately wanted. Now, however, having taken the measure of what they were up against…there was little question where she and her knowledge could do the most good. And it wasn't on the battlefields or in the back alleys.
"As for myself, it's a bit more debatable. I'm an obvious combat asset and technically not as important in the role of an inventor. Except, of course, that One for All has pushed my Creation Quirk to the point I'm technically capable of mass production. Specifically, of mass production of tools that don't exist, in order to jump forward the hardware everyone has to work with by generations. I can shortcut the cycle of needing to build the tools to build the tools to build the tools…by a lot. Add in my position as the CEO of Aegis Inc and Heir of the Yaoyorozu Group, and even being an All Might level combatant doesn't match the value I have elsewhere."
There was far less conflict in Momo than in Izumi. She had known that being a Hero would never be more than a temporary occupation for her. She'd felt the need to prove herself, to help people on a more personal level than the one remove, at best, which she could manage with her wealth. Izumi's desire to be a Hero had only fed into that, fueling a dream for Momo as well…but she'd never deluded herself that she would or could do it forever. Assuming she didn't die, she would likely have spent a decade or two as a Hero, then retired to run the Yaoyorozu Group when her parents got too old to keep doing it themselves.
One for All had changed that a little, but not as much as one might think. Momo had seen from the start where All Might had gone wrong. He'd tried to become Atlas. A single man holding the world on his shoulders. Something that was always doomed to fail, no matter his good intentions in doing so. She'd shifted her plans, aiming for the top so that she would be in a position to put her own stamp on the Heroics industry.
With Izumi's help, she'd felt confident in being able to take All Might's legacy and broaden its base. As things had been, she was still confident that, with a couple of decades to work at it, she could have built a foundation that no longer needed Atlas at the top, holding up the weight of the world. Given what they'd learned about One for All, and how unlikely it was that another holder would survive taking it after Momo, that plan had seemed all the more critical.
Only, now…the world had changed, shifted in ways that no one could have anticipated. Villainy was no longer going to be as tolerated. Not with the entire world at war against an external threat. With that now made brutally clear on a global scale by Operation Clean Slate, a lot of the need to even have high level powers like hers at the top had up and vanished. Anyone that proved enough of a threat to demand someone like her or Izumi take the field was likely to just be erased via sniper, saturation fire, or airstrike. Meanwhile, less dangerous villains could easily be kept in check by more normal Heroes. Most of the true power houses would find themselves encouraged to switch targets to the Empire and its invasion.
Momo had paused to let what she said settled in. A truth that, once voiced, couldn't be taken back. A minute passed, then two. Finally, Kyoka took a deep breath and broke the silence that had fallen between them all again. When she spoke, her voice was mostly steady, wavering only a little as she took the bull by the horns and spoke the next truth they all knew but which needed to be said aloud.
"I'm not a scientist, an inventor, a politician or an industrialist. I refuse to leave the two of you on a personal level. But I think our professional lives are going in different directions. I…I can't follow the two of you on the path you're talking about. For me, it's the Guild or Heroics."
Both Izumi and Momo nodded, reaching out to capture a hand each and squeezing. Silently letting her know that it would be okay. That parting from the same exact path in life would not cause them to leave her out of their personal relationship. Kyoka visibly took strength from those touches, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief and acceptance. The bit of quaver that had been present before was gone entirely as she continued.
"As for the choice between the two, I believe I'm still far more suited for Heroics than for the Guild. Despite the amazing support gear the two of you created for me making me a lot more powerful than I ever thought I'd be, I continue to be far more at home with scouting and infiltration roles. I know the Guild will need some of that, too. I'm honestly better working in an urban environment, though. Not to mention that I'll be able to stick closer to home and be with you two more often. Even if both options were equal, I'd choose the new Hero track just for that. But they aren't equal, anyway."
Momo and Izumi both nodded and squeezed her hands again. Izumi spoke up a moment later, giving approval of her own for that choice.
"I think it's a good choice for you. Arguments could be made either way for either the Guild or Heroic paths for you, but you have more problems on the Guild side and more usefulness on the Heroic. You work better with noises you've already classified, like in an urban setting, and you aren't really an endurance fighter, either. The Guild will be doing a lot of long, slogging missions, and even with the gear we've made for you that isn't really something you're good at."
Entirely true. The special QE resonators and storage in Kyoka's gear could only hold alignment to her specific QE frequency for relatively short periods. Meaning she could charge them in a fight, but not really keep them charged between fights. The pressure this put on her system to generate a lot of QE relatively quickly tended to be hell on Kyoka's stamina. She was, one might say for comparison, an extremely high DPS build, but one without a lot of staying power. Perfect for the short, sharp engagements normal for Heroes. Not so hot for the slogging, grueling, days-long battles the Guild was likely to face in order to close larger Rift Bubbles. Momo, being the most decisive of them with this sort of thing, took the reins again.
"It's decided then. All that remains is to speak to Nedzu. Izumi, you and I need to do that as soon as possible. Tomorrow, probably. We'll need to work out exactly what it means, as it might involve completely dropping out of UA and losing access there. Or he might shuffle us to be technically under the Support Course so we can still provide services to the other courses. After that, we also might need to see about getting Melissa in from I-Island to start working with us here."
Momo shifted her attention to Kyoka as she continued.
"If you want more time to think about it, Kyo, you can take it. They aren't expecting answers until the mandatory break is over."
Kyoka shook her head.
"No. Better they know now. The more people they can slot into the right courses sooner, the better off they'll be in structuring things. I'll go with you tomorrow, put in my notice, then maybe visit a few people at the dorms while you two talk technical with the Dean?"
Izumi and Momo nodded, and with that their future paths were set…
... ...
"I see."
Dean Nedzu had listened to Momo and Izumi as they laid out their logic, largely inscrutable to them despite a year of experience learning his tells. He did not, at least, give off any signs of anger. There was silence for a long minute as he slowly finished his tea. A strong indication that they'd caught him genuinely off guard, if he needed this long to reorder his thoughts, despite High Specs. Finally, as the last of his tea was finished and his cup clicked down quietly, he nodded.
"The logic is sound. More than sound, objectively speaking. I admit it leaves me a bit annoyed to admit that. Given that Ms. Midoriya practically authored the Guild system and has all the skill sets for a leadership role, I had expected her at least to be one of the major anchors for the new Guild. Possibly you as well, Ms. Yaoyorozu. You have strong leadership abilities and, had you chosen to go the Guild route, would likely have ended up as the Guild Leader in the end."
They both shifted slightly uncomfortably at that. He had a point, particularly in Izumi's case, that it had been sort of expected for the very author of the system to take part in it. Thankfully, as he paused, he also poured more tea for both of them. Their favorites, in fact. Which reassured them he truly wasn't angry. You could always read Nedzu best by his tea etiquette.
"Yet, despite the overall negative impact this presents for the Guild plan, I find myself unable to disagree with your decision. Objectively considered, the two of you are a far greater and more critical asset in both R and rapid industrial upscaling. Even including One for All, as Ms. Yaoyorozu pointed out. To my great annoyance, I had not completely thought through the implications of Creation fueled by One for All. The leaps forward in numerous areas that can be made, not to mention the holes in our industrial base caused by the Invasion that can be quickly patched, are far more valuable than anything that could be done on the Heroics or Guild levels."
Both of them accepted and took sips of their tea, nodding along as they did. Nedzu was really just echoing back their own explanation, of course. But he was doing so in a way that clearly indicated he agreed with their overall assessment. Momo, after setting her tea down again, gently moved on to the next issue. If Nedzu wasn't going to try and argue them around, then there was no more point in belaboring their decision. The choice was made, they all agreed it was the right one, now it was time to get on with the details.
"That brings us to the next point. This will mean Izumi and I withdraw from the majority of our UA classes. Both of us did have some classes in other fields, Support and Engineering for myself, Engineering and Quirk Studies for Izumi. I'm unsure if continuing those classes is the right choice. Not to mention how doing so or not doing so will affect our access to both UA's programs and the decision making loop that we still need to be a part of. We'll need to engage with both the military and the Heroics sides of things in order to anticipate and supply needs. Be those the needs of the Guild System, the Heroics System, or the JSDF and other allied militaries."
Nedzu nodded, folding his paws under his chin in a thinking gesture, clearly applying High Specs to game out the best solution.
"That is a potential issue. Though not much of one. Aegis Inc is officially registered as a support company. I believe you've been using Ms. Shield's official licensing as a work around for the fact neither of you have full certification yet. Technically, you could pick up and go to I-island, or bring Ms. Shield here. Aegis is now recognized for not just the HSN, but also officially holding the design of the Siphons and RADS arrays. Even if you've published them open source for anyone to make, everyone still knows who made them. Between Aegis and the Yaoyorozu Group, you would be listened to readily enough. Particularly with Izumi still being a primary expert on Quirk Energy Theory worldwide."
Momo and Izumi winced at that idea. They'd considered bringing Melissa to them, not the other way around. Mostly because they refused to be farther separated from Kyoka. Objectively, though, the reverse was more logical. I-island still had some of the world's most advanced facilities. Not to mention that it had barely been impacted by the Invasion. While, due to the high concentrations of QE on the island, many Rifts had formed there, I-island's security was extensive. Without being compromised from the inside, the defense systems had quickly gone lethal and eviscerated any monsters attempting to gain a foothold there. The island's artificial nature and security built in from the ground up had made it an impossibly tough target.
"On the other paw, while completely dropping your course load and leaving UA would free up time, it would also limit your ability to support the new Guild System. Which I think we all agree is needed. Additionally, while both of you are very gifted engineers, you were still benefiting from those classes as they taught you how to think about a problem and solution. As well as how to factor in details like user needs and requirements for maintenance. This does present an issue, which I believe we may need a hybrid solution for."
Well, yes. That was a good summation of one problem. Izumi and Momo knew how to design for themselves. But other people didn't have the ability to work on, maintain, or just outright replace YoRHa tech or the Creation-optimized designs that Momo used. Making Power Armor that couldn't be maintained by regular people wasn't exactly a great idea, yet the two Power Armor equivalents they'd made for themselves were both like that.
Momo's was designed to be created anew each time it was put on, and thus didn't have anything like normal maintenance ports. Izumi's Flight Units were only slightly better, designed to be maintained by someone that had her capabilities. Bluntly put, they both lacked common sense in design. They were both the sort of engineers which techs wanted to meet in a dark alley with a ski mask and baseball bat if they were ever forced to work on equipment made by them. Which, aside from certifications, had been one of the major reasons they'd both been taking university-level engineering courses.
"A hybrid approach? Becoming part time students is the only thing I can think of, but that hardly qualifies for the word."
Nedzu nodded at Izumi's interjection. He had spun to type on his custom mini-keyboard, and a few moments after she spoke he twisted one monitor around for them to see a list of students, pulled from an odd mix of courses. Electrical and mechanical engineering tracks, chemistry, physics, Quirk studies…even a couple of Computer Science majors. No more than two of each, save from the support course, where there were four older students and Mei Hatsume listed separately, under a 'Guild' heading.
"As you might be aware, UA is a Research University. I propose taking some of our better, more down-to-earth students from various departments and turning them into a Think-Tank focused on your efforts. You'll be both teacher and student, the list of those joining being mostly promising older students who I believe will enjoy the challenge and accept working in such an unusual environment. For most of them, it will serve as work toward their Masters and Doctorate degrees, with a few unusual standouts like Miss Hatsume thrown in to excite the mix and provide a vector for supplying the Guild as needed."
Momo made a noise of understanding.
"The older students, assuming you choose the right ones, will have the experience to add the 'common sense' needed for our designs. We will continue to learn from them, even as you offer them a chance to be on the cutting edge of research driven by my and Izumi's projects. With Izumi a recognized expert in QE fields, in particular, many of them will be as eager to learn, even if they have to teach a bit too."
Nedzu was nodding, showing she'd gotten it right.
"Yes. I'll also shift Power Loader in to manage everything. He, as it happens, has multiple Masters degrees. Then Dr. Ishimura as well. Who is our most down-to-earth doctorate-level professor. Between them, they can both justify this little experiment as lab hours and offer a final check that will reassure people the end products coming out of the Think-Tank are viable."
Izumi frowned, reluctantly spotting a problem.
"That will work for many projects, but not all. Some of the technology will need to remain owned by Aegis Inc or the Yaoyorozu Group. Not out of greed, so much as the fact we'll be leaping too far forward with it. No one else is even partially equipped to work on our most advanced tech, and we can't expect the Yaoyorozu Group in particular to just offer up every advance with no thought at all to licensing it. They are still a company, even if we all need to pull together to some extent."
Only partially surprisingly, it was Momo that shook her head.
"We don't need to run every project through the Think-Tank, Izumi. We couldn't do that even if we tried, for lack of enough students. We run the ones intended to support Heroics and the Guild through UA, along with perhaps major parts of the space program we were talking about. But run the military designs through Aegis and my family's company. The militaries of the world won't want much of that tech going out in research papers and such, anyway."
Nedzu nodded immediately and, after a moment, Izumi did as well. It made sense. Besides, there were already some people at UA that had been involved in the small jaunt to space they'd made. And quite a few more that had wanted to study the craft, which had easily been allowed after the festival. It hadn't been anything overly special, after all. Not by their standards. They'd mostly cheated-like-a-bitch using Quirks to get into orbit. Which was exactly the right way to do it, as far as Izumi was concerned. On that note, she spoke up about a certain bit of poaching they should probably engage in.
"Actually, if we're going to do the space thing, we might want to consider if Uraraka would be willing to be stolen from the other courses. She's a decent combatant, but her Quirk is seriously more valuable to the space angle. At least for now. I know she's a bit of a space fan, too, so she might just go for it."
With all three of them in at least basic agreement, they set about discussing the details…
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A/N: Soooooooo...plot twist? One that caught me by surprise too? Originally, I had been building up to the Guild being the main focus going forward. However, when I ran a poll for my Patrons giving three possible paths forwards, I was caught completely off guard by the results! I won't waste word count on all three options, but the one that unexpectedly ran away with sixty one perecent of the result was this:
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Option 3 - Engineering a Better Future: Izumi and Momo focus on neither the Guild or Heroics. Jirou may join one or the other, but Izumi and Momo (along with 2B of course) choose to shift their focus away from direct action. While they may occasionally be called to fight, for the most part they focus on putting their brains to work and develop new options for all sides/factions (Human factions) of the fight. If that means they build Big Stompy Robots al la BattleTech for the JSDF to fight with, they do that. If it means solving logistics issues by building an orbital infrastructure for asteroid harvesting and zero-g manufacturing? They do that too. All while continuing to develop the systems needed for the Guilds and Heroes to do their jobs. Need a changeling detector? They can do that. Need a mobile base that can house a Guild? They do that too. In this path they become the guiding hand of the tech and industrial might that can help eventually overcome the enemy.... ...
Given I'd actually added that option almostliterally last minute, I was blown away that it won. Not unhappy, mind, but shocked. Anyways, if this chapter and future ones seem like a bit of a pivot in direction...it's because they are. We'll still see some of the Heroics and Guild stuff, all three options were made with the caveat that there will be some amount of cross contamination. But the major direction of the story will now be heading towards Izumi and Momo's more engineering related adventures...