Chapter 12: Testing Limits and Decompressing

Summary: In which we finally get a better handle on just how powerful Izumi/2B are, as well as some Momo/Izumi time!

LEMON WARNING!

This Chapter has the first Lemon in this story. It isn't particularly intense, nor very long. It's also clearly marked with -Lemon Starts Here- and -Lemon Ends Here- for those that want to skip it. Lemons aren't a major focus of this particular story. But Izumi and Momo are 18-year-olds in a serious relationship, so they will occur occasionally, at moments that help that relationship feel real. Instead of stuck at shy, passive-aggressive handholding ;-).

Chapter 12: Testing Limits and Decompressing

Two days later, an out-of-the-way building on the UA campus was host to several notable people. The Dean and Izumi were there, of course. But so were All Might, Momo, Recovery Girl…and Eraserhead. Izumi had frowned at his presence, still not liking the man, but had accepted that they considered his Quirk a necessary precaution for high-level Quirk testing. Not that it would help them. But they didn't need to know that.

As for the presence of All Might and Momo, All Might had been there to set a baseline, using his current maximum strength. He'd badly damaged the testing device…only for them to prove that was intentional by quick-changing the broken parts. It was a clever design, honestly, meant to act as a much more sophisticated version of the cement walls from the Assessment test. Each broken component had a known stress load, so they could simply calculate total power from the number of them that broke in sequence.

Momo had gone next, the Dean using the same excuse as he had with Izumi, in order to get a base for how far along Momo was with One for All. Eraserhead's presence and Momo's refusal to bring him in on the secret forced them to couch it in terms of 'how powerful her exosuit made her.' But that was fine. It was why they'd gone with the exosuit idea in the first place, after all. And it hadn't affected the results. Said results being that Momo was capable of producing roughly 63 percent of All Might's total power, though she privately admitted to All Might and Izumi that it felt like that was a bit less than 40 percent of her own maximum. Not unexpected, given how One for All grew with additional users. But it was admittedly a bigger jump than they'd expected while Momo was still growing into that power. A curiosity they would need to address later, when there were less prying ears around.

Now, of course, it was Izumi's turn…or 2B's turn, to be more accurate. There were no real theatrics to the transformation. No flashing lights or magical swirling of nude bodies in the air. Instead, it was a simple morph of physical features. A sharper chin, slightly lusher lips, paler skin, the shift from emerald-green hair to snow white. Without her tactical visor summoned, it was possible to see that 2Bs eyes were an icy blue that glowed just a bit, instead of Izumi's teal. Her body shifted as well, giving proof to Momo's teasing comment about her 'ass getting even better.'

It was in the body, however, that the biggest difference between 2B's original body and her merger with Izumi's was revealed…at least to 2B and Izumi herself. Which, sadly, 2B immediately revealed to everyone else present by pausing as she took over the transformed body. Frowning, she idly reached up to grab her/Izumi's breasts, giving them a squeeze.

"Are they bigger again? I'm quite sure mine were never this size."

If Izumi could have properly blushed while stuck in Pod form, she would have. She went with the only thing she could think of to deflect.

"I blame Momo's influence!"

2B cocked their body's head, then nodded.

"I see. I have read that regular massaging of breast tissue can increase their size in humans. And she certainly does that enough."

Izumi's Pod flew an erratic circle, making an indignant sputtering noise.

"2B! You shouldn't say things like that!"

"Why not? Everyone here is aware the two of you are in a relationship, are they not?"

Izumi made a dying noise…even as someone in the control room failed to hold in a snicker. She suspected All Might. And she would have her revenge.

"Can we please just get on with the demonstration?!"

2B nodded at that.

"Of course, I have adjusted my combat models for their increased size now. I shall begin…"

... ...

Izumi stared at the power graph, feeling just a little bit numb. One number was burning in her brain in a way that she couldn't shake off.

105 Percent.

That had been the result of the Izumi's Strength measurement compared to All Might's. The other figures, her speed, agility, reaction time, ability to multi-task, even her durability. She hadn't been surprised by any of those. They'd suspected all along that her full speed was only slightly under All Might's, that her agility was considerably better, that that her reaction time was superior. Even the durability had been something they half expected. According to 2B's own knowledge, her predecessor A2 had survived a point-blank nuclear explosion with only moderate damage. But strength? They'd always assumed she was weaker than him…and to be fair, she probably had been. The sobering fact was that they'd previously been making their estimates against All Might's known strength in his prime. Modeled against All Might in his Prime, Izumi's strength hadn't been the equal to his. But now? With his injury and powered only by the fading embers of One for All? Izumi apparently out-classed him by a small percent. She was officially more powerful than All Might…even if only in short bursts.

"Well, that is enlightening. I have one more thing I would like to test before you depower, Ms. Midoriya. There was one point to your description of events at the USJ that I found somewhat interesting…and potentially useful. Specifically, your destabilization of the warp gate."

Izumi nodded. That made sense. Doubly so if they were trying to figure out a way to prevent it from happening again. Besides, she could use this to make a point about her irritation with Eraserhead being here.

"It's actually quite simple. In my transformed state I draw in Quirk Energy from the environment at a fairly extreme rate. Faster, in fact, than the ambient QE levels of most locations can support. This is part of the reason for my time limit, as I can't refill expended reserves fast enough. However, it also has the side effect of absorbing QE from emitter attacks. With something like, say, a fire Quirk, the conversion rate isn't meaningful enough to disrupt the attack much. But the closer to 'pure' Quirk Energy something is, the faster I absorb it. Mental effects, healing Quirks…and quite probably Quirks like Copy, All for One, or Erasure, are all broken down almost immediately."

Eraserhead's eyes narrowed at that, with Dean Nedzu raising a paw.

"Is it possible to safely test that? Sentient Quirks are a bit of a questionable area with Quirk Suppression methods. I would not wish to harm Miss 2B."

That earned the Dean a grateful smile from both Izumi and Momo. Izumi was quick to answer.

"It's safe. Nishimura & Croft tested exactly that, with a Quirk Factor suppressant in low doses. Even with a chemical suppressant like that, it doesn't affect 2B much at all. For something like Erasure, it should be even less. Particularly in my Transformed state. We're running low on time, however, if you want to try it."

Nedzu nodded and gestured to Eraserhead. The man, who had thankfully been rather silent thus far, quickly activated his Quirk…and Izumi smiled as she saw the QE loss measured by her visor actually slow to a near stop. Just to prove a point, she lifted Nedzu's tea set with her telekinesis, putting it down quickly when Eraserhead cut off his Quirk.

"That's actually the closest to pure Quirk energy I've ever encountered, interestingly enough. I was actually converting it at something like 96% fidelity. There wasn't enough getting through to affect me at all."

That wasn't entirely true. The sparks One for All created when it overflowed Momo's control were actually 99.9% pure QE. Which was both fascinating and meant that Momo could technically recharge Izumi quickly in an emergency. Since they didn't want to draw attention to One for All with Aizawa present, she refrained from mentioning it. The Dean was looking ecstatic enough as it was, anyway.

"Quite incredible! In particular as it means you may have only the second ever Quirk that can't be copied or stolen. Though, sentient Quirks are rare enough that we aren't sure if it would work on them, either. Having their own will might well prevent them from being stolen. In your case, that only makes it doubly likely you may be safe from a certain villain we still hope is dead."

Izumi nodded, having already considered that. They were also bordering on topics she didn't really want to talk about with all company present though. With that in mind, she depowered and brought up another point.

"Actually, Momo and I had a thought about how to use QE manipulation to create a jammer. We'd had the thought before, but quickly discovered trying to block all QE frequencies was beyond any energy storage for Quirk Energy that we could come up with. However, if we were only trying to block a specific frequency, one I happened to have recorded when it tried to teleport me…"

The Dean's eyes lit up, immediately getting where she was going.

"An excellent idea! We've been attempting to come up with a counter for just that. Would you care to join me in my office and talk over what you've come up with?"

Conversation sufficiently redirected, Momo and Izumi quickly agreed to do just that…

... ...

The moment the door to their small flat closed, Izumi about-faced and strategically face planted into Momo's breasts. Her girlfriend, just exactly enough taller than her to make this new position perfectly comfortable, oofed in surprise for a moment, then wrapped Izumi in a hug with a giggle. For a long couple of minutes, they simply remained that way, with Momo carding her hands through Izumi's fluffy hair. Eventually, Momo broke the silence.

"Too many people?"

Izumi nodded into her emotional recharge station. Also known as Momo's Momos. Reluctantly, she pulled back just enough to murmur a response.

"Too many people, too little Momo time."

Momo hummed her agreement, continuing to pet Izumi's fluffy hair. The two of them had been separated right after Izumi was dismissed from the nurse's office after the USJ, each of them going home to their families to reassure them they were alright. While staying with their families was still the norm for both of them, it was rare that they stayed alone with their families, usually rotating which home they slept in. With, it had to be said, random days where they stayed at their current location instead. Said location was a small flat located above their shared workshop space. They'd bought the workshop several years ago, and it technically belonged to the company they owned together. The same mostly-existed-on-paper company through which they filed patents related to their shared inventions. Most of which were admittedly simplified redesigns of YoRHa technology that could be manufactured with current methods. That wasn't the case for everything, of course. A few bits and pieces of the support gear they had patents for were genuinely original creations, particularly a few they had come up with to handle unusual Quirk needs for people they'd met through Nishimura & Croft.

For the most part, the workshop was just that, a well-equipped working space not owned by the Yaoyorozu Group where they could work on projects. It prevented a lot of the legal issues that would have inevitably cropped up if they had used Momo's family assets to make things. Better yet, it had allowed them a space of their own, free from the constant oversight of their parents. Which, of course, is also how the small apartment had come to exist. Technically, it didn't exist on any official documentation anywhere. Izumi and Momo had done all of the construction themselves, with Momo even creating most of the furniture so that no one could spot it being moved in. In part, this had been a way of gaining a space for 'private time' when they were first getting serious in their relationship. But it had grown over time until the small flat was effectively a safe house that didn't exist on any official paperwork anywhere. They spent nights here only infrequently, but both of them had near-silently agreed they needed the space tonight. Their parents had been suitably reassured already. They'd dealt with UA. Now they desperately needed to decompress and reassure each other that they were fine after the unexpected chaos and terror of the USJ incident.

Eventually, after several more minutes of simply existing in each other's embrace, Izumi sighed and wrinkled her nose. They hadn't exactly done a full workout while testing out their power limits, but they'd both worked up a mild sweat, and hadn't taken the time to do anything about that fact at the University. Instead, they'd gone straight into a meeting with the Dean after their testing. Pulling back from her glorious emotional recharge station, Izumi grabbed one of her girlfriend's hands and gently tugged her along. Their little flat wasn't that big, really just a slightly oversized studio apartment, so Momo caught onto where they were headed within just a few steps, chuckling as she did so. She followed, unresisting, as Izumi towed her into the extremely well-appointed bathroom. Baths and showers were, as far as both Momo and Izumi were concerned, one of God's greatest gifts to his creation. Or one of mankind's greatest triumphs, if you choose to look at it that way instead.

-Lemon Starts Here-

Disrobing was a slow, silent affair, but an intimate one. Izumi had started it, not by addressing her own clothes, but by letting Momo's hair down from its signature ponytail. From there, they took turns popping each other's buttons and peeling one another out of their street clothes. Momo's gaze was as riveted and appreciative as ever as Izumi shimmied out of her tight jeans, and Izumi was just as transfixed by the sight of Momo's breasts dropping from her bra today as she had been the first time she saw them. Neither of them intentionally made the experience erotic, but a charge was slowly building between them all the same as they discarded the last of their clothes and stepped into the shower together.

The shower's design probably bordered on some sort of hedonistic sin. A rainfall showerhead, eleven different water sprayers coming from all different directions, two shower wands, a steamer/mister, and a dozen even more exotic extras that would make a normal person's head spin. It was, of course, simply a replica of Momo's private shower at her family home. But that didn't stop it from being the sort of gloriously excessive luxury that, in this specific case, Izumi was five thousand percent okay with splurging on. A sentiment she felt fervently once again as Momo selected a favorite preset and embraced Izumi from behind as water began to cascade down on them. At first, it was just a luxuriously warm downpour from overhead, preparing them in a smooth gradient for something more energetic. That energy followed a minute or so in, with pulsing sprayers starting up all around them in a deep massage pattern they both loved.

They'd done this dance before, of course. And it was a preset made just for the two of them. As the low, soothing sounds of a classical orchestra began to play out from embedded surround sound speakers, the two of them moved through a near-choreographed pattern. Retrieving soaps, massaging muscles, pushing each other into one sprayer or another, and working shampoo through hair. As the music and most of the sprayers came to a slow conclusion, leaving just the steamer and the overhead waterfall running, their personal pattern shifted to something more...erotic.

This time, it was Momo that moved first, intent on pampering her emotionally exhausted girlfriend. Caressing fingers traced the lightly defined muscles of Izumi's abs, Momo's breasts pressing into Izumi's back as the taller girl leaned down to gently nibble and suck at an earlobe. A throaty, needy whimper echoed into the quiet as Momo kissed and nibbled her way down Izumi's neck, one caressing hand wandering upward and the other drifted down. The downward drifting hand found its target first, gently tracing lower lips that we rapidly moistening with something more than water. The touch was teasing, light, pulling away from Izumi's instinctive press against it, even as the greenette's back arched and her lips met Momo's own. The gentle kiss became something more as Momo's other hand found a sensitive nipple, lightly pinching and pulling. The action grew a moan from her lover, Momo taking advantage of momentarily parted lips to seek entrance with her tongue. That entrance was granted without protest, an action rewarded a moment later as questing fingers pressed inward, penetrating Izumi's jade gates.

A second moan was followed by long moments of frustrating stillness from Momo's hands, even as their tongues continued their duel. A moment at the precipice of forever that seemed to stretch an eternity…and then fingers began to move. A nipple was rolled between two fingers, even as two more began to pump a slow but steadily building rhythm. Izumi was lost to the sensations, breaking away from the kiss and pressing herself into Momo's shoulder as she whimpered, moaned, and groaned with increasing feeling and fervor. The patient build began to escalate into something more heated as Izumi's own hands came up to replace her lover's at her breasts, Momo's hand falling in turn to join the efforts of its twin. That second hand teasingly traced a magic button, circling oh-so-gently once, twice…and then flicking firmly but not harshly. The abrupt dichotomy of gentle pleasure and brute sensation locked every muscle in Izumi's body taut for just a moment…then she shuddered through a potent climax, waves of her release sweeping from her toenails to her hair tips.

For long, long moments, Izumi simply basked in the afterglow. She had needed this, this intimate moment. This reaffirmation between them. But…it wasn't over yet. And it was never Izumi, with her supernatural stamina, that gave in first. With a wicked smirk that would have made their classmate's eyes widen and collars feel uncomfortably tight, Izumi allowed her knees to collapse under her, turning in place as she did. A moment later, she had her lover pinned to the wall, her target firmly in sight…

-Lemon Ends Here-

... ...

A/N: Random Trivia to make sense of one line in this chapter. One of the ways you can spell the name 'Momo' in Kanji is also the word for 'Peach.' At least, so I've been told. Though I don't believe Momo's name uses those characters. So Izumi's comment of 'Momo's Momos'...well, you get the picture ;-).