"T-thanks," Hiroto said as he stared back at the eccentric woman in his face. "We heard about your shop, and-"
"You're all UA students, aren't you?!" Mei interrupted as she examined the group. A few nods of acknowledgement passed through the group. "Oh, this is exciting! I haven't worked with students in forever. You guys are willing to try anything!" She dove into the organized chaos of her shop. "Wait right there! I bet I have just the babies you're looking for!" The group of students exchanged nervous glances as the sounds of excited rummaging echoed through the store.
"I like her!" Terra said enthusiastically. The smile on her face faded as she turned to look at Hiroto, who hadn't moved a muscle since the shop's proprietor appeared. "Uh . . . Hiro-kun? Are you ok?"
"Y-yeah . . . I'm fine . . ." Hiroto said cautiously as he slowly loosened up. "That was just . . . a little much for me."
"Oh, come on! She's not that bad," Terra teased. "I mean I've been more energetic than that."
"Yeah, but at least you know how to respect personal boundaries." A slight shiver went through Hiroto's body. Terra giggled hysterically as Shion, Osen, and Sachi made mental notes of Hiroto's reaction.
"Alright, let's do this!" Mei reappeared out of nowhere, slamming a large box on the counter in front of them. "I've picked out the perfect babies for each of you! Who wants to go first?"
Terra immediately put her hand up with a look of childlike enthusiasm on her face. "Oh! Me me me!" Mei gave her a once over and handed her what looked like some leg armour. "Oooooh what does this do?" Terra asked in awe.
"You use a speed Quirk, right? Of course you do! Just look at those things!" Mei gestured down at the well-defined muscles on Terra's legs. "These braces will increase the speed output your legs can handle all while protecting them from injury. I modelled them off of Ingenium's Quirk." At the sound of her idol's name, Terra's eyes began to sparkle with wonder. Hiroto, however, was skeptical.
"Hold up a second," he said with raised eyebrows. "Terra's Quirk works by releasing stored static electricity. Increasing the output her legs can handle won't help her go any faster. Wouldn't it be better to have something to help her regulate and store the static electricity more efficiently?"
"Ho ho!" Mei laughed, her interest piqued. "I like the way you think, Aizawa! Can you give me any more details?" The students inside the shop all were silent as Hiroto deconstructed the mechanics of Terra's Quirk. Shion had actually taken out a notepad to jot some notes down, but Osen and Terra just smiled, watching Hiroto in his element.
"So yeah, if you want to give my friend the perfect . . . 'baby' or whatever, that's what you should be focusing on," Hiroto wrapped up. He caught a glimpse of his classmates staring at him, mouths agape, and he felt his cheeks begin to burn slightly.
"This is good stuff!" Mei said excitedly. "You know what, I think I have exactly what you're looking for!" She dashed back to her stash and almost instantly returned, carrying a small device. "This is baby #8854! I call it the Ottogenerator! It uses your movement to generate massive amounts of static electricity and then store it for future use!"
Terra's eyes glossed over as she stared at the device. "This is perfect! I've always been able to tap into other sources of electricity, but finding one that's portable and lightweight . . ."
"You will have to fit it to your costume, though, and the core does need to be replaced periodically." Mei opened a hatch on the device, and instantly the group was assaulted by a wall of putrid odor. "The sulfur core wears out with repeated use. It's relatively inexpensive to replace, but you need to stay on top of it to get the most out of it." Mei quickly shut the lid, much to the relief of her patrons.
YOU ARE READING
Hiro Rising
Fanfiction"A young boy sets out to prove that he has what it takes to be a hero on his own, but even in an era of peace, he's about to learn that, sometimes, having people by your side is the only way to succeed."
