10 Steps Ahead

Welcome to the Support Course

Today is the first day we were allowed to work in the support labs and Mei was practically vibrating in her seat next to me. Not that I can blame her, it would be great to have better materials to work with than trash from the beach and the cheap tools Mei convinced her parents to get.

"There is a lot of flexibility in this class. Usually I will give you a project to you and then you will be free to work on it. However for your first project you can choose what it is, but I need to approve it. Try to think of something that you can use in the sports festival. Obviously I will be here to answer any of your questions," Power Loader says, dismissing the class to begin working.

Mei immediately started rambling about what babies she wanted to make while I flipped through my notebook. I started this one specifically for analysing support items and ideas of my own to make. I stopped at one of the first sketches I made, the details and mechanics of it were the most thought out of anything else in this book. With UA's supplies I might be able to make it.

"You know you can only make one item, right?" I tell Mei, cutting off her plans for the seventh item she planned on creating.

"Nonsense Muscles, as long as we make it before the sports festival then they have to let us use it. Geniuses like us will have no problem making a full artillery to use by then. Well maybe not you, you're going to be busy with the hero jocks and business nerds," Mei says.

I roll my eyes, "Don't insult people you're going to have to work with someday."

"If they can't take that then they shouldn't be in this profession."

I let out a huff of laughter, any clients we will have in the future will need to have tough skin. Huh, when did I start thinking of the future as something 'we' would be doing? It's not an unwelcome change, this future I'm working toward is looking brighter everyday.

I focused back on the task on hand. "Okay we can make multiple items but no starting a new one before the first is finished, I'd rather have one piece of working equipment than multiple half done ones. You should start with the jetpack, mobility will be important, then you can start on some long range like the flash grenades. You're right I'll probably not be able to do many items so I'll focus on this." I showed her the page I was looking at.

Mei squealed, an accurate reaction, if this works it would be really cool! It's a retractable staff with an electrified end. It would be made of magnesium, while heavier it would pack more of a punch. It will be a solid weapon, without being reliant on a quirk. Depending on the person it would need to be specialised so it doesn't work against their quirk, but it's perfect for someone with a non-offensive quirk, or maybe none at all. Maybe it's just the remnants of my dreams, there would never be a quirkless hero but there was an option if someone decided to try. I'll ask Shinso if he wants to use it at the sports festival. It would be a great marketing point if my equipment got someone into the hero course.

"This is going to be great Muscles, but we're going to be presenting ourselves to the public. The staff doesn't fit your brand. Don't you want to show all of our future investors some of the things they can expect in the future?" Mei asks. It's a fair question, I decided a while ago to focus on making support items that can mimic quirks. I have plans all ready for fire breath, electric touch and hover boots, any of those would easily blow away anyone watching and properly showcase my plans for a business in the future. Logic dictates that I should listen to Mei and focus on those items instead, but I don't listen to logic very often. It's the UA sports festival , I want to get far and make my mark while there.

"Well I have to make it far to show them off, don't I? We have three years, I'll be memorable this year and then show off my equipment next year. It's not like we have internships or anything to worry about," I say. Mei narrowed her eyes, staring at me like she did when she met Shinso on the first day of school before shrugging and focusing back on her own design.