The Next Generation

C17: Unofficial Guardians

As much as Optimus enjoyed his classes, he was glad to have the weekend off. He returned to Principal Nezu's cabin and tried to enjoy his short break. Per usual, he still spent most of the day in the library. Thanks to Midoriya, he had a new topic to research. The stack of books on his table grew larger. It was a mix of the textbooks from Mr. Aizawa, the books on quirks, and now anything he could find about energon. It was mostly mentioned in science books, or criminology reports.

Optimus couldn't believe his unluckiness. If he'd told Nezu that his energon was energon, he might have already known that it wasn't an unknown chemical in this world. The implications of this discovery were massive. It meant cybertronians had visited this world, just as they had on the other Earth. There could be leftover technology or something that Optimus could use to contact his team.

It gave him hope, but also made him a little sad. He'd enjoyed his time here, but he missed home. Cybertron was in reconstruction now, free of war, and the planet was alive. Staying stuck in this human form didn't seem so bad anymore. If only Optimus could experience his home planet again, or see his friends, he'd be happy. After all, he'd already sacrificed himself to the Allspark, so anything was an improvement.

He added books on communication and interdimensional theories to the mix. He wouldn't become an expert overnight, but he wanted to know everything he could to get back home.

Optimus was deeply focused on a page about quirk enhancement drugs when someone approached his table. They spoke his name, maybe once or twice, but it was all delayed in Optimus's audio receivers. He looked up slowly and then finally gave them his full attention.

"Principal Nezu," Optimus nodded in greeting. "Good morning, how may I help you?"

"It's afternoon," Nezu replied before sitting down. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but some of your information was leaked to the media."

Optimus set the book down. "What do they know?"

"I had to explain that you were an orphan," Nezu admitted. "I thought you should know, since it is now a part of our cover story. They broadcasted that information in a news report a few hours ago."

"That's not too bad," Optimus decided. "Thank you for informing me, but did you come all the way here just to tell me that?"

Nezu leaned back. "Releasing you to the media reminded me of another problem that we haven't properly addressed. Legally, you're still a child, and UA needs to have an official file on you. By the school committee's definition, you are homeless and without a guardian. We need to officially place you in someone's care."

"I thought I was in yours?"

Nezu winced. "As easy as it seems, that would cause some ethical dilemmas with the press. It would be better to place you in a teacher's custody. I'm thinking Mr. Aizawa."

"No," Optimus immediately rejected the proposal.

"Why not?"

He scares me. Optimus thought to himself, but only shook his helm as an answer.

Nezu sighed. "Well, there's always the others, but none of them have a personal connection to you. Present Mic would just ask Aizawa to do it. All Might prefers to keep his secret identity. Midnight... is a no. Vlad King opposes your class. Cementos might be a good candidate, but he's very busy most of the time. You could ask to stay with a classmate and their parents, but that doesn't solve the legal issue."

Optimus rubbed his helm. "It's always the rules that get in the way."

"Yes, I agree," Nezu folded his hands in his lap. "I'm also afraid that if I do not ask Aizawa, he will be upset with me if he finds out."