Total Command

Chapter 42: Not with a bang but a whimper

Kae stared, eyes twitching, at the news broadcast that was playing over the sports festival.

The older woman with a large horn, Miyagi Daika, was speaking to what Kae could only assume was an international audience.

"With the First Year Finals coming to a close, it is strange to think that the champion is not our top story, but instead, her opponent. In what could be the largest development in over a century, the second place belongs to a man. And not just any man, a man who apparently has a quirk."

An image of a shirtless Izuku appeared as Daika was talking, causing Kae's eye to twitch a little harder.

"Midoriya Izuku, pictured here after his victory of Todoroki Shoko, daughter of the number two hero, Endeavor, shocked the entire world after demonstrating what we can only assume to be a quirk."

A short video of Izuku cracking out of the ice played, his lightning crackling over him as sweat and water dripped down his shirtless torso.

"Does this mean that men are now capable of having quirks? Is this a genetic fluke or a sign of things to come? We simply can't know at this point. We reached out to the government and UA for comment, but both declined at present. However, many people have doubts."

The broadcast cut to an interview of a random person on the streets of Tokyo. "I think it's a hoax," the woman said flatly. "A publicity stunt to get us all talking about the UA Sports Festival. If men had quirks, then it would have happened already. Every scientist who has ever studied quirks says that men simply can't have quirks."

The camera cut to another interview, this time with someone in a clearly poorer part of the city. "Nah, he's got a 'quirk', see, but it's not genetic. He's got those little machines inside of him that give him what looks like a quirk, but it's not really a quirk, you see? Damn, what're those things called?"

"Nanomachines, son!" someone from behind the woman called.

"Yeah, those things!"

The interview audio faded as Daika spoke over the video. "More still have other explanations for the seemingly impossible."

"Men don't have quirks," a woman in a business suit said tersely. "So it's clear that this 'Midoriya' is no man. Cosmetic surgery has come a long way in the past hundred years; it should be obvious to anyone with a cursory understanding of quirkology that the only logical explanation for this is that this 'man' is, at least genetically, a woman."

The camera cut back to the studio, where Daika continued the broadcast. "We received an anonymous tip that claimed Midoriya Izuku is, in fact, a genetic experiment created by none other than Nozomi, the principal of UA herself. Normally, we would ignore these sort of baseless accusations, but in these uncertain times, we cannot afford to not consider every angle. We reached out to Gang Orca for her opinion on these matters."

The broadcast cut to an impromptu interview with Gang Orca, the terrifying, massive woman with a head of an orca, staring down intimidatingly at the camera. A label beneath her read 'Sakamata Kura, #10 hero, Gang Orca'. "Do I think that he is a genetic..." she paused for a moment, scratching her face. "I wouldn't be surprised, honestly. Nozomi's done worse." The hero shuddered.

"We've been following reports from across Japan, as well as the rest of the world," Daika continued as the scene returned to her, "the advent of a quirked man has caused widespread panic and confusion. It appears that the eyes of the entire world are on UA and Midoriya Izuku. I believe it is safe to say that today we are witnessing history, one way or the other. But for now, we return you to our coverage of the UA Sports Festival, where the award ceremony for the freshman round is soon to begin."