MHA Shorts

Re: Enji Todoroki and his Relation to Subject 01 (Experiments AU: pt. 3)

"You're downright heartless, man," Mister Hizashi told him once, only two weeks after Enji's career in the lab began. Mister Hizashi had been working at the lab since before the kids were born, and had been in charge of their language studies since before they could properly speak. "They're just kiddos, don't ya have any sympathy at all?"

"They're guinea pigs, Yamada," he had responded.

"Hey, I thought you had your own little tykes at home. Where are your paternal instincts? Before these little punks, I totally never dealt with kids yo, and even I give off more dad vibes than you. Hell, that Aizawa guy that got hired on with you gives off more dad vibes than you do, and he always looks like a sleep-deprived hobo."

"They aren't mere children," Mister Enji had reiterated sourly. "They aren't even really human. Monsters like them are only worth keeping as long as they can be controlled, as lab rats or tools or weapons, that's why we train them and teach them. We're not here to act as their parents or guardians, Yamada, we're here to hone them into something useful."

Miss Inko had heard the conversation via a listening device in the room, and it made her quite certain that bringing Mister Enji into the facility had been the right choice. With any luck his no-nonsense attitude would rub off on the other faculty members. Mister Hizashi in particular had always been soft on the subjects.

The greatest breach in protocol to that point was the day the subjects had somehow gotten a hold of a list of their true names. It threatened to damage the already delicate circumstances of Mister Enji's employment, but luckily the children rarely used their surnames. Miss Inko really felt like she had dodged a bullet when Subject 01 insisted on being called Shoto without even mentioning his family name. Thankfully his parents had chosen his name after he was born and manifested his abilities, or there might have been trouble nonetheless.

Mister Enji refused to call the children by their names, and they quickly gave up asking him to out of fear. Fear was among Mister Enji's most reliable tools, even against children who were always afraid, in a place that was inherently frightening to them.

Miss Inko hadn't seen a problem with that until about a year after the names incident when a seven year old Shoto Todoroki ended up badly wounded during a training session with Mister Enji. A mishap had occurred while using his ability, and he accidentally froze his left eye, and was too pained and upset to melt the ice properly until after the damage had been done. This mishap had resulted in a permanent ice burn scar over his left eye.

Miss Inko's own son, Subject 20, Midoriya, had been the one to speak out after the accident, insisting that Mister Enji be reprimanded. It was the first time that Midoriya had ever been so vocal about anything, and Uraraka had backed him up with equal adamancy. Though they were afraid, they would not allow what happened to their friend to go unpunished. Todoroki, bandaged, and blind on one side until his wound healed, tried to convince them to stop, telling them that it had been his own mistake.

He hadn't wanted their anger to get them in trouble, but they were right. Mister Enji had been specifically instructed not to be reckless with his training, and Todoroki's injury had been a direct result of recklessness by the instructor. Even so, this incident alone would not, in itself, have justified Mister Enji's termination. It was Mister Hizashi's outburst following the incident that ultimately led to Mister Enji's breakdown.

"I can't believe you would let that happen to your own son!" Mister Hizashi had yelled at his coworker in a rage. "I get that you're not exactly the fatherly type, and I know It's your job to push those kids, but if what you were doing before was harsh, that was downright abusive!"

"He is not my son," Mister Enji responded flatly. "Just because you have allowed yourself to become unreasonably attached to the subjects, do not assume that I feel the same."