A Jumble of Minds

by ScarecrowGhostX

Summary:

Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero. That's all he's ever wanted, and with his father's quirk and his mother's support, he had high hopes, but after meeting All Might and being giving One for All, Izuku may become something much different if he isn't careful.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

August 5th, 2225

 

Nezu covered his mouth with a handkerchief as Aizawa tucked his nose into his scarf. The heavy scent of blood was overwhelming even for the seasoned pros. Aizawa stood in the doorway of an apartment, and with a bit of trepidation, he entered and stepped over the various debris and bodies.

 

"I do believe I made an error in judgment," Nezu said quietly from Aizawa's shoulder. The underground hero had to resist the urge to scoff. He didn't believe that for a second that his boss didn't see this coming.

 

Aizawa came to a stop as he spotted the figure clad in dark clothes standing in the center of the carnage, blood dripping from her hands as she panted heavily. "Jade."

 

Jade's head turned slowly, and Aizawa stared into the eyes of the dark green expressionless mask. The underground hero did his best to keep his face neutral, as he said. "You weren't supposed to do this. We were supposed to question them before bringing them to justice."

 

"This was justice," Jade said as she turned away and looked at the bodies. "They took the love of my life away from me. They took my son's father from him before he ever got to really know him. Their deaths were quick even if they shouldn't have been."

 

"Yes, well, I am afraid you can no longer stay in Mustafasu," Nezu said as he looked around. "I can help set you and your son up elsewhere."

 

"Fine," Jade said as she walked over to the two heroes, and her shoulders slumped. "I just want a quiet life so I can raise my son."

 

"And you will have it. As long as you remember our agreement." Nezu said as a dangerous glint entered his eyes.

 

Aizawa tensed as Jade scoffed. "I won't forget rat. I'll help you with whatever grand plan you're cooking up whenever you're ready. Now move. I need to get home before Izuku wakes up."

 

Aizawa stepped aside and let Jade exit the apartment. Once he was sure she was gone, he said. "We should have arrested her, sir. We needed these people alive."

 

"Hm, we will make do with their computers and phones," Nezu said as he pulled out his own and started texting people to come and clean this mess up. "Jade is quite skilled, so letting her get her revenge was for the best. She is in our debt now, and so if we ever need someone to do something a hero can't, we can call on her."

 

Aizawa sighed as he started to leave. "If you say so, sir. Still, I can't help but worry about using vigilantes."

 

"Our enemy seems to have an in with the HPSC on some level. I don't know who they are or what their intentions are, but they saw fit to kill Hisashi Midoriya for some reason and incurred the wrath of his wife. These poor men may have been the ones who did the deed, but something tells me they weren't the ones who gave the order."

 

Aizawa hummed as he slipped into the darkness while a van pulled up and people headed for the apartment. "All Might took out most organized crime. I can't imagine anything too large still existing."

 

Nezu chuckled darkly as he said. "Oh, trust me, Eraser. Even you haven't seen the darkest corners of this country. There are plenty of old things milling about waiting for their time to bite."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

August 10th, 2225

 

"Izuku, sweetie, it's dinner time!" Inko called out as she put the finishing touches on dinner.

 

She smiled as she heard the pitter-patter of footsteps. "What's for dinner, mama?"

 

"Katsudon," Inko said as she turned, showing off the two bowls.

 

The young boy jumped excitedly, and as he cheered, a puff of green fire escaped his mouth. Inko put on her playful stern mom look as she said. "What did I say about using your quirk indoors?"

 

Izuku fidgeted as he looked guilty. "Sorry, mama."

 

Inko smiled as she set the bowls down on the table. "It's ok, sweetie. You're still learning."

 

Izuku nodded excitedly as he climbed up into his chair. "Yeah. I'm gonna be a hero, so I gotta train real hard."

 

"Yeah, you will, and to train hard, you need to eat well, so dig in," Inko said as she tried to hide her nerves. The idea of her son being a hero terrified her, but she saw so much of Hisashi in Izuku, and she could tell that even if she didn't support him, Izuku would pursue his goal no matter what and so she resolved to do her absolute best to ensure he would become the best hero he can be.

 

Once dinner was finished, Inko cleared her throat and said. "Izuku... sweetie, I have some news."

 

Her son perked up and gave her his full attention. Inko swallowed and rested her hands on the table. "I got a new job, and it's going to mean we'll have to move. You won't be able to see Kacchan and the others. We'll be too far away."

 

Her heart broke as she watched her son process the news. He did not look happy about the news. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm sure you'll be able to make more friends, and you want to get into UA with Kacchan, right? I'm sure you'll see him at UA."

 

"But I don't wanna go. I like it here with all my friends." Izuku said as tears started to well up in his eyes.

 

Inko got up and circled around to her son as she said. "I'm sorry, sweetie. If I could turn this down, I would, but it's for the best."

 

Izuku grumbled and whipped his eyes before pushing past his mother as he ran to his room. "I don't wanna leave!"

 

Inko groaned as Izuku shut the door to his room. She took a deep breath as she whispered. "Hisashi... what am I gonna do?"

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

August 30th, 2225

 

"I still can't believe you're moving, and out to the countryside at that," Mitsuki said as she and Masaru stood by the moving truck with Inko.

 

Inko smiled sadly as she looked at the floor. "I need this... there's too much in Mustafasu that reminds me of Hisashi. This should... this should make things easier, and it's not like I won't ever speak to you two again. I'll keep in contact, I promise. You two are my best friends."

 

"We'll hold you to that," Masaru said as he looked over at his son and Izuku. "Is Izuku going to be ok?"

 

"Yeah, I- he's come to terms with it. I just hope he can make friends at his new school." Inko said as she watched her son and his best friend talk.

 

Katsuki huffed as he crossed his arms. "This is stupid."

 

Izuku nodded. "Mama said she didn't have a choice, but it's ok cause we'll still end up at UA, and we'll be super awesome heroes."

 

Katsuki smirked as he gave Izuku's shoulder a light punch. "We better. I'm gonna be pissed if you don't get in Izuku."

 

Izuku grinned, and a little fire escaped his mouth as he laughed. "I promise Kacchan I'll do my best!"

 

"Izuku, sweetie, we need to get going," Inko called out.

 

Izuku frowned and winced as Katsuki punched his shoulder a bit harder. "Hey, stop moping. If you do that all the time, no one's gonna treat you like a hero."

 

"Y-yeah, you're right. I'll see you again sometime, Kacchan."

 

Katsuki huffed. "Whatever, just don't break our promise, you hear."

 

Izuku smiled, and Katsuki squawked in surprise as Izuku hugged him before running off to his mom. Katsuki grumbled as his parents came over, and the Bakugos watched as the Midoriya family left Mustafasu.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

September 2nd, 2225

 

"Alright, class, settle down. I know you're all very excited to talk about your summer break, but before all that, I have an announcement to make." the teacher said as she entered the kindergarten class.

 

Ochako turned her attention to the teacher, who smiled happily as everyone quieted down. "Good, I'm proud of how quickly you all quieted down."

 

The nine students all sat up a little straighter at their teacher's praise. She was such a nice lady, and they enjoyed playing with her even if she did make them do a bunch of boring school stuff before playing.

 

The older woman clapped her hand together as she continued. "Now we have a new student joining us today. Please be kind and help him out if he needs it. Please come in and introduce yourself."

 

The class watched as the green-haired boy entered, and Ochako marveled at his freckles. She thought freckles were cool and always wished she had some.

 

The boy clutched the hem of his shirt as he looked at everyone. "Um... I'm Izuku Midoirya. It's nice to meet you."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 4th, 2230

 

Toshinori grunted as he stumbled and scanned the devastated area. They had done it. It took years, but here he was in the northern outskirts of Sapporo, where his master's killer had been hiding. "Come out, you coward! You were gloating so much right until I put your little fire out!"

 

"You are such a loud child. Do you know that?"

 

Toshi's blood ran cold, and the fire in his heart raged as he watched the man pull himself from the rubble and dust off his charred suit. All for One sighed as he said. "I just got this suit, you know. It cost quite a bit."

 

Toshi's whole body tensed as All for One's red eyes glared at him. One for All stirred, and the voices started speaking.

 

Kill him...Kill him... Kill him!

 

Kill the monster, rend his flesh, tear him apart and leave nothing but ash! 

 

He doesn't deserve to breathe!

 

Destroy the monster avenge us, and bring vengeance to those he has killed. He is not human; he does not deserve justice, only death!

 

Kill him, Toshinori!

 

Toshinori gritted his teeth as the cacophony of voices rang out in his mind. His master's voice was front and center, but he knew she would never be this angry. That wasn't the real Nana speaking to him. She was gone; this was just some hallucination. Perhaps a side effect of One for All, but he didn't have time to think about it because even if they weren't chanting for his death, Toshi had no intention of letting All for One leave here alive.

 

All for One held his hands out to his sides, and as fire started to engulf his arms, he said. "Well, come on, you child. Take your swing, and when you fail like that failure of a woman who held One for All before you, I will be taking back my property."

 

All Might's muscles bulged and golden electricity arched across his body. The earth shook and cracked as he took a step forward. His piercing blue eyes glowed with such power that All for One swallowed and tensed his muscles. This child had admittedly caught him before he was ready, but no matter Toshinori Yagi was a stupid meathead child playing with something that was not his. All for One would discipline him and take back the quirk he gave away.

 

All for One stumbled back as the fire on his arms went out suddenly, and before his enhanced processing quirks could tell what was happening, a fist collided with his ribs, shattering them upon impact despite the various physical resistance quirks he had running.

 

The king of the underworld coughed up blood as All Might slammed him into the rubble of the building All Might brought down when he first showed up. Before he could bring down his other fist, a shockwave of electricity sent the hero flying back.

 

All for One powered up his various speed quirks and disappeared from All Might's sight. As the hero tried to find his mortal enemy, a stabbing pain blossomed in the base of his neck, and a deep voice rang out.

 

Behind you.

 

All Might jumped away as All for One appeared and thrust a blade made from his hand towards All Might's back. The villain clicked his tongue as he missed and tried to stab at All Might again.

 

All for One was growing somewhat annoyed that the hero was so easily dodging his blades. He should be faster than the muscle head child in front of him, and yet it seemed like All Might was predicting his movements even at the blinding speed they were both moving at.

 

Toshi wasn't sure what was going on, but every time All for One's arm blurred and disappeared, he felt an odd sensation and an urge to move in a certain direction. Every time he followed through with the urge, the blade would miss him.

 

"Honestly, this is pathetic, Toshinori. You're not going to beat me. I am a being that is far greater than any man! I am the monster hiding in the dark, pulling all the strings. I decide what is right and what is wrong!"

 

All for One's blade nicked Toshi's cheek, and the villain smiled. He was getting closer to taking this pathetic boy down. "I am the closest thing to a god in this world, and once I have what is mine, everyone will understand that-"

 

All for One stopped as Toshi grabbed his arm mid-swing and the large man surged with golden light. "NO! You are just a man! A small pathetic man who takes pleasure in hurting others, but I will not allow you to do that anymore!"

 

Fear. A feeling All for One swore he'd never feel again reared its ugly head as his red eyes locked with All Might's blue. The hero pulled his fist back, and for the briefest of moments, All for One remembered the worst day of his life. A memory nearly two hundred years old. Something he had thought he got rid of. 

 

All Might's fist collided with All for One's head, and the man was slammed to the ground, his skull cracked, and his nose was broken. Before the villain could stand, All Might slammed his boot into his gut, and All for One felt several organs burst.

 

As All Might straddled the villain and brought his fist up, he felt something claw at his mind. The voices grew louder and louder, and at that moment, the golden light surrounding Toshi turned white, and his will was not his own. The full might of One for All was concentrated into his fist, and as he brought it down, crushing All for One's head, the villain screamed and drove his hand into Toshi's side. As All for One's head was reduced to chunks of meat, he gouged out Toshinori's side ripping out part of his stomach and lung.

Notes:

yay, I've been working on this for a while. I'm looking forward to writing this so tell me what you think of it.

This won't be my main focus so updates may be sporadic. I'm still doing the Kisses and Kissed one-shots and I'll be giving most of my attention to Of Blood, FIre, and Fae.

anyways that's all from me see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 2: Friendship

September 2nd, 2225

 

Izuku tentatively sat down as the teacher started the day's lessons. He relaxed some as he listened to her speak, and by the time lunch was coming around, his nervousness had subsided considerably though it did rear its head as he pulled out his lunch and realized he wouldn't be able to eat with Katsuki.

 

"Hi."

 

Izuku jumped as his head snapped over to the small brown-haired girl who was smiling as she held a bento. "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Nice to meet you."

 

"U-um hi-"

 

"Dang it, Rara, you beat us here." one of the other kids said as most of the class came around.

 

Izuku watched as they formed a semicircle around him and started introducing themselves. Once Izuku had said hi to everyone, they started asking about where he lived before and why he moved. "Um, Mustafasu and m-my mom said her job is the reason we moved."

 

"Oh, you're from a city. Bet you've never been out in the countryside before. Have you?" one girl with pink hair asked as she sat down across from him.

 

"N-no, I haven't," Izuku said as he fiddled with his lunch.

 

Others started to sit as they offered to show him where all the cool places were. As Ochako sat down next to him, she said. "There's not a lot to do out here, but we find ways to have fun, right guys?"

 

A cascade of agreements washed over Izuku as he relaxed again. Ochako smiled and said, "Come on, Midoriya, you gotta eat now so we can spend some time outside playing before lessons again."

 

Izuku nodded and opened his bento as he said. "O-ok."

 

As the kids ate and spoke, Izuku couldn't help but smile. Maybe moving out here wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. At least everyone seemed really nice, and it was really pretty outside.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

January 1st, 2230

 

Izuku yawned as he sat at the top of the hill with his class, everyone looking up at the night sky as it started to lighten. A slight shiver worked its way up his spine, and his teeth chattered quietly. His back was against the lone tree at the top, and next to him was his best friend Ochako, who shivered slightly.

 

As Izuku scooted closer and partially unwrapped his scarf, he asked. "Why are we doing this again?"

 

Ochako giggled as he wrapped the scarf around her, and as she leaned closer to him, she said. "Because adults are always saying how nice the new year's sunrise is, and it's not like we have anything better to do."

 

"Sleep or training," Izuku said bluntly, causing Ochako to shake her head.

 

"You need to take more breaks, Izuku. We aren't even in junior high yet. UA is a long way off. Learn to have more fun," Ohcako said as she elbowed him lightly.

 

Izuku grumbled and ignored her elbow as he watched the sky as it shifted from a deep black to blue with oranges, yellows, and reds streaking across the horizon. "What was it your mom called me? Restless?"

 

Ochako nodded. "Yep. You're a restless city boy who's forced to slum it with us country folks."

 

"I don't feel like a city boy, whatever that means."

 

Ochako shrugged. "I don't know either."

 

The two lapsed into silence along with the rest of their friends as they watched the sunrise fully. Once it had crested over the mountains in the distance and the day began, one of the boys spoke up suddenly. "Seriously, that's it!? How is that different from any other time?"

 

"Oh, shut up, Kugo, you're ruining the moment!" Ikari said as her pink hair turned red.

 

Kugo scoffed and stuck his tongue out at her. "Stuff it Mood Ring. There wasn't a moment to ruin."

 

Everyone chuckled as Ikari practically launched herself at Kugo, and the boy had to use his quirk to turn into a crow and fly up into the tree. They all knew not to call her Mood Ring, and yet he was the only one who kept doing it.

 

Ochako and Izuku stood and moved away from the tree as Ikari climbed it to chase after Kugo. as they heard a bird squawking indignantly, Ochako asked, "do you think your mom is up yet?"

 

"Probably. She always gets up super early. Do you want to eat breakfast with us?"

 

"If you don't mind. Daddy and Mommy were looking at bills last night, and they seemed upset." Ochako said as the light in her eyes dimmed.

 

Izuku bumped her shoulder and asked. "You wanna play some basketball later?"

 

Ochako smiled as the spark of light came back. "Really? You're not gonna be mad when you lose, right?"

 

Izuku scoffed. "Whatever, you've never beaten me when we play soccer, so it's fine."

 

Ochako chuckled, and the two fell into silence until their friends caught up and started talking about what they wanted to do later today.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 5th, 2230

 

Doctor Garaki sighed as he watched his team of doctors work on All for One. The man would have done the surgery himself, but he was busy trying to keep the empire his master had built from falling apart. It didn't help that they were still being pursued by the mystery person who had been digging into their empire ever since All for One ordered the death of the Emerald Dragon. The Doctor clicked his tongue as he was reminded of how that man had sold out hundreds of villains and even compromised some of his master's business ventures.

 

"Doctor." a young voice said, snapping the old man back to the present.

 

Doctor Garaki turned and looked at the fourteen-year-old girl standing in the doorway. Her dark purple skin accentuated her hair's pure white color, and her black sclera made her golden iris and pupils shine like twin suns. "Ah, Utsumi, my girl, why are you here? Did I not tell you to stay with the others?"

 

The Doctor watched as the girl walked over to the observation window and frowned. "I'm sorry, sir. I know we were supposed to wait, but I'm worried about our master. He will be ok, right?"

 

The Doctor nodded. Of the backups, in case Tomura didn't work out, Utsumi was without a doubt his favorite. She was intelligent, well-mannered, and knew her place, unlike that brat Tomura. The only issue with her was her anger. It wasn't great enough for their master's plan, and so she was relegated to leading the backups and keeping their hatred ever-present in their minds. Once All for One's plans entered the later stages, she would make a good lieutenant for Tomura.

 

"Doctor?"

 

The Doctor blinked and looked at the girl. "Ah, my apologies Utsumi. I am fairly stressed at the moment, but yes, the master will survive; he still has so much left to do, and you know our master doesn't leave anything half-finished."

 

Utsumi smiled and nodded. "Of course. If you need my siblings or me for anything, we will be there for you, Doctor."

 

Doctor Garaki laughed. "Wonderful to hear, my girl. There is something you could do for me. Go and inform Giran I want him to make our mystery stalker someone else's problem. I don't care who, but we need that pressure gone."

 

Utsumi nodded. "Of course, Doctor. Though if I may ask, who do you think it is?"

 

The Doctor rubbed his chin as he watched the surgery. "It could be the rat or maybe the Empress of Russia that old coot has taken shots at us over the decades. The Western Sun recently regained control of the eastern European underground, so he may be trying to move east... though that would be quite the leap in territory. Perhaps it's... no, I hesitate to even mention it."

 

Utsumi titled her head as she watched the Doctor shudder and mutter about a  thing  in Australia. "Doctor?"

 

The Doctor shook his head and said. "It does not matter, dear. Now go and inform Giran. I want this dealt with."

 

"Of course, Doctor. I hope big bro Tomura is taking this all well."

 

The Doctor let the girl leave without telling her that Tomura didn't know his master was in such a dire state. It would do no good to have him throw a temper tantrum. The Doctor clicked his tongue at the thought and stood. He had more important things to do than worry about the annoying brat.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 7th, 2230

 

Mirai sighed as he rested his head in his hands. It had been four days since Toshinori confronted All for One, and every day since had been full of just as much stress as the last. As the hero stood to go get some coffee, Toshinori coughed suddenly, and his entire body flinched.

 

Mirai was by Toshinori's side in an instant as he hit the call button for the nurses. "Toshinori, it's Mirai. You're ok. You're at the HPSC private hospital in Tokyo. You're safe."

 

Toshinori let out a rattling breath as his body relaxed, and his piercing blue eyes opened slowly as he spoke weakly. "Mirai? What- what happened?"

 

"You got hurt," Mirai said as he sat down. "But it looks like you won. I saw All for One's body from a distance, but it was gone before I got to you."

 

Toshi wanted to grit his teeth and scream, but his body was too weak. He couldn't even move right now. "That's not good enough."

 

"What? His head was paste from what I could tell-"

 

"It's not enough," Toshi said as he heard the voices of One for All screaming their displeasure. They wanted Toshi to see his body and eradicate it completely. They wanted there to be nothing left, not even ashes. Anything less would not be satisfactory. "A-assume he's alive. We need his body."

 

Mirai stared at his friend in horror. "Toshi-"

 

"Keep looking... and make sure... no one knows... I was injured-" Toshi slumped as he fell unconscious.

 

The nurses entered as Mirai stepped out with guilt twisting in his gut. "I'm sorry, Toshi... the whole world knows already."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 28th. 2230

 

Nezu hummed as he looked over the data. "This is most concerning."

 

Aizawa, Midnight and Snipe all looked up as concern crossed their faces. Snipe motioned with his head as his brown eyes darted from Aizawa to Nezu. It wasn't often they heard their boss say something was 'most concerning,' and it frankly scared them a little bit whenever he did say it.

 

Aizawa sighed and asked. "What's the issue, sir?"

 

"Our investigation has led to a concerning discovery. It appears the Meta Liberation Army killed Hisashi Midoriya, or whoever really did it wants us to think the MLA did it. Either way, it is most concerning to find out that they are somehow still around and in hiding." Nezu said as he poured a fresh cup of tea.

 

"What are we going to do about them?" Midnight asked. "They used to be pretty extreme back in the day."

 

"We'll keep an eye on them," Nezu said. "Once we have more information, we'll decide what to do. For now, continue like normal."

 

As the other teachers left, Aizawa stayed back, and once they were alone, he turned to Nezu and said. "Should we inform Jade?"

 

"No," Nezu said as he organized his papers. "It's best to let her have her quiet life. We'll bring her in once we know what we'll need to do to take care of the MLA."

 

Aizawa nodded, and as he headed for the door, he said. "Understood, sir."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

Izuku sighed as he stood at the top of the hill and stared down at Ochako. His best friend in the world was lying in the shade of the tree, sound asleep. He wasn't sure how she did it, but Ochako could just lay down any time anywhere and take a nap. Of course, when he asked about it, she said sleep was free, and it kept her from needing to eat, which caused him to start worrying about her though she was always quick to reassure him.

 

"Ochako."

 

Izuku took a deep breath and sighed as he saw no reaction from her.  'We're gonna miss the train...'

 

Izuku considered his options. Waking Ochako from a nap could prove to be bad for his health since she tended to slap whoever was trying to wake her up, resulting in them floating away. Unless, of course, she was wearing the artist gloves he gave her last year. He glanced down at her hands to see she was, in fact, wearing the gloves.

 

Izuku smiled and crouched down, knowing he wouldn't be sent flying. As he reached out to gently shake her shoulder, his eyes settled on the blush marks on her cheeks. Recently he would catch himself staring at them. He wasn't sure why but it kept happening.

 

"Ochako, wake up. We need to head for the station."

 

Izuku leaned back as Ohcako's hand shot out and nearly smacked him. As her eyes fluttered open, Izuku scooted back. "Are you awake now?"

 

Ochako yawned and stretched. "Yeah... What time is it?"

 

"Almost time for our train to arrive, and we're not at the station," Izuku said as he got up. "Now come on, if we run, we'll make it."

 

Ochako groaned as she got up and started stretching. "Running? I just woke up."

 

"It's your fault for sleeping when we have plans. Now come, Chako, we finally saved up enough money. Don't you want that Thirteen figure?"

 

Izuku smiled as his friend got a sudden burst of energy and started moving. "Come on, Izu, we gotta get moving, or we'll miss the train!"

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

Toshi sighed as he rubbed his side before accepting the change from the cashier. His old wound was still aching, though not as bad as before the last surgery. He had been hesitant to get a new lung. If there were others who could use the donor organ, then how could he, as a hero, accept it. That all changed when Nezu informed him that the lung would be grown specifically for him on I-Island using the latest tech and several quirks. After being told about the process, Toshi felt more comfortable accepting the new organ, and the results were terrific. He stopped coughing blood up every other minute, and his muscle form was holding steady at ten hours.

 

As Toshi exited the convenience store, he passed three heroes who were patrolling together. Ever since it got out that All Might had nearly been killed, things were tense, to say the least. Villains were still disorganized and mostly independent, but they thought that just because All Might got hurt meant they had a real shot at accomplishing their goals. Toshi was putting in more hours than when he first debuted to remind everyone that just because he got hit didn't mean he was out of the game. All Might was still standing tall and would be there to keep the people safe.

 

As Toshi passed a figure store, he nearly collided with two kids as they ran to the door. They were quick to bow and apologize. Toshi couldn't help but chuckle as the girl chewed the boy out for not paying attention.

 

A slight tingle caught Toshi's attention, and two voices overlapped in his mind.

 

Danger across the street/The boy is the ninth.

 

The doors of a money transfer center blew off the hinges as a man made of slime shot out like a bullet and quickly pulled a manhole cover up before slipping into the sewer system. Toshi sighed and quickly stored his bags in an alley before shifting into his muscle form and sprinting after the villain. No rest for the Symbol of Peace, even on his mandatory off day.

Notes:

hello, here I am with chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it.

I feel like I should have more to say but I can't think of anything. oh well, hopefully, I don't think of something to tell you later.

Chapter 3: Slime Villain Incident

April 18th, 2233

 

Izuku and Ohcako flinched as they heard a loud bang from outside. The few customers and employees in the figure store looked out the windows and saw a slime monster slip into the sewers, shortly followed by All Might.

 

Ochako's hand shot out and grabbed Izuku's as he took a half step forward. "No, we're not here to watch hero fights. We're here for figures, that's it."

 

Izuku looked at her, then the door, then back to her before sighing and slumping his shoulders. "It's All Might... but the new Miruko figure is here."

 

Ochako rolled her eyes. She would have given him a hard time about getting a Miruko figure if she didn't think it looked incredibly badass. She'd have bought one as well if she hadn't seen the newest Thirteen figure. Thirteen didn't have many figures out, and Ochako prided herself on having almost all of them.

 

As the two teens walked, Ochako thought about how she had been able to earn extra cash for things like this, thanks to her best friend's mom. Inko ran a small candy shop and paid Ochako to stock shelves and watch the store while she did whatever else Inko did. The woman had cemented herself as a helper in the small town they lived in and always seemed to be helping someone. Ochako was thankful to the woman for the money, especially when things would get tight at home.

 

"Chako," Izuku said quietly as he looked at her.

 

Ochako smiled and said. "I'm fine. Just remind me to thank your mom."

 

"For what?" Izuku asked as he cocked his head to the side.

 

Ochako hummed and tapped her chin. "I guess for the chance to earn money and for bringing my best friend along when she moved to my little town."

 

Izuku blushed slightly and shoved her gently. "Come on, let's get our merch."

 

Ochako chuckled softly and followed after Izuku.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

Toshi sighed and scratched his head as he looked around the various tunnels of the city's sewage system.  'Damn it... which way did he go?'

 

As a sloshing noise echoed down a tunnel, Toshi took off towards it as his mind wandered. This new aspect of One for All was still quite concerning. The voices would warn him of dangers nearby, and while they hadn't been wrong yet, Toshi still didn't trust them fully.

 

He couldn't remember much about how the fight against All for One ended, but he had a feeling that the voices of One for All had done more than just yell at him in those final moments.

 

'Those voices also mentioned the boy who nearly ran into me.'  Toshi thought as he entered a more open area and jumped over the large collection pit that moved the sewage towards the processing plants.  'He looked like a cheerful young man, but I don't know anything about him. I've never met him, so why did the voices say it would be him?'

 

Toshi discarded those thoughts as he spotted the mass of slime slithering towards a manhole cover. As the number one hero took a step, his side flared up in pain, and he stumbled.  'What?! I should have more time than this.'

 

Toshi cursed as the slime escaped back to the surface. Toshi let out a roar as he pushed past the pain and thought,  'Come on, Toshi, get your shit together and stop him already!'

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

Izuku hummed happily as he walked with Ochako. The two had gotten their figures, and they were safe and sound in Ochako's backpack. Now they could wander around the city, especially since they never came out much.

 

"I got some cash left over. Wanna get something to eat?" Izuku asked as they walked through an underpass.

 

"I'm good," Ochako said. The girl smiled as her friend gave her a mildly concerned look. "Izuku, I swear I'm good. I still have leftovers from a couple nights ago. Save your money, ok."

 

As Izuku was about to sigh and tell her he understood, the manhole cover behind them shot off the ground. As the teens turned to see what was happening, Ochako grunted as Izuku shoved her hard away from the tendrils of sludge that shot towards her.

 

"Izuku!" Ochako cried as she stumbled back but stayed on her feet. She watched in horror as the monster pulled itself from the sewers.

 

"Stay back, Chako!" Izuku cried as he struggled against the increasing amount of slime surrounding him. "This guy is too liquidy for your quirk to work."

 

The slime villain grumbled as he pulled himself out entirely. "Hey boy, why'd you jump in the way? I wanted to take the cutie over there. A round face like hers would make anyone drop their guard. She's the perfect meat suit to hide in."

 

"Screw you!" Izuku barked as he kept his flames contained in his throat. He didn't want this guy to know about his quirk; it might make him toss Izuku away and go after Ochako again.

 

The slime villain scoffed, and Izuku snarled as the man's eyes floated around to look at Izuku. "You look pretty tough. I bet you got a real nice quirk. I'll be sure to keep you alive just enough so I can make you use it."

 

'Just a bit closer.  Izuku thought as the slime grabbed his face.

 

"So be a good boy and open up. If you don't struggle, I promise I'll let you be conscious while your friend and I have some fun!"

 

"How bout you roast, you villain!" Izuku shouted just before releasing a torrent of emerald fire.

 

The slime villain howled in pain as he released Izuku and stumbled back. Ochako rushed in and pulled Izuku back as he stumbled, and the two teens watched as the slime villain desperately tried to snuff out the fires, only to see that they wouldn't go out even when he completely encased them in slime.

 

Izuku panted and willed his fire to subside as the villain stopped struggling. He stumbled again as his nose bled, and he groaned. "I still suck at snuffing out my own fire."

 

Ochako held on tight to Izuku as she shook slightly, and the two sat down as their legs gave out from the sudden rush of action. "A-are you ok?"

 

Izuku smiled as he whipped his nose with a handkerchief. "Y-yeah. Are you ok, Chako?"

 

"Y-yeah, I'm-"

 

The teens jumped as a rush of air shot from the sewer access point, and a booming voice yelled. "I am here to save... oh, it's done."

 

Izuku gripped Ochako's shoulder tight as he said. "Chako, is that actually him?"

 

Ochako nodded as they watched the symbol of peace poke at the smoking slime villain before he finally noticed the teens. All Might smiled as he approached slowly. "Hello, young ones. Do you know who took down this villain?"

 

Izuku pointed to himself, and All Might's smile strained as he realized these were the two kids who nearly ran into him earlier. "I-I did, sir."

 

He's worthy!

Give him to us!

He will succeed where you failed!

 

All Might did his best to ignore the voices as he said. "Well done, young man. Usually, you would get in trouble for using your quirk to hurt others, but we will keep this between us. I failed to catch the dastardly villain before he could reach you two, so I apologize."

 

The boy seemed too starstruck to say anything, but the girl recovered quicker. "Um, thank you, sir."

 

She elbowed the boy and whispered. "The notebook."

 

Izuku snapped out of it and quickly opened the bag on her back; as he dug around for whatever he was looking for, Toshi spotted a couple boxes of hero figures. He wondered which one got the Miruko figure and which one got the Thirteen figure. The newest one of each one looked amazing, in Toshi's opinion. He'd have to make sure to order them and some others once he got home.

 

"U-um here, sir. If you wouldn't mind." Izuku said as he pulled out a notebook labeled 'Quirk Analysis #13.'

 

"An autograph?" All Might laughed as he took the pen and notebook. "Of course, I'd be happy to give you one."

 

Toshi speed read some of the pages as he flipped to an open spot. Each page contained information on and illustrations of people, some heroes, some villains, and some who Toshi assumed were civilians. The information seemed to solely focus on quirks and how each person used them as well as hypotheses on ways to apply their quirks to everyday life and heroics. They were extensive if a little disorganized.

 

Once Toshi arrived at a blank page, he asked. "Is here alright?"

 

The boy nodded quickly, and Toshi laughed as he sighed. "What are your names, young ones?"

 

"Izuku Midoriya." the boy said as he smiled wide, and Toshi couldn't help but think of how Nana used to smile whenever she was feeling overjoyed.

 

"Ochako Uraraka." the girl said, and Toshi noticed how she held the boy. She wasn't hiding behind him; she was trying to keep the both of them stable as they sat there staring up at him.

 

"Well, Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka, you two were very brave," Toshi said as he handed the notebook back with his signature and a note telling the two to always do their best.

 

"I will scoop this villain up and turn him over to the police. If you could wait here so they could speak to you and let the medics do it once over, I would appreciate it greatly, and don't forget to keep the quirk use between us."

 

The teens nodded as they marveled at the autograph. Toshi chuckled a bit as he found some empty bottles on the side of the walkway. Toshi contacted the police, then picked up the bottles and started gathering up the villain.  'God, he smells so bad. At least the boy has enough control over himself and his quirk to not have just boiled this man away.'

 

Things were a blur for Izuku and Ochako as the adrenaline from the villain's attack and the wow factor of All Might being there started to wear off. The police arrived quickly, and they told them how they had been attacked by the villain and saved by All Might, who confirmed their report. The police were satisfied, and the medics found nothing wrong, so the teens were given a clean bill and told to be safe.

 

All Might gave them a final wave before shooting off into the sky towards Mustafasu and UA. he needed to talk to both Nezu and Recovery Girl.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

"I have the results." The Recovery Girl said as she looked over her clipboard while walking over to Toshinori. "As far as I can tell, nothing new is wrong. You simply experienced a spike of pain from your old wound."

 

"Oh-ow!" Toshi said as the elderly woman smacked him. He rubbed his shin as she glared at him.

 

"You experienced this because it is your rest day and you worked. I've told you time and time again that if you don't take sufficient time to rest, you will suffer and look at what happened." Recovery Girl said as she walked over to her desk. "You're lucky, Toshi. Things could be much worse for you. If you don't take care of yourself, your chronic pain will get worse, and you may lose time on your quirk."

 

Toshi sighed as he lifted his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He used to be a hulking figure but now unless he was using his quirk, Toshinori looked like a skinny, almost malnourished beanstalk of a man. "I apologize, ma'am. I'll try to do better, but I cannot ignore someone if they are in danger."

 

Recovery Girl sighed as she swiveled around to look at him. "I know, but as your doctor, I have to tell you these things. Now go on up; the rat king is waiting for you."

 

Toshi chuckled and thanked the older woman before heading up to principal Nezu's office. As Toshi rode the elevator up and organized his thoughts. He had listened to the kid's retelling of the sludge villain attack and learned that Izuku had pushed Ochako out of the way of the villain. The boy certainly seemed heroic for his age, and the voices of One for All seemed very annoyed when Toshi left his side.

 

As the elevator doors opened, Toshi quickly made his way to Nezu's office. The doors opened as he approached, and Nezu spoke. "Ah, Mr.Yagi, how wonderful to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

 

Toshinori sat across from the mammal and said. "I have a candidate for my successor. While it's too soon for me to pass it on, I do think he has potential. I was hoping I could ask you to keep an eye on him and see if he wishes to become a hero."

 

"Of course, I am more than happy to help you in this endeavor." Nezu said as he poured two cups of tea." Who is the young man you've taken an interest in?"

 

“His name is Izuku Midoriya. He showed a heroic spirit and a good heart when he and his friend were attacked by a villain, and he threw himself between the two and managed to subdue the villain."

 

Nezu lifted the cup to his lips to hide his smile. The world certainly operated in strange ways, it would seem. After taking a sip of tea, Nezu said. "I'll look into the boy and ensure he is a good fit. Now about the offer I gave you last time we spoke."

 

"The teaching position?" All Might asked as he picked up his cup. "I have considered it, but it would take time from patrolling, and the world still needs me out there. I would love a chance to teach the next generation, but I don't think now is the best time."

 

Nezu hummed. "That's too bad. The offer will remain open to you. In the meantime, I suggest you take Recovery Girl's advice and take a break today. We don't need our symbol of peace worrying the people of Japan any more than he already has."

 

Toshi sighed and finished his tea quickly. "Yes, I'll be sure to do that. Thank you for the tea, sir, and I hope I'm right about Young Midoriya."

 

"As do I. It would be good to have a successor lined up sooner rather than later." Nezu said as he pulled up the contact info of the agent living near Inko and her son.

 

As Toshi left, Nezu sent the message updating the agent's job to send updates and information on Izuku Midoriya. The agent's job was to keep an eye on the Midoriya family and inform Nezu if someone or something was looking at the family a little too much. He did hope that the boy would turn into All Might's successor. The Midoriya family had been so valuable for his endeavors to help humanity improve, and Nezu was looking forward to seeing what Hisashi's son would do for society.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 18th, 2233

 

Izuku groaned as Inko hugged him tightly. "Are you ok, sweetie?"

 

Izuku nodded as best he could as he said. "Y-yeah. I kept Chako from getting grabbed, and I used my quirk to get him off of me."

 

Inko sighed as she looked at the handkerchief. "And you got a bloody nose when you put the fires out."

 

Inko kissed the top of Izuku's head as she said. "You did good, sweetie. I'm glad you're both ok. You got lucky with All Might helping you out. Try to be more careful from now on. You really should be avoiding villain fights until you have your license."

 

Izuku nodded. "I understand... Can we do some sparring?"

 

Inko shook her head. "Not today; you've had enough excitement for one day, and I still have work to do. Just relax with Ochako and your friends."

 

"Ok, thanks, mom," Izuku said, hugging her one more time before heading for the door.

Notes:

I did a lot of plotting out yesterday and writing today. was very tired both days and even gave myself a headache both days. I'll uh try not to do that again because it sucks.

I meant to clean upstairs but again writing compelled me and I did not clean the rooms I was gonna clean which means I'm gonna have to wait until my next day off to try again.

been thinking about Ghibli movies and I really wanna rewatch some. My number one uncontested favorite Ghibli movie is Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I think it was the first Ghibli movie I ever saw and it blew me away and I have loved it every time I rewatched it.

I heard Land of the Lustrous is off of hiatus and I really wanna read it and catch up. I also really want a season two because the anime is beautiful and an amazing example of 3D animation and what it can do.

Chapter 4: Pieces in Motion

August 20th, 2233

 

Utsumi took a deep breath and stepped into the main room of the home she shared with her siblings. Well, technically, it was an underground compound in Fukuoka but calling it a home just made things feel a little less suffocating.

 

She looked around the large open room at the various teens and young adults who were sitting or laying on the various couches and bean bag chairs. "Where's Toji? I wanted to talk to him."

 

"He's challenging big bro Tomura." One of the younger girls said as she passed a ball of dark energy between her hands and watched anime on a large tv. "Big bro Toji said he wants to be the master's successor."

 

Utsumi clicked her tongue and ran out of the room. She and her siblings were allowed to challenge Tomura for his position as the successor whenever they wanted. All they had to do was contact Kurogiri, and he would bring Tomura to a training room in their home.

 

Utsumi opened the door to the training room and spotted Kurogiri. The man bowed to her silently, and she stood next to him. If she stepped any farther than that, it would be considered her trying to take Tomura on as well.

 

Toji was a tall boy a couple years older than Utsumi. His dark hair was kept short, and he spent the most time working out and training his quirk. The boy had a chip on his shoulder and hated Tomura. Utsumi had figured out over the past couple of years that it stemmed from Toji's hatred of his parents and older siblings. "I'm gonna kill you today, you spoiled brat."

 

Tomura scratched his neck and sighed. "Can we just get this over with? I'm so close to finishing the nuzlocke I started, and it's frankly more challenging than you'll be."

 

Toji's arms glowed red hot as his eyes turned white. "Fuck you!"

 

Toji rushed in, swiping at Tomura, who deftly avoided each strike. Utsumi sighed as she wrung her hands. This was what she wanted to avoid. She knew this was coming and was hoping to talk Toji out of it before it was too late.  'I just want to stop losing family.'

 

Utsumi kept her eyes trained on Toji and Tomura as the latter got inside Toji's range and pressed his hand to the taller boy's chest. Toji gasped and tried to swipe at Tomura, but the older boy simply backed away.

 

As Toji choked and grasped at his decaying chest, tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Utsumi, who mouthed an apology to the dying boy. The only way for decay to stop was if Tomura wanted it to, and the boy never did leave much left of his victims.

 

As Tomura approached, Utsumi said. "You didn't have to do it like that, big brother. You could have killed him quickly and painlessly." Utsumi looked up as she said. "He's a sibling of ours-"

 

The words died in her throat as she saw the pure hatred on Tomura's face. His hand shot towards her throat, but Kurogiri's portal intercepted him. "Tomura, you know the master's rules. Utsumi has not challenged you. You cannot kill her."

 

Tomura snarled as he retracted his hand. "You things are not my siblings. I don't have any siblings, and if you ever call me your brother again, I will kill you no matter what master says about it."

 

Utsumi stepped back as Tomura scoffed and entered Kurogiri's portal. The warping nomu bowed to her once more before following his charge. Once she was alone, Utsumi let out a shuddering breath and walked over to the dust and gore that used to be Toji.

 

After staring at the remains for several moments, Utsumi grit her teeth. "You stupid fucking idiot. I wanted you alive, but you had to be selfish and get yourself killed."

 

Particles started to push to the surface of Utsumi's skin through her pores. The pure white dust began to swirl around her as more and more gathered. "I have a plan, and you were supposed to be part of it, Toji, but no, you had to do it your own way, you stubborn ass."

 

The particles quickly swirled around her before attaching themselves to the remains. Utsumi let out a growl of frustration as she turned and walked back to the door. As she got to it, she snapped her fingers, causing the particles to detonate. The resulting explosion shook the compound telling everyone their leader was now in a bad mood.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

August 25th, 2233

 

Inko sighed as she rested her head in her arms. It was a slow day at the shop. The twenty junior high kids and the fifteen elementary kids that lived in this town were all in school, which meant that ninety percent of her customer base was unavailable. That was probably a good thing; today was not a good day for Inko.

 

The anniversary that she should be spending with Hisashi was instead spent with her sitting in the small shop she owned as her mind wandered back to her husband's death. Every year since his death, questions bubbled up to the surface.  'Why did Hisashi die?'

 

Hisashi Midoirya was a kind man who worked as an accountant for a small legal firm, and yet one day, a group of people killed him. At the time, Inko was so consumed with grief that she didn't question a lot of things, like why Eraserhead and Nezu approached her and offered help after they caught her attempting to track down Hisashi's killers. She was so angry that she killed the men once she found them. Other than Izuku's safety and happiness, nothing mattered more than her revenge, and looking back on it, Inko wished she had been more level-headed about the whole thing. If she had, then maybe she wouldn't have so many questions with no way to answer them. At least no way that didn't involve getting involved with Nezu again.

 

"Hey, mom!"

 

Inko picked her head up and smiled as she saw her son enter, followed shortly by a handful of his friends. "Hello, sweetie. Is it already time for school to let out?"

 

"We finished up the lesson early," Izuku said as the teens started to spread out. "Need Ochako and me to help with anything?"

 

"No, I think I'm good today, sweetie. You all go have some fun." Inko said as she patted her son's head.

 

The teens bought some drinks and snacks and thanked Inko before leaving. Even after they had all left, Inko still felt a little better. Her son was happy and safe, and she had made sure to teach him everything she knew so that when he took those first inevitable steps toward being a hero, he'd be ready.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

January 1st, 2234

 

Doctor Garaki scrolled through his tablet as All for One breathed heavily as the life support machine whirred quietly. "Doctor, how many nomu do we have?"

 

"Hm... starting from the top, we have eight high ends, ten near high ends with four of them being a quirk or two away from perfect." The doctor said as he pulled up the data. "Nine mid-tier, twelve low-tier, and sixteen protonomu left in storage. Though I am going to dispose of those soon."

 

All for One raised his hand. "Hold off on that."

 

The doctor watched his master as the man steepled his hands. Ever since the fight with All Might, All for One had lost several critical mental quirks, including High-Speed Processing, Multitasking, Unihemispheric sleep, and, worst of all, Truth Teller.

 

"All Might's injury got out to the public, and as a result, villains have been bolder, but heroes responded in kind by gathering together and forming groups." All for One hummed as his brain ran through scenarios one at a time. He used to be able to plot out so many possibilities at once, but now he was stuck in this chair hooked up to machines thinking through problems one at a time like some meager human.

 

All for One clicked his tongue in annoyance. The bearers of One for All were all children who just kept taking things from him and throwing setback after setback in his face while screaming like a toddler having a temper tantrum.  'They are all just petulant children who don't see the bigger picture. They are bugs scurrying around in their own filth, saying things are perfect when they are far from it.'

 

With a deep breath, All for One pushed those thoughts away and reinforced his attention on the idea that he was mulling over. "Hold the nomu... once an opportune time to move shows itself, we will ensure that the weaker ones who are of little use get their time to shine, as it were."

 

Garaki nodded as he made some adjustments to his notes. "Understood, master. Is there anything else?"

 

"The replacements. How are they faring under Utsumi?" All for One asked as he tapped a few keys on his computer, pulling up the footage of Toji fighting Tomura.

 

"Their anger still festers, and they've bonded considerably. Utsumi is a good leader. If we could foster her hatred more-"

 

The doctor stopped speaking as All for One raised his hand. "You've said this before, doctor. Your dislike of Tomura is well noted, but the boy is the seventh's grandson. He will deal more impact to All Might than Utsumi will... though if Tomura fails, she and the others may have their time to shine."

 

Garaki nodded. "I understand, master. Do you require anything else?"

 

All for One waved the doctor off silently, and it was only once he was alone that All for One slouched in his chair and hissed in pain. His head throbbed and pulsed as he cursed All Might for leaving him with this chronic pain. "I will kill you one of these days and reclaim what is rightfully mine, you child. My brother was the only tolerable one of all you disgusting creatures, and he was not enough to stop me even after your kind corrupted him with your misplaced sense of justice. Once I am ready, you will not stand a chance, Toshinori Yagi."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 15th, 2235

 

Toshinori stiffened as he came face to face with one of the UA staff. He wasn't sure which one it was at first, but the scruffy nature of the man made him think it must be Eraserhead, the underground hero/right-hand man of Nezu.

 

Toshi nodded politely before stepping out of the elevator and out of Eraserheads way. The hero eyed Toshi before stepping onto the elevator and riding it down. Once the doors had closed, Toshi let out a breath he had been holding and walked to Nezu's office.

 

As the doors opened automatically, Nezu said. "Ah, Mr.Yagi, wonderful to see you on time. How have you been? It's been quite a while since we met in person."

 

Toshi chuckled as he took a seat. "Yes, it has, sir. I've been doing well for the most part. My health is staying somewhat stable. Though I have lost two hours of time due to the most recent typhoons and that spike of crime in downtown Tokyo."

 

"Hm, most concerning, but there is still hope. You expressed an interest in one Izuku Midoriya last time we met face to face. Do you still wish to know about the boy's prospects?"

 

Toshi straightened. He hadn't forgotten about the young man. One for All wouldn't let him. "Of course, sir. I told you of the developments with One for All."

 

"Ah yes, the voices of the past users. Quite an intriguing thing, that is. They still wish for Mr.Midoriya to be the next user?" Nezu asked as he poured his tea.

 

"Yes, sir. They're quite insistent. While it isn't every day, they do make sure I do not forget about the boy." Toshi wrung his hands together as worry showed on his face. "It's quite concerning. I have no idea why the quirk is acting like this. Back when Nana had it, she only saw vestiges and heard her master's voice once."

 

Toshi accepted the cup of tea offered to him as he continued to speak. "After I received it and saw the vestiges, I would hear the voices whenever I fought people who served All for One, and then when I saw the man himself, they became so much more present."

 

"To the point where they warn you of danger." Nezu finished. "I have my paws full at the moment, so I won't be able to, but I may eventually have time to look into the past users. Perhaps answers could be found there."

 

"No, thank you, sir," Toshi said. "I will do that myself in due time. For now, can you tell me about Young Midoriya? Does he want to be a hero?"

 

Nezu smiled and set his tea down. "Yes, he does. The boy wishes to attend UA and has quite a heroic history. Well-liked by his classmates and a hard worker but humble as well. He's especially close to one Ochako Uraraka who wishes to attend UA. From what I gather, you've been a big influence on Midoriya. His quirk is called Dragons Breath. He produces a green fire that sticks to surfaces and acts much like Greek Fire in that it refuses to go out. Though if he strains himself, he can force the fires to go out."

 

Nezu chuckled. "He shows a great deal of skill at the game of soccer and seems to favor a fighting style that uses his legs more than arms. His mother, Inko Midoirya, has trained both him and Uraraka in self-defense, and due to the fact that they live out in the countryside, they have been able to train their quirks extensively."

 

Toshi sweated a bit as Nezu spoke. He should have known that when he asked UA's Rat King for information on someone, Nezu would go plus ultra with the details. Nezu smiled as he looked at Toshi. "Would you like to set up a meeting? I could call him to UA."

 

Toshi rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure that would be ideal... Perhaps a more natural meeting would work better."

 

Nezu hummed before saying. "I have noticed a trend. Ochako Uraraka and Izuku Midoirya head into the city every six to eight months to buy hero figures or other items. Sometimes they simply roam the city and eat. It would be best if you patrolled near the locations they frequent to increase your chances of meeting. I could monitor them for you."

 

"I think I will be fine with simply patrolling. Thank you, sir, for all your help." Toshi said as he rose from his seat.

 

Nezu smiled. "Of course, Mr.Yagi. Your quirk is quite valuable, and with the possibility of All for One still being alive, having a successor ready and waiting will be quite the boon for us. I wish you the best of luck."

 

Toshi took his leave and started planning how to approach Izuku Midoriya. He'd like to keep this between just him and the boy. Hopefully, Uraraka wasn't too close to him for her and Midoirya's own safety."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 16th, 2235

 

Ochako sat in her room and listened to the quiet of the house. It was two-thirty in the morning, and her parents were asleep, so she quietly moved to her window and slid it open before putting on some shoes, canceling her gravity, and slipping outside. After closing the window just enough that she'd still be able to open it when she got back, Ochako gave herself a gentle push and touched down outside.

 

Once her gravity returned to her and the urge to vomit settled, she took off towards the only three vending machines in town. The Cafe, as she and her friends called it, were three vending machines with two benches in front of them, all under a single street lamp by one of the three intersections in town.

 

Of course, at such an ungodly hour, the only people who used The Cafe were Ochako and her best friend. "Izuku."

 

Izuku looked up from the can of peach tea in his hands. "Yo."

 

She gave his head a light chop as she said. "Don't yo me. You texted me at two in the morning asking if I wanted to come here."

 

Izuku smiled up at her, and Ohckao felt her heart flutter for a moment. "You were awake, were you not? At least it seemed that way considering how quickly you responded."

 

She bopped him on the head again before pulling her wallet out. Izuku stood as he said. "I can pay. I did call you out."

 

"I know," Ochako said as she grabbed the coins from his hand.

 

Izuku chuckled as he sat and watched her order. The blush marks on her face usually drew his eyes, but for some reason, the way her brown eyes shimmered in the light of the vending machines and the street light held his gaze. He couldn't look away even as she turned and looked at him. A slight blush crept across her cheeks, and she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear before swiftly moving to sit across from him.

 

Ochako quickly opened her can of green tea and sipped it as she thought,  'He's starring again...'

 

Ochako quickly shook the thought away as she asked. "Are you ok? I know we come out here late sometimes but never this late."

 

Izuku hummed as he held his tea to his lips but didn't drink any. Eventually, he set it down and looked everywhere but her as he said. "I-I don't know. It's stupid."

 

Ochako frowned and poked his shin with her foot. "Oi, if something is bothering you, it's not stupid."

 

Izuku sighed, and Ochako pouted as he still avoided looking at her. "I just had a nightmare and couldn't go to sleep again. I don't even really remember what happened in it. I just woke up feeling scared and... like I needed to see you and talk to you."

 

Ochako blushed but quickly got up and sat next to her friend. As she leaned on him, she said. "That's not stupid. You felt bad, so you asked your friend to help you out. As your best friend, I am more than willing to do whatever I can to help. Even coming out here at an ungodly hour and listening to you talk."

 

Izuku smiled softly and leaned on Ochako as he closed his eyes. "Thank you for being my best friend."

 

Ochako chuckled softly. "Thank you for trusting me and telling me when something is wrong."

Notes:

I was gonna post this last night at like one in the morning but AO3 was having issues so I had to put it off until the morning.

Ancient Magus Bride was a good anime. it's got a 26-ep season, and a couple of shorter stories Idk what to call them. I'm gonna start the manga once I catch up on the fanfic My Hero Academia: Ultra Achievement by Kyon2261 it's a good fic.

I have an idea for Tomura's character arch that I'm a little nervous about. it won't be relevant until post USJ but still, I'm shuffling around wondering if I should do it or not.

Chapter 5: The Offer

May 3rd, 2235

 

"Imma hit the restroom," Ochako said as they paid their tab at the ramen shop.

 

"I'll be outside," Izuku said as he headed for the door.

 

A few meters away, Toshinori Yagi pumped his fist, seeing Izuku step out of the ramen shop alone. He quickly smoothed out his suit and put on his best professional civilian look before stepping out of the alley he had been standing in and heading straight for Izuku Midoriya.

 

Izuku spotted the towering blonde man approaching him. As Izuku stepped to the side to let the man pass, he was surprised when the man came to a stop and spoke. "Would you happen to be Izuku Midoriya?"

 

"Um..." Izuku said as he looked up at the man, who, on closer inspection, looked kinda familiar.

 

The man cleared his throat as he said. "Pardon me. My name is Toshinori Yagi, and I work for Might Tower."

 

Skepticism and hero fanboy giddiness battled for dominance in Izuku's mind as Toshinori handed him a business card. "You were involved in an incident involving a slime-based villain some time ago."

 

Izuku swallowed and nodded. "Y-yeah, I was... I thought All Might handled all of that, a-and besides, it's been a couple years since then."

 

"Oh no, young man, you're not in trouble or anything," Toshi said as he waved his hands. "All Might was fairly impressed by your heroic nature, and he recently expressed an interest in giving the next generation of hero hopefuls a bit of a leg up, as it were."

 

Izuku titled his head as Toshi smiled and hoped this was convincing. "This is a test drive of a new project that Might Tower will hopefully be starting, and All Might dropped your name as a possible first participant. You would receive training from All Might and several other heroes as well as access to top-of-the-line equipment and personnel."

 

Izuku's eyes widened as Toshi held his hand out. "But before that, I must ask Izuku Midoriya do you want to be a hero?"

 

Toshinori smiled, seeing the shocked look on the young man's face. Now all he needed was for Izuku to agree. Then once they were at Might Tower, he'd reveal everything, and regardless of what Iuzku decided, Toshi would still train him since the boy showed a lot of promise.

 

"I do want to be a hero... but so does my friend Ochako."

 

Toshi tried to keep his smile up as Izuku continued. "I'd love to accept, but... well, she wants to be a hero, and she's got just as much potential as me. If-if you're willing to extend the offer to her as well, then I'll agree... you know, with my mom's permission, of course."

 

Toshi took a deep breath and nodded. "Allow me to make a call."

 

As Toshinori stepped away and pretended to be on a phone call, he mulled over his options. Bringing a teenager into this was hard for him to do, but One for All was insistent, and any time he thought about giving it to an up-and-coming hero, the quirk would scream in his mind until he decided against it.

 

Toshi sighed deeply as he thought about how Nana brought him into this. He was around Izuku's age when he met her and got One for All.  'I just need to kill All for One next time we meet... but just in case I can't."

 

Toshi turned around as he pocketed his phone and saw that Izuku's friend Ochako had joined him. "Midoriya, I have some good news."

 

The two teens looked over, and Toshi bowed his head. "You must be Midoriya's friend. I'm Toshinori Yagi."

 

Ochako nodded. "Ochako Uraraka. He told me about what you two were talking about. If you can't get us both, please make sure this doofus takes the offer."

 

Toshi laughed as Izuku opened his mouth to argue. "Well, I can offer you both the chance to learn from All Might and others as long as your parents agree, of course. Please have them call me either separately or together within the next week, and I can answer any questions they have."

 

The teens seemed satisfied, and Toshinori took his leave, much to One for All's annoyance. He hoped things would work out  'perhaps I should speak to Nezu about that teaching position he keeps offering me. It would be good to have access to UA's resources, especially if I can't get Midoriya as my successor.'

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 3rd, 2235

 

Tsuzuki and Ishida Uraraka stood with Inko Midoirya in her kitchen as they spoke on the phone with the man who had approached their children today. Toshinori Yagi was extremely polite and answered their questions clearly and concisely. Inko hummed for a moment before saying. "I'd like to be there when they meet All Might so that I can speak to him about what he plans to teach them."

 

"Of course, ma'am, that is more than doable," Toshinori said. "I'll be sure to inform him, and of course, the cost of transport will be covered. Should this work, we want to make sure that monetary cost is not a factor in whether or not you can be selected."

 

"Thank you, Mr.Yagi. I appreciate all the time you've put into answering our questions."

 

"Yes, we do feel quite a bit better about this idea now that we've heard from you," Tsuzuki said as she wrung her hands and processed everything.

 

"I'm glad I was able to put your nerves at ease. Now, if there is nothing else, we would like them to come to Might Tower next weekend." Toshi said, hoping there was nothing else. He really needed to get to work on the workout plan so they would have something to do. Inko coming along also meant he probably wouldn't be able to speak to Izuku alone during this first meeting.

 

"Thank you again, Mr.Yagi; we'll be sure to arrive on time next weekend," Inko said, and once Toshi had said his farewells, she hung up and looked at the Uraraka's as they let out a deep breath and relaxed. "You two were that nervous?"

 

"Are ya kidding?" Ishida said as he ran a hand through his short auburn hair. "I was worried at first that this was all just a hoax, but then we talked to the man, and everything seemed to be on the up and up. Then it hit that this man worked for All Might of all people. How are you not nervous, Inko?"

 

Inko shrugged before turning. "I'll go tell the kids. Why don't you all stick around for dinner? We can celebrate."

 

Tsuzuki touched her husband's arm to keep him from denying it. They all knew things were tight right now and that this little offer was Inko's way of trying to make things even a little bit easier. "Thank you, Inko. We'd love to."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May10th, 2235

 

Izuku did his best to contain his excitement as he rode the train with Ochako and his mother. Today was the day that they would head to Might Tower and learn about what All Might would have in store for them.

 

Ochako dug her elbow into his side as she muttered. "Stop squirming."

 

"Can't help it," Izuku muttered back as he nudged her back.

 

The two were about to start poking at each other, but Inko sighed, making both of them stop. "I'm glad you two are excited about this opportunity, but please be sure to behave so that this isn't your first and last day getting to do this."

 

"Yes, ma'am." the two teens muttered, causing Inko to smile softly.

 

Once they arrived at their stop, the trio found a dark-haired woman in a business suit waiting for them. She introduced herself as a member of Might Tower and escorted them to a car. The teens marveled at how luxurious the vehicle was while Inko subconsciously kept track of each turn and how many intersections they passed between them. She hadn't spent much time in vehicles when she was Jade, but it was something that back then felt like it would be useful. Now it was simply helping her feel a little less nervous about all this.

 

The car took a fairly direct route to the Tower and parked in the underground parking deck. The woman quickly escorted them to the lobby, informing them that All Might would be arriving shortly.

 

As Izuku and Ochako whispered to each other about what they could end up doing today, Inko couldn't help but glance around the large spacious room. There were several seating areas full of low tables and couches. They were mostly unoccupied other than a handful of people who seemed to be waiting. The front desk had three people, two women and a man, who were all busy on their computers. There were cameras Inko could see, and they seemed to cover a good portion of the room which meant there was definitely security she couldn't see.

 

Inko shook her head and let out a quiet huff. It had been years since she had done anything, and yet here she was, falling back into it. "You ok, mom?"

 

Inko looked over at her son and his best friend as they looked at her with concern. Inko smiled and ruffled her son's hair, making him grumble. "Yes, dear, I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous, I guess. This is quite the opportunity you two have been given. I hope it goes well."

 

Ochako chuckled. "No matter how well it goes, you're still gonna be our favorite teacher, ma'am."

 

Inko smiled and ruffled Ochako's hair. "Thank you, dear."

 

"Ah, Young Midoriya, Young Uraraka, and you must be Mrs.Midoriya. It is wonderful to see you two again and to meet you, ma'am." All Might said as they turned to look at him. The number one hero bowed his head as he spoke. "Thank you for coming all the way to Tokyo to see me. I do hope you are impressed with what I have to offer."

 

Inko smiled at the two kids as they did their best to not freak out as All Might patted their shoulders and shook their hands. "I hope things go well. I have some questions, but I'm sure we can walk and talk."

 

All Might laughed. "Of course, ma'am. Let me show you where you'll be spending a majority of your time."

 

As they walked, Inko asked about the specifics of the training the teens would receive, and All Might produced several thick packets. Where they came from, nobody was sure. "This is a flexible plan I made. Today I would like to see their base stats as it were so that I can tailor the specifics of their training regime, which will last until they graduate from junior high."

 

Inko skimmed the packet as Izuku and Ochako looked slightly overwhelmed by the workload. "This is very well done. Who did you have to make this?"

 

All Might laughed. "I made it myself. It's based on the training I did before and during my time in America."

 

"Ah, I'm sorry," Inko said as she bowed her head slightly. "I didn't mean to assume."

 

"It's quite alright. Pros are busy people. It would make sense to have professionals make a training regime. I simply wished to show how serious I am about this though I did have some professional trainers look the plan over, and they gave it their seal of approval."

 

"That's quite reassuring," Inko said as they gathered in the large elevator and rode it down. Inko suppressed her annoyance at having to go underground.

 

Once they arrived at the proper floor, All Might stepped out and led them to a large professional-looking gym lined with machines and training mats. "Welcome to the Might Tower main training room. There's another floor below this one for quirk use."

 

All Might motioned with his hand to a set of doors. "There are locker rooms over there, young ones. If you'd please go in, you'll find some Might Tower tracksuits. Find some that fit and put them on, then we can get started."

 

The teen's high-fived and thanked All Might before heading to the locker rooms. As they got ready, Inko asked. "What made you want to do this?"

 

All Might's smile never left his face, and it bothered Inko a little, but she ignored it as he said. "I'm sure you know that several years ago, I suffered an injury at the hands of a powerful villain who I killed."

 

In his mind, One for All called him a liar, and Toshi ignored the layered voices of his quirk. "It made me realize a few things."

 

Inko watched as a more contemplative look passed over All Might's face as his smile wavered. "I'm getting old for a hero, and one day I'm gonna have to retire. Despite what others think, I can't be everywhere at once, and seeing how the heroes and villains of Japan reacted to my injury made me realize that a lot of people are going to need to step up when I step down, and so I should impart the knowledge I have to those who wish to become heroes."

 

All Might flashed a smile that seemed more genuine to Inko as he gave a thumbs up and said. "As a hero, I should leave the world better than I found it. Don't you agree, Mrs.Midoriya?"

 

"I would have to say yes, I agree, All Might. I think that's a mindset everyone should have."

 

All Might laughed, and the two adults fell into a momentary silence before Izuku and Ochako rejoined them decked out in tracksuits that resembled All Might's bronze age costume with Might Tower Trainee printed on the back in bold black letters. "Ah, you two look amazing. Now let us get started. I'm sure you are both familiar with the physical exams you take at school. We will be repeating them here along with several other exercises."

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

May 10th, 2235

 

As the test wrapped up, All Might clapped his hands. "Wonderfully done, you two."

 

The pro was surprised to see that while winded, the two weren't as worn out as he thought they'd be. "I'm surprised to see you two still standing. You did give it your best effort, correct?"

 

"I can assure you they did," Inko said. "These two are very active. They're always playing either basketball or soccer back home, and they've learned a lot of self-defense from me, so they're used to working hard."

 

All Might laughed. "Wonderful to hear. Something many hero students overlook is knowing how to defend themselves. A good hero school will, of course, teach it but going in with even just a basic understanding will help immensely. Now rest up for a moment and then we'll head down and start the quirk test."

 

As the teens took a breather, Inko watched All Might. She had noticed that while he was making an effort to give the teens equal attention, it drifted towards her son. It made sense since Izuku was the first person All Might scouted but still, worry crawled up her spine and whispered that someone was trying to hurt her family again.

 

Inko suppressed her worry and decided to keep an eye on things. All Might was All Might, after all. The man was the number one hero, and despite his fake smile, he seemed like a genuine and good person.

 

Once Izuku and Ochako had rested a bit, they headed down to the quirk testing room, which had several devices to measure almost any phenomenon that happened in the physical world. All Might stepped into a side room and started to bring out several gray cubes of varying sizes and weights. Some cubes were almost as big as him, while others were the size of thumbtacks and sat in a large bucket numbering in the hundreds.

 

"Young Uraraka, let us start with you. We'll find your max and min limits as well as see if there is a limit to the number of objects you can affect."

 

"I've got some notes on that and other ideas we can test," Izuku said as his mom handed him a notebook.

 

All Might laughed and stepped over to look at Izuku's notes. "Ah, I remember seeing that notebook when we met. We'll add your suggestions to the test."

 

Inko watched as All Might and Izuku spoke. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her son's face light up and his hands move animatedly as he talked to All Might.

 

As Ochako worked and Izuku talked, All Might bit the inside of his cheek as One for All grew more agitated.  'Why can you not just wait? I will ask the boy when I have time. Please be quiet so I can pay attention.'

 

You're taking too long.

You're weakening slowly.

We need to grow and kill All for One.

We want to end this war now.

We want the boy.

He will perfect One for All.

 

All Might swallowed. The quirk had never said that before.

 

"All Might?"

 

"Ah, sorry, Young Midoriya, I was distracted." All Might said as he looked back down. "You were saying."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 10th, 2235

 

As the quirk test wrapped up, All Might could feel his resolve fraying. One for All was being so insistent. While Ochako stepped into the locker rooms, All Might spoke up. "Young Midoirya, do you have a moment to speak?"

 

Inko stayed where she was seated, but her eyes locked onto her son and All Might as they stepped out of the training room.

 

Izuku looked up at All Might as he asked. "Is everything ok, sir?"

 

"Yes... I have something important I wish to tell you about. It's a bit of a story, so I ask that you hold your questions until the end." All Might said. "It will be hard to believe, and I would prefer for the information to stay between us."

 

Izuku nodded and swallowed his nerves. The number one hero had something important to tell him. "Understood, sir."

 

All Might took a deep breath and steamed as he reduced in size. As the smoke cleared, Izuku's shocked face was the first thing he saw. "M-Mr.Yagi?! W-what? It was you the whole time?! All Might wasn't actually here?!"

 

Toshi chuckled. "I am All Might. My name is Toshinori Yagi, and my quirk is known as One for All." Toshinori's eyes hardened as he said, "This is a tale that's been passed down for generations."

 

Izuku stood there silently as Toshinori told him the tale of All for One and One for All. The tale of two brothers, one of pure light and hope and the other a man of cruelty and darkness. Toshi told him about his master Nana Shimura the hero known as Sky Shock, and finally, he told him about his fight with All for One and his injury that shook the country.

 

During the whole speech, Izuku did his best to stay quiet, but the amazement, horror, and confusion on his face were evident. "I-I don't know what to say... why tell me about all of this?"

 

"Because," Toshi said as he gripped his chest. "The day we met, One for All stirred and has been demanding you be my successor. I was initially hesitant because the voices were always so angry when I heard them, but after speaking to you and learning more about you, I realized you are a worthy successor. You are worthy to receive One for All."

 

Izuku stared at Toshinori before turning away and putting his hand on his chin as he started talking. "I-what? This changes so much. Common sense tells us that quirks can't be passed on. There were rumors about that kind of thing, but they were so old most people don't know about them... though I guess they aren't rumors since you just told me it happens."

 

Toshinori watched as the boy devolved into a storm of muttering. "Um... Young Midoriya..."

 

No response, just give him to us while he speaks.

 

"Young Midoriya!" Toshi said as he gave the boy a light chop on his head.

 

Izuku stopped muttering and snapped around to face Toshi. The man sighed. "I want to make sure you understand. All for One may very well still be alive. I do plan to end him before you ever have to face him, but..." Toshi grit his teeth. "If I fail. I want to make sure One for All survives and is able to continue the fight. This will put you at great risk."

 

Izuku nodded as the seriousness of All Might's message sank in. "I understand. Being a hero is a risky job, and I'm prepared for that. Helping people is something I've always wanted to do..."

 

All Might watched Izuku chew his lip for a moment and looked back at the door. "Is everything ok Young Midoirya?"

 

"My mom... and Ochako. They'd be in danger, wouldn't they?"

 

"To be honest? Yes, they could be in danger if they spend time around you and should All for One learn you are my successor."

 

Izuku turned to look at All Might and said, "Then they deserve to know." All Might opened his mouth to argue, but Izuku kept talking. "You said it yourself earlier when you were telling me all about your quirk and the fight. Other people know about the quirk. People you trust, and while I know that if you trust them, they're good people, they're still strangers to me."

 

Izuku clenched his fist, and Toshi saw the determination in his eyes. "I need people I can trust, and the two who have my absolute unconditional trust are my mom and Ochako."

 

Izuku bowed as he said. "Please, sir. I can't accept One for All without this one condition."

 

Toshinori rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed as One for All perked up.

 

Do it.

It's not bad.

Give him to us already.

 

"Ok... we shall tell them, but please be sure to keep it secret, Young Midoriya. I shudder to think what villains and some heroes would do to you if it meant getting power greater than mine."

 

"Greater?" Izuku said as he looked up.

 

"Yes, greater," Toshi said. "The longer you hold One for All, the more powerful it will grow. My max power will pale in comparison to you once you reach your peak."

 

Izuku swallowed as that somewhat unsettling fact settled in his gut. He had been paying attention when Toshi said One for All was a stockpiling quirk that grew in strength with each user, but for some reason, it didn't click that it meant he would grow stronger than All Might of all people.

 

"U-um... we should go tell my mom and Ochako now. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Izuku said as all the information started to settle.

 

"Nothing you personally need to know. I will inform all of you of when you can receive the quirk." Toshi patted his shoulder. "Let us go, Young Midoriya."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

May 10th, 2235

 

Inko and Ochako stood as Izuku entered with Toshinori. Inko raised an eyebrow as she asked. "Where did All Might go?"

 

Toshinori chuckled. "Well...about that."

 

Inko and Ochako's jaws dropped as Toshinori buffed up into his muscle form. After letting them get over the shock, Toshinori said. "I was speaking to Young Midoriya about something very important and dangerous. He said that he wanted you two to know."

 

Toshi looked at Inko as he said. "As his mother, I'm sure you'll wish to know what I have offered your son."

 

"Of course. I've been keeping an eye on you all day today. You seem to have had your eye on him for some time."

 

"Yes, and I will explain fully but first, Young Uraraka. You still have a chance to step out-"

 

"Nope," Ochako said as she marched up to her best friend's side. "If something's going on with Izuku, then I wanna know. He's my best friend, and I got his back no matter what because I know he'd do the same for me."

 

Toshinori chuckled as he deflated. "I see. Well, if you're sure, then please sit, and I shall tell you about my quirk and the... complications surrounding it."

 

Izuku did his best to comfort his mom and his friend as they processed the information Toshinori gave them. Hearing it a second time was just as jarring as the first. Once they had collected themselves, Inko asked. "You want my son to take on such a dangerous responsibility?"

 

"I want to end things before that happens, but should the worst occur, I want to make sure One for All lives on," Toshi said as he bowed. "I apologize, ma'am, but the quirk is becoming quite insistent."

 

"That's the other thing," Inko said as she placed her hand on her chin, much like Izuku did. "You talked about the vestiges and voices appearing occasionally, but after your first fight with All for One, the voices have been much more present. How did they pick Izuku? You saw him running into a store. I would understand more if they started after the Slime villain but on first contact? That's troublesome..." Inko looked up at the man who was looking at her in surprise. "What?"

 

"Nothing... I just see where Young Midoriya gets his inquisitive nature."

 

Inko sighed. "He got his recklessness and heroic spirit from my late husband, which mixed with his, as you said, inquisitive nature has led to a troublesome child to raise."

 

Izuku smiled sheepishly as Toshi chuckled. Inko cleared her throat and said. "This is not meant to sound rude, Mr.Yagi, but have you gotten a brain scan and/or psychological exam since hearing the voices?"

 

She ignored the scandalous looks of the teens as Toshi laughed. "Yes, I have several times, and as far as modern medical technology and some of Japan's best psychologists are concerned, I am fine."

 

Inko hummed and then looked at her son. "And you... of course, you would say yes to this."

 

Izuku lowered his head. "Sorry-"

 

"Don't apologize, sweetie," Inko said. "I knew that the moment you decided to be a hero, you'd pursue it no matter what, and I resolved myself to help you... so I will. I'll do everything I can to make sure you grow into the best hero you can be, and if taking One for All is part of that, then I will stand by your decision."

 

Izuku hugged his mother tight and thanked her for everything before turning to Ochako. "So um... Chako."

 

Ochako chuckled. "What are you nervous about? You worried I'm gonna be mad or something?"

 

"W-well, I don't-" Izuku winced as she punched his shoulder.

 

"I would be pissed if you had kept this from me, but... well, you told us right away, so we're good. I always knew you'd be a great hero, and All Might picking you to get his quirk is proof of that." Ochako grinned as she said. "I'm gonna keep doing my best, so don't expect things to get easy just because you got the number one hero giving you a hand."

 

"Thanks," Izuku said before hugging her. "Best friend ever."

 

"Best friend ever," Ochako said as she squeezed him briefly before the two separated.

 

Inko smiled as she watched the teens, but she put her serious face back on as she looked at Toshi. "So, when do you plan to give Izuku the quirk?"

 

"Well, based on how he did in all these tests, he could take it now, but... I would like to hold off until summer starts."

 

"Why?" Izuku asked. "Not that I'm in a rush to get it or anything."

 

"Well, I would like to run some more tests on myself," Toshi said as he rubbed his side absentmindedly. "Just to make sure. Also, it can't hurt to have you more fit, and it will give us plenty of time to train so you can use One for All."

 

"We'll need a cover story for the change to his quirk," Inko said. "Though I suppose we have until he gets the quirk to come up with that."

 

Toshi nodded. "That we can... now unless there are more questions, I suspect you would all like to go home and rest."

 

Inko and the teens got Toshi's personal number and bid the number one hero goodbye after he escorted them back to the lobby, where the same woman who picked them up was waiting. She drove them back to the station, and the trio rode the train back home in silence as they processed how things went very differently from how they thought it would today.

Notes:

Ok, I'm gonna talk about Bakugo a bit here just because I got some stuff on my mind.

I'm not a huge fan of him as a character. I don't like the type and I feel like his character arch could have been done a lot better. don't start arguments about him in the comments I'll shut that shit down quick.

anyways I feel like he doesn't ever really get punished by UA for the stuff he does during his time there. I don't think anything that happens with the villains really counts as making up for what he did to Izuku. Karama is not a viable substitute for people in authority punishing someone when they do something wrong.

also, how does the Bakusquad exist? like Sero, Jiro, Denki, Mina, and Kirishima all hang out with Bakugo... why?
Mina and Kirishima are shown in flashbacks to explicitly be against bullies and yet they see how Bakugo acts mainly towards Izuku and are like yeah he's cool.

this led to an idea I had of how I want to do Bakugo's story in a fic. not this one though I have... something else planned for him. I don't know how you'll feel about it. I'm about as nervous about this as I am about my shigi plans.

anyways onto my idea. what if when Bakugo got into UA he doesn't get a squad. what if he was just always alone. like Bakusquad all hang out but never get involved with Bakugo because they don't like him. what if he actually got detention and stuff and what if when the summer camp happened it was Kirishima trying to get everyone to go save Bakugo what if it was Izuku.

and this isn't some oh he's my old friend and he's a good hero. no this is Izuku desperate to save someone because he's actually scared that Bakugo might go off the deep end because ever since getting into UA he's been getting worse.

also never been a fan of the way Izuku always says Bakugo can be a good hero. I feel like that should have stopped at some point and that Izuku should see that Bakugo needs to work on being a decent human being before he can be a hero.

I have no idea why I'm doing this but I felt like I needed to rant and I know if I post this kinda steam of conscious bullshit on Twitter the Bakugo stans will come after me wanting blood.

to summarize I don't like him but I wouldn't say I hate him how some people do. like there are some people who just want Bakugo to get mutilated in the worst ways and I think that's kinda concerning. he's a bad guy but he isn't like Hitler's level bag guy. Bakugo is honestly just a brat who always got what he wanted.

anyway, that's all from me sorry for the ranty AN this chapter ran longer than I thought it would. which means I need to add some stuff to the next chapter because... well you'll see when we get there.

Chapter 6: Might Tower

May 12th, 2235

 

Ochako's eyes scanned the night sky. It was an impossibly clear night out with a full moon. The perfect night for lying on the roof of the small school that every kid in town went to and staring at the sky while thinking about nothing and waiting for the meteor shower to start. Which was what she and her best friend should be doing, but in the quiet of the night, she could practically hear the gears turning in his mind.

 

Ochako closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to look at Izuku. The boy's eyes were unfocused, and Ochako's voice stopped in her throat as she stared at the stars reflected in his eyes.

 

Izuku glanced over, and the two stared at each other for a moment before Ochako blinked and looked back up at the sky. "What's wrong?"

 

Ochako didn't see Izuku's eyes linger on her for a moment before he turned back to look at the sky. "I... I'm freaking out."

 

"You seem pretty calm."

 

Izuku hummed and pursed his lips. Ochako rolled her eyes and reached her hand up to thwack his forehead lightly.

 

The two were lying in opposite directions with their heads near each other, so Izuku didn't see the hand coming till it smacked him.

 

Izuku grunted and reached up to grab his forehead. "Ow! what was that for?"

 

"Because you're being ridiculous. I know you're worried about All Might and all that stuff, but come on, you've got your mom and me backing you up. I'm sure things will work out no matter what comes at us."

 

Izuku sighed dramatically and tilted his head so he could look at her. "I guess you're right... sorry for being so... ya know tonight."

 

"It's ok," Ochako said as she looked over and smiled at him. "I did bug you to come out here tonight."

 

Izuku hummed, and a streak of light caught his attention. "It's starting."

 

The two teens looked back up at the night sky as little streaks of light danced across the sky, slowly growing in number. As they watched the meteor shower, Izuku felt his worries lessen. Ochako was right; he would have her and his mom backing him up no matter what, and besides, it was All Might. The man was the pinnacle of all things heroic, and Izuku had no doubts that All Might would succeed in defeating All for One the next time the two came to blows, and if he needed help, Izuku wouldn't hesitate to jump in. All Might was giving him this fantastic opportunity and his quirk. It was only fair that Iuzku would help the hero if he ever needed it.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 4th, 2235

 

"H-hey All Might... sir."

 

"Ah, please, Young Midoirya, call me Toshinori or Mr.Yagi while I'm in this form. The same goes for you, Young Uraraka." Toshinori said as the teens approached.

 

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other and nodded before Izuku said. "Mr.Yagi... since we ended early, could we um get a tour of the tower?"

 

Toshi laughed and patted the two on the back as he said. "Of course. I have been meaning to show you around. Come with me, and we'll get you some temporary passes."

 

After a quick stop at the front desk, Ochako and Izuku were given some temporary passes, and Toshinori started his tour of Might Tower.

 

"You've seen two of our lowest levels already, so we'll start heading up."

 

The trio loaded into the elevator, and as they rode up, Toshi said. "We'll skip the first ten or so floors. They're mostly just HR, internal and external affairs. These are all very important things for any hero agency. They handle most of the work that makes it possible for us to link up and coordinate with others. It's mostly just offices and employees who are all very busy."

 

The elevator dinged, and the trio stepped out into what looked like the hallway of an apartment building. "We have several floors of apartments that can be used by any employees of Might Tower or any visitor. They're one bedroom and bath with a small kitchen and living room. Most don't get used but should we ever get carried away, and you need to stay the night, you can use a couple of these."

 

Toshi opened one of the doors and let them see the interior. As the teens moved around, Ochako said. "How much would a place this big cost in Tokyo?"

 

"About sixty thousand yen a month unless you go into central Tokyo where the more high-end neighborhoods are. Those usually start around a hundred thousand yen. That's not even counting utilities." Toshi said casually, not seeing the horrified look on Ochako and Izuku's faces.

 

"If we shared one, we could maybe afford it," Izuku said as they checked out the bedroom.

 

"You sleep in the living room; I get the bedroom," Ochako said, making Iuzku shrug.

 

"I'm fine with that," Izuku said as he crossed his arms.

 

Toshi poked his head back into the apartment. "Come along, Young Ones; there's more to see."

 

The teens left the apartment and followed Toshinori back to the elevator. "The next few floors are data storage and offices for heroes who work out of the tower."

 

"Other heroes work out of here?" Ochako asked as she looked up at the man.

 

"Yes, it was something I started offering quite a while ago. About twenty heroes in the top one hundred work out of Might Tower. I'll be asking a few of them if they'd be willing to lend a hand to teach you."

 

"Wow," Izuku said quietly, feeling his inner fanboy start to bounce in place.

 

The doors opened, and Toshi said. "This is the forty-ninth floor. It's a gathering place for the heroes who work here. A place to unwind and relax during their downtime."

 

Toshi patted the teen's shoulders as he said. "Once you two get a bit farther into your training, I'll make sure you have access to this place."

 

One of the far doors opened, and Izuku held back a gasp of excitement as Miruko walked out. "Oh yo, Yagi fancy seeing you here. Who're the kids?"

 

Toshi bowed his head, switching into his Might Tower employee facade. "It's nice to see you again as well, Ms.Miruko. These two are Midoriya and Uraraka. They are our first participants in All Might's new pre-hero school program."

 

Miruko smirked as she looked down at the teens. "You know he never asked me if I wanted to help. Any reason for that, Yagi?"

 

Toshi tried not to sweat as Miruko looked up at him. He didn't ask because he figured she would hate the idea. She only used Might Tower as a place to sleep and so others could handle her paperwork for her. "I'm sure he's been meaning to. If you'd like, I can bring it up with him."

 

"Hm." Miruko eyed Ochako, who tensed as the rabbit leaned in close. Ochako couldn't relax even as Miruko looked away and turned her attention to Izuku. "You two seem pretty unimpressive."

 

The pro stood up. "Send me some footage of their training. I'll see if they're worth it or not."

 

Toshi nodded. "Of course, ma'am, I'll be sure to send it to you as soon as possible."

 

Miruko nodded and patted Toshi's shoulder. "Thanks, Yagi. Also, there's some paperwork in my office that I need it filled out by next week. All the info is there."

 

"I'll get someone on it right away," Toshi said with a sigh as the rabbit hero entered the elevator.

 

Once the door closed, Izuku let out a breath and said quietly. "Crap, I was so tense with her staring at me that I forgot to ask for an autograph."

 

Ochako sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Oh my gosh... we'll just need to impress her so we can get her to train us."

 

Toshi laughed as he led them into the lounge to show off some of the other rooms and amenities. "That's a good attitude to have, Young Uraraka."

 

After being shown around, Toshi showed off his office on the top floor. "I would have been fine with a smaller one, but people were insistent about it, so I just gave in and let them make this whole floor my office."

 

"This is overwhelming," Izuku said as they took in the large open space with a large dark wooden desk by a huge window that overlooked the city. Several large plush black couches sat on either side of a low table in front of the desk.

 

"It's like an evil CEO's office in here," Ochako said, making Toshi flinch.

 

"I... should probably add some plants or something to liven things up. I spend so little time here, though, so I'm not sure what to do with it." Toshi said, sitting in his oversized chair.

 

Izuku walked up to the window to look down at the street. As Ochako joined him, Toshi watched the teens talk quietly as One for All thrummed in his mind. Toshi let them enjoy the view for a bit before escorting the teens to the train station so they could get home before sundown. As Toshi returned to the tower, he thought about who he could have help the teens first and when they should come in.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 20th, 2235

 

Toshi smiled nervously and shook slightly, making the two teens next to him look at him with concern. Izuku cleared his throat as he said. "Um, Mr.Yagi?"

 

Toshi jumped and whipped around to face them. "What? Oh, um, yes, Young Midoriya?"

 

Izuku stared at the older man for a moment before glancing at Ochako, who shrugged. "I was just wondering what was wrong. You look nervous, which is... concerning."

 

Toshinori tried to laugh it off, but the teens looked unconvinced. The man smiled at them a moment longer before sighing. "To be honest, I am freaking out so much right now, Young Midoriya. The man who is coming to help train you today is... terrifying. He was my teacher back in UA and-"

 

"Dodge!" a new voice shouted just before a boot connected with the back of Toshi's head, sending him sliding across the floor. Ochako and Izuku stared in horror as a small old man in a yellow hero costume landed and huffed. "Dumbass."

 

Toshi propped himself up as he said. "H-hello Gran Torino. You're early."

 

The old man ignored the large child he had trained and turned to the two teens. "Which one is the one who gets One for All?"

 

Izuku hesitated for a moment before raising his hand. "I am, sir."

 

The man grunted and then looked at Ochako. "And why are you here, girly?"

 

Ochako crossed her arms as she said. "Because Izuku trusts me and wants me to know, so I know, and I'm here to train so I can watch his back when we're heroes."

 

"Hm... good answer." Gran Torino said as he looked back at Toshi. "Get up, you oaf. Tell me what you've taught him."

 

"Y-yes, sir!" Toshi said as he nearly tripped over his own feet. He stood beside the older man and quickly went over the teen's training regime.

 

The old man nodded and said. "Alright, kid, we're fighting. Go get on a mat."

 

Izuku looked at Toshi, who shivered as he said. "Best to do as he says. Today Gran Torino is in charge of your training."

 

Izuku stepped up onto the large black mat as Gran Torino took the position opposite of him. "Don't hold back, ya runt. You got a fire quirk, right?"

 

"Dragons Breath it-"

 

"Bah, I don't need details. Be sure to use it, boy. Not that you're gonna be able to hit me." Gran Torino said as he dropped into a fighting stance.

 

Izuku took a deep breath and prepared himself. He was determined to land at least one hit on the old man.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 20th, 2235

 

Ochako handed Izuku an ice pack, and the boy held it against his bruising face. "How ya feeling?"

 

"Like an old man kicked me in the face four times," Izuku said, trying his best not to pout about how badly he had been beaten.

 

"It was six times, but who's counting." Gran Torino said as he walked up to them. "You did pretty well for welp with barely any experience."

 

"Thanks?" Izuku said as the old man turned to Ochako.

 

"Alright, lady, step up; it's your turn."

 

"O-Ok..." Ochako said as she got up and turned to Izuku. "Wish me luck?"

 

"You laughed the first time I got kicked. Don't think I didn't hear you." Izuku said as he adjusted his grip on the ice pack.

 

Ochako pouted, and Izuku huffed. "Fine. good luck; hopefully, you only get kicked five times."

 

Ochako chuckled and stepped onto the mat as All Might sat next to Izuku. As Ochako started her fight with Gran Torino, Izuku said. "You said he taught you at UA... was he friends with your master?"

 

Toshi nodded. "Yes, from the few stories Nana told me, Gran only became a hero because she needed his help. I don't... I don't know much about their relationship before they were heroes, but from what I saw, they were the best of friends. Different from how you and Young Uraraka are, but you do sometimes remind me of the times the three of us would sit down to a meal."

 

Izuku chewed his lip for a moment before saying. "We can do that... if you want. I mean, we have time. If-if you ever want to relax, Ochako and I wouldn't mind hanging out."

 

Toshi chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I'll try to set some time aside for that, Young Midoirya. Though being number one means being quite busy with work."

 

Ochako tumbled head over heels with an indignant grunt as Gran Torino blasted some air from his feet and came to a soft landing. "You did pretty well, young lady."

 

Ochako groaned as she got up. "I'm not done yet."

 

Gran laughed. "That's a good attitude. If nothing else, you two have heroic spirits."

 

Izuku sighed as he watched his friend get the same beating he had just suffered through. As they fought, Izuku asked a question that had been bugging him since he learned about One for All. "Do you know anything about the previous users?"

 

Toshi sighed as he watched his teacher easily get behind Ochako and kick her down, only for the girl to hop back up and keep trying. "Right now? I know a good bit about Nana... not as much as I wish I could, but I know a lot, and I know the name of her master, the sixth user. Other than that, I don't know."

 

Izuku looked up at Toshi and asked. "Can... Can you tell me about her? I'm um... curious about the people who have had the quirk."

 

Izuku watched as Toshi hunched in on himself. He seemed to age before Izuku's eyes as a distant glassy look settled in while his smile slipped away. Toshi patted Izuku's shoulder gently and spoke quietly. "Not... not right now, but I can tell you about her some other time."

 

Izuku nodded. "I understand, sir. Thank you."

 

Ochako yelped as Gran's foot connected with her face and sent her tumbling again. The old man landed and dusted off his hands. "Good warm-up. Go rest for a minute while I talk to the big man child. Then we can start getting serious."

 

Ochako groaned and plopped herself down next to Izuku, who passed her the ice pack. Gran Torino pulled All Might to the side as the two teens talked. "You tell Nighteye about your pick yet?"

 

Toshi rubbed the back of his head, and Gran scoffed. "Boy."

 

"I will tell him soon," Toshi said. "I know... I know it would be good to have him, especially for tracking down All for One, but-"

 

"But nothing," Gran said, glaring up at Toshi. "You're being a baby. You two had a spat, and now you refuse to speak to each other."

 

"He used his quirk on me without permission-"

 

"Get over it," Gran said, cutting the man off. "There are bigger monsters out there. He breached your privacy, but he's also incredibly useful. It was thanks to him and Nezu that we were able to find that old demon in the first place."

 

Gran poked Toshi's chest with his cane as he said. "And now, because you're upset about something your friend did out of concern, you're making things that much harder. Do you want that monster to come after you and those teens?"

 

Toshi flinched and looked at Izuku and Ochako as Gran said. "You want them to die?"

 

"Of course not." Toshi bit back as he turned to look at his teacher.

 

"Then take your shit with Nighteye and put it aside. You can be surly and pissed about him looking into your future after we kill that nightmare called All for One."

 

Toshi sighed and hunched in on himself. "I... you are right, sir. I'll call him by the end of the week and tell him about Young Midoriya, and I'll ask him to come back and assist us."

 

Gran huffed as he turned. "I'll hold you to that, Toshi. Now I gotta go whip your students into shape."

 

"Please be gentle with them," Toshi said. "They don't need to be trained as quickly as I did."

 

"You think I don't know that?" Gran said, turning around quickly and smacking Toshi's shin with his cane, making the man drop to one knee. "You big oaf."

 

As Toshi nursed his leg, he watched as his teacher walked up to the teens and made them get up as he ran them through what he was gonna do with them today. He smiled slightly

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

June 23rd, 2235

 

Toshi sighed and centered himself. Today would be... uncomfortable, but between this and facing Gran Torino's anger, he'd rather deal with the awkwardness of meeting his former sidekick.

 

'Gran also has a valid point. I need every ally I can muster right now. I need to make sure All for One doesn't live through our next meeting.'  Toshi took another quick break and smiled as he heard approaching footsteps.

 

"All Might."

 

Toshi turned around and laughed, his booming voice carrying across the lobby. "Hello Sir Nighteye, it's wonderful to see you again. How have you been?"

 

"Busy," Nighteye said as he looked up at his former boss slash best friend. "You said you had something important to talk about?"

 

"...Yes. Please come with me to my office. This isn't a conversation for the lobby." All Might said, leading his former friend to the elevator.

 

The two rode up in silence, and once they stepped out into All Might's office, the man in question deflated, missing the pained look in Mirai's eyes. "Please have a seat. Do you want some tea?"

 

"No, I'm alright but thank you," Mirai said, sitting in the middle of one of the couches.

 

Toshi hit a hidden button on the underside of his desk, securing the giant room. Toshinori sat across from Mirai and sighed as he tried to focus himself. "So... you've been busy?"

 

"Lots of investigations." Mirai said, "ever since your injury got out, villain groups are becoming more common, but they're sloppy, so it's easy to track them and tear them down... though, I guess that means eventually only the troublesome ones will be left."

 

"Yes, and anyone who is troublesome has a good chance of finding their way to All for One."

 

"Is that why you called me here? Does Nezu need help to track him down?" Mirai asked as he leaned forward.

 

"We haven't been able to start," Toshi said as he leaned back. "I'm not sure what Nezu is up to, but he claims his paws are full and that he can't contribute resources to it." Toshi held his hand up to stop Mirai. "He did do some calculations or something based on how hard we hit his empire, and Nezu thinks it'll be a year or more before the man can make any meaningful moves. In the meantime, we should continue to prepare."

 

Mirai leaned back as he suppressed a scoff. "What could he possibly be doing that's more important than finding the  man  in charge of Japan's underworld?"

 

Toshi shrugged. "The man is secretive. He'll only tell us if he thinks we need to know. Remember the last time you tried to pry answers out of him?"

 

Mirai shuddered. "There is nothing I regret more than that... well, perhaps one thing."

 

A tension settled over the room as Mirai stared at Toshi. "I regret not getting your permission before using my quirk."

 

Toshi sighed. "I... Gran Torino has told me recently that there are more important things going on than what you did. I am willing to put that to the side until the matter with All for One is settled."

 

Mirai stared at Toshi's shining blue eyes for a moment before sighing and letting his head drop. "Fine... speaking of All for One. I have a candidate for One for All."

 

Toshi bit the inside of his cheek as Mirai picked his head up and smiled. "He's a second-year at UA. His name is Mirio Togata, and I believe he has the potential to be the next Symbol of Peace... and why is your face like that? Are you still insisting on not finding a successor? Despite everything?"

 

"N-no... It's just. Mirai, I called you here to bring you back into the fold and to inform you I have already met my successor."

 

"W-what? Who is it? Tamaki Amajiki? Or perhaps Nejire Hado? Those two have potential, but there are some serious issues they'd need to work on... maybe someone from Shinketsu?"

 

"No, they're... Izuku Midoriya is not yet in a hero school. He's in his third year in junior high."

 

"What?" Mirai said as he looked at Toshi. "You're going to give what is potentially the most powerful quirk in the world to a fourteen-year-old boy?"

 

"Well, technically, he's thirteen since his birthday is in July, but that's... uh, that's not important," Toshi said, seeing the glare Mirai was sending him. "The thing is... One for All has been talking to me."

 

"What? It's talking? Like when you fought All for One?" Mirai said as worry started to overtake his annoyance.

 

"Yes... after getting One for All, whenever I saw All for One or learned that someone was loyal to him, it would flare up in a way and shout at me to kill them. I ignored it and suppressed it thinking it was like the vestiges, but then." Toshi steepled his hands as he stared at the table. "While I was fighting All for One, the voices started to warn me of attacks before they happened like some kind of sixth sense. After I recovered, the voices kept warning me of danger before it happened."

 

"That... that is concerning, but what does that have to do with the thirteen-year-old you're trying to give your quirk to?" Mirai asked as he processed what Toshi had just said.

 

Toshinori sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I nearly ran into Young Midoriya one day, and One for All spoke up. It wants him to be the next user. Later on, I met him and got to know him, and I agree with One for All he would make an excellent successor."

 

Mirai looked skeptical, but Toshi smiled that damned smile that put everyone at ease and said. "Please come by in a few days and meet him. I'm sure you'll see what I see."

 

Mirai let out a deep sigh and looked at his old friend. He... really had his doubts.  'I suppose the best way to confirm or deny them is to meet him. If he doesn't measure up, I'll have to make sure he makes the right choice and denies One for All.'

 

Mirai shook his head. "Fine, I'll meet with him, but I will be entirely blunt about my opinion of him. I hope you know that."

 

Toshi chuckled weakly. "I do expect you to at least be polite to the young boy."

 

Mirai rolled his eyes and waved Toshi's worries off. "You're being dramatic; I'm not that bad."

 

Toshi grunted as he stood. "Well, how about we go down and get you permanent access to Might Tower. You'll need it if you're going to be working with us again on finding All for One."

 

Mirai stood and followed Toshinori out of his office as he mulled over everything the man had said today.

Notes:

I've hit a snag in my planning of this story. I'm not sure what to do for the second event of the sports festival... I could skip it and focus on other things which is an appealing idea but I wanna hear your thoughts. the first event is gonna be different from canon and the third event's roster isn't decided at all except for some obvious ones. so anyways tell me do you want a unique second event or should I skip it? if you want to see an event I'd love some ideas.

my partner got a job recently and I'm super excited for them. they've been trying for so long to get a job and they finally got one that they want. this also means I don't have to pay for meals all the time which is nice.

anyways I'll see you in the next chapter or over at Kisses and Kissed. which btw I freaked a bunch of people out with chapter 19. it was my first time doing horror and the comments seem to suggest that I did pretty good.

Chapter 7: Receiving One for All

June 22nd, 2235

 

Hawks yawned as he looked out at the city below. "So why am I here? I should be out there patrolling with my agency."

 

Hawks looked over the president of the HPSC as she sat at her desk and sighed. Idly he noticed her hair was grayer than the last time he saw her. "Because we need you here for this meeting. You will be vital for it. At least that is what Nezu has told me, and as much as I dislike him and how he goes about things his own way, I do know that, at least for now, we have the same goal."

 

Hawks looked at the dark-haired man in a suit who served as the president's personal bodyguard. He shrugged at Hawks' questioning look.

 

"Ok, but where's the principle of UA? I showed up late, and he's still not here." Hawks said as he flexed his wings.

 

"You're not late." the president said. "I gave you the wrong time on purpose to make sure you were here early so I could tell you to keep quiet and observe."

 

Hawks gave her an exacerbated look as he sighed. "I'm gonna complain to HR. you're abusing your power over me."

 

The president rubbed her eyes but straightened as her commlink buzzed. "He's coming up the elevator now. He's with Eraserhead."

 

"Does he go anywhere without Eraser?" Hawks asked as he took his position near the president. Despite his complaints about the HPSC, he still needed them to get the world he wanted, and Nezu was as much of an unknown as some of the more prominent villains out there.

 

The doors to the president's office opened, and Nezu smiled from his spot on Eraserheads shoulder. "Hello, Ms.Kumiyo, Mr.Konyo, and Hawks. What a wonderful day it is. How have you all been?"

 

"Let's skip the formalities, Mr.Nezu." president Kumiyo said as she tapped her desk. "You contacted me out of the blue claiming you had something vital to discuss in person. You even requested Hawks be present. What is it that is so important?"

 

Eraser stepped forward and handed a hard drive to Konyo, who stepped up between them. The bodyguard took the device and inspected it before giving it to the president. "And what is this? A list of your illegal activities?"

 

Nezu laughed as Eraser stepped back. "I personally have never broken the law. As for the contents of that hard drive, it is the little data that I was able to gather on the MLA."

 

Kumiyo raised an eyebrow as she looked at the rat. "MLA? They're dead and gone."

 

"Unfortunately not," Nezu said as he clapped his paws together. "I was not able to find much, but I can tell you that there are some in Mustafasu, and they report to someone higher up. I was led to this because I was chasing a lead on the killers of the informant Emerald Dragon and whomever I was chasing managed to give me the slip and led me toward the MLA."

 

"Emerald Dragon?" Hawks asked, ignoring the glare from the president. "Who's that?"

 

"He was an informant," Nezu said. "He worked undercover posing as an information broker for villains, but in reality, he was collecting information on villains and villain groups and selling them out to the heroes. When he was alive, the Emerald Dragon was responsible for nearly a third of arrests by underground heroes. He was an asset amongst assets, and someone caught on and killed him."

 

"Let us get back on topic," Kumiyo said as she held the hard drive. "How long were you sitting on this?"

 

Nezu chuckled. "I learned about it some years ago but was unable to move right away. It took time to get people into the underbelly of society and to confirm their presence. Of course, after that, I attempted several times to get people into their organization, and I did, but it was at quite a low level."

 

"Please just get to the part where you request we take over." The president said as she set the hard drive down.

 

"Of course. We're all busy people, so yes, I would like to hand this off to the HPSC. though I must warn you I have reason to suspect that the MLA may have infiltrated your organization on some levels, so be careful who you bring in on this."

 

The president sighed and looked at Hawks. "That's why you wanted him here. He would be a good operative to send in... fine, we will look over this info, and if it pans out, we will handle the MLA."

 

"Wonderful news," Nezu said happily. "With that, we shall be on our way. Thank you for your cooperation."

 

Once Nezu was gone, Hawks looked to the president as he asked. "Are you serious about me having to do this?"

 

"Yes. If Nezu is right, the MLA won't pass up a chance at having you on their side. It will take some time, but we will start investigating them as soon as we have a team we can trust. Now go on your patrols."

 

Hawks nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

June 26th, 2235

 

"Utsumi, do you have a minute?"

 

Utsumi looked up from her tablet at the tall boy approaching her. His dark blue hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and the relaxed look in his frosty blue eyes let Utsumi relax a little. "What's up, Kinji?"

 

"Can we speak in private?" Kinji asked as he motioned to the door.

 

"Of course," Utsumi said as she felt everyone else's eyes on them.

 

Tomura Shigaraki was the one selected by their master All for One to succeed him, but the demon king was not one to follow only one plan, and so the Siblings were on standby. A group of teens and young adults who all hated society to some degree and would gladly take Tomura's place. After the death of Toji, only twelve remained, and while Utsumi was not the oldest, she had proved herself to be a good and just leader who had earned the respect of the others. Though that respect did not mean she was immune to betrayal. As the leader, she was the one with the most freedom and also the one most likely to replace Tomura if he were to lose their master's favor.

 

Utsumi tensed as she followed Kinji out of the main room and into a hallway. Once they were alone, Kinji sighed and said. "Things are getting... difficult."

 

"What do you mean?" Utsumi said as her eyes bore into the back of his head. "What part of your job is difficult, Kinji?"

 

Kinji turned and stood his ground against her glare. "Nara and Suzuki have been getting restless since Toji's death. They were always the most vocal about him being in charge instead of you. If they keep stirring things up-"

 

Kinji's mouth was forced shut as Utsumi grabbed him by the mouth, and small particles swirled around them. "Shut up. Just shut up and stop complaining. Those two don't have the guts to come at me, and the only way they'd be talking shit is because someone is egging them on."

 

Kinji swallowed as she tightened her grip on his face and her quirk drifted closer to his eyes. "So Kinji, when I let go of your stupid mouth, you're going to go to those two stupid girls and tell them to fall in line. You're not going to stir up trouble anymore. If you all just follow my lead, things will get better for us, so-"

 

Utsumi released him and stepped back as she smiled softly. "Please just continue to trust me, and we'll all live good lives."

 

"Y-yeah... I'm sorry, Utsumi, it's just- Toji was my bro. He helped so much when I first got here."

 

Utsumi hugged him gently as she patted his back. "I know Kinji. I know. We've all lost so much and suffered more than anyone should. We'll get our revenge, and all our brothers and sisters will be happy. We just need to keep working together."

 

"Y-yeah. I'll make sure Nana and Suzuki understand."

 

As the two separated, Utsumi patted Kinji's shoulder again and sent him on his way. Once he was gone, she clicked her tongue, and the small particles of her quirk fizzled out.  'Stupid brats, all of them. I'm doing this for us, and they're all so obsessed with power and being on top none of them realize how unprepared they are for leadership or being in our masters' presence.'

 

Utsumi sighed and headed back in to sit with her siblings as they watched tv. Patience was key for any good plan, and Utsumi had it in spades. She would hold her breath and bide her time until the perfect moment to strike presented itself.  'As long as my foolish siblings don't get themselves killed, then it'll all be good.'

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 26th, 2235

 

"Oh wow, Sir Nighteye, it's wonderful to meet you," Izuku said as he shook the hero's hand.

 

The man grunted as he stared at the blinding smile of the young man before him. "Um, yes, it's nice to meet you as well. You're Izuku Midoriya, I presume?"

 

Izuku nodded. "Mr.Yagi told us you'd be coming today and that you know about One for All."

 

"Us?" Nighteye asked as he looked at Toshi, who looked over to the changing rooms.

 

Nighteye looked over and saw Ochako exit; the girl smiled and bowed her head slightly as she said. "It's nice to meet you, Sir Nighteye."

 

"Who is this?" Nighteye asked as Toshi stepped up next to him.

 

“This is Ochako Uraraka. She is Young Midoriya's best friend and someone who knows about my quirk." Toshi said as he stared at Nighteye and pointedly ignored the look the lanky man was giving him. "Now onto training."

 

"Hold on," Nighteye said, grabbing Toshi's shoulder. "Why does she know? Who else have you told?"

 

"His mom and I know because Izuku wanted us to know, and Mr.Yagi agreed to let us know," Ochako said, crossing her arms. She was getting annoyed with people questioning her presence here. Granted, the only other person was Gran Torino, but that was two too many, in her opinion.

 

"It's as she says." Toshi said as he patted Nighteys back and gave him a look that said, 'don't be an ass.'

 

"Now come, my students, let's show Nighteye what you're capable of," Toshi said with a laugh as he led the teens through their warm-up.

 

As he watched them train, Nighteye had to concede that for his age Izuku Midoriya was a reasonably decent fighter, and the boy didn't give up. No matter how much he got knocked down, the boy stood up again and kept fighting. It was a keystone quality for any hero, in Nighteye's opinion.

 

'His smile was quite good as well.'  Nighteye thought as he watched the boy.  'But a flashy smile and the ability to get up after getting hit is not enough to be the next All Might. I doubt I'll be able to see enough in this short session to completely assuage my worries.'

 

As their sparring died down, Nighteye approached Izuku, who was drinking water, and said. "I'd like to speak to you, Midoriya."

 

Izuku smiled and set his water bottle down. "I was hoping I could speak to you as well, sir. I have a lot of questions."

 

Nighteye hummed and sat on the bench. "Ask away."

 

Izuku smiled, and the hero watched in mild confusion as the boy reached behind him and pulled a notebook out. Izuku flipped to Nighteye's page and said, "You run an investigation-heavy hero agency that mainly works on finding evidence and setting up raids. Why'd you decide to do that?"

 

"Because of my quirk," Nighteye said as he adjusted his glasses. "Foresight is not what you would call a flashy or combat-heavy quirk. It's best used strategically and sparingly. I gathered those similar to myself and decided the best course would be to take on a more supportive role."

 

"I see. It's like your time with All Might, but instead of only helping him, you've expanded the heroes you support. That's awesome." Izuku said happily as he scribbled down something. "Also, your quirk. I know it's called foresight, so it must be some kind of future sight or something similar, but no one knows anything about it. Can you tell me anything? Because I'm leaning towards the ability to see the future of one target, but some theories online have grander ideas."

 

Nighteye blinked in surprise. The boy was on the mark, which was surprising. He didn't avoid the media, but he also didn't talk about his quirk, so there wasn't much info out there about it, which was good. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"

 

"Well, there was a fight a few years ago. It's super rare for one of your fights to make the news, so I was paying close attention, and you got hit in the back." Izuku said as he pointed his pen at the man. "You were fighting someone, and another villain's attack went wide and missed Bubble Girl. if you could see your own future, you'd have seen it coming, and since you didn't, that means your quirk has to work on a target and not yourself."

 

Nighteye watched as a sparkle formed in the boy's eyes as he spoke. "Based on every fight of yours that I've seen, I'd have to guess that your quirk allows you to see others' futures possibly in a first-person perspective. I'm not sure how you activate your quirk, and I haven't seen any evidence to suggest how but if I had to guess, I would say touch is important."

 

"May I see those notes?" Nighteye said as he pointed at the notebook.

 

"Of course, sir. This is your entry that it's open to." Izuku said as he handed over the notebook.

 

Nighteye looked over his notes which had a fairly nice sketch of him on the side. The notes themselves talked about his fighting style, history as a hero, theories about his quirks, and support gear he could use.  'These... These are very well done. His handwriting is a little messy, and this could be more organized, but for how little info he has, he got somewhat close to my quirk.'

 

"These are well done for someone your age," Nighteye said as he glanced at the other entries. 'Why do you do this?"

 

"Because I like analyzing quirks and how people use them," Izuku said as Nighteye closed the notebook and noted that it was the seventeenth notebook. "I also figured it would help me with being a hero."

 

Nighteye stared at the teen, who was smiling happily. "Tell me, Midoriya, why do you want to be a hero? What inspired you to pursue this path?"

 

The sparkle in Izuku's eyes seemed to grow brighter by the second as he opened his mouth. "Well, I saw this video of All Might when I was little."

 

"The industrial fire?" Nighteye asked, knowing that it was the most popular video of Toshi's various heroic feats.

 

Izuku shook his head. "No, but that is a good one."

 

The simple declaration surprised the hero. Just about every person who had seen the video claimed it inspired them in some way. Izuku looked over at his teacher as he spoke on the phone to some heroes he was bringing in next week. "It was an old video from before his big debut. I found it totally by accident one day on a dead forum about small hero moments. It showed him taking down a villain, and then when the police were taking the guy away, Mr.Yagi walked over to a scared little kid who had gotten caught in the middle of the fight. He just sat down and chatted with the kid for a bit before their parents showed up."

 

Izuku looked back to Nighteye as he said. "I wanna be a hero like that. Someone who brings comfort and security to others even if it's just one scared little kid."

 

Nighteye stared at the teen sitting next to him as he smiled brightly. Memories of his first time meeting Toshinori came to mind. The man was humble beyond belief and held a simple, straightforward goal for the future. "I see... Well, you have quite a lot of work ahead of you. Do your best to show that you deserve Toshi's quirk."

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow as Nighteye handed the notebook back and stood. "I am... more impressed with you than I thought I would be. I hope you don't disappoint Izuku Midoirya."

 

Izuku watched as Nighteye walked over to Toshinori. "Was he testing me?"

 

"He was testing you?"

 

Izuku looked up at Ochako, who sat down next to him and sipped on a bottle of water. "I thought you guys were talking about quirks."

 

Izuku hummed. "Not really. He asked me some stuff about me wanting to be a hero, then told me not to disappoint."

 

Ochako hummed as she eyed Nighteye. "He wasn't rude, was he?"

 

"No, not really. He just seemed interested in my notebook and reason for being a hero."

 

Ochako hummed before saying. "Oh, Sora's birthday is in three days. We should grab something for them."

 

"What should we get?" Izuku asked.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

June 30th, 2235

 

"I see you're doing well in your classes. Keep this up, and you'll be a certified teacher by the time your successor starts school." Nezu said as he looked over Toshinori's work.

 

"That is a relief," Toshi said as he sipped his tea. "I was worried I wouldn't be on track to teach Young Uraraka and Young Midoriya during their first year."

 

"Yes, teaching those you see promise in is one of life's great pleasures," Nezu said as he typed away. "On another note, I have freed up some space in my schedule, so I will start sending out feelers for All for One."

 

"Thank you very much, sir. Nighteye is willing and able to assist. I was worried at first, but he seems to have accepted me picking Young Midoriya for One for All."

 

"Speaking of Midoriya," Nezu said as he looked over at Toshi. "I would like to set up a meeting with your successor. When would be a good time?"

 

Toshinori swallowed as he stared at the beady eyes of the principal of UA. "Um... why do you wish to meet him?"

 

"Well, he seems quite interesting based on what you've said, and as a person who knows about One for All, I feel I should offer my aid. I think the best time for myself and Recovery Girl to meet him would be the day he receives One for All."

 

Toshinori nodded. "Of course. I had planned to call on Recovery Girl that day. I will send you the date as soon as I have it."

 

"Thank you. Now you best head home; you have a test to study for tomorrow." Nezu said as he handed over a packet of work. "I do hope you score well on it."

 

"Ah, thank you, sir," Toshi said as he took the packet and started packing his things.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2235

 

"Are you ok, sweetie?" Inko asked as they stood in the basement of Might Tower.

 

"Y-yeah, I'm ok. I'm just nervous." Izuku said as he took a shaky breath.

 

Ochako patted his back and marveled at the muscle development he had acquired since starting the training. She noticed the changes in herself as well. Her friends were jealous of her flat stomach whenever they went swimming. "You'll be ok, Izuku. Once you get the quirk, you'll get the hang of it in no time."

 

Izuku took a deep breath to calm himself as the doors opened, and Toshinori walked in, followed by Nighteye, Gran Torino, Recovery Girl, and Nezu. the rodent laughed as he approached the trio. "Hello, you three. It's wonderful to meet you in person. I am principal Nezu. What could I be? A bear? A mouse? Or perhaps a rat as many like to call me."

 

"Maybe a Myomorpha, but I don't really know enough about you to make an accurate guess," Izuku said as he put his hand to his chin.

 

Nezu chuckled. "I have not heard that guess before. I knew you'd be interesting in Izuku Midoriya."

 

Nezu showed no signs of noticing the annoyed look Inko was giving him. "I propose a little game Midoriya. Would you be interested in playing?"

 

"Um... what's the game?" Izuku asked as Ochako walked over and talked excitedly to Recovery Girl. She obsessed over rescue and support heroes as much as Izuku obsessed over heroes in general.

 

"Every time you and I meet in person, I would like you to guess what kind of animal I am. If you win, I will give you a prize of your choosing." Nezu said as he held a paw up. "How does that sound?"

 

Izuku smiled and shook Nezu's paw. "That sounds fun; I'll do my best, sir."

 

Nezu chuckled. "Wonderful, now onto the main event as it were. Yagi, do you have anything to say beforehand?"

 

Toshi cleared his throat and stood before Izuku as everyone took a step back. "Young Midoriya... you've exceeded my expectations. I was skeptical when One for All spoke about wanting you to be the ninth, but now I am sure it is the right choice. I mean, you even got Nighteye to come around and accept you, and that man is stubborn."

 

"I also have good hearing, Toshi," Nighteye said as he crossed his arms.

 

Toshinori chuckled and looked back to Izuku. "You've earned this, my boy, and I'm sure you'll do wonders once you master One for All."

 

Izuku felt a swell of pride rising in his chest as he thanked Toshi. The boy was so excited and nervous that he failed to notice Toshinori pull a strand of hair from his head as he said. "Now eat this and claim your power!"

 

"Of course- wait, what?" Izuku said as he stared at the golden strand.

 

Izuku jumped as Recovery Girl practically ran up and swatted Toshi's arm with her cane. "You dolt, you are not feeding your hair to this young boy."

 

"Ow. it's the easiest way-"

 

Tornio sighed and said something about Toshi being an idiot as Nighteye rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 

"No, we just need to do a small blood transfusion." Recovery Girl said. "I have the supplies with me."

 

"Is that safe?" Inko asked. "Do they have compatible blood types?"

 

"It'll be ok, dear." Recovery Girl said. "We don't need to use a lot, just a few drops to make sure Toshinor's DNA is transferred. It's not enough to cause issues."

 

Inko nodded and held her worry down. She knew Recovery Girl was a medical professional who took her job seriously, so it should all work out. That didn't stop Inko from keeping a close eye on her boy as Izuku and Toshinori sat down and let Recovery Girl do her thing.

 

Once the operation was over, Toshi said. "It should take a few hours to settle. I would suggest you stay here tonight, and tomorrow we can go over using the quirk."

 

"Does that mean we get to stay in the apartments?" Izuku asked as he and Ochako bounced in place.

 

Toshi laughed. "Yes, you can, and if you'd like, you can use the lounge. Will you stay as well, Mrs.Midoriya?"

 

"Yes, I will," Inko said with a nod. "I wanna be here in case anything goes wrong."

 

"Then I will have some of the apartments prepared for you. In the meantime, let us get some training in." Toshi said with a clap of his hands.

 

Ochako was quick to run up to Gran Torino and challenge him to a rematch, while Izuku approached Nighteye and asked for a spar.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2235

 

Darkness.

 

Izuku felt as though he were surrounded on all sides by it, but suddenly a howling wind ripped the darkness away. Izuku stared out at a field of black-grass being blown away from him, illuminated by a light source behind him.

 

The wind ripped at his back, and he could feel heat coming from the same direction. As he looked around, he could tell whatever was lighting the field was immense.

 

"Where am I?" Izuku asked. He tried to turn, but his feet wouldn't cooperate. "Come on, damn it."

 

Izuku grit his teeth and forced his muscles to move. Slowly as if they were trapped in tar, Izuku's legs moved, and he turned. The breath left his lungs as he came face to face with what could only be called a golden sun.

 

He was on the edge of a cliff, and a ball of golden fire stretched out in all directions. it was as if a real star was plopped over the ocean and thanks to Ochako's obsession with space Izuku knew that in any real setting, he would be dead right now. "Wh-what?"

 

The light was blinding, and yet he had no trouble looking at it. As his eyes scanned the mass of energy, he saw purple bursts of fire push their way to the surface. As Izuku stared at the light, voices called his name from all directions echoing and resonating with each other in a distorted son. A sensation tugged at his core, and Izuku reached a hand out towards the light.

 

Izuku don't!

 

multicolored tendrils of energy shot from the sun and grabbed Izuku. "W-what? What is this? N-no, stop it! Stop!"

 

Izuku tried to thrash against the energy, but it was no use; he couldn't stop it. He was pulled from the cliff's edge and fell into the energy of One for All, where he quickly sank beneath the golden exterior.

Notes:

in my one-shot series I'm writing I wanna do a Shiozaki one and I have an idea but I'm not sure about it because I've never really talked about religion and I've never written anything about it either. there are good and bad parts to faith but I've never really touched on them or discussed them so if anyone knows the does and don'ts for writing about religion I would appreciate the info.

I have been waiting for well not this chapter but the next one for a while. I hope the pacing isn't too fast but I really feel like there's no reason for me to dwell on these early days considering what I have planned.

I have this fic in my head that is not happy. it's sad and kinda fucked up and a couple of days ago I was feeling really shitty. I kinda hated my writing and how many fics I haven't finished. I was bummed and wondering what to do and since I was sad and thinking about this fic. it's called Three Steps Past the Edge and I've talked about it during my time writing Hypno. one of the author's notes in that fic had me talking about CW and how to tag some of the stuff I was thinking of.

anyways I stopped myself from writing because I wasn't sure if writing a sad fucked up fic would help me feel better or make me feel worse because I know some people feel better after doing that kind of thing but Idk if I'm like that. also, I don't think I have enough story to commit to posting.

anyway, don't worry. I am doing lots of planning for A Jumble of Minds. like I said earlier I've got up to the sports festival planned out and hopefully on my days off I'll be able to plan more past that.

that's all from me I hope you enjoyed my cliffhanger and how I depicted the inner world of One for All.

Chapter 8: July 16th, 2235 The Warehouse Incident

July 16th, 2235

 

Toshi yawned as he finished up his paperwork. The transfer of his quirk had worked. He couldn't hear the voices of One for All, but he still held the embers of its power. "Now, I just need to start dialing back my presence and let the world adjust to my absence until Young Midoriya can take my place."

 

As the man stood, the entire tower shook, and Toshi braced himself against his desk. "What the hell?!"

 

Alarms blared, and Toshinori buffed up into his All Might form as he tapped his comms. "What's the situation?"

 

One of the security officers responded with a bit of panic in his voice. "We're still trying to figure it out. It seems one of the apartments your guests were using was attacked."

 

Toshi cursed and told his employees to lock down the tower while he went to investigate. The symbol of peace nearly ripped the staircase door off its hinges as he entered and started descending as quickly as he could. By the time he got to the floor where Izuku and the others were, he spotted Inko trying to get into Izuku's room while Ochako stood nearby. The teen spotted All Might as he approached. "Mr.Yagi."

 

"Please stand back." All Might said, and once Inko was out of the way, he shattered the door and quickly entered the apartment. Only to find that the bedroom wall was destroyed. Toshi looked around and noted a lack of debris.  'Did Young Midoriya break through the wall?'

 

"Where's Izuku?" Inko asked as she scanned the apartment for any clues as to what happened. Toshi stared out into the darkness of the night and spotted something odd. A flash of light moving away from the tower at high speed.

 

"I will find him. You two, please cooperate with my staff. I swear to return with your son." Toshi said as he stared at Inko.

 

Inko leveled him with a cold look that Toshi had only seen in a handful of villains before. "I know you will because you have no other option. Find my son."

 

Toshi nodded and shot from the apartment through the hole in the wall as he thought.  'Moms are terrifying.'

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th,2235

 

Eraserhead yawned as he stood on the edge of the fire escape and looked at a warehouse in the distance. At half a dozen locations across Japan, heroes and police were moving into position. They had caught wind of a quirk trafficking ring trying to sink its fangs into Japan, and after weeks of investigating and tracking, they had found all of their hideouts and would be hitting them tonight in the hopes of eliminating the entire ring. All they needed to do was wait for everyone here to get into position and then-

 

A shockwave rocked the fire escape as a boom sounded out across the city. Aizawa scanned the city skyline and felt his blood come to a standstill as he saw... something hovering above the warehouse where the quirk traffickers were located.

 

Several meters above the warehouse, a humanoid shape hovered; its body seemed to be made of pure white light with bits of energy arching off of it as black tendrils started to push through the light. Aizawa held his breath as he saw glowing emerald eyes scan the surrounding area before it suddenly descended, punching a hole through the warehouse's roof.

 

Aizawa's comms lit up with police and heroes as he shook off the shock and started making his way across the rooftops to get to the warehouse. As he ran, he tapped his comms and said. "This is Eraserhead. Everyone at raid site beta hold position. All other sites move in and take them down."

 

Aizawa ignored the other heroes asking for more information as he closed in on the warehouse. The sounds of fighting stopped right as Aizawa slipped in through an unlocked window.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

Everything hurts. Izuku shifted and felt a spike of pain from all over his body. "Please don't move, Young Midoriya."

 

"You don't move either." an unfamiliar voice said as Izuku tried to blink the focus back into his eyes.

 

Izuku glanced around and realized he was in a warehouse of some kind. Izuku's eyes focused on Toshinori standing over him in his deflated state. "W-what's happening?"

 

"It's ok Young Midoriya; we will figure this out," Toshi said as he looked back at Izuku, who was lying on his back, staring up at Toshi with unfocused eyes. Luckily it seemed he hadn't seen the state of the warehouse.

 

Aizawa tightened his capture scarf around Toshi as he tried his comms again. Nothing was going through, and he had a thousand questions. "You the blonde one. Are you actually All Might?"

 

"Y-yes, I am," Toshi said as he looked at the man he recognized as Eraserhead. "This is what I look like when my quirk is not active."

 

"Why is the number one hero defending a kid that just murdered a room full of people?"

 

Izuku blinked as he looked past Toshi at the other man.  'Murder? Someone murdered people? Wait, where am I?'

 

Izuku felt his breath hitch as he looked around and saw nearly a dozen bloody and broken bodies. A faint sobbing could be heard inside the shipping container nearby, but Izuku's focus was entirely on the bodies.  'T-those are bodies. W-where am I? What happened? Why did that man say Mr.Yagi was defending a murderer?'

 

Flickers of memory broke to the surface, disrupting Izuku's panicked thoughts. People breaking under his hand as voices screamed about justice and ensuring that the filth of the world wouldn't hurt anyone ever again.

 

Aizawa glanced past Toshi at Izuku as the boy stared at the bodies and started to panic. Things weren't adding up. That thing made of light he saw turned into this kid when Eraser used his quirk on him, and then All Might landed between them and deflated into a scrawny guy who was telling Aizawa to forget this all.  'Why the hell aren't the comms working?'

 

"Ah, there we are. Aizawa, please bring those two out of the back entrance and into the SUV waiting for you." Nezu said, suddenly crackling into Aziawa's comms. "Your associates will move in once you're gone and secure those in the shipping container."

 

"What? Sir, respectfully, this is bullshit that you're showing up now. Explain the situation because, as I see it right now, the number one hero is covering for a teenager that murdered a bunch of people."

 

"This line is not secure enough for that conversation, so please, Shota, bring them to UA now."

 

Aizawa stiffened at the use of his first name and grit his teeth.  'There had better be a damned good explanation for this.'

 

"All Might pick the boy up; we're going to UA," Aizawa said as he released the blonde man but kept his quirk up.

 

Toshi was quick to rush to Izuku's side, where he gently rubbed the boy's back. "Young Midoirya, please calm down. We must leave. I promise you we will figure out what happened."

 

Izuku took a shaky breath as tears threatened to spill over. If he was understanding right and if these memories were real, he had burst in here and killed these people. Why? Why would he do that?

 

Numbly Izuku stood and stumbled along as Toshinroi supported him. Once the two were in the SUV, Aizawa dropped his quirk and got in. The driver quickly took them to UA.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

Inko shoved the door to UA's nurse's office open and made a beeline for her son, who was sitting curled up on the bed closest to the door. Izuku looked up as Inko wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "Izuku, sweetie, are you ok?"

 

Izuku felt his eyes start to water as he slowly wrapped his arms around his mother. He spotted Ochako entering and quickly making her way over. Inko pulled her into the hug as Izuku sniffled and managed to choke out. "N-no, I'm not."

 

Inko released Izuku after a moment, and Ohckoa took a seat next to him on the bed and held his arm gently. As Inko turned to speak to Recovery Girl, the older woman spoke up first. "He has microfractures and bruises all over the place, but I gave him a good dose of my quirk. He still needs to take a few days off, and we need to figure out what happened with his quirk, assuming that's what caused all of this."

 

Inko sighed and slumped into the chair next to Iuzku's bed, but Recovery Girl kept talking. "Nezu wants to see you, Mrs.Midoriya. He needs your help to explain things to Eraserhead."

 

Inko grit her teeth before standing and grabbing her son's hand gently. "Izuku, I'll be back soon, ok. We'll figure this out."

 

"I-I killed people," Izuku muttered lowly, and everyone in the nurse's office stilled and looked at the boy as he stared at the bedsheets as tears flowed freely down his face.

 

"W-what?" Ochako asked quietly, not believing what her friend said.

 

"I-I don't know why... but I killed people-"

 

Izuku was cut off as Inko pulled him into a tight hug. "It's ok, Izuku, we'll figure this out. I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong. We'll get this all sorted."

 

Inko cupped her son's cheeks and gave him the most reassuring smile she could before looking at Ochako. "Please stay with him, dear."

 

Ochako nodded as she adjusted her grip on Iuzku's arm and held him closer. "I don't plan on leaving him alone."

 

Inko smiled and reluctantly released her son. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

 

Izuku continued to sob quietly as the memory of what he did played on loop, and his best friend held him close, doing her best to comfort him while his mother headed for Nezu's office.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

Nezu sat at his desk and looked at the others in his office. Aizawa sat across from Inko and Toshinori, looking very angry as Tohsi filled him in on One for All and Izuku Midoriya. Nezu had wanted to bring Aizawa in at some point so that he could ensure that his most valuable ally could be present for the next fight against All for One, but Nezu hadn't wanted it to happen like this.

 

As Toshi's story wrapped up, Nezu looked over the data Recovery Girl sent him on the test she ran after Izuku Midoriya arrived. The scan of his brain was quite... concerning. Nezu hummed and looked over as Aizawa sighed and said. "I cannot believe you gave a quirk to a child. Did you know it would turn him into... whatever it was that I saw?"

 

"No, I did not know," Toshi said firmly as he met Aizawa's glare with his own. "One for All is a stockpiling quirk that grows in power and can be passed on to another." Toshi crossed his arms as he continued to speak. "The only oddities of the quirk is seeing silhouettes of the previous users when one gains a certain level of control and recently hearing the voices of the previous users while in the presence of All for One or when there is danger nearby."

 

"That boy murdered people tonight. Do you have an explanation for why you gave your quirk to someone who would-" Aizawa's eyes bulged as his tongue was suddenly pulled on. He immediately flashed his quirk at Inko, who was glaring at him hard.

 

"Kindly, Eraser, shut the fuck up because if you ever accuse my boy of being someone who would willingly murder others like that, I will kill you." Inko snarled out, making Toshi do a double-take as he looked at the woman next to him. He quickly glanced between Eraser and Inko and got the vibe that they may know each other.

 

"Aizawa, please release your quirk, and Midoriya, I apologize for his accusation. he is simply trying to gather information and process what he saw," Nezu said as he gave a smile that anyone else would say was sweet, but everyone in the room knew that he was annoyed right now.

 

Inko sat back and crossed her arms but kept her glare leveled at Aizawa, who blinked before sitting back and looking at his boss. "Sir, this is... a lot. Do you have anything to say?"

 

"Yes, I do," Nezu said as he clapped his paws, happy that they'd finally stopped their pointless squabbling. "I have a theory. Upon my request, Recovery Girl has sent over some scans of Izuku Midoriya's brain, and well, it was quite surprising."

 

A projection popped up on the table between the heroes and Inko. Two brain scans next to each other. No one could tell if there were any differences between the two projections. "The scan closest to Midoriya is of her son's brain."

 

"And the other?" Toshi asked as he stared at it. It looked familiar.

 

Nezu chuckled as he said. "That is your brain scan, Yagi. Specifically the brain scan they took of you after your fight with All for One. Do any of you see a difference?"

 

"I can't say I do," Inko said as worry started to gnaw at the base of her neck. "What does that mean?"

 

"Well, for context Yagi you said that after the fight, you couldn't remember the final moments, correct? You simply had a feeling that One for All did something."

 

Toshi nodded. "Yes, sir."

 

"I see," Nezu said as he looked over the scans as ideas bubbled up in his mind and were discarded just as quickly. Inko fidgeted and was about to question where Nezu was going with this, but the rodent beat her to the punch. "I believe One for All took over Izuku Midoriya's body and killed the quirk traffickers."

 

"What?" Aizawa asked as he looked at his boss. "Where is the proof?"

 

"We have only these scans and this one," Nezu said, adding a third brain scan to the projection. "This is a scan Yagi got done here before his fight with All for One. It looks quite different from the post All for One scan. I believe that during his fight, One for All changed or perhaps decided to show an aspect of itself that it always had. It doesn't really matter either way. The point is that I believe One for All took over All Might's body during the final moments in an attempt to kill All for One."

 

"A-and so what? The quirk is going to just keep taking over my son?" Inko asked as anger started to seep into her features again.

 

"I am not sure, but we do know that Aizawa's quirk stopped it and let Izuku Midoriya take control again, and after Aizawa turned his quirk off, One for All did not immediately take control," Nezu said as he turned off the projections. "I believe we can use that information to test whether or not your son can use One for All without being taken over by it."

 

Inko took a slow and deep breath before asking. "Can we do it safely? Can you guarantee Izuku won't get hurt?"

 

"We will do everything we can. Recovery Girl will be present, and should we see anything remotely wrong, Aizawa will shut down his quirk." Nezu explained.

 

"I'll be present," Inko said. "Ochako will be there as well. No arguments."

 

Nezu nodded. "Of course. Now I need to ensure that nothing can lead tonight's incident back to our young hero hopeful. Mrs.Midoriya, you and Ochako Uraraka can, of course, stay in the nurse's office with your son for the night. Once day breaks, we will, with your consent, conduct the test to figure out what is happening with One for All."

 

Inko nodded and stood. "Understood. If you'll excuse me, I need to go back to Izuku."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

All for One hummed as his brain processed the information that was being streamed to it from the setup the doctor had made for him. Without eyes, it was quite hard to watch the news or observe monitors, but with some tech and some quirks, the information on the screen could be directly projected into All for One's mind.

 

The king of the underworld was humming a single note to himself as he 'looked' at the blurry image of a being seemingly made of light. It was a small story on the news with the anchors wondering if it was a new hero who was being a little too gung-ho breaking the sound barrier so late at night. The bigger story of the morning was the explosion at Might Tower.

 

The being of light was interesting. He would need to ask Giran to look into it and see if anyone was registered as having a quirk that made them look like that. The being could clearly fly, and very quickly, it would seem. That alone would be useful, but the fact that they were glowing was quite interesting to All for One, and he wished to know more about the power.

 

As for the explosion at Might Tower, All for One clicked his teeth as he heard All Might talk about how there was a simple training accident and that nothing was wrong. He was fairly sure the child was lying, but there wasn't enough information out there yet to parse out what the truth was. All for One would simply have to wait and bide his time for more information. Patience was key in any good plan, after all.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

Izuku stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. As consciousness came to him, he groaned softly and noticed Ochako's face in front of him. He felt his cheeks heat up slightly. He had been a mess earlier, and while his mom left to talk to Nezu about what Izuku figured would be how they'd punish him, Ochako stayed by his side; and eventually, exhaustion overtook his grief, and he fell asleep while she continued to hold him.

 

Izuku spotted some hair that was falling on her face, and he gently reached up and moved it so it wouldn't disturb her. As he stared at her, he thought about how they hadn't had a sleepover in quite a while, not that he'd ask her. Recently their closeness had left him feeling... awkward at times.

 

His eyes scanned her face, and he couldn't help but feel a little relieved at how peaceful she seemed. He may have been struck with grief and regret for his actions, but he still noticed how hurt she looked.  'Did she look hurt because I was sad or because of what I did? How does she feel about it? Will she blame me for it? Will she keep being my best friend even when they punish me for this?'

 

Izuku suppressed a shudder as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He shoved the thoughts away and took a shaky breath before observing his best friend's face. Her ever-present blush marks drew his eye. They were cute, and Izuku always caught himself staring, especially when she would get embarrassed, and he could watch her blush spread from the two marks on her face.

 

Izuku tried to focus on happy thoughts as he looked at Ochako. He didn't want to start freaking out now. He just wanted her to sleep more and-

 

She's waking up.

 

Izuku blinked at the sudden voice in his mind, and sure enough, Ochako stirred, and Izuku held his breath as her eyes fluttered open and the two locked eyes. Izuku watched as her blush spread from her cheeks up to her ears as she said in a hoarse whisper. "G-good morning... how are you feeling?"

 

"Better than last night," Izuku muttered. "Still bad, though."

 

Ochako ignored the twisting sensation in her stomach as she grabbed his hand under the blanket. "It'll be ok. We'll figure this out."

 

Izuku nodded and closed his eyes as he stifled a yawn. Ochako smiled. "Go to sleep; I'm sure we have more time."

 

Izuku smiled faintly and tried to close his eyes, but as he started trying to go to sleep, Inko spoke up." Wake up, kids. We have some stuff to go over this morning."

 

Izuku groaned and sat up in bed along with Ochako. Inko smiled at the teens and said. "Nezu wants to talk, and then we can eat."

 

As they walked, Izuku was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to eat anything if it was offered to him. Once they got to Nezu's office, Inko sent Ochako in ahead of them but held her son back. "Izuku... sweetie, how are you feeling?"

 

Inko's heart broke seeing her son's eyes start to water as his arms shook. "I-I'm sorry, m-mom. I-I-"

 

Izuku was cut off as Inko pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tightly. "It's ok, Iuzku. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise."

 

"B-but I killed people." Izuku choked out as he desperately held onto his mother. "I-I remember everything. I-I didn't want to, but I c-couldn't stop it."

 

"Ssshhh," Inko whispered as she stroked a hand through his hair and held him gently. "It's ok. It's ok. Nezu has a theory about what happened to you. No one is blaming you for what happened. Deep breaths, sweetie."

 

Izuku took a few deep breaths, each one getting less shaky as he breathed. Once he was calmed down, Inko could still see the despair in his eyes. She guided him inside and made sure he sat between herself and Ochako, who immediately held Izuku's forearm.

 

Once they were seated and Aizawa, along with Toshinori, appeared, Nezu looked at Izuku and asked. "How are you feeling this morning, Midoriya? Have you felt anything off with your quirk?"

 

Izuku shook his head and stared at the table between him and the pro heroes. "Nothing. I didn't see anything when I was asleep this time."

 

"This time? Did you see something when you slept before the incident?" The principal asked as he leaned forward.

 

Izuku took a deep breath and told them all what he had seen. He spoke about the field of black-grass and the sun that dragged him into its depths. As he spoke, Izuku looked up and saw the concerned look of his master. It made his chest hurt. He had the quirk for a few hours, and he already fucked up beyond belief. Izuku wouldn't be surprised if, by the end of the day, he didn't have One for All anymore. Should All Might ask for it, he'd give it back and apologize for being such a failure.

 

Nezu hummed and looked at Toshi. "Yagi, you've never seen that have you?"

 

Toshinori shook his head. "No, sir. I don't remember Nana saying anything about it either."

 

"So another new aspect to this quirk," Aizawa said as he stared at Izuku for a moment before looking at Nezu. "Will this change our plans at all?"

 

Nezu looked contemplative for a moment before taking a sip of tea and saying. "Yes, depending on the results of our experiment, it may."

 

"Experiment?" Ochako asked, looking at the adults with concern. "What experiment?"

 

"We're going to test Young Midoriya's quirk and see if he can access One for All without it taking over," Toshi explained.

 

"D-do I still deserve it?" Izuku asked as he looked at his master. "I failed, sir. I lost control the moment it became accessible."

 

Toshi stood and walked around the table before kneeling and planting his hands on Izuku's shoulders. "Listen to me, my boy; you did not fail. One for All simply changed in a way we could not predict. You did nothing wrong. I am sorry that this has happened to you, but we will do everything in our power to ensure it will not happen again. So how about it, Young Midoriya, shall we analyze One for All and figure out how it ticks? I'm sure Nezu and Nighteye would appreciate your insight as a fellow analyst."

 

Aizawa looked at Toshinori in surprise as he saw the boy smile a bit and give a quiet affirmative. He honestly didn't hold a very high opinion of Toshinori. He also knew that it was unfair considering how little he knew about the man personally, but despite his efforts, Aizawa was a person affected by emotions. Seeing Izuku suffer like this upset him, and he responded the way most people did by laying blame on someone. All Might gave Izuku One for All. It was easy for Aizawa to lay all the blame on him, but that wasn't true. It was like Toshi had said; the quirk changed in a way no one could have predicted. Now all they could do was try to ensure it never happened again.

 

Aizawa looked at Izuku, who caught his eye, and the teen looked at him warily. Aizawa sighed and said. "Sorry about our first meeting, kid. I'm Eraserhead, a teacher at UA. I'll be working with you today as we figure out how your quirk works."

 

Izuku nodded and looked at Nezu. "I-is there anything else, sir?"

 

Nezu nodded and said. "We are in luck. Thanks to All Might's press conference this morning and the late hour at which One for All took over, there are only grainy photos of you and nothing that can identify you as the one who went into the warehouse."

 

"O-Oh, I guess that's good," Izuku said as he looked at the table again. "W-when are we getting to work?"

 

"After breakfast and once Nighteye arrives," Aizawa said as he stood. 'Come on. I'll take you to the lunch room. Lunch Rush can make you some breakfast."

 

Izuku nodded numbly and stood with his mother and Ochako. He wanted to feel excited about being in UA and about getting to see pros, but he just couldn't muster the energy. Though Izuku did stop before leaving. "Oh right."

 

Izuku turned to look at Nezu as everyone looked at him. "Um, sir, are you a Mus?"

 

Nezu chuckled, feeling a little giddy that Izuku, even in his depressed state, still wanted to play their little game. "No, I am not Midoriya, but that was another good guess."

 

Izuku hummed and gave a small smile before turning and following Aizawa to the lunch room.

Notes:

I almost put a lot more in this chapter then I realized how long it was getting and decided to end here and we'll do the experiment and other things in the next chapter.

I was very excited to write this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it.

I'm getting my wisdom teeth removed in two days and I am not looking forward to it but I will be glad once they're gone. they don't hurt but they're keeping me from opening my mouth as wide as I could before they came in. it also makes my jaw feel a little tight and sore when I chew a lot.

can't wait for my diet of pudding, jello, and other liquidy foods. hopefully, after a couple days, I'll feel ok enough to write.

also wow Made in Abyss season two came out on the day that I'm posting this chapter and holy shit it's good. of course, if you don't know about Made in Abyss be warned it is incredibly dark and emotional but it's not done in a pointless way which I am glad about. there's a point to the bad stuff it doesn't just happen for the sake of happening.

also, I think Made in Abyss might have the best OST I've ever heard. Kevin Penkin is a master at his craft and within the first five minutes of the first ep of season two, I had full-body goosebumps thanks to the music and visuals.

Chapter 9: Scratching the Surface

July 16th, 2235

 

Ochako leaned on Izuku, offering him as much comfort as she could while they ate in silence in the UA cafeteria. She glanced at her friend and could see the tear stains streaking down from his slightly puffy eyes. He had cried so much since getting to UA. She wished she could do more for him, but all she could do was stick close and offer her support whenever it looked like he needed it.

 

When she heard him say he killed people, she was stunned and didn't fully believe it. Maybe he just thought he did, but Nezu's earlier words made it clear that Izuku wasn't mistaken. His body killed people but not Izuku. Izuku wasn't in control, and so Ochako refused to say it was him. His quirk was in control because if Izuku had been the one calling the shots, he never would have done it.

 

As they finished breakfast, Ochako glanced at Eraserhead sitting nearby, sucking down a jelly pack. She wasn't sure how to feel about him. He looked kinda suspicious, and Ochako had noticed Inko occasionally giving him a cold look. If her self-defense teacher didn't trust someone, then Ochako was inclined to be wary of them as well.

 

As they moved down the halls towards wherever Eraser was leading them, Ochako checked her phone and reassured her and Izuku's classmates that they were ok and that, no, they had not run away or been kidnapped.

 

After a few twists and turns, they stopped by a pair of locker rooms, and Eraser said. "Go get changed, and you can keep the gym uniform if you want."

 

Izuku nodded and shuffled off into the locker room. Inko sighed, and several ideas swirled around her mind as she stared at the door her son had just gone through. He was barely holding it together. She wanted to take him home and help him feel better, but she knew that they needed to find out what was up with his quirk before it had a chance to happen again. She'd just have to hope it would go by quickly and that they could get home sooner rather than later.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

Izuku stared at his reflection as he zipped up the UA gym uniform. The memories from the night before bubbled beneath the surface of his mind, and he took a shaky breath before shaking his head and heading for the door. He hoped this test went well. He wants to be a hero; he wants to make up for losing control. For as long as he held One for All, he'd do everything in his power to ensure it never took control again.

 

Once Izuku exited the changing room, the group moved to a gym that Aziawa said was called Gym Gamma. It was a large high, ceiling building with nothing inside but a concrete floor. Nezu, Toshi, Recovery Girl, and Nighteye were already waiting for them, and Izuku did his best to ignore the eyes on him. Toshi looked concerned, and that made Izuku's gut twist in on itself. Nighteye and the others had unreadable expressions that did little to help him feel better.

 

Ochako squeezed his bicep, bringing him out of his sudden worries. She gave him a small smile and muttered. "It'll be ok. Let's figure this out, m'kay."

 

Izuku nodded and gave her the best smile he could manage before stepping over to Nezu and Nighteye. The latter of which said. "Nezu has updated me on the situation."

 

Nighteye suppressed a sigh as he saw the teen before him deflate slightly. The boy was doing better than he thought he'd be doing, but still, it must be quite a lot for him. Nighteye patted Izuku's shoulder and said. "Let's be sure to understand this situation as best we can."

 

"Quite right," Nezu said. "And to start with, I believe understanding your base quirk first would be a good place to start. Please run us through the details."

 

Izuku nodded and took a deep breath to center himself. "It's called Dragon's Breath. I can breathe fire, and it sticks to surfaces and doesn't go out easily though I can will it to extinguish itself."

 

Izuku pointed to his head as he said. "Though I usually get a nosebleed and headaches from doing so."

 

"How do you produce the fire?" Nighteye asked as he watched the boy relax a little.

 

"It's a chemical reaction. I've got several small organs along both my bronchi that when I breathe out spray two mixtures that meet and by the time it leaves my throat it's reacted and created fire." Izuku said before stepping away and letting out a little puff of green fire that dissipated before reaching the ground.

 

"Depending on how much fire I put out, it can extinguish before touching anything like just now. If it does touch something, though." Izuku knelt and let out a similar-sized puff of fire that hit the ground and kept burning. "It'll start burning for a while."

 

"Hm, please leave that fire be," Nezu said as Izuku stepped away from it. "How do you call upon your quirk?"

 

Izuku hummed and scratched his head as he thought about how he called on his quirk. "I imagine a pool of liquid and pull it up from my chest and throat, then push it out of my mouth. I guess when I imagine it like that, my body just reacts and mixes the needed chemicals. Also, the deeper my breath longer I can breathe fire."

 

"Any changes to temperature?" Nighteye asked as he jotted down notes.

 

"I've never been able to consciously do it," Izuku explained as he started to move his hands while speaking. "It may be emotional, though."

 

"Do you have any evidence?" Nezu asked. The rodent smiled, seeing an intelligent light start to shine in Izuku's eyes.

 

"I have circumstantial evidence at best," Izuku said, crossing his arms. "I've felt like when I'm emotional that my fire comes out hotter."

 

"That should be something we test another time. For now, I believe we should move onto the One for All portion of this." Nezu said as he waved to Toshi. "All Might please come over. I'd like to hear how you use One for All and how you would instruct Midoirya."

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow as his master started to sweat as he walked over. Nighteye seemed to catch on right away and took off his glasses as he rubbed his eyes. "Toshi, what was the plan?"

 

"W-well, actually, I was gonna ask for help on that," Toshi said. "I... Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to tell Young Midoriya how to use One for All because I could use it right from the get-go, no problem."

 

Toshi shrugged as he said. "Despite being quirkless, it just came naturally to me."

 

"Wait, you're quirkless?" Izuku asked as he looked at Toshi, who nodded.

 

"Yes, I am, though by this point, I've spent more of my life with a quirk than without, but that is not important," Toshi said as he waved his hand. "What is important is how we will get you to draw on One for All."

 

"Perhaps the answer is already present," Nezu said as he looked up to Izuku. "You said you envisioned your quirk as a pool that you drew from. Perhaps you can use the same mental image for One for All. find it and pull just the smallest portion from it that you can."

 

Izuku nodded as he rubbed his chin. "That could work."

 

The boy jogged away from everyone else, and Aizawa straightened up, ready to shut things down should he see that glowing form again. As everyone watched, Izuku shook his hands and ignored their eyes on him as he focused inward.

 

Izuku took a slow, steady breath as he closed his eyes and pulled on his quirk at first. He hadn't noticed earlier when he spit some fire out, but it felt like he could do more with it. They'd have to test his limits later. For now, One for All was what he needed to focus on.

 

Izuku mentally moved away from the pool of fire that was his quirk and nearly fell into the vastness he sensed. Izuku took a sharp breath, and Aizawa tensed, but nothing happened, and after a moment, the teacher relaxed slightly.

 

'Oh wow, holy... the light I saw in my dreams doesn't do this justice, does it?'  Izuku thought as he felt the energy inside him. He didn't have the words to describe it, nor did he trust his voice to actually say anything. As he started to tug on the power, overlapping voices echoed in his mind.

 

The Ninth.

Let us kill All for One, then you can be in charge.

We will give your body back once he is dead.

You can't kill him.

Your quirk will be used better in our hands.

We can master it as we have mastered ours.

Give us control.

 

Izuku shook the voices off him and did his best to filter out their protest as he pulled the tiniest drops of One for All that he could manage.

 

"Oh wow. T-that's... really beautiful." Izuku raised an eyebrow as he heard Ochako. It sounded like she was whispering, but he was way too far to hear that if she was.

 

Izuku cracked an eye open and looked at everyone as they spoke quietly. Inko was muttering to herself about how she hoped her son was ok. Nezu and Nighteye were taking notes and making observations. Recovery Girl said something about hoping the boy wouldn't burn, which caused Izuku to look down.

 

Aizawa watched Izuku stumble and let out a startled yelp as the wispy green flames that had spread across his body suddenly disappeared. The boy's emerald eyes faded as he patted himself down before looking at the tired man.

 

"I didn't do anything, kid," Aizawa said. "You lost focus."

 

"I was on fire," Izuku said as he came over. "A-and I could hear you guys talking. Even when you whispered."

 

"Hm, enhanced senses," Nezu said. "I assume that's normal."

 

Toshi nodded. "Yes, it is. Your senses, reaction speed, and strength get enhanced. That is what One for All is supposed to do normally. I've never seen fire, though. I occasionally had lightning-like energy come off me when I was pushing myself quite hard."

 

"Perhaps it's the same as the energy Toshi would give off just thanks to Midoriya's fire-based quirk; it's flame instead of lightning."

 

"It could also be a power level thing," Izuku said. "If I up the power, perhaps it'll change."

 

"Let us give it a try," Nezu said. "It would be good to know how much you can pull on before One for All pulls back. How much would you say you pulled on for that first attempt?"

 

"Hm, less than one percent," Izuku said. "It's just... there's so much it kinda boggles the mind. Putting numbers to it feels kinda redundant."

 

"Well, it will help us who are not able to feel it understand what is going on, so let us start with one percent, then increase it steadily over time," Nezu said before turning to Aizawa. "If it seems like he's going to lose control, shut it down immediately."

 

Aizawa nodded as Izuku ran back over to where he was before. Once he was in position, Izuku pulled one One for All and expected to hear the voices again, but it seemed they knew he would ignore them right now, and so they remained quiet.

 

Wisps of green fire started flickering up through the gym uniform, starting on Izuku's chest and spreading across his body. The flames spread down his torso and legs before heading across his arms, and eventually, the boy was covered in flames. His eyes glowed softly as he looked at Nezu, who nodded.

 

After closing his eyes again, Izuku started to pull on more of One for All, and those gathered for the test watched as the fire grew before suddenly shifting and turning into green electricity that arched off Izuku's body. 

 

Aizawa watched as Izuku's face twisted in concentration before suddenly gasping, and as the green lighting turned white, Aizawa's eyes flashed, and Izuku fell to his knees. Ochako and Inko were by his side in an instant, checking him over.

 

Izuku panted and smiled as best he could. "I-I'm ok. I just... they didn't like it when I hit uh. I'd say ten percent. After that, the voices tried to wrestle control away from."

 

"Well, I think that's enough of that." Recovery Girl said as she came over and checked over Izuku.

 

Nezu hummed in agreement. "Of course. We shall call today a success. From now on, I would like for your training with All Might to continue here. Where Aizawa can easily be present to ensure no accidents."

 

Izuku swallowed and said. "I-I can still be a hero, right? T-this... what I did it won't- It won't stop me from benign a hero, right?"

 

"Accidents happen, kid," Aizawa said. "And your quirk is... different than usual. I don't think anyone here blames you for what happened. You've got potential; you'll just need to put in extra work to make sure nothing goes wrong with your quirk."

 

Izuku looked at the assembled heroes, his mother, and his best friend. They all gave him a reassuring look, and Iuzku nodded. "O-ok... thank you, sir."

 

Once Recovery Girl cleared him, Izuku, Inko, and Ochako headed home. Once they were gone, Nezu looked at the others and said. "He is quite the interesting young man. I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes. Perhaps I'll give him some supplementary lessons while he's here learning from you two."

 

Nezu laughed as he walked off, leaving Toshinori sweating and Aizawa wondering if it was too early in his life to retire. Neither man was entirely comfortable with Nezu taking an interest in a kid like Izuku, but they both knew there was nothing they could do to stop Nezu.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2235

 

After a silent train ride home, Inko wasn't surprised that once they got back, Izuku went to his room almost immediately. Ochako shuffled about outside his room for a moment before Inko sent her home, telling her she needed to go let her parents know that she was back.

 

Once Ochako had agreed and left, Inko rubbed her face and groaned softly as she headed for her bedroom. Everything was going well. The teens' training had been helping them in all the areas that Inko herself couldn't, and despite the added potential danger of One for All, Inko felt pretty good about her son's safety and chances of being a hero. Now though, he was questioning if he could be one and if he was worthy of having the quirk, All Might gave him.

 

Inko sighed and lay on her bed as she stared at the ceiling. She was grateful to the heroes for reaffirming that Izuku could be a hero and that the horrible accident that had happened was just that, an accident and not something that could be considered his fault. Inko knew her son, though, and she knew that this was still weighing on him and probably would be for some time.

 

As she lay on her bed, Inko's eyes drifted to the photo on her nightstand. Inko was laid up in the hospital bed with a wide grin as she held Izuku close to her face, and Hisashi cried like a baby next to her. It wasn't the best picture she had of the three of them, but it reminded her of what her husband was really like. Despite the man being tall and terrifying-looking, he was on the inside a big softie with a heart of gold.

 

Inko's eyes drifted from the photo to her closest. Inside was a safe full of important documents... and Jade's costume. Inko rolled over and put her back to the closet door; the vigilante Jade was a short-lived phenomenon of Mustafasu. It had taken a couple weeks for Inko to get sick of waiting on the police to find Hiashi's killers. She worked up her courage and found some dark clothes and a mask, then went out and started to see what she could do.

 

It was challenging, and more than once, she got roughed up pretty badly, but she kept pushing. Once she figured out what she was doing, she brought terror to villains in her search for the people who killed her husband.

 

Taking a life was not as hard as Inko had thought it would be. The thought had crossed her mind so many times as she got closer and closer to finding the murderers, and every time she told herself she'd turn them over to the authorities. Just beat them up and turn them over to the police and heroes.

 

And then she found the apartment. She saw them laughing and enjoying life. She heard them talking about when their next job was and who'd they be going after, and Inko saw red. Her mind conjured images of them laughing over Hisashi's corpse, and she lost control. By the time Eraser and Nezu arrived, everyone was dead.

 

Inko huffed and sat up as she shook the thoughts from her head. Thinking about the past would do nothing to help her son. Words had run their course, for now, so Inko got up and headed for the kitchen. She'd have to just show Izuku that despite what happened, everything was still ok and that she wasn't going to treat him any differently.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

July 17th, 2235

 

"Hey, Rara, what happened yesterday?"

 

Ochako looked up at Ikari as she and the other girls took their seats. She glanced at Izuku as he headed out with a few of the guys so they could eat outside. "I told you guys already. Our training ran late, so Izuku, his mom, and I stayed in Tokyo. We did some extra training in the morning and then came home. we were both too tired to go to school."

 

"Hm, that's what she says happened." Aoi, a girl with deep blue hair and mismatched gold and blue eyes, said as she tapped her chin. "But Midoriya has been a little off all day, and you keep looking at him with this little look on your face."

 

"Very true," Rui said as she twirled her black hair. Her iridescent eyes flicked over to the door as the few girls from the grades above and below came in to join them before looking at Ochako. "Makes a girl wonder if something more happened than just training."

 

The memory of Ochako being woken up by the sound of Izuku's room practically exploding and then the night she spent worrying to death about her friend came to mind. She couldn't tell them about that for obvious reasons. "Nothing happened. Besides, Mamadoriya was with us, so nothing could have been able to happen."

 

Ochako held a hand up, cutting Aoi off. "This is not an admittance to a desire for something to happen."

 

The heterochromatic girl pouted but kept her mouth shut.

 

"Except you two are pretty good at sneaking out," Ikari said as she poked at her rice. The other girls all looked at her as she looked up at Ochako. "You know my house is between the Cafe and your two houses. I stay up late a lot, and I've seen it. You two sneaking around town in the middle of the night."

 

Ochako felt her cheeks start to heat up as the other girls brought some desks over and sat down while Aoi updated them on how they were interrogating Ochako. "We just hang out and talk sometimes. It's stressful preparing for UA, you know."

 

Ochako groaned softly as the girls chuckled and teased her some more before the conversation moved on. As they talked, Ochako stole a glance outside and saw Izuku laughing as he spoke with some of the others. He was looking better than yesterday.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 17th, 2235

 

Izuku sipped his tea as he and Ochako sat by the Cafe. It was almost midnight, and he was feeling fairly tired, but worries kept him from going to sleep. "How are you feeling?"

 

Izuku looked up at Ochako as she sat across from him. "You look tired."

 

"Got a lot on my mind," Izuku said as he set his tea down. "I... I want to live up to everyone's expectations, and I want to make up for how I failed."

 

"Izuku-"

 

"I get it," Izuku said, cutting her off. "Everyone says it's not my fault but- but in my dream, I touched the power. If I hadn't done that, then maybe One for All wouldn't have taken over."

 

"You do tend to poke at things you don't understand," Ochako said with a small smile.

 

Izuku pouted slightly as he looked away. "I'm a curious person. Part of science is seeing how things react when you interact with them."

 

Ochako rolled her eyes and poked his shin with her foot. "It gets you into trouble, so maybe try not to go poking huge pools of energy. At least for a while, ok."

 

Izuku smiled slightly, and Ochako felt relieved as he said. "Ok, I'll be sure to keep that in mind... also, thank you. You know for everything you've done for me. Best friend ever."

 

Ochako felt her cheeks warm as she looked away and brought her tea up to her lips as she said. "It's no problem. You're my best friend, after all."

Notes:

I got my wisdom teeth removed a few days ago. it sucks having to remind myself to not fuck up my recovery by sucking on a straw or doing something to ruin the healing process. it felt weird when they numbed my mouth and gums and it only hurt real bad for about half a day.

I got some real strong painkillers and I only took one of them because I had a bad reaction. don't know if it happened because my body doesn't like that med or because I took the pills right before eating. instead of eating than taking the pill. either way, I didn't feel like going through dizziness, cold sweats, and trembling again to figure it out so I stuck to the fat ibuprofen that they gave me. it turned out to be all I needed as well.

I have a chapter of Izuku Kisses and is Kissed by Almost Everybody planned to come out on July 15th because that's Izuku's birthday. I hope you'll go check it out.

also about the pace of this fic, I said it in a comment because someone mentioned it. things will slow down some once we get to UA. it's just there isn't a lot of preUA stuff I wanna do and I don't want to just stretch things out with fluff for the sake of stretching things out.

also, I've had like five days off and now I have to go to work tomorrow ad I really don't want to. I really need to find a better job than I have but I have no idea what I wanna do beyond writing and I don't think I'm good enough to write an actual book. also writing one book wouldn't be enough. I'd need to write multiple books and they'd have to sell well.

Lycoris Recoil is an interesting anime. I've watched the first two episodes and honestly, it held my attention really well and I'm pretty excited to see where it goes. the two main girls are both wonderful in their own ways and I like their dynamic so far. can't wait to see more.

Chapter 10: Meditation

July 18th, 2235

 

"Delaware Smash!" All Might yelled as he threw a punch taking out four villains at once and shaking the windows of the nearby buildings. Two more villains rushed from both sides, and the Symbol of Peace grabbed them by the faces once they were in range and slammed their backs against each other just hard enough to knock the wind from their lungs.

 

As All Might tossed the gasping men over to the growing pile of groaning villains, he huffed and thought,  'why are there so many? And in one place.'

 

All Might didn't even stumble when a large rhino man slammed into his back. As All Might turned, the man backed away slowly and said. "I um... I'm sorry, sir."

 

All Might laughed as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. "No worries. It did nothing."

 

The half a dozen villains still standing all hesitated as All Might forced the rhino man to sit near the groaning pile of their comrades. "Now, why don't you fine men and women tell me why you're here today."

 

"Fuck you, All Might. We know you aren't invincible!" one of the women yelled as her eyes glowed an angry red.

 

All Might crossed the distance and grabbed her face, the palm of his hand covering her eyes as the fire shot from them.  'Ow ow ow ow. God, that's hot.'

 

All Might tightened his grip making her cry out and lose focus on her quirk. As the fire stopped, he delivered a swift punch to her stomach before tossing her to the rhino man who caught her.

 

"Get up, you fuck! Stop sitting there-" the large hippo-like man was cut off as All Might body slammed him into a wall before tossing him at the rhino man who had attempted to stand up.

 

"Honestly, this is getting old, don't you think." All Might said as he grinned and watched as the police kept the people at bay. There were no other heroes in sight, which wasn't unusual, but what was unusual was the number of police officers. It was fewer than what All Might was comfortable with.  'Things must be busy today.'

 

Someone punched All Might in the head and then screamed like a child when All Might retaliated and quickly took out the remaining villains. As the police moved in, All Might headed to officer Sansa Tamakawa who was directing the other officer's movements. “Officer Tamakawa, correct?”

 

The cat-headed man snapped a quick salute as he said. "Yes, sir, that's me. Excellent work as always, sir."

 

"Thank you. I see you're on your own today. Typically you work directly with Detective Tsukauchi, do you not?"

 

Sansas nodded. "Yes, sir, I do, and I'd love to be there right now helping with the investigations he has, but we're stretched thin this week, so he sent me out here to direct arrest and work with the heroes."

 

"What's caused this? Typically there are plenty of police to go around." All Might said as he waved to the civilians calling his name.

 

"Another uptick in crime, sir. Ever since... well, I beg your pardon, All Might, but ever since you got hurt, crime rates have been going up slowly but steadily. The number of villain attacks being dealt with across Tokyo at one time has been stretching us thin. We'll need to boost recruiting to the police force, or heroes may have to start standing around while they wait for us to catch up and process the villains." the cat man said as he took a tablet from an officer and started looking it over. "After this, I need to get my men thirty blocks east to handle the villains Edgeshto and Jeanist are taking care of."

 

All Might kept up his signature smile as he said. "Do not worry, officer Tamakawa; I'm sure things will calm down soon. Now I best get moving and don't take this the wrong way, but I hope we don't see each other again today."

 

Sansa laughed and snapped a salute. "The feeling is mutual, sir, and good luck out there."

 

The civilians let out a groan of disappointment as All Might shot off into the sky while looking for the next incident that needed his attention. As he soared through the sky, All Might couldn't help the guilt that bubbled up in his gut. Ever since he almost died, the image he worked so long to craft was cracked, and villains were getting braver by the year. He needed to do something to quell this rise in crime before it got out of hand.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 22nd, 2235

 

"I have been meaning to ask you, Yagi, were you ever able to get other heroes to help train Izuku Midoirya and Ochako Uraraka," Nezu asked as he, along with Toshinori and Aizawa, entered Gym Charle, where the teens in question were stretching on a sparring mat.

 

Toshi sighed and shook his head. "No, sir, I couldn't. They were all busy or unwilling to lend their time. I had thought Miruko may, but even after sending her footage of their spars, she never got back to me."

 

"Well, things are much busier than usual this year," Aizawa said. "The underground has been struggling just as much as you daylight heroes."

 

Toshi felt his shoulders slump as he said. "Yes, I am aware of that. I've been trying to get things under control, but I am limited on how long I can be active."

 

"We will have to take alternative actions to keep things from getting out of hand, but by my calculations, we won't need to take action until much later. As long as nothing goes wrong." Nezu said with a chipper smile as he hopped off Aizawa's shoulder and approached Izuku. "Hello, you two. How are you today?"

 

"We're doing good, sir," Izuku said with a smile as Ochako nodded. "Also, I have to wonder. Are you a hutia?"

 

Nezu chuckled as he shook his head. "No, I am not."

 

Izuku sighed in defeat as Aizawa and Toshi came over. "What are we gonna do today?"

 

"I believe mediation would be of benefit for you, Izuku Midoriya," Nezu said as he looked up at the teen. "Mental fortitude should do wonders for keeping One for All in line. Aizawa can run you through how to meditate properly."

 

"While he's doing that, we can spar and train your quirk, Young Uraraka," Toshi said as he stepped onto one of the mats.

 

Ochako smiled as she stepped up onto the mat. "Sounds good, sir."

 

Once Izuku was far enough away that their sparring wouldn't distract him, Toshi asked. "How has he been?"

 

Ochako sighed. "He wants to make up for what happened. He knows that no one blames him, but he still feels responsible for everything, so he's been pushing himself to do better in school and training."

 

"I don't suppose there's any way to convince him that he doesn't need to?" Toshi said as he buffed up.

 

"No, I don't think so," Ochako said as she dropped into a combat stance. "Izuku will push himself no matter what. The best I can do right now is keep training so that if something goes wrong, I can be there to help him."

 

Toshi smiled as he clenched his fist and tensed his muscles. "Then let us start right away, Young Uraraka. Do not hold back!"

 

Ochako smiled wide and rushed Toshi, ready to push herself for the sake of her best friend. She'd do everything she could to make sure their dreams of being heroes came true.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

July 22nd, 2235

 

"So um... how do we do this?" Izuku asked as he watched Aizawa lay on a sparring mat.

 

"Get comfortable first," Aizawa said as he closed his eyes. "Then close your eyes. After today's session, I'll guide you through mediation at the end of the next few sessions. Once you get the hang of it and we know nothing surprising is gonna happen, I'll let you do it on your own."

 

Izuku shuffled about for a moment before settling on laying on his back with his knees bent and hands resting on his stomach. As he closed his eyes, Aizawa spoke up. "Breath, but don't try to force any kind of rhythm. Just let it happen naturally."

 

As Izuku breathed, Aizawa kept speaking. "Don't worry about time, One for All, or anything else; just focus on yourself."

 

The two lay there in silence. Izuku breathed steadily as he did his best to keep his focus on himself, but his mind wandered to thoughts on Ochako's training and what kind of rodent Nezu could be.  'Wait, why am I limiting myself to rodents? Because he's small? Do I need to expand to more kinds of mammals?'

 

"Your mind is probably drifting at this point," Aizawa said suddenly.

 

"S-sorry," Izuku said as he kept his eyes closed.

 

"Don't worry, kid. It's gonna happen. You just need to be mindful of it and understand that it's not a bad thing when your mind wanders. Just pull back and start again."

 

Izuku took a deep breath and recentered himself. The cycle continued with Izuku drifting every so often and occasionally getting back to center. The times that he failed to catch himself, Aizawa would notice and help him get back on track.

 

Meditating was a strange thing for Izuku. He had never tried it before, but it felt good. Though he could feel something a sort of pull or itch at the edge of his awareness, and every time it started to become more pronounced, his mind would lose focus, and he'd drift off into some random thought about his friends or heroes he'd seen in action recently.

 

"Hey kid, it's time to come to an end. Focus on the positive things in life and the good memories you have." Aizawa explained as he sat up and watched over Izuku as the boy thought about his friends and mother and the good times throughout his life.

 

"So, how do you feel?"

 

Izuku blinked a few times before looking around and seeing Ochako talking to Toshi. It seemed their training had ended a while ago. "Um... relaxed?"

 

"Hm, that's good," Aizawa said. "We'll go over meditation more next time. For now, channel One for All up to ten percent."

 

Izuku took a few steps back and channeled the quirk. Aizawa watched as the boy caught fire before it slowly shifted to electricity. "Are you at ten?"

 

Izuku nodded and grunted. "It's hard to move, but yeah."

 

"Hm, go up to eleven," Aizawa said.

 

The boy hesitated but nodded and pulled on more of One for All, and instantly the voices yelled out as he felt them start to wrestle control of the quirk away from him. As the green electricity turned white, Aizawa erased his quirk, and Izuku let out a gasp.

 

"Hm, no change," Aizawa said as he helped Izuku stand up. "Go spar with All Might and be sure to stay at a percentage you can handle."

 

Izuku nodded and thanked Aizawa before running off and asking Toshi for a match. As the two took their positions, Nezu came over and asked. "Did anything unusual happen?"

 

"Hm, not really," Aizawa said as he watched the boy power up. "The boys got some incredible focus and dedication, though. We meditated for two hours. Most people don't do that even if they're experienced."

 

"Such an interesting boy." Nezu mused.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 18th, 2235

 

"The number you are trying to contact is-" Inko sighed as she hung up and looked at her phone with a frown. She had wanted to call Mitsuki, but this was the third day now that she couldn't get in touch.

 

Paranoia scuttled its way into her thoughts, and Inko shook it off before standing and walking around to check the stock of her candy shop. As she moved around the small store, she couldn't help but wonder. She had left Mustafasu because killing Hiashi's killers caused a ripple, and it wasn't safe for her or Izuku to live there anymore. There was, as far as she knew, no way for anyone to know that Jade and Inko Midoirya were the same person. Only Aizawa and Nezu knew, and Inko was fairly certain Nezu would rather use her than just sell her out, especially to villains.

 

'Under the slim chance that someone knows Jade is me, and they decided to target Mitsuki and her family instead of coming out here for me means they might not know where I am, just who I am.'  Inko groaned softly and rubbed her eyes before trying to shove the thoughts away. She was being ridiculous. Besides, if Mitsuki and her family had been kidnapped, then the ones responsible would have simply called her and made their demands known.

 

'I haven't received any demands, so Mitsuki is fine. She and Masaru are probably just busy with work or Katsuki. That boy was such a spitfire like his mother even at such a young age.'  Inko thought as she sat down behind the register.

 

She sat in silence for all of a minute before pulling her phone out and calling Masaru. The phone immediately played the message about it being outside of service range or busy. Inko chewed her lip and called Mitsuki one more time. After hearing nothing, she set her phone down and took deep, slow breaths.

 

Everything was fine. Her best friends were ok; They were just busy. Maybe they were on vacation. They had always talked about going to Hawaii, and with Masaru's money management, it would be possible. "Yeah, that's it. They're busy enjoying the sun and beaches and having too much fun. Mitsuki is probably scaring some poor men shitless when they try to hit on her, and Masaru's laughing quietly about it while keeping an eye on Katsuki..."

 

Inko's head hit the table as worry gnawed at the back of her mind. An annoying itch was developing just blew the surface, and not for the first time, she wondered if her time as Jade was affecting her day-to-day life a little too much even years after she had stopped putting on the mask.

 

"Fuck." Inko mumbled, realizing what was going to happen now.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 22nd, 2235

 

"Huh, you're not coming with?" Izuku asked as they stepped off the train.

 

Inko shook her head. "No, I've got some errands to run, and I trust Mr.Yagi and them to take care of you two."

 

Inko smiled at the two teens, who glanced at each other before shrugging and giving her quick hugs before heading off to UA for their training. Once they had ascended the stairs, Inko started off in the opposite direction and boarded the train. The Bakugo's home was a few stops away. She'd just pop over to say hello and spend some time before coming back and meeting up with Ochako and Izuku after their training. All her worries would be gone, and she could focus on living her life.

 

The train ride felt like it took three times as long as it should have, but Inko knew that was just her being impatient and paranoid. Once the train finally arrived, Inko was one of the first off. She moved quickly without drawing too much attention to herself.

 

As Inko moved toward the Bakugo's house, she remembered all the time she had spent with Mitsuki and Masaru. Mitsuki had introduced her to Hisashi back in college, and things had been pretty amazing after that. Inko's college life was so much more fun when she let Mitsuki or Hisashi drag her off to do something, and even a few times, she found herself dragging them and Masaru off to some party or event. Things weren't perfect though they never were. She got into arguments with Hiashi, and there was that one time when she and Mitsuki actually came to blows and had a fist fight in Masaru's living room.

 

Inko came to a stop in front of what should be the Bakugo's home. She approached the door and rang the doorbell. After several moments she tried again before taking a step back and looking at the exterior of the house. There was nothing off about it and no damage on the door to indicate a break-in.

 

"Are you looking for the Bakugo family?" an elderly voice asked.

 

Inko turned to see an elderly woman standing by the street. "Um, yes. I'm a friend of the family. I was in the area, so I thought I'd stop by."

 

"Oh, I suppose you don't know. They moved quite suddenly. Hm, two days ago, I believe. A moving truck showed up and took all their stuff." the elderly woman said as Inko approached her. "I think it might be because of their boy."

 

"Their son? Did something happen with him?" Inko asked as she looked down at the woman.

 

"Hm, he's got some behavior issues. Wouldn't be surprised if something happened at school that made them move. I'm sorry you missed them, deary."

 

"It's ok... thank you, ma'am," Inko said as she bowed her head before slowly walking away from the house. Inko's paranoia was firing on all cylinders now as she checked her surroundings. Her best friends just up and moved? They didn't call her or say anything about Katsuki? She couldn't believe it. The whole situation just didn't sit right with her.

 

Inko ran a hand through her hair as she sighed. She wanted to look into it, but she couldn't. If she did, then she was treading dangerously close to Jade. Inko couldn't do that. She just wanted a simple, quiet life.  'Maybe I can tell Nezu... I doubt he'll do anything, but still, it can't hurt.'

 

Inko headed off towards UA in the hopes that she'll be able to talk to Nezu before taking Izuku and Ochako back home. As she walked, she couldn't stop the worry from stewing in her gut. The possibility that the last of her friends could be in danger pulled her mind closer and closer to Jade, and the possibilities that putting on the mask opened up to her, but the potential danger of such an action kept her from running home right away to get her gear.

Notes:

I wanna write a sad fanfiction. Don't get me wrong. I am not losing any interest in this fic. I am just feeling a desire to write a sad fic.

I have two sad fic ideas. one is... significantly more messed up. I won't be doing that one. I'll be working on the plot of the less messed-up one.

I'm reading a manga called Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete/Gushin Over Magical Girls.

It's um... it's very sexual and hilarious. It's a yuri magical girl manga, and it's from the perspective of a reluctant villain who finds out they have a twisted personality and take pleasure in making the magical girls she loves squirm and suffer in BDSM situations. Now it's not all just fan service. The fights are pretty well done, the transformations are also really good, and the characters are good. Anyways if you're ok with some softcore and can laugh at or ignore any kinks your not into then it's a pretty good read.

Chapter 11: Full Cowling

July 22nd, 2235

 

"You would like me to look into where the Bakugo family went?" Nezu asked as he and Inko stood off to the side while Izuku and Ochako got autographs from Hound Dog and Snipe.

 

"Yes. they're friends of mine and-"

 

"You do realize I am not all-powerful, right?" Nezu asked as he looked up at Inko. "UA is my domain, and I have influence with the other schools, but outside of that, I am limited on what I can do. The Underground Agency which I established for my agents and heroes like Aizawa is not as powerful or well staffed as places like Might Tower or the Endeavor Agency."

 

"I just need one person to look into it. I don't know why they disappeared, but my gut tells me something had to have happened. Mitsuki and Masaru wouldn't just disappear like that and not tell me." Inko said as she crossed her arms and watched her son and his best friend talk about the heroes they just spoke to.

 

"Then why don't you do it?" Nezu asked. "As Jade, you did quite well for yourself."

 

Inko bit her lip and clenched her fist. "I don't- I would rather not step into that role again. I just want to live my life and raise my son."

 

Nezu hummed and stared at Izuku for a moment before saying. "I am busy, so I cannot spare any resources. Should things clear up, I may be able to spare an agent to look into things."

 

Inko didn't like it, but she knew she wasn't in a position to push Nezu on the subject. She'd just have to wait and hope Nezu could look into the matter. As Izuku came over, Inko smiled and started talking to the teens about their training.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 29th, 2235

 

"Gran Torino! It's been a while since we saw you!" Ochako said excitedly as she jogged up to the old man.

 

The old man nodded to her. "I'm old and have responsibilities, so I can't spend all my time training you two newbies, but it is good to see you kids."

 

Izuku chuckled as he walked up to the old hero. "Well, I'm glad you're here, sir. I've been using One for All in my sparring matches, so I'd like to show it off to you."

 

Gran huffed and walked over to one of the mats in Gym Charle. "Well, then stretch and get on the mat, boy. Show me what you can do."

 

Toshi watched with confusion as Izuku actually smiled at the idea of getting to fight Gran Torino. "Why is he excited? Why don't they dread seeing him?"

 

"Because he doesn't beat them until they vomit," Nighteye said as he crossed his arms. "Gran Torino said your training had to be done hard and fast, so he couldn't hold back. These two don't have that immediate need for combat experience, so he can take things slow and teach them properly."

 

"I am glad about that, don't get me wrong," Toshi said as he watched his successor stretch while the fire of One for All spread from his chest to his limbs. "It doesn't stop it from being kinda jarring to see students happy to see Gran Torino."

 

Nighteye hummed, and the two watched Izuku as he tried to land a hit on Gran Torino while the old man jetted around, dodging Izuku's punches and kicks with ease. After a moment, Nighteye started to turn to leave, and Toshi asked. "Where are you headed?"

 

"Meeting with Nezu. We're gonna go over our agency's joint investigation." Nighteye said, and Toshi couldn't help but stiffen up a bit. The joint investigation looking for All for One. He really wanted to lend them a hand, but it was much easier for The Underground Agency and the Nighteye Agency to move through the shadows than it was for Might Tower.

 

"I wish you the best of luck," Toshi said as Nighteye started to walk off.

 

"Good luck with your training," Nighteye said as he exited the gym.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 29th, 2235

 

Izuku yelped as Gran Torino's foot connected with his back and sent him tumbling. As Izuku regained his footing, he channeled One for All and attempted to lung at the old man, but another kick interrupted Izuku, and the flames went out.

 

As Gran Torino landed, he said. "That's enough, kid."

 

"I can keep going," Izuku said, tamping down his frustration.

 

"I know you can but remember you're learning here, and I've seen something that I wanna ask about."

 

Izuku took a deep breath and steadied himself. "What's wrong, sir?"

 

Gran walked up and poked Izuku in the chest. "You're pulling on One for All, starting from the chest and then channeling it through your whole body. That's somewhat a good thing. Concentrating all your power into one limb or something like that would be bad."

 

Izuku nodded and tried not to wince as Gran jabbed him in the chest as he said. "But you're channeling your quirk, which is a problem. It's slow and ineffective."

 

"What do you mean, sir?" Izuku asked Gran, and he sat down.

 

"You're treating One for All like your other quirk. You're pulling it from the source and directing it where you need it." Izuku opened his mouth, but Gran cut him off. "You're pulling it from your chest because that's where your fire comes from, but One for All doesn't work like Dragons Breath."

 

"Then how does it work?" Izuku asked, his hands itching for his notebook. Ochako seemed to have noticed and tossed it along with a pen. Gran rolled his eyes as Izuku flashed her a grateful smile.

 

"Tell me, kid, do you feel joy with just your heart? Or anger with just your gut? When you go in for a kick or a punch, do you use just your legs or arms? You don't, do you?"

 

"No, I don't..." Izuku's eyes widened as he said. "I experience it with all of myself. I experience emotions throughout my whole body, and when I attack, I use my whole body to deliver as much power as possible. One for All doesn't exist in just my chest; it's in my whole body. I don't need to call it forth in one spot and then channel it. I should be able to just."

 

Ochako jumped as Izuku suddenly erupted into green flames. He quickly tossed his notebook away and noted that it didn't seem charred or discolored by the fire. "I guess these flames really are just visual."

 

Izuku stood shakily and said. "I should come up with a name for this. I've read that a big part of super moves names, especially in the early days of making them is to help with reliably recreating it."

 

"Think up a name for this later; for now, keep your current mindset up and let's go again," Gran said as he stood up and got into position.

 

Ochako grabbed the notebook and scribbled some things down in the One for All section. She may not be able to analyze and break things down like Izuku can, but she could take notes and leave her own observations for him to use later. As Gran Torino and Izuku started sparring, Ochako headed over to Toshi to start some quirk training.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 29th, 2235

 

"Ah, it's wonderful to see you again, Midoriya," Nezu said as the teen entered his office. "How is your training going?"

 

"Um, it's going good, sir. Eraserhead said you wanted to see me." Izuku said as he took a seat while Nezu poured a cup of tea for him.

 

"Yes, I would like to take some time every now and then to speak with you after your training. I'm very busy, so I won't be able to do it every time but as often as possible if you're ok with that." Nezu said as he poured his own cup.

 

Izuku sipped the tea and then stared at the cup in confusion. Nezu smiled as he sipped his cup and watched the puzzled look on Izuku's face. The boy looked up as Nezu set his cup down. "What kind of tea is this, sir?"

 

"Hm? Oh, it's a personal blend. I enjoy a lot of tea, but I could never find one that I could say I loved, and so I made my own blend of leaves." Nezu said. "How do you like it? I find most people don't share my taste."

 

"Hm..." Izuku gave the tea a couple more sips before saying. "I think... I think it's pretty good. I'm not an expert or anything on tea, so I'm sure there are parts to this I'm missing, but I would not be opposed to drinking more of it."

 

"Wonderful to hear. I'll be sure to have some available during our next talk."

 

Izuku sipped the tea, trying to parse out the flavors. If he could identify things in Nezu's favorite tea, maybe he could get hints on what kind of animal Nezu was. The principle of UA looked kind of like a cross between a mouse and a bear, yet something told Izuku that neither of those was the correct answer.

 

"So, what did you want to talk about, sir?"

 

"I was hoping to hear your thoughts on some recent hero news," Nezu said simply as he slid over a tablet opened to a news article.

 

"Is that all?" Izuku asked as he looked at the article he had read earlier today.

 

Nezu chuckled. "For today, yes, I'd simply like to chat about hero news and your thoughts on the events."

 

"Oh um... sure ok," Izuku said before sipping his tea again.

 

As the two started talking about the recent news, Ochako continued working on her quirk with Gran Torino and All Might. The girl was making strides in thoroughly impressing Gran Torino with her work ethic and determination. Meanwhile, All Might was glad to see that despite Izuku receiving One for All, Ochako hadn't lost any of her drive to be as good of a hero as she could be. He wasn't sure how realistic his fear was, but All Might had worried that after seeing what Izuku was capable of, Ochako may lose some motivation. He was thrilled that the fear turned out to be irrational. If anything, after the warehouse incident, she seemed to have doubled downed on her own training.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

August 9th, 2235

 

Inko stood before her closest and stared at the safe. She knew she should have patience, but her gut kept twisting, and her mind was conjuring up worst-case scenarios. The Bakugo family was probably ok, and she was just overreacting. Inko crouched and stared harder at the safe as her hand itched and her fingers twitched.

 

If she got her gear out and went back to Mustafasu tonight, she could start digging around. It would be pretty easy to find info if they just moved, then she could hang around the area until 'accidentally' running into a member of the Bakugo family. It'd be quick and easy and over before she knew it. Then she could put the mask away and live her life again with the knowledge that her friends are ok.

 

Inko's hands shot up to her head, and she groaned as she scratched her head and messed up her hair. Frustration grew in her chest as she got up and quickly walked away from the safe. She attempted to leave her room, but a tugging sensation in her mind kept her from leaving. She had promised herself that after getting revenge for Hisashi that she was done.

 

Inko had been struck with grief at her husband's death, and the lack of response by the police investigation had driven her over the edge. She put on the mask and took up the persona of Jade. She dedicated herself to taking care of a young Izuku and learning how to be a vigilante so she could find out who killed her husband. It hurt, and she got battered around for a long time before getting the hang of things shortly before getting discovered by Nezu. He helped her find them, and in exchange, she would lend him the skills she developed while being Jade when the time came.

 

Inko groaned and laid down on her bed. She didn't want to fall back into that life. She was constantly stressing out and trying to survive being a mother and a vigilante. Her anxiety had never been that severe until that time in her life, and now despite her efforts, she couldn't completely shake Jade's mindset, and she found herself becoming paranoid.

 

The sound of movement in the house caught her attention, and she checked the time. Inko chuckled quietly and slipped out of her room without making a sound. Her son thought he was stealthier than he actually was.  'Maybe I should teach him stealth? Nah, if Izuku wants stealth training, I should let him seek it out.'

 

Inko looked out the window in the second-story hallway and smiled as she watched her son wander off into the late night. She knew where he was going and who he was meeting and was just waiting for the right time to reveal that she knew.

 

Inko's smile faded as Izuku disappeared from sight. Her worries about Masaru and Mitsuki were coming back to mind. She sighed and rubbed her face before heading to the bathroom and grabbing some melatonin. She knew it probably wouldn't help as much as she wanted, but it was better than nothing.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

August 9th, 2235

 

Izuku approached the Cafe and spotted Ochako sitting staring at the stars. As he approached his best friend, he stumbled a bit. Something about her face in the light as she stared up at the sky caught his attention. Her eyes shimmered with joy as she looked at the stars she loved. Izuku stood there and watched as she kicked her feet slowly. She looked... happy and relaxed.

 

Ochako blinked and looked over suddenly. She smiled as she spotted Izuku and waved to him. Izuku blinked and smiled softly before quickly jogging up to her while shaking off the strange sensation he felt when he saw her.

 

"Hey," Ochako said quietly as Izuku sat across from her.

 

"Hey," Izuku said as he leaned back. "What's wrong?"

 

Ochako hummed and looked up at the sky for a moment before shrugging and looking at Izuku. "Nothing, I guess. I just-I woke up and couldn't go to sleep right away. I wanted to hang out with you since we didn't get to earlier today, and honestly, lately, all we do is train or study. we haven't just done stuff for fun since... ya'know the warehouse."

 

"...Yeah. I uh, it's just you know I wanna make sure I'm ready for UA and that I won't be... surprised by my quirk anymore." Izuku said as he looked at the ground between them.

 

Ochako poked his shin with her foot. "You've got control over your quirk. Everything will be ok, and if anything happens, we'll all be there to help you."

 

Izuku let out a deep sigh and slumped. "Thanks, Chako. Honestly, I've been stressing so much about this. Way more than us trying to get into UA."

 

"Not try. We're gonna get in, and we're gonna be the best students there." Ochako said with a grin that showed how true her confidence was.

 

Izuku smiled and stood up as he walked over to one of the vending machines. "Yeah. we're gonna get in and be the best."

 

"As for what you've been stressing about. I'm confident everything will work out ok. no one knows quirks better than you."

 

Izuku chuckled as he got drinks for the two of them. Having Ochako remind him of her and the other's support helped him feel a little more at ease.

 

The two friends sat across from each other and spoke about anything and everything that came to mind. It wasn't until Ochakon noticed that it was four am that they decided to call it a night and head back to their respective homes.

 

Before they went their separate ways, Ochako stopped and said. "I meant to ask, did you ever come up with a name for how you power up your quirk?"

 

"Yeah. I was thinking of Full Cowling." Izuku said as he let some fire appear on his hand. "What do you think?"

 

"Hm, pretty good," Ochako said with a small smile as she watched the fire go out. "I'll see you tomorrow... or well, I guess in a couple hours. Goodnight, Izuku."

 

"Goodnight, Chako," Izuku said as the two went their separate ways.

Notes:

I've been watching Summer Time Render. It's very good, and I'm enjoying it. Also, Call of the Night is good.

Super Eyepatch Wolf is a great Youtuber. I like his videos and have been watching them for years. Very good videos. They range from 20ish minutes to two hours, depending on the content he's talking about. his Why You Should Still Read Berserk video is an amazing one. I've never even read Berserk. I do want to; I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Also, this is odd, I guess, but to those who have read my works before and what not. What do you like the most about my writing? What do you think I need to work on?

I try to ask this every so often, and it's been a while since I did. I want to improve as a writer and all that, so please comment something positive and something you think I should give some attention to writing-wise.

Chapter 12: Jade

July 1st, 2235

 

Utsumi pulled her shirt down as the nurse stepped out, and Dr.Garaki tapped away at his computer. "Well, Utsumi, congratulations, you're as healthy as you were last year, and you seem to have grown a little taller."

 

Utsumi hummed as she sat on the bed. "That's good, I suppose."

 

"Yes, well, onto your quirk. Any changes or developments?" the doctor asked as he swiveled his chair around to face her.

 

They were currently in Jaku General Hospital, which Garaki owned. Utsumi and her siblings were getting their yearly physicals.

 

Utsumi produced a few particles from her arm before letting them fizzle out. "No changes, doctor. I've been keeping up with my training. Sadly I haven't been able to come up with any new ways to use it."

 

The doctor nodded as he looked over the data on her quirk. Stardust: the ability to produce particles from one's pores and freely control them via telekinesis. The particles will either fizzle out or explode violently depending on whether Utsumi clicks her tongue or snaps her fingers. It was a decently powerful and destructive quirk, if a bit slow to get started.

 

"Well, no change is better than regression. Be sure your siblings keep up their training. You may not have much to do now, but in the future, our master will have need of you and your siblings."

 

Utsumi nodded and smiled brightly. "Of course, sir, we look forward to the day."

 

"Good, now onto your nightmares." Garaki kept his face neutral as the smile dropped off Utsumi's face. "You're still experiencing them from time to time."

 

"Yes, doctor," Utsumi said as a distant look filled her eyes. As she spoke, it shifted into an angry scowl. "I dream about that bitch. She practically held my family hostage. We had to spend time with her and her daughter. The stupid girl never saw what her mother was really like. She was ignorant to all of the suffering."

 

Utsumi rubbed her eyes as she said. "The dreams usually end the day of the accident."

 

"Do you remember what happened that day?" Garaki asked as he noted down her mood.

 

"Just that Tokie and I were in the back seat. She was behind dad, who was driving." Utsumi rubbed her forehead as she closed her eyes, and Garaki watched her carefully. "We... I don't remember, but we got hit by something. The accident was bad. Tokie and dad died... I woke up in your hospital."

 

"And we've been caring for you ever since," Garaki says. "And you've thrived here. Your siblings are all excelling and getting along better than before you took charge."

 

Utsumi smiled. "Thank you, doctor. Is there anything else we need to go over?"

 

The doctor tapped at his tablet for a moment as he hummed. There was something he wanted to do, but he hadn't had time to bring it up with his master, so he shook his head. "No, that'll be all. Kurogiri will take you home now."

 

Utsumi nodded and stood as the portal opened. "Alright. Thank you for taking care of our health doctor."

 

Garaki nodded and watched as the girl stepped through the portal. Once the gateway had closed, the doctor looked over his notes. Utsumi's condition was holding stable, and her mind was still repressing the trauma she had suffered. Garaki sighed and started to close everything down. He needed to head to the main facility and take care of Tomura's physical for the year. He just hoped the boy wouldn't take a swipe at him like he did last year.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

August 12th, 2235

 

Inko's patience was not infinite, especially when it came to matters of her loved ones' safety, and so as she turned the dial on the safe and the final click of the lock seemed to echo through the house, she didn't feel as much guilt over this decision as she thought she would.

 

Inko pulled out the various legal documents she kept here, including her will, and set them to the side. Beneath all the papers was something, she thought she'd never put on again. Inko sighed as she pulled the black box that took up half the safe out and placed it on her bed. She opened it to see Jade staring back at her. Inko shuddered and set the mask to the side before she pulled off her sleeping clothes and donned the dark protective suit. If the actions of zipping it up and securing the clasp didn't make her stomach drop with every click and zip, she would have felt pretty good about the suit still fitting despite how many years had gone by.

 

Inko moved to her closest and pulled out a long coat that she slipped on over Jade's outfit. She made sure her phone was secure inside Jade's suit and then slipped the mask into a pocket inside the jacket. With one final moment of hesitation, Inko steeled her resolve and silently slipped out of her room. Her son was asleep, and so she didn't have to worry about lying to Izuku.

 

As she got to the station and boarded the last train heading towards Mustafasu, Inko sat and thought about her plans. Mitsuki had told her at some point that Katsuki was going to Aldara Junior High, so she'd go there first. They'd have to transfer Katsuki's transcript to whatever new school he was attending. Once she knew what school he was at, it'd be easy to track down where the Bakugos were living.

 

Inko swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought about Mustafasu. Jade was short-lived, but she made an impact. Inko just hoped that anyone who had beef with Jade had moved on from Mustafasu. She really didn't want to get into a fight tonight.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

August 12th, 2235

 

Inko slipped into the darkness of the back alleys and hid her jacket. It was old, and honestly, if some homeless person found it and stole it, she wouldn't miss it. With another quick breath, Inko slipped on the faceless dark green mask of Jade.

 

Jade moved quickly and quietly through the darkest corners of the city. Hero patrols may have changed over the years, but Mustafasu was such a quiet and relatively peaceful place that there weren't many heroes patrolling, especially at such a late hour. As a result, Jade made it to the school with little effort.

 

The locks were easy, and the cameras obvious. Jade slipped in and got to the records room within minutes. She searched the desk in the room and found a note with the owner's passwords scribbled down on it. She thanked the people in low-security environments and their tendency to not take security seriously as she set about booting up the old pc. Once she was logged in, she searched the records for Katsuki Bakugo and found them, but there was no request for a transcript or receipt showing that one had been sent.

 

After a few more minutes, Jade turned her attention away from the computer and started to dig through the filing cabinets. Maybe they had physical copies. Older schools like this tended to keep physical copies of some things while leaving other info solely on the computer. Jade's hopes were dashed after nearly an hour of looking. There was nothing but a simple notice of withdrawal. Katuski Bakugo left Aldera but apparently did not go to a new school.

 

Before Jade left, she checked Katsuki's disciple record. The old woman who she met outside the Bakugo house had said he had issued, but his record only showed a few minor infractions with the dress code and a couple times where he was warned about fighting though each instance stated he wasn't the aggressor in those situations.

 

Jade was not happy. She made sure everything was back in order and slipped out of the school. As she crouched on a fire escape, Jade went over the next order of business. The Bakugos would have to change the address that their mail gets sent to, so the post office should have a record of that. Jade hopped off the fire escape and started heading for the post office as she plotted how'd she go about breaking in.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

August 12th, 2235

 

The post office was slightly harder to break into, but Jade got in nonetheless and quickly set about looking through the records stored there. As she dug through their digital and paper records, Jade found herself becoming more and more frustrated. There was nothing about Mitsuki and Masaru's family. No new address for their mail to be forwarded to or any clue she could use to find them.

 

Jade growled as she practically slammed a drawer shut. Her mind raced for a new avenue. The only thing she could think of right now was maybe city hall. They'd have property records so she could find out who owns the home now. Perhaps that would lead her to something she could use to find where they went. If not, she'd have to start questioning people who live near them. Whether it would be Jade or Inko doing the questioning was still up in the air.

 

After putting everything back how it was, Jade left the post office and headed for city hall. Once she got close to the building in question, Jade stopped and crouched low as she hugged the shadows. A hero team passed her by, not even realizing how close she was to them.

 

Unlike the post office and the school, the city hall actually has security guards, which complicates things more for Jade, but her paranoia and concern for her friends outweighed the risk of getting caught.

 

Once the heroes had turned down another street, Jade moved quickly while keeping an eye out for cameras and possible security. She approached the side of the building and climbed up the fire escape. Once she arrived on the roof, she was surprised to see the roof access door propped open by a box.

 

Jade approached it carefully and scanned the area for any signs of a trap or other people.  'Why is the door propped open? Is someone else breaking in here?'

 

Jade stepped carefully and quietly. She didn't know the layout of the building, so she took it slow and kept an ear out for the security guards though she was surprised by the lack of patrols.  'I guess Mustafasu is a relatively peaceful place and who would break into a city hall? Most villains are more concerned about money or things that could be sold on the black market than official documents.'

 

As Jade opened the door, her thoughts came to a halt as she locked eyes with a man in a long black coat. His gray hair was slicked back, and his mustache looked well groomed. His blue eyes widened as he flashed a smile. "Hello ma'am, to what do I owe the pleasure of this interruption? Are you perhaps a hero?"

 

Jade closed the door behind her slowly and looked around the large office room full of cubicles. She couldn't see anyone else, so she spoke quietly. "No, I'm not. Are you a hero?"

 

The man laughed, and Jade cringed at how loud he was. "Of course not; I am Gentle Criminal. A criminal who-"

 

"Well, stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours," Jade said, cutting him off and walking around the perimeter of the room as she kept an eye on him.

 

The man looked a bit annoyed about being interrupted, but he threw a smile on his face nonetheless and did a small twirl to face her. "Perhaps I can assist you? I am here looking for evidence of corruption. What may your task be?"

 

"Property records," Jade said simply.

 

"Ah, property records would be the next floor down, room 305," Gentle said before giving a small bow. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

 

Jade huffed and thanked the man before heading for the staircase. Once she was gone, La Brava stepped out of her hiding spot and said. "She seemed rude."

 

"Haha, I'm sure she was simply focusing on her mission, whatever it may be," Gentle said as he smiled at the camera. "If I'm not mistaken, though, we may have just met something of an old local legend. I believe that was the vigilante Jade who was active some years ago before disappearing suddenly."

 

"She did look pretty cool." La Brava said as she got some footage of the room to fill out certain parts of the video.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

August 12th, 2235

 

Jade found the property records room fairly quickly and made her way inside. She brushed off the strange guy she met and started combing through the records. Things were... terribly unorganized, and it seemed none of it was digitized, so she had to do it the hard way.

 

She wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually, she found it. Mitsuki and Masaru's home had been sold to a company called Ansoft Real Estate and was still owned by them. Jade hummed and looked around. There were a dozen other homes and businesses in the area that were all purchased by the company.

 

Jade checked the time and sighed. She needed to get out of here and hang around the station until the trains started running again.  'I'll check out the company after getting some sleep.'

 

After putting everything back relatively where it was supposed to go, Jade slipped out and found her way back to where she dropped off her jacket. She was mildly surprised to find it still there, and so she slipped off her mask and put her coat on before finding a dark spot to hide and wait for the sun to come up and the trains to arrive.

Notes:

I like to watch Reaction channels. Especially the ones who do breakdowns and whatnot of the shows they're watching. The ones I tend to enjoy the most are Symblence of Sanity and Teeaboo. Though there was a time I stopped watching Teeaboo because his attitude and general vibe changed to be pretty meh, in my opinion. I learned later when I watched one of his vids that it was because he had some pretty bad depression, but now he's doing better and has some meds to help.

Anyways this is all to say that I'm watching Teeaboo react to 86, and it's reminding me of how amazing this anime is and how I want more. It is such a good show.

I found a manga called A Tropical Fish Yerns for Snow. It's a yuri manga. I haven't read it yet, but the title of the manga caught my attention, so I'm gonna check it out at some point soon.

I am yet again sitting here wondering what I was gonna tell you all, but I can't remember now that I'm finally here, so oh well. See you in the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Hot Soup

August 14th, 2235

 

Inko frowned as she looked at her laptop. She had rested yesterday and opened the store a bit late, not that it really mattered; the kids usually visited her candy store in the afternoon. That meant this morning, she was properly starting her investigation into Ansoft, and the initial results were less than stellar and were looking to be a big headache.

 

Inko was, by all means, a paranoid person, and she knew this. Her mother had been the same way. That meant when she decided to become Jade, she went a little... overboard in the preparation. She learned skills that she thought would be useful for a vigilante and ended up not using most of them in practice. Her tracking down of Hisashi's murderers was less of digging through files and uncovering shell corporations and more of beating the shit out of people and making them talk about those in the underground. All of this meant that as Inko looked into Ansoft's online presence, she realized rather quickly that it was most likely a shell corporation.

 

Inko hummed and tapped her finger on the desk. They had a physical location listed on their website. She'd need to canvas it before trying to get in. her rushing into Mustafasu was sloppy, and she knew that she'd gotten lucky that things had gone as well as they did.

 

With a deep sigh, Inko shut down her laptop and stood up. She needed to make breakfast and get her day started. She couldn't just spend it sitting here plotting her next move. As she entered the living room, she saw her son sitting on the couch, looking at his phone. She was about to say something to him, but as laughter filled the room, Inko clenched her jaw. She heard that same obnoxious laughter two days ago. Now it was coming from her son's phone.

 

Inko walked over and did her best to not look as worried as she felt as she asked. "Whatcha watching?"

 

Izuku looked up as he paused the video. "Huh? Oh, um, it's this guy called Gentle Criminal. One of my friends from school showed me his videos. He apparently goes around exposing corruption in companies, local governments, and even some hero agencies. He's been getting more popular recently. I think he started to post some time after Mr.Yagi got hurt."

 

Izuku played the video, and Inko watched as the man she had meant two nights ago poured a cup of tea and monologued about Mustafasu. "I saw he had a thing for tea and started watching, but he doesn't talk much about it. Now I'm just watching cause this is actually pretty interesting stuff. Not that companies and stuff actually end up in trouble because of these videos, at least not with the authorities, but the people seem to be boycotting anyone who comes up in his videos."

 

Inko hummed and cringed as he spilled a very expensive tea in an effort to do a high pour. Before she could comment on his lack of tea pouring skills, the man laughed and said. "Before we get into the real meat of the video, as it were, I have an interesting story to share with you all."

 

Gentle smiled as he leaned closer to the camera. "My Mustafasu natives are almost guaranteed to have heard this name before, and who knows, maybe some outside of the quiet city know of the vigilante named Jade."

 

Inko wanted to scream, but she kept her face neutral as she watched her son get a curious look in her eyes.  'Shit, that's not good.'

 

Gentle stepped back as he took a sip of his half-empty cup. "Back, oh, I would say ten or so years ago, a new vigilante took to the streets."

 

'I'm gonna kill this man if I ever see him again.'  Inko thought before shaking it from her head. Even as he showed an image of her from when they ran into each other in the town hall, she wouldn't seriously consider killing him.

 

"Her name was Jade, and this lady of the shadows was known for her violent and precise takedowns. People often commenting that they felt their eyes bulge or like their tongue was being pulled from their mouths shortly before she struck, and strike she did. Terror was forced into the hearts of villains who claimed Mustafasu as their hunting grounds." Gentle said as he sloshed his tea around, spilling it more. "One day, she suddenly disappeared, and no one knew what happened."

 

Gentle stepped closer. "Rumors spread and faded, and eventually, her name no longer made the ungentlemanly ruffians of the night hesitate, but as I was investigating Mustafasu town hall, I ran into Jade. I do not know what she was doing or if she was truly back, but she seemed like a woman on a mission. I do wish her the best of luck even if she is a bit... rough in her way of handling things."

 

Inko quickly walked over to the kitchen in the hopes of making breakfast, but her hopes were dashed as her phone rang and she saw Nezu's stupid name pop up. Inko considered not answering, but after a moment of consideration, she stepped out of the room and headed for her bedroom as she answered the phone. "Hello, Nezu."

 

"I suppose you do not need my assistance on the matter you brought up earlier?" Nezu said, sounding perfectly neutral, but Inko could hear the hints of annoyance.

 

"I mean, if you're offering," Inko said. "I found a company that owns my friend's home, and I need to open up my shop today, so it'd be a big help if you could look into it."

 

"I'll never understand why you picked such a job," Nezu said before going quiet for a moment. "As for assisting you, I am still busy. I will offer some advice, though. Do try to avoid making guest appearances as Jade."

 

Inko sighed and was about to hand up when Nezu asked. "What's the company's name?"

 

Inko hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ansoft Real Estate."

 

The line clicked, and Inko stared at her phone as she said. "Little rat bastard hung up on me."

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

August 14th, 2235

 

Nezu set down his phone and stepped out of his office in the Underground Agency. He walked at a brisk pace down the plain hallways. He entered the room three doors down. A woman with the head of a Doberman straightened as he walked in. Nezu nodded to her, and she locked the door as her boss made his way over to Nighteye, who was pouring over documents with two others.

 

"Ansoft Real Estate. Who has papers on it?" Nezu asked as he climbed on top of the desks.

 

"I do," Nighteye said before handing them to him. "Why?"

 

"It's been active recently. We may be able to find something if we start focusing on it."

 

"What activity?" A woman with a slime-like appearance asked as her hand extended and branched off, grabbing a few files out of reach.

 

"Purchase of at least one home in Mustafasu. It was some time earlier this year." Nezu explained as he looked over what they knew about the company. "See if any other business had deals in Msutafsu and track down employees. I believe he has taken people, and if he has, then we should be able to follow the trail."

 

Nighteye grimaced and looked to the others present. "We'll shift focus then."

 

"I need to head to UA for a school board meeting. I will return as soon as possible to assist." Nezu said as he hopped down and was let out by the woman standing guard. "Please work diligently until then."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

August 16th, 2235

 

Jade huffed as she crouched and stared at the building across the street from the roof she was on. Ansoft's only building was a three-story concrete building sandwiched between a furniture store and some kind of office building. Security seemed lax, and as far as Jade could tell, there wasn't a security guard. That just left cameras and a possible security system. She just needed to-.

 

Jade jumped away as slime erupted from the gravel she was standing on and attempted to capture her. As she landed, a large woman with a Doberman head charged her, and Jade quickly avoided the woman's punches.

 

Jade cursed internally as the woman kept pace with her, and just as the Doberman pulled her fist back, Jade used her quirk to jerk her thump towards Jade's open palm, causing the punch to swing wide. Jade used the opening to get inside her range and deliver several quick strikes to the woman's abdomen and the side of her head.

 

Before Jade could follow up, slime erupted between them, and Jade was forced back more. She was about to attempt to use her quirk on the slime woman when two seals slammed into the ground in front of her, and Jade bit her cheek as Sir Nighteye stepped into her line of sight.

 

"You're the vigilante Jade, correct?"

 

Jade stayed silent as Nighteye observed her. "We do not have business with you right now, so if you leave, we won't arrest you."

 

Jade glanced back, seeing two men on her left side. That meant her only escape route was towards the alleyway to the right, and she knew Nighteye was smart, so she could assume at least one person was down there hiding. She couldn't fight this many people. They were heroes, or at least Nezu's agents. Fighting them while not going for kill shots would ruin her chances, and there was no way she was going to kill these people. She'd only ever killed the one time, and that was in a mostly blind rage.

 

"Fine, I'll leave," Jade said as she stepped back. "I'll find out what I want sooner or later."

 

Nighteye didn't respond. He simply kept his eyes on the vigilante until she disappeared down the fire escape. "Hound track her for a bit, just enough to make sure she isn't going to double back. Everyone else, let us continue with the operation."

 

The others gave a quick affirmative and set about their jobs as Nighteye wondered why the vigilante had been here. He would have liked to catch her and question her, but they had bigger prey to track.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

August 25th, 2235

 

Inko sat in Nezu's office and sipped the weird blend of tea he always seemed to make. The rodent himself was seated at his desk, looking at something on his computer. She had come during Izuku's training at Nezu's request, but the rat had yet to speak.

 

Inko sighed. "What is this about?"

 

"You had a bit of a run-in with my people," Nezu said as he glanced at her. "Nighteye and the others back on the sixteenth. I am glad that you didn't seriously injure anyone."

 

Inko bristled but quickly tamped down her annoyance. "Well, I supposed it's both our faults for not informing the other that we were going to look into the company. I have to wonder why you were interested in it, though. I thought you were too busy to help me."

 

Nezu stared at his computer, and Inko could almost see the numbers being crunched in his mind. The pros and cons of divulging information while considering what information to disclose. After a moment, Nezu said. "I believe the All for One took the Bakugo family."

 

Inko felt like someone had just snuck up on her and injected ice into her blood. "W-what?"

 

Nezu steepled his paws as he said. "Ansoft is a shell company that we are reasonably sure belongs to All for One. The Bakugo household, as you know, is not the only home bought by Ansoft. All the families whose homes were bought disappeared like the Bakugos. We're currently working on tracking them down. I'd like you to stay put and enjoy your...quiet life. I will inform you when we've found a lead."

 

Inko wanted to scream. She stood and took deep, slow breaths to keep herself centered as she clenched her fist and released them. "I.. what? You expect me to just sit here and-"

 

"Inko Midoirya is a simple person who left the city in order to move on from her husband's death. She lives a quiet life with her son and is content with that. Jade is an old vigilante from back in the day who made one odd appearance on an internet villain's youtube video but hasn't been seen since then." Nezu said, cutting her off. "You are a valuable piece, and I would prefer for my opponents to not know about you and take an interest in you. The longer you fly under the radar, the better."

 

Nezu hopped out of his chair and walked around to face Inko more directly. "Your son needs your support. He will become a great hero, but he needs your assistance, so instead of rushing off and risking the attention of the man that nearly killed All Might, I would suggest you stay in the background and aid your son. When the time is right, I am sure I will find a task for you that will let you either save your friends or get revenge for them."

 

Inko clenched her jaw and held the tension for a moment before releasing her frustration with a deep sigh that almost came out as a growl. Frustrated was a close enough word for what she was feeling. "Fine. I will stay in the background as you said, but the moment we find where the Bakugos are or what happened to them, I want to know, and I want to be there."

 

"Very well," Nezu said as he headed back to his desk. "In the meantime, please be sure not to show up on youtube anymore."

 

Inko huffed and walked off to go check on Izuku and Ochako's training. Honestly, by now, they were more than ready for the exam it was mostly just keeping in shape and honing the precision of their moves. She smiled as pride welled up inside her. They had really come a long way from the two kids who struggled with basic stretches in the beginning.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

August 25th, 2235

 

Izuku felt his entire body relax and almost become weightless for a moment before he suddenly jerked violently, and his eyes shot open. He found himself standing in the field of black grass. The power of One for All thrummed at his back, and Izuku resisted the urge to stare at it. He felt that if he did, it would pull him in like last time.

 

Izuku took a deep breath and tried not to shake as he took a step forward. When nothing happened, he looked around, careful not to look back at the golden sun. There was nothing for as far as he could see. Just grass blowing in the wind, all of it bathed in golden light.

 

Deciding to take a look around, Izuku started to walk away from One for All. as he walked, little sparks of light caught his attention, and after spotting a handful of them off in the distance, he picked one and started walking. It felt like it took several seconds and several hours at the same time to get to the light. As he approached, he realized it was a small fire. Purple flames danced and flickered as the grass bent away from the flames.

 

Izuku felt a tugging sensation in his chest and barely managed to grab his wrist before he could plunge his hand into the flames. Izuku gasped as he stumbled back. The fire flickered, and a faint voice could be heard.

 

"Come on, Toshi, don't be a chicken. I promise Sorahiko is a good guy. He knows about One for All, and I'm sure you'll learn a lot from him."

 

Izuku swallowed as he whispered. "Nana."

 

His hand drifted for the flames, but he resisted and turned away. "No... I need to be careful."

 

Izuku shook his head and quickly walked away from the dancing purple flames. He continued walking until he came upon something... unexpected. Though with how little he knew about this space, could he really have any expectations other than the expectation that he'd find things he knew nothing about?

 

Izuku shook the idle thoughts away as he stared out at a lake. Bright green water sat perfectly still, reflecting the power of One for All on its surface. Izuku was thankful that he didn't feel the same pulling sensation as when he looked at it straight on.

 

As he stared at the water, Izuku realized something. The consistency didn't look right. He knelt at the edge of the lake and touched it with his finger. "It's not water; it feels more viscous... is this my quirk?"

 

The green liquid shimmered and rippled as One for All flared up behind him. Izuku turned on instinct, and his eyes glazed over as he stared at the golden sun.

 

Izuku gasped and attempted to sit up, but a hand on his chest kept him lying on his back. Aizawa was staring down at him with what looked like mild concern. "You awake, kid?"

 

Izuku looked around to see Gran Torino, Ochako, All Might, and Aizawa, all looking at him with worry in their eyes. "Uh... yeah. Wh-what happened?"

 

"You were gone," Aizawa said. "You were breathing, and your heart was beating, but we couldn't wake you up. Then suddenly, you sparked with white electricity, so I used my quirk, and you woke up."

 

Izuku sat up slowly as everything from his time in the field came back to him. "Oh!"

 

Aizawa leaned back as the teen shot to his feet and ran over to his backpack. "I have... so much uh stuff. Grass and fire and water, but it wasn't water."

 

Gran tilted his head. "You ok, kid?"

 

Ochako sighed and said. "He's fine. This sometimes happens when he has too much on his mind. He can't explain things properly because he's thinking about too much at once."

 

Izuku smiled and pointed at Ochako. "Best friend. Also, the sun doesn't try to eat me when it's reflected." He said as he descended into mumbling theories before suddenly saying. "I heard Nana's voice, but that's the big discovery right now."

 

All Might and Torino tensed and looked like they had just been slapped as the green-haired teen tossed his notebook to Ochako and kept drifting in and out of mumbling. "Um... we tested the quirk. My quirk, you know, the fire one."

 

Ochako nodded as she said. "Yeah, it didn't seem any different than before you got One for All."

 

Izuku nodded as he put distance between himself and everyone else. "Thought they were separate, but they're not, are they? The field has a lake; it's not water though it's my quirk. Should be able to use both at the same time."

 

"I think he's coming down." All Might said as he watched his successor take a few deep, slow breaths.

 

"Yeah, it doesn't usually last long," Ochako said. "He doesn't do it that often but when he makes a big discovery and learns a bunch of little things at the same time, he just rants and mumbles until the thoughts are organized."

 

The teen smiled as she shrugged and said. "I just nod and agree with him until it passes."

 

"Good to know," Gran said as he tried not to think about how Izuku heard Nana's voice.

 

Izuku took one last deep breath before saying. "Ok, Mr.Yagi, please be ready in case this is bigger than I think."

 

"What?" All Might asked as he felt the temperature of the gym suddenly rise.

 

"How's the training going?" Inko asked as she walked in behind All Might and the others just in time to see Izuku let out a roar of fire. Gym Charle is smaller than the other gyms but still larger than the average gym you'd find in the city, so everyone was surprised and somewhat horrified as Izuku sparking with One for All filled half of the gym with bright green flames.

 

Everyone stood speechless as the green flames burned. Izuku turned, and all of them were suddenly concerned for a very different reason. Blood flowed like a river from Izuku's mouth, and his lips and cheeks looked burned and blistered.

 

Izuku stumbled back and held his hands up to his mouth in shock before collapsing as everyone rushed to him.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

August 25th, 2235

 

"Ow!" three men cried out one after another as Recovery Girl's cane came down on each of their shins. The old woman huffed as she walked away from All Might, Aizawa, and Gran Torino.

 

"You three are in charge of his training, and none of you attempted to stop him. Be glad I'm only hitting you once." The old woman said as she double-checked her work on Izuku's face. His lips were still red and swollen slightly, while the corners of his mouth and cheeks were burned worse.

 

Inko fidgeted with worry while Ochako kept her hand on the older woman's shoulder, grounding her. Recovery Girl turned to the two and said. "He'll be ok. I focused my quirk on his internals, so there shouldn't be any issue. Once he's back up and has some energy, I'll give him another dose of my quirk and then let his body heal on its own. He'll probably not have any scars from this."

 

"W-what happened, though?" Inko asked. "He's never gotten hurt like this, even when his quirk first came in."

 

Recovery Girl sighed and double-checked her clipboard before saying. "If I had to guess, I'd say his fire's heat exceeded his resistance. Give it some time and have him train with cooler flames from now on. He needs to build up his resistance, so he doesn't tear up his throat again. Repeat injuries like this could spell real trouble down the line so do your best to keep him in line."

 

Ochako smiled a bit as the old woman sent a wink her way at the end of her statement. "Will do, ma'am."

 

Recovery Girl chuckled a bit before turning back to the three men. "And you three keep a better eye on him. If he gets ideas, make him explain it before he goes off like that again."

 

The trio gave various affirmatives. None of them wanted to piss off the school nurse. They weren't sure how but she knew just the right spot on the shin to hit so that the pain lingered. Recovery Girl eyed them for a moment before heading to her desk.

 

Several hours later, Izuku woke up and winced at the tender feeling of his mouth and throat. Recovery Girl gave him some gummies and another round of healing before sending him home with orders to not train until he was healed fully.

 

As they rode the train in silence, Izuku felt his mind wander. He really should have put more forethought into testing out One for All and Dragons Breath at the same time. Ochako bumped his shoulder and muttered. "No more hot soup for you until you're healed."

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow but followed her eyes down, seeing the shirt he was wearing. He smirked and chuckled, realizing he had worn his 'Hot Soup' shirt today. The two teens chuckled quietly. Inko smiled as she subtly kept an eye on them. She was glad to see her son wasn't beating himself up about this accident though she would be lecturing him tonight about his actions.

Notes:

First things first, A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow is a good manga. I totally forgot at several points that it doesn't technicly have the yuri tag, but really, all that means is we won't get 'I love you' and kisses. Other than that, wow, this was a good read. A good story about overcoming lonliness, and I saw someone say depression as well. I'd like for it to get an anime; I think it would do pretty well.

Also, yes, I named the chapter after a joke which is a throwback to Hypno and Izuku's... date. I think he was on a date with either Toru or Mina, and he was wearing a shirt that said hot soup on it.

We had a storm a few nights ago, and there was a lightning strike. Most strikes just kinda go BOOM! And all that, but this one hit and crackled. anyways we had a power surge, and it crippled my wifi, so I've been limited in what I can do, so things were a bit slow. We should be getting a new router soon. Within the next three days was what we were told yesterday.

I deep cleaned my bathroom today, and now I feel so tired. I don't know why but after cleaning any room, I always just wanna take a nap afterward. I'm a very low-energy person, but I really need to stop being that so I can get the stuff done that I need to get done.

I watched the first three episodes of Shadow House, and it seems interesting. I'd watch more, but as stated earlier, wifi is crippled.

I watched a video by Lavender Town. she drew aged-up Power Puff Girls, and I had this idea of them being American heroes in MHA. Maybe they'll make an appearance on like I-Island or something.

So I want to read Green Tea Rescue, but it's like 700,000 words, and it's only forty-something chapters. I read up to the sports festival ending, but after that, I just couldn't keep doing it because the chapters were like 10k plus words. I know it's really good, but it's kinda like why I won't read One Piece. There's just too much in one spot.

Anyways that's all from me. I may upload another chapter of A Life Worth Living next so keep an eye out for that.

Chapter 14: End of the Year and Start of the New Year

September 15th, 2235

Hawks flexed his wings as he felt every little device that had been attached to him. They were monitoring all his vitals, surroundings, and location and would connect to whatever device he was using. The MLA could hear anything he said, see anything he typed on his phone, and they knew where he was all the time.

The number three hero smiled. This mission was going to be challenging, and while he was usually opposed to hard work, he'd make an exception this time. A deep cover mission with the simple orders of get as deep into the Liberation Army as he could. Uncover as much about them as he could, and when he had a complete picture or as close to one as he could get, send the signal, and the HPSC would tighten the noose that Hawks had draped around the Meta Liberation Army's neck while he was working for them.

"What are you smiling for, newbie? Excited for your first day?" the hero Slidin' Go said as he rolled up to Hawks.

The number three hero looked at the scum in front of him and smiled. "Yeah, man. I've been looking for some people who get me for some time, and now I've found them. I'm really excited to see how I'll contribute to the cause."

Slidin' Go laughed, and Hawks kept his grin up with practiced ease. The young hero really wanted to just grab this guy and give him to the intel extraction sector of the HPSC so they could find out who his bosses were, but the MLA was adept at hiding, as shown by the fact that they never really died off even though everyone thought they had. Hawks would have to bide his time and learn what he could bit by bit.

 "So, boss, what are we doing first?" Hawks as he and Slidin' Go walked down the streets of Deika city.

"I'll be showing you around the city today." Slidin' Go said. "This city is our sanctuary, and you'll probably spend a lot of time here, so you need to know it well."

Hawks snapped a lazy salute. "Sounds good. Lead the way; oh, you got any places that sell good skewers? I'm getting hungry."

"We'll get lunch once we're done covering the first sector. Also, yes, there's a good shop around where we're going, so I'll show it to you."

Hawks' smile was a bit more genuine this time, as he said. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

______________________________________________________________________

October 1st, 2235

"Utsumi, I have to say I'm surprised you asked to assist with this," Garaki said as he tapped away at his computer.

He and the young girl were in the nomu storing facility underneath Jaku General Hospital. Utsumi smiled as she walked around admiring the High-Ends in their tanks. "I've always been curious about how you make Nomu. I'm glad you agreed to let me assist you today."

"Hm, well, of course, I'm always willing to help satiate the curiosity of the young. Now, this Nomu we're making will be a mid-tier. We're going to use it to judge All Might's strength and see how much he has weakened."

Utsumi nodded as she followed the doctor to the operating room, where the corpse of a large burly man lay on the table. As she looked around, she said, "He'll need to be strong and able to take a punch as well as dish it out. I'm guessing we'll be giving him several strength-enhancing quirks?"

"Yes, as well as High-Speed Regeneration." The doctor said as he handed her a tablet. "This is a list of quirks we have available to work with. Please tell me if there's anything that you think we should use."

Utsumi hummed and rubbed her chin as her black and golden eyes scanned the list of quirks. "I believe Shock Absorption would be useful. It would be nice if we had a Shock Nullification quirk, but alas, it doesn't appear to be on the list."

"Yes, it's a shame we haven't found one yet." the doctor said as he started to prep his instruments.

"Impact Reversal could be useful," Utsumi said, causing the doctor to look up at her. "We may only want to test All Might, but I don't see why we can't let him taste a bit of his own power at the same time. The data says it's not a perfect one-to-one, but even a fraction of his own force being thrown back at him should cause some issues."

"Very nice. Anything else you think we should add?"

"Hm... for this particular nomu, I don't think so, sir," Utsumi said as she set the tablet down and pulled her white hair back into a ponytail. "I think for a mid-tier whose job is to test All Might, this should be sufficient."

Garaki nodded and glanced at the camera in the corner on the ceiling as he started to show Utsumi how the process worked. The girl didn't know that their master was observing them. The doctor could only hope that All for One could see the potential in letting Utsumi do more than keep her siblings in line.

All for One hummed to himself as he listened to Garaki and Utsumi go over the nomu they were building. He knew the doctor's game and would play along for now. All for One could see Utsumi's potential, so he'd give her opportunities to thrive, but Tomura would continue to take precedence over all others.

The king of the underworld sighed as he turned his attention to another matter. UA's entrance exams would be coming up eventually, and he needed to make sure he had at least one person inside the school. All for One smiled as he said. "I suppose it's time to remind them of the cost of their son's quirk."

____________________________________________________________________

December 20th, 2235

"Tomura, I have a task for you." All for One's voice came through the speakers of the bar causing his successor to still.

"What is it, master?" Tomura asked as he set down his Gameboy.

"I am moving pieces and bringing several people into the fold. There's one that I want you to meet. He will be useful to us in time." All for One said as Kurogiri appeared. "Kurogiri has the location and picture of who you're meeting. He will drop you off. Speak to him, find out what he wants, and then get him to join us."

"I'll get it done, master," Tomura said as he looked at the photo and stepped through Kurogiri's portal.

Once Tomura was gone, Kurogiri spoke up. "Master, I have to wonder if Tomura is ready for this. He does not have much experience with getting people on board with his desires."

"That is why I am testing him." All for One said. "This man could be useful, but there are others that could fill his role, so should Tomura fail, this will serve as a measurement of his development. Though I do hope he succeeds. I have many things to plan, and having this come out positively would be one less headache for me."

The nomu thanked his master before All for One cut the connection. Kurogiri waited a moment before warping near where he dropped Tomura off. He needed to keep an eye on the young man and step in should he be in danger.

Kurogiri watched as Tomura marched up the steps of a shrine out in the middle of nowhere. The young man grumbled the entire way up. He only had Father on since he had planned to just sit around the bar all day.

"Who are you?" an elderly man in a priest's outfit asked as he stepped out of the shrine.

Tomura recognized the gray-haired man from the photo. "Tomura Shigaraki. My master wants you to join us, so come with me."

"Not so fast, young man." The priest said, making Tomura click his tongue. "I was promised compensation."

Tomura closed the distance as his hand twitched. "The compensation is that I don't kill you right now. Now come."

"No, I was promised youth. I don't want to die like this. Decrepit and old." the old man said as he looked at his withered hands. "If your master won't give me that, then I won't go with you."

Tomura ground his teeth, and Kurogiri sighed internally as he saw his ward growing frustrated. He wanted to step in and remind the young man that they were going to compensate the old man, but All for One had said this was a test, and Kurogiri was forbidden from interfering with any test Tomura took.

"Listen, you rotten old bastard, just-" Tomura was cut off as the old man hit him with something.

Tomura stumbled back as Father fell off his face and the young man stared at the petrified hand. The priest panted as a magenta glow faded from his eyes. "I will not let some small child tell me what to do. Go back to your master boy and tell him that he cannot have my quirk or my information unless he gives me what I want."

Violence and rage roared in Tomura's ears, drowning out the old priest's demands. "Now get out of here-"

The old man was cut off as Tomura closed the gap between them before he could even blink. Tomura grabbed the old man by the throat and pressed his pinkie against his skin as he said. "Fuck you, old man. You're too much trouble, so just die."

The old man gasped and tried to clutch at Tomura's hand, but the successor was quick to swipe at the old man's hands with his own, causing them to decay. Tomura stepped back as the man fell to the ground choking on his own dust and blood as decay ate away at his body.

As Tomura walked over to Father, he said. "This is your own fault. Thinking you could make demands. Choke and die, you old bastard. We don't need you."

Once Father was back on Tomura's face, Kurogiri made his presence known and opened a portal for the young man. As Tomura entered, Kurogiri informed All for One about the failure causing the king of the underworld a spike of annoyance. He had been hoping his successor was further along than this. He would need to increase Tomura's education and continue to set things up for the future, and manage his own dying body, all of which would be infinitely easier if he hadn't lost so many of his mental quirks thanks to All Might. All for One sighed and decided to put aside Tomura's education for the time he needed to focus on other matters.

___________________________________________________________________

January 1st, 2236

Ochako yawed as she leaned on Izuku and held her coat close to herself. They had all gone to the junior high and hung out on the roof until the sun came up, and now she and Izuku were at the shrine with their parents. "I'm so tired."

Izuku yawned and nodded in agreement. "Same. I wanna go take a nap under the kotatsu."

Izuku watched as Ochako grumbled, and he couldn't help but smile at the little pout on her face. "Do you want to take a nap under it as well?"

Ochako's cheeks turned a little more pink than usual. Izuku figured it was just the chilly wind that was blowing in. "Yeah, I do... Can I?"

Izuku nudged the girl and chuckled. "You're my best friend; of course, you can. I don't know why you even asked. You don't even knock when you come over anymore; you just walk into our house."

Ochako blushed harder as she stuttered. "W-well, you know... your mom said I didn't need to. She said I'm like family, so I don't need to knock like a stranger."

Izuku stifled a yawn as he nodded. "Yep, your parents said the same to me."

Ochako stopped leaning on Izuku as their parents came over after finishing their prayers. Ochako's father sighed. "Well, it was good seeing you again, Inko, and you too, Izuku, but we need to get to work."

Ochako tried not to frown as Inko spoke to her parents. They had taken less time off last year, and now they were starting the new year off with work. Her mother's hand ruffling her hair broke Ochako out of her worrying.

Tsuzuki smiled at her daughter. "We'll see you later today, sweetie. Have a good day."

"You too," Ochako said before hugging her mother and then her father. "Don't work too hard."

Her father chuckled and ruffled her hair before stepping back. "Don't worry, dear, we'll be fine. Go have fun today and just relax."

Ochako tried not to pout as her parents headed off to work. Inko pulled her into a side hug and said. "Come on. The kotatsu's all set up, and I'm sure you two want to get some shut-eye after being up with your friends all night."

As they started walking, Ochako smiled at the older woman and said. "Thank you for everything."

Inko chuckled and ruffled Ochako's hair. The girl grumbled at how much it had happened, and as she fixed it, Inko said. "It's the least I could do. You put up with my son, so I need to repay you for that."

"Hey, I'm right here." Izuku said as Inko and Ochako chuckled. He smiled, seeing the worry leave his best friend's eyes. Hopefully, a nice long nap will help keep it from coming back too soon.

____________________________________________________________________

January 15th, 2236

"Hm, this is... odd." All Might said as he stood with half a dozen other heroes staring at the trail of destruction that had carved its way through the mountains. "Why was I brought in for this? I'm not much of a tracker."

"Well, whatever did, this is big. Like really big, so when I asked the HPSC what to do, they suggested asking you to be brought on board to deal with whatever it could be." Native said as he stood between his sidekicks and All Might.

Mandalay, as well as the other Pussycats, were present as well. Their leader surveyed the destruction and said. "We've seen similar trials around our usual patrol routes. Whoever is causing this is either really big or has a very powerful quirk. All the trails we've found have died down after a few kilometers and then stopped suddenly."

"It's like whatever is causing this is growing in power then suddenly shrinking down and disappearing," Tiger said as he knocked on a broken tree. "We've been unable to track it after it stops causing destruction. Even if it were to become average human size, we should still be able to find footprints or something, but instead, it just ends suddenly."

"Hm, most curious." All Might said. "Well, since you asked for my help, I will supply all the aid Might Tower can provide. If you require any assistance, just ask, and if there are any heroes you think would be useful for the tracking of the culprit, I will personally approach them."

The number one hero flashed his signature smile as he said. "We will catch whatever is causing this destruction and ensure they either get the help they need or are put behind bars for their crimes."

The other heroes thanked All Might for his help, and the pros spent several hours scouring the area for any signs. All Might headed back to the nearby city, so he wasn't in the trackers' way. Hopefully, whoever was causing this destruction in the forest and mountains was simply a person struggling with their quirk and not a villain biding his time or trying to lure heroes into a trap of some kind.

All Might shook off the uneasy feeling in his stomach and focused on getting some patrolling in while he was in the area. Hopefully, it will all work out for the best.

Notes:

The next chapter will have the entrance exam.

I'm so tired. Like all the time, and it's annoying. I also need to get a better job, but I have no idea what to look for. I'm not sure what kind of job I want to do full-time.

The most recent Lcoryis Recoil episode was great. The Mika revelation was surprising. Takina just absolutely burying her face in Chisatos ass by accident was hilarious. Also pretty funny that neither girl really reacted to it in the typical anime ways.

I had a whole thing that would probably have doubled this chapter, but I cut it because as I was writing it, I realized it wasn't something that needed to happen and it started to feel like a bad idea as I worked on it. I also reworked and put a little more detail into all the stuff I planned out for this fic so far. I'll probably do some more planning either later today or next time I have a day off from work.

Chapter 15: Entrance Exam

January 30th, 2236

 

"I've realized there is something we've failed to test." Gran Torino said, getting the attention of Aizawa, Nighteye, and Toshi.

 

"What is that, sir?" Toshi asked as he watched his teacher grab a bright red dodgeball by his feet.

 

"That voice that warned you about danger. Does the kid have it?" Gran asked as he tested the ball by squeezing it a few times.

 

"I'm not sure. We've focused on maintaining control and precision. I believe the only times he mentioned the voices was when the quirk tried to take over."

 

"Well," Gran said as he smacked Toshi's back. "Let's test it. Go distract the kid for me."

 

Toshinori sighed and started walking over to Izuku, who was doing pull-ups while Ochako ran on a treadmill. They were slowing down their training as they got closer to the entrance exam. Nowadays, they mainly just worked out to stay in shape, and then Izuku would go and speak to Nezu from time to time.

 

"Young Midoriya. A moment of your time."

 

Ochako glanced over but didn't break her stride as Izuku released the pull-up bar and walked over. "Do you need something, sir?"

 

Toshi scratched his cheek. What could he bring up? The man smiled as an idea came to him and pulled his phone out. "If I'm not mistaken, you recently purchased a new Wild Wild Pussycats figure, did you not?"

 

"Um... yeah, I saved up for a while to get it. It's all four of their members posing together." Izuku said, blushing a bit. He felt pretty embarrassed about the number one hero bringing up hero figurines.

 

"I have to say I'm jealous. I had wanted to get my hands on one when I saw it had been released, but hero work has a habit of creeping up at an inconvenient time."

 

"Yeah... wait, what?" Izuku said as his eyes snapped up to the pro. "You buy figures, sir?"

 

"Oh yes, I do," Toshi said as he unlocked his phone. "I have a lot of money, and most of it goes to charities and various funds that Might Tower has set up, but I do spend a bit on myself. I have a room dedicated to hero merch in my home. I like to support my fellow heroes, so I buy figures and whatnot."

 

Izuku's eyes widened as Toshi showed him the photos of his collection. The boy was thoroughly distracted, so he didn't see Gran Torino getting into position. Ochako noticed, though, and nearly tripped when she realized what the old man was about to do. She let out a yelp as she stumbled, and Izuku's head snapped over to her just as a red ball slammed into his cheek, knocking him flat on his face.

 

The gym fell silent as Izuku lay on the floor and groaned. Gran Torino huffed. "Damn it, kid, why didn't you dodge it?"

 

Izuku groaned as he sat up. "What the heck was that for?! How could I have dodged it? You threw it while I wasn't looking!"

 

"You didn't hear a voice?" Toshi asked as he helped the boy up.

 

"A voice? No, I just heard Ochako yelping, and then I got hit in the face." Izuku said as he rubbed his cheek.

 

Ochako rushed over to check on him, as Aizawa said. "Maybe the quirk needs to be active?"

 

"No, it worked even when I wasn't buffed up," Toshi explained as he rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it's a power thing. Ten percent could be too low for whatever that danger detection ability is."

 

"Well, hopefully, I get it when I have more control," Izuku said before glaring at Gran Torino. "In the meantime, no more surprise dodgeballs."

 

Torino shrugged as he walked off. "No promises, kid."

 

"You do need to work on your situational awareness," Aizawa said. "That's something we cover in your first year, so do your best to get in."

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

February 25th, 2236

 

"The entrance exams are tomorrow," Ochako said as she stared at her sneakers. She felt his weight shift and lean against her more. It was cold out tonight.

 

"Yep," Izuku said as he stared at his shoes. The two of them were sitting at the Cafe in the middle of the night, slowly drinking some hot tea. Neither could sleep due to their nerves about the upcoming test.

 

Ochako chewed her lip as her grip on the can of tea tightened. "What if I don't get in?"

 

"You will," Izuku said softly as his own worries were pushed to the side. "You're smart, Chako, and you have the same training I do."

 

"Not as smart as you, mister, top of the class. You know you ruin the grading curve at our school, right?" Ochako said as she hoped some humor would assuage her worries. So far, it wasn't working.

 

"I do not, and besides, we've studied and done the mock exams. You scored really well on them. I know you'll get in." Izuku said as he bumped his shoulder against hers.

 

"I hope so." Ochako sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth beside her. Izuku was always warm, but after getting One for All, it felt like he had gone up a degree or two. She was glad that it was cold enough tonight to prompt them to sit on the same bench instead of across from each other. It made it easier to warm up and easier to hide her face so he couldn't see how worried she was feeling.

 

She wasn't like him. Izuku worked hard and put in the effort for sure, but he had this natural intelligence and awareness for things that she tended to miss. Where he'd put in three hours studying, she'd double it, and her grades would be at least ten points below his. The mock exams were a perfect example. Izuku scored in the high nineties while Ochako got low eighties. Then there would be the practical. Sure, in a quirkless sparring match Izuku and she were tied for wins but add quirks into the mix, and she was trailing behind by a lot. Her jaw clenched as bitter thought crossed her mind.  'It's only because of One for All.'

 

Ochako's whole body tensed, and she quickly shook the thought away, unintentionally getting Izuku's attention. She was stressed and tired right now. She knew even without that quirk, Iuzku would still find a way to climb to the top.

 

Ochako tensed slightly as an arm wrapped around her, and Izuku hugged her gently. "It's gonna be ok. I believe in you, and so does everyone else. You're gonna be an awesome hero one day, and the path to that starts with you getting into UA."

 

"Y-yeah," Ochako muttered as she stared at her shoes hard. "I'm sorry that I'm so nervous."

 

"I'm nervous too," Izuku said as he removed his arm, and Ohcako tried not to shiver. It felt colder than before he had wrapped his arm around her.

 

"What are you nervous about?" Ochako asked. "You've got amazing powers, and you're smart as can be. The test doesn't stand a chance."

 

Izuku chuckled before downing the rest of his tea and saying. "What if I lose control? Like the night I got One for All. What if the quirk takes over during the practical? It could hurt the test takers."

 

"I don't think it will. Remember last time it took over, it went looking for bad guys." Ochako said as she flexed her hand and considered her next move. Recently she had been second-guessing some of her actions with Izuku. She'd go to grab his hand so she could drag him somewhere or show him something but then her stomach would flip on its head, and she'd pull back and just call to him.

 

As Ochako pushed aside her worries, she grabbed his gloved hand and said. "Besides, you've been meditating and training so hard on your control. Just stay below ten percent, and it won't try to take control. I believe in you, Izuku. I know you can control it."

 

Izuku smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, and hopefully, Aizawa is stationed near the testing center just in case."

 

"He won't have to step in because you've got this," Ochako said as she grabbed his forearm with her other hand. Izuku looked down at her and couldn't help but smile. The determination in her voice helped ease some of his worries.

 

"Thanks, Chako," Izuku said before squeezing her hand and bumping his shoulder against hers. "We should probably get some sleep. It won't do us any good if we're both exhausted."

 

"Can we stay a bit longer?" Ochako asked as she suppressed a shiver as a gust of wind blew in.

 

"You sure?" Izuku asked with a slight chuckle.

 

Ochako nodded as she scooted closer. "I don't want to go back yet."

 

Izuku sighed and settled in. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before another strong gust of wind caused them to get up and head to their respective homes. After saying goodnight to Ochako, Izuku picked up the pace to get home. As he got inside, he sighed and headed into the living room, intent on just heading upstairs and going to bed.

 

"How was Ochako?"

 

Izuku sparked with fire as he jumped and bit back a scream as his head snapped over to the living room Inko turned the light on and smiled at him. "So, how was she?"

 

"...Good," Izuku said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not. He had never been caught leaving or coming back.

 

"That's good," Inko said as she got up. "I'm glad you two managed to help each other calm down before the exam."

 

"Uh-huh," Izuku said. "Am I in trouble?"

 

"Huh? Why would you be? I've been letting you sneak out all the time." Inko said as she patted her son's shoulder. "It's been good for you to get out there and have fun, hasn't it?"

 

"Y-yeah... uh, thanks, mom."

 

"No problem, sweetie. Good luck with your exam tomorrow, and goodnight."

 

"Goodnight," Izuku said as he processed how his mom had always known when he left the house at night.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

February 26th, 2236

 

"Today is the day. How are you two feeling?" Toshi asked as he stood with his two students. Izuku was his successor, and he knew the boy would claim his spot at the top, but Ochako showed amazing promise as well. Toshi could easily see her becoming one of the best rescue heroes out there.

 

"Nervous." both teens said in tandem before smiling at each other and saying. "But we got this."

 

Toshi laughed and planted his hands on their shoulders. "Wonderful to hear now; get out there and do your best."

 

Ochako and Izuku nodded and thanked their teacher one last time before heading down the road to UA. As the teens crossed the threshold, they stared up at the main building like all the other students coming to take the entrance exams. Despite coming here almost every week, they still hadn't gotten used to the size of the main building.

 

Pointless

A sham

Institution of suppression

Real heroes do not need a license. They need action

Time spent here is time wasted

All for One lives other unforgivable villains live

Let us remove those threats

Then you may pursue your pointless venture

 

Izuku grit his teeth as he staggered to the stop and moved toward the edge of the path.  'Damn it, I wasn't expecting you to speak up so suddenly. I haven't heard from you in a while.'

 

Training your body

Training your mind

Both are needed to kill All for One

This body isn't perfect, but it will do

Give us control, and we will find him

 

"Izuku," Ochako whispered as she grabbed his bicep and tried to steady him. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

 

"One for All." Izuku rasped out as he tried to focus on Ochako's voice and face. "It started talking. It doesn't like school, apparently. Thinks it's useless."

 

Ochako snorted despite the seriousness of the situation. "Wow, it's a delinquent."

 

Izuku chuckled but bit his lip as the quirk voiced its displeasure at being called that. "I'm ok. I just- I wasn't expecting it to start talking so suddenly. It's been quiet for so long. I'm ok now."

 

"Are you sure?" Ochako asked as her friend straightened his posture.

 

"Yeah. Come on, it's settled now, and we need to get to the testing area." Izuku said before squeezing her shoulder and walking off. Ochako sighed and hoped he would be ok before catching up to him.

 

The duo followed the signs and robots to the testing facility, and as they walked, Izuku scanned the crowd looking for any sign of spiky blonde hair. He kept his disappointment hidden as he failed to spot any familiar-looking people who could be Katsuki.

 

"It's pretty crowded," Ochako said as she spotted him looking around. "Lots of people."

 

"Yeah," Izuku said as he chuckled a bit. "I guess it'd be pretty hard to spot one person, especially after so long."

 

Ochako nodded silently as they entered the testing area. She had heard a bit about Katsuki Bakugo from Izuku during the first couple of years after they had met. She hoped he found his old friend at UA. Bakugo sounded like he'd be a good hero from what Izuku had said about him. Though that was a while ago. A lot could change about a person in eleven years.

 

"Guess we split up here," Izuku said as he held his fist up. "Good luck Chako."

 

Ochako grinned and tried to push as much confidence as she could to the surface as she bumped her fist against his. "Good luck."

 

As they sat in their assigned seats, the hero Cementoss came in and explained the written test to them before signaling that they could start. As Ohcako flipped the packet over, she felt her worries push to the surface. As she read the first handful of questions, she couldn't help but wonder what Izuku's initial reaction to the questions was.

 

'Fuck.'  Izuku thought as he stared at the questions.  'I definitely studied this. Come on, you stupid brain, pull the information forward and give me the damn answers!'

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

February 26th, 2236

 

Izuku had hoped there'd be time between the written and practicals, but once the test-taking period was done, Present Mic came in and went over the practical portion of the exam. Afterward, the various students were directed to changing rooms so they could get into clothes more appropriate for combat.

 

As Izuku boarded the bus that would take him to testing site beta, he spotted Ochako boarding the delta bus, followed by a girl with frog-like features. The green-haired girl seemed to be trying to help Ochako out. Izuku smiled a bit as he took his seat. He knew she'd be freaking out about this time and was glad someone was being nice and trying to help her out.

 

Izuku's leg bounced as his own nerves betrayed him. Visions of his actions while One for All was in control came to the surface, and his stomach attempted to turn itself inside out. Izuku put a hand over his mouth as he prayed he wouldn't vomit. Of course, after so long of forcing himself to not think about it, he would remember the warehouse while stressing about high school entrance exams. He had done his best to convince everyone that he had gotten past it, and the heroes were all busy anyways with the rising crime rate and tracking down All for One, so they bought it quickly. His mom and Ohckao were a bit more observant, but as time went on, he really did think of it less and less, but it never totally left his mind.

 

"Do you mind if I sit here?" a stern voice asked, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts.

 

"Yeah, sure, man," Izuku said as he looked at the blue-haired boy, who nodded appreciatively before adjusting his glasses.

 

"Thank you very much."

 

As the bus rolled out, Izuku took several deep breaths and remembered his lessons with Aizawa. He couldn't do full-on mediation right now, but he could refocus himself and hopefully keep thoughts of possibly losing control and killing people out of his mind.

 

"Excuse me. This may seem rude, but you seem very nervous."

 

Izuku looked over at the boy again and raised an eyebrow at him. "Ah, my apologies, I am Tenya Iida. I was merely stating that you look nervous."

 

"Izuku Midoriya," Izuku stated before sitting up a bit. "My quirk is a little hard to control at times. Sometimes it feels like it has a mind of its own. I'm just hoping my training will be enough to get through this... I have to get into UA."

 

Pointless

We're stronger

Government authorization is a shackle

True heroes act

Let us find him and kill him

Then you can pursue your meaningless license

 

"I understand. UA is the best of the best. If we wish to be wonderful heroes, no other place will suffice."

 

Izuku hummed. That wasn't totally what he meant, but Tenya wasn't technically wrong. "You're handling the stress pretty well. What's your secret?"

 

"Hm, I do not think I have a secret per se. I am sure of my abilities and have the support of my loved ones." Tenya said as he chopped his arm in a vaguely robotic way. "I have wanted to be a hero ever since I was old enough to understand what the word meant, and as such, I have been striving for that goal. This exam is simply a step on the road to my end goal."

 

"Huh. That's a pretty good mindset. Thanks, Iida."

 

Tenya puffed up with a bit of pride. "Thanks are unnecessary, Midoirya. I was simply stating the state of mind I try to keep during these stressful times."

 

"I'll have to give it a shot. Good luck with the practical, by the way." Izuku said as the bus rolled to a stop.

 

"Best of luck to you as well," Tenya stated as he and the others on the bus stood up.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

February 26th, 2236

 

"You ok, kero."

 

Ochako looked up from her spot near the bus she would be riding. The practical was a literal bus ride away, and her nerves were starting to get to her. It didn't help that she didn't get to see Izuku between the tests like she thought she'd be able to.

 

"Kero?"

 

Ochako blinked as she stared at the green-haired girl with frog-like features. As the girl tilted her head, she realized she hadn't said anything yet. "O-oh um... sorry, I'm kinda nervous. I thought I'd be able to see my friend between tests but apparently not."

 

"Oh, I get that. My name's Tsuyu Asui. You can call me Tsu if you want kero. I'm pretty nervous myself."

 

Ochako chuckled as she said. "You don't look like it. Ochako Uraraka by the way.”

 

"I have younger siblings," Tsu said as she and Ochako started to get in line to get on the bus. "I found the best way to keep them calm during any kind of incident was to also keep myself calm. After doing it long enough, it's become my default to just keep my emotions hidden, especially nervousness. Also, my face just doesn't let me emote too much."

 

"I guess that has to do with your quirk?" Ochako asked as she got on the bus and sat next to the frog girl.

 

Tsu nodded, and the two fell into an easy conversation as the bus headed to its destination. As they talked, Ochako felt herself relax as her focus was less on the test and more on Tsu, who was talking about something her siblings had done yesterday that made her question why she didn't ask her parents to compensate her for watching them.

 

Once they arrived at the testing site, Tsu croaked as she said. "Good luck out there. I hope we both get in."

 

"Same," Ochako said as she pumped herself up.

 

Present Mic's voice rang out again across the testing centers, and nearly everyone stood there looking confused as he suddenly started the test mid-sentence. Ochako and Tsu were some of the few at the delta site who didn't hesitate to run into the mock city.

 

Ochako sprinted down the main street and spotted the first batch of robots. As she closed the gap between her and the rolling hunks of steel, she plotted out the quickest route between all of them and ducked under the swing of the first robot. Her hand slapped the chassis as she ran past it and smacked several others as they tracked her movements and tried to grab at her. With each strike, she caused the robots to start to drift up.

 

'They're kind of slow.'  Ochako thought as she watched the robots go several stories up before tapping her fingers together and muttering, "Release."

 

As the robots rained down around the street, Ochako ran off down a side road and found another squad of robots to fight. It didn't take long for her to fall into a sort of flow as she crossed paths with more and more robots. As she dodged and tapped robots, she'd see people in trouble and help them out while being careful to not take too many points from them. On more than one occasion, she ran into Tsu, who was doing the same, and the two would work together to clear an area or save another test taker. By the time the bell rang, the two girls were panting and wondering how many points they had gotten since neither had managed to keep track in all the chaos.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

February 26th, 2236

 

The buzzer sounded, and Izuku exploded with electricity as he powered up to eight percent and shot towards the mock city. It didn't take very long for Tenya Iida to blow past him and smash a robot with a super-powered kick. Izuku marveled at how quick the boy was.  'His quirk seems familiar.'

 

Izuku didn't have much time to think on that thought as several robots closed in on him. Several swift kicks and a punch later, they were piles of scrap, and Izuku was sprinting away towards the next group of robots.

 

As he moved through the testing area, Izuku noticed that One for All was keeping quiet and wasn't trying to take control away from him as he smashed robots with kicks or melted them into slag with his fire breath. The robots were slow, and he had to wonder if they were slow for everyone or if it was just One for All.  'I should ask that Iida guy. He seems pretty fast, so if they felt slow to him as well, then it may just be our quirks. I'll ask Ochako as well since her quirk doesn't alter her speed.'

 

Izuku's knees bent as he landed on a three-pointer and its chassis crumpled. He smiled at the purple-haired kid, who looked surprised as he clutched a broken piece of metal. "Hey man, sorry for the sudden landing, but it looked like you could use some help. Good luck out there."

 

As Izuku shot off, he missed the boy clicking his tongue in annoyance as he ran off to find another robot. As time rolled on, Izuku lost count of his score while saving another test taker who had twisted their ankle, and when the zero-pointer made its debut, he was quick to scoop up the guy and run as far from the giant as he could along with the other test takers.

 

Thankfully the buzzer sounded before the zero-pointer could corner them between itself and the entrance to the mock city. As the robot shut down, the doors opened, and Recovery Girl started to make her rounds. As the elderly woman handed out gummies and looked for any severe injuries, she glared at Izuku and looked him over quickly before huffing and nodding in approval. "You're good to go. Be sure to get a good meal and plenty of rest. You've all had a very eventful day."

 

The bus ride back to the main building was quick, and it didn't take long for Izuku to find Ochako and the frog girl she had been talking to before. "Hey, Izuku."

 

"Hey, how did it go on your end?" Izuku asked as he and Tenya approached.

 

"Good. Oh, also, this is Tsuyu Asui. I met her on the way to the test." Ochako said as she motioned to the girl next to her.

 

"Kero. Nice to meet you; just call me Tsu."

 

"It's nice to meet you," Izuku said before looking at Tenya. "This is Tenya Iida. I met him on the bus."

 

"It's wonderful to meet you two," Tenya said as he chopped his arm. "I would love to stay and chat, but I must head out to catch the train."

 

"Same with us," Ochako said as she stepped over to stand next to Izuku. "We can head there together."

 

"Sounds good, kero," Tsu said as she tapped her chin. "I'm sure my siblings are gonna want to question me about the test. They were so excited when I said I was going to try for UA."

 

The four students headed to the station as they made idle chatter, and as they reached the station, they wished each other luck and went their separate ways.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

March 4th, 2236

 

Izuku stared at the ceiling of his living room. It had been a week since the entrance exam, and he hadn't heard from anyone. Nezu told them to stop coming by for training, and he hadn't been able to get in touch with Mr.Yagi, though he chalked that up to All Might being busy. There had been rumors going around the net that All Might was working with Native's agency which was odd. Might Tower mainly focused on villain takedowns and rescue work. Native Agency was an investigative and tracking agency. They excelled at finding missing persons and those who didn't want to be found.

 

The door opened, and Izuku leaned back, craning his neck over the back of the couch as his mother walked and smiled at him. "It's here."

 

Izuku grinned and jumped over the couch. As he got to his mother, she swatted him on the head with the letter. "Don't climb on the furniture."

 

"Sorry," Izuku mumbled as he rubbed his head.  'Is there metal in that? It kinda hurt.'

 

As he took the letter, his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to look at the message from Ochako saying she was on her way over. "Chako is coming over."

 

"Hm, well, I need to go to my shop," Inko said as she headed to the door. "I've got a new hire starting soon, so I'm gonna start teaching her today."

 

"Wait, a new hire? You've never hired someone. The most you do is pay Ochako to stock shelves." Izuku said as he watched his mother put on her shoes.

 

"Yes, well, you're both going to UA, which means I won't have her help anymore." As she grabbed the handle, she said. "I'll be back in a few hours, and then we can have katsudon to celebrate you getting in."

 

Izuku smiled as his mother left. Her confidence in his and Ochako's acceptance helped ease his nerves some. As he sat back down on the couch, he stared at the letter on the table and chewed his lip. His future was inside that envelope, and while he was confident about his chances, the fact that he didn't have a definitive answer yet was starting to drive him up the wall.

 

Luckily the door to his house swung open, and Ochako quickly made her way into the living room, where she hopped over the couch and landed next to him. Izuku grabbed her envelope and lightly whacked her on the head. "Don't climb on the furniture."

 

Ochako snatched her envelope out of his hand as she blushed and rubbed the top of her head. "Sorry."

 

Izuku chuckled and started to open his letter. "It's fine. Let's open them."

 

Two metal disks fell onto the table, and Ochako asked. "Projectors?"

 

"Guess so... wanna turn yours on first?"

 

Ochako nodded slowly and pushed the button. Instantly a projection popped up, and All Might's face filled the projected screen. "I am here! As a projection!"

 

The two teens jumped as All Might took a step back on the screen. "Hello Young Uraraka and Young Midoriya I presume."

 

The teens chuckled a bit at how well their master knew them. All Might continued speaking. "You scored in the top ten percent of students on the written exam. Very well done, Young Uraraka. As for your practical score, if we were grading on just villain points, you scored forty-eight, which is a respectable score on its own, but what kind of hero school would we be if we didn't reward heroic actions!"

 

A screen popped up next to All Might showing Rescue Points. "We have rescue points as well. Thanks to your actions and the teamwork you showed on occasion with Young Tsuyu Asui, you received thirty rescue points. Giving you a total of seventy-eight, which is more than enough to pass the exam and land you in third place."

 

All Might grinned as he held his hand out. "Welcome to your hero academia Young Uraraka. I look forward to teaching you how to be a hero!"

 

Ochako wasn't sure when but she grabbed Izuku in a tight hug as she shook him back and forth. Tears welled up in her eyes as she yelled. "I got in!"

 

Izuku yelped as he was rocked. "Y-yeah, you did. I knew you'd be f-fine but stop s-shaking me!"

 

Ochako blushed and quickly released him before scooting away a bit. "S-sorry got a little excited."

 

Izuku chuckled and pushed down the heat in his cheeks. "Let's see if I got in as well."

 

All Might's starting speech was a copy-paste of his speech but with the names swapped. "Young Midoiyra, I'm proud to say you scored in the top three percent of students who took the written exam."

 

Izuku swelled with pride as Ochako did her best to hide the sting of jealousy at that. She quickly stamped out the feeling. She was proud of her friend. He had worked hard for the score he got.

 

"As for the practical!" All Might laughed as he slapped the paper in his hand, and the score popped up next to him. "You scored sixty-two villain points. This is quite impressive. Though we score on more than just that. What kind of hero school wouldn't reward heroic acts? You saved several other test takers netting you twenty-five rescue points for a total of eighty-two, placing you in second place. Congratulations, Young Midoirya. I look forward to teaching you."

 

Izuku jumped to his feet as he let out a cheer and pumped his fist. "Yes! We both got in!"

 

Ochako smiled, but two things stuck out to her as Izuku sat back down. "Wait you got second and I got third. Who got first place? Also, All Might is teaching at UA?"

 

Izuku blinked and looked at the message. "Oh my god, he is... he didn't tell us that did he?"

 

"No, I don't think so... also first place. Did the list say?"

 

Izuku hummed as he pulled up his projection again. "Uh... someone named Nishida Orime. The last name doesn't sound familiar, so I don't think they're the kid of a hero, at least not one of the top fifty."

 

"Wait... Izuku, do you have the top fifty heroes' names memorized?" Ohckao asked as she stared at her friend in disbelief.

 

"What? No, of course not." Izuku said, trying his best to sound like that was a ridiculous thing to think.

 

Ochako raised an eyebrow, and he slumped. "Only the ones whose names are known. I didn't mean to either; I just end up memorizing them while looking into their stats and stuff."

 

Ochako sighed and patted Izuku's shoulder. "Don't change Izuku. Don't ever change."

 

Izuku slumped in his seat but sat up as his phone chimed. He pulled it out, and Ohckao watched as his eyes widened, and he quickly turned the tv on.

 

A news anchor was in a chopper circling a forested area as the man talked. "This just in, we have confirmation that All Might has engaged in combat with an unknown villain. Other heroes are en route, but for now, it seems like Japan's symbol of peace will be dealing with this new threat alone."

 

The scene changed to show aerial footage of All Might fighting a giant of a man. While this wasn't the first time Japan had watched their number one hero fight an enemy larger than himself, it was the first time they had watched All Might wind up a punch that connected with the man's jaw, only for the giant to stagger before almost immediately rushing back in to keep attacking All Might. While they knew All Might would win, Japan wondered how much effort their hero would need to put in to come out victorious.

Notes:

I feel like I don't have much to say about anything new. I've been watching anime, the main ones being Made in Abyss, Summer Time Rendering, Lycoris Recoil, and Call of the Night. I've talked about all those and how good they are.

spoilers for Fire Force and Soul Eater
I read all of Fire Force, and now that I'm reading Soul Eater, I can't help but laugh at Excalibur because Arthur really is the only person in any world who could handle that weapons personality.

Chapter 16: All Might vs Gigantomachia

March 4th, 2236

 

"All Might, we've found the target. He's a large man, at least twelve feet tall and his body seems to be made of stone." Native said over the comms as All Might stood a few kilometers behind the tracking group. "He seems to be growing more agitated. He may have noticed us. If he becomes violent, we'll signal you to intervene."

 

All Might nodded to himself as he responded. "Good luck, Native, and be safe."

 

A few minutes passed before a flare shot up from the forest All Might was overlooking. The signal to move was given, and the symbol of peace shot like a missile toward his comrades. It took mere seconds for All Might to close the distance. He passed Native and his sidekicks, who were booking it out of the area.

 

"Halt!" All Might shouted as he came to a stop in front of the man.

 

The giant stared at All Might for a moment before his voice boomed across the countryside. "All Might! Master's enemy has come to me?! I will kill him for you, master!"

 

'Master? Who could this giant be working for?'  All Might thought before tensing his muscles and rushing the giant. He slammed his shoulder into the giant in the chest.

 

Gigantomachia stumbled but stayed on his feet as he swung an open palm at All Might, who jumped back, avoiding the blow. As the two titans of power exchanged blows, Gigantomachia's radio flew from his neck, transmitting to his master's base.

 

Deep underground in the city of Jaku, All for One hummed as he heard noise coming from Gigantomachia's radio.  'Hm, what is that beast doing?'

 

The emperor of darkness tensed for but a moment as he heard the familiar roar of All Might. "They're fighting? How did that happen?"

 

After scratching his chin and thinking for a moment, All for One called up Giran. "Giran, I have information that needs to get leaked to the news. Can you get it done now?"

 

"Of course, sir, anything for my best client. What's the scoop?"

 

After a moment of typing, All for One had Gigantomachia's location. He gave it to the informant with instructions to say that All Might was fighting an unknown villain there. Giran promised to get it to all the news stations as quickly as he could, and the call ended. All for One smiled.  'This will be a good way to test how All Might is fairing after our last encounter. Even if we lose the giant, he'll go to Tartarus, which will make future plans easier ,  and in the off chance Gigantomachia wins, we can teleport All Might here, and I can take back my property.'

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

March 4th, 2236

 

All Might cursed as the giant in front of him seemed to have effortlessly shrugged off another punch. He had requested backup, but of course, the press had arrived first.  'How did they find out? We're in the middle of nowhere.'

 

This fight was not going how All Might thought it would. He had fought his share of giants over the years, and he'd even faced opponents who didn't go down in one punch, but no one other than All for One had ever taken multiple one hundred percent punches and looked fine. There weren't even signs of his opponent slowing down, and was he getting bigger?

 

Giantomachia was indeed getting larger. The longer the fight dragged on, the more his quirks worked and the larger he grew. He was nearing his size limit, but then he'd transfer out of growth mode and into attack mode. All Might had no idea about any of this, but the seasoned pro could feel in his gut that dragging this fight out would be detrimental to him and the surrounding area.

 

All Might pulled on his quirk, and a flash of golden lightning danced across his skin before he shot forward in the blink of an eye. Gigantomachia, who was built for strength and endurance, couldn't keep up with his movements, but he could tank the incoming Texas Smash. The giant grunted and clenched his teeth as he slid back several feet. The giant dug his feet in as All Might screamed and delivered consecutive hits to his stomach.

 

Gigantomachia coughed, and his knee bent as the damage accumulated faster than anticipated. All Might glanced to either side as he saw the palms of the giant coming in fast. "New Hampshire Smash!"

 

All Might jumped backward as he fired off a punch with each fist generating enough wind pressure to make Gigantomachia stumble as the hero was shot away from the giant's palms. "Damn it, I'm not making any good progress."

 

All Might felt his arm muscles twitch. How much time did he have left? How much had he wasted standing around waiting for the villain to show himself? "I need to end this quickly."

 

As All Might rushed in, Gigantomachia regained his balance and pulled his arm back, intending to swing at the pro once he landed his first punch. All Might saw the arm pulling back as his fist was about to collide with Gigantomachia's stomach. He intended to jump away, but a sudden flare-up of pain from his old wound caused All Might's body to tense, and he was too late to stop the massive palm from slapping him to the side.

 

All Might tumbled end over end, tearing through trees and eventually coming to a stop partially buried in the ground. The pro sucked in a breath and tried to suppress a groan. His chronic pain had flared up at the worst possible time, and now everything hurt, and despite how much he wanted to, he couldn't just lay here forever. The giant was closing in. "come on, Toshi, get the fuck up."

 

The temperature around him rose, and a familiar angry voice shouted. "What are you doing on the ground, old man! This is no time to be laying around!"

 

All Might looked up as Endeavor shot overhead and shouted. "Flashfire Fist Jet Burn!"

 

Gigantomachia roared and continued his charge as Endeavor cursed and jumped away.

 

"Looks like your fires no good! Let me take a crack at him!" Miruko asked as she rushed past All Might.

 

"Miruko and Endeavor. What are you two doing here?" All Might asked as he pulled himself from the ground.

 

"I was patrolling in the nearby city already! Flames for face over there was flying by when we both saw the news and got the request for reinforcements!" Miruko said before bouncing tree to tree before jumping over Gigantomachia and shouting. "Luna Fall!"

 

The giant grunted as the rabbit woman's foot collided with the top of his head, and he staggered. Miruko smirked but had to quickly jump away as Endeavor charged up and unleashed a gout of fire.

 

The number two hero grit his teeth. This giant wasn't reacting to his flames. They just seemed to be pissing him off, if anything at all. Endeavor jumped away and used his flames to put distance between himself and the charging monster.

 

"Oi, All Might, can we get some rain or something!" Miruko yelled as she launched a kick at a tree to try and stop some fire from spreading. "Someone here never learned fire safety!"

 

All Might flexed his muscles and tapped his comms. "No need, Miruko firefighters and heroes are inbound to contain the flames. Endeavor, don't let up this beast is strong!"

 

"I can see that!" Endeavor shouted. "Buy me time, and I'll roast him!"

 

Miruko rolled her eyes. "You're gonna feel pretty stupid once I take him down before you're done charging!"

 

The rabbit hero shot off like a rocket as she bounced around Gigantomachia and confused the giant. His head whipped side to side as he groaned. "Stop moving, little rabbit! I cannot hit you unless you stop!"

 

"Like you could hit me either way!" Miruko yelled before bouncing off a tree and flipping midair, so her legs collided with the side of the giant's left knee. She quickly bounced away as All Might rushed in and slammed his fist into the other side of the same knee.

 

Giantaomachia roared and swung his hand at All Might, who twisted and slammed his closed fist into the giant's open palm canceling out the strike. "Surrender now, villain; you have no hope of winning!"

 

"My master would never forgive me. I will kill you and all the others who get in his way!" Gigantomachia roared as he tried to swat at the number one hero.

 

All Might avoided the giant palm, and Miruko came in again to deliver a devastating strike to the giant's knee, causing it to buckle. All Might rushed in as the giant crouched and delivered three quick jabs to Gigantomachia's jaw, causing the beast to groan low.

 

"Move All Might unless you wish to be burned as well!" Endeavor yelled as the temperature around him rose rapidly.

 

Miruko and All Might jumped away as Endeavor yelled. "Prominence Burn!"

 

Gigantomachia roared as a pillar of fire hit him, and the heat ate through his defenses. As the flames faded and smoke filled the area, the three heroes stood tensed and ready as the seconds ticked by. The sound of wood burning and helicopters filling the sky was drowned out by their own heartbeats. Just as they were feeling their muscles relax, the earth shook, and Gigantomachia roared as he emerged from the smoke with a stone-like slab of flesh covering his mouth. He ran on all fours towards the heroes.

 

Miruko and Endeavor jumped away as All Might yelled. "Texas Smash!"

 

The giant nearly flipped over All Might as this head collided with the hero's fist. All Might grunted as he felt his hold on the embers of One for All waver. He needed to wrap this up quick.

 

"Just go down already!" All Might yelled as he delivered another punch, staggering Gigantomachia and making him fall over. As he panted and hoped that the beast was down for the count, Gigantomachia rebounded and pulled himself up.

 

 

Miruko cursed and delivered another Luna Fall to his head, and Endeavor tried to burn the giant. As Endeavor kept him busy, Miruko landed next to All Might and said. "I'm gonna be honest. I don't know if this guy is gonna down. He's been taking all our hits and shrugging them off. We may need to go for a more permanent solution."

 

All Might grit his teeth. Killing a villain was something he had only tried to do once. He always took villains in alive, but this giant was refusing to go down.

 

"Don't worry, big guy, we don't need the news seeing you do it. I'll take the flak for putting the big guy down." Miruko said as she bent her knees and got ready for the next bout.

 

"Why would you take that for me?" All Might asked. "If you kill him, the HPSC will open an investigation. I know you're no fan of them."

 

"Eh, you give me a place to crash, and that Toshinori Yagi guy you got at Might Tower is a real trooper. He gets shit done. I owe you for all the good stuff your tower offers." Miruko said before tensing as Endeavor flew by cursing.

 

"Damn it, you alive, Endeavor."

 

"Fuck!" the number two yelled as he struggled to get back up.

 

"That's a yes," Miruko said before shooting off. "Support me, All Might. I'll take the final shot!"

 

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March 4th, 2236

 

Izuku and Ochako sat in silence as they watched Endeavor get sent flying into the tree line, and when he didn't immediately come back out, they knew he was probably out of the fight for a bit. The duo watched as Miruko danced around the giant and All Might took on a more supportive role. It was odd for everyone watching. Izuku couldn't even remember a time when All Might wasn't the lead in a fight, and an unsettling idea washed over him as he thought about something Nezu had talked to him about before the entrance exam. Nezu had brought up heroes killing villains and Izuku's thoughts on it.

 

At the time, Izuku stated that he wished it never had to happen but that there were times when villains would take things too far when backing heroes into a corner. He knew the HPSC took heroes killing villains very seriously and would investigate every time it happened.

 

"He's letting Miruko take the lead," Ochako stated as her eyes stayed glued to the fight.

 

"They're gonna kill him," Izuku said quietly, making his friend tense. "That's why Miruko's leading. She'll go for the kill shot and take the negative publicity and the investigation."

 

"Are you sure?" Ochako asked, her voice shaking a bit at the idea. "Maybe Mr.Yagi is getting tired. Who knows how much time he has left."

 

Izuku bit his tongue as he felt One for All stir against his will. He hadn't thought about that. "I hope so."

 

The teens flinched as the giant slammed his fist into the ground sending out a shockwave that threw Miruko towards the raging fires. The bunny hero disappeared into the flames for a moment before shooting out and crashing into the ground nearby.

 

The camera focused on her as she struggled to get back up, and the giant ran at her. Everyone in Japan held their breath as they wondered if the number five hero would be able to get out of this in time.

 

All Might landed on the back of the giant's head, and a camera was able to pick up his shout as he punched the giant in the back of the head. Giagantomachia fell to the ground, and everyone sucked in a breath as All Might delivered another strike to the beast's head as it tried to get up. The number one hero stood on the back of the giant as crimson dripped from his clenched fist, and the look of anger and disappointment was plastered on his face as the cameras in the helicopters focused solely on him.

 

Ochako and Izuku watched with their mouths agape. They tried to process what they saw, but it just wasn't making sense. All Might, the number one hero and symbol of peace, had just killed a villain. The man who ended things with one, maybe two punches and always arrested the bad guy had just ended the life of a villain on national tv.

 

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March 4th, 2236

 

All for One smiled as he muted the news and called the doctor. "Doctor, do we still have Gigantomachia's quirk cocktail on file?"

 

"Yes, sir, we do. Shall I start to look for a replacement?"

 

"Hm... no, I doubt we'll find anyone as loyal as him. Perhaps we can start to prepare a nomu." All for One said as he turned his attention away from the news and to the cameras in the sibling's hideout.

 

"I will start drawing up the plans and figuring out who could serve as a good base." The doctor said as All for One watched Utsumi and her siblings train their quirks and spar with each other.

 

"Good; please present the options to me once they're ready." All for One said as he smiled and cut the call. The siblings were doing well, his spy had gotten into UA, and All Might had just done him a huge favor by hurting his own image while shaking the public worship of heroes. Now he just needed Tomura to experience some good growth over the next year, and things would be looking good for the grand plan.

 

All for One sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Thank you, All Might. While this blunder doesn't make up for you nearly killing me, I think when I finally get my hands on you, I won't torture you quite as long as I originally planned."

 

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March 5th, 2236

 

"State your name, hero identity, and why we called you in here." The dark-haired man said as he sat across from Toshinori, who was buffed up into his All Might state. His dark blue eyes scanned the massive man in front of him and seemed unfazed by the presence of Japan's number one hero.

 

"Toshinori Yagi, hero name All Might, and I was called in to give my account of the fight and subsequent death of the unknown villain I fought in the mountains outside Hakone."

 

"Good. My name is Shoda Yazawa. I work in the HPSC's internal affairs. I'll be asking you a few questions about your use of lethal force. Do you understand that while this investigation is going on, you cannot partake in hero work of any kind and that at the end of this investigation, your fate will be determined by a committee who will look over all the evidence and determine if you were correct in your use of lethal force?"

 

"Yes, sir, I understand," Toshi said as he tried not to shuffle in his seat. The questioning room was set up like a standard police station's questioning room which meant it was a little small for Toshi's comfort.

 

"Good. Now let's get started with why you were in the mountains outside of Hakone." Shoda said as he looked at the tablet in his hands.

 

"The Wild Wild Pussycats and Native both noticed a pattern of destruction in the woods around the area. They were unsure of what to do should they find the source, so they consulted the HPSC, and they suggested bringing me in to assist in apprehending the potential villain."

 

Shoda raised an eyebrow at that as he said. "And it took several months for them to track down this villain?"

 

"Yes. I was not involved in the tracking of the villain, so you would need to speak with the Pussycats and Native for more details." Toshi said as he tried not to squirm in his seat. The chair was a little small, and the room was just a little too cold. Shoda's unreadable expression as he tapped away at his tablet didn't help either. In Toshi's career, he had almost exclusively dealt with the public relations end of the HPSC and all of those people, while being fake as can be, were friendly and cheerful. Shoda was quiet and calculating in much the same way Nighteye would be during an investigation.

 

"Let's get to the big questions," Shoda said after looking up from his tablet. "The fight with this unknown villain wasn't ended as quickly as your usual fights. Why was that?"

 

Toshi cleared his throat before speaking. "He was much more resistant than the typical villain. I pull my punches, and should a villain not go down after the first one, I slowly increase the strength until they are defeated. It seems that the man's quirk boosted his resistance as the fight dragged on."

 

"Endeavor and Miruko joined the fight after some time. Did you request backup?"

 

"I did," Toshi stated as Shoda stared at him. "Upon their arrival, Miruko informed me that the two of them had received the request at the same time they saw the news about my fight."

 

Shoda hummed and nodded as he made several notes. "Towards the end, Miruko took the lead in the fight, and you played support. What was your reasoning for that?"

 

Toshi clenched his jaw. His nerves were starting to get to him. He had never dealt with this kind of thing before, so he had no idea how they'd take this, but he was a hero, and he'd never lie about his actions. "While Endeavor kept the villain occupied, Miruko informed me that the villain was not going to go down and that we may need to kill him. She offered to take the lead and deliver the killing blow."

 

"And yet that is not what happened," Shoda said flatly. "Miruko took a hit and was down, and then you went in for the kill."

 

"Yes, I did. Miruko was down, Endeavor had not yet gotten back into the fight, and the villain was bearing down on Miruko. In order to save her life and end the fight before more serious injuries were sustained, I went in for as quick of a kill as I could manage."

 

Shoda tapped away for several moments, and Toshi swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat. After several tense seconds, the man stood and said. "That's all I have to ask you today. Thank you for your cooperation, All Might. We'll be in touch when we need you again."

 

Toshi stood and bowed his head as he said. "Thank you for your hard work. I'll be sure to abide by the rules."

 

Shoda gave him a silent nod before walking off as security arrived to escort All Might. As he followed the two men, Toshi wished that this would all just blow over, but he knew it wouldn't. The media would be hounding him on this topic for as long as possible.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

March 10th, 2236

 

Native yawned as he walked down the street of Deika city. It had been a long week, and he was looking forward to a more lax schedule for a bit. The tracking hero made his way to a small restaurant and sat in the far booth where an ally waited for him.

 

Hawks smiled as he asked. "How'd the interview go?"

 

"Good. All Might won't be charged or anything, but that big guy is dead, so the top brass should be happy." Native said as he smiled. "Though I gotta wonder who that giant was and why our bosses were so keen on getting rid of him."

 

Hawks shrugged as he said. "Don't know, man. I just do my job and support the cause. Speaking of which, I have new marching orders for you from command."

 

Native sighed. "What am I doing now?"

 

"A quirk scientist from Korea is coming to Japan for work. He's gonna go missing in your turf. Go search, do a thorough job, and tell the HPSC that he vanished and you can't find him." Hawks said simply as he glanced at the approaching waitress. The two heroes waited in silence as the waitress came over and dropped off Hawks' order before leaving.

 

"Sounds good. Anything after that?" Native asked as he eyed the food.  'That looks good. I should grab some before heading home.'

 

"After that, just keep patrolling Hosu and doing hero work." Hawks said simply before digging into his lunch.

 

Native stretched as he got up. "Understood. I'll see you around Hawks."

 

The number three waved him off as Native went to the counter and placed a to-go order. As the tracking hero left, Hawks tried not to glare at the man's back. Another traitor masquerading as a hero that the HPSC would need to get rid of. As he ate, Hawks made a mental note to pass Native's name to the president of the HPSC when he got a chance.  'How long has it been since I last met with her?'

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

March 10th, 2236

 

Toshi sighed as he rubbed his eyes and sat at his desk. He had done so many interviews over the past few days, and it was wearing him down. He had pushed his quirk during the fight in the mountains, and he knew he had lost a little time, and now he was having to run around and talk to people for hours every day since the fight ended. The only good thing that had happened over this past week had been the committee coming to the conclusion that his killing of the giant villain was justified.

 

The elevator dinged, and Toshi puffed up as annoyance flashed across his face. He had told the staff to leave him be for a while and to inform him if anything that couldn't wait came up. They hadn't told him anything, so who was coming up?

 

The doors opened, and Toshi immediately deflated as he saw Gran Torino along with his two students. "My secretary didn't tell me you were all coming."

 

"Told her not to tell you," Gran said as he hopped up onto the couch. "The kids wanted to see you, and I figured you'd turn them away because you're brooding."

 

"I am not brooding," Toshi muttered as he sat down at his desk. "I'm just busy."

 

"It's ok, sir; we'll keep it short," Izuku said as he approached the desk. "We just wanted to make sure you were ok... we, um, saw your fight on the fourth."

 

Toshi looked at Izuku and Ochako. The two teens were doing their best not to look worried, but he could see it in their eyes. They had seen the symbol of peace kill someone, and it shook them. He needed to reassure them that everything was ok.

 

"I am ok," Toshi said as he smiled and straightened his posture. "I'm All Might, after all. I did what I had to do to keep Miruko safe. The people will understand, and all of this hubbub will blow over. Give it some time, and the media will move on."

 

Toshi stood as he walked around the desk and patted his student's shoulders. "Now come, I have some spare time, so why don't we spar some and review how you did in the entrance exam."

 

The teens didn't look totally convinced, but they nodded and followed Toshi to the elevator as Gran joined them, saying he wanted to test out the students' reflexes. Toshi was yet again baffled by how excited Izuku and Ochako were to spar with the old man.

 

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March 11th, 2236

 

Ishida and Tsuzuki Uraraka sat with Inko around her dining table as their kids sat on the couch and watched the news as Thirteen led a rescue operation in the north after an earthquake had torn up the area.

 

"Have you decided how Izuku is going to get to UA when school starts?" Tsuzuki asked as she held onto the cup of tea Inko had made her.

 

"Yes, there's an apartment that's in my price range... And you know it does have an extra room. If you're struggling to find somewhere for Ochako..." Inko said as she looked at the two.

 

"What?" Ishida asked as he stared at Inko as if she'd grown a second head. "We can't toss those two together into the same apartment and then just leave them alone. They're teenagers."

 

"Yes, they are, but they've also been sneaking out for years and meeting up at night to talk and spend time together," Inko said, making Ochako's parents straighten up in surprise.  'Oh, they didn't know that?'

 

"Wait, they've been doing what?" Tsuzuki asked as she looked at the back of her daughter's head.

 

Inko nodded and said. "But it's ok; they never did anything bad. I made sure to check on them every so often. Also, our kids are good and responsible. They're focused on becoming heroes, so I think we'll be safe. If you want, we can give them a little talk and make our expectations of them clear."

 

Tsuzuki looked at Ishida, who rubbed his chin. "I trust Izuku and Ochako, but yes, I think talking to them about what we expect of them would be a good idea. They're teenagers, and they're very close, so honestly, it just feels like a matter of time."

 

Inko and Tsuzuki nodded as they thought about their kids. They were best friends, but none of the adults were blind. The parents could see how the teens looked at each other. Inko smiled and clapped her hands together. "Well, then, let's go embarrass our kids."

Notes:

Sorry for the delay. For the past two weeks, I've been dealing with back issues. I hurt my lower back pretty bad, and it's still not totally better, but I've managed to write this and edit it. I hate back pain so much. this sucks a lot, and I can't wait for it to be healed. I'll have to make some lifestyle changes to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Not sure when the next chapter will be. In fact, the next thing I write will either be kisses and kissed chapter or another chapter of A life worth living.

Also just finished Edgerunners and it was very good in my opinion. Rebecca is one of my favorite characters.

anyways I'll see you next time.

Chapter 17: The First Day of School

April 8th, 2236

 

Izuku and Ochako stood in the kitchenette/living room that was their apartment for their duration at UA. The two teens were doing their best not to look at each other as their parents brought in the rest of the things they had brought. The two of them had been watching the news one day after getting their acceptance letters, and their parents walked up saying they needed to have a serious talk. Neither of them was sure what was wrong, but they quickly realized how embarrassing the talk was going to be when Inko brought up living arrangements and their expectations of the two teens.

 

Their embarrassment had faded over time, but now that they were standing in the apartment they'd be sharing, neither felt like they could look at the other. Inko came in from Izuku's room and smiled. "Welp, that's everything. How about we get started on some dinner."

 

"Um yeah, sounds good," Izuku said as he walked a little quicker than needed. "I'll help you out, mom."

 

Inko smiled as she walked over to join her son. The embarrassment would fade eventually, but hopefully, the talk they had would keep them from doing anything too reckless while they were living here.

 

While the Midoriya's cooked, Ochako watched her parents go around the apartment and make sure everything was up to code and that there was nothing that needed immediate attention. The husband and wife seemed satisfied with their sweep of the apartment by the time Inko and Izuku plated up dinner, and everyone sat around for a couple of hours eating. Once the dishes were done, the parents hugged their children and wished them luck before leaving.

 

As Izuku locked the door, Ochako shuffled her feet a bit and said. "I'm uh... gonna get ready for bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

"Yeah. um, goodnight Chako." Izuku said as he walked over to the couch. "I'm gonna stay up a bit. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

Ochako nodded and said goodnight before heading off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Once she was in her room, Izuku sighed and relaxed. He would never forgive his mother for making this so awkward.

 

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April 9th, 2236

 

Izuku's eyes opened slowly as he awoke in his inner world. The black grass rustled, and he watched it for some time before the flicker of light caught his attention, and looked out towards where his quirk was located. He remembered the fire he saw while looking around and decided to head towards one. Back when he first saw them, he'd been cautious and avoided them, but his curiosity was winning out against his caution. He'd just look and observe. He'd play it safe until he had time to work with Aizawa again.

 

Hours or maybe seconds later, Izuku stopped as he stood before a small purple fire. It danced and flickered in the wind in an almost hypnotic pattern. Izuku felt his body relax, and his eyes felt heavy as a woman's voice spoke.

 

"Come on, Toshi, it's just up this way. Sora lives here."

 

Izuku hummed as he heard a boy speak. He sounded like a young All Might. "Are you sure he lives here, Mrs.Shimura? This place looks..."

 

"Like shit?" Nana said, and Izuku smiled as she laughed. Her laugh was so full of life and joy. It spilled out of her like an overflowing faucet infecting the area around the fire with an easy, joyful mood.

 

Izuku smiled and slumped forward, falling onto the fire. It quickly enveloped him, and a warm feeling spread through his body as the purple flames covered him. It reminded him of when his mother would hug him and shower him with love whenever he was feeling down.

 

Izuku laughed as she stepped up to the door and knocked. "It's ok, Toshi; he knows it looks like shit. If he cared, he would have done something about it."

 

Izuku looked back at the blonde junior high student. He was a confident boy who knew what he wanted, but he was a little too stiff. She'd need to work on his sense of humor; hopefully, Sora would be able to help him loosen up a bit.

 

The door opened, and a gruff voice said. "Oh, look who it is. You got the money you owe me, Nana, or are you here to leech off me more?"

 

Izuku laughed and clapped her oldest friend on the back a little harder than needed. "Nice to see you again, too, Sora. Sorry to drop by unexpectedly, but I wanted to introduce you to someone."

 

Sorahiko looked down at the blonde teen standing there, watching them intently. "My god, you've turned into a cradle robber. Does your husband know you're stirring along some poor boy?"

 

The boy blushed and waved his hands as he tried to deny what Sora was implying while Iuzku laughed and smacked Sora hard enough to make him stumble. "Nah, he doesn't know yet, but I'll tell him later. Now you gonna let us in, or are we gonna just stand here on the steps of your crappy agency building?"

 

Sora grunted and waved him in. "Come on in. I ain't got tea, so you'll have to settle for water."

 

Izuku's eyes opened as she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She... no, he, not she. He wasn't sure where he was for a moment. She/He sat up and rubbed his/her eyes as he stretched. Her shoulders felt so much looser than usual, but what was she thinking, sleeping without a shirt on? Though Hirotaka might enjoy seeing him/her like this in the morning, he/she didn't need Kotaro coming in and seeing his mommy half naked. Izuku stared at the full-length mirror on the other side of the unfamiliar room, and a face stared back that wasn't hers. Curly green hair that should have been black and straight, along with emerald eyes that should be gray. Izuku closed his eyes slowly and, after a moment, opened them again to stare at himself in the mirror for a moment before muttering, "What?"

 

He jumped as his phone suddenly chimed. He stared at it for a moment before picking it up to see a message from his mom telling him good morning and to have a good first day. Izuku smiled as the strange disconnect he felt this morning faded from his mind, and he texted his mom before getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Ochako yawned as she got out of bed and headed for her door, intent on heading for the bathroom to get started on the day. It was her first day of school, but she struggled to fall asleep last night. This apartment was so different from the home she had grown up in, and her parent's embarrassing talk last month had made the first night here even more stressful. Her cheeks flushed, remembering the conversation about how none of the parents wanted to be grandparents quite yet. She muttered about how her parents were being ridiculous. Sure she spent a lot of time with Iuzku, but it wasn't like that.

 

Ochako opened the door at the same time that the door across from hers opened, and the first thing Ochako saw today was Izuku standing there in a pair of black gym shorts and nothing else. His fluffy green curls were a mess and wholly cow; she had seen him pull his shirt up to wipe the sweat off his face when they were training, but she could have sworn he was not that fit the last time they worked out.

 

"You have a cow lick," Izuku said suddenly, snapping Ochako's attention back to his face and then to her own hair as her hands shot up and pushed the rebellious tuft of hair down.

 

A blush crawled across her cheeks as she said. "S-shut up; your hair looks like a bird's nest."

 

Izuku chuckled weakly before saying. "Good morning Ochako."

 

"Good morning... how'd you sleep?" Ochako asked as the two stood in their respective doorways.

 

"Hm, alright, I think... I had a dream. I uh..." Ochako watched as Izuku's eyes lost focus, and for a moment, she thought he'd fallen asleep standing up, but he blinked, and his eyes focused on her again. "I don't remember what it was about. How did you sleep?"

 

"Not that great," Ochako said as she stifled a yawn. "I uh... it's an unfamiliar room. It was hard to go to sleep."

 

Izuku chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I get that. Uh, I'll let you use the bathroom first. I'll get started on breakfast. Do you want anything specific?"

 

Ochako shook her head. "Thanks, and n-no, I'm fine with whatever."

 

Izuku hummed and went back into his room while Ochako walked off to the bathroom. By the time she was done, breakfast was ready, and to her surprise, she felt a little disappointed that Izuku was wearing a shirt. She shook the thought away and thanked him for breakfast. As they ate, Izuku couldn't help but look at her now brushed hair and think.  'She looked cute with that cow lick in her hair.'

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Izuku stared up at the UA building and felt a strange sensation roll over him. "Has it always looked like that?"

 

Ochako raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Huh? Yeah, I'm pretty sure the buildings are the same though it feels more intimidating now that we're students."

 

Izuku looked over at his best friend and took a moment to admire how she looked in the UA uniform. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

 

As they walked past the barrier to UA, Ochako did her best to pretend she didn't see Izuku stare at her. He had been slightly off since last night, but she couldn't blame him. Their parents' embarrassing talk and the stress of starting school were probably getting to him. She'd do her best to help him deal with the stress so that they could focus on heroics.

 

"I think our class is this way," Izuku said as he checked a directory by the main staircase.

 

Ochako nodded and followed Izuku as they walked down the maze-like tunnels of UA. It took a few minutes and a couple wrong turns, but the two arrived outside the door marked Class 1-A.

 

"You ready?" Ochako asked as she grabbed the door.

 

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, let's meet our classmates."

 

Ochako opened the door to see that most of the seats were already filled. Most everyone was sitting at their desk except for a small group of boys and girls who seemed like the most extroverted. As Izuku and Ochako walked over to the teacher's stand to check the class seating position, neither noticed the pink girl eyeing them curiously. Not many people had come in at the same time, and they seemed close. Mina giggled a bit as she already had some good stuff to keep an eye on.

 

Izuku frowned as he looked over the names a second time. Ochako leaned a bit closer as she said. "He might be in class B."

 

Izuku sighed and smiled at his friend as he said. "Yeah, maybe. Hopefully, we will get to meet them soon. It'd be nice to see Katsuki again."

 

"Hopefully, we do. I'm gonna go take my seat. Looks like class is gonna start soon, and I'm sure  he  is gonna pull something." Ochako said as she patted Izuku's shoulder.

 

Izuku nodded and started heading to his desk. As he sat, a girl with Icy blue skin stepped away from the group that was talking by the door. She sat in the empty desk in front of Izuku and smiled. "So you're Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you second place."

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow as he looked at the girl. Her black hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, and like the pink girl by the door, her sclera was black, but her iris were silver instead of the pink girl's gold. She seemed to exude confidence as she grinned at him. "Um yeah... I'm sorry, I don't think I know you."

 

"No, you don't. I remembered your name from my acceptance video and then saw it on the seating chart. I'm Nishida Orime. You can call me Nishi." Nishi said as she held a hand out. "If you don't remember, I'm the one who got first place in the entrance exam."

 

"Oh yeah, I remember now. I was impressed when I saw I was in second. You got a great score." Izuku said as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

 

"Nice to meet you too," Nishi said. "I wanted to meet who came in behind me. Do you mind introducing me to Uraraka later? I was stoked to see the second and third placers in my class and even more stoked when I realized you two know each other."

 

Izuku nodded as he glanced at Ochako, who was talking to Tsu, and he realized that Tenya was over there as well. He hadn't even noticed them when he came in. "Um yeah, I can later."

 

"Thanks, man... what the hell is that?"

 

Izuku looked at Nishi, then followed her eye and bit back a laugh as he saw Aizawa slinking in while wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag. The tired hero snuck in and stood up behind the teacher's stand catching some students' attention. Not everyone noticed him, though, and after a moment, he cleared his throat, causing all the talk to die down. "That took you too long. We'll need to work on that."

 

Everyone stared at him in bewilderment as he pulled off his sleeping bag and pulled out a gym uniform. "I'm Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. You have a gym uniform inside your desk. Take it and go down the hall to the changing rooms. You have fifteen minutes to get dressed and meet me out on the field."

 

The class watched Aizawa leave, and after a moment, it registered that he wasn't coming back. The class quickly started getting up and heading to the changing room. As they headed down to the field after getting changed, Iuzku ran up to Tenya and said. "Hey, Iida, sorry I didn't say hi earlier. I didn't see you and Tsu in the classroom."

 

Tenya smiled as they walked. "It's quite alright, Midoirya. You went to your seat, which was the right thing to do. Uraraka also told me that you were hoping to find your friend here and were disappointed that you didn't. I do hope your friend is in the other class."

 

"Thanks, Iida," Izuku said as they arrived at the field where Aizawa was waiting.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Aizawa looked over his class and hummed. They seemed pretty good but whether or not they were ready to become heroes was still up in the air. Toru Hagakure, someone who Aizawa thought would do good work in the underground scene, questioned why they weren't at the entrance ceremony. Aizawa looked over at the invisible girl and went into his usual spiel about how it was a waste of time and how they needed to be logical.

 

As he finished his explanation about the physical test they'd be doing and how quirks were allowed, he heard Mina Ashido speak about how fun the test seemed. He smiled at the pink girl who shivered and took a half step back. "Well, since you think it's gonna be fun, how about a little incentive. Whoever comes in last place is going to be expelled no if and or butts. The world's not fair, and it won't bend to you, so let's get started and see who here isn't fit to be a hero."

 

His class looked like they wanted to talk back, but they also looked scared that they'd lose their spot in class. He smiled and grabbed a ball. "Nishida Ormie, you got first in the entrance exams, so come up here. Toss this ball as far as you can and make sure to use your quirk."

 

Nishi smiled and ran up. "These things waterproof?"

 

Aizawa nodded. "Yes, they are. Just don't leave the circle, and you're fine."

 

As Nishi pulled a water bottle out of her pocket and cracked it open, Aizawa spotted Izuku getting that excited look in his eyes like whenever he'd have a breakthrough in training. Aizawa sighed as he realized many headaches were coming in his future.

 

Nishi enveloped the ball in water, and the class watched as her eyes glowed with silver light and the water spun around her faster and faster before firing off into the sky. Aizawa's phone beeped after a moment, and he held it up. "Five hundred meters. Good throw, let's see what everyone else can do."

 

Nishi puffed up with some pride as she went and rejoined her class, some of which were looking very nervous while others seemed to be thinking about how they were going to get the most out of their quirk.

 

As the test went on, Aizawa scanned his class. They seemed to be taking things seriously though some seemed to be distracted or otherwise not giving it their all. Two students stood out to him, but so far, it didn't seem egregious enough for him to give them the boot to general studies. Just to be on the safe side, though, he'd do a little public call out, so everyone knew that no one was special here.

 

As the test ended, Aizawa projected a hologram from his phone as he said. "Here are the results."

 

"NO!" Toru cried out as she saw her name at the bottom of the list. "B-but... That's not-"

 

Aizawa glanced at the girl as she cut herself off from saying it wasn't fair. The invisible girl's shoulders slumped, and Aizawa felt a bit of pity for her, so before she could even take a step, he said. "No one's going home, by the way."

 

"What?!" The class cried out as Toru practically fell to her knees, and Mina grabbed her to keep the invisible girl from falling over.

 

"I mean, of course, no one was." Momo Yaoyorozu said as she crossed her arms, looking just a little too prim and proper in Aizawa's opinion. "It was obviously a ruse."

 

Aizawa didn't blame her for her attitude or how she kind of gave off the vibe that she was looking down on others. He knew her family was wealthy, and the girl most likely lived a sheltered life like every rich kid Aizawa had ever met. He'd need to make sure she learned to relax and realize her actions may be taken the wrong way if she wasn't careful.

 

"It wasn't a ruse," Aizawa said flatly, causing the girl to falter as she looked at him. "This test wasn't for me to see how well your quirks worked or to know your limits. That comes later. This test was to see if you could take things seriously and would give it your all, even if you were at a disadvantage. It's like I said earlier, we're gonna see who deserves to be here."

 

The class shuffled in place a bit, and Toru hesitantly asked. "T-then I'm not getting expelled? W-why?"

 

"Because you didn't give up. I may not be able to see your face, but I can tell you were giving it your all despite the fact that your quirk wasn't suited to any of this. All of you were like that to some degree. You showed enough resolve and impressed me. Though that does mean I have high expectations for you in the future." Aizawa said as he put his phone away and continued his speech. "The world today is saturated with heroes, and in my opinion, less than half of them deserve to be here. I do this test every year to weed out those who won't live up to what it means to be a hero. You all proved to me today that you aren't without potential, so I'll keep you on and train you into the best heroes you can be."

 

As the class's mood started to rise, Aizawa held up a hand and said. "Before that, though, I need to address two issues."

 

The students quieted down, confused about what he could mean. Aizawa looked at the first and hopefully least problematic going forward. "Shoto Todoroki, I would like to remind you that UA has access to your quirk record. You may have passed this test today, but I want you to know that half-assing your way through the hero program won't cut it. I expect maximum effort from you in the future."

 

Eyes trained themselves on the duel-colored boy who seemed to seethe with a cold anger but kept his words to himself as he gave a stiff nod. Aizawa made a mental note of his response and turned his attention to what he knew would be an ongoing problem, but it needed to be addressed now. “The other is Minoru Mineta.”

 

The small purple boy squeaked and looked very afraid as Aizawa looked at him. Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes before saying. "I would like to remind you and everyone here that UA has a very strict zero-tolerance policy when it comes to harassment of any kind. While you did nothing physically, do not think I didn't hear the comments you made or the looks you were giving your female classmates."

 

Everyone looked at the boy whose head snapped around. Aizawa noted that Kyoka Jiro seemed relieved. The girl most likely heard everything Mineta had said while the tests were going on, whether she wanted to or not. Before the short boy could open his mouth, Aizawa said. "This is your only warning to behave, and this is a reminder to everyone if you ever, and I mean ever feel like you are being bullied or harassed in any way, come to me or a staff member you feel you can trust. We're all heroes here. I promise we'll help you."

 

The mood was a mixed bag now, but Aizawa had said what he needed to say, so as he turned, he waved them off. "Your syllabus is in the classroom. Once you grab it, you're dismissed for the day. See you all tomorrow."

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

As class A entered their classroom after changing out of their gym uniforms, Minoru was quick to get his things and leave. No one paid much mind, but the girls all came to the same conclusion that they'd need to keep an eye on that guy in particular.

 

Izuku winced as he grabbed his syllabus, and Ochako asked. "You ok? Did you hurt your fingers?"

 

Izuku blushed as she grabbed his hand and inspected his bruised fingers. "I knew it. You went too hard during the ball toss. You should get this checked out right away."

 

"Yeah, I'll get Chiyo to take care of it," Izuku said as he slung his backpack on.

 

Ochako blinked and looked at his face as she said. "Chiyo?"

 

Izuku stared at her, wondering why she seemed confused, before blinking and saying. "I uh... sorry, I meant to say Recovery Girl. Why did I say Chiyo? I don't know anyone named Chiyo."

 

"Maybe you're tired, kero," Tsu said as she walked over. "I know I'm pretty beat after that test."

 

Izuku nodded as Tenya joined them. "Yeah, I guess I am. I'm gonna head to the nurse. You guys can go on ahead."

 

"Nonsense, I know I certainly won't mind waiting for you to finish," Tenya said as the four students headed for the door.

 

"I'll wait around to kero. It's a half day for us, but my younger siblings have a full day, so I've got free time." Tsu said as she tapped her chin and started thinking about how to spend her quiet time before her adorable siblings came home.

 

As they headed for the nurse's office. Nishi smiled at Toru and Mina. "you guys headed home or what?"

 

"I wanted to look around a bit, but I don't know the area, so I don't know if I should," Toru said. "Also, I'm still recovering from the shock of that test."

 

"Me too, girl. I wanted to look around, but I'm feeling too beat to blindly explore." Mina said as she dropped her head.

 

Nishi smiled and held her arms out. "Well, congratulations. I'm a local, so I can show you around if you want. I know some good spots for relaxing and having fun."

 

"Hm... yeah, that sounds pretty good," Mina said, looking at the invisible girl. "How about you?"

 

"Yeah, let's go; it seems fun," Toru said as her voice gained some pep.

 

The three girls offered up the trip to anyone else, but there were no takers, so the trio set out to learn about what was around UA.

 

As the class filled out, Yuga Aoyama was left alone in his seat as he rubbed his stomach gently. It hurt from him using his quirk so much. He'd need to take some painkillers once he got home and maybe take a bubble bath and treat himself to something sweet. Guilt bubbled up in his chest as he stood. His parents' words the day he received his acceptance letter had been weighing on him every moment since then. Did they really sell their souls just so he could have a quirk and pursue his dream? Did they really expect him to be a spy? To report things about hero students to a villain and to be complicit in his crimes? Aoyama swallowed the bile in his throat. He didn't know if it was from his quirks blowback or from his own disgust at the situation he had been forced into. He supposed it didn't matter either way because he would swallow it along with his fears and guilt, and he would do whatever he needed to to make sure his parents were safe and happy.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Inko frowned as she hung up from the phone call with her son. He had spent some time telling her about his day, and she felt so proud of him, but it turned to ash in her mouth as he mentioned Katsuki. She could feel the guilt building in her gut, threatening to chew its way out of her. She didn't tell him about what she knew. Inko knew it would devastate him to learn that his old friend was most likely dead. A more terrible thought came to mind whenever she resolved herself to speak about the Bakugo family. She knew her son, so she knew he would go after All for One, and she knew he was nowhere near ready to fight the demon that nearly killed All Might of all people.

 

As Inko sat in her quiet home, she looked at the black screen of her phone as thoughts swirled and danced around with half-formed notions and feelings. What could she do? All she wanted was a quiet life with her boy, but that boy just had to be even more impressive than she thought. He went and caught the attention of not just All Might but the Rat King of UA Nezu. Now he was caught up in the middle of a two-hundred-year-old war for control of Japan. Sure All Might vowed to kill All for One before Izuku ever needed to face him, but Inko knew those were just words, and until the day she saw All Might do it, she would worry and fret about her boy being targeted by such a threat.

 

Inko stood and walked to her room as a dangerous idea crossed her path. She quickly discarded it. Nezu and Nighteye were working on finding All for One if he still lived. Anything she may discover about him would be found by them, and she didn't want to cross paths with them again while in the field.

 

Still, her hands itched, and her mind fretted. What else could be out there? Monsters seldom existed in isolation. If there was a demon king of the underworld, then it would make sense that there were those beneath him in power. Inko opened the safe in her closet. If she couldn't look for the king, she'd just have to make sure he couldn't expand his reach.

 

Inko grabbed Jade's mask and set her resolve. Jade needed to go out and make it clear that the villains slinking in the shadows weren't welcome. All for One may be alive and out of her reach, but his potential future assets weren't, and that would have to be enough for Jade and Inko.

Notes:

I've been taking a steroid pack to help with my back. Feeling better but worried about whether or not I'll keep feeling goof once I'm done with it. I really want to be able to go to work again. It's been three, almost four weeks now. That's two paychecks I've missed.

I finished watching Call of the Night, Made in Abyss season two, and Summertime Rendering recently, and they were all just so good. I thoroughly enjoyed them. I hope Call of the Night gets another season because it would be amazing. As for Made in Abyss, I actually hope we get a movie instead of a season three right away. I think it would be cool to have a movie between each season.

I watched the first episode of season six for MHA, and the intro and outro are both great. I enjoyed them, and I'm looking forward to the coming arc. some great moments are gonna get animated.

I'm hyped for more shows that are coming out. tell me what anime you're excited to watch this coming season. other than that I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 18: One Too Many

Notes:

I almost hit the character limit for the AN at the end of this chapter.

April 9th, 2236

 

Ochako eyed her best friend as he hummed quietly to himself and cleaned the dishes. She had wanted to help, but he had insisted on doing it himself and told her to just kick her feet up and relax. Ochako's eyes narrowed a bit as she thought about how that wasn't how Izuku usually handled these things. She couldn't remember a time when he turned her down whenever she offered to help him with a chore.

 

As Izuku scrubbed dishes and hummed the familiar tune, Ochako thought about today. Izuku had seemed off from his usual self throughout the day. Ochako rubbed her eyes and sighed as she turned on the tv; maybe she was just imagining it because of the stress of school starting. They had gotten into their dream high school, and now they were on track to becoming heroes. UA was the best of the best for so many reasons, and every single one of those reasons came with an added amount of stress. They were attending the best school in Japan, arguably the best in Asia, and as such, they had expectations that seemed almost impossible.

 

Ochako leaned her head back on the couch and groaned softly as she thought about what UA may throw their way. They also had Aizawa, and he had made it crystal clear before they started school that he would not treat them differently than any other student, which was great but also meant that if he saw fit, he could boot them to general studies.

 

"You ok?" Izuku asked as he walked over behind her and looked down at her.

 

Ochako stared up at his green eyes that held a hint of worry in them even as he smiled. Ochako hummed and said. "Tried and stressed... are you doing ok?"

 

"Huh?" Izuku asked as he tilted his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

 

"...No reason," Ochako said before looking back at the tv. "Thanks for cleaning up, by the way."

 

Izuku chuckled. "No problem. I'm gonna go meditate for a while."

 

"Be careful," Ochako called as Izuku went down the short hallway to his bedroom.

 

Izuku smiled as he entered his room. As he got comfortable on his bed, he thought about the first day of school. He'd been a little spaced out first thing in the morning, and then he got turned around a few times while looking for their classroom, but overall it seemed pretty alright. Aizawa scared the crap out of the rest of the class and even unsettled Izuku with how he acted as a teacher. Aizawa had never told him and Ochako about the expulsion test before.

 

Izuku sighed as he settled in to start meditating. It had gotten so easy to just slip into the inner world and wander around. Though he had to constantly remind himself to not turn around and look at the source of One for All.

 

As Izuku entered the inner world of One for All, he looked down and panicked as he saw his left hand covered in purple flames. He screamed and batted out the fire. They dissipated quickly, and his hand looked fine. He didn't even feel any pain despite it having just been on fire. "W-what was that?"

 

Izuku looked around as he got his breathing under control. Why had his hand been on fire, and why was it purple fire? The last time he saw purple flames were.

 

Izuku's eyes widened as he looked in the direction of where his quirk was located. "The fire I saw... I-I fell into it. I experienced a memory from Nana's point of view."

 

The memory came back to him, and Izuku felt his feet move as his brain thought about how he'd been Nana. He didn't watch the memory; he entered it and experienced it as Nana had. He felt everything she had. The cold autumn air on her face, the warmth of her jacket. Izuku blushed a bit as he muttered. "Her shoulders and back felt really sore even while she was just standing there. Do all women with large breasts feel like that? How long did it take her to get used to that feeling?"

 

Izuku put aside his thoughts as he arrived at where he was sure the purple fire should be. Izuku looked around and frowned as he saw nothing. There were no flames around, but he was certain that he was in the right spot. "Did it go away because I experienced it? Should I go find another one?"

 

Izuku rubbed his chin as he looked around. He should probably tell Nezu and Aizawa, but... Izuku spotted a purple fire in the distance and walked toward it. "They're busy, and besides, nothing bad happened when I touched one earlier."

 

As Izuku approached the fire, he looked around the field of black-grass and saw that there seemed to be a lot of purple fire out in the field, with gold being the other color he saw. "The gold has to be All Might, right? I mean, the source of One for All is gold, with purple breaking the surface. I guess that means purple is Nana's color."

 

Izuku stared at the purple flames and heard a quiet sobbing coming from them. He swallowed a lump in his throat and took a small step back. "Maybe I'll find a different one."

 

Izuku wandered away from the purple flames. He wasn't sure how long he'd walked, and honestly, at this point, he'd given up trying to get a feel for time or distance in this place. One moment it would feel like he'd take a step and be miles from where he was standing; the next moment, it would feel like he'd been walking for hours only to turn and see he was three steps away from where he'd started.

 

It either took hours or seconds to find a golden fire flickering brightly and causing the grass to sway away from it. As Izuku approached, he could hear faint conversations and the sound of someone hitting a sandbag.

 

"Must be working out," Izuku said as he shrugged and stepped closer. "How do I do this? What happened last time?"

 

The flames flickered and wavered as the voices continued. Izuku felt his body relax, and his eyes blinked slowly as he swayed back and forth before falling into the golden flames that quickly covered his body. It didn't feel as comforting as the purple flames. It was more like whenever Izuku would help Ochako's father with something, and he'd put a hand on Izuku's shoulder and thank him, or when Toshi would praise his form during a sparring match. It was a sort of affirmation for his effort that didn't feel the same as whenever his mother praised him for something he had done well. He wasn't sure how to describe the feeling as he slipped into the memory.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Iuku's fist hurt, and his lungs burned as he wailed on the bag. His frustration was boiling over, and the bag, unfortunately, could not complain about getting punched and so it got punched repeatedly until Izuku felt better.

 

"Slow your roll Toshinori. You're gonna bust the bag." an elderly voice said as a radio got turned off.

 

"Sorry, Sensei," Izuku grunted as he stopped and held the bag to stop it from swinging.

 

Izuku looked up at the older man with dog-like features who was putting some weights away. "I ain't ever seen a junior high kid go that hard before. You have a rough day at school?"

 

Izuku grit his teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he walked over and grabbed a water bottle. After a few chugs, he whipped the sweat off his face and neck as he said. "Same shit, different day."

 

"Ten yen." the old man said as Izuku bit his tongue and looked at the no-swearing sign above the entrance. "So what happened?"

 

"Punks being punks," Izuku said as he collected his stuff and dropped ten yen in the jar by his sensei's desk. "I stopped them."

 

"And got in trouble." the old man said as he grunted and sat down. "What's the punishment?"

 

"Suspended. They deserved it, but god graced their pasty a- selfs with a nice heroic quirk so they can do and say whatever they want like they're infallible." Izuku clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I showed em that their quirks meant jack when they didn't know how to dodge or take a punch."

 

The old man laughed as he said. "Still on the hunt for your symbol? Think you'll ever find someone who can fill that role?"

 

Izuku gripped the doorknob as he stared hard at the old wood. "I'll find someone who can do it. Someone worthy who will make people feel safe, and I'll make sure they're the best hero they can be."

 

As Izuku turned the doorknob and opened it, he said. "And if I can't, then I guess I'll just have to do it myself."

 

The old dog man smiled. "Well, Symbol of Peace. Whenever that day comes, bring them to my gym, and if it's, you don't forget who taught you how to take a hit."

 

Izuku smiled at the old man as he said. "I'd never forget you, Mr.Hirota. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

"Haha! See you tomorrow, Toshi and hey, maybe bring that Shuzo girl around. You keep talking about her, so she must be something special."

 

Izuku blushed and groaned as he left the gym. "Stupid old man."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

"Izuku. Hey, Izuku, wake up."

 

Izuku groaned as his eyes opened slowly. He looked around the unfamiliar room, but his attention was pulled to his left as someone shook his shoulder. He blinked slowly as he looked at soft brown eyes. "Shuzo."

 

Ochako tilted her head as she stared at him in confusion. "Huh?"

 

Izuku placed his hand over hers as he blinked slowly. "Sorry... you had to wake me up. My father wasn't here when you came in, was he?"

 

"Izuku," Ochako said as she gripped his shoulders and gave him a firm shake. "What are you talking about? Come on, dinner's ready; stop messing around."

 

Ochako held her breath as she watched her best friend stare at her for a moment before his eyes seemed to glaze over, and he blinked slowly before opening them again and saying. "Huh? What are you doing, Chako?"

 

"Trying not to freak about you waking up as a different person," Ochako said as she held his shoulders tighter. "You said you were gonna meditate, but I didn't think you'd do it the whole day. I thought you might have fallen asleep or something, so I just let you be and made dinner, but when I came in, you woke up and were acting like someone else. You called me Shuzo, which is, again, a name I've never heard before."

 

Izuku groaned as he rubbed his eyes and tried to piece together what was happening. "My head hurts."

 

"Izuku, your nose is bleeding."

 

Izuku looked up at his friend to see the concern on her face before the world seemed to tilt forty-five degrees and the last thing he saw before his vision went black was Ochako jumping towards him.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 9th, 2236

 

Izuku's eyes fluttered open, and the sterile white ceiling of the hospital greeted him. A dull constant throb in his head caused him to groan softly. As he tried to sit up, a set of hands gently pushed him back down. "Stay down, Izuku. You need rest."

 

Soft brown eyes full of worry filled his vision as he looked at Ochako. "Hey, Ochako."

 

"Hey. Glad to see you awake." Ochako said as she sat down. "You were out for a few hours. I talked to your mom and told her I'd make sure you were fine. Don't need her burning money to come out here when I can handle lecturing you for whatever you did."

 

Izuku chuckled softly. "Thanks, and I'm sorry. I remember you being worried. I'll try to keep that from happening again."

 

"You better. I freaked out when you collapsed." Ochako said as she stood up. "I called the EMS and got you to the hospital. Once the doc said you were ok, I called Nezu, and he's here with Recovery Girl. They wanna talk to you, so I'm gonna go get them. Also, your mom didn't answer, so I left a voice mail for her. be sure to call or something when you get a chance."

 

Izuku hummed and closed his eyes as he said. "Ok. I have an... idea of what caused whatever happened to me."

 

Ochako sighed and stared at her friend for a moment longer before heading outside to get the others. Once they were back in Izuku's room, the doctor checked a few things, and after having Izuku confirm he wanted everyone to know what had happened to him, the man sighed and pulled up a projection showing a brain scan.

 

"While we were treating you, I decided to run some scans of your brain and had one of the doctors with a diagnostic quirk take a look." The doctor cycled through the various images as he sat down and continued. "When quirks came around, we noticed that some would put stress on the brain. Any quirk that would do that was typically labeled a mental quirk. The stress I'm looking at on these scans is equal to some intense training of a mental quirk."

 

The doctor looked at Izuku as he said. "I noticed you updated your quirk registry recently. You may need to do it again. I'm not sure what you were doing at the time of your collapse, but I'd consider not doing it again until you understand your quirk better. If you want, we have an in-house quirk counselor that can speak with you."

 

"I'll consider it. Thank you, doctor." Izuku said as he stared at images of his brain. He had no idea what any of them meant, but he was pretty sure Recovery Girl or the doctor would walk him through anything important.

 

The doctor nodded as he stood. "We're gonna keep you overnight to monitor you, but you should be able to make it to school tomorrow; just remember to take it easy and not recreate whatever brought you here."

 

"Will do, sir," Izuku said as the doctor stepped out.

 

After several moments passed, Nezu placed a black disk with a single white button on it. He pressed it, and a low hum could be heard coming from it. "We can now speak freely. I'd like to start by asking how are you doing, Mr.Midoriya?"

 

"I'm ok. Head hurts, and I feel tired."

 

"That should pass with some rest, dear." Recovery Girl said. "But before that, why don't you tell us what happened?"

 

"Shouldn't we wait for Toshinori?" Izuku asked, not noticing the raised eyebrows of the others.

 

Nezu smiled as he hopped up onto Izuku's bed. "He's currently busy. I'll inform him of this tomorrow. Now I believe One for All is the cause of your hospital visit. What do you remember?"

 

Izuku chewed his lip, and after a moment to collect his thoughts, he said. "Last night, I went into the inner world while I slept. While there, I fell into a memory of Nana Shimura. It was her introducing a young Toshinori to Gran Torino. Things were kinda foggy when I woke up. The first clear memory I have of this morning was Ochako and I walking to UA."

 

"You were kinda spacy this morning," Ochako said. "You stared off into space a few times and got lost as we were walking to class. You also said the names Chiyo and Shuzo, but I've never heard either of those names before."

 

"Chiyo is my name, dear." Recovery Girl said. "Were you speaking about me at the time?"

 

Izuku nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It was before I came to visit you about my hand. When Ochako said I should see the nurse, I said I'd get Chiyo to check it out."

 

"What about Shuzo?" Ochako asked. Her stomach did a little flip, remembering the soft, almost remorseful look in Izuku's eyes as he questioned her about his dad.

 

"Not a name I recognize." Recovery Girl said. "When did you say it?"

 

"After the second time, I went into a memory," Izuku said. "I meditated after school and found a memory in the inner world. It was one of Tonisnori's. Someone mentioned a girl named Shuzo, whom Toshinori knew, and I felt embarrassed. Like I was being teased about it."

 

"You felt what Yagi felt?" Nezu asked.

 

Izuku stared at the rodent and wondered if his interest had been piqued in some way. "Yes, sir. In both memories, I experienced the memories from the point of view of whoever the memory was, and I felt what they felt. With Toshinori, I felt his knuckles and arms being sore after using a punching bag and that he was feeling frustrated. With Nana, her shoulders were really tight, and her upper back hurt. I could tell she was hungry at the time as well."

 

Recovery Girl covered her mouth, so she didn't laugh out loud as she said. "Well, that was par for the course for her."

 

Ochako blushed a bit and tried not to look at her own chest as she thought,  'I hope it never gets to that point for me.'

 

Nezu rubbed his chin and smiled. "Quite interesting, so while in the inner world, you experienced memories of the past users and took on some quality of them. Ms.Uraraka, what was Mr.Midoirya like when you woke him from his meditation?"

 

Ochako jumped a bit and looked at her friend before quickly looking at the principal. "I uh... he was odd. Kinda like he was a different person. The way Izuku spoke wasn't the same, and he-he asked if his father was here when I came to wake him up b-but you know..."

 

Nezu nodded as he hummed. "So you experienced the memories of the past users and then awoke and took on aspects of them. You were confused and have a hazy recollection of events after waking from a memory."

 

"And it apparently put a huge strain on his brain." Recovery Girl said, not liking the look on her boss's face. It had a 'safety second' kind of look to it.

 

"I believe that may be due to the fact that Mr.Midoriya experienced two memories from two different people. The strain on his brain trying to switch gears between Nana Shimura, Toshinori Yagi, and Izuku Midoriya proved too much. I believe we should conduct an experiment next week once you've had time to recover. We will monitor you before, during, and after a memory viewing. Hopefully, we can learn something interesting or, better yet, useful." Nezu said as he grinned.

 

Izuku swallowed his fear at seeing the sharp teeth that lined his principal's mouth. "T-that seems smart, sir... are you a weasel, sir?"

 

Nezu laughed as he hopped down and turned the disk off. "No, I am not. Rest up, Mr.Midoriya; I will inform everyone who needs to know about your condition, and be sure to come to school once you feel up to it. Have a wonderful night."

 

Recovery Girl sighed as she followed her boss. She was glad he managed to curb his enthusiasm and let the boy rest and recover before trying to test him. Still, she'd need to make sure some equipment was still in good function, along with having Izuku come in throughout the week for check-ups.

 

Once they were alone, Izuku said. "I should get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow-"

 

"I'm gonna stay. Once you're discharged, we can go home and get ready for school." Ochako said as she sat down and got comfortable in the seat. "I don't want to leave."

 

Izuku looked at her soft brown eyes and sighed. "Yeah... sorry for making you worry, Chako."

 

"S'okay. You can make it up to me later." Ochako said with a small smile on her face.

 

Izuku smiled and got as comfortable as he could in the hospital bed. He'd need to make sure to get some mochi for Ochako tomorrow. Hopefully, there was a good spot near their apartment.

Notes:

I'm surprised I wrote this chapter. I hadn't planned on doing another chapter for this fic until after I did another Kisses and Kissed Chapter, but then I just didn't feel like it and ended up writing this.

My back is healing, and I'm well enough to go to work though I'm working fewer hours than before, and I told my boss I can't put away inventory for a bit. Hopefully, it keeps going well, and I get back to full hours and whatnot relatively quickly. Not sure how much it'll matter, though. I really need a new job because this one is part-time and doesn't have benefits, and next year I'll be off my parent's insurance, so I need to get a job that pays more and offers benefits.

Ok, now I"m gonna talk about shipping, and I want to preface this with the fact that I personally believe shipping should just be done for fun and your personal enjoyment. I think that it shouldn't matter if you ship something problematic because shipping is just a stupid, fun fandom thing.

Anyways I saw a bit of a twitter thread, and I didn't follow it all the way because it was devolving into drama. It was an argument about Deku being gay or straight. I think it was a BKDK shipper and then some other guy who said Izuku had feelings for Ochako, and he believed Deku was straight. I don't remember who started it, but the guy who said Deku was straight asked the BKDK shipper for proof that Horikoshi had said or implied that Deku was gay and said they would discuss the scenes with them and their context. The BKDK, as far as I know, didn't provide any and instead demanded proof of their own, and things fell apart when the guy used official art and fan art. he apologized for using fan art and provide more official art of Ochako and Izuku together but things devolved into a mess as far as I could tell.

Something that bothered me was that people called the guy calling Deku straight a homophobe because of it but then were saying the BKDK was just stating a headcanon, and this bothers me. Why is it when you say 'Deku is gay' That's you stating a headcanon, but if you say Deku is straight, you're a homophobe? How are these two statements not just headcanon? Horikoshi has never stated in any interview I've seen or in the story of My Hero Academia what Deku's sexuality is. As such, both statements are equally headcanon.

People have been saying that since Horikoshi has been avoiding Shonen troupes and turning some on their heads, this is proof that by the end of the series, Deku will be gay; some people also claim that Izuchako is just herteronormative and boring. My question is, what is so boring about two people mutually respecting and caring for each other, lifting each other up, and being together? That sounds beautiful to me. What most BKDKs want for Deku sounds like a nightmare to me. He spends ten years being tormented and beaten by someone just to forgive all of that and shack up with him. This typically also reduces Deku into basically a housewife character. BKDK is, and I can't believe I just noticed this a lot like Sasuke/Sakura from Naruto. he abused her so much through the series, then apologizes and gets to have a loving housewife waiting for him whenever he decides to come home.

I lost track a bit. My point is that while yes, it would be wonderful and awesome to see a popular shonen title have an explicitly LGBT MC. We need to remember this is Shonen Jump. Japan is a conservative place, and it's my own opinion that Shonen Jump would not let this happen. There is no way that Hori could just be like, 'haha, sike Shonen Jump at the last minute, I made my main boy gay and have him confessing to his lifelong bully and tormenter.' it just isn't gonna happen, and if Shonen Jump is to have a first canonically gay MC, I don't want it to be Izuku who would if this happened most likely end up with Bakugo because of how the story has gone so far. I'd want a story that actually builds to it and lets the MC have a proper and healthy relationship.

Just to make sure it's all clear. Shipping is stupid, fun nonsense that people on the internet need to stop taking so seriously. Just because someone doesn't ship what you ship or prescribe to your HC done'st mean you can or should attack them. Just block the and know that you'll never see their post again. At least if you're on Twitter. I don't like most MLM ships in shonen series, but that's due to my personal preferences. I don't know why I typed all this here. I just felt like I needed to vent this all out, and I know if I post this kind of thing on Twitter, they'll burn me at the stake while saying I'm a homophobe despite me being Pan. I have a preference toward androgynous or feminine people because I am a large guy. I really don't like masculine guys who look like me.

Anyways I'll see you next time.

Chapter 19: Second Day of School

April 10th, 2236

 

Don't do that again

Never again

Leave the flames alone

Leave the memories alone

 

Izuku groaned as he woke up in the hospital, as One for All's voices echoed in his mind.

 

Hurts

Too many in control

Leave it alone

Let us take over like this

Not like that

 

Izuku sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had been getting used to the voices being quiet, and now they were back and angry at him. "Shut up. I didn't mean to overload like that."

 

Bad

Bad

Bad

You shouldn't poke at things you don't understand

 

"Well, I'm all ears. Please explain to me every facet of you and how to use them." Izuku said as he picked up the cup of water on the table next to his bed. His mouth felt like a desert.

 

NO

NO

NO

Don't want to

Don't touch fire

Let us take over

 

Izuku downed the cup of water in three quick gulps before groaning again. As he rubbed his eyes, Ochako stirred on the small couch she had fallen asleep on. "If you won't tell me, please just shut up and leave me alone."

 

Izuku

 

Izuku's body went stiff as Ochako rubbed her eyes. He glanced at her thinking maybe she had spoken, but no. the tempest had subsided for a moment, and a female voice cut through the fog.

 

Izuku

 

A man's voice... Toshinori's voice

 

Izuku/Izuku

 

The voices warped and merged. Izuku could feel the other voices trying to claw their way back, or perhaps they were trying to drag the two dissenters back into the tempest.

 

Izuku pursue the flames

Gather what you can

Don't snuff them out. Let them cover you

Live our memories

Understand us

Know us

Free us

 

Izuku gripped his head as a low groan escaped his lips. He didn't see Ochako sit bolt up as he heard Nana and Toshinori's voices alternating. One for All was writhing and thrashing in his mind. It was desperate as it yanked on the two voices and pulled them back into the fold. The rage subsided, and the quirk relaxed as all its pieces fell into line.

 

"Izuku."

 

Izuku jumped as a hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked over to see soft brown eyes full of concern. "O-Ochako... hey. I'm ok. I'm ok... just, uh, One for All wasn't happy, but it's all quiet now."

 

Ochako stared into her best friend's eyes, looking for any sign that things weren't what he was saying, but as he squeezed her hand, she found nothing, so she sighed and smiled softly. "Don't scare me so much, ok. It's getting old."

 

Izuku chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll do my best."

 

"Good. Now I'm gonna go tell the nurses you're awake. Hopefully, you'll get discharged before our first heroics class."

 

"Oh yeah," Izuku said as a smile spread across his face. "Toshinori is probably gonna be our teacher. I gotta see how he does on his first day."

 

Ochako chuckled softly and walked off as she shook her head. She wanted to see All Might's first day of teaching, but her worries about her friend kept her from feeling too excited about their teacher's debut.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 10th, 2235

 

"Hey, mom," Izuku said as he answered the phone.

 

"Hello, sweetie. I'm so sorry I didn't answer when Ochako called me. Are you ok?" Inko said worriedly. She had been so busy last night that when she got home, she had passed out and woke up late to find out that her boy was in the hospital.

 

"It's alright. It wasn't anything serious, and Ochako was there. I'm sure Nezu can give you all the details." Izuku said as he made sure Ochako and him had everything before leaving the hospital.

 

Inko hummed and realized something had happened with One for All. "Ok, sweetie. I'll be sure to talk to him when I have a chance. Take the day off and recover ok."

 

"Doc said I could go to school. I'll be missing a few classes at this point, but I really don't want to fall behind. I'll be sure to take it easy." Izuku said, and he could almost feel his mother's gaze through the phone. "Ochako knows about everything. I'm sure she'll pull me out of class if she thinks I'm pushing myself."

 

"I'm sure she will. I've already texted her to tell her not to give you a chance to convince her that you're fine." Inko said as she stifled a yawn. She really wasn't used to working such long hours anymore. She'd need to be careful going forward.

 

"Thanks, mom, you're the best," Izuku said as he rolled his eyes. "I'll call you if anything comes up. Have a good day."

 

"Have a good day, sweetie, and be sure to take it easy," Inko said before Izuku hung up.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 10th, 2236

 

Mina had to suppress a grin as the door to the classroom opened, and the two absent students walked in together. She needed to get Uraraka away from Midoirya so she could question her. She wanted to tease them, but she was too slow on the draw as Iida stood up and spoke loudly. "Midoriya, Uraraka, where have you been? Being this tarty on the second day of school is inexcusable."

 

"Really, even for a trip to the hospital?" Ochako asked as she walked to her seat.

 

"Hospital? Who was in the hospital?" Denki asked, and Izuku pointed to himself. "Huh?! It's only the second day. What did you do?"

 

Izuku chuckled weakly as he sat at his desk. "My quirk is kinda complicated. I was testing the waters, so to speak, and I went a little too far. I didn't hurt my body, just put some strain on my brain."

 

"You strained your brain?" Momo asked as she looked at Izuku with concern. "I thought your quirk was simply an enhanced strength."

 

"Strength is part of it. I can also breathe fire. The simplest explanation is that I store up and stockpile power and can tap into it and use it. Those are the only two I can do with it, and I have no idea if that's the limit or if there is more."

 

Momo rubbed her chin. "I see so you were most likely trying to manipulate or tap into the stored energy in some new way and hurt yourself instead. It sounds quite complicated, like my own quirk."

 

"It really is," Izuku said before perking up a bit. "Your quirk is the ability to create things, right? I've been curious about that since I saw it at work during yesterday's test."

 

Before Momo could say anything about her own quirk the door suddenly slid open as a booming voice announced. 'I. Am. Here! To teach you all about heroics!"

 

The class's attention fully locked onto All Might as he walked in wearing his silver-age costume. He laughed and stood behind the teacher's stand. "Hello, class 1-A. I am here as your heroics teacher. I am quite new to teaching, so I'll be learning right alongside you. Let's all do our best to make this a productive year!"

 

The class quickly broke out into a cheer, and All Might held his hands up to quiet them down. He was kinda surprised that it worked. He'd have to thank Present Mic later for the tips. "Now, now. I'm sure we're all excited, but today's class isn't going to be practical. Today we're starting with the basics. Aizawa and I need to know your basic combat abilities as well as your quirk proficiency and any details about it that may not be on the registry."

 

The excitement died down some but 1-A was still thrilled to see All Might of all people teaching them. The number one hero flashed a bright smile as he said. "Go get changed into your gym clothes, then meet me by Gym Gamma!"

 

The class cheered again and grabbed their gym uniforms before heading to the changing rooms. As Ochako started to pull off her blazer Mina appeared next to her with a large grin that Ochako could tell spelled trouble.

 

"Hey, Uraraka. You were late coming to class today."

 

"Yep, Izuku was in the hospital. Since his mom couldn't get to us last night, I stayed with him. That's all."

 

"Are you sure that's all?" Mina asked as she started to change again. "You were with him while he was training."

 

"We grew up together," Ochako said as she started to put on her gym uniform. She could tell the other girls were listening in even if they weren't actively trying to get details like Mina. "We've trained together for as long as I can remember. His mom taught us, and then as we got closer to the entrance exams, a retired pro named Gran Torino taught us."

 

"You got training from a real pro hero?" Momo asked as she zipped up her jacket. "That's quite impressive. How did you manage that?"

 

"Izuku's mom knew him," Ochako said as she finished getting ready. She didn't like to lie, but she also couldn't go around telling everyone they were trained by four pro heroes, two of which were their teachers. To keep anyone from getting suspicious and to keep anyone from teasing them Izuku and Ochako had come up with the lie of Gran Torino being their only teacher besides Inko and having Gran know Inko. The other was less a lie and more of a secret to be kept. Since neither of them knew what their classmates would be like the duo had agreed to keep their living together a secret from the rest of them.

 

"You got pretty lucky, kero. Getting trained by a pro must have given you quite the advantage going into the exam." Tsu said as she finished getting ready as well.

 

"And I still beat them both," Nishi said as she smirked and closed her locker. "Fancy teachers and complicated quirks ain't got nothing on hard work and dedication."

 

Ochako chuckled as they started to leave the locker room. "Izuku's quirk is complicated. Mine isn't I touch stuff and it isn't affected by gravity anymore. Simple as that. I do agree though dedication and hard work are what got Izuku and me into the second and third spots."

 

Nishi bumped fists with Ochako as the girls caught up with a few of the guys, and the conversation drifted to what they would be doing in the gym and what the gym might be like.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 10th, 2236

 

Utsumi sat quietly in the viewing room with Kurogiri. The man was dressed as sharply as ever, and like always, he wasn't much of a conversationalist, not that Utsumi would want to talk right now. Her attention was entirely on the procedure occurring in the operating room. Doctor Garaki and All for One stood over the hulking dark body of a nomu that the Doctor had affectionately referred to as Peace Breaker. It was the high tier that she had helped the doctor design some time ago, and finally, after so long, all the pieces were in place, and the final touches were being put into position. She wasn't sure why the nomu had a bird-like face but she also wouldn't question it. She was sure All for One had a reason for it.

 

Utsumi's eyes lingered on her master's face. A mess of scar tissue and tubes linking him to a life support machine. The sight of it caused anger to bubble up in her chest. The man who had saved her and her siblings had been so horribly injured. She wanted to get payback, but she knew as she was she stood no chance against All Might, and while she never voiced it, she knew Tomura didn't either. Even with his destructive quirk, he was too slow and too against teamwork to take out All Might.

 

"Kurogiri."

 

The nomu turned his head to look at the young woman who continued to watch the Doctor and All for One. "Yes, Utsumi."

 

"Where is Tomura? Shouldn't he be here to watch this?"

 

The nomu remained silent, and Utsumi had to resist the urge to fiddle with her hands. This would happen sometimes. Kurogiri would just not respond when asked some questions. "He had a mission recently, didn't he?"

 

"Yes, he did."

 

"Hm. How did it go?"

 

Another moment of silence. Utsumi couldn't tell if that meant it went poorly or not. "Do you like working for Tomura? You spend most of your time with him."

 

"My job is to protect Tomura Shigaraki."

 

"I heard you work in a bar. Is it nice?"

 

"I keep it clean."

 

Utsumi hummed and let them lapse into silence as All for One finished putting quirks into the monster. "Would you protect my siblings and me?"

 

"If the master instructs me to, I will."

 

"Is Tomura performing well? Do you think he'll be a good successor to our master?"

 

Kurogiri stood silently and disappeared as Utsumi felt her heart rate spike when his portal appeared by All for One and the man stepped inside. For several tense moments, Utsumi sat staring at the spot where her master had been. She only relaxed when the door opened, and the Doctor stepped in.

 

"Come along, Utsumi; there are several lessons I need you to take to your siblings."

 

Utsumi smiled as she stood. "Thank you, doctor, for helping to educate my siblings and me."

 

"Think nothing of it." The Doctor said as he walked. "You being educated helps our master, and he encourages the seeking of knowledge."

 

Utsumi nodded along as the Doctor spoke. That's all she was doing, seeking knowledge. She wanted to know if her big brother Tomura was succeeding at being the successor that All for One wanted him to be. If he was, then she had nothing to worry about, and if he wasn't then, she'd need to find a way to help him. He may hate her, but she wanted what was best for All for One, and if her master said it was Tomura, then she'd make sure he was worthy of their master's favor.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 10th, 2236

 

"I gotta go talk to Mr.Aizawa," Izuku said as he packed up his stuff.

 

Ochako nodded and said. "I'm gonna go on ahead."

 

Izuku paused for a moment and raised his eyebrow, making her sigh. "I wanna get a headstart on the classwork we missed."

 

"Alright. I'll see you later." Izuku said as he grabbed his bag and left the classroom.

 

Ochako waved as he left. She knew he was going to Nezu's office to talk to the principal and Toshinori about One for All, and while she could sit in and give her account of things Nezu did know and she really didn't want to risk falling behind. It was only the second day of school, after all. ' It was hard just getting in. I can't afford to fall behind just when school started.'

 

"Uraraka."

 

Ochako was pulled from her thoughts as she looked over at Nishi. The blue-skinned girl gestured with her thumb to Mina and Toru. "we're gonna head to the station. You want to walk with us?"

 

"Um yeah. I don't need to take the train, though, so I'll be splitting off before then." Ochako said as she slung her bag on and looked at Tsu. "Hey Tsu, you wanna come with us?"

 

"Sure, kero," Tsu said as she approached the other girls.

 

As the girls were about to leave, someone cleared their throat, and they looked to see Momo. "I was wondering if I could join you?"

 

Nishi grinned as she said. "Of course. The more, the merrier."

 

As the rest of the girls left, Denki looked at Kyoka, who was scrolling through her phone. "Not gonna join them?"

 

Kyoka rolled her eyes. "Nah, that's not my scene."

 

Denki grinned as he watched his oldest friend stare at the girls who had left. "Which one is it?"

 

Kyoka gripped her phone tighter as Denki's face grew smugger. "Second day, and you're already down bad. I gotta say I'm impressed- Yaow!"

 

The few classmates still in the classroom watched as Kyoka's jack retreated and Denki lay on the ground groaning. Kyoka stood and scoffed. "Why do I put up with you?"

 

"Because I'm awesome," Denki said as he recovered quickly and walked after her. "Now come on, which one is it?"

 

"I ain't saying because there's nothing to say," Kyoka said as she fought the blush down. She couldn't believe her luck. Of course, not only did she get put into a class with her best friend, but she got put in a class with a girl that hot who was so out of her league that it hurt to think about. "Damn it."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 10th, 2236

 

Izuku didn't even bother to knock as he approached the doors to Nezu's office. They opened once he was close. "Hello, sir."

 

Nezu smiled. "Hello, Mr.Midoriya; how was your second day of classes?"

 

"Well, I missed half of it, so I have some make-up work," Izuku said as he sat across from Toshinori. "Hey, Toshinori. You did well on your first day of teaching."

 

"Toshinori?" Toshi asked as he titled his head. He had heard about the injury Izuku had suffered and how it affected his personality, but he didn't expect for his student to be so casual.

 

Nezu and Toshinori watched as recognition flashed across Izuku's face, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, sir."

 

"It's quite alright Young Midoriya. If it's comfortable for you to call me that, then I'm fine with it, though be sure to refer to me as All Might while you're in class."

 

"I'll be sure to do that, sir," Izuku said as Aizawa entered.

 

"Problem Child," Aizawa said as he sat down on the other end of Izuku's couch.

 

"Hello, sir."

 

"Will Ms.Uraraka be joining us today?" Nezu asked as he circled around his desk and sat with Toshinori.

 

"No, she's gone home to work on the classwork we missed."

 

"Well, then, let us get started," Nezu said as he placed a tablet down on the table between the couches. "We all know what happened to Mr.Midoriya yesterday. Does anyone have questions?"

 

Aizawa and Toshi exchanged looks and shook their heads. At their answer, Nezu clapped his paws together and said. "Now, Mr.Midoriya, were there any developments this morning?"

 

Izuku nodded as he rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, when I woke up this morning, One for All spoke for the first time in a while. It was angry that I had looked at the memories. Though the voices started to separate. They disagreed. One of them sounded like Nana, and the other was Toshinori."

 

"What did I or, well, they disagree with?" Toshi said, feeling a bit weird about knowing that his voice was going against his old quirk. Though considering what One for All had made Izuku do, he did feel somewhat glad to know that his other self was fighting for their student.

 

"They said to keep diving into the memories. When I went in the second time, I had purple fire on me. I snuffed it out, but this morning they said not to do that. I think they want me to know more about the past users." Izuku chewed his lip before saying. "Maybe knowing more about them will help me control One for All."

 

"Well, I have been looking into the past users," Toshi said. "I haven't had much time, but I've compiled some stuff about the seventh and sixth users."

 

"Why don't we start with the eighth since he's here and all," Aizawa said.

 

Toshinori cleared his throat and looked around the room. "I suppose I could tell Young Midoriya some things about my past."

 

"Oh well... I guess; first, I'm curious about someone called Shuzo." As the name left Izuku's mouth, he watched as his teacher sat up straight and looked like a deer in the headlights.

 

Toshi stared at his student for a moment before covering his mouth as he looked around. "I uh... I haven't heard that name in a long time... did you see her?"

 

"No, a man named Mr.Hirota was teasing you about her."

 

"Mr.Hirota... ha, I haven't heard that name in a long time as well." Toshi smiled softly. "He was a good man. He passed away a few years ago. Comfortable and surrounded by his family. He, uh... he took care of me during some tough times in my younger years. The man was like a father to me back in junior high."

 

"I'm sorry to hear about that. I would have liked to meet him." Izuku said. "What about Shuzo?

 

Toshi cleared his throat and blushed a bit. "She was uh... a friend. Someone who, like Mr.Hirota, helped me out a lot during my time in junior high. I lost touch with her when I went to America."

 

"Huh." Izuku rubbed his chin as he thought.

 

Nezu smiled as he watched his favorite student mull over his thoughts. He hadn't gotten to speak to the boy as much as he wanted to but what he had learned was fascinating. The boy's mind just worked differently than most others that Nezu had spoken to at length. "Do you have anything else to ask Mr.Midoriya?"

 

"N-no, but I was wondering when I should dive into the memories. I could do it at home..."

 

"I believe we can wait until next week when we test to see how this affects your brain." nezu said as he stood up and headed to a small table in the corner where he kept his tea set. "Now, if that is all, why don't you and I have a talk? There are some articles I'd like your opinion on."

 

Aizawa stood up suddenly as he said, "that's my queue to leave. I've got a nap to take."

 

Toshi stood up shortly after him and said. "I've got teacher stuff to go over."

 

Nezu chuckled as he poured the water into the pot. "Those two. I guess not everyone is as excited about an academic discussion."

 

"I suppose not everyone is. By the way, sir, do you happen to have gundi DNA in you?"

 

Nezu smiled. "Gundi. That's quite surprising, but no, I don't believe I have gundi DNA. Now on that tablet are the articles. I assume you've read them."

 

Izuku picked up the tablet and quickly scanned the articles that were pulled up on it. He smiled as he said. "Yes, sir. I read them while in the hospital."

Notes:

I'm enjoying Bleach and Chainsaw Man.

I have this fic idea of Eri traveling back in time after the world ends and eventually getting into a relationship with Izuku and Ohcako because she'll be like a year older them once she goes back in time. I have no plans to write this right now. It was just something on my mind, and felt like sharing.

I really want Fire Force season three news. I know it's gonna happen; I just wish we knew at least what year it's gonna happen. Speaking of, season three's Demon Slayer is gonna get news in December. Hyped about that. Swordsmith Villiage has one of my favorite Hashira's in it. It's Mitsuri btw. I love her character, her design, fighting style, and background. Can't wait to see her slicing up demons. Also, another good character will be showing up, but pretty sure dropping his name would be spoilery for anime only, so I'll refrain.

I missed work today because I woke up and my back was not cooperating with me. It really sucks, and I hate that it happened. my partner wasn't feeling great emotionally, so they called out of work, and we spend the day being slightly cold and slightly depressed together. It wasn't a great day, but it wasn't the worst, either.

I posted some thoughts about a scene from the manga on Twitter, and BKDK accounts swarmed it for like two days. I didn't even specifically say anything about the validity of their ship. It was the scene where Shigi says Bakugo is the person closest to Izuku. I had said that I felt he only said that because Shigi has a very limited perspective when it comes to who Izuku is and that if one thing in the manga had happened differently, then Shigi would say that about literally anyone. I deleted the tweet because it was getting annoying having to scroll through responses and people liking the responses to find whatever I was trying to find.

anyways that's all from me. see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 20: First Practical Exercise

April 12th, 2236

 

The changing rooms were abuzz with excitement. The first and second days of heroics had been focused on the teachers getting a feel for the students' quirks and combat levels. Now though, they were finally getting into costume and going to have their first practical class. Izuku smiled as he opened his case and pulled out the dark green suit. The black angular lines on the abdomen looked great, and he had to agree with his mom now. He preferred them over the white he was originally going to go with. The pants and red boots were heavily reinforced due to his preference for kicks. The red utility belt fit perfectly and was stocked with medical supplies and other necessities for hero work. As Izuku pulled on the reinforced white gloves, he decided to keep the cowl off for now and let the metal rebreather hang around his neck.

 

“Nice suit Midoirya.” Eijiro said as he finished getting dressed.

 

"Thanks. Same to you. Though, uh, you sure you wanna expose that much skin? What if your quirk gets exhausted?" Izuku asked as the two headed for the door. Izuku's eyes glanced at Minoru, who was putting on his own costume. The guy had been mostly quiet since getting chewed out by Aizawa.

 

"Well... I uh... you see..." Izuku watched as Eijiro's smile slowly faded. "I uh... I'll just beat the villains up before that happens."

 

Izuku chuckled as Eijiro's smile came back in full force. "I think it'd be better to prepare for the worst case while striving for the best."

 

"So manly."

 

"Kirishima, you're so exposed. Are you just showing off, or are you that confident about your skills?" Nishi said as she and Momo approached.

 

Izuku looked over and admired their costumes. They were so well designed. Nishi was dressed in a dark blue bodysuit, and Izuku could see the reinforced parts below the surface and white piping spread across her whole body. Her utility belt was stark white, and peeking out behind her lower back was a container that looked like it could fit a couple liters of water. On her face was a simple black domino mask and her hair was still in its usual ponytail.

 

On the other hand, Momo was in a bright red top that covered her chest and neck but exposed her arms and back. Her stomach was also exposed, and she wore a pair of red shorts with black lines on the sides that left most of her thighs exposed. She had black knee and elbow pads along with red shin guards with black trim and reinforced black boots. Her utility belt held four large pouches, two on each side. Her left forearm was covered in a red reinforced arm guard with what looked like a touch screen on it. The final detail Izuku noticed was the thin bit of red material that came up from her neck and crossed over her nose. Her hair was in its usual ponytail.

 

"Nice costumes. Yaoyorozu, what is that on your arm?" Izuku said as the girls approached.

 

"It's a database full of chemical makeups, atomic structures, and blueprints in case I forget anything or if it's too complicated for me to memorize." the taller girl blushed faintly as she said. "This costume went through... several iterations before I settled on this. It was quite difficult to make something that would maximize my quirk's potential while staying within the guidelines for hero costumes."

 

"You're probably gonna be cold in the winter," Eijiro said, causing the other three to stare at his exposed chest.

 

"I'm ignoring that," Nishi said as she started walking.

 

Izuku laughed, and a flash of pink caught his attention. He looked over and spotted Ochkao in her costume. The two of them had helped each other design their costumes, and Izuku felt a swell of pride at seeing his friend walking down the hall.

 

She hadn't been sure about the black and white undersuit, but after Inko pointed out how they were mostly cut, fire, and water resistant, Ohcako had relented and accepted that the undersuit would be a valuable bit of protection. Woven into the undersuit were some reinforcements to provide extra protection without limiting her mobility or upping the weight she would have to remove with her quirk. Her boots, belt, and gauntlet were all a pale pink with darker pink trim. The boots came up to her knees and connected to knee guards.

 

Izuku was proud of Ochako, who had come up with the idea to put little boosters in the heels to help her maneuverability while midair. Her arm guards went from her wrist to her just below her elbows and were bulkier near the wrist. The bulk was due to the wire shooters she could use for maneuverability or tying up villains. The wires were his idea, and he was eager to see how she made use of them. Unlike most of the others, her utility belt was bulkier and reinforced. A dark pink choker clung to her neck right where her undersuit ended. The choker, belt, boots, and gauntlets all served the extra purpose of applying pressure points to help with nausea whenever she pushed her quirk too far.

 

Izuku smiled wider as he saw his favorite part of her costume. It was a combined effort between the two of them to give her costume a bit of an homage to Thirteen. A somewhat oval-shaped helmet that covered her entire head. On either side, pointing up at an angle, were rounded-off 'ears' that covered antennas. The glass that covered her entire face was currently black and reflective, with two light pink eyes where her eyes were. Concealed on the side of the helmet was a button that would turn the glass from opaque to transparent.

 

Ochako pulled on her black fingerless gloves before tapping the side of her helmet and making her face appear. "Izuku! This is so freaking cool! The helmet and all the other stuff works great! The hub inside the helmet is so cool. It shows fuel reserves for my boot and how much cable I have in my gauntlets, and I saw on the right side I can attach earpieces and stuff, and it'll automatically tap the helmet's communication system into whatever the earpiece is tapped into."

 

Izuku chuckled. "I don't think we asked for all that."

 

Ochako shook her head. "No, we didn't, but the designer left a note saying they thought it would be helpful."

 

"Come now, we don't have time dilly dally. We mustn't be late!" Tenya said as he approached, wearing a suit that looked very familiar to Izuku, but he didn't have time to think about it as his friend pushed him along.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 12th, 2236

 

All Might smiled as he looked over the class before him. He was totally not nervous about teaching their first practical class, and he definitely wasn't worried about Aizawa sitting in the viewing room watching him. "Good afternoon, class. I have to say you all look wonderful. Like a bunch of proper heroes."

 

The class brimmed with pride as All Might stepped up. "But you're still wet behind-the-ear newbies who don't know what they're doing, and we're going to change that starting today with your first combat exercise!"

 

Two robots rolled up, holding boxes as All Might pulled out a sheet of paper. The class chuckled a bit as he started reading the scenario on the sheet. As All Might explained the importance of being able to team up with whoever you run across on patrol, the class took turns walking up and taking a numbered ball from one of the two robots.

 

"All right, students, join up with the other student who has the same number as you, and once you're paired up, I'll announce which teams will be facing off against which." All Might said as the students looked at which number they ended up with.

 

"Dang, too bad we're on different teams," Izuku said as he looked at his number and Ochako's.

 

Ochako chuckled as she looked around at their class. "Probably a good thing it wouldn't be fair to the other teams."

 

Izuku chuckled, and the two bumped fists before going to find their partners. It didn't take long to find who he'd be working with. “Hey Hagakure right?”

 

The invisible girl pumped her gloved fist. "Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet ya, Midoriya."

 

"Hm... is uh that your costume?" Izuku asked as he looked at the boots and gloves.

 

Toru's hand moved to what he was pretty sure was her hip, as she said. "Why do you like it?"

 

Izuku blushed and cleared his throat as he said. "Well, it just... doesn't provide much protection."

 

Toru couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips. As she started to shimmer, she said. "I'm messing with you, Midoirya. I was just keeping the boots and gloves visible so people would see me. This is my costume."

 

Izuku looked at the full-bodied iridescent bodysuit. "Oh, it's... you can control if your clothes are visible?"

 

"Not usually, but with some testing, I realized if my hair is woven into the clothes, all I have to do is focus, and I can turn the costume invisible or let it be visible," Toru explained as she made her costume disappear again leaving the gloves and boots visible.

 

"Wow. I haven't seen much material that's keyed to someone's quirk. It's pretty revolutionary material."

 

"It also apparently cost an arm and a leg. I wouldn't have been able to afford this costume if UA didn't pay for everything." Toru explained as All Might pulled up a projection of which teams would be facing which.

 

"I never realized DNA-coded clothes were so expensive," Izuku said as he looked over the list. "Looks like we're the heroes going against Iida and Sato... and we're going up first."

 

All Might explained the prep phase before escorting the two participating teams to the building they'd be using, while the two bots that brought the numbers escorted the rest of the class to the viewing area.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

April 12th, 2236

 

"So you got a plan in that big brain of yours?" Toru asked as she clenched her fist.

 

Izuku chuckled weakly. "Big brain?"

 

"Yeah, it's only been four days since school started, and you and Yaomomo have proven to be the smart cookies of the class," Toru said as she leaned against the railing next to Izuku. "I'm pretty good at stealth, and I'm always invisible."

 

"Hm... they'll probably have Iida roaming the halls while Sato guards the bomb. Neither has enhanced senses, so you should be able to sneak past them... alright." Izuku said as he stopped rubbing his chin and stood up. "Stick close to me, and when we run into Iida, I'll keep him busy; you look for the bomb and slip past Sato."

 

"Sounds like a good plan," Toru said as she stood up, and All Might called a start to the exercise.

 

The duo entered the building, with Izuku taking the lead. Toru did her best to keep quiet, while Izuku made no effort to stay silent. He needed to get Tenya's attention, and it worked fairly quickly.

 

"Put some distance between us," Izuku whispered as they heard the roar of engines getting closer and closer.

 

Toru silently backed up and was thankful for it as Tenya burst around the corner with his leg already cocked back, aiming a kick at Izuku's head. "Halt, hero! I will not let you pass!"

 

Izuku's arm came up and intercepted the leg as Toru slipped by and headed the way Tenya had come from. Izuku grinned as he grabbed Tenya's leg. "Bad move Iida."

 

Toru tried not to laugh as she heard Tenya scream and the sound of several layers of drywall being broken. As she crept down the halls, she found the bomb and had to bite back a curse as she cracked the door open. Boxes, desks, and chairs were stacked up in such a way that the only clear path she would be able to take was a straight line with Sato between her and the bomb.

 

Sato smiled as he crossed his arms. "Hey, Hagakure. Just so you know, that's the only door, and there aren't any windows."

 

Toru grumbled and backed away from the door as she tapped her comm link. "Hey, Midoirya, can you hear me?"

 

A grunt of effort cut in, and after a second, Izuku's voice spoke. "Yeah, I'm here. What's wrong?"

 

"They filled the room. The only way to the bomb is a straight line with Sato between me and the bomb. There are no windows either." Toru said as she kept an eye on the door just in case, Sato decided to come out and look for her.

 

Izuku's side was quiet for a moment before he came back. "Sorry, Iida is really fast and much tougher than he seems. Had to put some distance between us. I can come up and try to blow past Sato, but there's a chance that Iida will catch up."

 

Toru rubbed her chin, and an idea came to her as she saw a light flickering in the hallway. "I've got an idea. Just keep fighting, Iida."

 

"Alright, I trust you, Hagakure; what's the plan?"

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 12th, 2236

 

All Might smiled as he and the class watched the first match play out. Izuku and Tenya were locked in combat on the first floor while Toru moved away from the room Sato was guarding. UA being the top-notch school that it was, had some impressive tech. The cameras could track Toru's movements and put a rough outline of her on-screen, so the class could see her.

 

"Where is she going?" Mina asked.

 

"Maybe to look for another way in?" Momo questioned. "I believe Sato said something, but we don't have audio."

 

"He told her there were no other entrances." All Might Informed. "Young Hagakure seems to have a plan. Any ideas?"

 

The class murmured to themselves for a bit before jumping suddenly as the cameras all went black for a second before switching to night vision. Momo had a moment of clarity as the camera tracked Toru leaving the breaker box she had found and headed back to the bomb room. "Oh, she's turned the lights out so that now when she enters the bomb room. She can knock boxes and shelves over to avoid Sato, and he won't be able to tell where she is."

 

The class watched as Sato looked around the room, stumbling blindly in the dark as Toru tossed boxes across the room and clambered over the obstacles. Her hand slapped the bomb, and the timer stopped as All Might announced the hero team as the winner.

 

"How could she see?" Denki asked. "Like Sato was blind in there, but it seemed like Hagakure could kinda tell where she was going."

 

"She probably closed one eye as she looked for the breaker box," Nishi said as she smiled and leaned back on her hands. "She kept that eye closed so it would adjust to the dark, and then after flipping the switch, she just switched which eye was closed."

 

"Huh, that makes sense," Hanta said as they watched the lights come back on in the building, and the two teams exited before being escorted to the viewing room.

 

The four participants stood in front of the class with All Might as they broke down the match. Toru revealed that Nishi's explanation was what she had done and that she got the idea from a youtube video she had watched the night before while binging videos.

 

The matches continued on with a similar level of intensity to them as the first match though the class collectively gasped as they watched Shoto freeze the entire building. They couldn't hear him, but they all agreed he looked pretty intimidating as he approached Nishi and the bomb. The class gasped again as Nishi grinned like a madwoman and suddenly melted the ice in the room and hit Shoto with it before thawing the building and trapping Shoto and Mezo in a ball of water until Eijiro could tie them both with the capture tape.

 

As they broke down the final match, Izuku asked. "Can you control the temperature of the water you manipulate?"

 

Nishi shook her head. "Not really. I've never been able to cool water down or heat it up much, but I realized while training that I was able to liquefy ice. I keep trying, but nothing has happened yet."

 

"Interesting..." Izuku said as he rubbed his chin.

 

Aizawa sighed and made his presence known to the class, causing them all to jump. "No one noticed I was here. Guess situational awareness exercises will be a focus next week."

 

The class groaned as their homeroom teacher joined All Might by the monitors. "Good work today, class. You all performed well. All Might did a decent job teaching as well. Head to the lockers and get changed. I'll have some suggestions to give you tomorrow."

 

The class sighed in relief and made their way back to the locker rooms. After getting changed and putting their costumes back, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways home.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 12th, 2236

 

Yuga sighed as he closed the door to his home and rubbed his stomach. He really needed to work on this stomach pain issue.  'I deserve the pain, though. Everyone is trying to be heroes, and here I am looking for information and waiting for a chance to betray them.'

 

"Yuga, is that you?" his mother's voice called out from the living room.

 

"Yes, mama, I am home," Yuga said as he walked down the hall and stepped into the living room. His stomach sank as he saw the look in his mother's eyes. It was the same look the day they had retrieved the threat and orders from the man who had given Aoyama his quirk. "Wh-what is wrong, mama?"

 

"Oh, my poor boy." Yuga's mother said as she stood and cupped her son's cheeks. "I am sorry, dear, but he has asked you to do something for him."

 

"W-what?" Yuga asked quietly as he looked anywhere but his mother's sad eyes.

 

"Tomorrow, the alarms will ring at UA. It'll be around lunchtime. He needs you to go to the teacher's lounge and give his associate the class schedule and quirk information for your class."

 

Yuga swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at his mother. "W-why? Why does he need such things?"

 

"He didn't say sweetie, but... please, for our family's safety, just do as he says. Y-you know the kind of man he is."

 

Yuga nodded as the pit in his stomach grew larger and consumed all other thoughts. "I-I understand, mama. I will make sure to accomplish this... for the family."

 

Yuga's mother pulled him into a hug as she bit back her own emotions. "I'm sorry, darling... I am so sorry that this is happening."

 

Yuga hugged his mother gently as he kept his own tears at bay. "It is ok, mama. I understand why you did it. I love you."

 

"I love you too, sweetie."

 

The mother and son stayed there in the living room for several moments, simply hugging and holding back their frustration and regret as they came to terms with the situation they were in. once they had calmed down, Yuga excused himself and stayed in his room for the rest of the night forgoing dinner while he thought about what he was going to do and how he'd manage it.

Notes:

Caught up on The Owl House. love the show. Also watching Amphibia. I'm a few episodes into the second season, and it's pretty good.

On the anime side, I watched a couple episodes of Do It Yourself, and it's such a cute show. It's a binge kinda show, in my opinion, so I'm probably gonna wait for a few episodes to stack up before I watch it again.

I mentioned it in Kisses and Kissed, but I've been thinking about rewriting Hypno, but I'm putting it off. It's the only multichapter fic I've finished, and I really want to be able to finish another one. I'd like to be able to finish every project I start, but I don't think that's realistic. Sometimes you just lose interest in a story or the motivation to write it. It sucks, but I do my best not to dwell on it. My main focus is this fic, then Kisses and Kissed and A Life Worth Living.

Though I haven't gotten much feedback with anything the past few weeks, which is blegh but again, I'm not dwelling on it. I'm writing because it's fun and I like it.

My back is getting better? I think anyways. Gotta schedule an MRI appointment soon so that I can figure out what exactly is wrong with it. Good thing my boss is understanding, so work hasn't been too bad.

Anyway that's all from me for now. see you around.

Chapter 21: Yuga's Lunch Time

April 13th, 2236

 

Yuga tried not to shift in his seat as he waited for the day to start. His classmates chatted happily, and while he would think of joining the group of Rikido, Koda, Mezo, and Fumikage, he just couldn't bring himself to stand near them and smile like he wasn't planning to stab them in the back. Those four had been kind to him and had a more mellow vibe that Yuga preferred most of the time. That wasn't to say he didn't like Mina and Toru's bombastic excitement or Denki's energetic attitude. They were quite fun to be around as well.

 

Momo and Izuku's conversations were often more intellectual in nature. The latter of which tended to sound more open and willing to break down and explain what he was saying. Yuga was fairly certain that Momo wasn't trying to come across the way she was. She just seemed new to interacting with her fellow classmates in a casual setting. A confident laugh caught Yuga's attention, and he saw Nishi standing triumphant after beating Eijiro in an arm wrestling contest.

 

As Eijiro rubbed his wrist, he said. "Dang, how are you so strong? No offense, dude, but you don't look like you got much muscle on you."

 

Nishi grinned and oozed a cocky attitude as she asked. "Do you really wanna know?"

 

"Uh... yeah, I want to know," Eijiro said as a few others looked over.

 

"It's my quirk," Nishi said as she turned her arm over, showing a slight glisten. "I woke up late today, so I had to run to get here. I had some sweat on me and used my quirk on it to push my arm."

 

"What? Ain't that cheating?" Hanta asked as he sat on Denki's desk. The two had been watching some meme compilation but discarded the video when the arm wrestling match got intense.

 

Nishi blew a raspberry as she said. "Kirishima didn't say we couldn't use quirks, so I assumed we could."

 

"Wait," Izuku said before anyone else could say anything. He had a look of realization on his face. "The white tubes on your costume are those-"

 

"For circulating water around my body, thus enhancing my physical abilities? Yes, Midoriya, that's what they're for." Nishi said as she took her seat. "I put a lot of effort into knowing and training my quirk."

 

"I'll say. That's a pretty creative way to use it." Ochako said.

 

Yuga smiled a bit as he watched the brunette. She was crouched by Izuku's desk, resting her head and arms on it while he started to speak to Nishi. Ochako and Izuku were such an exciting pair, in Yuga's opinion, and from what he could tell, Mina and Toru agreed. Since the first day of school, the two had a sort of quiet comfort and closeness that you didn't usually see between people who were just friends, and yet they had both insisted that was all there was.

 

Yuga looked away as he felt bile rising in his throat. He was going to expose all of these people's quirks to villains. What if one of them got hurt or worse because of his actions? What would they think if they learned he was the cause of it? As his jaw clenched and his fingernails dug into his palms, the door opened suddenly, and Yuga immediately stared at his desk to avoid making eye contact with Aizawa. The man was a pro hero and an underground one at that. It would probably take only a second of eye contact for Aizawa to figure out that Yuga was guilty of something.

 

As Aizawa entered, he noticed Yuga's posture and his slightly paler-than-normal face and thought.  'Maybe he's not feeling well. I'll let the others know so they can keep an eye on him during class.'

 

Aizawa had been a first-year teacher for years, and he knew how irrational some kids could get because of UA's prestige. The number of sick kids who showed up and forced themselves to suffer through class out of fear of falling behind was staggering. UA was a challenging school, but it was not without mercy, and it encouraged a healthy approach to work. Something none of these kids really understood yet, but hopefully, they'd get the message sooner rather than later.

 

As he got to the teacher's podium, Aizawa said. "You still took too long to settle down. Also, Kaminari and Sero, you need to manage your mornings better. Finish your breakfast quickly and make sure, starting tomorrow, you finish eating before the bell rings."

 

The two boys quickly scarfed down the protein bars they had been trying to stealthy eat ever since Aizawa entered the classroom. Aizawa hummed and nodded as the boys finished. "Good now, onto something that will determine how the rest of your year here at UA will go."

 

The class tensed as they all started to worry and fret over what their homeroom teacher could mean. The man smiled and sent a chill down all of their spines as he said. "Time to pick your class reps."

 

Relief immediately flooded the classroom as sighs sounded out from all seats. The sound of relief was quickly replaced with cries for the rest of the class to pick them for the job. Aizawa sighed and said. "You do know you will have actual work to do, right? This isn't just a little puff piece to add to your resume when you leave here."

 

The class went quiet for a moment before the calls started again but with fewer voices. Eventually, it was Tenya who stood and organized the class into voting for the position. Aizawa disappeared behind his desk as they started writing their votes down, and by the end of it, Izuku stood in front of the class with Nishi next to him.

 

"Why me?" Izuku asked as he pointed at himself. Back in junior high, no one had even thought to suggest him for class rep.

 

"Hm, you're smart, you get along with everyone pretty easily, and you came up with a good plan during our heroics class," Toru said as she held up fingers that no one could see. "At least that's why I voted for you."

 

The class murmured in agreement, and Nishi huffed. "I see how it is, Hagakure. See if I share my ice cream with you again."

 

Mina giggled as her invisible friend whined, and her fellow black-eyed friend stuck her tongue out.

 

"Alright, quiet down, you lot. Midoriya, Orime, stay after classes today, and I'll go over all your duties. Now sit down, and none of you get too loud for the rest of homeroom, or I'll expel you."

 

The class stayed at a respectful volume for the rest of homeroom until Aizawa shuffled off, and Ectoplasm came in to start class.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 13th, 2236

 

Yuga left the classroom quickly and quietly when the bell rang for lunch. He headed for the stairs and went up to the floor where the teacher's lounge was located and headed for the bathrooms near it. Once he was inside one of the stalls, he pulled his feet up, so his knees were under his chin. All he had to do now was wait and hope that the teachers all leave the lounge when the alarm gets triggered.

 

Yuga didn't have to wait long for the alarms to suddenly start blaring, and as they did, he left the stall and peeked out the bathroom door, where he watched a handful of heroes run out of the room. After a few moments, no one else came out, so Yuga quickly walked over and opened the door. He let out a breath when he didn't see anyone else inside.

 

As he walked around looking for Aizawa's desk, his stomach twisted itself into tighter and tighter knots as his legs and arms started to shake. If someone found him in here, who knows what they would do, especially if they caught him with whoever was coming for the information.

 

"Here it is," Yuga muttered as he finally found Aizawa's desk and started to dig through the files while keeping everything as close to how it was as he could. Eventually, he found the class schedule for the rest of the week, as well as the quirk registry for class 1-A.

 

Yuga stared at the registry. It held all the information on their quirks that All Might and Aizawa had gathered through the week. Yuga may not be the smartest or most strategic-minded, but even he could tell how dangerous this information was. If villains knew the details of heroes' quirks, they could plan counters and workarounds, which for a seasoned pro would make things hard but, for an untrained student, could spell a quick death.

 

Images of his fellow classmates being killed flashed through his mind, and the young boy nearly collapsed as the weight of what he was about to do settled fully on him. There were so many kind and honest souls in his class. While they were early in the year and no one had opened up about anything terribly deep, Yuga could tell that some of his classmates had experienced hardship, and yet they were still at UA pushing themselves to be heroes and to fight for justice.

 

A purple mist started to form nearby, and in a spur of determination and desperation, Yuga shoved the registry under a stack of papers and stepped away from the desk as Kurogiri appeared. The nomu stared at Yuga and asked. "Do you have what my master requested?"

 

"I-I-I have the class schedule. I could not find the registry." Yuga said as he held out the schedule and prayed that his lie worked.

 

"That is unfortunate, but this will do," Kurogiri said as he took a picture of the schedule. "Put it back. You are done for today.  Our  master will be in contact when he needs you again."

 

Yuga nodded silently, and when Kurogiri left, he put the schedule back on Aizawa's desk but not where he had pulled it from originally. He prayed and hoped that his homeroom teacher would somehow figure out that something was wrong.

 

Yuga stepped out of the teacher's lounge and headed for his classroom as the alarms stopped. He felt like he was going to throw up, and he wished things were different, but they weren't, and so for his parent's sake, he needed to bear it and do as he was told. Though if the time arose for him to strike back against the man who was using his family, he would not hesitate. The man was evil through and through, and despite what Yuga had done, he still wanted to be a hero.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 13th, 2236

 

"You had quite the exciting day today, didn't you, Mr.Midoirya?" Nezu asked as he multitasked. While he spoke to his favorite student, he reviewed the security camera footage. Usually, he'd give his student his full attention, but today he just couldn't, and he refused to cancel their talk outright.

 

"Yeah, it was. Thanks to Iida's quick thinking, things didn't get too bad, though I have to wonder how the press managed to get past UA's defenses." Izuku said as he sipped the tea Nezu gave him and tried to pick it apart. He frowned a bit and wished that he had more of a palette for this kind of thing.

 

"Yes, it's quite the quandary. We're looking into it but rest assured that UA's staff will keep you all safe even if our defenses fall." Nezu said as he noticed a discrepancy. The footage around the teacher's lounge, the third-year support studio, and Power Loader's robot storage shed were all corrupted for the duration of the alarm. He quickly sent a message to Power Loader to grab some others and checked the three rooms for anything missing. While his staff moved, he started to check the footage before the corruption to see if anything stood out.

 

"I believe you, sir," Izuku said as he set his cup down. "Is there any specific topic you wanted to discuss today?"

 

Nezu hummed as he spotted Yuga Aoyama walking up the stairs. "How are your classmates? Are you getting along? Anything of interest that you wish to speak about?"

 

Nezu looked up as he said. "Feel free to speak freely. Anything you say about them won't be reported to any of your teachers."

 

Izuku nodded. "Well, that's good to know, but there's nothing negative to say, really. Almost everyone is friendly enough."

 

"Almost?" Nezu asked as he watched Yuga enter the bathroom near the teacher's lounge.  'Why did he go there? Did he need to use the restroom before talking to a teacher? I'll have to see if anyone thinks he seemed like he needed assistance.'

 

"Well, Shoto Todoroki is fairly standoffish," Izuku said as he leaned back into the cushion of the couch. "I'm not sure why but he doesn't seem to want to speak to anyone; also, ever since our first combat practical, he and Nishi seem to glare at each other if they ever look at each other. Not sure what they said to each other during that time, but it seems like they don't get along."

 

"These things happen. You, teenagers, are so full of hormones and questions about yourselves and your place in the world. I hope as the class representative, you'll strive to keep any conflict from negatively affecting class too much."

 

"I will do my best, sir," Izuku said as he watched the principal's eyes dart around the screens. Izuku could tell Nezu was multitasking, and it made sense. He had been surprised when Nezu didn't cancel their talk today. "Other than that, I'd say the other one that stands out the most is Momo Yaoyorozu."

 

"Oh, Ms.Yaoyorozu? She's quite an intelligent young lady. What issues is she running into?"

 

"I think she doesn't have much experience interacting with others in an informal way. A couple times now, she's come across as a bit condescending. It doesn't seem like she means to, and whenever someone gets annoyed, she does apologize, but I can tell she's struggling a bit. Though unlike Todoroki, she interacts with the class, so I'm sure she'll learn and be fine."

 

"Wonderful news," Nezu said as he saw Yuga leaving the floor of the teacher's lounge after the alarms stopped.  'Why was he here the whole time? Did he hide in the teacher's lounge? Hm... we'll need to keep an eye on this.'

 

Izuku nodded, and as he picked up his tea again, he spoke about how much he was enjoying the classes and his classmates so far. The conversation went on for a bit longer until Aizawa, and several other teachers arrived. Izuku excused himself after asking Nezu if he was a shrew. The teachers looked confused as Nezu laughed, and their student left without explaining what the question was about.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 13th, 2236

 

Aizawa, Midnight, Snipe, and the original Ectoplasm all sat down on the couches in Nezu's office as their boss tapped away at his computer. "Thank you all for coming. Ectoplasm, how are the rest of the grounds?"

 

"None of my clones have found anything, and Hound Dog hasn't sniffed out anything." Ectoplasm said after a moment of focus.

 

"That's good." Midnight said as she crossed her legs. "All the students were accounted for and sent home. That trouble in the cafeteria could have gone pretty badly, though."

 

"We grew a bit complacent, I'm afraid," Nezu said. "I've sent an email to the faculty. We will be conducting drills at least three times a semester to ensure our student body does not panic and knows the proper procedure to take."

 

"That's good, but we still have the issue of the gate itself. No way a civi coulda done that." Snipe said as he tapped away at a tablet and projected the photos of the damage onto the table between the couches. "This was done by someone who's been using their quirk for a good while."

 

Nezu hummed, and his eyes darted around for a few moments before the table lit up with a video. "When the alarms sounded, we lost sight of several spots on campus. I have Power Loader looking into the areas with some others."

 

Aizawa tensed as he saw his student Yuga Aoyama heading into the bathrooms near the teacher's lounge. The footage turned to static and then showed Yuga leaving the floor. Nezu spoke up as the video ended. "I'm unsure if anything is missing. If nothing is, then it may be safe to assume he was simply wishing to speak to a teacher and then hid in the lounge while the alarms went off."

 

"If something is, then that means." Midnight stopped, not wanting to voice the thought.

 

"That could mean he could be working with whoever destroyed the gate." Nezu finished. "If a student is working with a villain-"

 

"We don't know that yet," Aizawa said as he stared at the footage. "He seemed off today, like he was sick or troubled by something. He may have been coming by to talk to one of us or request to sit out of heroics today. His quirk has a substantial blowback right now. He may have overexerted himself yesterday."

 

"Perhaps. I suggest that we all keep an eye on Yuga Aoyama and see if anything else like this happens." Nezu said as he cleared the table and hopped off his chair. "We cannot do much more than secure our borders and keep an eye out for anyone or thing that may be wishing us or our student's harm. Be vigilant and report anything you find."

 

The teachers stood and headed out to take care of various things. Aizawa headed for the teacher's lounge and glanced around. He didn't know his co-workers' desks well enough to say if anything was wrong, but he stopped as he looked at his own. A stack of papers was not as nearly arranged as it had been before.

 

Aizawa pulled the quirk registry he had put together of his class from the bottom of the stack of papers and muttered. "That's not where I left you." his eyes scanned the desk, and he spotted his class schedule for the week. "You aren't supposed to be there either."

 

An unsettling yet familiar feeling started to settle in Aizawa's gut. He put his papers back in the proper place and tapped his commlink. "I think we have a problem, sir."

Notes:

So I had this idea for a fic idea.

AFO is dead, and All Might retired. This happened when Izuku was like three. All Might retires and goes to America to hide from AFO supporters who want to kill him. Inko and Hisashi also flee to America because they helped orchestrate the opportunity for All Might to kill AFO. Once Izuku is six, he still doesn't have his quirk. AFO supporters find the family and kill Hisashi while stealing away Izuku for quirk experiments. Inko survives and tracks down Toshi so they can go and try to save Izuku.

Years later, Izuku is living with Thirteen. He's missing an arm and has a quirk now. It's a sentient quirk named Hestia that's basically made of fire and light. She's not always burning, though. Himiko isn't a villain, either. She lives with Uwabami. Izuku and Himiko were both in the same group of kids being experimented on, and they escaped and ended up in the two heroes' custody (Maybe I could do a Uwabami/Thirteen ship)

Anyways things are pretty different. There are villain groups rising, and heroes are struggling more, but Izuku still wants to be a hero, and Hestia supports his decision. she has a big sister kind of vibe. Also, Hestia looks like a fem version of Izuku.

That's all I've thought of. I almost got caught up in fleshing out the plot and stuff, but then I reminded myself I have stuff I'm working on right now, and if I get distracted, it'll impact the stories I want to write right now, so I stopped, but I'll probably flesh it out some more later.

If you want to read an Amphibia fic, I have one chapter of a fic called Picking up the Pieces. It's angsty and post-canon. I'll probably have another chapter of that up in a week or so. Maybe more, maybe less. It depends on how well I can focus.

Anyways that's all from me I'll see you next time.

Chapter 22: Jade II

April 11th, 2236

 

"Yes, thank you, Rinako. I appreciate all the work you're doing." Inko said as she sat at the top of a fire escape and watched the sunset in Shima City.

 

“No problem Mrs.Midoriya. I'm just glad I managed to get a job so quickly when I came back from college." Rinako said chipperly from the other side of the call.

 

Inko chuckled and thanked the girl again before hanging up. The girl was full of energy and willing to work hard. Though it did concern Inko a bit when Rinako told her that the reason she had come back home wasn't that she finished college and couldn't find a job. It was because she was kicked out of college, but she refused to specify why. By how embarrassed the girl looked, Inko was inclined to guess that it was an embarrassing incident that resulted in her getting kicked out.

 

As the night started to grow dark, Inko slipped on Jade's mask and silently climbed down the fire escape. There had been something going on with the villains in the area, and there weren't many heroes who worked the less trafficked parts of the city, so Jade decided to step in and see what the villains were up to.

 

Things had been going well so far for Jade. Her exploits weren't being broadcast on the news, and as far as she could tell, the internet hadn't noticed a pattern and put a name to her. As Jade moved through the shadows and watched people shuffle home, she felt a tingle on the back of her neck and jumped down from the fire escape she was on.

 

Her foot connected with solid air as a familiar face revealed itself. Jade fell back and clicked her tongue as she said. "Gentle Criminal."

 

"Ah, the lady Jade. What a coincidence. I did not know you were in Shima. I thought you worked in Musutafu." Gentle said as he brushed his hands off and stood upright. "What brings you here? Tracking a dastardly villain, perhaps?"

 

Jade looked around as she approached Gentle. "Where's the camera?"

 

"Camera?" Gentle asked as he tensed a bit at her approach.

 

"The camera you used to film me with before. Bring it out and delete my footage." Jade said as she spotted a tuft of magenta hair that squeaked and retreated behind a dumpster. "You have a cameraman."

 

"Camerawoman." Gentle corrected. "I assume you won't be violent, correct?"

 

"As long as you don't film and post it on your youtube page," Jade said as she watched the dumpster.

 

Gentle stared at her for a moment before saying. "La Brava, come out and please show our friend that you don't have footage of her."

 

As La Brava made herself known, Jade's head snapped to Gentle. "You have a child out here with you? Are you insane?"

 

"I'm twenty-two. I'll have you know!" La Brava snapped, but the girl shrunk back as Jade snapped her attention to the small woman.

 

"...I apologize then," Jade said as she approached La Brava. "Though I still want footage of me gone."

 

"W-why?" La Brava asked as she tried not to drop her camera.

 

"Because if people know I'm doing this again, they're going to get mad and make things difficult for me," Jade said as she stood over the shorter woman. "Now delete it."

 

La Brava quickly deleted the footage she had recorded of Gentle and Jade running into each other. "T-there all gone see."

 

Jade nodded and turned to leave. "Thank you. Now please let us never run into each other again."

 

"Ah, come now, lady Jade, why don't we chat over a cup of tea," Gentle said as he caught up to her with La Brava shortly behind, pouting at Gentle.

 

"No, thank you. I'm busy." Jade snipped.

 

"Perhaps we can help each other. La Brava and I have been looking into some local hero agencies to see if they're on the up and up. If you help us, perhaps we could help you with something."

 

"I doubt she'd be much help." La Brava muttered as the trio came to an intersection of allies.

 

Jade turned to look at the two and said. "No. Don't ask again, or I will punch you in the face."

 

Gentle closed his mouth and pursed his lips as he watched the woman run off. "Well, that didn't go well. I suppose we should leave her be La Brava. Let us go and continue the investigation."

 

"I think we're better off without her." La Brava said as she huffed and started filming some b-roll of the city's back streets.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 11th, 2236

 

"Here ya go, man. Top shelf right there." A man said. The rustling of a bag echoed out through the silent parking deck.

 

"This stuff actually works, right? Like, I'm not gonna shoot this up and just keel over, right?"

 

"Of course." the first man said. "I've watched people take shots from the same batch this stuff came from. It'll boost your quirk, and you'll be taking down heroes left and right."

 

"God, I hope so." the buyer said as he pocketed the bag of Trigger.

 

"You good man? Got something big planned?"

 

"Yeah... just nervous. Have you heard about the new group gathering members?"

 

"Uh... yeah, the League of Villains or something, right? Heard they're accepting just about anyone off the street."

 

Jade perked up at that. She had just been looking around for villains and stumbled across these two. She figured she'd jump them once they were separated, but this information was interesting. A new villain group accepting just about anyone? That sounded dangerous.

 

"I joined up with them. They have a plan, it's... honestly bat shit, but there are a few guys who are there that make it seem kinda possible."

 

The first man chuckled. "Oh, what are they going after, All Might or something."

 

The silence stretched on a bit too long, and Jade peeked out from her hiding spot to look at the two men. The seller had a shocked look on his face, while the other man looked nervous. "You're shitting me, right? That's suicide."

 

"I wish I was, but these guys look serious."

 

"Well damn, hope that Trigger helps you. If you survive, come back, and I'll give you a discount."

 

The buyer thanked him and left, unaware of the figure stalking him in the shadows. Jade wasn't sure how large this League of Villains was, so she'd just check them out, and if it looked like too much, she'd pull back and let the heroes deal with it.

 

The buyer walked for a while before meeting up with a group of people. Jade cursed as a purple mist swirled, and a gate opened. The villains stepped through as Jade clicked her tongue and fell back.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 11th, 2236

 

La Brava suppressed a shriek as Jade dropped down behind her. Gentle whipped around, ready for a fight, but he relaxed as Jade said. "Is your offer still available? I may need some assistance with something."

 

Gentle took La Brava by the shoulder and guided her behind him as he said. "Of course. You know what we want help with; why don't you tell us what has caused you to change your mind?"

 

"The League of Villains. Have you heard of them?"

 

"I can't say I have though villain groups are popping up and falling apart more and more as the days go by. What makes them so special that the lady Jade wishes to look into them?"

 

"They have a warper and a plan to attack All Might," Jade said simply. "At least one member was buying Trigger. I'd like to track them down and see how big they are."

 

"That sounds mighty dangerous," Gentle said as he looked at La Brava. "But villains who use Trigger are not gentlemanly at all and are a violent bunch who should be taken down."

 

Gentle extended his hand to Jade as he said. 'We will help you as soon as our investigation is done."

 

Jade gripped his hand firmly as she said. "Then lead the way. I want to take care of this as quickly as possible and remember no footage of me."

 

"Of course, La Brava will not allow even a second of your form to show up in our videos," Gentle said as he turned. "Now, follow me to the first agency. The night is not young, but it is not over yet, so let us get some work done."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 11th, 2236

 

Gentle and La Brava exited the hero agency building feeling good. As they approached Jade, who had finished her search earlier, Gentle asked. "How did it go?"

 

"I didn't find anything," Jade said as she looked around. "As far as I can tell, they're all lawful heroes who are doing their best."

 

"Same with us." La Brava said as she looked over the footage. "Guess this week's video is gonna be shorter. Shima City has good heroes."

 

"If we're done, then I think we need to move on to finding this League of Villains. I doubt we'll find any more villains here that are looking to join up." Jade said as she watched the other two look over the footage they had captured.

 

"Perhaps somewhere with a higher rate of crime?" La Brava said as she tucked her camera into her bag.

 

"Or somewhere where the crime rate has started to drop," Gentle said as he stroked his beard.

 

Jade nodded and pulled out a burner phone before tossing it to Gentle. "I need to leave. If you find somewhere to check, contact me with that. If I find something, I'll do the same."

 

"Wonderful to hear. I wish you luck, Lady Jade. let us be fortunate in our pursuit of evil." Gentle said as Jade walked off silently. "She is not a very talkative person, is she La Brava?"

 

"No, she isn't." La Brava said as she followed Gentle. "Though I guess that's better than being overly chatty."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 12th, 2236

 

Inko yawned again as she looked at her phone. Social media was a nightmare sometimes, but sometimes it was useful, like right now as she tried to keep her eyes open and see what the hero forums were talking about. If you knew where to look, you could figure out if heroes were doing more or less work in the city that they patrolled.

 

Inko jumped as a ceramic cup was set down in front of her. She looked up to see the auburn eyes of Rinako. The young woman smiled as she said. "You look like you're gonna pass out, boss."

 

Inko hummed and slipped her phone away as she said. "Didn't I give you the day off?"

 

"Yes, you did," Rinako said as she pulled her long dark brown hair back into a ponytail. "But you also sounded exhausted, and we're getting a delivery today, so I figured I'd come in anyways."

 

Inko looked at the coffee and then around the store. "Where did you make this? I don't have a coffee maker in the store."

 

"I know that's why I put the one I used in college in the back room. It will make coffee."

 

Inko paused before sipping the hot brew. "Is it good?"

 

"It makes coffee, ma'am," Rinako said before walking off to organize the store's shelves.

 

Inko chuckled before sipping the coffee and grimacing. "That can be called coffee, I suppose."

 

With some 'coffee' in her system and Rinako taking care of the delivery, Inko went back to looking for possible places that the League of Villains could be recruiting. Inko blinked slowly and eventually put her phone away. She was not getting anywhere right now. She needed sleep, but if this League was targeting All Might, then that meant there was a chance UA could get caught up in whatever their plan was. Sure she didn't really care about Nezu because the smug rat was annoying to deal with, but her son and Ochako were at UA and being taught by All Might. She wanted to do whatever she could to keep them safe.

 

"I know you wanted to work and stuff today, but you really look like you could use a nap Mrs.Midoriya," Rinako said as she looked at the older woman with concern. "Not sure what you're getting up to, ma'am, but you gotta sleep more."

 

Inko suppressed a huff and instead stood as she said. "I probably should. Please look after the store, and I'm sorry to cause you trouble, Rinako."

 

“Aw it’s ok Mrs.Midoirya. I like this store. It's fun to work here. I'll hold down the fort, so you just head home and get some rest." Rinako said as she brushed off Inko's apology. "I'll call you if anything catastrophic happens."

 

Inko chuckled and thanked the girl again before heading home to try and get some sleep. Her sleep schedule was getting skewed a lot more than she had anticipated, but she figured that it made sense since she wasn't as young as she was the first time she put on Jade's mask.

 

As Inko got to her bedroom and switched into some sleepwear, the burner phone on her nightstand buzzed, and she groaned as she grabbed it. A message from Gentle told her that he had found a possible place. The heroes in Kuwana city had seen a dip in their arrest. Inko responded and promptly dropped the phone on the nightstand before flopping onto her bed and going to sleep.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 13th, 2236

 

"Where's your camerawoman?" Jade asked as Gentle approached her on the roof she had been sitting on for the past hour.

 

"She's busy editing our latest video. Also, this could be quite a bit more dangerous. I would like to avoid having her involved in such things."

 

Jade stood as she nodded. "I can understand that. Let's split up and get looking for anyone or anything that could point us toward the League. Call the moment you find something."

 

"Of course, my lady. Best of luck to us both." Gentle said before jumping off the roof and bouncing on the air.

 

Jade huffed and took the fire escape down to start her search. The night dragged on as Jade and Gentle searched the city for any villain who may know about the League of Villains. For the first few hours, they were unable to find anything, but Jade struck gold as she slammed a man's head against the nearest wall and dropped his disorientated body next to his friends. She shot a message off to Gentle as she secured the two men.

 

Once Gentle arrived, the men woke up moments later. Jade stood before them as she asked. "You two trying to join the League of Villains?"

 

The one who hadn't gotten his head slammed against the wall spoke up first. "Fuck, you want to know for? If you're trying to join, just join."

 

"I wanna know how many there are. Where are you guys meeting, and when are you planning to attack All Might?" Jade asked as she crossed her arms.

 

"Don't know. We're just supposed to meet up in the city, and we'll get transported to the rest."

 

"Where are you meeting?"

 

"I'd tell you, but I don't really feel like it anymore. Y'know, because you kicked the shit out of us."

 

Jade growled as she reached out with her quirk and pulled on his tongue. "Tell me, or I'll rip this out of your mouth."

 

Gentle placed his hand on Jade's shoulder as he said. "Perhaps it would be best not to do that. Allow me to speak with our new friends."

 

Jade huffed but stepped back as Gentle stepped up. "Hello, gentlemen. I apologize for Lady Jade's behavior. She is a bit punch first and asks questions later. We'd like to know more about the League before we join. Is there anything you could tell us before we let you go?"

 

The man who had gotten his head smashed against the wall said. "I've got the address in my pocket. A Buddy of mine joined up before me and told me a portal would show up and take us wherever they're gathering."

 

Gentle searched his pocket and smiled as he looked at the address. "Thank you for your cooperation."

 

"Yeah, well, I don't want my shit kicked in by that crazy bitch again."

 

Gentle stepped between the man and Jade as he took a half step toward him. "Yes, well, my compatriot can be a bit rough at times. I do apologize, but we didn't think you would give up the info willingly."

 

"Why should we care?" the second man said. "They told us to recruit whoever we could find, and you two look stupid as hell, but you don't look like heroes, and she sure as hell doesn't fight like a hero."

 

Gentle nodded and turned to Jade. "Well, as you can see, everything is ok. Shall we leave now, lady Jade?"

 

"Fine with me."

 

"Wait aren't you gonna untie us?" the first man asked as the duo started to walk away.

 

Jade looked over her shoulder at them as she said. "I don't remember saying I would do anything for you two. Have fun dealing with the police or whoever finds you."

 

"I fucking hate this city." One of the men mumbled as Jade and Gentle left them sitting on the ground.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 13th, 2236

 

"I'm honestly surprised you're following through with this. From what I can tell, you're not one for violence, and you don't really target villains." Jade said as she stood with Gentle. They had found the warehouse that the portal would show up in and there were a handful of others also waiting. Everyone was staring down everyone else and keeping their distance which was good for Jade.

 

"I will say that, yes, this is quite outside my usual motive, but you helped me, and I intend to see this through. Also, it will make quite the video." Gentle said as he adjusted his jacket.

 

"How are you gonna make a video with any footage?"

 

"Well, obviously, this League of Villains has quite the gathering. If we find information on them and use it wisely, we or I should say I, since you wish to remain anonymous. I will get recognition for my part in taking them down." Gentle said as he stroked his mustache. "With that boost in notoriety, my videos will gain more popularity, and people will naturally be curious about what I did to expose this dastardly league."

 

Jade sighed and shook her head. "Best of luck with that."

 

Purple mist swirled and spread in the middle of the warehouse. After a moment, the mist stabilized into a portal, and Jade waited until the others had entered to walk up and step through. As she came out the other side, Jade felt like her stomach had been turned inside out. As Gentle came through behind her, he muttered. "Oh, I believe I'm going to be sick."

 

"You better not," Jade warned as they took in their surroundings, and a feeling of dread settled on her shoulders. "Fuck."

 

Gentle rubbed his eyes and looked up as his stomach settled, only for it to flip again as he saw where they were. The room was massive and absolutely packed with people. "How many are there?"

 

"About a hundred." someone muttered from Gentle's right. Some short woman with pigtails huffed and said. "Bossman has been recruiting nonstop."

 

"Boss?" Jade asked, but the woman simply grunted and nudged her head toward the front of the room.

 

Jade looked over and saw a skinny man covered in what she was hoping were fake hands standing on a stage flanked by a man who seemed to be made of mist and another man who was seven feet tall and had a bird face.

 

The skinny man stepped up and said. "Alright, you bunch of NPCs, we're moving out tomorrow morning. There are places to sleep outside the room. Be ready, or we'll leave you here, and anyone who's still here when I leave will die in an agonizing way."

 

The crowd muttered and seemed annoyed, but Jade noted that none of the villains tried to pick a fight with the man.  'That huge guy is pretty scary, and warpers are rare, so they're hard to deal with. I've never even met one before.'

 

"The plan is simple, so don't fuck up." The skinny man said. "We're teleporting to a UA facility. You're all gonna get dropped in different areas, then shortly later, anyone who's in our way will get sent to the same area. Kill them all, whether they're heroes or students, then join up with me."

 

Jade grit her teeth as she clenched her fist and watched the leader walk off, apparently satisfied with the crowd's reaction. Gentle and Jade swiftly made their way to a corner as the other villains milled about or left the main room to check out the side rooms.

 

"There are no windows." Gentle pointed out as Jade pulled her burner phone out.

 

"And no signal," Jade said. "We can't warn anyone."

 

"What is the plan then? Because as it looks, we are in over our heads."

 

"They're attacking UA," Jade muttered. "Kids are going to be attacked. We need to go through the portal with them and start fighting them. We should protect the kids as best we can and then get out of there when the teachers start winning."

 

"I agree," Gentle said. "Children should not be caught up in this. Once they are safe, we pull away."

 

With them agreed on a plan, the two vigilantes settled into a tense waiting game. They were surrounded by villains inside an unknown building with no way to contact the outside world. As the hours passed on, Jade did her best to stay awake and alert. There was a chance her son would get involved in whatever was going to happen. She wouldn't and couldn't just let this threat linger.

 

Eventually, the next day rolled around, and the time to move came, and the portals opened as the leader appeared again. "Alright, let's go kill some heroes."

Notes:

I hate social media sometimes. So much bitching that feels unnecessary and nitpicky so I'm not gonna talk about that. I'm gonna talk about how much I enjoyed Ep8 of Bocchi the Rock.

It was a great ep, and it was fun getting to learn Kita's full name and that she hates it. The ending scene felt almost like a season finally kind of ending. loved it, and I'm starting to ship characters, but also, my brain just goes, bandmates are closer than family and friends, so poly is the only way for the relationship to go.

Also, I watched a video on why reincarnated as a sword is a good anime, and I think I'll check it out tomorrow. I watched the first episode and, at the time, felt meh about it, but I'll give it another shot.

Over three days, I ate three turkey sandwiches, and I'm tired of it. So tired that I went and bought taco bell today after leaving work. Also got KFC because I have the best place ever near my house. It's a KFC/Taco Bell. I don't go often, but when I do, I get fired chicken and 'Mexican' food.

I was thinking about the fanfic idea I talked about a while ago. The one where Izuku has a sentient quirk and is missing his arm. I need a name for it but IDK. Anyways I was thinking of ships, and I realized it was a good opportunity to do two things I want to do. one, I can do a Himiko/Momo, and Izuku/Intelli. I did some Himi/Momo in Hypno, but ever since then, I wanted to do it more and give it more time. I've also always wanted to do Izuku/Intelli because it seems interesting and fun. I like Intelli's character design, but I haven't seen much of the ship.

Also I wrote a one shot called Her Smile. Go read it please.

that's all from me. I'll see you next time.

Chapter 23: April 14th, 2236 The USJ Incident Part One

April 14th, 2236

 

Something was up; Izuku wasn't sure what, but something in his gut told him today would probably not be a great day. 'Maybe One for All is giving me that danger thing... Nah, it wouldn't be that nice or convenient.'

 

Give us control, and we'll give you all our power.

Let us kill All for One.

You can go to school after he is dead.

Let us take control.

 

Izuku shuddered in his seat in class. Of course, the moment he thought of the quirk, it would speak up. His attention was pulled off his annoying quirk as the door opened and Aizawa stepped in. "Alright, we're doing heroics training all day. Your costumes are optional, but since this is our first day of rescue training, I suggest you wear them and find out if they impede your ability to work at all."

 

The class quickly got up as Aizawa walked off, saying. "Meet me by the bus depot. If you're late, you've got detention."

 

The class was quick to get dressed and make it to the depot in time. As they stood around, Aizawa walked up with Ectoplasm behind him. "Alright, we're heading to a specialized facility that's a bit of a walk, so we're taking the bus. Ectoplasm is here to help me manage you during this exercise."

 

Aoyama tensed as Aizawa stared at him for a moment longer than he did anyone else. The teacher didn't say anything; he simply turned away and boarded the bus as Izuku waved off Tenya's idea about a boarding order.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

As the bus rode to the USJ, Aizawa pretended to be asleep as he thought about the dangers today posed. When he noticed his desk was out of order, Nezu had Hound Dog investigate and confirm that Yuga Aoyama's scent was all over the desk. The boy had looked for things, and when Aizawa pointed out the class schedule and quirk registry, Nezu quickly deduced that the USJ was the weak point in the schedule. It was far from the main building and isolated. Should the villains plan to attack, that would be the most likely place to start.

 

Aizawa had, of course, been against letting the USJ happen, but Nezu pulled rank and devised a plan. Any villain that was planning this was obviously going to have a way to get into the USJ, which would most likely be a warp quirk of some kind, so they needed to capture that person at all costs. Already at the USJ with Thirteen was Snipe, who was posted up in the control room, which sat above the facility's central square. He would provide overwatch, and should there be a warper, he would neutralize them after Aizawa erased their quirk. All Might would take down the villains while Thirteen and Ectoplasm escort the students away. If no villains showed up, they would simply have class like normal, but either way, once the day was done, Nezu and Aizawa planned to approach Yuga Aoyama about his betrayal.

 

Aizawa listened to his students talk about quirks and how important or not important it was to have a flashy one when it came to being a hero. He was pleased but not surprised to hear Izuku defending all quirks while saying that Kirishima's quirk was incredible and that its simple nature made it easier to master and excel at.

 

Once the bus arrived, everyone disembarked and came face to face with Thirteen, who held her hands out and said. "Hello, everyone-"

 

"AH!" Ochako quickly covered her mouth and blushed fiercely as everyone looked at her. "S-sorry... I'm just such a huge fan of yours, ma'am."

 

Thirteen laughed as she said. "It's no problem, miss..."

 

"Ochako Uraraka."

 

"Ms.Uraraka. I'll be willing to give you an autograph after class if you want."

 

Ochako nodded fiercely as the class chuckled, and Thirteen got on with her introduction of herself and the USJ. As the class moved inside, Aizawa heard Snipe ask over the comms. "Where the hell is the big man?"

 

"Villain group showed up this morning," Aizawa mumbled into his scarf. "They hit a prison transport and freed their buddies. All Might is dealing with them since everyone else is busy. Once he's done, he'll come straight here."

 

Snipe clicked his tongue but stayed silent as Thirteen gave her speech about the dangers of quirks. As Thirteen spoke, Aizawa watched his students. He wasn't surprised to see Izuku tremble slightly. The boy knew just how dangerous his quirk could be. Aizawa was glad that Ochako was quick to take his hand and try to comfort him silently. The things that surprised him were Nishi, Mina, and Fumikage, all looking more shaken than their classmates but not as shaken as Izuku. They had obviously had something happen, and Aizawa made a mental note to talk to them after today.

 

The air shifted suddenly, and Aizawa's whole body felt like it had just been dunked in ice. He knew the attack was a possibility, but he had hoped and prayed that it wouldn't happen. All Might wasn't here yet, and so as Eraser Head pulled his goggles up, he said. "Thirteen protect the students. Ectoplasm, you're with me. We're stopping them here."

 

"This isn't a part of the exercise, is it?" Izuku asked as his eyes locked with the pale-haired leader, who glared up at them all.

 

"No, it isn't. Those are real villains now follow Thirteen's orders." Aizawa said before he jumped down the stairs while Ectoplasm spewed out a small army of clones who slammed into the now quirkless villains.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Kurogiri grunted as the moment he felt his quirk get erased, a bullet tore into his shoulder, and he staggered back. Tomura's headshot around as he growled. "Where is he? Where's the bastard that's cheating?"

 

Kurogiri looked up and moved behind Peace Break, who didn't even react as a bullet bounced off his shoulder. Tomura quickly followed as he said. "Kill that asshole now."

 

"I will as soon as I can, sir," Kurogiri said as he tried to form a portal. The moment the portal started to open, he quickly disappeared and took several villains from around the USJ and deposited them outside the door to the control room. "Kill the one inside."

 

The villains cheered as they slammed against the door and flooded into the control room. The first few caught lead to the knees as Snipe cursed and dropped his rifle in favor of the pistol on his hip.

 

Aizawa cursed as he saw the warper vanish. He had taken his eyes off him for just a second, and because he was behind that behemoth, Aizawa failed to pin him down again. As he fought alongside Ectoplasm, he didn't see the purple mist appear up near the entrance where his students were running for the exit.

 

As Kurogiri appeared, he opened portals beneath the class and said. "Scatter to the winds, you fledgling heroes, and let your corpses serve as the bedrock for our new world."

 

Thirteen wanted to scream as she saw most of the class immediately vanish. Her glove popped open, and she started to suck up the mist that was forming Kurogiri.

 

Kurogiri grunted and closed his portals as he felt his body getting torn apart. "Ah yes, Thirteen. Your quirk is quite dangerous. You're a very respectable rescue hero, but alas, your combat experience is almost nonexistent."

 

Thirteen gasped as she felt the back of her suit get ripped away. Her own quirk ate away at her back for just a moment, but it was enough to take her out of the fight. As their teacher fell, Yuga felt his heart breaking. This was his fault. He actively played a role in this attack. Something in his chest bubbled up at that moment. A thought he had held onto ever since he was old enough to understand what the word hero meant. He wanted to be a hero because being a hero meant protecting people, even the ones who were a bit odd.

 

Yuga felt his stomach burn as he poured as much power as he could into the shot and yelled as his navel laser fired. Luckily Kurogiri was distracted by Tenya suddenly running past the warper. Before Kurogiri could try to pursue, Tenya Yuga's laser slammed into his back and staggered the nomu long enough that Hanta could shoot tape out to grab the villain. Rikido grabbed the tap and flung the villain away from the front entrance.

 

Yuga took a knee as he clutched his stomach. It felt like it was quickly trying to evacuate through his belly button. He smiled as he watched Tenya peel the doors open and run out into the light. Hopefully, he would get to UA soon and bring the heroes.

 

Tenya wanted to scream as he ran through the front door of the USJ. He didn't want to abandon his classmates, but Mezo had a point. They had no way to contact the main facility, and Tenya was the only one fast enough to get there in a reasonable amount of time. Now that he was free, all he had to do was-

 

Tenya jumped back as a large ball impacted in front of him, and he felt his stomach drop into his feet as villains stepped out of their hiding places around the front entrance. One of them laughed. "Wow, a kid managed to get out. Here I thought we wouldn't get any action."

 

Tenya revved his engines as he set his resolve. He needed to get to the main building, and he needed to do it now. Villains would not stand in his way.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Kyoka yelled as she smacked a man across the face with her baseball bat that was vibrating with her quirk's power. She hadn't expected Momo to make something that worked with her quirk, but she should have known better. Momo was the top academically and was so hot, and it was so cute when she stumbled over normal teen stuff. Kyoka shook the thought from her head. Now was not the time to admire how cool and hot her classmate was.

 

Denki yelped as he ducked under a large rock that was thrown at him. He jabbed at the man with the metal pole Momo had given him and marveled at how the man was electrocuted. He really liked being able to use his quirk without shocking everyone around him. "Have either of you seen Koda? I swear I saw him fall with us!"

 

"I saw him as well," Momo said as she deftly avoided a man's punch and delivered a devastating three-piece combo to his head with her bo staff. "I don't know where he is. The villains may have gotten to him."

 

"Maybe." Kyoka grunted as she stumbled back and nearly bumped into Momo. "we're gonna be joining him if we don't take care of this. Any ideas?"

 

Momo glanced at Denki. "I think so. Please cover me for a moment."

 

Momo took a few steps back and focused her quirk on her back. Energy sparked and bulged. "Jiro, come over here!"

 

Kyoka fired off a blast of soundwaves with her boots before running over as a large thick blanket popped out of Momo's back. "What is that?!"

 

Momo grabbed Kyoka and pulled her under as she said. "Insulating sheet. Kaminari, please unleash your quirk; we will be ok."

 

Denki smiled and cheered as electricity sparked off his body. "Hell yeah! Indiscriminate Shock!"

 

Electricity flowed across the mountain side frying the villains and Denki's brain. As the power around the mountain zoned flickered, the landslide zone exploded into a mountain of ice.

 

"I think Todoroki is over there," Kyoka said as she pulled the insulated sheet away and saw the ice off in the distance.

 

"I believe so, yes. Perhaps we should head that way and meet up with him." Momo said as she looked around. "I'd like to find Koda as well. I could have sworn he landed in the mountain zone with us."

 

"Nah, you girls aren't going anywhere."

 

The girls snapped around to where Denki was, only to see a villain holding their classmate by the neck. The skull mask covered his face, but they could see the cruelty in his eyes. "You two are going to just stand there nice and peaceful like, or I kill this guy. It sucks since we're both electric types, but what are you gonna do? It's just business."

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Fire raged as Mashirao sprinted down the street and shouted. "Hagakure, you still there?"

 

"Y-yeah, I'm right behind you," Toru said as she pushed herself to run as hard as she could. She hadn't done much physical training before UA, and she was regretting it now.

 

As the two rounded the corner, Mashirao grabbed Toru by her waist and jumped back the way they came. Toru stifled a yelp as she stumbled back. "There's a lot of villains back there."

 

"W-where are we gonna go then? The other paths were all blocked off." Toru said as she felt her legs shake. They weren't even done with their first week of school, and yet here they were, facing real villains.

 

"We can draw them away. Split them up and take them out a few at a time." Mashirao said as he held his arm to keep it from shaking. "It's going to be risky, but you know, with your stealth and my martial arts training, we should be able to handle some of these guys. Hopefully enough to make getting out of here a possibility."

 

Toru swallowed her nerves and clenched her fist as she said. "T-there's no other way out of this, is there?"

 

"Not that I can see," Mashirao said as he peeked around the corner again.

 

"Alright then. Let's do it."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 14th, 2236

 

Eijiro grunted as he blocked a hit from a four-armed villain, who was quickly sent flying when Izuku came in from the side and punched him into the wall. "You ok?"

 

"Hehe yeah, I'm good, man," Eijiro said as he dropped his quirk and looked around. "Where the hell are we?"

 

"Looks like the aftermath of an earthquake," Izuku said as he peeked out one of the windows and looked up. "We're inside a dome, so I guess we're still in the USJ."

 

"Then we should take out the villains here and look for our classmates," Eijiro said as he slammed his fist together.

 

"I would agree, but I think right now we need to get out of here and warn the rest of UA," Izuku said as he looked around the room.

 

"Come on, man, that's not manly at all. What if our classmates are in over their heads?"

 

Izuku grumbled and tried not to react as he saw something shift in the corner of his eyes. "I... mean, yeah, we should help them if we can."

 

Eijiro smiled and opened his mouth to agree but stopped short as a chameleon-looking villain jumped at Izuku, who quickly turned and slammed the man's head into the ground. "Wow, how did you do that?"

 

"Situational awareness. After so many dodgeballs to the head, you start paying attention to what's around you." Izuku said as he walked toward the door. "Let's make sure no one else is in this area with us. Then we'll leave, and if we see anyone on our way to the front entrance, we help them."

 

"Hell yeah, bro, let's do this!" Eijiro cheered as they entered the staircase and found more villains coming toward them.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 14th, 2236

 

Tsu grunted as she landed on the boat. She leaned away from Minoru as he was thrown into the deck hard by Nishi, who climbed over the edge with anger in her eyes. Tsu stiffened as Nishi stared at Minoru, who quickly scrambled behind Tsu. "Why are you being so mean? I didn't even squeeze, and it was a total accident anyways!"

 

Nishi glared at him as her hands shook. "Move, Tsu, I change my mind; I'm gonna leave him to the villains."

 

"Kero... why don't you take a deep breath and calm down."

 

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Nishi snapped before stumbling back at the scared look on Tsu's face. "I-I um... I'm sorry, Tsu. You didn't do anything wrong." Nishi narrowed her eyes as Minoru peaked out from behind Tsu. "Him, on the other hand."

 

"I said sorry! God, can't you just get over it? I didn't mean to!"

 

Tsu smacked a hand over Minoru's mouth and said. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath and calm down? There are villains around us. Now isn't the time to be screaming. Mineta, you did something pervy, I'm sure, and you'll apologize later. Nishi, this guy is a creep, but you can't just leave him to the villains. That's not what heroes do."

 

Nishi sat down hard and leaned against the wall as she held her arm to keep it from shaking while she took several deep breaths. "I'm sorry... that was uncalled for. I want to be a hero. I can't just leave someone behind because I don't like them."

 

Tsu nodded. "Good. Now let's think about how to get out of this mess, kero."

 

"What? You think we can get out of here?" Minoru said as he looked around. "We're trapped on a boat surrounded by villains. We're gonna die here unless the heroes show up like right now."

 

"God, can you not," Nishi said as she glared at him. It didn't have the same hot anger to it as it did a moment ago, but it still scared Minoru. "Why are you even here? The situation we're in is literally what we're training for. Did you think this wouldn't ever happen to you?"

 

"We're first years!" Minoru cried. "We shouldn't be in this situation yet. I thought we'd only be running into real villains in our second or third year! We aren't ready for this!"

 

Nishi covered her face with her hands as she let out a shuddering sigh. "Yeah, well, life never goes how you want it to. If we sit here screaming and crying, they'll kill us."

 

"We should think of a way out of this situation," Tsu said as she tapped her chin. "They're being cautious, and it's weird that they dropped us here, kero."

 

Nishi sat up suddenly as Minoru questioned why it mattered where they were. "Oh my god, you're right. They dropped Tsu and me in the water zone. This is the worst place for them to drop us."

 

"Huh?" Minoru said as he looked between the two girls.

 

"They don't know our quirks, kero," Tsu said as she looked around. "They're cautious because of that."

 

"Which means we have an advantage," Nishi said as she clenched her fist. "We can get out of this. We just need to be smart and stay calm."

 

"How are you two calm?" Minoru asked as he tried to keep himself from shaking. He didn't want to be here. He knew he'd have to face villains, but he had hoped it wouldn't happen until they at least had some real training. It was the first week of school, and they'd barely covered anything.

 

"I have younger siblings," Tsu said. "It's best to keep calm when things get rough, kero. If you panic, they'll panic too."

 

Nishi didn't say anything, but for a moment, she got a distant look in her eyes like she was thinking about something unpleasant, and it concerned Tsu. She didn't know her classmates very well yet, but she thought Nishi was similar to Mina. High energy and always looking for something fun to do. Though right now, Nishi seemed like a much different person.

 

"What do we have to work with?" Nishi asked. "I can control a lot of water, but honestly, compared to how much is around us, it's like a big drop."

 

"I can do just about anything a frog can," Tsu said. "My legs are really strong, my tongue can shoot out pretty far, and I can control it to a degree, kero. Also, I can spit my stomach out and secret a toxic mucus, but it just stings a bit."

 

Nishi nodded and stared at Minoru. "And you?"

 

Minoru flinched and stammered out. "M-my hair, I can take it off. They're really sticky when they touch anything except myself. I just kind of b-bounce off them."

 

"Wow, if you weren't so pathetic, you could be a cool hero with that quirk," Nishi said dismissively.

 

"Nishi," Tsu said firmly as she looked at the other girl. "That isn't helping, kero."

 

Nishi huffed and looked away. "Whatever... We need to think quickly. I doubt the villains are gonna give us too much time to plan."

 

As if to prove her point, a giant hand made of water rose up and over the edge of the boat. Nishi's eyes glowed as she thrust her hand out and caused the water to stagger and explode, raining down on them. "Fuck, they have someone who can control water."

 

"What are we gonna do?!" Minoru yelled as he covered his head.

 

Nishi grit her teeth and snapped around to look at Tsu. "Take him and jump as far as you can toward the shore. I'll try to distract the villains."

 

"Kero." Tsu croaked as her usually stoic face showed some nerves. "Are you sure? I'm not going to leave you here."

 

"You won't," Nishi said as she took a few deep breaths. "I'll jump toward you. Use that tongue of yours to grab me."

 

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before Tsu croaked and said. "Fine."

 

Nishi smiled and stood up as her eyes started to glow. "Go."

 

As Tsu jumped away from the ship, Nishi yelled, which divided the villain's attention. Some looked at Tsu flying away from them, while others watched Nishi thrust her hands up toward the sky as several pillars of water tore through the ship's haul, causing it to sink rapidly. As Nishi ran to the edge and jumped off, Tsu's tongue caught her, and the villains cursed as the sinking ship caused them to get dragged towards it. As it went down, Mineta screamed and threw his balls, causing villains to get stuck to the rapidly sinking wreckage.

 

"That was good work, Nishi... are you ok?" Tsu said as she landed near the shore.

 

Nishi's head bobbed as her nose bled. "Y-yeah... just. J-just pushed it hard to get it t-to punch through."

 

Tsu helped keep Nishi steady as she nearly fell face-first into the water. "Wow, kero. Come on, let's get you somewhere safe."

 

Tsu helped Nishi while Minoru walked a pace behind them, fretting about if they got all the villains. As the trio skirted the edge of the shoreline, they watched as the Ectoplasm clones and Aizawa tore the villains apart.

 

"We got some cool teachers, huh?" Nishi slurred as she watched the fight.

 

A gout of green fire blasted off from one side of the main square, and Minoru nearly screamed as a second later, he watched a portal open a few yards behind them as a screaming, burning body was dropped into the water. At the same time, Tsu and Nishi watched as the large bird man suddenly moved and tore through all of Ectoplam's clones before slamming Eraser Head's head into the fountain base.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Jade grunted as she landed outside a large dome structure with Gentle next to her. They watched the villains take cover and spread out around the entrance to the facility.

 

As Jade and Gentle propped themselves up in a tree, Jade said. "I think this squad is meant to keep anyone from getting out."

 

"How shall we proceed then? If there are any students, they are inside." Gentle said. "I would like to avoid violence."

 

"Not an option," Jade said bluntly. "We're going to take out the villain's station out here, then get inside. If it looks like they have it handled, we book it."

 

"And if they do not have it handled, we will assist before making a hasty retreat," Gentle said as he came to terms with what he would have to do. 'I'm so glad I left Manami at home. She does not need to see such things.'

 

Jade dropped down as she said. "I'll circle left, and you go right. Be quick and careful."

 

"Understood. Best of luck, lady Jade."

 

Jade nodded and stayed low as she moved between the trees. The villains were not that smart. No one was watching their backs, they were all just focused on the door, so it was easy for her to sneak up and choke out one villain after another. Eventually, the doors opened, and Jade watched as a single student stepped out. Based on his costume, it was the boy her son had told him about. Tenya Iida, if her memory serves her. He staggered to a halt as the villain started to approach him.

 

Jade clicked her tongue and sprinted straight for the leader as he started monologuing about getting to have some fun. Jade pulled on his cervical vertebrae, causing his head to jerk back into the palm of her hand. She swept his legs out from under him and slammed his head into the concrete hard enough to fracture something in his face if the crunching noise was anything to go by.

 

As the other villains all stared in shock, Gentle jumped in from above, landing on a man and delivering a swift blow to another before bouncing over to Jade, who looked at Tenya. 'Run, kid! Get help!"

 

Tenya stared at her in shock for a moment before seeming to remember what was happening inside the USJ and booking it for the main building. As he ran for it, Gentle laughed. "Wonderful work, lady Jade though now it seems they all know we are not on their side."

 

"Yeah. Guess we'll just need to kick their asses." Jade said as she slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. "Let's hope this doesn't get too bloody. I only have one of these outfits, and I'd rather not have to trash it because of the stains."

 

Gentle looked aghast as he said. "Only one outfit? That will not do. We must rectify this as soon as possible. It is unsanitary to work in the same clothes for days on end."

 

Jade grumbled as she said. "I'm a busy woman. Now shut up and fight."

 

Gentle sighed but prepared his quirk as the villains got over their shock and started to rush the duo. "I do detest violence like this."

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Ochako groaned as she got up and looked around the dark building she was in. rain was pouring outside. Ochako tapped the side of her helmet and said. "Hello, can anyone hear me?"

 

She frowned as all she heard from the coms was static. Suddenly the building she was inside started to shake, and Ochako braced herself as she asked. "What was that?"

 

A monstrous roar echoed through the downpour zone. "What the heck was that?!"

 

Ochako stumbled over to the window. It was hard to see anything due to the dark nature of the zone and the rain splattering across the window, but through the darkness, she saw a large pair of red eyes just before the skyscraper listed, and Ochako was thrown backward. As the floor, ceiling and walls all cracked and crumbled, Ochako curled herself into a ball as the building collapsed.

 

For several moments Ochako didn't dare open her eyes. Her whole body hurt, and her head was throbbing in tandem with the artificial downpour. Ochako groaned as her eyes fluttered open.

 

The screen of her helmet was cracked, and there was almost no light, but she could tell she was trapped inside the rubble and that several minutes had passed since she was teleported. Ochako looked around and flexed her legs and arms. Nothing felt pinned, which was good. She took slow, steady breaths to try and keep herself calm. She wanted to be a rescue hero, so of course, she had looked into rescue operations before coming to UA. She knew how she should behave right now as a victim that was trapped. She could try to get out by herself, but she had no idea how much debris was over her right now. If she moved anything, it could collapse on her.

 

As Ohckao tried to keep calm and settle in for a long wait, everything shifted suddenly, and her hands shot up as the ceiling moved down towards her. She applied her quirk and felt her stomach lurch. The slab above her was a big one, but even as she pushed against it, it didn't budge. "F-fuck."

 

Her back felt cold, and the dripping of the water grew louder. Her mind shot back to a horrifying story she had read of times when people had been trapped after tsunamis and drowned as the pocket they were in filled with water.

 

As her breaths started to come in quicker and quicker, Ochako pushed against the slab, but it didn't budge. Something above her slammed against the ground again, and Ochako screamed as the slab slipped closer towards her.

 

Ochako pulled her legs up and braced them against the slab as her eyes started to water. "D-damn it... please move. Just move and let me out!"

 

Ochako pushed against the slab and tried desperately to activate her quirk again and again, but nothing changed. The water was slowly filling, and a third slam caused the debris to slip again. Her arms and legs were starting to burn as she desperately pushed against the debris to no avail. Panic was sinking its teeth into her heart and mind. Tears flowed freely as she took a shuddering breath. If this kept up, she wasn't going to make it out of this. "I-I can't believe this is happening. I-I'm sorry, mom, dad. I'm sorry I didn't get to take you somewhere nice or give you that easy life you deserve."

 

As her arms and legs shook with the effort of keeping the debris off her. "Izuku... doesn't look like I'm gonna get to be a hero with you. Not like I'd be as great as you anyways."

 

Ochako grunted and gritted her teeth as she struggled in vain against the weight. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. If I was better, if I was more like you, then this wouldn't have happened."

 

Something roared outside her little shrinking cave, and she was pretty sure her eyes were playing tricks on her because, for a moment, she thought she saw green light peaking through the cracks that were letting water in. it faded, and she was left in darkness again to push against the weight threatening to crush her.

 

"Ochako!"

 

Ochako's eyes widened as she heard Izuku's voice, and for a moment, hope fluttered in her chest as something inside her clicked. Her world turned into pure light for a moment before everything faded into blackness. The only thing Ochako could hear was her best friend screaming her name as the rain poured down around her.

Notes:

This chapter took a bit to post because I was writing the next chapter as well. I left it on a cliffhanger, and I have the next chapter ready to get edited. Once it's done, I'll post it.

I hope you enjoyed it.

I had stuff to talk about, but I can't remember it now, which is sad.

Do you remember that sentient quirk fic idea I talked about? I had this thought about how cool it would be if Izuku had a sentient quirk and One for All that he'd be able to manifest the past users physically. I don't want Izuku to have One for All in the fic. That's just an idea I thought would be cool. AFO and OFA are kinda not in play anymore.

Also, a weird idea that I had for this fic, but I decided to put in the sentient quirk fic, is that Burnin and Stain knew each other before becoming a hero and Stain, respectively and that Stain considers Burnin a true hero because she stood up for him and saved him back when they were in high school.

I feel like I've become my manager, personal assistant. she always asks me for help with things which part of it's like yeah, that's good because I'm learning new stuff and gaining responsibilities and skills, but it sucks because I like it when I know what I'm going to do and to be frank I like monotonous and repetitive jobs. If it's for money having every work day be relatively the same sounds good to me.

that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 24: April 14th, 2236 The USJ Incident Part Two

April 14th, 2236

 

Koji groaned as his eyes fluttered open, and he looked around. The last thing he remembered was the mist villain showing up and attacking them. The lights overhead flickered as electricity arched nearby while he sat up.  ‘W-was that Kaminari? I-I should probably stay here b-but if my classmates are in danger, c-can I just sit here?'

 

Koji pushed himself to his feet and stumbled as his head swam.  'Must have hit my head... I can't hear any animals around. No one to help me.'

 

As Koji walked over to where he saw the electricity, he heard a voice that didn't sound like his teachers or classmates. "-I kill this guy. It sucks since we're both electric types, but what are you gonna do? It's just business."

 

Koji froze as he saw a man holding Denki by the neck while Momo and Kyoka stood a few yards away with their hands raised. Koji crouched behind the rocks as his body shook.  'A-a villain, and he's got Kaminari hostage... oh, there are no animals around. What should I do? Is there anything I can do?'

 

Koji peaked out again as Kyoka tried to surprise the villain, but he spotted her ear lobe moving and threatened to kill Denki. As Koji watched the stalemate, he trembled with fear. Momo caught his eye as she noticed him, and Koji froze as he saw the fear in her eyes. It was then that he noticed all the villains on the ground, and he thought.  'T-they must have been fighting, but she looks so scared... how did they manage to do that while being so scared?'

 

As Koji stood in his hiding spot and trembled with worry, he remembered his mother. She was such a hard worker, and she encouraged him every day, even when he said he wanted to be a hero. Koji clenched his fist as he remembered how happy his mother was when he got into UA and how much she had supported him. Heroes were supposed to help people even in scary situations, and a hero is what Koji had always wanted to be.

 

Koji stood fully and ran, tackling the villain as he screamed. "Jiro, blast him!"

 

Kyoka plugged her jacks in and said, "Move, Koda!"

 

"No time!" Koji said as the man started to power up his quirk.

 

Kyoka cursed as she pumped soundwaves through her ear lobes and said. "Sorry, man, I promise you'll still have your hearing after this."

 

Soundwaves blasted and slammed into Koji, and the villain as Momo ran up and pulled Denki away from the edge of the attack. After several seconds Kyoka stopped and ran up to pull Koji off the villain. "T-They're both out cold."

 

"I think we need to move," Momo said as she guided Denki over. "Can you control Kaminari? I'll try to carry Koda."

 

"We'll carry him together," Kyoka said. "Just make a harness or something and put it on Denki."

 

"Oh, that's a good idea," Momo said as she made a child harness large enough for Denki. Kyoka tried not to laugh as she watched Momo put it on him. She wished she had her phone with her so she could take a picture.

 

"There we go." Momo said as she hooked the lead around her wrist and walked over to Koji. "ready?"

 

Kyoka nodded and got on Koji's other side to help lift him up. "God, he's heavy. I think I need to work out more."

 

"I agree," Momo said. "I believe I'll be changing up my at-home training regime once we get out of this."

 

"Hopefully, we get out of this," Kyoka muttered as they started the slow trek down the mountain, they had landed on.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

“Midoriya!”

 

Izuku looked back as he and Eijiro ran from the Ruins Zone. "Ojiro, Hagakure! Are you two ok?"

 

The duo caught up as Eijiro and Izuku slowed down. Mashirao nodded as he and Toru caught up. "Yeah, we managed to take out some villains and slip away. How about you two?"

 

"We beat up anyone who came at us," Eijiro said with a grin. "We didn't find anyone from class, though."

 

"They're probably in the other zones, but we need to head to the main entrance," Izuku said. "If we see anyone that needs help, I want you and Hagakure to go ahead. Kirishima and I will go help them."

 

"You're the class rep," Mashirao said as the four students started skirting the edge of the main square.

 

As they ran, they saw their teachers fighting, and the kids all prayed the villains wouldn't notice them, but a bone-chilling voice shattered that hope almost immediately. "Peace Breaker pin Eraser Head. I'm gonna take care of these kids."

 

The four students looked over as the thin man covered in hands shot towards them faster than his frame suggested he could move. Izuku pulled on his fire as One for All sparked across his skin while Tomura closed the distance.

 

Tomura's left hand reached toward the closest student. A redhead kid who hardened his skin. Tomura grinned under his father's hand. That quirk would do nothing to save him from Tomura. He was going to enjoy watching this kid suffer.

 

Green suddenly filled his vision just before a wave of heat slammed into him, and Tomura screamed as the fire spread across his left side. Kurogiri reacted quickly, opening a portal beneath Tomura that sent him falling into the flood zone. At the same time, Peace Breaker destroyed the Ectoplasm clones and slammed Eraser into the central fountain. The original Ectoplasm poured out more clones as the remaining villains pushed him back up the stairs.

 

Izuku grabbed Eijiro by the arm and yelled. "Run!"

 

The others snapped out of their fear and booked it for the stairs. Izuku tried not to listen to the sound of his teacher screaming in pain as Peace Breaker pinned him against the shattered concrete of the central fountain. The four students ran for the stairs and shoved their way past the villains who were fighting Ectoplasm, who quickly made a hole for them, as he said. "Get out of here now and call for help!"

 

"Yes, sir!" Izuku said as he ran by, taking the steps three at a time.

 

As the group got up to the top, Toru gasped, seeing Mina, Hanta, and Yuga tending to Thirteen while Mezo looked around with his quirk and Rikido stood guard. Izuku looked around as he approached. "What happened?"

 

Mezo formed a mouth as he continued to look around the USJ with his quirk. "Thirteen got hurt real bad. Iida managed to get out. I can see Tsu, Mineta, and Nishi coming this way. Looks like Ectoplasm is clearing a path for them. Yaoyoruzu, Kaminari, and Jiro have Koda with them. He looks hurt, and it seems like Todoroki is heading this way as well. He should run into them."

 

“What about Tokoyami and Ochako?” Izuku asked as panic started to dig into his chest.

 

"I don't know, but I could hear sounds coming from the dome between Todoroki and where you came from," Shoji said as his ears and eyes concentrated over there. "They could be fighting inside."

 

Izuku looked around before saying. "I'm going to get them."

 

"I'll come with you," Eijiro said as he hardened his arms.

 

"No, you stay and help keep everyone safe. I'll be faster on my own." Izuku said as he walked toward the edge and started to plan out his route. "I'll be back with the last of our class, I promise."

 

Izuku sparked with energy and jumped away before anyone could try and argue against him going. He knew Ohckao was tough and smart and could handle herself, but still, these were real villains, and after seeing that big guy take out their teacher Izuku was not risking her running into that.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Izuku burst into the squall zone and squinted against the rain. Something farther in roared, and he watched as a building collapsed. He sparked with energy again and sprinted for the destruction hoping and praying his friend and his classmate were ok.

 

As Izuku approached where he thought the fight would be, a large shadowed claw appeared overhead and slammed down. Izuku barely managed to dodge it, and Fumikage's voice yelled. "Get away! Dark Shadow is out of control!"

 

Izuku looked around and spotted his classmate being consumed by the darkness of his own quirk. "Clam down, Dark Shadow! I'm a friend!"

 

The quirk didn't respond. It simply attacked as Fumikage yelled. "It won't listen!"

 

As the quirk tried to crush Izuku, he was quickly backed into a corner. "I hope this doesn't hurt you, Tokoyami."

 

Izuku sucked in a deep breath and roared fire while doing his best to keep it from landing directly on Fumikage. Dark Shadow screamed and shrank back rapidly as the area was lit up with green fire.  'It's weak to fire or maybe light in general?'

 

"Where's Ochako?!" Izuku said as he approached Fumikage.

 

"I do not know," Fumikage said as he took a knee. "I have not seen her here. I pray that she was not here. I am ashamed to say I lost control of Dark Shadow rather quickly when we landed and that it attacked indiscriminately."

 

Izuku clenched his jaw for a moment before standing and saying. "Rest. I'll be back after I look around."

 

Fumikage nodded as he let his head hang in shame. He had thought he had come to an agreement with his quirk, and yet it raged against his wishes the moment he got hurt. As Fumikage lamented his weakness, Izuku ran down the path of destruction, screaming as loud as he could. "Ochako! Where are you?!"

 

Izuku could hear his heart hammering in his ears as he was drenched by the rain. "Ochako!"

 

Mezo hadn't seen her or Fumikage, but he saw everyone else. Mashirao and Toru never saw her, and Eijiro and himself did a thorough run-through of the zone they landed in but never saw her. She had to be here.

 

"Ochako!" Izuku yelled as his throat pulsed with pain. Two large shots of fire and all this screaming was taking a toll on his throat. Izuku stumbled and tried to keep his balance as he started to worry more and more.  'What if they sent her somewhere else? Maybe All for One? No, that doesn't make sense. If this was him and if he knew about me having One for All, he would have just had me teleported to him when they scattered the class.'

 

Izuku sucked in one more breath and yelled as loudly as he could, "Ochako!"

 

The pounding of rain and his own heartbeat was all Izuku heard for a moment before suddenly a flash of light and a concussive force threw him on his back. Izuku looked up, wondering what villain was coming to attack, but the thought was dashed as he looked up and saw floating several meters off the ground being orbited by debris like the sun in a solar system model was Ochako. Her body hung limply in the air for several seconds before suddenly dropping.

 

Izuku scrambled to his feet and sparked with One for All as he pushed it as close to ten percent as he could, but he was too slow. Ochako's body hit the ground and bounced before sliding down the pile of debris. Izuku cursed and threw himself over her as the debris that had been orbiting her when she was in the air started to rain down. None of it hit him or Ochako as Dark Shadow flew in and smacked the falling concrete away.

 

Izuku looked back to see Fumikage running up. "Thank you."

 

Fumikage nodded but kept his voice quiet. He had seen Ochako burst from the wreckage and realized it was his fault she was trapped in there in the first place.

 

Izuku pulled Ochako's helmet off and bit his lip as he saw some blood trickling down her face. "Hey, Ochako... come on, open your eyes."

 

Izuku felt his breathing start to quicken as she didn't respond or show any signs of waking up. As panic started to set in, voices snapped him out of it.

 

Check her pulse.

The girl is not breathing.

But she may still live.

Check the pulse, Ninth.

 

Izuku swallowed and checked her pulse and felt some relief push against the panic. It was slow, but it was there.

 

Still not breathing.

Still not breathing.

Still not breathing.

 

"Yeah, I can tell you, asshole!" Izuku shouted as he adjusted how Ochkao was lying and positioned himself by her head. "Shut up and let me focus!"

 

Fumikage took a step back as his class rep suddenly shouted. He hadn't said anything yet, but after hearing the fierceness in Izuku's voice, he decided to keep silent.

 

Izuku started rescue breathing while occasionally checking Ochako's pulse. As he started to grow more desperate, his lung began to burn with the effort until Ochako gasped, and her eyes fluttered open for a moment as she said. "I-Izuku..."

 

"H-hey Ochako-" Izuku stuttered as he watched his friend's eyes close and her body slacken. She was still breathing, and her pulse was stronger, but she had passed out. Izuku held back tears as he sat hunched over his best friend. She was still alive for now. He wanted to get her somewhere safer, but he didn't know what kind of injuries she had. Moving her could make it that much worse.

 

"Tokoyami, please stay here with me and keep an eye on her," Izuku said as he stood on shaky legs.

 

Fumikage nodded. "Of course..." Fumikage left out how it was the least he could do since it was his fault. Now was not the time to speak of such things. He could apologize and beg for forgiveness once Ochkao was awake and on the mend.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Jade staggered back as her head thrummed. She had been using her quirk a lot, and it was starting to take its toll. "I-I think we got all of them."

 

Gentle staggered over, his nose bleeding and his knuckles bloodied. "I believe we did... is that a bus?"

 

Jade looked over to see a bus coming down the road. "We need to run."

 

"Agreed," Gentle said as he started to run into the woods and away from the bus.

 

Jade was right behind him, huffing slightly as she ran.  'God, my stamina is not what it used to be.'

 

As the duo made it a few yards from the USJ, a tree ahead of them rustled, and the vigilantes came to a stop as Nezu landed on the branches and Hound Dog stepped out from behind the trunk of the tree. The principal smiled as he said. "Well, what a curious catch."

 

Jade and Gentle felt a shiver go down their spines as they looked at the small rodent. The principal chuckled and hopped down onto Hound Dog's shoulder. "The vigilantes Jade and Gentle Criminal. I would very much like to talk to you two."

 

"We would love to stay and talk, but we really must be going," Gentle said as he tried to step away, only for Jade to grab his arm and hold him in place. "Um, lady Jade what are you doing?"

 

"We're screwed," Jade said bluntly. "We won't be able to get away, so we may as well just see what he wants. If he was going to arrest us, he'd have done it already."

 

"Quite right. I would like you two to follow Hound Dog to my office. Once things in the USJ are settled, I will come to speak with you." Nezu said as he walked past the vigilantes. "Please don't resist. I promise no harm will come to you."

 

Gentle sighed as he slumped his shoulders as he followed Jade, who fell in step behind Hound Dog. He was sort of regretting his partnership with Jade.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

All Might ran as fast as he could, each step carrying several city blocks and leaving minor impact craters in the asphalt. The police had cleared a path the moment Nezu's alert went out, and when All Might heard the news, he transferred clean-up of the situation to Kamui Woods and jumped towards UA. It took several minutes to arrive at the edge of UA's property, and with a single jump, he cleared the barricade and was able to really open the taps, so to speak. The forest was torn apart in the wake of his sprint.

 

As he ran, All Might passed the bus full of teachers and saw two people running from the entrance. He didn't have time to waste on fleeing villains; the others could deal with that. The door to the USJ was built to be sturdy and take a beating like almost everything in UA. It folded like paper as All Might moved through it. He quickly scanned the area, spotting most of the class along with a heavily injured Thirteen. His chest ached at the scared looks and the downed hero. He was supposed to be here. If he had been, then he could have stopped this from happening.

 

As All Might passed the students, he smiled and said. "Do not fear, students; I am here!"

 

With a single stomp, the stairs cracked, and every villain in the main square stopped. Ectoplasm pulled back as his clones faded away. "Where is Eraser?"

 

Ectoplasm panted and took a moment before saying. "Under that large villain. He's just been sitting on him. Their leader is heavily injured, but he doesn't seem to want to leave."

 

All Might scanned the crowd and spotted the two villains near the rear. One whose head was encased in mist stood protectively over a skinny man whose left side was severely burned. "Who burned him?"

 

"Midoriya. I don't know where he is, though. He ran off after escorting some students here."

 

'Of course, he did.'  All Might scowled at the villains and stepped down the stairs as his voice boomed. "So you are the dastardly villains who attacked my students while I was away."

 

The villains all tensed as their resolve started to waver. One of the braver ones shouted. "We're not scared of you, All Might! We came here to kill you and-"

 

Wind buffeted the crowd, and those closest to the man stated in shock and horror as they saw the man crumble at All Might's feet. No one had seen him move or punch the man. All Might snarled as he looked over the crowd. "I've heard that many times and yet here I stand before you, still very much alive! You have all chosen to involve my students in some vain attempt to weaken or unbalance me, but all you have accomplished is stoaking my rage. Now surrender, and you can go to prison with your bones intact."

 

Usually, he wouldn't use such intimidation tactics, but there were so many villains, and All Might was running low on time. Even with the teachers who should be arriving soon, he didn't want to push it.

 

Tomura panted as he sat hunched over next to Kurogiri. "Peace Breaker kill All Might."

 

The nomu stood, leaving Eraser Head to gasp and shudder as the beast left his broken body by the fountain. The beast took the most direct route trampling several villains along his way to meet the Symbol of Peace in combat. As the two titans exchanged blows, the pressure of their attacks sent the villains stumbling away.

 

"We should leave while we can, Tomura," Kurogiri said as he noticed the teachers arriving and making their way down the stairs. "I do not think our plan will work with all of the teachers here."

 

"F-fucking cheaters," Tomura mumbled as he started to wobble. "Peace Breaker, keep fighting until you're dead."

 

Kurogiri opened the portal and pulled Tomura through as the heroes fought the villains they had left behind. Things had not gone to plan; Kurogiri hoped that their master would not be too disappointed in Tomura for this failure.

 

All Might grunted as Peace Breaker pushed him back and kept him from going after the two leaders. Since they were gone, All Might had no choice but to give his full attention to this so-called Peace Breaker.

 

As All Might's fist connected with the beast, he grunted as the impact of his fist seemed to reverberate through the beast and then slammed back into All Might's arms.  'This beast is quite formidable. This must be All for One's work. That monster knows no limits.'

 

All Might's muscles bulged as he pulled on the embers of his quirk and punched harder and faster than the beast could react. Each strike hammered away with precise blows to Peace Breaker's joints until the beast's arms were unable to stay up and resist. With his defenses gone, All Might was free to circle around the behemoth and grab him by the waist before suplexing Peace Breaker into the ground.

 

As Peace Breakers' body slumped, All Might trembled and stared down at his arms as the pain and damage of the brawl finally registered to him. His arms were shaking and bleeding from dozens of gashes, and it felt like he'd pulled several muscles and possibly torn something.

 

"All Might." Cementoss said as he came over. "we've got things handled. You need to get Recovery Girl to check those injuries."

 

"I'm quite fine. I will-"

 

All Might stopped as Cementoss placed a hand on his chest. "With all due respect, sir. They're our students as well. We will secure the facility you need to get those arms checked."

 

All Might sighed and relented. "As you wish, and best of luck to you all."

 

Cementoss nodded before dropping to one knee and sending a wave of cement to pin down a group of villains.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

As the heroes pushed back the villains and captured them, Midnight headed for the control center. No one had heard from Snipe even after they arrived. The door was blown open, and Midnight was slow to peak around the corner. She jumped back as a bullet hit the doorframe. "Wow, it's Midnight. Fights over Snipe."

 

"S-sorry." Snipe coughed, and Midnight was quick to re-enter as she heard how wet the cough sounded. "J-just a warning shot anyways. C-can't do much more than that right now anyways."

 

Midnight bit the inside of her cheek as she approached and saw his helmet was broken and tossed to the side. His brown hair was slick with blood, and several spikes were sticking out of his side as he sat slumped against the control panel.

 

Midnight dropped to her knees by his side and quickly started to check his wounds. "Looks like they didn't hit anything vital."

 

"Y-yeah, the bastard couldn't even shoot straight." Snipe said as he held back a wince. "Careful, it's sensitive like my feelings."

 

"So you drop the cowboy schtick, but now you wanna make jokes about that?" Midnight asked as she grabbed a first aid kit from under the control panel and started to patch him up as best she could.

 

"Well, I'm bleeding and probably concussed, and you came to save me; so sorry if I can't help but think about how I got shot down." Snipe said as he watched her work and braced himself for the pain.

 

"This doesn't change that." Midnight said. "But I will let you crack jokes right now since you're hurt."

 

Snipe chuckled but quickly stopped as pain spiked through his side. "T-thanks, you're too kind, Midnight."

 

Midnight shook her head and did her best to get him into hobbling condition. "Are any of these guys still alive?"

 

"Probably. I stopped trying to take prisoners when I saw how many fans had lined up for some one-on-one time with me."

 

"Alright, I'll tell Ectoplasm. On three, we stand up."

 

Snipe nodded and forced his legs to move as she said three. The two teachers left the control room, and Snipe savored the close contact until he was passed off to the paramedics. Of course, he'd catch feelings on someone who he never had a chance with.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

Izuku was relieved when the teachers found them. They were safe now, though when they tried to get him to go to the class so they could watch over Ochako until the paramedics arrived, he refused and stayed by her side. Once the paramedics showed up and loaded her onto the stretcher, he followed them outside of the USJ, where he found his classmates giving their statements to the police. To say they looked shaken was an understatement. Things got worse when they saw Ochako on the stretcher getting loaded into the ambulance next to where Koji was getting checked over.

 

As Izuku walked over to them, Tenya and Tsu were the first to meet him. Tsu crooked nervously as she asked. "Is Uraraka ok?"

 

Izuku's mouth trembled slightly as he smiled. "Y-yeah, I'm sure she'll be ok."

 

Tenya placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder as he said. "Come sit down. Take a moment before the police speak to you."

 

"Y-yeah, I will," Izuku said as he stumbled over and slumped down next to Nishi, who had been cleared by the paramedics.

 

"Hey, Midoriya. You look pretty rough."

 

"So do you," Izuku said as he looked at the bloody rag she was holding. "What happened?"

 

"Pushed my quirk too hard and busted a vessel in my nose or something," Nishi said as she dropped the rag. "I'm sure Rara will be ok. She's a tough girl. Not that I need to tell you that you've known her longer."

 

"Y-yeah, I'm sure she'll be ok," Izuku said as he pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them before hiding his face in his arms. "S-she'll be ok."

 

Nishi watched as he trembled and hesitated a moment before gently patting his back and letting him ride out the emotions. Class 1-A huddled a little closer to their class rep as he choked back a sob and tried not to break down fully. No one talked, and the police and teachers stood back at a respectful distance and let the kids process what happened.

Notes:

Yay, USJ Is done. Hope you enjoyed it. We'll get more aftermath and whatnot in the next chapter.

It's only been a day since the last chapter was uploaded, so I have nothing new to say here. Go back and read my AN there and see if you want to see me ramble a bit about different things.

That's all from me. I'll probably do a Kisses and Kissed chapter or two. I've got some ideas rattling around in here.

Chapter 25: Post USJ

April 14th, 2236

 

All for One frowned as he sat in his chair and listened to the whirring of the life support machines that kept him from suffering too much pain as he slowly died. A few rooms down, Doctor Garaki, was hard at work attempting to salvage his heir apparent. Tomura Shigaraki was supposed to go to UA and test All Might while hurting him mentally and shaking the people's trust in two of the pillars of hero society. He managed to shake things up, but the boy not only fled before they could see how well Peace Breaker would do against All Might, but he also got severely burned, and now his body was damaged.

 

All for One sighed as he lamented the timing of it all. They had just used their last copy of high-speed regeneration, and it would take weeks to cultivate a new one. By then, the damage would have mostly settled.  'My new vessel is now damaged all because of some upstart child with a fire quirk.'

 

The king of Japan's underworld tapped his finger against his chair as he ignored the pain in his head and thought about his next move. Tomura had failed several times to complete tasks that he had laid out for the young man. While All for One did need Tomura to be as volatile and full of hate as possible, he also needed the boy to be competent for the coming challenges.

 

The door slid open behind All for One, who spoke as Garaki came in. "How is he?"

 

"Badly hurt, but he'll recover, my lord," Garaki said as he walked over and started to check on the life support machines. "His left side was covered in second and third-degree burns. He got lucky his eye and hand are intact, but his vision may suffer some."

 

As the doctor spoke, All for One tapped his finger more and more as he racked his brain for something. How long had it been since he didn't have a medley of mental quirks that could have helped him come to a hundred possibilities in the time it took Garaki to do his daily check? Thinking back so far was hard now, but as he did, a moment of inspiration came to him as he remembered his brother. A comic they loved to read in their younger days.

 

All for One smiled as he said. "Tomura has failed me too many times, my friend. I believe he is on his last chance. Should he not learn from this failure, I believe I have a suitable punishment in store for him."

 

The doctor stared at his benefactor for a moment before nodding and saying. "I understand, sir. What will his final chance be?"

 

All for one started tapping his fingers again as he said. "No need to rush, doctor. That can wait until he is well enough to move."

 

"Of course, sir. If there is nothing else, I will move on to my other duties." Garaki left as his boss waved him off. As the doctor walked the halls of the underground compound, he couldn't help but smile. That brat Tomura was running out of time and chances. He'd either grow up into a suitable vessel and heir, or he'd be kicked to the side for one of the other options.

 

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April 14th, 2236

 

"Oh my, what is this?" Gentle said as he sniffed a tin of tea. "This is not a blend I'm familiar with."

 

"It's a personal blend I made," Nezu said as he entered and walked over to his desk. "Would you like a cup?"

 

Gentle opened his mouth to accept, but the energy Jade was giving off made him reconsider, and so he said. "No, I am good but thank you, sir."

 

Nezu hummed and steepled his paws as he sat at his desk. "Well, in that case, let us get right down to business. What are you two doing at my school? And why did you arrive with the villains who attacked my students?"

 

The vigilantes looked at each other for a moment before Jade stepped forward. "I learned about the attack and decided to sneak in and take the villains out and save the kids."

 

"Hm, I see. I appreciate your help, but you do know I could easily arrest you two for a multitude of crimes."

 

"And yet you haven't," Jade said as Gentle tensed at the principal's words.

 

"Of course not, because it would be a waste to lock up such useful assets," Nezu said as he smiled. "I have an offer for you two. A chance to make a real dent in the world of villains."

 

Jade grumbled, and Gentle glanced at her as he said. "What is this offer you have in mind?"

 

"I believe you've heard of the hero killer Stain. He is going around killing and crippling those he considers false heroes. Though what he considers to be a false hero is somewhat vague. I think it would be best if he were taken down sooner rather than later."

 

"Aren't you heroes going to do it?" Jade asked. "He is killing your kind."

 

"The HPSC is dragging its feet on the matter, and those who have tried to go after him have not fared well," Nezu said as he watched the footage of the police leaving UA with the villains and the corpse of that thing All Might killed. Its head was crushed, but hopefully, they could still learn plenty about what or who it was.

 

"You want us to go after the hero killer?" Gentle asked as he started to feel a bit nervous. "I do not think we are the right people to go after him."

 

"No worries, you will not be going alone," Nezu said. "It will take a bit of time, but I will accrue some assistance for you, and of course, you will be compensated for your work."

 

"In what way?" Jade asked as her temper started to fray. If Nezu didn't stop smiling like that, she was going to punch someone or something.

 

"Information and opportunities," Nezu said simply as he tapped away at his screen. "I have information about heroes who you may have an eye on. Some of it will be damning, and some of it will clear any suspicion. As for opportunities, I can provide chances to partake in larger missions to bring down villains who are hurting people in subtler ways than the common street thug. You will, of course, be able to report on the villains and their crimes."

 

Jade looked at Gentle, who looked back at her as he said. "That would be quite useful for me. What about you, Lady Jade?"

 

"If I get to hit the villains where it hurts, then I suppose I don't have a choice but to agree," Jade said as she crossed her arms. "But if you try to put us up to any shady business, I will back out."

 

"Completely understandable," Nezu said as he stood up. "Now, if you head out and follow Hound Dog, he will escort you to safety."

 

The vigilantes left the office and followed Hound Dog, who grumbled to himself the entire way to the edge of the UA barrier. "It's down, so go before I change my mind."

 

As they walked through the woods, Gentle said. "I don't know about you, lady Jade but I am exhausted. I think I'll be taking a few days off to recuperate."

 

"I agree," Jade said. "I'll message you when I'm ready to work again."

 

"You'll message me? You wish to continue to work together?" Gentle said as he held a hand to his chest.

 

Jade's shoulders slumped as she said. "We're in this together, and you're not that bad in a fight, so I don't mind working with you."

 

"Well, it is a pleasure to work with you as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sure La Brava is getting worried about me. I will take my leave here." Gentle said as they got to the bottom of the hill.

 

Jade grunted and walked off in the opposite direction. She felt tired, but she knew she couldn't rest yet. She needed to get back home and check on her son and Ochako.  'Hopefully, they're ok.'

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 14th, 2236

 

Recovery Girl's office was a standard nurse's office, if a little bigger than what you'd find in other high schools. All of the specialized equipment and surgery room was located farther down the hall. It was a clean and slightly oppressive room that smelled of sanitizer. Toshi sat on one of the beds in his deflated state with his arms wrapped in bandages. He stared at his arms as they throbbed faintly, and Recovery Girl tapped away at her computer as she wrapped up her report.

 

Once she was done, the old nurse swiveled around and sighed. "You pushed yourself too hard back there. I've never seen you damage your arms like that before."

 

"I didn't," Toshi said. "The beast was strong, but it was odd. Whenever I hit it, it felt like some of the energy from my strike was rebounded back to me. That coupled with how strong it was and how it reacted to my strikes, I have to assume it had multiple quirks and that it was some kind of monster made by All for One."

 

"Well, either way, your arms are going to scar some. I can't heal it all in one go with your pre-existing condition." Recovery Girl said as she walked over. "Keep them clean and wrap them up after you shower."

 

Toshi nodded as he stared at his arms. "I know, ma'am. I'll be sure to take care of them."

 

The older woman looked at him for a moment before saying. "How long can you sustain your quirk?"

 

"Hm... three and a half, maybe four hours. I'll know better tomorrow." Toshi said as he flexed his hands. "I need to go check on Young Midoriya."

 

"You need to take better care of yourself, Toshinori. Even with that new lung, you aren't as healthy as you used to be."

 

"I need to make up for my mistake," Toshi said as he stood. "Crime is still rising despite everything. If I don't step up-"

 

"Even if you do, crime is still rising." Recovery Girl said, cutting him off. "You have a successor lined up, but he is far from ready to take over. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you're going to die or retire before he can become a hero and make a name for himself."

 

The older woman's eyes softened as she tapped her cane on the ground. "But if you pace yourself and know your limits, you should be able to stem the rise long enough for him to take over and push it back."

 

Toshi sighed and let his head drop as he said. "Things have not gone how I wanted them to."

 

"Things rarely do, dear. Now please, after you check on Midoriya, go home and rest and then come straight here tomorrow." Recovery Girl said as she poked his shin with her cane.

 

"Will do, ma'am, and thank you for taking care of me."

 

Recovery Girl shrugged. "Anything for Nana's brat."

 

Toshi smiled and chuckled weakly as he left the nurse's station and went to look for the class. It didn't take long for him to find class A in the lunchroom, where several teachers were sitting around them, waiting for the police to finish up so they could escort the students home. None of the students had noticed him yet, which was fine. He spotted his successor sitting surrounded by the class, and Toshi felt his heartbreak. The boy looked hollow, much like the day after the warehouse.

 

Midnight stepped up beside him as she crossed her arms. "I don't know if anyone told you, but Uraraka is in the hospital. Midoriya isn't taking it well."

 

"I'm sure he'll bounce back," Toshi said as he clenched his fist. "He's a tough kid."

 

"Well, Aizawa's still going to have them all talk to Hound Dog starting the day after tomorrow. The first session will be mandatory, but we'll stress that they are welcome to keep going if they feel they need it." Midnight said before sighing. "I think it's best if you keep yourself scarce while you look like that. Don't want the kids to start putting the pieces together."

 

"Yeah... I should head home. Please keep them safe."

 

"Of course." Midnight said as she started to walk towards the class. "Rest up, number one, and get better soon. We'll keep guard till you can come back."

 

"Haha. Thank you very much. I'll try to recover quickly." Toshi said before reluctantly leaving. There would be time to speak with his successor, but for now, he'd leave him in the hands of his friends.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

April 14th, 2236

 

Inko rushed into her son's apartment as she said. "Izuku, sweetie! Are you here?"

 

"Y-yeah, I'm here, mom," Izuku said as he sat up on the couch. "You got here quicker than I thought you would."

 

"Yeah, well, I'm your mother, and Nezu told me everything that happened," Inko said as she sat next to her son and pulled him into a hug. "Ochako's parents will be here tomorrow. They're a bit far because of work. We'll meet them at the hospital tomorrow."

 

"O-ok," Izuku said as he hugged his mother and leaned into the comfort she was giving him.

 

"How about I make some dinner, or do you want to grab some takeout?"

 

"If you're f-fine with cooking," Iuzku said as he tried to hold it together. He had cried enough today, and he knew it wouldn't change anything. All he could do right now was wait and hope he got to see Ochako tomorrow.

 

Inko ran her hand through her son's curly hair and held him close for several minutes before standing and going over to the kitchen while Izuku sat on the couch. As she dug around and looked for what she could cook, she asked her son about his time at UA. Inko smiled as her son brightened up slightly while he talked about his classmates. Hopefully, after the hospital visit tomorrow, things will be better.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 15th, 2236

 

Tsuzuki and Ishida Uraraka were doing their best to stay calm as they entered the hospital and quickly spotted the Midoriya family. Inko pulled the two into a tight hug and reassured them that their daughter would be ok. Ochako's parents thanked her and quickly checked in with the front desk before going to where their daughter was. Izuku and Inko both stayed in the waiting room and hoped for the best.

 

Ochako tensed as she heard the door open. She looked over, and tears immediately started to well up in her eyes as her parents came in. Her mother took her hand gently as she said. "Oh, sweetie, you're awake. How are you feeling? Have they told you your injuries yet?"

 

"No, we have not." a middle-aged man said as he stepped inside. "I'm Dr.Tetsui. Your daughter only woke up this morning. How are you feeling, Uraraka?"

 

"Sore... everything hurts b-but my legs feel kinda numb," Ochako said as she squeezed her mother's hand.

 

"That is to be expected." the doctor said as he stood in front of her bed and looked at her chart. "You exhausted your quirk and hit your head, giving you a minor concussion, but we've got a nurse who helped handle that. We still want you to take three days to rest."

 

The doctor put the chart back as he took a breath, and said. "Now about your legs... well, based on the police reports, you were trapped under rubble for some time. Did you use your legs to try and prop the debris up?"

 

"Y-yeah, I did," Ochako said as she started to shake slightly. "I-I thought it was gonna crush me s-so I tried to keep it up as long as I could."

 

The doctor nodded and said. "You did a good job keeping yourself safe, but in the process, you compressed your lower spine. That's why your legs feel numb."

 

Ochako stared at the doctor as that numbness in her legs felt like it was spreading up to the rest of her body. She wasn't sure if that was just in her head or not. The doctor glanced down at her charts as he kept talking. "Luckily, the damage to your spine was minimal. With some physical therapy and time, you'll be back to chasing your dream of being a hero. Recovery Girl has already offered to take over your recovery, but if you or your parents have any objections, we can find alternatives."

 

"Ochako, sweetie," Tsuzuki said as she squeezed her daughter's hand, snapping Ochako out of her stupor. "Are you ok with Recovery Girl helping you?"

 

"What? Um... Y-yes, I am. I uh-" Ochako swallowed and looked at the doctor. "I'll be ok?"

 

Dr.Tetsui nodded. "Yes, ma'am, if you follow Recovery Girl's orders, you should recover just fine but don't forget to tell her of any changes that happen, no matter how small. She can only help you if you're open with her."

 

"O-ok..." Ochako said as she looked at the blanket covering her legs.

 

"If you need anything, call the nurses." Dr.Tetsui said as he headed for the door. "I hope you have a speedy recovery Uraraka."

 

Tsuzuki looked at her husband for a moment before looking at their daughter and saying. “Izuku and Inko are here. Do you want to see them?"

 

Ochako perked up and looked at her mom. "Izuku... oh my gosh, is he ok? Did he get hurt?!"

 

"Wow, calm down, Ochako. It's ok." Her father said as he gently took her other hand. "He's here because he wants to see you and make sure you're ok. Want me to go grab them for you?"

 

Ochako nodded quickly and squeezed her parents' hands. "Yes, please."

 

Her father left while her mother continued to silently hold Ochako's hand. A few minutes later, Izuku and Inko entered. Inko patted Ochako's head gently and wished her a speedy recovery before stepping out with Ochako's parents leaving Izuku in a seat next to her bed. The green-haired boy clenched his fist, and Ochako stared at his face as it twisted in guilt. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but he spoke up suddenly, cutting her off. "I'm sorry."

 

"What?"

 

"I-" Izuku took a deep breath and said. "I saw you fall, and I wasn't fast enough to catch you. You got hurt because I was too slow."

 

"Izuku," Ochako muttered as she reached over and took his clenched fist. "You don't need to apologize for that."

 

As she spoke, she slowly wormed her fingers into his grip and forced him to relax his hand. "I-I don't really remember what happened, but I know you did your best. It's my fault anyways. I don't know what took the building down, but I should have done better in getting out of there. Instead, I got thrown around and trapped."

 

Izuku looked up at her in surprise as she gripped the sheets of her bed. "It's my own fault Izuku. I need to be better than this if I'm gonna be a hero."

 

"Ochako... that's- we're only first years. I know you did the best you could." Izuku said as he held her hand more firmly. "Please don't beat yourself up over this."

 

Ochako's eyes shifted, and she looked at him as his other hand clasped their joined ones. She smiled as best she could, considering everything, and said. "Only if you promise to do the same."

 

Izuku chuckled weakly and nodded. "Y-yeah, I'll do my best. As long as you're here next to me, I'm sure we'll overcome anything."

 

Ochako's cheeks flushed, and suddenly her hand felt like it was on fire as he continued to hold it. His eyes sparkled brighter than they usually did, and she was finding it hard to look away. "Y-yeah, we can overcome a-anything."

 

Izuku smiled, and it felt like someone had just slammed on an accelerator attached to Ochako's heart. She briefly wondered if she should call the nurses about this.

 

"Oh, right. Just in case you're worried, no one else in the class was seriously injured." Izuku said, "Thirteen, Aizawa, and Snipe were all hurt, but they'll make full recoveries, I'm sure of it."

 

Ochako nodded, and as her eyes darted back and forth between his smiling face and their hands which were still joined, she said. "That's good. I'm glad we all managed to get out of that nightmare in one piece."

 

Izuku nodded and stayed with Ochako for a while longer, talking about whatever came to mind. The whole time Ochako was keenly aware of Izuku's hand firmly holding hers. He never made a move to let her go, and she couldn't bring herself to try and get out of his grip. She liked it. The constant warmth and pressure. It grounded her thoughts and interfered with them whenever his thumb moved and brushed against her knuckles. It was nice, if a little distressing, with how every brush caused her heart to jump. Eventually, their parents returned, and Ochako frowned as Izuku released her, and he said goodbye before heading back to their apartment with his mother.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 16th, 2236

 

"Alright, I'm headed out. Do you need anything, Chako?" Izuku asked as he looked at the couch where Ochako was lying down with a wheelchair from the hospital within arm's reach of her.

 

Ohckao propped herself up as she smiled and said. "I'm ok. I got snacks and water, and if I need to go anywhere, I can get in the chair just fine."

 

"Alright, but no quirk use," Izuku said as he pointed at her. "Doctor said you shouldn't until Recovery Girl says so."

 

Ochako waved him off as she said. "Yeah, I know. Go to school already; you don't want to be late, mister class rep."

 

"Alright, but call me if anything comes up," Izuku said as he slipped his shoes on. "Have a good day."

 

"You too, and make sure everyone knows I'll be ok and back in class soon."

 

Izuku nodded and left, leaving Ochako to huff and lay back down as she tried to get comfortable. It was hard since her legs were still numb and unresponsive to her desire to move.

 

As Ochako did her best to get comfortable and ready for the long boring day ahead of her, Izuku made his way to school and arrived a few minutes before the bell. As he entered, everyone looked at him, and the silent question on their minds was almost visible to the class rep.

 

Izuku smiled as he stopped by the teacher's podium and said. "Ochako is gonna be ok. She'll be out of school for a few days, and when she gets back... she will  temporarily  need to use a wheelchair."

 

The class sucked in a collective breath, and Nishi asked. "So she's still gonna be able to be a hero, right? Like this isn't the end of her time in this class, is it?"

 

"No, it's not," Izuku said as he walked over to his desk. "She'll just be recovering for a bit, and then she'll be back in training shape. I hope you'll all humor her if she asks to spar or something once she's back in good health."

 

A few of the class chuckled, and Tsu said. "I'm sure none of us will mind helping her catch up, kero."

 

"Heck yeah, we won't mind," Eijiro said as he clenched his fist. "I'll throw down any time anywhere. Heroes help, so that's what we gotta do."

 

Izuku thanked the class before taking his seat and waiting for whoever would be doing homeroom while Aizawa was in the hospital.

 

Notes:

Wow, it took me a bit to write this chapter. I was also trying to write other stuff, but I just wasn't feeling it for a few days. I think I'm ok now, though.

I've been re-reading Hypno and seeing where I could improve and what I would change. A very interesting thing to do.

Also, I have a one-shot idea I think I'll try to write soon. Keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks.

Edit:I wrote the one-shot it's called Just Hanging Out

That's all from me for now. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 26: Notable Hound Dog Sessions

April 16th, 2236

"Hello, Koda; it's good to see you today." Hound Dog said as he sat at his desk and watched the shy boy settle on the couch. "I didn't expect anyone to come in so early, but I'm glad you did."

"T-thanks... Mr.Present Mic said we had to come here at least once. I figured I'd do it now." Koji said as he fiddled with his hands.

"Yes, we just want to have one mandatory session with you to make sure you're ok after the USJ. Though if you feel like you need to, please don't be afraid to come back and talk more. There is no shame in needing to speak with someone."

"I'll keep it in mind," Koji muttered as he looked around. "The USJ was scary."

"I agree with you." Hound Dog said. "It was quite the terrifying event for us teachers as well. Though from what I've heard, you had quite a terrifying experience among the students. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I fell in the mountain zone," Koji said as he thought back to what had happened. "I hit my head, so everything is kinda fuzzy, but I remember seeing Yaoyorozu and Jiro having to hold their hands up because Kaminari got taken, hostage."

"I was told you saved Kaminari."

"I guess I did," Koji said, ducking his head. "I got scared, but seeing how scared Yaoyorozu was and seeing all the villains they had beaten up despite that made me realize I  needed to do something, so I jumped at the villain holding Kaminari."

"And you had Jiro blast the two of you with her quirk." Hound Dog stated. "Quite the sacrifice to make. What gave you the courage to do that? Was it just because your fellow classmates were fighting?"

"N-no... I uh. My mom raised me all on her own." Koji said as he smiled a little while thinking of his mother. "She works hard and has always been tough. She supports me despite my... issues with talking to strangers or crowds. She supported my dream of being a hero."

Hound Dog smiled, seeing the determination in the boy's eyes. "I wanted to live up to her belief in me, a-and I knew if I didn't do anything, then I would regret it so much later on!"

"That's a good motivation to have, and making sure you don't regret your decisions is wise. Perhaps next time, let's avoid the self-sacrificing part, shall we?

Koji blushed and clammed up as Hound Dog chuckled and moved the conversation onto Koji's fear of speaking to groups and strangers.

______________________________________________________________________

April 16th, 2236

Mina grinned as she sat down on the couch. "Heyo, teach. What are we gonna talk about?"

"The USJ." Hound Dog said, taking note of how Mina's energy wilted under the words. "It was quite the ordeal for you students."

"Y-yeah," Mina said as she rubbed her arm. "Seeing Thirteen get hurt was probably the scariest thing ever. Definitely took the number one spot for me."

"What was the previous number one spot? If you don't mind me asking." Hound Dog said as he sat back to try and match her relaxed posture.

Mina tensed up for a moment and rubbed her arm again as she said. "Um, back in middle school, some friends of mine got cornered by this big guy, and I mean big, like twelve feet tall or something. He kept asking about some heroes' agency, and he was getting really angry about them not telling him."

"They were scared as well, weren't they?" Hound Dog asked as he rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, they were shaking and holding each other. I ran in between them and gave him directions to the police station while saying it was the heroes agency building."

"That was quite brave of you."

"Y-yeah." Mina laughed, but there was no real humor to it. "When he left, my legs felt like jelly, and I had to have someone carry me home. I was so worried that I'd run into him during the next few days, and he'd be mad at me."

"But that never happened?"

"Nope," Mina said as she sat up a bit. "I never saw him again, and I'm glad about that."

Hound Dog hummed and looked at a note on his desk. Aizawa had mentioned some students who reacted to Thirteen's speech and asked him to bring it up. "Good to hear you didn't have a run-in with that man."

"Me too," Mina said as she relaxed more. "So, anything else we have to talk about, or is there like a minimum amount of time?"

"There's no real minimum or requirements for this. We just talk until we're done. I would like to know how you're feeling now, a few days after the fact. Are there any problems you've run into?"

"No, I think I'm ok," Mina said. "It, um... well, I did kinda struggle to go to sleep the night after the USJ."

"And what about now? Still any problems?"

"Nope, it's all good now."

Hound Dog hummed and, after a moment, said. "There is just one thing I'd like to talk about then. It has to do with Thirteen's speech about the dangers of quirks."

"Oh... what about it?"

"Your quirk can be quite volatile. Have you ever had an incident with it before?"

Mina squirmed in her seat for a moment, and Hound Dog decided to see if he could help push her towards opening up. "I had an incident when I was younger."

The pink girl looked up at him as he grumbled, remembering the time in his younger life when he didn't have as good control over his anger. "My quirk makes me somewhat aggressive. It was hard to control back when I was a kid. I bit a kid in junior high when I thought he was bullying me. After that, I got into a lot of trouble and realized I needed to do something about how my quirk made me act."

Mina looked at him for a moment before taking a quick breath and saying. "Um, I was playing with my quirk in elementary school, and a friend came over. I didn't think the acid was too acidic, so I plopped down in her hands when she walked up, and it burned her pretty bad. I don't think she's ever forgiven me for that."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Uh... junior high. I saw her, and she had some scars on her hands. She refused to look at me, so I never actually spoke to her." Mina said as she messed with the sleeves of her uniform. "I... I want to talk to her, but I don't know what to say."

"Do you feel bad for what happened?"

"Yeah," Mina said immediately. "I apologized so much when it happened and again afterward until she moved to a different school... but I was scared when I saw her again. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just clammed up and avoided her."

"Well, I think a good place to start is by asking her if you can talk. If she says yes, then I'd suggest apologizing for the accident."

"And if she says no?" Mina asked with worry building in her eyes. "What if she never wants to talk to me?"

"Then you have to move on." Hound Dog said bluntly. "You can't let it hold you down. If she doesn't want to speak with you, that's her decision, and you need to make peace with it."

"Hm... I'll keep that in mind."

"Of course. Now, if there isn't anything you want to talk about, I think we could consider this done."

Mina smiled and hopped to her feet. "Yeah, I'm good... but um."

Hound Dog smiled a bit as she rubbed the back of her head and said. "Could I like come here again? Later?"

"Of course." Hound Dog said as he pulled out a little card. "Here is the school's website. Your student id is the username and password. You can check when I'm available there and set up an appointment."

Mina smiled as she took the card. "Thanks, sir, I appreciate it."

"Of course, Ashido. Have a good day now."

______________________________________________________________________

April 17th, 2236

“Good morning Tokoyami.” Hound Dog said simply as Fumikage sat in the middle of the couch with his arms crossed. He wasn't sure if the boy was irritated or simply closed off.

"Good morning, sir."

"Let's get right down to business if you're ok with that."

The student tensed as he said. "I suppose we must speak about the USJ."

"That is the nature of this meeting, yes." Hound Dog said as he set his notepad down on his desk. "I believe you were sent to the downpour zone with Ochako Uraraka."

Fumikage tensed immediately and shrank back. "I was... unaware of her presence at the time."

"I see. I also heard you lost control of Dark Shadow."

The quirk in question popped out as it said. "I didn't lose control! I was protecting Fumi. It's that dumb girl's fault for being dumb and useless!"

"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage said his face barely contained anger. "I told you to not come out during this and to not speak about Uraraka like that. Now go back and stay quiet."

Hound Dog watched as the quirk shrank back, clearly upset that its host was angry at them. "B-but-"

"No buts," Fumiakge said firmly. "Go back now, or I will take privileges away."

The quirk sulked but quickly shrank back and disappeared into Fumikage's chest. Hound Dog allowed the student a moment to compose himself. "I apologize, sir. I told Dark Shadow that I did not want it to come out during this talk."

"It's ok." Hound Dog said as he quickly scribbled some things down while looking at his student. "What did you mean by privileges?"

Fumiakge sighed after a second of consideration. "I- we do not agree on the path I have chosen. I may be a creature of the dark, but I want to serve the light. I want to be a hero and to help people."

"And Dark Shadow does not?"

"No. It wishes for me to pursue something else. It's never provided an alternative; it simply stated we should not waste our time and risk ourselves for idiots and fools." Fumikage said with a huff of annoyance. "To keep it in line, I allow it certain privileges, such as allowing it more control during certain times of the day, among other things."

"It does not like others, does it?" Hound Dog asked.

"No. It has never liked others. The occasional bullying while growing up did not help endear it to others either." Fumikage said as his shoulders slumped. "Even those who were kind to us would feel its wrath at times."

"What do you mean by that?"

As Hound Dog asked, Fumikage immediately tensed up again, and the teacher could tell Fumikage would shut down if he pushed the subject. "We don't have to talk about that if you do not wish to. The main thing we're here to talk about is the USJ. How have you been holding up since the incident?"

"I am... unsure of why I am still here."

"Did you expect to die there? Or are you referring to you still being at UA?"

"The latter," Fumikage said simply as he hunched in on himself more. "I lost control and could have killed a fellow student. She was severely injured because of me. Why am I still here? Why have Nezu and Mr.Aizawa not expelled me yet?"

Hound Dog held in a sigh as he thought back to all the times a student sat across from him and asked something similar after an accident during training or a screw-up while doing internships or work studies. This incident may have been terrifying, but it was essentially the same as all the other times.

"How old are you, Tokoyami?"

"Excuse me?" Fumikage asked as he looked up at the dog man. "What does that-"

"Humor me, please." Hound Dog said, cutting him off and holding his hand out. "You look to be around fifteen."

"Um, yes, I am fifteen."

"So you are a child. A teenager, to be exact but still a child." Hound Dog said as he lowered his hand. "You are also a student in his first week of school."

Fumikage looked confused by how this was relevant to his plight, but Hound Dog continued on. "You can't even drink or buy smokes yet. Your brain is developing alongside your body, and your quirk is a part of that. What is UA's purpose?"

"Um... to train heroes and educate others."

"Then why would we expel a child with little to no training after one accident that was clearly out of his control? Unless, of course, you planned on having villains attack so that Dark Shadow would go wild and hurt Uraraka."

"What?! Of course not! I would never do such a thing!"

"Then I don't see why we would expel you." Hound Dog did his best to smile in a non-threatening way as he said. "The USJ was an unprecedented incident that was the fault of no one but the villains. You, as a minor with no formal crisis training, cannot be held responsible for what happened during the incident. All you can do is train and prepare so that should it happen again, you will do better."

Fumikage stared at the man for a moment before his head fell. "I... will do my best."

"And we will be here to help." Hound Dog said. "If you'd like, I would be more than happy to help you and Dark Shadow come to an understanding."

"I will... consider it, sir. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

______________________________________________________________________

April 17th, 2236

"Good afternoon, Orime. How were classes?"

"Can you call me Nishi?" Nishi asked as she sat on the side of the couch closest to the door with her arms crossed.

"Of course, if that's more comfortable for you."

"Thanks," Nishi mumbled as she slouched. "We gonna talk about the USJ or something?"

"Yes, if that's ok. The school just wants to make sure everyone is doing ok after the fact."

"Makes sense, I guess."

Hound Dog hummed after a moment and asked. "How are you feeling, Nishi? You went to the flood zone with Asui and Mineta, right?"

"Yeah, and I'm doing fine." Nishi clipped as she looked at the legs of Hound Dogs' desk.

"I heard you injured yourself during the fight. I hope it wasn't too bad."

"It wasn't. Just a bloody nose from pushing myself too hard too quickly. Won't happen again."

"It's alright if it does. Though I am glad to hear you'll strive to avoid injury, that's the kind of mindset Recovery Girl likes to hear about." Hound Dog said as he jotted down notes on her body language and mood.

Nishi chuckled a little and said. "Makes sense... is there anything else or?"

"I would like to talk about something I found in the police reports."

"...ok," Nishi said as she glanced at him.

"You reported that you snapped at Mineta several times and even threatened to throw him overboard."

"Yeah, I did. I shouldn't have, and I won't let it happen again."

"I'm surprised you reported that." Hound Dog said. "Most people would have just been vague or left it out completely."

"You should be honest in your reports. I don't like lying, so I try to avoid it. I already apologized for threatening him." Nishi said as her eyes finally settled on Hound Dog.

"I see. I'm glad to hear that. You may not like him, but as a hero, you will need to be able to work with people you don't like. I do it all the time."

Nishi's eyebrow raised as she said. "Huh? Who do you work with that you don't like?"

"Power Loader. The man and I just do not get along with one another. We manage to keep things professional, but outside of work, we do not interact."

"Weird. I always assumed you hero teachers were all best friends." Nishi said as she sat up a bit."

"You'd be surprised. There's all sorts of drama that happens that you kids don't see." Hound Dog said as he smirked. She was relaxing a bit which was good.

"Can you tell me any? I'm kinda curious now."

"I can't go into details about my colleagues' personal lives, but I will say a few of us went out for drinks one night, and I may have heard Midnight shooting down Snipe as he admitted to wanting to date her."

Nishi giggled as her shoulders loosened up. "He thought he could land Midnight of all people? No offense to Mr.Snipe, but she's kinda out of everyone's league."

"I suppose so. I wouldn't know, though, since I have no interest in those kinds of things."

"Ace?"

"And Aro." Hound Dog stated. "Never even tried dating. It was just something I knew. Even if I wasn't, not many people would date a dog man, and those who would are probably not the kind of people I would want to be around."

"Oh, I'm sure if you were interested, a nice poodle lady may have come along."

Hound Dog barked with laughter and said. "Perhaps so, but I am not interested."

Nishi chuckled, and the two settled into a silence for a moment before Hound Dog said. "I do have one thing left I was told to ask about."

"Oh?" Nishi said as her guard started to come up. "What is it?"

"It's about Thirteen's speech. Have you ever had an incident like the ones she spoke about?"

"Yeah, I did," Nishi said quickly. "I was little. I had just figured out my quirk, and well... I almost drowned myself when I was playing with it."

Hound Dog was surprised, to say the least. He hadn't expected her to open up so casually. "How did that happen?"

"My control was pretty bad, and I was messing around with too much water," Nishi said as she rubbed her forearm. "I panicked, but instead of releasing my quirk, I held on tighter. Luckily someone found me and saved me."

"I see. You don't seem to be torn up about this."

Nishi shrugged. "It was an accident... I learned my lesson and was more careful after that."

Hound Dog hummed and jotted down his last few notes. "I see; well, that's all we have to talk about. Is there anything else you'd like to speak to me about?"

"Got any more gossip you can share?" Nishi asked with a small grin.

"I'm afraid not... well, there is one thing, but I hesitate to say it because he'll know it was me if you say anything about it." Hound Dog said as he rubbed his chin.

"Oh, come on, sir, I can keep a secret, I promise," Nishi said as she scooted to the edge of the couch.

"Well, I only saw it happen once because I came in very early, but apparently, when no one is around, Aizawa drinks his coffee out of a bright pink cup with little white cat paws dotted around it."

Nishi snorted with laughter as she stood up. "That's a good one, sir. I'm sure he does."

Hound Dog shrugged. "Believe it or not, the man has the mug somewhere in the teacher's lounge. Now I believe it's time for you to head home."

"Yeah, I guess I should," Nishi said as her smile fell into a neutral expression. "Uh, thanks for this, sir. I feel... better, I guess."

"I'm happy to help. Feel free to come back again if you need it."

Nishi hummed quietly to herself as she stepped out of the office.

______________________________________________________________________

April 18th, 2236

Hound Dog sat down at his desk as the second to last member of class A entered. The only one left to speak to after him would be Ochako Uraraka. "Hello, Midoirya; how are you doing today?"

"I'm ok," Izuku said as he sat down on the couch, and Hound Dog noted the bags under his eyes.

"That's good to hear. I assume you know why you're here?"

"You're talking to everyone about the USJ to make sure we're all ok," Izuku said as he looked around the comfortable office. "Aizawa told us once he showed up."

"I'm sure that was a surprise."

"Him showing up or that we'd have to talk to you?" Izuku asked. "Because honestly, I saw both coming."

"Oh really? You know your homeroom teacher pretty well for the first week of school."

"I uh... I have met him before." Izuku said. "I trained with a hero named Gran Torino. I also struggled with controlling my quirk, so Gran introduced me, and Mr.Aizawa helped me get a handle on my quirk."

"That's quite surprising. Aizawa must have been very impressed with you."

"I hope so," Izuku said as he chuckled. "I worked hard to get here."

"I can tell. You gained the trust of your classmates quickly, and you've done exemplary in the few practical exercises you've done, and your grades are good."

"Thank you, sir," Izuku said with a bit of red on his cheeks.

"But your grades and work ethic are not what we're here to talk about."

"The USJ," Izuku said as he slumped a little. "It was terrifying."

"You did well, though." Hound Dog said. "You saved several of your classmates and kept a cool head, from what I could tell."

"I was still scared," Izuku muttered. "I just... knew I needed to make sure everyone else was safe."

"Including Uraraka."

Izuku tensed, and Hound Dog watched as his face twisted in regret. "I didn't do a good enough job."

"You're a student-"

"I should have done better. She's my best friend, but because I can't control my quirk above a certain point, I couldn't stop her from getting hurt." Izuku huffed.

"Then I'm sure you'll train harder and push yourself to be better."

"I have to," Izuku said firmly. "I need to be better than I am."

"Determination is a good thing, but don't let it drive you to self-destructive actions." Hound Dog said as he looked the boy in the eyes. "If you end up hurting yourself in the process, you'll only set yourself back. Pace yourself, and don't forget that no one can do everything alone."

Izuku opened his mouth to refute, but Hound Dog beat him to the punch. "All Might constantly ask for help on making his lesson plans, and we've all seen the news he's been teaming up with more and more heroes as the years have gone on."

Izuku shut his mouth and slumped in his seat. Hound Dog sighed after a moment and said. "What happened to Uraraka was an accident and not your fault Midoriya. You didn't cause the villains to invade or for your friends and classmates to get teleported. You are a student who is here to learn, not a pro hero on the job. Try to remember going forward, that you are still learning how to save lives."

"I'll try," Izuku said as he looked at his shoes.

"How is Uraraka doing? I assume your living arrangement hasn't changed."

Izuku blushed as he looked up. "How-"

"All the teachers know." Hound Dog said. "We all get the information of the students we teach. I'm sure you're both behaving, right? It'd be a shame for us to have to break out Midnight's sex ed lecture this early in the year. Usually, we reserve that for the second semester."

Izuku blushed and waved his hands frantically. "N-no, there's no need for that, I swear! Besides, our parents already talked to us a-about that stuff."

Hound Dog chuckled as he said. "Midnight's going to be so disappointed. She was looking forward to a lecture with just you two. Something about having a smaller class means she could go into more details about her favorite subjects."

Izuku's face looked like a tomato as the teacher chuckled and said. "I'm only joking, Midoriya; she goes into detail no matter how many people she's teaching."

"Maybe I should have gone to Shinketsu."

"You don't think they use something else, right? Every hero school worth something gets a visit from Midnight at some point during the year."

"Oh... I feel better knowing that." Izuku said as he started to come down from his embarrassment.

"Most kids do." Hound Dog stated as he tapped his pen against his notepad. "You didn't answer my question earlier. How is Uraraka doing?"

Izuku cleared his throat and said. "Bored. She is very bored, and she tells me about it all the time while I'm home."

"Do you do anything to help with the boredom?"

"We play board games," Izuku said as he smiled a bit.

Hound Dog did not look impressed, and Izuku blushed after a moment and cleared his throat before saying. "We do actually play games. We also watch tv shows and stuff before heading to bed... you know, separately."

Hound Dog chuckled a bit as he said. "Of course. How is she doing? Not using her quirk, I hope."

"As far as I can tell, she hasn't used it at all," Izuku said as he sat up slightly. "She's gotten used to moving around the apartment in the wheelchair though she hasn't tried to leave. The most she does is go out onto the small balcony for some fresh air."

"Well, her time of having to do nothing is almost over. Hopefully, when she goes to see Recovery Girl, she'll get cleared to start physical therapy."

"Yeah, hopefully," Izuku muttered. "Um... is there anything else, sir?"

"No, that's all. You're free to go." Hound Dog said as he placed his notepad down. "Though, feel free to set up an appointment any time. I'm always here to help."

Izuku stopped by the door and, after a moment, said, "I'll keep that in mind, sir... Thank you for this."

"You're welcome, Midoirya. Have a wonderful day." Hound Dog said as the student left. Once the teacher was alone, he sighed and set about compiling his notes. All the students were holding up pretty well, and a few had even shown an interest in continued meetings. He'd let Aizawa know that all the students he had met with were clear to continue their training.

Notes:

I wanted to release this chapter on the first and tell you another fic was coming out, but that didn't happen. Oh well, guess the new fic will be coming out later.

Bought the first six volumes of My Dress-Up Darling manga and the first volume of Bofuri Light Novel because I was at the bookstore and was like I want these.

watched The Glass Onion, A Knives Out Mystery, and it was a great movie. You can tell that the actors were having fun with this. I recommend it.

I'm so tired, and I want to quit my job, but I have no idea what else to do for work, so I will be staying at my current job.

That's all from me so I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 27: Back to School

April 15th, 2236

 

Aizawa stood by the front gate of UA and nodded as he saw the approaching boy. "Aoyama, thank you for coming in today."

 

"Is everything ok, sir?" Yuga asked, "I do hope there are no problems."

 

"There was a problem with the police reports. We just need you to come in and give your statement again. Follow me. It'll only take a few minutes." Aizawa said as he led the student into the main building.

 

Yuga tried not to worry as they headed for the front entrance. He had betrayed his classmates and caused the USJ. He was a villain, and yet it seemed as though they didn't realize it was him. He was at least not arrested, along with all the other villains yesterday.

 

The two entered the building and rode the elevator up to Nezu's office. As they entered, Yuga continued to worry as he saw Detective Tsukauchi standing next to Nezu's desk. As Aizawa stepped in, the doors to the office closed, and Yuga heard them lock.

 

"Ah, Mr.Aoyama, please have a seat; this should only take a moment," Nezu said as he motioned for Yuga to sit on the couch.

 

Yuga sat down as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "U-um, yes, thank you. I heard there was an issue with my report to the police."

 

"Pretense to get you in here," Nezu admitted as the table between the couches lit up, showing a video. "This is why you're here."

 

The cut-together video of Yuga going up to the bathrooms near the teacher's lounge and then leaving the floor after a few seconds of static. Nezu smiled as Aizawa sat across from Yuga. "we have reason to suspect that you went through the teacher's lounge, specifically Mr. Aizawa's desk, during the break-in."

 

"I did!" Yuga blurted, startling the three adults. "I snuck in and looked at the class schedule and gave it to the warper at the USJ!"

 

Aizawa looked at Naomasa, who nodded and said. "Truth."

 

Aizawa turned to look at his student and asked. "Did you give them the quirk info on your class?"

 

"N-no, sir. I hid that and said I couldn't find it." again, Noamasa muttered truth.

 

Nezu hummed as he walked over with a pot of tea. "You are being more forward than I thought you'd be."

 

"I-I don't want to do this," Yuga said as tears welled up. "I just wanted to be a hero, sir, b-but I betrayed everyone here. I-I'm a villain."

 

"Aoyama, did the League threaten you or your loved ones?" Aizawa asked.

 

Yuga nodded. "I-I was born with a different quirk than what I had. It was not suited to hero work, but I wanted to be a hero, and so my parents met a man through a work associate. H-he was a terrifying man who placed his hand on me, and then my quirk was no longer what it was before."

 

Nezu and the others stiffened. The principal sat down next to Aizawa and asked. "Does this man still contact you? Did he tell you to spy for the League?"

 

"Yes, sir," Yuga said. "P-please, I do not care what my punishment is. All I ask is for you to keep my parents safe. They do not deserve to suffer the consequences."

 

"We will protect you all," Nezu said, surprising Aizawa and Naomasa. "Are your parents in the country at the moment?"

 

"Y-yes, sir."

 

"Tsukauchi, if you would please go and escort Mr. Aoyama's parents here. I believe we can work out a way to keep them safe."

 

Naomasa nodded and left quickly; after he was gone, Yuga asked. "Sir, why are you doing this? Should you not have him take me to jail?"

 

"I think your recent actions have shown some semblance of heroism," Nezu said. "And I am not one to waste potential assets. Does the man who gave you the quirk you have still want you to work for him?"

 

"Yes, sir, as far as I know. He recently told me to pass along anything useful about All Might or what UA was planning to do after the USJ."

 

"I see. Well, while we work on what to do, you and your family will live on campus, and you can continue your hero education."

 

"Sir," Aizawa said. "I am all for protecting the Aoyama family, but I don't think it's wise to let him continue heroics. He could still betray us."

 

"Yes, but if we let him continue in heroics, he may serve as a double agent. As long as Mr.Aoyama is ok with that." Nezu said as he looked at the student.

 

"I would not mind, sir! I want to make up for my actions, so please allow me to continue even if I do not deserve this opportunity."

 

"Well, you heard it," Nezu said as he got up. "Now, Aizawa, please escort Mr.Aoyama to the safe housing on campus."

 

Aizawa grumbled but stood and followed his orders. he would have his chance to debate this more once they all sat down to talk about All for One.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 16th, 2236

 

After Izuku left, Ochako stared at the ceiling for a moment. She sighed and did her best to sit up. A little throb of pain from her lower back made her wince and adjust how she was lying. "Stupid legs."

 

Ochako laid around on the couch, struggling to adjust her position every so often as the tv played some show she wasn't really paying attention to. As she scrolled through her phone, her mind wandered. Her first week at UA had gone... differently than she expected. The first day was stressful, to say the least, but heroics was fun after that.

 

Ochako grumbled as her mind drifted to the USJ. she had done... poorly. She still wasn't even sure what had taken down the building she was in. Ochako looked down at her legs as the thoughts of her inferiority started to creep out of the dark corners of her mind. She wasn't as smart as Izuku, she wasn't as powerful or as talented in combat as him and some of their classmates, and no matter how foolish she knew it was to compare herself, she couldn't help it even when it came to looks she couldn't help but compare herself to the other girls in class. They all looked amazing and seemed so confident in themselves, unlike herself.

 

Ochako groaned and placed her hands over her eyes as she tried to push away the thoughts. Her phone buzzed on her stomach as she lamented her own stupid thoughts. When it buzzed a second time, she picked it up and raised an eyebrow as she saw two messages.

 

Tsu:  Tell Midoriya to get off his phone. He's gonna get caught. Also, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

Izuku:  how are you doing? Any issues today?

 

Ochako giggled as a smile pulled on her lips, and she told Tsu she'd do her best before pulling up her messages with Izuku.

 

Ochako:  aren't you in class? Why are you texting?

 

Izuku:  It's fine. Ectoplasm hasn't turned around in five minutes, and I was worried. Wanted to make sure you're doing ok? Need anything from the store?

 

Ochako's heart fluttered softly in her chest as she responded.

 

Ochako:  No, I'm fine; also, Tsu told me to tell you to get off your phone.

 

Ochako looked at her phone for a couple minutes before setting it down and watching tv. As more time passed, she slowly stopped thinking about how Izuku had just been texting her during class. Almost two hours later, her phone buzzed again.

 

Izuku:  I got caught.

 

Ochako snorted and started laughing as she held her phone. Once she recovered, she spent a few minutes texting Izuku, who was now at lunch, and by the time he had to go back to classes, Ochako was smiling, and the dark thoughts had faded. She really had the best friend ever.

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

April 16th, 2236

 

"Hey Nishi, we're gonna stop by some shops near the station. Wanna come with?" Toru asked as she stopped by the blue girl's seat.

 

Nishi looked up from her phone, and Toru saw the ghost of a frown disappear as Nishi smiled. "Sorry, I can't today. My guardian is stopping by today so I have to get home and see them."

 

"Aw, too bad. Well, I hope you have fun. See you tomorrow." Toru said before running up to Mina, who waved to Nishi before leaving.

 

Nishi waved, and her smile slipped off her face as she got up and started walking. As she walked, a voice called out behind her. "Nishi. Hey Nishi."

 

Nishi ignored it and kept walking, but the frantic pace behind her and the constant attempts to get her attention built up, and eventually, she turned and glared down at the short boy. "What, Mineta?"

 

The short boy stepped back a little and clenched his fist by his side as he seemed to be building his courage for something. She really hoped it wasn't too disgusting because if it was, she was going to do something regrettable.

 

Minoru opened her mouth, and Nishi clenched her fist in anticipation, but her grip loosened as he said. "I wanted to say sorry for what happened at the USJ."

 

"You already did, and you sucked at it."

 

"Y-yeah, but I mean, I want to, like, make up for that, I guess... I just. I was scared, s-so I kinda acted the way I did... I'm sorry about that; I'll try to do better."

 

Nishi stared at him for a moment before asking. "Where did this come from?"

 

"I um..." Minoru blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "During lunch, I talked to Hound Dog for the mandatory session thing we have to do. He brought up my actions, a-and yeah, that wasn't very hero-like s-so sorry."

 

'Fuck I have to do that at some point.'  Nishi thought before looking at the boy in front of her. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Fine apology accepted. Just don't go grabbing people without permission, and stop staring at the other girls and me so much it's creepy as fuck."

 

Minoru flinched and nodded. "Y-yep, understood. I'll do my best."

 

"Good," Nishi muttered before walking off. She needed to get home quickly and make sure things were in order.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 16th, 2236

 

Nishi huffed as she finished cleaning the kitchen of her little apartment. She pulled her phone out as she tossed the towel she had been using into the dirty laundry. "Awesome, a few minutes to spa-"

 

Nishi's head spun around as her doorbell rang. She checked the peephole and bit back a curse before opening it and stepping back. "Hello, ma'am."

 

A tall woman with long dark blue hair pulled up into a bun, and red eyes smiled as she stepped in. "Hello, Nishida."

 

Nishi followed after the woman as she walked into Nishi's apartment, her eyes scanning everything. Eventually, the woman settled onto the loveseat and pulled a tablet from her bag as she said. "I read your report on the USJ incident."

 

"Was something wrong with it?" Nishi asked as she stood in front of the woman with her hands firmly clasped behind her back. "I thought I filled it out properly."

 

"Oh no, there wasn't anything wrong with it; you did wonderfully. I just noticed you had a little incident with your temper and that you got a bloody nose." The woman's words came out in an almost sickly sweet way as she stared at the tablet. Nishi tensed and looked at the floor as she continued to talk. "I thought we had gotten past all that anger of yours. As for your injury, I suppose it can't be helped. You aren't getting the training you should be at this age, so of course, you're behind where you should be. Though I guess being in UA is more important to others than ensuring you get what you need."

 

"I'm sorry-"

 

"Oh no, it's quite alright, Nishida. It's not your fault. I'm sure the quirk training will pick up at UA. Just don't forget your other job, ok?"

 

"Yes, ma'am," Nishi muttered as she kept staring at her own feet.

 

"Hm?"

 

Nishi tensed at the little hum and said a little louder and clearer than before. "I said yes, ma'am."

 

"I thought so. Now your training aside, let's talk about your little outburst during the USJ." the woman said as she tapped away. "I mean, really, Nishida, compared to what you've gone through before, a little grab shouldn't have upset you so much. Besides, the psychiatrist cleared you. They said you had a handle on your emotions and that your past trauma wasn't going to be a problem anymore. Were they wrong, Nishida? Do you need to go back?"

 

"No!" Nishi said as her head snapped up to meet the unimpressed look of her guardian. "I mean, no, I'm ok, ma'am. It was just a stressful situation and-"

 

"No excuses, Nishida. You're going to be a hero." the woman said as she stood up and placed a firm hand on Nishi's shoulder. "The next Hawks or even better than him if you start putting in the effort, but you need to remember to always give it your best effort and don't forget to keep an eye out. The Commission wants to know why All Might is teaching at UA, and we want to know what your classmates are like. This Minoru Mineta seems like he's gonna get in trouble in the future. It's good to know that so we can keep an eye on him and ensure it doesn't get out of hand. Right Nishida?"

 

Nishi swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded. "Yes, ma'am. It would be best if he changed his ways sooner rather than later."

 

"And if he doesn't, I'm sure the others at the Commission will come up with a way to help him out. His quirk is fairly useful, so I'm sure there is plenty he could do." The woman said as she started to walk towards the door.

 

"Are you leaving already?" Nishi asked as she followed.

 

"Of course. I'm a busy lady, you know. I just needed to stop by and make sure you understood." the woman smiled as she turned around to face Nishi. "I'm glad to see I'll be able to report to the higher-ups that our promising young Nishida is, in fact, still on the right path. Now have a wonderful rest of your day. Maybe do some cleaning. It's a little dusty in here, don't you think?"

 

Nishi's eyes found the floor again as she said. "I'll do my best to make sure the apartment stays clean. Have a good day, ma'am."

 

"Wonderful to hear." The woman said before slipping her shoes on and leaving.

 

Once she was gone, Nishi walked over to her loveseat and sat down. She didn't try to wipe the tears away as they spilled over. She didn't even really process that she was crying. She just sat there for some time and let the emotions seep out. She wanted to be a hero, and the Commission had given her the opportunity. They saved her from the shitty life she had had before and were doing their best to make sure she could do her best. They even let her go to UA, which apparently no one else who had been a part of the program she was in had been allowed to do. All they asked was for her to report on her classmates and All Might. That made sense because they were the HPSC and her classmates were future heroes. As for All Might, he was the number one hero, and suddenly becoming a teacher seemed odd to her. They were probably just worried he'd announce his retirement or something.

 

Nishi nodded to herself as she pulled her knees up to her chin and rested her forehead on them. The tears were still going, and she couldn't stop the little hiccups that slipped out. She wasted her guardian's time today all because she couldn't keep a handle on her emotions. It was like she had said Nishi had gone through the therapy and was cleared. She worked hard to be cleared, and yet she still snapped at something small like Mineta grabbing her ass.

 

After some time, Nishi got up and wiped her face before starting on dinner. She'd need to work harder going forward to make sure she didn't disappoint those who had put their faith in her.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 19th, 2236

 

Ochako grumbled as she stared at the tights in her lap. "How am I going to do this?"

 

It was her first day going back to UA and despite the school saying she could just show up in whatever she wanted to put the uniform on and she wanted to sit in class and get back on track. Everything had been going well until she realized that putting tights on while not being able to use your legs was challenging, to say the least.

 

A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts, and Izuku said. "You almost done? We need to head out soon if we don't want to miss classes while seeing Recovery Girl."

 

"Um, almost," Ochako said as she chewed her lip. She could just go without the tights, but she liked them, and she wore them all the time. Being in a skirt without tights on just felt weird to her, but she was pretty sure it was impossible to put these on in her current condition.

 

Her eyes drifted over to the door, and she could feel her ears burning as the idea wormed its way to the front of her mind. He was right outside her room, and she knew that if she asked Iuzku to help her with something, he would agree. Her parents and Inko's talk with them before school started also came to mind, and as her face exploded into a blush, she quickly shook her head.  'No, no, no, no, it's not like I'm trying t-to do something like that... I just want to be comfortable while at school...'

 

Izuku checked his phone and walked over to Ochkao's door. As he raised his hand to knock again, her voice called out. "H-hey Izuku, can you come in here? I-I need some help."

 

Izuku paused.  'Help? Maybe getting into her chair? Or maybe she left something out of reach.'

 

"Coming in," Izuku said as he opened the door. "What do you need help with?"

 

The red on her ears and cheeks did not inspire hope in him, and the sheepish smile she had as she held up her tights made things worse. He could feel the heat creeping up his neck as he glanced at the tights and then at her very nice legs. He had never seen her in a skirt without tights on; she looked nice. Izuku's face was full on, blushing as he realized what she was about to ask.

 

"I um... I can't put these on by myself right now."

 

"C-can you just... not wear them?" Izuku asked as his eyes drifted down to her thighs before snapping up to the tights.

 

"I haven't ever not worn tights. I-it, um, feels weird not to." Ochako muttered. "B-but yeah, I mean it's stupid I-I should be able to not wear them. I'm sorry for wasting our time. We can just-"

 

"I'll help," Izuku said as he grabbed the tights from her.

 

Ochako looked up in surprise. Izuku's face was full-on red, but he took a quick breath and said. "Alright, let's do this."

 

As he knelt down, Ohckao lamented that she couldn't push her legs closer together. "Um, they're backward."

 

Izuku stopped short of grabbing her ankle and quickly turned them around as he muttered an apology.

 

Ochako nodded and braced herself as he took her ankle gently and guided her foot. Her heart was hammering in her chest so hard she wouldn't be surprised if Kyoka could hear it all the way in UA. Izuku's hand ghosted over her leg as he got her other foot in the tights, and Ochako clenched her fist.

 

Izuku was doing his best to keep his hands from trembling and to keep his eyes firmly down. He was just helping his best friend put on a pair of tights. There was nothing else happening here, definitely nothing that would warrant Midnight's involvement. He had gotten her feet in, and now he just needed to guide the tights up.

 

As he pulled them up past her knees, his knuckles brushed against Ochako's outer thigh, causing her to tense up and stammer out, "T-that's good. I-I got it from here."

 

Izuku nodded and released the tights once Ochako was holding them. "O-ok... I'm, um. I'll be in the living room."

 

"O-ok," Ochkao mumbled as she held the tights.

 

Izuku stood and quickly exited, leaving her to shimmy the tights on the rest of the way and to get into her wheelchair. As she rolled into the living room, she and Izuku locked eyes, and the blushes were coming back now. "W-we better get going so we're not late."

 

Izuku nodded and quickly fell into step behind her. Once they were out of their apartment complex and headed for the station, he walked next to her, and the two stayed very quiet the whole walk. As Izuku settled into a seat by the handicapped area, Ochako spoke up while staring at her legs. "T-thanks for your help."

 

"No problem," Izuku muttered as he cleared his throat.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 19th, 2236

 

Ochako did her best to ignore the eyes on her as they walked through UA. Along the way, she had asked Izuku to push her as her nerves and insecurities started to rear their ugly heads. She knew it was silly to think everyone was looking at her, but she had spotted a few glances and heard a couple whispers, so now every muttered word and movement made her stomach want to flip. She was glad that the crowds and eventually all the people disappeared as they got to Recovery Girls' office.

 

The old woman smiled as they entered. "Right on time. I'm sure you're eager to start going to classes again."

 

"Very much so, ma'am," Ochako said as the nurse grabbed a tablet.

 

"Well, right this way, and we can get started on your check-up. Midoriya, you can wait over there."

 

Izuku nodded and squeezed Ochkao's shoulder as he leaned down and said. "Good luck."

 

"Thanks," Ochako muttered before rolling after the school nurse.

 

Izuku sat down, and in the silence of the nurse's office, he heard it. The voices muttering. They hadn't been very loud recently, but ever since he saw Ochako in the hospital, they had been muttering near constantly. It was keeping him up and making it hard to focus.

 

Not good enough.

We would have done better.

We could have saved her.

All for One will send more.

You can't beat him like this.

We can kill him and anyone who tries to stop us.

You just need to let us take control.

We'll protect Ochako for you since you can't.

 

Anger flared as he whispered. "Shut up. Stop talking. I am never letting you have control. I will master you, and I will beat All for One and protect my friends and family, so just shut the hell up and leave me alone. If I want to hear from you, I'll let you know."

 

The voices were quiet for a moment, but their muttering started up again. He hated this new tactic of theirs. He almost preferred it when they would shout at him occasionally. That was easier than this constant fucking whispering in his ear. There had only been a handful of times recently where he had managed to focus hard enough on something else that he blocked them out. A very interesting lesson that Midnight gave yesterday on how pre-quirk comic books actually played a pivotal role in America's drafting of the world's first quirk laws, several hero fights that had been amazing to see on the news, and this morning when he helped Ochako.

 

Izuku blushed a bit as he remembered how hard it was to not stare at her thighs. The whispers grew louder, and Izuku grumbled as he shook his head. "Focus, Izuku. Just breathe and focus."

 

Izuku took several breaths to calm his nerves and followed his meditation training while making sure to not slip into the inner world of his quirk. He lost track of time, but he opened his eyes as Ochako and Recovery Girl returned. He was moderately better, and the voices felt a little less annoying. He smiled at his best friend and asked. "How did it go?"

 

"She can go back to classes, and we'll start physical therapy tomorrow." Recovery Girl said. "Also, remember, Midoriya, we're going to be testing your little mediation memory thing today, so come here after class."

 

"Yes, ma'am, and thank you for taking care of us," Izuku said as he followed Ochako to the door.

 

"It's my job, sweetie. Now, you two hurry along and get to class." Recovery Girl said as she waved them off.

 

"Will do, and thank you again, ma'am," Ochako said as they exited the nurse's office.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 19th, 2236

 

Class 1-A fell silent the moment the door opened, and their class representative walked in. Izuku smiled, and everyone waited on bated breath. As Izuku walked towards Ochako's desk, the girl herself rolled into class, looking nervous. There was a beat of silence until several members of the class shot to their feet and ran up to her, as they started asking if she was ok.

 

Ochako groaned and held her hands up under the deluge of chatter. "G-guys, give me some space. I promise I'll be ok. Izuku should have been keeping you updated on me."

 

"Yeah, but no offense to Green; he doesn't look too good right now. We weren't sure if he was downplaying things or not." Kyoka whispered as a few people glanced at Izuku, who was putting Ochako's bag by her desk. "Dude looks like he isn't getting enough sleep."

 

Ochako frowned as she looked at her friend, who was moving her chair away from the desk. She would try to talk to him tonight and see if anything was wrong. "I'm sure he's just stressed, but things should get better."

 

"Hopefully," Nishi said. "But how about you? Did the nurse give any timeline or something for your recovery?"

 

Ochako shook her head. "No, just that I'm starting tomorrow. I won't be participating in heroics, just observing, which sucks a lot."

 

"Well if you ever need a training buddy or someone to spar with, hit me up," Nishi said with a grin.

 

"Dang, beat me to it," Eijiro said as a few others all threw out offers.

 

Ochako smiled and chuckled slightly as she said. "Thanks, everyone. I'll be sure to ask you when I can. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to my desk."

 

The crowd dispersed, and Ochako rolled down the aisle coming to a stop by Tsu and Tenya. "Hey."

 

"Kero, it's good to see you. Sorry, we didn't run up to you." Tsu said as she tapped her chin. "We didn't want to overcrowd you."

 

"Exactly," Tenya said as he chopped his arm. "We are worried, but we assumed crowding you first thing in the morning would not go well."

 

"Thanks, guys, that means a lot," Ochako said before rolling down to her desk and getting comfortable.

 

The day went on like normal, except Ochako had to sit out heroics, and the whole day she could occasionally feel a pair of eyes on her. She ignored it for the most part, but it was getting a little agitating. As classes came to an end, Izuku walked up to her and said. "Wanna come with me today, or do you want me to take you back to your place first?"

 

"I'll go with you," Ochako said as she saw the person who had been looking at her stand and walk towards her. "But it looks like someone else needs to talk to me first."

 

Izuku looked over as Fumikage stepped up. "Hello, I was hoping to speak to Uraraka."

 

Izuku stepped to Ochkao's side, and Fumikage eyed the green-haired boy cautiously for a moment before getting on his knees and bowing into a full dogeza. The few classmates still present all stopped moving as Izuku and Ochako looked at Fumikage in shock.

 

"I would like to apologize. The building that collapsed and caused your injury was taken down by Dark Shadow, whom I had lost control of." Ochako tensed, and her hand reached out and grabbed Izuku's arm as he was about to take a step forward. She looked up at him and saw the anger on his face, but it faded as he looked at her. Fumikage was unaware of the silent conversation as he kept his eyes on the floor. "The school knows and has not seen fit to punish me for my actions, but I will accept whatever you deem fit."

 

Ochako squeezed Izuku's arm and settled him with a firm look. Izuku let out a sigh and stepped back. He hadn't known, and back during the USJ, he was so busy worrying about Ochako he didn't put together that her injury and Dark Shadows rampages were connected. Ochako sighed and looked down at Fumikage. "Please get up. This is too much."

 

Fumikage hesitated a moment but eventually got up and stood across from her. "I hesitate to agree. My lack of ability is the reason you are in this situation."

 

"Then I guess you need to work on that," Ochako said as she rested her hands on her lap. "Can I talk to Dark Shadow for a second?"

 

"I would advice against-"

 

"What do you want, stupid girl?" Dark Shadow said as it appeared between Ochako and Fumikage. "It's not his fault you're too stupid and weak."

 

The quirk flinched as green fire flickered behind Ochako. Izuku glared at the quirk and said. "Watch it, or I'll make you go back inside again."

 

"Izuku," Ochako said firmly, glaring at her friend. "Please let me handle this."

 

"... I'm sorry," Izuku muttered as he stepped back. "I'll stay quiet."

 

Ochako smiled and turned her attention back to the sentient quirk. "You know if you make things hard for Tokoyami, neither of you will get what you want."

 

"Huh? Shut up; Fumi shouldn't be here! It's not safe! Why should he have to protect stupid people?!" Dark Shadow shouted.

 

"Because it's his choice. He wants to, right?" Ochako asked as she looked at Fumikage.

 

"Yes, I do. I've always wanted to be a hero." Fumikage said as he looked at Dark Shadow. "We can do so much good, so I think we should."

 

Dark Shadow grumbled and crossed its arms. "I refuse to waste my time on useless people like her!"

 

"You know, making trouble like this hurts Tokoyami," Ochako said. "He's been really torn up about what you did to me."

 

The quirk stared at her and grumbled before slinking back over to Fumikage. "Don't care. He shouldn't be here."

 

Fumikage sighed, and Dark Shadow yelped as it shrank away. "I apologize for its behavior... I need to get going, but I would like to reiterate that I am terribly sorry, Uraraka. I hope this never happens again."

 

"I do, too, and I forgive you, Tokoyami. I hope you and Dark Shadow can come to an understanding." Ochako said before turning her attention to Izuku.

 

Izuku grumbled, but she simply motioned for him to push her, and the two left the classroom. As they headed for Recovery Girl, Ochako said. "You know I had it handled."

 

"Sorry," Izuku muttered. "I didn't know Dark Shadow had caused the accident. It also had no right to call you stupid and weak. You're not any of those things. It should have apologized. I am glad that Tokoyami owned up to it, though."

 

Ochako shook her head and leaned back to look up at him. "Thanks for your concern Izuku. It means a lot, but I can handle someone calling me names."

 

Izuku nodded as he said. "Yeah, I know. Just couldn't help myself."

 

Ochako looked away as a blush spread across her cheeks. She smiled as they rolled down the halls in silence.

Notes:

I posted a new fic called Burning Hearts it's the sentient quirk fic I've talked about before. go check out chapter one if you want

I read a yuri manga called Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete (Accept My Fist of Love!) or the title that had caught my attention while I was buying manga a few days ago, 'Catch These Hands'

It's a completed series that's twenty chapters long, I think. It's about two girls who used to be delinquents and rivals in high school. They end up dating and learning more about each other and themselves. It's sweet, and I enjoyed it pretty well.

I've had delinquents on my mind recently, and I kinda want to do a one-shot or something. Maybe I'll make a delinquent Izumi for Kisses and kIssed. Speaking of that, I wrote another chapter for that one.

That's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 28: Making Moves

April 19th, 2236

 

"It's wonderful to see you all here. I do wish it was under better circumstances, though." Nezu said as All Might, Tsukauchi, Aizawa, and Nighteye entered.

 

"Why are we all here?" Nighteye asked as he took his seat. "I do have reports to go over, and Togata has some glaring issues he needs to resolve."

 

"Togata is the boy you spoke about, isn't he? You still decided to train him?" Toshinori asked as he sat across from his old friend.

 

Nighteye nodded. 'Yes, I did. He shows promise. With proper training, he'll become a fine hero."

 

"While Mirio Togata's development is a wonderful thing, it is not why we are here," Nezu said as he clapped his paws. "We are here to discuss the Aoyama family."

 

"Aoyama? You said something about suspecting him before the USJ. I didn't realize something had actually come of it."

 

"Yes, the boy admitted to giving the villains the class schedule," Tsukauchi said. "He did so quite willingly."

 

"He also withheld quirk information about his classmates which the villains were interested in." Nezu added, "I took the liberty of having Detective Tsukauchi bring the Aoyama family to UA for safety purposes as it seems the League of Villains' true leader is All for One."

 

"So he really is alive," Nighteye said.

 

"I knew it," Toshinori said as he crossed his arms. "We never found a body, so of course, he somehow survived."

 

Nezu nodded along as he got up to procure his tea. "It would appear so. In the meantime, though, I have decided to let Yuga Aoyama continue his hero education."

 

"Which I am opposed to." Aizawa said, "while I do agree that Aoyama has potential and at least seems to regret his actions, I cannot let a risk like him stand in my class."

 

"I'm wary of the idea as well." Tsukauchi said, "we've dealt with those who work for All for One before. Things never go how we think they will, and it ends up biting us in the ass. I worry that this will be no different."

 

"I think he should continue." All Might said. "The boy was being manipulated, yes? He didn't do this because he wanted to."

 

"That is correct," Nezu stated as he poured his tea. "Aoyama claims that All for One took his original quirk and gave him the one he has now and that the man threatened the boy and his family."

 

"Then I think he should be given a chance to make up for this," Toshi said. "Though we should do our best to keep him safe while keeping an eye on him."

 

"And I believe a proactive approach is the best way to do that," Nezu said. "Aoyama said that All for One wished for information. If we give him false information on All Might, we may be able to draw out more lackeys or even the man himself."

 

"It would have to be very convincing," Nighteye said. "The man is cautious to a fault."

 

"Which is why we will have only a chance. So we must allow Aoyama to continue."

 

"You've failed to convince me," Aizawa said.

 

"I don't have to," Nezu said as he sat down. "You work at UA, which I am the principal of. You are a vital staff member, but you are still beholden to the hierarchy. You have submitted your complaints, and I have recognized and acknowledged them. Now I am telling you that I have not changed my mind."

 

Aizawa's eye twitched as he looked at his boss's smile. He could try and say he'd leave or that he'd refused to teach the boy, but Nezu would see through the bluffs, and Aizawa knew he didn't have anything to use against the rat king. "Fine."

 

"Wonderful, now All Might, I believe Midoriya is conducting his experiment. You should go down and check on him. Nighteye, I have some information on that case you're working on if you'd stick around for a moment."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

April 19th, 2236

 

"Alright, it's all set up, deary. You can do your thing whenever you're ready." Recovery Girl said as she walked back to her desk, where her computer had various readouts on the screen.

 

"Thank you, ma'am," Izuku said as he got comfortable on the bed. It was odd having to lay there shirtless, covered in nodes, but the nurse was persistent. She wanted to get as many readings as possible while he relived Toshinori's memories.

 

Izuku looked over to Ochako, who was sitting nearby. "See you soon."

 

He closed his eyes, missing Ochako's face as she tried not to stare at him. "Good luck. Don't come back as another person this time, you hear."

 

Izuku chuckled as he said. "I'll do my best."

 

Slipping into the inner world was getting easier every time it happened. Izuku opened his eyes and looked at the oh-so-familiar field of black grass. "It's only been a week since I was here last, but somehow it feels a lot longer."

 

The wind blew and carried One for All's whispers to Izuku's ears. They didn't talk about anything important as far as Izuku could tell; they just whispered statements about how terrible All for One was or how Izuku wasn't good enough to take the man down and how the quirk would do a better job of it. It was hard to ignore but not impossible. Izuku mainly found it hard to deal with whenever he wanted to go to sleep.

 

Izuku stopped and rubbed his face. "Focus."

 

Golden light flickered, and Izuku smiled. "Found one."

 

As he approached, the same hypnotic feeling washed over him, but he was prepared, and so he leaned down and let his hand be consumed by the flames. "Please don't let it be an embarrassing memory."

 

A fist connected with his face, and Izuku grunted but remained standing. He smiled and said. "Weak!"

 

Izuku swung, and the boy didn't get back up after his fist connected with his jaw. The other two boys seemed to freeze up, which was a bad move. Izuku descended on them, and within moments, all three were on the ground groaning. Izuku spat out a bit of blood in his mouth and scoffed. "Maybe next time you'll think twice about picking on someone just because they're different. If you don't, then I'll be coming for you again."

 

The boys groaned in response, and Izuku stomped off, intent on getting home and cleaning up these scrapes and bruises. He got halfway there when a voice made everything come to a halt. His shoulders relaxed as the caring voice called out. "Toshinori, did you get into a fight again?"

 

Izuku turned and looked at the soft brown eyes full of concern and brimming with worry. Shuzo sighed as she approached her long curly brown hair blowing in the soft wind. "Why do you keep getting into trouble? I thought you said you were gonna avoid this kind of thing. You're a third year now, you know. You need to take responsibility for your future."

 

Izuku couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. No matter the circumstances, no matter how shitty his day had been or how much garbage he had to slog through, the moment she showed up, everything just felt better. "Sorry, but they had it coming, and besides, they swung first, so technically, I didn't start the fight, which is what I promised to not do."

 

Izuku winced as she jabbed her finger against one of his bruises. "Don't be snarky. Come on, I'll help you patch these up."

 

"You don't have to. Don't you have exams to study for?"

 

"No more than you do. Now come on, you know you can't argue with me."

 

Izuku sighed because there was too much truth to that. "Yeah, I know."

 

"Good, then come on, let's go," Shuzo said as she twirled around and started walking.

 

Izuku followed after her like a moth to the flame. As the two walked, Izuku listened intently as Shuzo talked about school, the new book she was reading, and anything she wanted to talk about. Hearing her carefree attitude and bubbly laughter stirred a warmth and comfort in Izuku's chest that eased the tension in him that seemed to always exist after a hard day like today.

 

Once they arrived at Shuzo's house, she sat him down in the living room and fetched the first aid kit from the kitchen. When she came back, she swatted his hand as he reached for it. "No, you sit and let me do this. While I work, you can tell me about what you've been up to since, apparently, you've been running off as the bell rings most days."

 

Izuku closed his eyes as he held back a grumble. He had been running off to see Nana just about every day for training.  'Should I tell her? It's not like I can lie to her. She always sees through it for some reason.'

 

"Uh... I met a hero, and they're training me for UA." Izuku said as he closed his eyes and waited for her response.

 

Shuzo snorted as she dabbed his knuckles. "Sure, that's what's happening. Let me guess, you're volunteering at a shelter or something like you did last year."

 

Izuku sighed. "You know that's hurtful. I really did meet a hero. Her name is Sky Shock, and she's helping me train."

 

"Wait, Sky Shock?" Shuzo asked as she looked up. "Oh, I remember her. She's so cool. Get me an autograph, please?"

 

"Sure," Izuku said a bit too quickly. He could already hear Nana's teasing voice as she questions why he's asking for one but seeing Shuzo's excited face easily outweighed the future embarrassment.

 

"Thanks, Toshi!" Shuzo said as she applied another bandage. "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

 

Izuku scoffed. "You kept me around? As I remember it, you kept showing up in my life."

 

"That's just how I wanted you to see things," Shuzo said as she got up. "Alright, how about we get to work on dinner."

 

Izuku cleared his throat as he stood up. "I'm gonna head home. Need to check on mom and all that."

 

"Stay," Shuzo said. "Until I'm done, then you can take some home and share it with her."

 

Izuku sat back down. "...ok."

 

Shuzo smiled, and Izuku felt the tension in his body leave again. Being around her just made everything feel easier to deal with. The memory started to grow fuzzy, and as Shuzo started to talk about what she was going to cook, things faded away into darkness.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 19th, 2226

 

Izuku opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning and spotting Ochako sitting in her chair, tapping away at her phone. Her eyebrows pushed closer together, and her tongue stuck out a bit as she focused. Her eye twitched, and she clicked her tongue as she muttered. "Damn it."

 

Izuku chuckled, catching her attention and when she looked at him, he felt something in his chest relax. A tension he had never really noticed before, but it felt familiar. "Oh."

 

"Huh?" Ochako asked as she put her phone away. "You ok, Izuku?"

 

"Uh... yeah, I think so," Izuku said as he turned away from his friend. "Just sorting out some stuff. Memories are weird."

 

"Well, your scans are coming in fine." Recovery Girl said. "The strain on your brain isn't anything to worry about, and the process doesn't seem to affect your body in any other way. As long as you don't repeat what you did before, I don't think this is going to be dangerous to do on your own. Just come to me if anything seems off."

 

"Will do, ma'am," Izuku said as he sat up and let the nurse pull the nodes off him. As she finished up, the door opened, and All might stepped in.

 

"Ah, are you done already?" Toshinori asked as he deflated.

 

"Yes, and he's got the go-ahead to keep reliving memories." Recovery Girl said as she packed everything away.

 

"Wonderful news. What did you experience, my boy?" Toshi asked as Izuku slipped his shirt back on.

 

Izuku's cheeks were dusted pink as he cleared his throat and said. "Uh, I- or you beat up some guys for being bullies. Then Shuzo helped patch you up, and you promised to get her Nana's autograph."

 

Toshi's lips curved in a soft smile as he looked at the middle ground between them. "Ah, that. If I remember correctly, Nana teased me for a week. Well, at least you didn't have to experience anything unpleasant."

 

"Yeah..." Izuku said as he glanced at Ochako. "I do want to ask you something, though, in private if you have time."

 

"Of course, my boy, I've been meaning to speak to you as well. We can head to a meeting room right now if you wish."

 

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that," Izuku said as he got up and looked at Ochako. "Um... you gonna head home or?"

 

"I'll wait here if that's ok with Recovery Girl."

 

The nurse waved her hand as she said. "I don't mind, sweetie, just don't be loud."

 

"Will do, ma'am," Ochako said, flashing a bright smile before looking at Izuku. "Go have your private talk. I'll be here when you're done."

 

Izuku nodded and followed Toshinori to a meeting room near the nurse's office. Neither of them noticed the blue-skinned girl spotting them enter. She wondered who the skinny man was and why he was in the nurse's office with Izuku, who had left the classroom with Ochako. She saw All Might enter, but he hadn't left, and she needed to go home before someone spotted her wandering the school after classes had ended.

 

Toshi sat on the couch and let out a deep sigh as he asked. "So, what did you want to speak about?"

 

"Maybe you can go first," Izuku said as he sat across from his teacher. "I'm kinda sorting this out in my head right now."

 

"Alright. I wanted to check in with you and ask how you were? The USJ was quite a harrowing experience. I wanted to make sure you were doing ok."

 

"O-oh um... yeah, I'm doing fine for the most part," Izuku said as he scratched the back of his head. "Ochako is gonna get better, which is a huge weight off my shoulders, and none of my other classmates were seriously hurt, and the teachers are all recovering, so yeah... I'm ok."

 

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're handling this well. You do seem tired, though. Are you sleeping enough?"

 

"I'm fine," Izuku said as he waved off the concern. "One for All is just being annoying in a new way, but I'm managing it. Now that the stress is dying down, I'm sure things will get better."

 

"If you say so," Toshi said, but he didn't look very convinced. "Have you sorted out what you wanted to ask me? Or should I break out the small talk?"

 

Izuku chuckled and sat up a bit as his ears started to turn a bit red. "No, I, um, I know what I want to ask. Sorry if this comes out kinda blunt, but... did you love Shuzo?"

 

Toshinori choked on air and coughed into his fist as he looked at his student, who started to backpedal. "Sorry, that was kinda stupid. I should have said that different-"

 

"It's ok," Toshi said as he sat up and let out a deep sigh. "Back when you first brought up Shuzo, I told you I simply lost contact with her, but that wasn't true. Well, at least not entirely true."

 

Toshi blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Gosh, this is embarrassing to talk about. It's been so long, but yes, back when I was in junior high, I had a huge crush on Shuzo. She was an amazing person who cared for others so easily and put up with my younger self, who was kinda stupid back then."

 

Izuku watched as his master's posture deflated, and he rubbed his eyes. At that moment, Toshinori Yagi looked his age. "I purposely put distance between us and lost contact with her when I got into UA. Nana had lost her husband and given up her child. I saw how she suffered, and I thought that I would suffer like that if I pursued a relationship, so I decided not to and pushed away the one person I wanted to be with."

 

"That must have been hard, even if you were doing it for a good reason," Izuku muttered as his thoughts swirled. "It was for the best, though, wasn't it?"

 

"No, I don't think so," Toshi said, surprising the young boy. "Back then, I would have said yes, but now... I don't know; maybe things would have turned out better if I had someone like Shuzo by my side."

 

"Wouldn't she be in danger, though?" Izuku asked. "If she was involved, then All for One may have targeted her."

 

Toshi shrugged. "Everyone is in danger from that man. Having her close by would have made it easy to keep her safe, and she could have helped me." Toshi rubbed his eyes again as he said. "Things got rough after Nana's death, and I didn't have anyone, not really. Gran was there, but he was grieving and trying to train me up before I graduated. The old man isn't the best at emotions on a good day, so... Some days I wish I hadn't pushed Shuzo and others away."

 

Toshinori smiled as he sat up. "I'm glad you have people you're keeping close to you. Having your mother and Young Uraraka around to support you has been wonderful, considering the things that have happened since One for All changed."

 

Izuku wrung his hands as he said. "Y-yeah, since it changed."

 

Toshinori reached across the distance and held Izuku's shoulder firmly. "It will be ok, Young Midoirya. We will have your back and ensure that nothing happens again."

 

"Thank you, sir," Izuku said as a smile spread. "I um... feel better."

 

"Good to hear, young man. Though I have to wonder why did you ask specifically about my feelings for Shuzo?"

 

Izuku felt his ears getting hot as he stammered. "I uh... no reason, really. I just noticed something when I woke up and t-thought, you know, I should ask and see if my intuition was right."

 

Toshinori smirked as he stood up. "Ah, I see. Well, in this case, you were right. Now, why don't you take Young Uraraka home? I'm sure she's tired of being in her wheelchair."

 

"R-right," Izuku said as he stood up. "Thank you for the talk Toshinori- Ah, Mr.Yagi."

 

"It's alright, my boy. You can call me whatever you're comfortable with."

 

"I... I don't know if it's what I'm comfortable with or if it's One for All's influence. I need time to parse this out."

 

Toshinori smiled as he buffed up and patted Izuku's shoulder. "I understand, Young Midoriya. Now come along; you shouldn't keep your friend waiting any longer."

 

Izuku nodded and headed for the nurse's office, where he found Ochako waiting. The two said their goodbyes and headed home for the day.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 21st, 2236

 

Jade stopped as she climbed onto the roof of the apartment building Gentle and La Brava lived in. Sitting with her back against the wall was La Brava, with a sour look on her face. The shorter woman looked up and scoffed. "Oh, it's you."

 

"Yeah, it's me... you ok?"

 

La Brava stared at her for a moment before scoffing again and looking away. "Why do you care?"

 

"Because you look troubled," Jade said as she stood a few feet away from the young woman. "Something happen with Gentle?"

 

"Yeah, you did." La Brava spat. "He told me what you got him involved in."

 

"The Stain hunt," Jade said as her shoulders tensed. "It wasn't my intention to get us caught by Nezu."

 

"Doesn't matter what your intention was at the time. You got him caught by Nezu, and now he has to go after someone as dangerous as Stain, and he won't let me come with."

 

"Why would you come with? I don't think getting footage of the fight is going to be possible."

 

"My quirk, dummy." La Brava said. "It's called Love. I can boost the physical stats of whoever I love. Whenever Gentle and I get in trouble, we'd use my quirk to get away, but he won't let me come this time."

 

"Makes sense," Jade said. "It'll be hard to cover you in the fight. We also don't know who Nezu is going to send with us, so it's best to keep you safe and sound."

 

"I know, but still. We did everything together, and now you show up, and I'm getting told to sit at home. What do I do if Gentle doesn't come back? What if he gets hurt? Is Nezu going to take care of him, or will he just leave him for the cops?"

 

Jade chewed her lip and looked around the rooftops before saying. "La Brava, I promise to do my best to keep him safe and get him back to you."

 

"Oh, and why should I trust-" La Brava stopped as she saw emerald eyes.

 

Jade pulled her mask away from her face and said. "I swear I will make sure Gentle gets back to you and that if he gets hurt, he gets the treatment he needs."

 

La Brava stared at Jade's face for a moment before huffing and looking away as Jade put her mask back on. "Fine, but if you mess up, I'll ruin your life."

 

"That's understandable. Now come on, let's go inside. I'd like to know who we're going after tonight."

 

"Fine, but I still consider you annoying. I hope you know that." La Brava said as she opened the door and led Jade to the apartment she shared with Gentle.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 23rd, 2236

 

The Hero Public Safety Commission HQ sat in the middle of Tokyo, looming over all the surrounding buildings. As heroes and workers milled about the tower, the president of the HPSC sat in her office with a hand running through her graying hair. The MLA investigation had been progressing smoothly. A smile pulled at her lips as she scanned the reports from Hawks. Almost the entirety of Dieka city was owned by the MLA, with their members making up ninety-five percent of the population. It was a stronghold in the middle of Japan.

 

Hawks had met their leaders, and the headaches she had dealt with ever since taking up her position started to make more sense. The companies and news sites that were all revealed to be compromised had all been linked to troubles in Japan, but nothing that could say they themselves were corrupt but now. Now she had all the info she needed to set up a plan. She may not have the name and face of every MLA member, but she didn't need it because she'd cut the head, arms, and at least one leg of the old villain group. The rest of the fodder would scatter and reintegrate into society or become villains that the heroes would be able to mop up over the next few years.

 

The only issue would be getting enough heroes together to take a city and the safe houses they knew about. As the president tapped her finger against her desk, she watched the ever-present news feed on the TV in her office. Something caught her attention, scrolling across the bottom as the news anchor talked about the stock market. Terrorists in Mongolia were taken down by a large-scale military operation. Heroes were possibly involved in the raid.

 

The gears started to turn as she thought about her options. Japan had very strict rules on using military force. That hadn't changed in the two hundred years since quirks showed up, and no one seemed keen on changing that since they were still worrying about quirks and their consequences.

 

Inspiration flashed, and she picked up the phone on her desk and called her secretary. "Yuki, I need you to get in touch with the Minister of Defense's office and request a meeting as soon as possible."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 25th, 2236

 

"I have to say I was not expecting to receive a call from the president of the HPSC. it's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am." Kozato Keishi said as he bowed at the waist. His dark hair was trimmed short and well-maintained, and his dark gray eyes looked around the office.

 

The president of the HPSC bowed as she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. Thank you for answering my call so quickly."

 

"Well, when the woman in charge of managing heroes calls and says she has something important to discuss, you make time." the man said as he sat down. "What is it you wished to speak about?"

 

As the president took her seat, she said. "Are you familiar with the Meta Liberation Army?"

 

"They're an old villain group." the man said. "They existed back in the day and stirred up quite a lot of trouble until you heroes took them down. After their leader Re-Destro died, they scattered and disappeared."

 

"Yes, they disappeared but only from sight. I'm afraid they still exist and seem to have grown quite large. Too large for heroes to effectively handle without putting the rest of Japan at risk." The president said as she folded her hands.

 

"That's quite the predicament, but I'm not sure what the JSDF can do. Villains fall under your jurisdiction unless foreign ones are invading. We cannot mount an attack against a villain group."

 

"No, but you can act against domestic terrorists." the president stated, making the minister raise an eyebrow. "This new MLA is not like the old one. We have proof of them sowing decent among Japan and aiding villain groups to cause havoc. We can label them a domestic terrorist group and then have the heroes supplement the JSDF and assault their main base while smaller groups go and take care of the safe houses we know of."

 

The minister rubbed his chin as he said. "That could work. Though what about backlash from the heroes working with the military? While there are no laws stating you can't, it is a sort of unspoken rule that the two remain separate."

 

"We are taking down a dangerous group of people who have been stoking the flames of discontent in Japan. The government and the heroes realized that the rising crime rate may be due to them, so they joined forces this one time to take down this threat and help Japan find peace. We'll release whatever evidence we can of the MLA's actions supporting other villain groups."

 

"Then I suppose we should get to work on putting a plan together. These terrorists have caused enough problems for the good people of Japan."

 

The president smiled as she shook the minister's hand. "I look forward to working with you, sir. May our operation be a success."

Notes:

I keep thinking up ideas and then realizing they aren't gonna work with this fic. Thankfully, though, they'll work with Burning Hearts.

I saw some people with Overhaul pfp's saying some shit about Izuku on Twitter like a couple days ago, and it bugged the shit out of me. I don't get the fascination with Overhaul or the desire to see more. I don't get why people like him. He's a child abuser who has a shitty plan that boils down to make yakuza great again.

I remember when I was writing Watching Over You, which I guess spoilers for that incomplete fic that's gonna get rewritten one day. I had Nagant kill him off, and that chapter had a bunch of people talking about how sad they were to see him go and how he was so cool, and I was just like, what? you guys like things about this man? He's my least favorite character in the series.

I'll see you guys next time. Gonna work on Burning Hearts next

Chapter 29: Discovery

April 25th, 2236

 

It was dark. An oppressive and all-consuming darkness that made it impossible to see anything. She tried to move her body, but nothing happened. A weight settled onto her entire body, and she gasped as the air was forced from her lungs. Cold wetness settled onto her back and quickly started to rise. Fear and panic consumed her every thought. She desperately tried to force the weight off her, but nothing was working. Her limbs were giving out, and the icy waters rose past her ears and quickly swallowed her whole.

 

Ochako gasped and clutched at her sheets as she panted. Her skin felt cold and clammy, and her heartbeat roared in her ears. Ochako took several deep breaths, and once her heart rate slowed down, she moved for her wheelchair. She needed to get out of bed.

 

It took several minutes, but Ochako managed to get into her wheelchair and make her way to the balcony. The cool nighttime air soothed her, and she felt her breathing coming and going much easier now. Ochako swallowed a lump of emotion that bubbled up in her throat and took a shaky breath as she tried to calm down. The dream lingered in her mind like a memory she wanted to forget.

 

She wasn't sure how long she stayed out there, but sleep was hard to come by for the rest of the night. When the sun finally came up, she made her way out of her bedroom for breakfast. She looked at Izuku and noted the bags under his eyes. He looked at her, and for a moment, she thought she saw something, but he blinked, and it was gone.

 

"You look tired."

 

Ochako hums as she rolls up to their small dining table, where breakfast is waiting for her. "Same could be said about you."

 

Izuku chuckled and said. "Living a memory last night. I woke up afterward and was too wired to go back to sleep for a while."

 

Ochako sighed. “Izuku.”

 

She's busy looking at her food and misses how he looks away from her as she says his name. "You gotta do that stuff at a better time."

 

"Yeah, I know," Izuku says after a moment. "So why are you tired?"

 

Ochako glances at him and bites her cheek for a moment before saying. "I was just restless. I'm not exercising like I'm used to, so it's hard to get sleep."

 

"The physical therapy isn't exhausting you?"

 

"It's exhausting, but it isn't like our usual routine," Ochako says as she fights against her guilt. Izuku has too much going on with himself, and she knows he's worrying about her already, so she doesn't need to make things harder for him by telling him about one nightmare. "Come on, let's eat already, or we'll be late for class."

 

Izuku agrees, and the two chat about school work as they eat breakfast. after they're done, and the dishes are cleaned, Izuku helps her with her tights again, and she can't tell if he looks more or less embarrassed than last time.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 25th, 2236

 

Ochako sighed as she lay on the bed in the nurse's office. She had just finished her physical therapy for the day and was waiting for Izuku to come out of the memory he was experiencing so they could head home. Recovery Girl had left due to an incident with a few second years who were training, and so Ochako was pretty much alone. "I'm thirsty."

 

Ochako glanced over and saw the cup of water the nurse had left for her and noted that the small table-side cart it was on had rolled just out of arm's reach. Ochako groaned as she reached over, and her fingers just barely couldn't grab the edge of the car.

 

Ochako huffed as she sat up as best she could before trying to lean over again. She smiled as she managed to grab the edge of the cart, but her smile vanished as her weight shifted, and she accidentally pushed the cart away but did not take her hand off it. The cart dragged her out of bed, and with a yelp, she fell and hit the ground.

 

The door opened, and Recovery Girl rushed in. "What happened?!"

 

"S-sorry, ma'am," Ochako said as she lay on the ground. "I was trying to reach the cart, and it fell over."

 

"It's quite alright, dear... what happened?" Recovery Girl said as she walked over.

 

Ochako followed the nurse's eyes and saw the cart, which had fallen over, was partially crumpled and buried into the floor. "W-what? How did that happen?"

 

"Questions for later, dear. Let's get you in the chair first." Recovery Girl said as she pulled the wheelchair over.

 

"O-ok..." Ochako said as she let the nurse help her into the chair. Once Ochako was secure, Recovery Girl walked over and attempted to nudge the cart with her cane, but it failed to budge.

 

"Did you touch the cart before you fell?"

 

"Yeah," Ochako said as she stared at the cart. "I grabbed the edge and was going to pull it closer, but I fell and pushed it away."

 

"Hm... try releasing your quirk, dear."

 

"O-ok," Ochako said as she brought her fingers together and said. "Release."

 

Recovery Girl nudged the cart with her cane and was able to shake it though it was still trapped in the floor. "It would seem your quirk has changed in some way. Have you used it at all since your injury?"

 

"N-no. I haven't seen a reason to."

 

"We'll need to set up an appointment with Midnight tomorrow then. She has a quirk counselor license and helps out any students who find new aspects of their quirks."

 

Ochako stared at the cart as she fiddled with her hands. "I'm sorry about the cart, ma'am."

 

"Oh, it's quite alright." Recovery Girl said as she walked over and patted Ochako's knee. "Accidents happen. Just be careful to not use your quirk until we know how it works now."

 

Ochako nodded and tried not to let her nerves show as she waited for Izuku to wake up. Once he was awake, he walked over and spotted the cart. "What happened there?"

 

"My quirk," Ochako muttered. "Something changed with it. I'm gonna see Midnight tomorrow."

 

Ochako looked up nervously, but a smile pulled at her lips as she saw the shimmer in Izuku's eyes. He smiled as he said. "Oh, I have so many ideas."

 

"And you can write them down at home and let Uraraka take them with her tomorrow." Recovery Girl said as she shooed them away. "Get home, you two."

 

The two teens thanked the old nurse before heading home to write down and talk about the ideas Izuku had started to think of.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 26th, 2236

 

Midnight smiled as she watched Izuku pushing Ochako's wheelchair up to the entrance of the gym they were using. "Hello, my dear students. I hear Uraraka has had some developments with her quirk."

 

"Y-yeah, I have no idea how it happened, but I touched something and made it super heavy. It broke the floor in the nurse's office." Ochako said as she fiddled with her hands. "Izuku and I came up with some ideas yesterday about what could have changed."

 

"Here you go, ma'am," Izuku said as he handed her his open notebook.

 

Midnight's eyes scanned the pages as she looked over the information. There was a lovely drawing of Ochako that made Midnight want to giggle, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the young girl's quirk, possible improvements, and a new section that went over the possible changes that had occurred. "These are details. Excellent work, Midoriya. I think you'll excel in the analysis segment of heroics in your second year."

 

"Thank you, ma'am," Izuku said as he accepted his notebook. "Before we get started, I, um... I do have an idea of why Ochako's quirk changed."

 

Ochako looked up curiously as Midnight asked him what he meant. She had brought it up last night, but at the time, he simply said he wasn't sure either. Izuku did not look comfortable as he rubbed his arm and said. "The USJ."

 

Ochako tensed as Midnight crossed her arms and said. "When she got injured? Did something happen?"

 

"When I was trying to find her, the rubble kind of... exploded and orbited around her as she floated in the air. She, um... she fell pretty quickly after that."

 

Ochako reached up and grabbed his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze as she did her best to smile. She didn't remember anything like that happening, but she could see the strain on Izuku's face. He was still beating himself up about not catching her.

 

"Perhaps a quirk awakening." Midnight said as she rubbed her chin. "They're incredibly rare. You were very lucky, Uraraka; things could have turned out much worse for you."

 

Ochako swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and nodded. "Noted."

 

Midnight smiled and patted her shoulder. "Let's not dwell on that, though. We're here today to help you figure out how your quirk has changed. Now let's get inside and see what we have to work with."

 

The teens followed Midnight into the gym, where various weights and metal cubes were set up, several of which were on tables. Midnight motioned to the objects and said. "Let's start simple, just touch that metal cube, and we'll see what happens."

 

Midnight and Izuku stood nearby as they watched Ochako touch the fist-sized cube of metal that was on a sturdy metal table. It floated a couple centimeters off the table as her fingers left it. Midnight rubbed her chin as she said. "Release and repeat it a few times."

 

Ochako nodded and repeated the process several times. The first few times, the cube simply floated in the air, but after another try, the cube stayed on the table, which groaned suddenly. Midnight walked around to the other side of the table and grunted as she tried to pick the cube up. "T-this thing weighed three pounds earlier."

 

"And if you release it," Izuku said as Ochako put her fingers together.

 

Midnight picked the cube up with no effort now. "Hm, very odd. Is there any kind of visualization you use for your quirk?"

 

Ochako shook her head. "No, ma'am, my quirk just automatically activates when I touch something with all five fingers. I had to get used to either keeping my pinkie up or wearing artist gloves."

 

"You may need to try some visualization practice." Midnight said as she set the cube down. "Think of things that you associate with heaviness or restriction. Find a good image that works and then touch the cube."

 

Ochako rubbed her chin as she tried to think of things that were related to heaviness or being restricted. Izuku chuckled, and when she looked up at him, he covered his mouth and said. "Sorry. I just remembered that one time you got grounded."

 

"Seriously?" Ochako groaned. "It was one time, and it wasn't even my fault."

 

"Yeah, but it was still funny," Izuku said as Ohcako thought about that time during their second year of junior high. She had not felt great about herself back then. As Ochako thought about it, she remembered how much it sucked being stuck in her room. She wanted to sneak out, play basketball, and hang out with her friends, but she couldn't because she was a good kid... most of the time, so she did what her parents told her and sat on her bed feeling trapped until it was time for dinner.

 

Ochako closed her eyes as she said. "For you, sure, but for me, it sucked."

 

Midnight smiled and contained her giddiness. These two were adorable, in her opinion, and she loved getting to see them just be at ease around each other. Ochako sighed and turned her attention back to the cube. "I think I have a visualization that should work."

 

"Good, then give it a try." Midnight said as she motioned to the cube.

 

Ochako touched the cube while thinking of her time sitting in her room, unable to go see her friends. Midnight smiled as she attempted to pick the cube up. "Keep going till you get comfortable with it. After that, try to alternate between increasing its gravity and removing it."

 

Ochako nodded as she released the cube. "I feel like this is gonna get boring quick."

 

"We have to get the boring experiments out of the way first so we can get to the fun stuff," Izuku said as he smiled. "Besides, I'll be here the whole time, so we can talk about whatever."

 

"Guess that's better than nothing," Ochako said, earning a playful shove from Izuku.

 

Midnight bit her cheek to stop herself from giggling and stood back as she observed Ochako using her quirk. It took some time, but eventually, she seemed comfortable and able to switch between the two effects.

 

"We need to see if you can throttle how heavy you make an item. It won't be good if you tap someone and crush them." Midnight said as she tapped the cube.

 

"We should also see how much heavier she's making things. That may make it easier for her to control it if she has some numbers to work with."

 

“Good idea Midoriya.” Midnight said as she walked towards a touchpad by the door. "I'll get some robots to bring over a scale that's rated for quirk use. In the meantime, just try to throttle the weight."

 

"Alright," Ochako said as she started to mess with the cube. Within ten minutes, two robots came in carrying a machine about the same size as Ochako's wheelchair. They set the device down next to the table and quickly left.

 

"Place the cube on here, and we'll test it out." Midnight said as she activated the scale.

 

Ochako set the cube on the scale, being sure to keep her pinky off of it as she handled it. The display on the device flashed three pounds zero ounces. "Now, use your quirk on it."

 

Ochako touched the cube, and the machine groaned slightly as the display blinked and adjusted the weight. Midnight blinked as she looked at the display. "Three hundred pounds... that's well, that is quite the difference."

 

"Wow," Ochako muttered as she canceled her quirk.

 

"Chako, what was your max weight with your quirk?" Izuku asked as he wrote down the new info.

 

"Um, two and a half tons, I think," Ochako said as she made the cube float and passed it between her hands.

 

"I wonder if you could make it that heavy," Izuku muttered as he set his notebook down.

 

"She might crush the cube." Midnight said as she smiled. "Good thing we have spares and plenty of time to test."

 

Ochako sighed as she set the cube down. "I'm glad you two are having fun, but I am getting tired. Physical therapy was hard today."

 

"Oh, right." Midnight said, "if you want, we can call it for today and pick this up later."

 

"That sounds good to me," Ochako said as she set the cube down. "I wanna take a nap."

 

"Let's get you home then," Izuku said as he grabbed his notebook and slipped it into his backpack before walking up behind Ochako. "Thank you for your help today Ms.Midnight."

 

"Nonsense, dear, it was my pleasure. I love helping kids figure out their quirks. Now you go on and get Uraraka home and be sure to make her a nice meal for dinner."

 

Izuku blushed as Midnight winked at him. He missed Ochako blushing, but Midnight didn't, and she couldn't but giggle to herself as she walked off. Izuku sighed and started to wheel Ochako home.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

April 28th, 2236

 

Izuku stood in his room in the apartment he shared with Ochako. He blinked slowly as he looked around. Something felt... off. A flicker of light caught his attention, and he gasped as he looked down and saw white lightning crawling up his legs, quickly engulfing his body as he flailed and tried to get away from the encroaching energy, but it was no use. He was consumed within seconds.

 

Izuku found himself back at the warehouse, bodies strewn about, broken and dead. Izuku trembled and said, "I-I didn't want to do that. I didn't mean to."

 

"How could you?"

 

Izuku turned and felt his heart shatter. Inko, Ochako, All Might, and all the others who knew of his quirk were there staring at him in disgust. Inko shook as she said. "I thought I raised you better than this. I did my best, but- but you still did this."

 

"It seems I was wrong about who to pick for my successor," Toshi said, looking defeated.

 

Ochako simply looked away, unwilling to meet his eyes. Izuku staggered, and everyone scattered to the wind abandoning him as the voices of One for All came in, speaking of his weaknesses and shortcomings. Izuku closed his eyes as darkness encroached from all sides, but just as he thought it would be over, a gasp caught his attention.

 

Izuku looked up and felt his stomach attempt to remove its contents as he saw Ochako bleeding and dying. He knew right away it was his fault. Izuku tried to reach out for her, but a hand cloaked in white light reached out, and Izuku screamed as it grabbed her face.

 

Izuku's eyes shot open as he panted and stared at his ceiling. His heart hammered in his ears, and he was covered in sweat. The memory of his nightmare was fading quickly, but the pain lingered. He needed fresh air desperately.

 

Izuku stopped as he got to the living room. The door to the balcony was already open, and Ochako was sitting there. He stared at her brown eyes as she looked up at the sky. The light reflecting off them was mesmerizing. She turned her head, and for a moment before she blinked, Izuku saw something in her eyes that concerned him.

 

"H-hey," she said as he approached the door. "What are you doing up?"

 

"I... um." Izuku looked around, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. "Can I sit out here with you?"

 

Ochako cocked her head to the side and said. "Yeah, of course, you can."

 

"Thanks," Izuku muttered as he sat in the chair next to her. The two sat in silence as Ochako thought about what could be bothering Izuku. She had come out here because she had had another nightmare and was calming down. She was about to head back in when Izuku showed up looking pale and almost as distressed as the morning after the warehouse incident.

 

Ochako tensed as he took her hand, and she could feel him tremble slightly as he whispered. "Ochako... you're my friend, right?"

 

Ochako squeezed his hand and nodded as she said. "Best friend."

 

"No matter what?"

 

"Hm... if you eat my mochi, I may have to call our friendship off, but other than that, yeah, we're friends no matter what."

 

Izuku chuckled weakly, and Ochako glanced at him and tensed. A few tears quickly descended down his cheeks as he shook. Ochako squeezed his hand again, and the two lapsed into silence again. As Izuku started to calm down, he spoke quietly. "T-thank you... I- I'm glad I have you in my life."

 

Ochako blushed as she looked away and did her best to ignore her heartbeat. Izuku was emotional about something, and now was not the time to be feeling flustered. "S-same. You're my best friend. I'm glad I've got you around."

 

The two teens sat on the balcony for a while longer before quietly going back inside and saying goodnight before heading into their respective rooms.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

April 29th, 2236

 

Hawks stared at the information in front of him. He was sitting in his room looking at Twitter, pretending to just scroll and kill time, but in actuality, several of the accounts he was following were made by the HPSC and were being used to send coded messages to him through their post. He kept his expression neutral in case that neurotic man Skepti bugged his apartment. He had gained the MLA leadership's trust, except for that man, but it was of no consequence. While he excelled at his job, Skeptic was one man, and the HPSC had an army of people who could do what he did. Getting around his surveillance was annoying but very doable.

 

'So the attack is coming in three days. Finally, we'll be able to take these villains out. The JSDF is concerning, but it makes sense. Guess I'll be going back to Deika city and waiting for the attack to happen.'  Hawks signed internally as he turned his phone off. He had such a demanding job.

Notes:

The kids have the trauma, and Hawks is finally going to be done with this job.

Vox Machina season two has been a good watch.

I had an idea idk if I'd ever write, but it's just giving Izuku a quirk which is just Angle from CSM's powers.

I got nothing else to say, so see you next time.

Chapter 30: May 2nd, 2236 Deika City Raid Part One

May 2nd, 2236

 

Several hours before sunrise, the JSDF started to move. Keeping their movements hidden from the media and other prying eyes was challenging but not impossible. At the same time, a small army of heroes traveled from their usual stomping grounds to the forward operating bases set up in secret around Deika city.

 

In one such base, which served as the central command center for the entire operation Colonel Shiraki stood with her silver hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes shimmered like mercury as she double-checked her notes and waited for the officers under her command and the heroes to arrive.

 

A dozen heroes gathered along with her soldiers and gave her their full attention. Several monitors showed her the other temporary bases and a JSFD airfield where several heroes were waiting. The woman cleared her throat and said. "Good morning. Let's get down to business. It is currently 0400; the operation will begin at 0630. Once it begins, JSDF forces will shut down electricity to the city and block off all exits. Hero squads will begin moving in, followed by JSDF squads."

 

The screen behind Shiraki lit up, showing an overhead shot of the city. "Northern forces will move in to secure the hospital. Eastern forces will secure the police station before heading for the residential areas. Meanwhile, southern and western forces will move in on downtown and pincer the enemy forces."

 

The map updated, showing several arrows moving through the city toward the targets she mentioned. "We will push the MLA to Detnerat Tower, which is owned by Rikiya Yotsubashi, aka Re-Destro. His quirk, as well as all other notable members of the MLA, has been provided. Memorize their powers, and don't underestimate anyone. These people have been training every day since they decided to betray Japan."

 

Everyone soaked in the information as the map changed again, showing a plane's flight path. "At the start of the operation, All Might, Endeavor, and Jeanist will be airdropped onto Detnerat Tower, where they will arrest Re-Destro and his lieutenants and force a surrender."

 

The colonel looked to the three heroes on the airfield monitor as she said. "I know you heroes aren't supposed to kill and that the HPSC has a lot of incentives in place to keep you from killing, but these people are dangerous. They're terrorists, not just desperate assholes who want money or power. They intend to topple our government if given a chance. If you can't secure them, kill them. Though having three of the top four sent in, I'm sure you'll be fine."

 

All Might and Jeanist stayed silent as Endeavor huffed in annoyance. He didn't need some random military woman telling him how to do his job. As Shiraki went over the finer details of who would be in charge of what while out in the field, All Might thought about the situation they were in. He'd never spoken about it much, but the idea of the military and the heroes working together had always been something he had thought would never happen. As he prepared to leave, All Might hoped that this sort of thing would be a one-time thing.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 2nd, 2236

 

"Why are we up so early?" Native asked as he followed Hawks.

 

"Because I saw something I think you need to see," Hawks said as he led the traitor away from where the main forces would be moving in. "It's odd, and I need your opinion on whether or not to report it to the higher-ups."

 

"Did it have to be so early, though?" Native asked. "It's only like five in the morning."

 

"It's six thirty-five, actually," Hawks said before an explosion went off blocks away. Native turned toward the source, not seeing Hawks draw his feather blade.

 

"What the hell was-" Native's shout was cut short as Hawks lunged and left a dozen shallow slashes across the traitor's body, causing him to drop like a sack of potatoes and scream in pain. "W-what the hell Hawks!?"

 

"Shut up, traitor," Hawks said as he returned his blade to his wing. "You and the rest of the MLA are going down today, so do me a favor and just lay here until the heroes show up and drag your sorry ass off to prison."

 

Hawks flexed his wings and took off into the sky as heroes and JSDF forces rounded the corner and descended upon Native as the man screamed obscenities at Hawks. The number three hero spotted a plane approaching and kept his eyes out for potential threats. There weren't many in the MLA who could fly, but if any one of them figured out the plane was dangerous to them, they'd be able to take it down.

 

A blur shot from between several skyscrapers, and Hawks was already chasing it down before he could properly confirm the identity of the person. As Hawks closed the gap, he saw the long burning orange hair of Kuse Ginko, a high-ranking member of the MLA and their most dangerous flier. Hawks cursed his luck as he drew his feather blade. He had really been hoping she was out of the city by the time the attack happened.

 

The woman spotted him as he attempted to slash at her. Her arms burst into flames, and she rolled out of the way before stabilizing herself by reigniting her legs and shouting. "You! I knew it was too good to be true! You're a damn traitor!"

 

Hawks leveled his sword at her as his wings beat and kept him aloft. "Traitor implies that I was ever loyal to you people. I think the term liar fits me better."

 

"How about dead?!" Kuse said as her arms and legs glowed a brighter orange. She shot towards the number three hero, who quickly dropped down and shot away from her, hoping she would take the bait. Kuse cursed and shot off after him, forgetting about the military plane quickly closing in on the city.

 

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May 2nd, 2236

 

Endeavor checked his gauntlets while Jeanist secured his belt, and All Might did some last-minute stretches. The cargo door slowly opened, and wind buffeted the three heroes as their eyes adjusted to the light. The pilot spoke over their comms, and they got the green light to drop. The three heroes broke into a sprint and jumped from the back of the plane. As they fell, they spotted the tallest tower in the city and rapidly approached it.

 

With a quick glance, Jeanist wrapped the other two in his threads as he shot a thickened line down to the building and wrapped it around a sturdy-looking pipe. All Might punched off to the side as Endeavor shot a burst of flames upward to adjust their trajectory. The trio pivoted, and Jeanist adjusted the length of the line securing them to the building. The trio swung around the building and slammed through the glass of the top floor, landing right in front of the lieutenants and Re-Destro, who had been meeting.

 

The leaders of the MLA all looked shocked as three of the top four heroes stood before them. All Might smiled as he said. "Now that we are here, you have no choice but to surrender!"

 

There was hardly a beat of silence before Trumpet yelled. "Do not be daunted, my friends! Our cause is just, and we will succeed!"

 

Re-Destro shot to max output and rushed All Might as the number one hero had started to ready a punch. As Jeansit started to bind their clothing, Curious threw her phone while Geten summoned a wall of ice that destroyed the plumbing of the building and half the room. It slammed into Endeavor while Re-Destro tackled All Might from the room, and Curious's phone exploded in Jeanist's face.

 

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May 2nd, 2236

 

All Might swore in English as he grappled midair with the rapidly growing Re-Destro. As they spun and plummeted, All Might saw several things explode from the base of the tower and shoot toward them.  'The hell are those?!'

 

Re-Destro managed to kick All Might off before landing, and the two tumbled through several small buildings before coming to a stop in a business district. Re-Destro stood and allowed his support items to begin attaching themselves to him. "I have to say I did not think the HPSC would attack us like this, and I did not think you would be among the heroes who would arrive, but it matters not!"

 

As the armor fully encased the leader of the MLA, he said. "I will kill you, and we will liberate this land!"

 

All Might laughed as he stood up and flexed his muscles. "Stronger people than you have tried villains. I have bested them all, and you will be no different!"

 

Re-Destro's armor began magnifying his stress as he said. "The world has seen you bleed, All Might. We all know you are no god, and now I will show them all how far from divinity you really are. Your corpse will be the first step toward our grand ideals!"

 

All Might closed the distance before Re-Destro could summon his Burden. All Might's fist connected with Re-Destro's armored chest, and a resounding bang shattered nearby windows as the MLA leader was sent flying back the way they had come.

 

Re-Destro was back on his feet and summoned two orbs of Burden that he shot at the number one hero before jumping towards him. All Might dodged the two orbs and raised his arms to defend against Re-Destro's fist. The punch rattled his bones, but All Might had felt worse and quickly moved to grab the man's arm, but Re-Destro was quick and kicked away before throwing another Burden.

 

All Might cocked his arm back and fired off a Detroit Smash; the subsequent wave of air pressure dispersed the Burden. Re-Destro fired off three more as his suit creaked and groaned while amplifying his stress. All Might matched his Burdens with Detroit Smash's as he closed the gap.

 

The two titans clashed again. As Re-Destro attempted to land a right hook on All Might, the man blocked the shot and delivered a Texas Smash to the same spot on Re-Destro's armor that he had hit earlier. The chest plate dented and groaned under the strain as the head of the MLA was sent flying back again.

 

All Might panted as he flexed his hands. His ear buzzed with various callouts from heroes and JSDF officers. The area he and Re-Destro had landed in was still engulfed in combat. If he were to go all out, he'd risk the safety of his fellow heroes and the military forces that were aiding them.

 

The callouts stopped, and colonel Shiraki spoke up. "All Might bring your fight over to the intersection of third and fourteenth street. The area is clear, and you can go all out. Property damage is not an issue. All these businesses are helping fund terrorists, so I'm sure the government will be fine with you leveling the buildings."

 

"Understood." All Might stated as he leaped toward the recovering Re-Destro and grabbed the man's leg before throwing him towards the intersection.

 

Re-Destro grunted as he rolled to a stop and quickly dismissed the various notifications of damage to his suit. He was up against the symbol of peace. He did not expect to get out unscathed.

 

All Might landed in front of him, cracking the asphalt. "I would like to remind you, Yotsubashi, that you can surrender. You will receive a fair trial, and your sentence will be better than if you were to continue this fight until you lose, and you will lose."

 

"I don't care," Re-Destro said as he stood up and allowed his stress to build. "I will fight for what I believe in, and I will not stop until I am dead or I have achieved my goals!"

 

All Might caught Re-Destro's fist, sending a shockwave across the block and cracking windows. All Might squeezed, and Re-Destro's armored fist groaned and crumpled. The man screamed, but before All Might could follow up, two orbs of Burden formed in All Might's hands, and the number one hero quickly released the villain, who fired the twin shots into the number one hero's chest. As All Might flew back, the gauntlets of Re-Destro's armor slipped off, revealing his broken hands. Re-Destro bit back a curse as he saw All Might pulling himself out of the rubble of the building he had been blasted into. "Do not fall, my followers; we will succeed and bring liberation to this land."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

May 2nd, 2236

 

Jeanist shielded his face with a thick layer of denim as Curious's phone exploded. As the three remaining MLA lieutenants ran for the exit, Skeptic activated his quirk on as many things as he could, creating fake versions of his comrades and sending them toward the number four hero, who was quickly recovering from the small explosive. As they ran past, Curious tagged as many fakes as she could. With Trumpet's quirk amping the others, the fakes managed to close the distance on Jeanist before he could restrain them with his denim, but it was too late. The few bodies Curious tagged exploded and threw the denim-clad hero from the broken window.

 

As the lieutenants fled, Jeanist shot threads out that intermingled with the carpet of the meeting room they had busted into. Jeanist grunted as he slammed into the side of the building and coughed. "Damn it. This is not going to plan, but I cannot give up yet. I must capture the remaining villains."

 

Jeanist quickly started to climb and give chase to the fleeing villains. As Jeanist arrived at the staircase, he spotted the three lieutenants open a door and run in, only for dozens of MLA members to come running out and heading straight up for Jeanist.

 

As the trio of villains ran, Trumpet continued to occasionally spew his rhetoric and amp the three of them. Most of their forces were in town fighting off the surprise attack, and by the sounds coming from the staircase, Jeanist was too much for the few MLA members who were left behind.

 

The hero was gaining on them as they descended the tower, and Trumpet was quickly reaching his limit. Eventually, they'd get caught by the number four hero, and everything would end. 

 

A shot rang out, and glass shattered as Skeptic spun and blood spewed from his arm. Curious looked over and saw on the roof of a building across the street a squad of JSDF soldiers were set up. The shooter adjusted his aim, and Curious threw herself to the ground as Trumpet got hit and fell down screaming and clutching his leg.

 

Gunfire erupted from across the street, and Curious peeked up from the desk she had landed behind and saw the military forces were distracted with MLA members attempting to get to them. She could hear Jeanist on the comms and saw the door they had gone through start to open. She was going to get caught. She needed to get away now, but she needed to keep Jeanist from pursuing her...

 

"Well, you two are both useless now anyways," Curious said as she tagged Skeptic and Trumpet with her quirk before running as Jeanist entered the room.

 

Curious felt a sense of satisfaction when the floor above her shook with several explosions. Despite the explosions, Curious didn't let up and kept descending the tower. If she could get out and get to her devout followers, she could clear a path to safety and-

 

Curious was thrown back as the loading doors at the back of the tower exploded open. JSDF forces flooded in and quickly spotted her. "Put your hands up and surrender!"

 

Curious looked around desperately for something or anyone, but she was alone and surrounded. The blue-skinned woman slowly raised her hands as she got onto her knees.

 

"Fine, I surrender-" something pricked the side of Curious's neck, and her vision went black within seconds. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was the soldiers getting closer to her as they talked to someone about how they had secured her.

 

Jeanist stumbled a bit as he finally reached the bottom floor and found JSDF forces securing the tower. "Where is Curious?"

 

The squad leader stepped up and motioned to a body bag as he said. "Dead. She attempted to blow us up with her quirk, so we were forced to put her down. I'm sorry that we couldn't capture her alive, sir."

 

Jeanist looked at the squad leader for a moment before letting his eyes scan the other members and the loading area they were in. "I see... It is regrettable that this happened. Keep this tower secure. I will go out and assist with any nearby battles."

 

Jeanist left the tower and ignored the JSDF squad's questions about if he was well enough to keep fighting. He put his worries to the side as well as the throbbing pain from the various explosions he had been subjected to. It was too late to back out of this operation or protest it, but after the fact, he would be taking steps to keep this kind of thing from happening again, and he would be looking at the JSDF a little more closely. Hawks said that he couldn't find any MLA agents in the JSDF, but something about that didn't sit right with Jeanist.

 

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May 2nd, 2236

 

Endeavor slammed into the asphalt, unable to stop his momentum as he evaporated the ice column that had hit him. This was frustrating, and it was All Might's fault. Endeavor had been all for just busting in and taking the MLA leadership out, but the blonde oaf had insisted on giving them a chance for a peaceful surrender. Jeanist was no help in that conversation, and they ended up giving the villains a chance, and they took advantage of that to separate everyone. Now he didn't even know where he was in Deika.

 

Endeavor got to his feet as he shot off jet burns and pushed back the wave of ice. As the ice stopped advancing and pulled back, Endeavor spotted several new problems. JSDF and heroes were pinned in the buildings near him, meaning he couldn't just unleash maximum firepower.

 

Before the number two hero could even tap his comms, Colonel Shiraki spoke up. "Endeavor, hold him back for three minutes while we get those people out of there, and then you'll be clear to go all out."

 

"Understood." Endeavor said as he throttled his heat and shot off into the sky, intent on trying to move the fight away from the ground. He could tell by the size of the ice rising up in front of him that he wouldn't be able to get away completely, so he focused on keeping as much ice above the street as he could.

 

As the flame hero blasted flying chunks of ice and kept an eye out for any MLA reinforcements or other problems, he kept scanning the ice looking for any sign of Geten. The ice villain was nowhere to be seen.

 

Endeavor continued to dodge ice and buy time until he got the all-clear. As he evaporated a large chunk of ice that had been sent towards him, he heard an explosion rock the city, and a red, white, and blonde headache known as All Might was shot into the air and came crashing down several dozen blocks away from where he had gotten air. Re-Destro roared in an almost inhuman way as he shot into the air and landed near where All Might had landed.

 

Endeavor quickly ducked under another pillar of ice as he turned his attention back to his own fight. He'd wrap this up and then go save that dumbass. The flame hero spun midair and sent out trails of fire from his arms as several tentacles of ice tried to attack him from all sides.

 

"Endeavor, you have the all clear. Take Geten out, and we'll be able to secure that area."

 

"Finally." Endeavor growled as he shot into the sky faster than the ice could follow. "It's time you realize how outclassed you are, villain!"

 

Geten moved more and more ice between himself and Endeavor. Trumpet's amp had worn off, and now there was more ice than Geten could manipulate. A wave of warm air washed over the ice villain as he desperately attempted to put up a defense. The air started to get warmer and warmer as Endeavor yelled. Light pierced through the layers of ice Geten had surrounded himself in, and he looked up to see a second sun barreling towards him.

 

"Prominence Burn!"

 

The ice melted, and Geten desperately tried to refreeze it, but it evaporated too quickly and was lost to him. A wave of heat and fire washed over him, burning his winter coat and his skin. Geten was quickly losing consciousness due to the heat, but just before he could succumb completely, a fist broke through the torrent of orange flames and struck him across the jaw, burning him and sending him crashing into the asphalt.

 

As the flames quickly subsided, Endeavor stood over Geten with one foot planted on the ice villain's chest. He tapped his comms and said. "Geten is secured. Moving to assist that idiot All Might."

 

"Negative Endeavor." Colonel Shiraki said. "We need you south; Hawks is having some trouble.

 

The number two hero was annoyed at being ordered around, but he fell in line and secured Geten before informing Shiraki that he was headed toward Hawk's location.

Notes:

So I took valentines week off because my partner's b-day is two days after valentines day. The day before, we celebrated her sister's b-day, and then the day after her b-day, we were supposed to go see her grandparents. their b-day was the usual trip to the aquarium and then to Ikea for lunch and to buy storage stuff we needed. We never got to see their grandparents because I was sick (Just a cold), and then right after that, my back pain flared up, and I spent two days pretty much bedridden. I did not write much during this time, and so this took a bit to write.

Gonna write some Burning Hearts, and then I have some Kisses and Kissed chapters I want to write.

anyways that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 31: May 2nd, 2236 Deika City Raid Part Two

May 2nd, 2236

 

Hawks cursed as he nosedived in the air to avoid a blast of flame from Kuse. The orange-haired woman managed to singe a few of his feathers. As Hawks flew, doing his best to avoid her while trying to close the distance, he tapped his comms and said. "Can I get some air support?! I'm not good with fire!"

 

"Endeavor will head over once he's done with his fight." Colonel Shiraki said, "Just keep her distracted in the meantime."

 

'Fuck I hate today so much.'  Hawks thought as he shot up into the sky to avoid Kuse.

 

As the two fliers danced around each other, firing off blasts of fire and feathers, Hawks got a weird feeling. He had heard of Kuse more than he had seen her. She was the most dangerous member of the MLA when it came to flying. He'd been able to find out about some of the work she had done. There'd been more than a few planes that took off from Japan only to never make it to their destinations, and more than a few people fell from high places, usually just before they were going to do something the MLA didn't like.

 

She was a demon in the skies, and fire was Hawk's natural weakness. She should be more aggressive than this. Why was she being so defensive?

 

As Hawks barely avoided another blast of fire and ignored a string of curses from the woman, he wracked his brain for a reason until he was forced to dodge a flurry of rocks and other random bits of debris.

 

Hawks looked down and saw a group of MLA members hurling random things at him from a rooftop. As Hawks avoided the debris, he kept his eye on Kuse, who raised a hand to her ear for a moment before suddenly firing off away from the city.

 

"Oi!" Hawks yelled before having to avoid another flurry of random bullshit being thrown at him. More MLA members were hurling things.

 

As Hawks debated what to do, Colonel Shirkai cut in. "Take care of those stragglers, Hawks; we have people trailing Ginko, and we'll send Endeavor after her."

 

Hawks watch Kuse fly farther from him before shooting down toward the MLA members. "Understood."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 2nd, 2236

 

Re-Destro grunted as he was tossed like a ragdoll. Every time he skipped across the asphalt, another piece of his armor broke until he was lying on the ground, stripped bare of his support gear.

 

All Might landed a few yards away and said. "Surrender; you cannot win. You've lost your support gear, and your forces are crumbling. You, villains, have lost the today."

 

"No, we haven't," Re-Destro said as he forced himself to his feet as his quirk started to recede. "As long as one person remains, the dream will not die. Even if it does, it will only be a temporary death. Liberation and freedom are our rights as those born on this earth with quirks. Your stifling and suffocating society will not hold us down forever! The cracks have already appeared, and we shall be the ones to shatter this false world!"

 

All Might's eyes widened, and he shot toward the man as Re-Destro pulled a vile from his pocket and jammed the syringe into his neck. "Liberation for all!"

 

One moment the Symbol of Peace was rushing towards Re-Destro the next, he was flying through the sky as the villain he had been fighting screamed like a monster and gave chase. "Damn it, he had Trigger on him?! Where did he get it from?"

 

As All Might twisted and landed on his feet, Re-Destro was close behind. The two titans clashed, sending shockwaves out across the city, shattering windows and cracking concrete. As they traded blows, All Might felt his body straining with each blow. His old wound was burning, and he could feel the embers of One for All burning faster and faster. He needed to wrap this up before he lost too much time.

 

As Re-Destro's wild swings came in, All Might waited and bided his time before seeing an opening. A swing went just a little too wide, and All Might slipped into defense.

 

All Might held back almost constantly while he fought. The only times he hadn't were against All for One and that giant out in the forest. Now as he clenched his fist and prepared to strike, he poured more strength into his strike and got closer to his maximum striking force. Re-Destro was strong and amped up on Trigger, and so All Might pushed himself to his max and hoped that he could end the fight with only a few strikes.

 

All Might's fist slammed into Re-Destro's chest, and the boom of his strike was accompanied by the horrifying crunch of the villain's sternum cracking. Re-Destro gasped as pain overrode his drug-induced rage, and All Might pressed his offensive with several more strikes to the man's shoulders and a kick to one of his knees.

 

As Re-Destro fell to his knees, All Might spoke. "I wish you had surrendered before this."

 

The villain attempted to scream and lunge for All Might, but the symbol of peace struck the man across the face knocking him out while sending a final shockwave across the city street.

 

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May 2nd, 2236

 

With their leadership decimated and no way to escape, the vast majority of the Meta Liberation Army was captured or killed by the combined forces of the JSDF and the heroes who had been called in. As the forces cleared the city and began gathering the dead and the prisoners, heroes stood and stared at what they had done.

 

"I can't do this."

 

"This isn't why I wanted to become a hero."

 

"Is this what's expected of us now? A-are we going to have to do this again?"

 

Unease spread amongst the ranks of the heroes. Killing was strictly the last possible option and something they all strived to avoid, and yet as they stood there amongst the corpses of their allies and enemies, the ones who were left were the ones who had killed. Many couldn't handle the weight of the decisions, and in the coming months, those involved in the attack on the MLA would retire and turn in their license. Some of those who did would later go on to speak out against the HPSC's decision to team up with the JSDF pushing unease deeper into the subconscious of the people of Japan.

 

Hawks clicked his tongue as he saw the update that Kuse had gotten away before Endeavor could catch up to her. The JSDF had failed to keep track of her long enough, and she managed to slip through their perimeter.

 

"Something isn't right."

 

"You have the same feeling," Jeansit said as he approached the number three hero. "I, too, encountered a strange event while chasing down the other leaders."

 

Hawks glanced around, checking for something that Jeanist could only guess at before saying. "There's a really nice place in Shibuya that sells some killer skewers."

 

"Hm, I'll have to check it out on my next day off," Jeanist replied as he watched HPSC coordinators arrive to help and organize the cleanup of an entire city.

 

"Chicken is their specialty, but beef and salmon are nothing to sneeze at either," Hawks said as he flapped his wings. "See you around, Jeanist. I gotta go do another sweep of the city."

 

The number four hero simply nodded and allowed Hawks to take off. Things were not sitting well with him, and if Hawks felt the same, then something more was definitely happening.

 

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May 2nd, 2236

 

Class 1-A sat in their classroom. An oppressive silence hung over them as Aizawa stood to the side, and the news broadcast informed Japan of what had happened at Deika city. While a good portion of the class hadn't really even thought about heroes and the military interacting before they picked up on their more studious classmates and, more importantly, their teacher's unease about the whole situation. The day had been going normally until the bell chimed in the middle of Aizawa's lecture on hero ethics, and Nezu announced that the hero courses would need to tune into the news.

 

When the projector had fired up they saw the president of the HPSC standing in one of the FOBs the JSDF had used during the attack. Reporters were asking a frenzy of questions and throwing out wild accusations, but the president did not react. She waited until they calmed themselves before speaking.

 

"I understand that many of you are confused and concerned about recent events. I wish to let you all know that while yes I did decide to approach the JSDF after finding out about the existence of the terrorist group known as the Meta Liberation Army, I did not make the decision lightly. I debated the pros and cons and ultimately decided that it would be in Japan's best interest not to take any chances. We needed this threat dealt with before it became a larger problem than it already was."

 

The reporter's hands shot up, and the president pointed to a man who stood and asked. "How did you discover the MLA had reformed, and what were they doing that caused such a quick reaction?"

 

"We discovered the existence of the MLA while tracking other villain groups and sent agents undercover to find out everything we could about the terrorist." the president said as she looked over the crowd. "We discovered several companies, including Feel Good Inc. and the Detnerat support company."

 

The president held her hand up to quell the storm of questions. "We are already working on removing any Detnerat technology and support items from the HPSC and heroes. We are also starting to work on helping remove any potentially dangerous technology and software from other companies."

 

The crowd murmured, and the president allowed another reporter to ask a question. "You mentioned how difficult this decision was to make. How do we know that this will not be made again?"

 

"We will be looking into several potential solutions to prevent this from becoming a common occurrence. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the Siberian uprising that Russia experienced in the wake of the Quirk Wars."

 

It was a nonanswer, but invoking a desire to avoid one of the most devastating events to happen in the past hundred years quelled most of the reporters. The president continued to answer or evade questions for some time until making her exit.

 

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May 4th, 2236

 

Chitose grunted as she was tossed onto the hard ground. She wasn't sure how many days it had been. The soldiers who held her in isolation kept their faces hidden, and she didn't hear them speak.

 

The sack was ripped off her head along with the blindfold and gag. As Chitose panted and let her eyes adjust to the light, she hated that her hands were restrained, so she couldn't touch anything. They had been very cautious with her, which was annoying.

 

Chitose grunted as she was forced to sit on her legs. Her eyes scanned the warehouse they seemed to be in. There were a few things left out that told her the building was full of military equipment.

 

"Damn, one of the lieutenants survived? I thought they all got taken down or killed."

 

That voice was familiar. She had heard it before a few times. Chitose looked to her left, where she locked eyes with Kuse Ginko. The orange-eyed woman smiled as she gave a little wave from the crate she was sitting on. "Yo, nice to see you again, Ms.Kizuki. How have you been?"

 

"W-what? What the hell are you doing here? Hurry up and get these idiots off of me!" Chitose screamed as she tried to struggle against the soldiers holding her down.

 

"Nah, I don't think I will. Ya see, I don't really work under you anymore." Kuse chuckled as she hopped up and walked over. "Actually, I haven't worked under you for a long time."

 

"You are one our most loyal members-"

 

"I'm loyal to Destro and his vision," Kuse said, cutting the woman off. "You lot were breeding stagnation while lining your own pockets and lording your power over everyone. That's not what he wanted. He wanted liberation and freedom for everyone-"

 

"That's enough, Kuse." a female voice spoke from behind the orange-haired girl. "Ranting like that won't help matters. Let me speak to her."

 

Chitose swallowed and squinted as the woman approached her. The lights behind her cast her silver hair in an almost angelic glow though the silver in her eyes was more like cold steel calculating the worth of everything and everyone around her.

 

"Hello, Ms.Kizuki; you may not remember me since I've been undercover for so long, but my name is Colonel Shuko Shiraki. I'm in charge of the Quirked Freedom Movement. Though I suppose to you, I was just one of many spies that were sent into the JSDF."

 

"Wha- what the hell are you talking about? Did you know we were going to be attacked?! If you did, then why the hell didn't you say anything?!"

 

"As Kuse said, we aren't loyal to the MLA anymore," Shuko said as she crouched down and grabbed Chitose by the hair. "You lot have had us stagnating for years. Nothing was getting done, and liberation was slipping farther and farther away."

 

Shuko released Chitose as she stood up and continued speaking. "While you were busy doing nothing with our movement, those of us in the JSDF came together and formed this group. We have a backer who supports our endeavors and is giving us real tangible results. He's the only reason we captured you instead of letting you get arrested."

 

"A backer? There's no way for someone to back a new group without us knowing about it. Skeptic-"

 

"Skeptic didn't know about the League of Villains until they attacked UA," Shuko said as she walked over to the crate Kuse was sitting on. "Our backer is working towards the goal that the MLA used to stand for, and you're going to help with that."

 

"Why should I help you?" Chitose asked.

 

"Because you believe in our cause, and your knowledge of the media industry will be invaluable," Shuko said as she turned around and showed off a syringe. "It's up to you, ma'am. Help us out, and you'll live a comfortable life or, well... I guess your story ends here, and you'll never see the freedom you claim to want to achieve."

 

Chitose thought back to how she had joined the MLA. She thought about how Re-Destro had approached her and praised her for her articles and how she questioned things but chastised the heart of her writing. He had opened so many doors for her and showed her the truth of how they were being oppressed, but as the years went on, she had to admit that Kuse and Shuko had a point. She had felt after joining that they were simply biding time until some unspoken moment that no one was sure would arise.

 

Chitose took a deep breath and bowed her head as she said. "Fine, I'll help you because I want the future I was promised to come true."

 

Shuko smiled and handed the syringe to a soldier who walked off with it. "Good to hear, ma'am. We'll get you set up somewhere safe, and when we need your help, we'll let you know."

 

Chitose nodded silently and allowed herself to be blinded again. She could only hope they were being serious about her getting to live a comfortable life.

Notes:

I'm so tired today.

Yesterday I went to a conveyor belt sushi place yesterday, and it was really good.

Idk why but a lot of the OCs I make for MHA are female. I think it's because there are so many male characters already, so I just try to balance it out, I guess.

ugh anyways I'm gonna try to relax the rest of the day and then I'll start working on Burning Hearts

see you next chapter.

Chapter 32: Recovering

May 3rd, 2236

 

"It's good to see you again, my boy. How have you been?" Toshi asked as he entered the meeting room where Izuku was already waiting for him with some tea prepared.

 

"I'm doing ok, sir... well, except I almost called Midnight Young Kayama when I saw her in the hall earlier today."

 

"Oh?" Toshi said as he sat down across from his successor. "Has that happened before?"

 

"Hm, last week I called Sero, Young Sero to his face, and he said my All Might impression was pretty good," Izuku said as he rubbed his face. "Your memories are very prominent in my mind right now. I think they're affecting my day-to-day life now."

 

Toshi hummed and sipped his tea as he gathered his thoughts. "I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with this. Hopefully, when you've lived enough of my life, something will change."

 

"About that," Izuku said as he grabbed his cup. "Last time I went to look for a memory, I stopped by the lake and saw my reflection. I was almost entirely covered in golden fire. My eyes and the top of my head were exposed, so I think I'm getting close to... something."

 

Izuku sighed as he said. "No offense, sir, but I hope this doesn't just turn me into a mini version of you."

 

Toshi laughed and smacked his knee. "None taken, my boy. I don't want you to become a mini-me; I want you to become your own hero and a better one than me."

 

"I don't think I'll ever be greater than you, Toshi- ah, sir."

 

Toshi smiled but said nothing about his slip-up. He was fine with it, but he knew the surplus memories and feelings were leaving Iuzku unsure of what he was truly feeling and what was the result of being Toshi night after night.

 

The student and teacher sipped their tea in silence for several moments until Izuku's mind couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. "Sir, about Deika City."

 

Toshi sighed and sat up a little straighter. "You have questions?"

 

"And concerns. Honestly, I think most people in the class are somewhat worried about the implications. Heroes and the military working together..."

 

"It's a slippery slope indeed," Toshi said. "I know the HPSC danced around the issue, but I do believe they don't want this to become a common occurrence. Public outcry and internal demands from heroes should help push the issue."

 

"What was it like?" Izuku asked, "Working with the military must have been pretty different from other heroes."

 

"I don't think so," Toshi stated as he leaned back. "Large-scale raids are managed fairly strictly. The only difference is, well... the people I was fighting alongside and."

 

"And casualties?" Izuku asked the question sitting heavily between them.

 

Toshi nodded as a solemn look settled on his face. "No hero worth their salt likes it when someone dies; whether they are villains or not, it doesn't matter. I'm sure we'll be hearing about Deika City on the news for quite some time."

 

As the atmosphere started to get heavy, Izuku decided to change the subject. "So I forgot to mention, but I saw some memories of you training with Gran and Nana."

 

Toshi smiled and sat up a little as he started asking his student what he had seen, and the two spent some reminiscing about the seventh wielder.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

May 3rd, 2236

 

"You're doing very well." Recovery Girl said as two bots hovered near Ochako, who was clutching onto the guide rails like her life depended on it. The nurse would have worried that she would crush the railing with her quirk, but thankfully Ochako wore her gloves to today's session.

 

As Ochako reached the end, the robot in front of her quickly pulled her wheelchair over, and the young girl collapsed into it and let out a strained breath. "T-thank you, ma'am, but-"

 

"But nothing, sweetie. You're making amazing progress." Recovery Girl said as she had a robot wheel Ochako over to the bed. "Rest up and wait for your fool of a boyfriend to get back."

 

Ochako blushed as she pulled herself into the bed. "Please don't joke like that, ma'am. Izuku’s my bestfriend that’s it.”

 

Recovery Girl rolled her eyes and decided to bring up an issue she'd noticed. "The only concern I have right now is if you're getting enough sleep."

 

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course, I am."

 

The nurse did not look impressed as Ochako shifted under the gaze. "Uraraka, not getting enough sleep will negatively affect your recovery, so please be honest with me. I'm your doctor; I'm only trying to help you."

 

Ochako sighed and slumped in her bed as she said. "I-I have nightmares most nights."

 

"Can you tell me about them?" Recovery Girl smiled softly as she watched the young girl look around nervously. "It's ok if you can't, but I suggest talking to someone. Hound Dogs' door is always open, but if you want, I'm sure there are people closer to you that would be more than willing to listen."

 

Someone knocked on the door, and Recovery Girl called them in. Izuku entered and smiled at Ochako. "How'd the physical therapy go?"

 

"Good. I didn't fall down this time." Ochako said as she started to sit up more. "You done talking to All Might?"

 

Izuku nodded and held his hand out to help Ochako get back into the wheelchair. "Yeah, sorry it took so long. I got a little sidetracked."

 

"It's fine; not like I was sitting here long," Ochako said as she got comfortable. "But if you're feeling guilty, I'll take some mochi on the way home."

 

Izuku chuckled. "Sure, we'll stop by. Thank you for all your help, Recovery Girl."

 

"Think nothing of it, dear. Make sure she gets plenty of sleep, and don't forget what we talked about, Uraraka, and make sure to take it easy for the rest of the day."

 

Ochako chuckled weakly and nodded. "Thank you, ma'am. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

May 4th, 2236

 

"How'd you get out here?" Izuku asked as he walked out onto the balcony. It was nearly three in the morning, and the two teens were yet again awake.

 

"I walked. It took a while, but I got out here on my own." Ochako said as Izuku sat next to her.

 

"Chako, you need to take it easy. I'll carry you back to your room."

 

Ochako huffed and thanked the cloudy night for keeping her blush from showing. "I'll be fine."

 

"Please don't make me worry."

 

"...Fine." Ochako huffed as she crossed her arms and stared at the skyline.

 

As the silence stretched on between the two, Ochako thought back to Recovery Girl's words and felt worry stirring in her gut. She glanced over at Izuku, who was staring blankly at the city. He was her best friend. She had admitted so many insecurities and fears to him over their years of knowing each other, and he had done the same. She trusted him more than anyone.

 

"Izuku."

 

Izuku looked at her, and she felt her focus zero in on his emerald eyes. She could see a mix of concern and happiness. She felt her chest tighten as he gave her his full attention. "What's up?'

 

"I- uh, I've been having nightmares. That's why I come out here so much at night. I-I'm trying to calm down." Ochako said as she closed her eyes and clenched her fist.

 

Izuku reached over and took her hand as he asked. "What do you have nightmares about?"

 

Ochako took a deep breath and shuddered as she said. "I-I have nightmares about being crushed at the USJ. M-my quirk doesn't awaken a-and I get crushed to death."

 

Izuku squeezed her hand as he said. "Ochako, I may have failed to get to you that time, but I promise I'll never let that happen again."

 

Ochako sniffed and tried to hold back her tears as she remembered being trapped. She turned her attention to Izuku and saw the determination in his eyes. He was resolute and completely serious. His confidence on the matter helped ease the strain on her heart. "Thanks, Izuku."

 

Ochako watched as Izuku's smile slowly faded from his face as a more concerned expression took its place. She squeezed his hand and quietly asked. "What's wrong?'

 

"I..." Izuku took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as he spoke. "I have nightmares about losing control of One for All."

 

Tears started to well up in his eyes as he described how those he cared about would admonish him for his inability to control the quirk and would leave him. Ochako gripped his hand tighter. "Izuku... you know that none of us, not your mom, not All Might, and definitely not me, will ever leave you. We're gonna stick by your side forever."

 

"You sure?" Izuku asked as he looked at her. "Even if I lose control again."

 

"I don't think that will happen, but yes, no matter how many times that jerk of a quirk takes over, we won't leave you."

 

Izuku smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Chako..."

 

"Is there anything else?" Ochako asked, seeing the worry on his face.

 

"Uh... yeah, one thing," Izuku muttered before tapping the side of his head. "One for All has been whispering to me for... a while now. I-I've gotten used to it, but it's hard to concentrate sometimes."

 

"It whispers the whole time?"

 

Izuku nodded. "I don't notice it when I'm doing combat exercise. I don't know if that's because it stops while I'm fighting or if I just tune it out completely."

 

Ochako took a deep breath and muttered. "I hate One for All; it's a real jerk."

 

Izuku chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it is."

 

The two teens chuckled quietly in the night, and as the wind grew cold, Izuku stood and stared down at Ochako, who crossed her arms and pretended not to notice. "Ochako."

 

"I'm fine. I can get back to my room on my own."

 

Izuku sighed, and as he stared at her stubborn pout, he felt his heart flutter. A smile tugged at his lips as he looked at her, but as he blinked for just a moment, he saw Shuzo staring ahead with a stubborn look in her eyes, like when she was chewing Toshinori out for getting into another fight.

 

'Are these feelings mine?'  Izuku thought as he clenched his fist.  'I can't trust this feeling. How much is One for All's influence? How much is what I really want?'

 

Ochako glanced up at Izuku, only for his face to be much closer than she expected as he bent down and easily scoped her up out of the chair. Her hands quickly clutched at his shirt as she scrambled to secure herself. "H-Hey!"

 

Izuku let out a tired sigh as he pushed his thoughts away. His best friend was being stubborn, and he was very tired now. "No complaints. Come on, I'm tired, and we both need proper sleep."

 

Ochako blushed as she rested her face against his chest and muttered too low for him to hear. "I wasn't complaining."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 10th, 2236

 

"How are the nightmares?" Recovery Girl asked as she walked over.

 

"I um... I am talking to Izuku about it. He was having nightmares too, a-and ever since we started talking, they've died down a little." Ochako said as her cheeks flushed red.

 

Recovery Girl smiled and patted the girl's knee again. "Good to hear. I was going to talk to him about his sleep habits, but he seems to be doing better already, so I'll let you two handle it. Now onto some good news."

 

Ochako perked up and turned her full attention to the nurse who adorned her stern professional look. "Now, keep in mind I am saying  light  as in you are not to do your usual level of training; you are to keep the training light."

 

"Light training? As in, I can train again?"

 

"Light training!" Recovery Girl said as she pointed her cane at the young girl. "I am clearing you for light training. You still can't participate in class, but you are well enough that you can start training again."

 

Ochako smiled and pumped her fist. "Yes, thank you so much, ma'am."

 

"Hm, you still have physical therapy with me, but we'll be dropping it to two times a week."

 

Ochako groaned and laid back in her bed. She was hoping she was done with that by now.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

May 11th, 2236

 

Nishi did her best to not fidget or show any discomfort as her guardian sat on the couch in front of her and looked over the report she had written. "What is your opinion on Midoriya and Uraraka?"

 

"I... they're both good people. Kind and strong, they'll be good heroes."

 

"Yes, I'm sure they will be." Nishi's guardian said as she rolled her eyes. "Why would All Might meet with them, though? They're first years from the backwaters... do they talk about their parents?"

 

"Yes, they do. Uraraka mentions her parents from time to time, and I've seen a picture. Izuku talks about his mom a lot."

 

"What about his father?"

 

Nishi shrugged. "He hasn't said. Who is the skinny man that meets with them? Should I look into that?"

 

"No." the woman said quickly. "Think of him as an extension of All Might. That man speaks for the number one hero when he can't."

 

"I see."

 

Nishi's guardian hummed and stopped for a moment. "You said Uraraka's quirk awakened?"

 

"Yes, ma'am, it's gravity manipulation now. She says she had a quirk awakening during the USJ."

 

Nishi's guardian hummed and stood up as she put the report away and said. "Your grades have improved. Keep it up."

 

"Thank you, ma'am."

 

"And be sure to keep an eye on your classmates. Maybe see about meeting class B and see what you can find out about them."

 

"Understood. I'll keep doing my best."

 

Nishi tensed as her handler hummed and said. "Let's make your best better. You won't be surpassing Hawks if this is all you can gather in this amount of time."

 

Nishi lowered her head and said. "I'll endeavor to accomplish more."

 

"I'm happy to hear that. The Commission has high hopes for you."

 

Nishi sighed once she was alone in her small apartment. Now that her guardian was gone, she pulled her phone out and smiled, seeing texts from Mina and Toru asking if she wanted to hang out tomorrow. Nishi shot off a message saying she was down for it. Feeling a little better, she headed to her room to get some studying in.

Notes:

I'm doing IzuOchak week, in case you didn't know. It's like day five now, I think.

that's it from me I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 33: Jade III

June 5th, 2236

Jade sat in Gentle and La Brava's living room as she watched their latest video on the embezzlement of funds from the Fourth Kind agency and the various covered-up claims of harassment and misconduct. Jade hummed as the evidence was presented. "Your videos are looking better than before."

La Brava smiled as she tapped away at her laptop. "Thank you. Of course, Youtube keeps taking the videos down so no one can see Gentle's amazing presentation."

"Well, when you're exposing the crimes of the people society is supposed to trust, the power to be don't take it well."

"Well, they'll never find us. I'm a master of covering our tracks." La Brava said as she puffed out her chest.

"Best prepare for the worst, though," Inko said as she patted the younger woman's head.

La Brava grumbled about the treatment, but Inko's phone buzzed, and the woman gained a serious look as she answered it. "Nezu."

"Hello, Jade. I see you've been doing some wonderful work, as always. Give my regards to Gentle and his editor."

"I'm assuming you're contacting us because of Stain?" Inko said, noting how La Brava tensed.

"Right, you are. Some assets have become available, and so you will be going to meet them along with Gentle. The leader of the squad will have the details on Stain. I've already sent you the location of the safe house. Good hunting, Jade."

Inko sighed as she got up and grabbed her mask. "Where's Gentle?"

"Rooftop." La Brava mumbled.

Inko's lips formed a thin line as she patted the younger woman's head again. "It'll be ok. I'll make sure he comes back to you safe and sound."

La Brava huffed and didn't say anything, but her posture was a little less tight than before, so Inko headed to the roof to find Gentle.

_____________________________________________________________________

June 6th, 2236

"This is quite the place." Gentle said as he looked around the dark abandoned street of Hosu.

"Certainly doesn't stand out in a city like Hosu," Jade said as she knocked on the door in the pattern that Nezu had provided.

A moment later, the door opened, and Jade came face to face with a woman with the head of a Doberman. The woman scowled at her, and Jade felt like maybe she'd seen this woman before.

The woman led them into the apartment where two other people were sitting, looking over a map of the city. The woman growled and said. "Names both of you."

"Why don't you give yours first?" Jade asked. "It's the polite thing to do."

The woman growled, but before she could move, Gentle stepped up. "Gentle Criminal, it is a pleasure to meet you all. This is my compatriot and fellow truth seeker Jade."

The woman nodded. "My name is Hound. Those two are Mr.Brave and Kesagiri Man."

"Underground heroes," Jade muttered as she remembered one of Izuku's training sessions with Aizawa, where they talked about both heroes, among others.

"Oh great, we're popular." Mr.Brave said as he rubbed his face. "Our careers are over."

"Guess we'll have to open up that bakery now," Kesagiri said as he drew on the map. "It's good to meet you guys as well. I've seen a few of your videos. Gentle, you do some good work."

"Illegally." Mr.Brave said. "But you know, sometimes that's necessary for justice. Pop a squat, you guys. We'll go over everything we know."

As Jade and Gentle sat down, the others filled them in on what they knew about Stain, from his weapons to possible quirks and his preferred method of hunting. Jade looked over all the information and asked. "Do you have any sort of strategy for taking him down?"

"We need to know your quirks first." Mr.Brave said as he accepted some coffee from Hound. "I make blades from my hair."

"I'm a dog," Hound said. "Enhanced sense, strength, and speed."

"Energy Blade," Kesagiri said as he held his hand up, and it was enveloped by red energy. "I can coat my hand in energy and slash through just about anything."

Gentle sighed as he saw Jade's shoulders tense. "My quirk is Elasticity. Anything I touch becomes elastic, even the air."

Jade sighed and said. "Pull. I can attract objects to my hand as long as it's something that fits in my hand. Body parts in my range."

"Hm... if we corner him in an alleyway." Mr.Brave said as he started looking at the map.

"That could work," Kesagiri said as he looked down. "Gentle blocks off the exits. Jade sits out of sight and throws off knives and even Stain."

"You two go in for the fight. I'll provide support." Hound said as she crossed her arms.

"That could work as long as we run into him somewhere like that," Jade said. "I know he likes alleys, but anywhere more open could mean he slips away."

The room sat in contemplative silence before Hound said. "With Nezu's help, we could tap into the Hero Net and listen in. If someone in Hosu reports Stain, we go to their location and work it out from there."

"We could also patrol in the meantime," Kesagiri said as he stood up. "We have all the Hosu hero routes. We can cover any gaps or shadow them just in case."

"Though some of us may need to tone down our outfits," Hound said as she eyed Gentle, who smiled.

"Do not worry, ma'am. I am a master of disguise, amongst other things. I will not be spotted no matter how popular I may have become."

"Wonderful," Hound stated as she pulled her phone out. "I'll call Nezu. Brave help them get settled in."

Mr.Brave nodded and took Inko and Gentle to the guest room, where some futons were laid out. "Better settle in. Stain has evaded capture for this long, so it'll probably be a bit before we catch wind of him."

_____________________________________________________________________

June 8th, 2236

Tensei ran at a steady speed through the streets of Hosu as he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of the Hero Killer. The HPSC may have been slacking off when it came to taking care of Stain, but that doesn't mean he had to.

A flash of steel caught Tensei's attention, and the hero quickly tapped his phone and sent out an alert on the hero net as he took a tight turn and jumped into the alleyway. As he landed, he pulled on all his confidence as he came face to face with the hero killer. "Stain! Surrender now and face justice for your crimes!"

The hero killer turned and reached for his blade as he spoke. "Ingenium. You are a proper hero, but should you stand in my way, I will test your mettle. I do hope you do not come up short."

Jade and the others all stopped their patrols of Hosu as the HN alert came in, along with a message from Nezu telling them they would have ten minutes to take care of business. The vigilantes and underground heroes turned and rushed toward the location.

As Jade arrived first, she saw Inginium doing his best to counter the swift blade of Stain, who was pushing the attack relentlessly. Jade found a spot on the roof where she was mostly out of sight and watched the fight as she waited for the others to arrive and engage in the fight.

Ingenium was losing ground fast, and as the hero killer's blade thrust toward a gap in the hero's armor. Jade reached out on reflex and pulled on the throwing knife attached to Stain's arm. The hero killer stumbled, and Ingenium managed to punch the blade away from him before jumping away.

The hero killer looked around as he fell back. Jade quickly hid herself as she heard Hound and the others arrive from the street and the other end of the alleyway. As Stain and Ingenium found themselves surrounded, the hero spoke. "Backup already? I don't think I've seen you guys around Hosu before."

"We're underground," Hound said as she and Gentle stepped off the street and towards Ingenium. "We're after this asshole, so help us."

Mr.Brave and Kesagiri readied themselves as Stain tensed and spoke. "So more heroes have come to be tested. Fine, come at me and prove you are true heroes, or fall to my blade and let your bodies pave the way for the future."

Stain turned and lunged for the two underground heroes. Mr.Brave intercepted the man with his hair blade and grunted as he nearly lost his footing. "Shit, you've got a lot of power behind such a thin frame."

"It is my convictions that give me power! Show me yours, you so-called heroes!"

The hero killer jumped back as Kesagiri Man sliced at him with his glowing hands. Stain ducked under Hound's kick and swung his sword at her. Again he felt something pull on his body, causing him to falter and letting his target get away. Before he could try to locate the source, he avoided a punch from Ingenium and watched as the man he recognized as Gentle Criminal ran his hands along the air by the entrance of the alleyway before bouncing on the walls to get up and over the fight.

Stain growled and climbed the fire escape quickly before jumping away as several senbon made of hair attempted to hit his hands. The hero killer ran for Gentle as he landed and shouted. "Why do you fight alongside them? You are not a hero!"

Stain grunted as he hit the air, and it stretched for a moment as Gentle smiled as he twisted his mustache. "No, I am not, but I fight for justice in my own way, and your murder is quite frankly giving people like us a bad name, so if you'd be so kind, please get arrested."

Stain twisted midair as he was flung back towards the rapidly approaching heroes. Kesagiri bit back a curse as a throwing knife dug into his shoulder while the others either dodged or were simply grazed by them. The knife that would have taken Hound's eye out was ripped up and away from the Doberman woman.

Stain wretched the blade from the hero's shoulder and licked it as he grabbed the one that had clipped Mr.Brave. As the two heroes fell limp, Stain looked up and spotted Jade just as she disappeared around the edge of the building.

Stain jumped only to be intercepted by Hound slamming into him as Mr.Brave shouted out. "My body won't move! It stopped after he licked the blades with our blood!"

Hound cursed as she shoved herself away from Stain as they hit the ground. Stain rolled and dodged to the left, avoiding a kick from Ingenium that cracked the concrete. Stain dashed forward, and Hound jumped back as Stain felt his arm getting tugged away from his target; his other hand shot out with his combat knife and slashed across Hound's stomach, leaving a shallow wound.

The dog woman tensed as Stain licked his blade and shot up the fire escape towards Jade, who drew her blade and clenched her teeth. He was definitely faster than her and had been doing this longer than her. He just took out three professionals for who knows how long, and now he was closing the gap on her.

Ingenium was shortly behind him and catching up, but Jade could tell Stain would reach her. As the hero killer grabbed her wrist and twisted the blade away from him, she watched as his katana raced toward her neck.

Ingenium and Stain were both thrown from the edge of the building as Gentle rebounded off an elasticized piece of air and bodyslammed the hero killer back into the alleyway.

Gentle grunted and kicked away from Stain as a knife dug into his thigh. Luckily the hero killer wasn't able to pull the knife out before an armored fist slammed his head into the concrete stunning him long enough for Mr.Brave, who had regained the ability to move to rush in and kick him in the ribs sending him tumbling.

"You're up already? What about the others?" Ingenium asked as he kept his eye on Stain.

"Not yet. I don't know why I got up first." Mr.Brave said as he formed a sword. "Let's make sure he's out cold- fuck!"

The two heroes dove away as a flurry of throwing knives. Stain cursed as he watched the one that would have hit Ingenium fly up toward the green-masked woman. She was annoying him greatly.

Jade huffed as she dropped her quirk and watched the others fight. Gentle pulled himself away as Kesagiri Man rejoined the fight and sliced through Stain's katana with his bare hand. The underground hero earned a knife in his shoulder for his efforts, but Jade considered it a small price to pay for getting rid of the man's most dangerous weapon.

Jade watched as Stain managed to paralyze Ingenium and Mr.Brave again. As the hero killer was going to try and go for her again, Hound pounced and tackled the man. The two grappled, and Jade managed to rip a knife from his hand before he could stab the god woman in the back of the neck.

"Fuck I need to go down there," Jade said as she got up and started to descend as Stain freed himself from Hound.

Stain looked up as Jade jumped from the fire escape and nearly tackled the man again. Stain managed to dodge out of the way of Jade, but he took a punch for Hound straight to the jaw.

The hero killer staggered and was unable to put up his defense as Jade's foot connected with his kidney. The two women delivered a hail of punches and kicks until Stain managed to grab Jade's arm and twist her around, slamming her into Hound and sending them both to the ground.

Kesagiri man finished dragging the paralyzed Ingenium and Mr.Brave over to Gentle and turned to rush Stain despite his bleeding shoulder.

Stain grinned as he pulled out his last knife. He would need to start trying to go for the various knives scattered across the alleyway. "Come at you, heroes! I'm still alive!"

Kesagiri Man sprinted forward as his hands glowed, and he said. "You will face justice for all the lives you've taken, Stain!"

Jade and Hound recovered and attempted to stifle the hero killer's movements. The hero killer fought with a ferocity that caused the heroes to stumble at one point and allowed him to lick Kesagiri's wound, sending him to the ground. Luckily he was so distracted by Hound and Jade and had suffered several blows to the head, so Stain was unaware of Ingenium getting back up and sprinting straight for him.

Stain turned just as Ingenium shouted. "Turbo Overdrive! Knockout Punch!"

Ingenium's fist connected with Stain's face and sent the man flying into the wall. The hero killer slumped, and Hound approached cautiously and confirmed that he was indeed out of commission.

They were quick to search him for any weapons and tie him up with Ingenium's capture tape. As they worked quickly, Ingenium looked over and saw Gentle Criminal getting helped up by Mr.Brave. The turbo hero turned his attention to Jade, and after a moment, he realized where he had recognized her from. "Who are you all really?"

Everyone stilled, and Hound stood to her full height after she finished tying up Stain. "Like I said, we're underground heroes-"

"Two of you are underground heroes. Two of you are vigilantes, and I don't know who you are." Ingenium said as he stared at Hound.

The squad stared at the hero, unsure of what he would do, but as the sound of approaching heroes pulled their attention, Ingeium said. "Mr.Brave, Kesagiri Man, stay here with me. It'll be more believable that the three of us took him down over just me."

Hound nodded and took Gentle from Mr.Brave. "Do as he says. We don't want the HPSC looking at this too much."

The two heroes nodded and stood by Ingenium as Hound, Gentle, and Jade retreated into the back alleys of Hosu.

_____________________________________________________________________

June 9th, 2236

"Ingenium, it's good to see you. I'd like to congratulate you on taking down Stain." A plain-looking man said as he entered the briefing room of the HPSC headquarters.

"Thank you, sir, but Mr.Brave and Kesagiri Man deserve just as much credit as well," Ingenium said as he sat with his hands folded on the table. "I'm lucky they were in the area and could assist me in bringing Stain to justice."

"Yes, it was quite fortuitous." The man said as he sat down across from Ingenium.

Ingenium nodded and asked. "I've already submitted my report, so I have to wonder what this follow-up meeting is about?"

"There was a... small inconsistency in your report and our own findings." The man said as he opened a binder and looked over some papers. "There was some blood on the scene that didn't belong to Stain or any hero who said they were on the scene. You said that it was just you, Kesagiri Man, and Mr.Brave who fought Stain. Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, sir," Ingenium said as he nodded. "I found Stain in the alleyway while on patrol and sent out an alert and then engaged him in combat. I don't know what he was doing there, but if I had to guess, I would say he may have been chasing someone down. I didn't really have time to ask him why he was out and about."

"Hm, I see... well, there are a few more things we'd like clarification on if you don't mind."

Ingenium nodded and sat through almost an hour of pointless questioning until the man stood, thanked him again for his service, and left. Tensei left the HPSC and headed straight for his agency.

As Tensei got to his office, he spotted a note on his desk and picked it up. There was no sender; it was simply a folded piece of paper that said. "Thank you for your assistance in doing what the HPSC seemed unable or unwilling to do."

Tensei sighed and tossed the letter into his trash can as he sat down and sighed. "I want to take a break."

______________________________________________________________________

June 9th, 2236

Tenya smiled and brimmed with pride as he listened to his classmates talk about his brother. Izuku chuckled as he walked up. "You look pretty happy."

"Of course," Tensei said as he got up from his desk. "My brother took down Stain. That man was quite the villain, and he's finally been brought to justice. I couldn't be prouder of him."

"It is pretty cool that he managed to bring the hero killer down," Ochako said as they all started to walk to the cafeteria.

"Ribbit, I'm glad he was taken down, and I'm glad your brother is ok. I'm sure it was a tough fight."

"As am I," Tenya said. "Though Tensei was rather vague about the details, I choked that up to him being tired. He's been working very hard recently. I believe he could use a break."

"He's certainly earned it," Izuku said as he smiled. "Youn- ahem, Ingenium is quite the hero. I don't know how he manages so many sidekicks."

As the group continued chatting, Nishi, Toru, and Mina were a few paces behind them, and so they saw as All Might stepped around the corner and patted Izuku on the shoulder while reminding him about his meeting with Nezu later today.

Nishi hummed to herself as she watched the number one hero walk off. Izuku had a lot of contact with All Might, and he was meeting with the principal? Her handler had warned her to not catch the rat king's attention as it would spell an end to her infiltration of the school.

Notes:

It's been a rough bit of time for me recently. I got hit with writer's block, and then the worst happened.

Krinkle Cut was a cat that my partner and I found under the back porch. I was originally in the same boat as my dad and just wanted to catch him and send him to a shelter. My partner wanted to keep him, so we did, and yeah, I changed my mind and loved that cat. he was thee weeks old when we found him almost two years ago. loved that cat. He was a wild little goblin, and after my partner and I got back from a date a few days ago, we found out that he had been hit by a car and passed away; so yeah, it's been a rough few days for me.

I'm doing better now, though, and so is my partner.

Anyways that's all from me this time I'll see you next chapter

Chapter 34: One Step Closer

June 11th, 2236

 

"Are you ready to start, Young Izuku?"

 

Izuku nodded to All Might, who was sitting nearby with Ochako at his side. The two were here mainly for moral support. Recovery Girl was here due to it being her office, and so she could patch him up if something went wrong. Erasure was standing by the door to shut him down in case One for All decided to take his body for a joy ride. "I'm ready to start whenever."

 

"Alright, dear, we'll monitor your brain function and vitals. Hopefully, nothing changes." Recovery Girl said as she finished sticking sensors on Izuku's chest and head. "Just lay back and meditate."

 

Izuku took a deep breath and stole one last glance at Ochako, who flashed a confident smile. Izuku did his best to return the gesture before slipping into his inner world. As he came to in the field of black grass with its golden sky, Izuku looked around as he started walking. His body felt heavy and a little sluggish, but he kept pushing. After some time, he arrived at the lake representing his quirk, and looked at his reflection.

 

Izuku's body was almost completely covered in golden fire. Only his eyes were exposed, but the fire flickered and danced in the corners of his vision. "Alright... hopefully, one more memory is all I need."

 

Hours or maybe seconds ticked by as Izuku left the lake behind and wandered until he found the flickering golden flames of a memory. As Izuku approached, he wondered what he'd see. So far, he'd viewed a few memories of Toshinori during junior high, where he spent most of his time with Shuzo; a lot of Toshinori's high school life had been full of memories of Nana and or Gran Torino. Izuku chuckled as he remembered a few embarrassing memories from Toshi's time in America. The man was stubborn and bad at English back then, leading to more than a few misunderstandings. After composing himself, Izuku touched the flames and fell into the last memory.

 

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January 1st, 2201

 

Toshinori let out a breath as he stared at the lights of Tokyo. He wasn't one for staying up late, so he had never seen what the city looked like in the middle of the night. A strong hand landed on his shoulder, and Toshi looked over as Nana smiled at him. "Pretty nice, ain't it."

 

"Yeah," Toshi said as he turned to look at the city again. "Though I have to question why we're here."

 

"Well, you said you hadn't ever seen the sunrise on New Year, so I figured I'd show you."

 

Toshinori squinted as the sun started to rise. As they watched the sun come up, Toshinori reflected on his life. Things had gone differently than he figured they would. He'd always wanted to be a hero, but his lack of a quirk dashed those hopes until he met Nana. She was everything he needed. She was a mentor and friend, and though he'd never say it out loud because she would tease him relentlessly, he considered her to be his mother.

 

Nana squeezed his shoulder before slipping her arm around him and hugging him. "You know Toshinori; I'm glad I picked you as the eighth. You're gonna be a hell of a hero once you get out there. I'm proud of you, kid. I want you to know that."

 

Toshinori did his best to keep his tears at bay as he leaned into the embrace and watched the sunrise. "T-thanks, Mom... I'm really glad you picked me to be your successor."

 

Nana smirked but kept quiet about that little slip-up. He probably thought she'd tease him like she hadn't noticed long ago how he felt.

 

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June 11th, 2236

 

Izuku blinked as he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked around slowly and noticed he was still in the inner world, but the sky was different. The world wasn't bathed in golden light. Now it was a deep purple.

 

"Izuku."

 

Izuku's head snapped over, and he looked down the field to see a single throne facing the sun. Sitting there was a healthy-looking Toshinori, not the malnourished man Izuku often saw.

 

Toshinori smiled as he said. "Hello, Young Izuku. I have to say I'm quite proud of how well you've done."

 

"Toshi- I mean Mr.Yagi. How are you here?"

 

Toshinori laughed as he stood up and walked towards Izuku, who was still sitting on the ground. "You can call me Toshi when it's just us. The same goes for the me out in the real world. I'm sure he'd be thrilled if you did."

 

"O-Ok... um." Izuku looked around again before feeling his eyes return to Toshinori. It was very odd seeing him look so healthy. "I didn't think this would happen."

 

"Neither did I." Toshi laughed. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I figured some of it out."

 

"H-how? What did I do?"

 

"Before that," Toshi said as he held his hand out. "Let's move away from One for All a little. It's very agitated about what you did."

 

Izuku took his hand and was pulled to his feet. "It's agitated?"

 

"Yes, and now that I'm not stuck in that torrent of power, I realized what happened, or at least I'm pretty sure I did."

 

Once the two were down the hill, Toshi sat on the throne, and Izuku decided to just sit on the ground in front of him with his legs crossed. Toshi smiled as he placed a hand on his knee and leaned forward. "Alright, let's get down to business."

 

"First things first," Toshinori said. "One for All is a culmination of every wielder, not just the power they added to it over the years but their quirks and consciousness as well."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Save your questions, boy," Toshi said as he held his hand up. "Let me give you all the information I have."

 

Izuku clenched his teeth and nodded silently. Toshi smiled again and continued speaking. "You reliving my memories helped coalesce enough of my consciousness that I could pull the rest of myself free from the core behind you."

 

Toshi stared at the deep purple sun shining on the world. "It's a little smaller now. You'll just need to take my word for it."

 

Izuku nodded and kept his mouth shut. He didn't trust himself not to burst with questions if he spoke.

 

Toshi turned his attention back to Izuku as he spoke. "When I fought All for One, our quirk reached a critical point, and the core at the center of One for All grew powerful enough that the vestiges. Remnants of the previous users could form, and the fourth gave me access to his quirk. I'm not sure why or how, but it helped me win. When I passed One for All onto you, the core destabilized somehow and turned into the cacophony of voices and uncontrollable power, you know."

 

"I learned this while being inside the storm and now that I'm out." Toshi smiled. "I can help you squeak out more power from your quirk. One vs. eight is a tough fight but two vs. seven is a little better."

 

Izuku stared at Toshinori, who laughed and said. "You look overwhelmed."

 

"Y-yeah, I feel overwhelmed," Izuku said. "S-so, just to be clear. One for All hit a critical point with you and went past it when you gave it to me. The vestiges of the previous users exist inside that."

 

Toshi nodded as Izuku pointed at the purple sun. "which is chaotic and unstable. Relieving memories helped you gain enough of yourself to form and pull everything out of the storm. Now that you're out, you can help me get more power... how much power?"

 

"Hm, maybe another ten percent, but you'll need to work your body so you can handle it."

 

"Oh great, more strength training," Izuku muttered.

 

Toshi laughed and patted his successor's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll help you out in here and out there."

 

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June 11th, 2236

 

Ochako let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as Izuku's eyes fluttered open, and for just a moment, his usually emerald eyes shimmered with golden light before returning to normal.

 

Everyone relaxed as Izuku sat up and stretched. Toshinori spoke up first. "How did it go, my boy? Do you feel any different?"

 

Izuku took a sip of water from the glass Recovery Girl provided before saying. "I didn't realize it because of how gradual it was, but my mind feels so much clearer now, and my body doesn't feel as heavy. I feel great now. Though I learned... a lot."

 

"What do you mean, kid?" Aizawa asked as he walked over from his spot next to the door. "Was the last memory important?"

 

"Not in the way you may think," Izuku said as he smiled. The memory wasn't as clear. In fact, all the memories he could remember felt less like memories and more like dreams that were gradually fading from his mind. "It was new years. Toshi and Nana were watching the sunrise, and Nana told him how proud she was of him."

 

Toshi tensed and covered his mouth as he closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. "S-sorry... it's just."

 

Toshi took a deep breath and said. "That was the last time Nana and I were alone together. A few months after that, she was killed by All for One."

 

Izuku swallowed and got up. Toshi tensed as his successor hugged him and said. "You had a really cool mom, you know."

 

Toshinori laughed as he tried not to cry while returning the hug. "Yeah, I did, and so do you, my boy."

 

Izuku smiled and returned to his bed. After giving Toshinori time to pull himself together, Izuku told them everything he experienced inside the inner world. As they sat there in silence, Ochako spoke up. "Wait, can the Toshinori inside your head hear and see what you experience."

 

'I can.'  Toshi's voice said inside Izuku's head, making him jump.  'I am seeing if we can keep that from happening, though. I don't want to intrude on your privacy, young man. I know what teenagers can get up to and-'

 

"Augh, stop, don't say that," Izuku said out loud as he blushed. "I don't want to hear you say anything about what teenagers get up to."

 

Ochako paled slightly as she said. "I'm guessing that's a yes."

 

Izuku nodded as he rubbed his eyes. "He's working on figuring out if he can stop that, though."

 

Aizawa sighed as he pulled out his phone and tapped away. "I'll go inform Nezu about all of this... though I'm sure he was just listening in."

 

"Yes, I was." Nezu's voice sounded from the walls. "But I need to speak with you, so please come to my office when you can."

 

"Midoriya, go home and rest up. Finals are next month, and you have more training than anyone else to do. The same goes for you, Uraraka."

 

The two teens sighed and spoke in unison as their homeroom teacher left. "Understood, sir."

 

Before Izuku and Ochako could head home for the day, Toshinori pulled Izuku aside and said. "I am really proud of you, my boy. Keep up the good work, and you'll have One for All under your control in no time."

 

Izuku chuckled. "Thank you, Toshi... It is ok if I call you that, right?"

 

"As long as we're around friends, or if it's just the two of us, it's more than ok. Don't slip up during class, though. You understand?"

 

"Yes, sir," Izuku said before quickly hugging his predecessor.

 

Toshi chuckled as he watched his students join up and head home. They were both making such great strides, and he couldn't be more proud of them.

 

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June 11th, 2236

 

Izuku yawned as he rubbed the back of his head. He'd stayed in the bath way longer than he meant to, but after his mind cleared up, he just couldn't help but relax. "Wait, do you not like baths?"

 

'Not particularly.'  Toshinori said.  'I always end up thinking of unpleasant things, and it makes me feel anxious. I am sorry for causing you to relax less, Izuku.'

 

"Eh, it's no problem," Izuku said as he entered the living room and spotted Ochako washing the last of the dishes. "Didn't I say I'd do that?"

 

"Yes, but I decided to just do it while you were bathing. You had an... interesting day, so I thought I'd help you."

 

"What about you?" Izuku asked as he walked over to his best friend. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Physically? I'm good." Ochako said as she smiled and dried her hands. "Mentally? I haven't had a nightmare recently, so I think I'm doing better."

 

As she turned to look at him, Izuku felt his heart clench. Her eyes just looked different. They didn't remind him of Shuzo anymore. In fact, nothing about Ochako screamed Shuzo. She just looked like herself now.

 

'These feelings are your own, my boy. My old memories of Shuzo aren't coloring what your heart is feeling. This is all you.'

 

Izuku tensed and, at that moment, felt something akin to a door slamming in his mind. After a moment, when Izuku didn't hear Toshinori, he spoke out loud. "Toshi? A-are you there?"

 

Several more beats of silence followed, and during that time, Izuku was finding it very hard to not look at Ochako as her eyebrows pushed together in concern.

 

'Yes, I am my boy. It seems we figured out how to separate ourselves. You can close the door, so to speak, and if you don't fight against me, I can open it again. I'd suggest not slamming the proverbial door, though. It was quite rude.'

 

"S-sorry... um, I'll be gentle about closing the door then."

 

Izuku focused, felt the click in his mind, and smiled as he couldn't hear Toshinori.

 

"Um, Izuku? Is everything ok?"

 

Her eyes shimmered, and they looked so much more brown than before. He really liked the color of her eyes. "Y-yeah, it's ok. I just figured out how to keep Toshi from seeing what I see and all that."

 

"Oh, that's good." Ochako perked up almost immediately as she walked past Izuku. "Wanna watch some anime or something?"

 

"You know we have homework, right?"

 

Izuku smiled as he followed his best friend while she groaned and flopped onto the couch. "Why did you say that? Now we have to do it."

 

"Come on; it's not that bad. If we work together, we can get it done real quick, and then we can watch anime."

 

"Fine, but you need to go grab my stuff."

 

"Alright, fine," Izuku said as he walked off to their rooms.

 

After grabbing his bag from his room Izuku entered Ochako's room and grabbed her bag. As he was going to leave, he looked over and saw her tights. His mind immediately brought up the handful of times he had helped her put them on while she was stuck in her wheelchair. Izuku felt his face heating up as his revelation about his feelings stacked on top of every little moment he shared with her.

 

Izuku stood in her room. His face slowly turned redder and redder as the thought formed in his head, and he realized how long he had been holding onto this feeling without even realizing it. Izuku bit his tongue in an attempt to stop himself, but the words slipped out. "Oh, I'm in love with her, aren't I?"

Notes:

I've watched the first three episodes of Skip and Loafer, and it's such a sweet show. I'm really enjoying it.

I'm gonna be doing IzuToga week, which is August 6th-12th, so if you're an IzuToga lover, check it out.

Been putting a lot of work into a RWBY fanfic. Mostly just an outline of events and all that. It's been fun, and I have no idea when I'd write because I'm writing MHA stuff and enjoying it a lot, and I don't want to overwhelm myself. Not that I'd stop writing MHA stuff just because I started a RWBY fic, but you know, having too many plates in the air can be very stressful. I guess I could pause writing Kisses and Kissed chapters, but that fic is very fun for stretching my creativity or just relaxing and pumping out some good fluff to make myself and others feel good. idk I'm still mulling things over, so no decisions are being made yet.

Anyways that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 35: Confession

June 13th, 2236

 

"Young Nishi, Young Kirishima, you're team A." All Mights said as he tapped on the screen of the pad in his hand. "You'll be guarding the hostage. Team B is Young Midoriya and Young Tokoyami. You will be rescuing the hostage or securing the villains. Remember to rescue the hostage; they must make it out of the building while not tripping any of the shock sensors. Tripping them means the death of the hostage, and you lose. Similarly, if the villains trip the sensors or fail to secure the heroes, they lose. Head over to building fifty-eight. You'll have eight minutes to prepare."

 

As the four students hurried out of the command room for training ground, Delta Ochako watched her best friend go. The past couple of days, he'd been a little off. Granted, he did have their teachers' consciousness in his head, and he'd learned he'd have more on their way, but still, something wasn't sitting right with her. When he was taking on Toshi's memories, he stared at her a lot. He said she reminded him of Shuzo, which was odd, but now, after they stopped affecting him, he kept staring. The look was different than before. It wasn't sad like he was looking at someone he'd never see again. She wasn't sure what the look was, but it was causing her no end of havoc.

 

Every little interaction between them set off these weird feelings in her gut and head. It was hard to focus at home because he was almost always near her, and the closer he was, the more these feelings bounced around and twisted her thoughts up into bundles. Though she'd seen him tense up or suddenly shift away from her with no explanation. That usually elicited some unpleasant feelings in her gut. Kind of like when she overused her quirk and could feel the vomit coming, but in these instances, the vomit never came. The feeling just bounced around for a bit before fading as her attention was pulled elsewhere.

 

"Hey, Chako. Whatcha thinking about?" Mina asked as she slid up next to her. She'd seen the brunette staring at Izuku and was primed and ready to tease her.

 

"Thinking about throwing up," Ochako said before her mind realized that someone was talking to her in the real world. "Ah, um... no, I mean. You know my quirk and stuff."

 

"Ah... um, ok," Mina said, suddenly feeling like the wind had ripped her sail right off. The two stood beside each other awkwardly until Toru arrived and thankfully salvaged what was left of the situation.

 

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June 13th, 2236

 

"This is our hostage?" Nishi asked as she placed a hand on her hip.

 

The medical bot that usually carried stretchers looked up at her and beeped. "Got a problem with that meat bag."

 

"What did you call me?" Nishi asked as her eye twitched. "Say it again, Wall-E."

 

"That man is a hero and a national treasure to us." the robot shot back. "Don't you dare use his name as an insult, you fleshy hormone-addled gray matter."

 

"Wow, this thing is mean," Eijiro muttered as he walked up. "Uh Nishi, my guy, maybe don't pick a fight with the hostage. If you trip the sensors, we lose."

 

Nishi huffed and stepped away from the robot as it let out a series of beeps. "Why couldn't they just get a gen-ed student to fill in. they could have given them extra credit or something."

 

"Wouldn't that put the student at risk of getting hurt?" Eijiro asked as he followed her.

 

"Yes, and that's the point," Nishi said as if it was normal. "We'd be more inclined to take this seriously if there was an actual life at stake."

 

"I am alive! I have a soul!" the robot shouted from his spot, tied up in the middle of the room.

 

Eijiro looked at the robot for a moment before turning back to Nishi. "That seems a bit too dangerous. Gen-ed aren't even training to be heroes; we can't expect them to put their health at risk for our sake. That wouldn't be manly at all, my guy."

 

Nishi huffed again but relented on the subject. She always dealt with real people when the Commission trained her. "Whatever. So who do you want to fight?"

 

"Hm, honestly, I'd be fine with either. Though Midori punches real hard, so it'd be cool to see how many I can take."

 

"Probably a good few," Nishi said as she looked around the room they were in. "I hate this building."

 

"Huh? Why? Not a fan of modern architecture?"

 

Nishi rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the room to get another look at the hallways. "Yes, but also, there are no water pipes in this place. All I have to work with is what I put into my suit, so I'm pretty limited."

 

"Not like you're always gonna have access to water, though, so this is good training," Eijiro said as he smiled at her.

 

Nishi opened her mouth to tell him she'd already done plenty of that kind of training, but that would raise questions. "I guess you're right. Still, it's a little aggravating."

 

"I get that, but uh, we should come up with a plan, right? We're going up against Midori and Tokoyami; after all, they're both strong, and Midori is scary smart."

 

"Yeah. Hm, I'll roam, and you stay near the hostage. Boosting myself with the water in my suit means I'll be able to get around quicker. You're the unbreakable wall, so make sure no one gets past you to the hostage."

 

Eijiro hardened his fist as he pounded them together. "Sounds good, boss. Let's win this."

 

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June 13th, 2236

 

"I don't suppose you have any strategies?" Fumikage asked. "We are up against a nearly insurmountable wall and the one who outscored all of us in the entrance exam."

 

"I'm excited." Dark Shadow said as they poked their head out of Fumikage's cloak. "I get to punch stupid people real hard."

 

Fumikage sighed as he said. "They're our classmates Dark Shadow. Please do not hurt them."

 

The quirk grumbled, and in lew of a response, it simply retreated back into its host. Izuku chuckled weakly as he watched the interaction. Once Fumikage's attention was back on him, Izuku said. "The best idea for the villain team would be to split up like our first test. One roams, which will probably be Nishi, while Kirishima stays behind and guards. If the building has access to water, Nishi will be hard to fight, and she could possibly capture both of us."

 

Izuku rubbed his chin. "Though I could bust out, I don't know the limits of her quirk. Who knows what she could do with that water... Let's split up. You start on the top floor and work your way down. I go in the front entrance and work my way up. If you run into Nishi and see she has water run and really your location. We should try to avoid each other while keeping her busy. Whoever doesn't have her attention needs to find Kirishima asap and attempt to take him down or at least get past him and get the hostage out."

 

Izuku looked up after a moment to see a surprised look on Fumikages face. "Is everything ok?"

 

"No, I am simply impressed by your lung capacity."

 

Izuku blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry."

 

"I think the plan will work," Fumikage stated as he looked at the building. "I wish you the best of luck, Midoriya."

 

Izuku smiled as he clenched his fist and started to pull on One for All. "good luck to you as well, Tokoyami. Let's win this."

 

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June 13th, 2236

 

Ochako did her best to pay attention to the two fights that were going on. Fumikage had run into Nishi, and the two were battling it out on the top floor. Dark Shadow proved to be a tough opponent, but the same couldn't be said for Fumikage. Whenever Nishi managed to slip past the sentient quirk and attack Fumikage directly, he wasn't able to put up much of a defense. Though Nishi could never get more than a few hits in before Dark Shadow descended on her and reset that fight.

 

While those two were fighting, the focus of Ochako's thoughts was busy dragging out his fight. She knew Izuku, so she knew he was having way too much fun right now, trading blows with Eijiro while steadily ramping up the output of One for All. If she didn't have a mind full of somewhat hectic thoughts, she would have rolled her eyes at his antics.

 

Izuku's odd behavior and her reaction to it brought back memories of before they moved in together. She remembered how things had started to feel different for a time. She struggled to be as close to him as she was used to, and whenever she did, it always sent a flurry of emotions through her. Then they had that embarrassing talk about sex and how their parents trusted them to not do anything stupid. After that talk, the awkwardness and weirdness of their closeness went away, but now his skittish behavior had brought it back.

 

Ochako sighed and looked away from the screen. She could sit here and think herself in circles all day, but that just seemed exhausting. A few of her classmates were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they watched the fights. One particular pair who were talking caught Ochako's attention. Kyoka and Momo were sitting near each other, and as Ochako watched them talk, she saw Kyoka fidget and lean closer to Momo, only to back off the next second. Thanks to the past couple of days, that behavior was very familiar to her Ochako.

 

'I should talk to Jiro when I get the chance.'  Ochako thought just before the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the exercise.

 

"Hero team wins! Wonderful work, you four. Come on back, and we'll get the next teams started." All Might said as Ochako looked back at the TVs. Fumikage was helping to untie Nishi while Izuku hefted Eijiro back onto his feet, and the redhead tore the capture tape off his leg. The villain team looked to be taking their loss well.

 

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June 13th, 2236

 

"Jiro, do you have a moment?" Ochako asked as she caught up to the other girl.

 

Kyoka jumped slightly and looked over at Ochako. "Uh yeah, but where's Midoriya? Usually, he's not too far from you."

 

"Izuku had a meeting with Nezu and told me to go on ahead." Ochako said, "I wanted to ask you something."

 

"Alright, shoot," Kyoka said as they started walking towards the school gate.

 

"I was wondering about why you were acting so shifty around Yaoyorozu during class."

 

Ochako took a few more steps before noticing that Kyoka wasn't walking anymore. She turned and saw the punk girl's cheeks slowly turning red. "w-what are you talking about? I wasn't being shifty."

 

"Yes, you were," Ochako said as she turned to face the other girl. "I watched you keep getting closer to her, then you'd back off, and you seemed pretty nervous."

 

Kyoka glanced around quickly before taking several steps forward to close the gap between them. "Why were you watching me?"

 

"Huh? Oh, I didn't mean to; I was just thinking about something, and then I saw you, and it made me think I should ask you why you were acting that way."

 

"What? Why do you want to know why I was acting like that?" Kyoka asked as confusion started to win out against her embarrassment. "Unless... is someone acting that way around you?"

 

Ochako nodded. "Yeah, for the past couple of days, Izuku suddenly started acting differently. Kinda like how you were acting around Yaoyorozu."

 

Kyoka stared at the brunette in front of her for a moment before snorting as laughter bubbled out of her chest. The shorter girl nearly doubled over with laughter, causing Ochako to huff. "Why are you laughing?"

 

"Bahaha, I-I'm sorry, I really am Uraraka it-It's just." Kyoka sucked in a breath and tried to pull herself together. She still nearly lost it as the words left her mouth. "He's acting like that because he's crushing on you, a-and I just can't believe that because I thought you two were well past that."

 

Ochako stared at the girl in front of her as she slowly sobered up and let out a couple more chuckles. "What? Wait, hold on that..."

 

"Yeah, I mean, everyone already thought you two were dating, and then when you guys said you weren't, we all assumed you were a few steps away from that, but man, I did not see Midoirya being dense enough to not even realize he liked you like that until now. I wonder what changed."

 

Ochako felt like she had just gotten pelted in the head by one of Gran Tornio's surprise dodgeballs. Izuku had told her about Shuzo and how Toshi felt about her; he'd also gone on about how Toshi's memories were affecting his personality. It made all those times Izuku stared at her make a lot of sense, but then, after the memories stopped affecting him, he kept staring.  'Did he realize how he felt after the memories stopped? Did they help him realize how he felt?'

 

Ochako felt everything from her neck to her ears burn, and Kyoka snorted again as she tried not to laugh. "Coming to some realizations, Uraraka?"

 

Ochako tensed and looked at the other girl as she said, "W-what? Um, no, I- shut up."

 

Kyoka let out another chuckle before patting her on the shoulder and walking off. "Good luck with all that."

 

Ochako took a few moments to compose herself before heading home. Standing around outside school was not the place to be while thinking about... that.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

June 13th, 2236

 

"Is something on your mind Midoriya?" Nezu asked as he set down his cup of tea. "Did something in our conversation on pre-quirk laws pique your interest?"

 

"Ah, um, not really, sir," Izuku said as he set down his own cup. "I just... realized some stuff recently."

 

"Ah, then you're most likely thinking of Ms.Uraraka. I suppose you've realized you harbor some form of romantic attraction to her."

 

Izuku was glad he didn't have any tea in his mouth, as he would have choked at that moment. "W-what? I... how did you figure that out?"

 

Nezu chuckled before taking a sip of his tea. "My boy, I may not understand the appeal of romantic relationships, and I hold no desire to pursue them, but I can spot them. Ever since I met the two of you, I could tell you held each other very close. Closer than mere friends or even family. You two hold a special place in each other's hearts, but I realized some time later, while watching you two interact, that that very closeness you two shared was also blinding you to the possibilities of your relationship. I admit I held doubts and was starting to assume you two did not harbor any romantic attraction and were merely that close, but it seems I was wrong."

 

Nezu sipped his tea again before saying. "It's always good to be proven wrong and learn something new."

 

"Huh." Izuku slouched in his seat as he rubbed his neck and asked. "I wonder who else knows."

 

"Oh, I'm sure almost everyone does. As Kyama put it, you two are obvious to a painful degree. She is eagerly awaiting the day you two start to date."

 

Izuku groaned and covered his face. He really did not want to be hearing this from the principal of all people. Nezu let his student stew for a moment before asking. "What about this situation is causing you distress? I may not be able to really help, but sometimes it is beneficial to simply speak your problems aloud."

 

Izuku pulled his face out of his hands and stared at the mystery mammal in front of him. This was very odd, but he was stalling and needed something to change, so after taking a deep breath, Izuku spoke. "I have a lot going on a-and a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders. All for One is gonna come after me at some point, and I need to master One for All. I have school to focus on, and it just feels like a lot. Adding a relationship on top of that just feels... I don't know. I'm not sure if it's a good idea right now. I don't want to add to my stress."

 

Nezu chirped, which caught Izuku off guard. The principal covered his mouth as he said. "Apologies, but sometimes when I find something humorous, I chirp like that."

 

"What's humorous about this, sir? I really don't see how it's funny at all." Izuku said, feeling a little annoyed at the rat in front of him.

 

"Your struggles are not humorous, but I did find your idea of a relationship with Ms.Uraraka causing you stress to be funny," Nezu said as he looked up at his student. "Midoriya, do you consider any of the time you spend with Ms.Uraraka to be stressful?

 

"Um... no, I don't. I've never felt like being around her causes me stress."

 

"Then why would that change simply because your relationship has grown closer? Would it not stand to reason that taking your relationship to this next step would, at worst, change nothing of your stress and, at best, could help reduce it?"

 

Nezu smiled, which looked somewhat unsettling to Izuku. "You see, I find it quite beneficial to pursue things for the simple joy of doing them. For example, I speak to my staff and others quite often about things that are not work-related. I listen to them speak of their hobbies and of things they have heard or seen, and I feel myself relax as a result."

 

Nezu stood and started walking to his desk as he continued. "In all my years, I've learned that causal relationships and spending time with others in a none work setting have helped my productivity quite a lot. I believe that, if anything, you pursuing a relationship with Ms.Uraraka could help you progress faster."

 

Izuku swallowed as he took in the information. "I see. I think I got a little too caught up in my own head."

 

"It happens to all of us, Midoriya," Nezu said as he took his seat. "Now I believe our meeting is over. Best for you to get home and speak to Ms.Uraraka."

 

"Y-yeah, I should do that," Izuku said as he stood up. "Um, thank you, sir... also, are you maybe a cat?"

 

Nezu scoffed as he said. "Do you think I would stoop to such a simple misdirect, Midoriya?"

 

"No sir, but also, your propensity for complex mind games could be a good cover. No one would expect you to do something simple like introduce yourself as a rat while actually being a cat."

 

Nezu laughed as he booted up his computer. "Quite the interesting idea Midorya but no, I am not a cat."

 

"I see. Well then, until our next meeting, sir."

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

June 13th, 2236

 

Ochako sighed as she slumped onto the couch. Her brain felt like it had been turned to mush. She wasn't expecting to learn something like that today, but looking back on all her time spent with Izuku, it made sense. They got along great since the first time they met, and they were practically attached at the hip, and while that doesn't necessarily guarantee that they'd fall for each other, they had at some point. Ochako chuckled weakly as she flopped onto her side and said. "I can't even tell when that would have happened."

 

Ochako took a deep breath in as she tried to organize her thoughts. As she let the breath out, she thought,  'Izuku has feelings for me. There's a small chance I'm wrong, but I know him. He would have told me right away if it was something else.'

 

Another breath in and another thought to accompany the breath out.  'Do I feel the same?'

 

"Yes." the word slipped out quicker than she had expected it to. Ochako rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling as she thought about Izuku. Her mouth felt a little dry, and her throat clenched for a moment as the words stalled, but she pushed past it and said. "I'm in love with Izuku, and I know he feels the same... shit, dinner is going to be awkward tonight."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 13th, 2236

 

"Alright, Izuku, just go in there and tell her you want to talk and then confess. It's easy. You know her. You've known her for years; you got this." Izuku muttered to himself as he got to the apartment... that he shared with Ochako. He suddenly remembered the time they had talked about living together in Might Tower and felt his ears heating up.  'Oh god, I'm so dense. What the hell? How did we say that stuff and not realize it sooner?'

 

Izuku took a deep breath to steady himself and then headed inside. He'd spent the whole walk home hyping himself up and getting ready to do this, and as he entered the living room slash kitchen, he looked over and spotted Ochako wearing shorts and one of the old shirts he'd outgrown.  'She's so pretty. How the heck am I supposed to tell her? God, she looks cute in my clothes. That's not fair.'

 

Ochako stalled out as she was going to welcome Izuku back. Suddenly the fact that they were living together settled on Ochako's mind. The slight blush on his face didn't help matters either now that she'd realized what was happening.  'Things are getting awkwardly quiet. Gotta say something.'

 

"Um... hey." Ochako crined internally.  'Great job Ochako. Real stellar work there.'

 

"H-hey," Izuku said as he walked toward the hallway, suddenly not feeling any of the courage he had earlier. "I'm uh gonna hit the shower and stuff before starting on dinner."

 

"N-No, you don't need to; I can cook it," Ochako said quickly.

 

"You cooked yesterday, though."

 

"Ah, I did, didn't I?"

 

The two stood there as an awkwardness so thick they could almost see it started to form between them. Izuku swallowed every hesitation and fear, and anxiety he could before saying. "Thanks for offering to cook. I um... yeah."

 

Izuku made a quick exit after mentally beating himself for being such a chicken, but it wasn't his fault. After realizing how he felt about Ochako, everything about her just got so much... more and better. He couldn't focus when he was looking at her now, and despite wanting to just confess and get things moving, he still felt this weird sense of dread, like standing on the edge of a cliff and not being able to tell how far down it was to the ground.

 

Ochako slumped onto the couch as she covered her face and resisted the urge to scream. Why was it hard to talk to him? She'd done it so much for most of her life, but now that she knew how she felt about him, everything about him just got brighter. His stupid cute freckles and his eyes, which already shone, seemed so much brighter now. How was she supposed to focus enough to tell him how she felt?

 

As the two teens avoided each other until dinner, they lamented their inability to just look at the person they loved and tell them how they felt. 

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 14th, 2236

 

Izuku sighed as he sat out on the balcony. It was three in the morning, and a particularly bad nightmare of One for All hurting people he cared about was slowly fading from his mind. He'd nearly screamed himself awake when Ochako was hurt, but luckily, he'd managed not to accidentally wake her and their neighbors up.

 

The door behind him slid open, and a quiet, still slightly sleepy-sounding Ochkao asked. "Can I join you?"

 

"You know you don't need to ask," Izuku muttered as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

 

Izuku cracked his eye open as Ochkao dragged the other chair over so the armrest for the two chairs was touching. Once she sat down and stared up at the sky, he reluctantly pulled his gaze away from her and towards the sky.

 

Ochako sighed and leaned towards him slightly as she said. "This is nice, but it doesn't hold a candle to The Cafe."

 

Izuku chuckled quietly and said, "I could see about putting a vending machine on the balcony."

 

Ochako snorted, and Izuku smiled at the sound of her laughter. "I don't think the landlord will allow that, and even if they did, it wouldn't be the same."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Because the stars won't be there with us," Ochako said as she stretched her hand toward the sky. "Also, there won't be that constant knowledge that our friends could appear at any moment."

 

Izuku chuckled and stared up at the few dots of light that fought back against the light pollution of Tokyo. "Yeah, The Cafe really was the best."

 

Izuku tensed as he felt her grab his hand gently. He could pull away if he wanted to, but her warm hand was so inviting, so he held firm but kept his eyes on the sky. Ochako sighed again after a moment. "I'm sorry for being so awkward when you got home. I wanted to talk to you, but I just chickened out, and then after dinner, it didn't feel right to try again, but I had a nightmare again, a-and I just. I don't want to dance around problems and whatnot."

 

"I understand," Izuku said before looking at her. Her brown eyes shimmered with a flurry of emotions that Izuku understood completely. "I had a nightmare as well, a-and I'm sorry for being weird the past few days. I got caught up in my own head, and then when I got home, I wanted to talk to you, but well, I chickened out as well."

 

Ochako smiled, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. Izuku smiled at the sound. She always did have the best laugh, in his opinion. "Maybe it's a good thing we always had our most important talks around this time of night."

 

"Yeah, maybe so," Izuku muttered as he squeezed Ochako's hand.

 

"Izuku/Ochako."

 

The two teens stared at each other for a moment before steadily descending into laughter. The awkwardness and worries slipped away as the two friends leaned on each other and pulled themselves together.

 

Izuku leaned his head against Ochako's, and as the tension left his body, he whispered. "I love you, Ochako."

 

Ocahko smiled and leaned closer as she said. "I love you too, Izuku."

Notes:

The confession has happened. I hope you enjoyed it. I felt like because of how close Izuku and Ochako are that their confession wouldn't be super bombastic or anything.

I felt like I had something I was going to tell you, but I can't remember.

Anyway, I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 36: First Date

June 15th, 2236

 

When morning came, Izuku and Ochako got a taste of what it was like to be old. The two teens groaned in pain as they woke up in the chairs on the balcony. They'd fallen asleep while leaning on each other, and now, as the morning light caused them to stir, their stiff bodies rebelled against them.

 

"Oh god, why did we fall asleep here?" Izuku muttered as he pulled himself up and attempted to stretch.

 

"I was just so tired." Ochako groaned. "I-I didn't even realize we'd fallen asleep."

 

The two looked at each other and chuckled at each other's hunched posture. Once they were inside and standing up straighter, the two teens stopped in the living room, and Ochako spoke first. "So, um... last night."

 

Izuku swallowed a lump in his throat before reaching out and taking her hand. "Yeah. Are you ok with... us? You know, being together like that."

 

Ochako squeezed his hand and leaned closer, resting her forehead on his chest. "Yeah. I'm ok with it. I'm-I'm really ok with it."

 

Izuku rested his chin on her head as he whispered into her hair. "I'm really glad. Everything feels lighter now."

 

"Same," Ochako muttered as she closed her eyes.

 

The two stood there for several minutes before separating slowly as Izuku asked. "What time is it?"

 

Ochako glanced at the clock in the kitchen before doing a double take. "Oh crap, we're gonna have to hurry, or we'll be late to school."

 

Ochako managed to take two steps before she was stopped by Izuku grabbing her hand. When she turned to look at him, she was surprised to see him blushing a bit as he said. "I have... an idea."

 

"If you're suggesting quirk use, I don't think that's a good idea. We may be close to UA, but it's still too far. We'd probably get caught."

 

"No, I mean... let's skip school and g-go out on a date," Izuku said as his face continued to heat up.

 

"H-huh? Skip school?" Ochako stumbled towards Izuku and squished his cheeks. "Are you really Izuku? Were you replaced while we slept?"

 

"I'm me." Izuku managed to say as he took her hands and removed them from his face. "I know it's weird because it's UA, and we're hero course students, but we don't have any tests, and Heroics isn't doing any exercises, so it'll be fine if we skip. Our friends will provide notes, and we'll just study a bit longer."

 

Ochako stared at Izuku like he'd grown a second head, and that head was shaped like All Might. On the one hand, they were hero course students, and skipping school when going to UA just seemed like a crime. On the other hand, she'd just gotten herself a boyfriend, and it was the boy she'd been in love with for who knows how long. He wanted to take her on a date.

 

"How are we gonna tell them we won't be coming in?"

 

"I'll text Toshi and tell him we're sick. All the teachers know we live together, so it's not like they'll see it as odd that we both got sick at the same time, and Toshi trusts us a lot, so he won't question it." Izuku said as he smiled.

 

'I feel like this is a bad idea. Also, I don't appreciate you using my other selves trust in you to-'  Izuku's smile didn't falter as he shut the mental door between him and Toshi. He was going to take his girlfriend on a date, and he did not need his master's consciousness riding shotgun.

 

"That's a smart idea," Ochako muttered. "Alright, let's take our time getting ready and have a nice breakfast, then we can go out. Unless your plan needs us to leave sooner."

 

Izuku checked the time before shaking his head. "No, we can take our time."

 

With their plan set, the two teens went to their respective rooms to start their days.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

"Oh well, that's too bad," Toshi muttered as he looked at his phone while getting up from his desk.

 

"Hm? What's wrong?" Midnight asked while Toshi collected his papers.

 

"It seems Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka are feeling under the weather, so they won't be attending school today."

 

Midnight snorted and did her best not to laugh as she said. "Oh no, that's so terrible. Best go inform Aizawa."

 

"I was just on my way to do so," Toshi said, not noticing how Midnight rolled her eyes.

 

Aizawa sighed after hearing Toshi's explanation. "Yeah, I'm sure they both feel terrible."

 

"It is quite unfortunate though it's a good thing that we don't have anything major happening," Toshi said cheerfully.

 

Aizawa sighed again and turned around. "You're a fool sometimes."

 

"Huh? What do you mean?"

 

Aizawa continued to ignore Toshi as he headed to his headache of a class.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

After their leisurely morning, Izuku and Ochako headed out. As they walked down the street, neither felt bold enough to take the other's hand despite their closeness. It felt... odd to do so in public.

 

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask," Ochako stated, getting Izuku's attention. "Have you started reliving Nana's memories yet?"

 

"No, I haven't," Izuku said as his eyes drifted down to her hand as their knuckles brushed against each other. "I'm putting it off until after finals."

 

"Huh? Why wait so long?"

 

"A couple of reasons," Izuku said while raising his hand and uncurling one finger at a time. "One, I need to get used to the new percentages and get my body physically capable of handling them. Two, I'm worried about how Nana's personality will affect me."

 

"What do you mean? What's she like?"

 

Izuku scratched his chin for a moment before it clicked. "From Toshi's memories, it feels like she would be good friends with Ashido and Hagakure."

 

"Oh... oh no," Ochako muttered. "But wait, you didn't change much when you relieved Toshi's memories."

 

"Well... I mean, we're kinda similar, so yeah." Izuku sighed.

 

"I guess it's a good idea to wait then since we're not sure how much you'll change," Ochako said as she tapped her chin. "Well, in that case, where are we going? You still haven't told me."

 

"That's because it's a secret for now," Izuku said as he smiled. "I want to surprise you."

 

Ochako sighed but relented. She knew she wouldn't be able to pressure him into an answer right now, and besides, a surprise sounded fun, so she leaned a little closer to Izuku as they walked to wherever they were going.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

Mina hummed as she looked at the two empty desks on either side of the classroom. A smile slowly spread on her face as she said. "Oh, I wonder what those two are up to? Are they not gonna come to class today? Oh boy, I bet they're skipping together and are gonna go on a date or something."

 

"What about Nishi?" Denki asked as he messed with his phone. "She's not here either."

 

"Oh, she texted Mina and me and said she was sick, so she wouldn't be coming in today," Toru said as she waved from her seat.

 

"Maybe that's why Uraraka and Midoriya are absent," Sero suggested.

 

'Doubt it.'  both Kyoka and Tsu thought as they watched the interaction at the front of the classroom.

 

The bell rang, and the door opened immediately as Aizawa stepped in and noted how everyone was already in their seats. "Alright, Uraraka and Midoriya are 'sick' today, and Nishi is sick, so none of them will be here today. Lucky them that there's no test or practicals."

 

The class silently wondered why Aizawa emphasized sick for Izuku and Ochako. Most figured that at least one was sick while the other skipped, while others, namely Mina, started to theorize about what exactly they could be getting up to.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

Ochako looked out the window as she rode the bus. She was wondering where Izuku was taking her, and her curiosity was reaching a boiling point. She was about to ask Izuku again where they were going when she saw it. The bus passed a sign for a place she had always wanted to go.

 

Ochako's head snapped over to look at Izuku, who was doing his best to hide his smile. "Seriously?"

 

"Huh?" Izuku asked as he looked at her while his lips quivered. "What do you mean?"

 

"Galaxy Park." Ochako breathed as she grabbed his sleeve. "The Galaxy Park that I've wanted to go to since I was five. We're going there? How? There's no way either of us has money to spare for tickets and stuff."

 

Izuku pulled the tickets out of his pocket. "Perks of being Toshi's successor. He gets lots of gifts from companies and stuff. He gives away most of them, and the last time we talked, he gave these to me. I wasn't sure when we'd have time to go but after... Well, last night, I figured now was a good time."

 

Ochako blushed and leaned on his shoulder as she said. "Skipping school is seeming like a better and better idea."

 

Izuku nodded as the bus came to a stop. "I'm a genius."

 

"I think Yaomomo and Iida still have you beat there," Ochako said as they got up and started to disembark.

 

"Ok, but they're special," Izuku said as they stepped off the bus. "They're too smart."

 

Ochako chuckled and nodded in agreement as they headed for the entrance to the park. "True. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty embarrassed being as low as I am."

 

"You're tenth, though," Izuku stated as he turned to look at her. "Also, that's top ten in a UA class. If we had gone to a different high school, you'd probably be in the top three."

 

Ochako blushed and looked away from Izuku. "Y-yeah, I know."

 

After getting through the line and entering the space-themed amusement park, Ochako looked around the central plaza. Due to it being a weekday while school was still in session, there weren't as many people as usual though it was still quite the crowd.

 

"This place is amazing," Ochako said as she marveled at the sights and sounds. "I want to live here."

 

Izuku swallowed his nerves and reached out to grab her hand. "Let's start slow and work our way up to the crazier stuff. We got all day to be here, so let's enjoy ourselves."

 

Ochako blushed as she nodded. "Y-yeah, let's go!"

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

Izuku groaned as he wobbled slightly. He was not prepared for that rollercoaster. As he sat down, he tried to glare at Ochako, but he had no energy, and honestly, her chipper, happy face was too cute.

 

"Oh, that was so much fun! What should we go on next?" Ochako asked as she practically bounced in place in front of Izuku.

 

"Ugh, why don't we take a second." Izuku groaned.

 

Ochako seemed to notice her boyfriend's state and chuckled a little. "Oh yeah, I forget sometimes my resistance to nausea is pretty high. Do you need a moment?"

 

"A couple, actually." Izuku leaned back to look at her. "That was a lot of fun, even if I feel like throwing up now."

 

Ochako giggled and sat down next to Izuku as she nodded. "This has honestly been the most fun ever. I'm so glad my b-boyfriend decided to be a delinquent and skip school."

 

Izuku blushed and rolled his eyes. "Skipping class once doesn't make me a delinquent, and besides, if it did, then that makes you one as well."

 

Ochako leaned on him as she chuckled. "I'm fine with that if it means you're one too."

 

Izuku sighed and shook his head before looking around and being reminded of something he'd seen on the park's website. "Hey, instead of another rollercoaster, why don't we go there? They should have another show starting soon."

 

Ochako looked over and gasped as she looked at the planetarium. "Oh yeah, let's go there. I've heard good things about their shows."

 

Once Izuku felt steady on his feet, he got up and led Ochako to the planetarium. They were lucky to snag some good seats, and as the lights dimmed, Ochako wrapped her arms around Izuku's and leaned closer to him.

 

"I'm glad we're together," Ochako whispered.

 

"Yeah, me too," Izuku muttered as he rested his head on hers, and the two watched the presentation.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

June 15th, 2236

 

Nishi panted as she felt sweat pouring down her back. She'd been at this for hours now, and they seemed determined to bring her to her knees, but she couldn't go down yet. She needed to last longer than last time. She had to beat her last score.

 

Nishi grunted as she pulled on the water surrounding her and formed a wall in front of her that absorbed the rubber bullets. With a twist of her wrist and a thrust forward, she formed her own bullets with the water and sent them down range, hitting the HPSC trainers in the chest and sending them falling to the ground. Some dodged, but the hail of water bullets caught them eventually.

 

The next group rushed in before Nishi could even breathe and took cover while firing at her. All the hits to her water wall were shaking her concentration, and her energy was running out fast. There was no indicator of how long she'd been doing this, and part of her was kind of glad.

 

She knew the point of the exercises was to test her limits, and a timer would just cause her to slack or affect how she managed her resources. In real combat, there aren't timers; the fight just goes on until it's over.

 

Nishi thrust another hail of bullets while trying to maintain her wall and pull more water in to reinforce her defenses. It was too much, and her concentration slipped. The water wall wobbled, and the trainers took advantage of that. A hail of rubber bullets concentrated on one spot broke her defenses, and Nishi grunted as several struck her in the gut and sent her tumbling down. Her legs gave out, and her head swam as she released the water, which then fell on her.

 

As Nishi coughed and sputtered while trying to hold her breakfast down, the click, click click of her handlers heels caused her to tense. The older woman had an unreadable expression on her face as Nishi forced herself to look up at her.

 

"That concludes your final test. Please return to your room, and we'll get your results soon."

 

"Y-yes, ma'am," Nishi muttered as she forced herself to her feet. She felt like she was going to pass out, but she managed to get back to the sparse examination room she had gone to for her physical.

 

Nishi sat on the bed, not caring about the water dripping off her. If she had any energy to speak of, she would have just pulled it off, but she couldn't. Even pulling on her quirk right now sent her head swimming and filled her body with nausea. She'd exhausted her quirk and her body today. Of course, her physical was the day after a practical class at UA too.

 

Before Nishi could lament the bad timing of it all, her handler came in and glanced at her for a moment before saying. "Well, it seems sending you to UA was a good idea for more than just the intel you bring us. Your scores have improved, though if you keep going at this rate, it'll be years after your graduation before you can get to Hawks's level."

 

Nishi's handler set the tablet down; her red eyes seemed a little disappointed as she said. "Be sure to continue to show better results when your next physical comes around."

 

Nishi nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'll do my best to improve."

 

"Good. Someone will be by soon to escort you home. Try to dry off before then."

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

Once her handler left, Nishi got up and grabbed the tablet so she could see the details of her physical. She skimmed over things like her BMI, height, and other typical physical results. She didn't care much about any of that. She knew she was healthy and slightly taller than when she did this last time. The results she wanted were related to her combat exercises.

 

Nishi smiled as she looked over the numbers. She'd lasted minutes longer in all exercises, and her accuracy and efficacy had seen a notable improvement as well. As pride welled up in her chest, it was tempered with a realization.  'There's no one I can share this with... they won't show me anything about Hawks either, so I can't compare myself to him.'

 

Nishi sighed and put the tablet down before taking her seat and thinking about how at UA, she could brag and show off to her friends, and they would do the same. She liked it whenever test results came because seeing her friends' scores improve helped push her to do better, and in turn, they would try harder. Nishi chuckled as she muttered. "Well, except Mina. She seems content at second to last, but even then, it's not like she's getting failing marks."

 

Nishi's escort arrived with a towel which Nishi accepted. Once she was a bit drier than before, she left, though, after a couple of minutes of walking through the HPSC facility, they suddenly came to a stop. Her escort provided no information and just said they needed to wait for a bit.

 

On the other side of the door, walking down the hall, Hawks felt his wings tingle. The number three hero glanced at the door but kept his stride. Whoever was on the other side was probably waiting for him to not be in this hall. Typically he wouldn't care about something like that. The Commission had their secrets, and he never poked them much, but after his talk with Jeanist and their agreement, the Commission's secrets were looking like something he should look at a little more closely, but now wasn't the time. He had places to be and covers to keep.

Notes:

Yay, first day, and skipping school like teenagers.

What upcoming anime are you excited about?

That's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 37: Finals on the Horizon

June 16th, 2236

As Ochako cleaned up breakfast, Izuku's phone rang, and he answered it immediately. "Oh hey, Mom, what's up..."

Ochako watched her boyfriend's smile strain a bit as he chuckled nervously. "Oh no, we're fine now... yeah, it was just a little bug."

Ochako paled a bit as she realized Inko had probably heard from Toshi that they'd said they were sick. "I swear Ochako, and I are healthy and ready to get back to school... uh huh yeah, we just took care of each other and rested all day. Yep... no, no, you don't need to come visit... I didn't mean I didn't want to see you, but you know we're gonna be busy playing catch up... yeah, we're free next week... Ok, I'll see you then."

Izuku sighed as he put his phone down and slumped into the seat. Ochako chuckled a bit as she walked over. "Your mom is gonna come visit?"

"Yeah." Izuku rubbed his face and groaned. "I forgot to consider that Toshi would tell my mom that we said we were sick."

"Do you think she believes the lie?"

"Maybe, but apparently, my mom knew every time I snuck out of the house to see you, so there's a good chance she saw through it right away."

Ochako blushed as her hands clenched. "She knew? Do you think she told my parents about me sneaking out?"

Izuku smiled as he reached over and worked his fingers between hers. "I don't know, but if they knew and didn't say anything, then I guess they don't mind. Though... I don't know how they'd feel about us dating and living together like this. It was bad enough when we were just friends, and they gave us that talk."

Ochako blushed and squeezed his hand. "Y-yeah, that talk... but you know that's. That's way too soon a-and stuff."

"Y-yeah. We shouldn't even think about it." Izuku muttered as he suddenly found it very hard to look at his very pretty girlfriend.

An awkward tension was worming its way between the two when Ochako cleared her throat and said. "We're gonna be late if we don't leave."

"R-right... Let's get to school." Izuku said as he reluctantly released her hand and stood up.

______________________________________________________________________

June 16th, 2236

"You two!" Mina yelled, startling half the class.

Ochako and Izuku both sighed internally as they entered the classroom. They knew she would be on them in an instant and had already hashed out how they would respond. Mina stalked up to them as she giggled. "You skipped school. What'd you do? Where'd ya go? Was it a date? Oh, I know it was."

"Yeah, it was," Ochako said so everyone could hear. Ochako's smile was strained as she tried to keep her nerves calm. They may have agreed to be open that they were dating, but it was still so embarrassing to say this stuff out loud. "We went to Galaxy Park."

Mina was silent, and slack-jawed as her eyes drifted over to Izuku, who smiled and whispered. "I had some tickets and didn't feel like going to school. Be sure to keep it secret, though. Wouldn't want Aizawa to get on our case."

Yuga chuckled quietly as Mina stared at the two of them before puffing her cheeks out as she pouted. "It's no fun if you're not gonna be embarrassed... I want details at lunch, Uraraka."

Ochako nodded. "I'll tell you all about it."

Once the duo went to their seats, Tsu croaked and said. "Congratulations Chako. I didn't think you'd make your move so soon."

"While this is a momentous occasion, please be sure to not let it affect your school work and be sure to conduct yourselves in a manner that is appropriate for UA students," Tenya said as his arm started to gain momentum with the rapid chopping.

"Ah, come on, Iida, don't be a downer," Denki said as he leaned back. "Let em have fun and stuff. We should all be sure to have plenty of fun when we get as lucky as these two."

Kyoka glared at her best friend as he not so suitably smirked at her while his eyes darted from her to Momo. The punk girl couldn't help but look over at the tall, beautiful, dark-haired girl. She frowned a bit as Momo approached Izuku.

"Midoriya, with finals coming up, I was thinking it would be a good idea to set up some study sessions. I broached the topic with Iida, but sadly, he declined."

"Yes, I'm afraid I don't do well in study groups, but I encourage all of you to form groups if you're struggling with the material," Iida said from across the room.

"Hm, that would be a good idea," Izuku stated as he rubbed his chin. "We could meet up on a day off every week leading up to the exams."

"I can host," Momo said as she placed a hand on her chest. "My home is large enough to comfortably hold any number of our classmates, and I can provide food and refreshment."

"That sounds like a good idea." Izuku glanced at the time before saying. "How about when lunch comes around, we can discuss the details and who's gonna be able to attend."

Momo smiled as she clasped her hands together. "That is a wonderful idea."

The bell rang, and Aizawa shuffled in, shooting Ochako and Izuku a muted glare as he started talking about what they should expect in heroics today.

____________________________________________________________________

June 22nd, 2236

Izuku's hand tingled with warmth as he walked with Ochako hand and hand. "The houses keep getting bigger."

"Yeah, I'm trying not to think about it," Ochako muttered as she kept her eyes forward.

Izuku squeezed her hand and did his best to keep his eyes focused in front of him. Everyone knew Momo was rich, but as the houses grew larger, Izuku started to wonder how rich she was. His question seemed to not matter much as they approached the Yaoyorozu estate. The word mansion didn't seem to do the building justice. It was large. Too large for Izuku and Ochako's comfort. Frankly, Izuku was pretty sure castle might be more appropriate to describe what he was looking at.

"Yo, you guys, what's up? Why are you just standing around-" Denki's voice faltered as he stared at the goliath in front of them. "Holy shit."

"Wow, that's big," Kyoka muttered as she adjusted the strap of her backpack. "How many people could live here?"

"Way too many," Denki muttered.

"We should probably tell her we're here," Izuku said as he walked over to the intercom system.

After pushing the button, Momo's cheerful voice came through. "Hello, everyone; I'll let you in right now. Hagakure and Ashido got here a few minutes ago."

The gate clicked and rolled open smoothly, letting the four students enter the premises. Ochako swallowed and attempted to calm her nerves by taking Izuku's hand. "Maybe it won't be so bad inside."

"It's bad inside," Ochako muttered as she looked at the overwhelmingly rich aesthetic of the main hall.

Izuku squeezed her hand and patted her shoulder gently. "Deep breaths. We'll manage."

"You two ok?" Kyoka asked as she looked at them.

Izuku nodded as he tried not to focus on the room too much. "We're both kinda not the most well off. This is just... so different from what we're used to seeing."

"I get that, man," Denki muttered.

"Hello, everyone!" Momo cheered as she entered from a set of double doors on the right. "Please come this way to the library."

The four teens followed their very obviously excited classmate as she practically skipped down the halls to a library that was many times larger than Izuku and Ochako's apartment. Inside, Toru and Mina were seated at a large table, looking like their brains were about to leak out of their ears.

"AH!" Mina shouted suddenly as she got up. "Yes, finally, others have arrived. Teacher, can I take a break while you catch them up?!"

Momo looked concerned as she tilted her head. "Did you need a break, Ashido? I'm sorry I didn't notice."

Izuku chuckled as Mina and Toru slumped over. "What are we starting with?"

______________________________________________________________________

June 22nd, 2236

"Yaoyorozu, do you know much about tea?" Izuku asked as he looked at the cup she set in front of him.

"Hm? Oh yes, I like to think I do. I've always been fascinated with the variety and history of tea." Momo said as she finished pouring another cup.

"I need your help," Izuku stated as he set his cup down. "I meet with Nezu sometimes to talk about whatever he feels like, and he serves tea, and I have no idea what it is. Can you help me figure it out?"

"Would that be ok?" Momo asked as she sat down. "I didn't know you met with the principal; that must be quite an honor."

Izuku shrugged. "It's alright, and I'm sure he'd be fine with it. You're one of the smartest people in class, so I'm sure he'd like to speak with you."

"I'd be honored to join you two for a conversation. If he allows it, of course."

As they spoke, Mina leaned over to Ochako and whispered. "Your boyfriend is inviting Yaomomo to a private talk?"

Ochako rolled her eyes as she playfully shoved Mina. "The talks aren't all that great. I've sat in on a few, and it's not my thing."

As Mina giggled, Momo stood as she said. "I forgot to grab some snacks. I'll be right back."

Denki nudged Kyoka, who glared at him before standing and trying her best to not sound desperate. "I'll help you out."

Momo thanked her, and the two left the library. As they walked, Momo hummed happily, and Kyoka couldn't help but stare at her. This girl was super hot, smart, and just all-around amazing, and seeing her look like a happy puppy was doing devastating things to Kyoka's mental state.

"You're really excited about studying, huh?"

Momo beamed as she smiled, and Kyoka was pretty sure her blood sugar level had risen. "Of course..."

The smile faded some Kyoka hated that more than she thought she would. "I will admit that... Well, I wasn't sure if anyone would agree to come. I-I don't have any friends, and I admit that I lived a sheltered life which has caused some issues at UA. I don't feel like I'm connecting with anyone in class. It's very hard to gauge how social interactions work with my peers."

"Yeah, I noticed," Kyoka stated bluntly, causing Momo to deflate more. Kyoka wanted to stab herself with her own jacks as she quickly backpedaled. "I mean, it's not as bad as you might think... and you know what? I'll help you get better at socializing. I can be your first friend."

Momo rebounded back into excited puppy energy as she grasped Kyoka's hands, nearly giving the punk girl a heart attack. "Really?! You'd help me? You'd be my friend?"

Kyoka nodded quickly and spoke before her confidence could crumble. "Yeah, b-but I'm gonna need your number so we talk and set up... study sessions and stuff."

"Of course." Momo gasped as she quickly pulled her phone out. Once the two had swapped numbers, Momo grinned. "I'm looking forward to our friendship."

"Me too," Kyoka said as she started to wonder if this was a good way to go about her feelings.

_____________________________________________________________________

June 24th, 2236

"Ah, it's wonderful to see Ms.Yaoyorozu. How have your studies been going?" Nezu said as Izuku and Momo entered his office.

"They've been going well, sir," Momo said as she beamed with pride. "I, with Midoirya's help, have been hosting several study sessions for our classmates."

"That's wonderful. I do hope you all do well on your finals." The principal stated as he got up from his desk and started to brew some tea. "I was quite intrigued when Midoiriya claimed he wanted you to sit in our conversation today."

"Yes, I was quite surprised by the offer as well," Momo stated as she and Izuku took their seats. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity."

Nezu hummed as he brought a tea set over. "Well, today we will be discussing the oh-so-popular Quirk Doomsday Theory. Are you familiar with it?"

Momo nodded. "Yes, I am, sir. It's an old theory that states with each generation, quirks become stronger and more complex and that eventually, it will reach a singularity in which quirks outpace humanity's ability to control them."

"Quite right." Nezu chirped. "It was quite the laughing stock of an idea back in the day, but nowadays, some people seem to be taking it more seriously."

Izuku snorted, catching the others' attention. Nezu smiled as he poured three cups of tea. "I see you have an opinion on this, Mr.Midoriya."

Izuku nodded as he accepted his cup. "Yes, sir. I think the theory is flawed."

"How so?" Nezu asked as he sat across from his students. "Quirks are quite different from what they were over a hundred years ago."

"And so is humanity," Izuku stated as he watched Momo take a sip. Her face went from surprised to confused before she took another sip and seemed to enjoy the brew. "The second joint in the pinkie toe is what people like to mention all the time, but it's one of the smaller changes to the human form."

Izuku sipped his cup and cursed his inability to understand tea-tasting notes. "Wisdom teeth used to be a thing almost every human had to deal with in the past, but several generations after quirks arrived, the only extra teeth people have are ones related to quirks. Two generations later, the gallbladder had fused with the Liver, and the new organ now does both jobs better than before."

Izuku set his cup down as he looked at the principal's slight smile. "There's also human life expectancy. It went up not just because some quirks extend it but because science has shown that with every generation, our cells can simply divide more and last longer. Humanity is evolving fast, and while quirks may be a half step ahead, that's all they've ever been because a quirk is generic. It's part of the body. My ability to produce fire and my throat's internal renaissance to fire aren't two separate things; those are both part of my quirk."

Nezu sipped his tea and hummed. "Quite right. Though there is the fear of exponential growth. I believe you burned yourself quite badly when you used your quirk."

"I believe that to be an outlier due to extenuating circumstances."

"Hm, I suppose you're right," Nezu stated before turning to Momo. "Ms.Yaoyorozu, I am actually quite fascinated by your quirk. Could you explain it to me?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yes, of course, sir." Momo said as she reluctantly put her cup down. "Creation allows me to consume my own body's fat and turn the lipids into new molecules. As long as I know how something is constructed or if I know the atomic structure of what I'm making, I can produce it."

"Quite interesting, though. I wonder if there is more to it than we're seeing." Nezu stated, causing Izuku to perk up as he looked at Momo. His eyes darted up and down her figure for a moment. It felt different than when Mineta would leer at her. It was less like she was being treated like a piece of meat and more like she was being analyzed by a scientist or machine.

"You've made some pretty impressive things before," Izuku stated as his face turned a little red. "This is somewhat embarrassing to ask, but... how dense is your body?"

Momo tilted her head. "I don't follow."

Nezu stayed silently as he watched Izuku rub his face. "I mean. Your figure doesn't match with what you can do. You produced a full-size canon which weighs more than an average person. You should frankly not look how you do. If anything, it would be less odd if you looked like Fat Gum."

It clicked for Momo, and she gasped. "I never realized. Why are my body density and BMI not higher? I eat quite a lot to store up for training, and yet my size doesn't change. I was always so focused on learning new molecules and how different devices work that I never questioned where all the fat went."

"Perhaps it's something you should look into," Nezu said, breaking his silence. "I would quite like to know the answer, but I think it would be best if you pursued this independently, Ms.Yaoyorozu."

Momo nodded excitedly as she picked up her tea and thought about what she was missing with her quirk. A few cups of tea and several discussions on quirks later, the two students excused themselves, and Momo watched curiously as Izuku asked if Nezu was related to koalas. The principal simply laughed and told him no before getting back to work.

"Um, Midoirya, may I ask what that was about?"

Izuku chuckled a bit as they walked the halls of UA. "I have a game going on with Nezu. I'm trying to guess what animal he really is. I'm hoping you can tell me about the tea he drinks and that it will help point me toward the right answer."

"Oh, I see. I wish you the best of luck. As for the tea, I believe it's a blend of several varieties of both White and Yellow teas. I've written down my thoughts on it, and I will look into it to give you a better idea of what it could be."

"Thank you, Yaomomo. Hopefully, this pans out for me."

"Of course... could I have your phone number so I can tell you the results as soon as possible?"

"Um yeah," Izuku said as he pulled his phone out.

After they exchanged numbers, Momo pumped her fist and whispered. "Another name on the list."

"The list?" Izuku asked as they arrived at the elevator.

"Yes, Jiro is helping me in my endeavors to connect with our classmates better and to make friends. May I consider you a friend as well?"

"Of course," Izuku said as he smiled. "I wish you the best of luck in making more friends, and I'm sure Ochako and the other girls would be thrilled if you tried to connect with them more."

"I will give it my best shot," Momo stated as she pumped her fist a little.

Notes:

Bleach, Jobless Reincarnation, ZOM100, and Bungo Stray Dogs are the four anime I'm keeping up with right now, and I'm enjoying them.

Insominac's After School was a good rom-com. I liked where it ended, and I'd like another season.

I wrote an entirely different chapter for this and then looked at the chapter and went I don't like it, so I deleted it and wrote this one instead. One part of the original chapter will make its way into the story but at a much later time.

I guess that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 38: Final Exams

July 10th, 2236

 

Aizawa sighed as he stood up and looked at the assembled first-year teachers. "Alright, let's get this over with. I'll go over who I picked for which fight and why."

 

The teachers nodded in agreement, and as Aizawa started listing them off, no one had many arguments though Thirteen raised her hand as they got to her fight. "I was under the impression I'd be going against Uraraka and Aoyama. Why did you pick Yaoyorozu instead?"

 

"Due to some strides made in Uraraka's quirk training and due to a change in one of her personal relationships, I believe she'll learn more in another fight," Aizawa said, purposely ignoring the happy giggling from Midnight. "As for why Yoayorozu is going up against you. Your quirk should do a good job of destroying whatever her initial plan is and force her to think on her feet. She struggles with snap decision-making, and I don't think she and Aoyama will mesh well, which is something she hasn't had to deal with much in training. Hopefully, this will help her become more flexible during confrontations."

 

"Understood. I'll do my best to push her and Aoyama." Thirteen said as she looked over the papers.

 

"Now, onto my fight," Aizawa said as he flipped to the next page. "Since day one, Shoto Todoroki has not only refused to use his full quirk, but he also has shown an over-reliance on the ice half of it. Nishi Orime has also shown a considerable reliance on her quirk though she does have impressive hand-to-hand skills for a first year. She has also shown a distaste for Todoroki. I'll erase their quirks and force them to cooperate."

 

"Wait, that means Uraraka and Midoriya." Snipe started as he flipped to the last page.

 

"They'll be fighting All Might." Aizawa stated, "Uraraka's quirk went through an awakening during the USJ incident. She's updated her quirk to Gravity Control, and she's able to increase or decrease the gravity of anything she touches."

 

"They're also dating now!" Midnight cheered, causing Aizawa to sigh.

 

"Yes to anyone who somehow hadn't noticed it. Midoriya and Uraraka are dating now, and so I'd like for them to be put into a fight that will see both of them in danger. They'll need to be able to control themselves even when seeing the other get hurt. They also need to be pushed. Midoriya and Uraraka have years of training and working together, but they haven't fought overwhelming power, so don't hold back just because they're your favorites."

 

Toshinori laughed as he sat up a little straighter. "I would never hold back in educating my students. I will be sure they are put through the paces and given a chance to succeed."

 

"Good. any questions?"

 

No one spoke up, and so Aizawa allowed Vlad to take the lead and go over his class's fights.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

"Wait, what?!" Denki shouted as the teachers came out. "We have to fight you guys?! What about the robots?"

 

"We thought that considering the state of the world and how the school has been targeted, we want you all to be more prepared for anything that could happen," Nezu said as he crawled out of Aizawa's scarf. "This is for your benefit, my dear students. I hope, pass or fail that you learn a lot from these finals."

 

The class groaned and seemed not particularly thrilled about the idea. Izuku stepped up and turned to his classmates. "Come on guys, this is a great opportunity, and think about it. When you pass, you can brag to everyone else that, as a first-year, you took on a pro hero and won. Even if they're two-on-one fights, that's still an amazing achievement. Let's give it our all and have a great time together during the summer camp."

 

As the class perked up and started to get into the idea of their finals, Aizawa stepped up and muttered. "Thanks, Problem Child, but don't be too happy. I'm sure you've figured it out by now."

 

Izuku chuckled nervously as he flexed his hands. "Yeah... it only makes sense, all things considered."

 

Aizawa nodded before clapping his hands and saying ." alright, I'm going to announce the teams and who you'll be up against. We don't have all day, so quiet down and pay attention."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

Nishi was fuming silently as she entered the suburban testing area. Why was she put with Shoto Todoroki, of all people? He had a sour attitude, he never interacted with anyone in class, and he was half-assing everything during their practicals. Every time she got put against him, she would beat him, and it annoyed her because she could tell he had more to his quirk. The signs were all there, but for some reason, he never used his fire to combat her. Now she was being forced to work with him to fight their homeroom teacher, who was a master at ambushes and could disable their most powerful resource just by looking at them.

 

Shoto was glaring as he looked around. Nishi wanted to just punch him in the face, but she was pretty sure that would get her an automatic failure.

 

"Alright, here's the plan. Keep using your quirk constantly while we make our way to the exit. We'll use the alleys as cover. Make sure you keep your distance and tell me when he shuts your quirk off-"

 

"Fuck off," Nishi muttered as she started to walk away. "I'm not gonna follow some sour-ass rich boy around while he plays at being a hero."

 

"What?" Shoto said as he turned to actually look at her. "I am not-"

 

"Yes, you are." Nishi snapped as she whirled around. "Everyone else in our class worked their ass off and earned their place here. Meanwhile, you got in because your daddy is number two, and you've never put serious effort into any fucking practical lesson."

 

Shoto prickled with anger, but Nishi's words barreled on. "Your quirk has an obvious fire element to it, but all you ever fucking do is use it to warm up after the fight is done. You are the only person who isn't seriously trying to be a hero, so either shape the fuck up or go to Gen-Ed and let someone who will take this seriously be here."

 

Nishi turned on her heel and stomped off, ignoring how Shoto seethed at her accusations. He hadn't even really heard what she was saying past her accusation that he got only because of his father. She didn't know anything; she was just some person he hadn't gotten better than yet. He'd beat her one day, and he'd do it with his ice.

 

Aizawa sighed from his vantage point and put his binoculars down. He hadn't expected Nishi to explode right away, but maybe he should have seen it coming, all things considered. Aizawa hummed as he thought about how she had blown up at Mineta before. Considering what Mineta had done, he could understand why she would, and while what she said during the USJ was concerning, it made sense considering the stressful nature of the situation. While her threats and harsh attitude had helped push Mineta away from his pervy habits, Aizawa had a feeling it wasn't going to work on Shoto.

 

"What happened to the two of you that made you both like this?" Aizawa muttered as he formed his plan. He could see that while Nishi had stormed off, she was actually staying somewhat near Shoto. "Probably wants to use him as bait... guess I need to teach my students a lesson. Hopefully, they learn it before getting out there into the real world."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

Nishi took several deep, slow breaths to try and calm herself down. She knew this would happen, and now, because her teammate was a slacker, her chances of passing had dropped considerably.

 

As she put all her stealth training into practice, Nishi kept an eye out for her teacher while keeping Shoto nearby. He'd be good bait just walking like that out in the open.

 

Nishi tensed as she felt her quirk suddenly stop circulating the water in her suit. Before even trying to find where Aizawa was, Nishi bolted straight for Shoto. If she could just get him between her and Aizawa, he should hopefully be enough of a distraction for her to get away.

 

A foot connected with her back, sending her tumbling onto the street where Shoto was. The boy turned as his quirk was erased, and bolas were thrown, tying his legs up and knocking him over.

 

Nishi attempted to get up but found herself slammed hard into the asphalt as Aizawa landed on her and started to bind her hands as she desperately tried to fill her lungs. Within seconds she found herself strung up on a lamppost. Aizawa finished tying the rope before sprinting down towards Shoto, who had just gotten the bolas off.

 

The boy attempted to fight back, but he was no match for a hand-to-hand expert like Aizawa, and soon enough, he was strung up like Nishi. Aizawa dropped caltrops under Shoto before walking to Nishi and grabbing a bag by the side of the road she had tumbled in form.

 

Aizawa dumped sand under Nishi, who sputtered. "What? Where did you get a bag of sand?"

 

"Nearby park," Aizawa said as he pulled a small knife out and threw it at Nishi. The girl flinched but didn't feel anything. She quickly opened her eyes to see the knife had punctured her suit where the water ran through, and now it was pouring out onto the sand.

 

Once her suit was drained, Aizawa groaned and removed his goggles as he blinked and applied eyedrops. "Alright, now we just wait until the buzzer sounds, and you two fail."

 

Shoto immediately attempted to freeze his bonds and break them, but he found that even frozen solid, the material he'd been tied up in, didn't break. Aizawa quickly flashed his quirk before saying. "The rope is the same as my scarf, and this stuff is rated for hero work. It's not gonna break just because it gets cold. Though I'm sure you could burn it, but I doubt you have the control to do that and then switch to the ice to try and stop the caltrops from stabbing you."

 

Shoto glared angrily as Aizawa got on top of a stone wall and sat down. "I don't think you have laser eyes, so I doubt that's gonna do anything."

 

Shoto didn't respond, and Aizawa simply shrugged before pulling a jelly pouch out and sipping it. After a few seconds, the teacher spoke up. "You know, if you two had worked together and actually came up with a plan, then maybe you'd be able to beat me."

 

"Fat chance," Nishi grumbled. "With a slacker like him on my team? We were doomed the moment the buzzer sounded."

 

"You know you're gonna have to learn to work with people who annoy you."

 

"I can work with anyone as long as I know they're taking this seriously!" Nishi snapped. "He isn't! He shouldn't be here if he's not gonna give this his all!"

 

"That's a problem for me to worry about," Aizawa stated. "And not everyone who becomes a hero will be as motivated as you. Remember, not everyone graduates from UA. There are other hero schools, and some of them barely qualify for that title."

 

"Maybe he should have gone to one of them instead of using his daddy's name to get into UA."

 

Aizawa looked at Shoto, who was fuming but hadn't said anything yet, and decided to see if his student would finally just let it out for once. "No one gets into UA. They earn it."

 

"And yet we have a recommendation exam," Nishi said. "An obstacle race, a written test which is the same test as the general entrance, and an interview with Nezu. Wow, real quality stuff there, sir. Do you know how many people in the general exam would probably have fared better in an obstacle course than a fight against robots?"

 

Aizawa shrugged as he said. "I'll concede that point. The recommendation system isn't necessarily fair, but the interview with Nezu is crucial. The principal has a way of seeing people for who they really are, and I guess he saw something in Todoroki other than his father's name."

 

"Are you sure? Endeavor is an alumni, so-"

 

"Shut up!" Shoto snapped as his eyes burned. "I want nothing to do with my father! He has nothing to do with me being here! I'm going to be a hero, and I'll use only my mother's ice!"

 

"And yet you took the recommended exam, so good job, you failed already," Nishi said as she stared at Shoto with a mocking smile. "And I applaud you for handicapping yourself. I'm sure all the people you'll fail to save when a villain with water or ice manipulation starts rampaging will understand that they died so you could show how cool you are using only half  your  power."

 

Nishi scoffed as Shoto seethed. "I'll beat them. It's just a matter of time until I'm better than you, and then I'll be able to handle anyone else who has a quirk like yours."

 

"God, you're pathetic and a slacker who rides your daddy's name," Nishi said as she tried to loosen her bindings. She only succeeded in making herself wobble in the air and swing slightly. "And what was that about your mother's ice? It's your quirk, dumbass. You were born with it. This shit is taught in elementary school. You must have been using daddy's name to get you through your whole life. Must be nice to be so well off that you can go and do whatever you want."

 

Flames flickered, and Shoto's left side ignited but stopped just as quickly as he was suddenly dropped due to the severed ropes. Aizawa lunged for him, tying him up in the capture scarf while erasing his quirk. Shoto grunted as he hit the ground next to the caltrops.

 

With her teachers back to her, Nishi saw an opportunity and stretched her quirk out, looking for any source of water. She found it in the form of sprinkler systems. Nishi smiled as she grabbed hold of the water and pulled with all her might. The plastic and metal of the yard sprinklers shattered as streams from both sides of the street shot over the walls and slammed into Aizawa, who had just started to turn around.

 

Shoto got caught in the deluge of water, but Nishi didn't care. He was a spoiled brat who had only used his fire because he was too angry to hold back. Nishi willed some water towards her while making sure to keep Aizawa facing away from her.

 

The water sliced through the ropes holding her and caught her, giving her a gentle landing. As she looked up, a flash grenade bounced right into her field of view and exploded, blinding and deafening her while causing her to lose control of her quirk and release all the water in the area from her control.

 

Aizawa was quick to close the distance and slam his elbow into her diaphragm while erasing her quirk. As Nishi struggled to catch her breath and reorientate herself, Aizawa secured her again and dragged her over to Shoto.

 

Nishi cursed as she was dropped near Shoto. Aizawa sighed, and the buzzer sounded. "Well, you two failed in so many ways. We'll be going over it later. In the meantime, go to the viewing area, and if you two fight or bother each other, it'll be detention for the first three weeks of the second semester."

 

The two students stayed silent, and Aizawa glared down at them. "Am I clear? Or should I just assume you're going for each other's throats and give you detention now? How about I ban you two from the Sports Festival next semester?"

 

"I understand, sir," Nishi said quickly. "I won't bother the daddies, boy."

 

"None of that either. Say his name."

 

"... I won't bother Todoroki."

 

"Good." Aizawa freed her and looked at Shoto. "So?"

 

"I won't bother Orime."

 

Aizawa nodded and freed him. "Good now go to the viewing area and know I will be watching and listening."

 

The two students trudged off, giving each other a wide berth as they moved. Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes. He'd stayed quiet and let them shout it out, hoping something would happen, and he supposed it did.

 

"Why do you seem to hate your father, Todoroki?" Aizawa muttered as he looked at the young boy. Aizawa had seen that Shoto had some anger locked up in there, but he'd assumed it was teen angst or that maybe he just didn't take criticism well, but the hate in the boy's eyes as he screamed about his father was concerning. That wasn't the kind of hate a kid upset with their parents for forgetting something or being unfair would have. It was the kind of hate a person would have towards someone who wronged them or had done something unforgivable.

 

Aizawa pulled his phone out as it rang and answered. "Sir, aren't you testing Kaminari and Ashido? Do you have time to call me?"

 

"Oh, you know me; I'm a multitasker," Nezu said from the cockpit of his favorite crane. "I can also practically hear the gears in your head turning from here. I suppose you're worried about Todoroki?"

 

"Yes, sir," Aizawa stated as he started to move. "Things are... concerning, to say the least, and to a lesser degree, I am worried about Nishi. She's shown some concerning habits and lines of thought."

 

"Hm, I see. Well, I know just the people to help in this situation." Nezu said as he swung his wrecking ball and cut off yet another escape route. "I'll contact them and have them look into the Todoroki family."

 

"And Nishi?"

 

"I believe we can wait. She seems stable enough, and she gets along with everyone in your class, minus Todoroki. Unless that changes, I believe it will be ok to hold off on poking into her history."

 

"Understood, sir. As for the summer camp location."

 

"Ah yes, the Pussycats have agreed to house the first years and aid in their training. Midnight, Present Mic and Snipe will be stationed at UA and will conduct the Gen-Ed voluntary training camp. You, Vlad, and the Pussycats will be with the hero course."

 

"And All Might?"

 

"He'll be making himself seen around Tokyo and hitting a few places the Nighteye and the police have marked as villain hideouts."

 

"Understood." Aizawa hung up and started to head toward the viewing area while he thought about summer. There wasn't much intel on the street about the League of Villains, and Yuga hadn't received any new orders from All for One yet, but UA was still being cautious and making sure as little information as possible could end up in the enemy's hands.

 

Aizawa sighed and rubbed his sore eyes. He was really tired, and the year wasn't even a third of the way over yet. "I want to take a nap."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

"I can't believe we have to fight All Might," Ochako muttered as she and Izuku stood outside the testing area.

 

"It makes sense considering my quirk and the changes to yours plus our training," Izuku muttered as he flexed his hands and shifted from foot to foot.

 

Ochako smiled and watched her boyfriend shift around nervously as he tried to act calm. Her cheeks warmed as she thought about how they were dating, and even after a month, it still felt crazy. "Hey, Izuku."

 

"Huh-"

 

Izuku tensed as Ochako pushed up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Her cheeks burned as she cleared her throat and said. "For good luck."

 

Izuku smiled as his ears turned red. "T-thanks, Chako... hopefully, this goes well."

 

The buzzer sounded, and Ochako swallowed her worries as they moved toward the mock city. "Yeah, hopefully, this goes well."

 

The moment the doors closed behind them and the test started, a gale-force wind ripped down the main street, tearing up the asphalt and shattering the windows of the nearby buildings.

 

Ochako and Izuku braced themselves as the wind buffeted them. Once it passed, Ochako muttered. "Ok, that wasn't too bad-"

 

"Hello, heroes!" All Might boomed as he practically appeared before them, his eyes shining as he stood tall, looming over them. "Welcome to your doom because, during this test, I am a villain!"

 

Izuku sparked with power as the green flames around him quickly shifted into electricity. The moment before Izuku kicked off towards All Might, Toshnior's voice echoed in his mind.  'Good luck, my boy.'

 

All Might caught Izuku's fist in midair as he laughed. "Quiet the powerful strike, young hero, but alas, it is nothing compared to me!"

 

"Maybe for now, but I will surpass you!" Izuku shouted as he twisted his body and aimed a kick at All Might's head. The large man caught his leg but felt the heel of Izuku's other foot strike his chest.

 

All Might grunted but held onto Izuku. "Solid kick, young hero, but alas, it is nothing I haven't survived before. Now let's see how you fare!"

 

Izuku screamed as All Might released his fist and swung him by his leg. Izuku was sent flying end over end into a building. During their short exchange, Ochako had started sprinting down the main street, touching various bits of asphalt and using her wires to throw them all down the street.

 

"Shouldn't you be throwing those towards me, young miss?" All Might before kicking off the ground and shooting towards Ochako.

 

A torrent of green fire exploded from the building Izuku was in. As the fires landed and burned, Izuku stepped out and got between All Might and Ochako. "Don't think you beat me with something like that villain. I'm the next number-one hero! I won't go down so easily!"

 

"Haha!" All Might's voice boomed, shaking the few still intact windows. "Let's see if you're more than words! Actions are the indication of a true hero, so show me if you have what it takes."

 

All Might jumped over the fires, and Izuku leapt at him, intent on intercepting him, but All Might pulled back his fist and shot a wave of air pressure that slammed Izuku back into the ground.

 

As the air was knocked from Izuku's breath, All Might landed in front of Ochako, who stumbled back. "I'm surprised young hero. You haven't shown any concern for your teammate. It makes me wonder if you even care about him. To show such disregard-"

 

"It's called faith, you villain. I trust Izuku no matter what." Ochako said as she took a fighting stance. "Don't think just because I don't have fancy super strength like you two that I won't give a good fight."

 

All Might smiled as he pulled his fist back. "We'll see about that young hero!"

 

Ochako lunged towards All Might's legs as his muscles tensed. She'd spared against him before, and while she knew he was holding back, his fighting style didn't change much between the sparring sessions and the times Ochako had watched him fight villains. All Might purposely kept himself open and made himself an inviting target because he knew he could handle almost anything the standard villain could dish out. He did it in order to keep others safe, but even now, while playing a villain, he couldn't help but keep himself open.

 

All Ochako needed to do was grab him, and she could slow him down considerably with gravity. Ochako smiled as her fingers started to close the distance to his caff, but suddenly she was moving in the wrong direction, and she felt a crushing grip around her waist.

 

All Might flung down the street where Izuku appeared and caught her. "HAHA, you're too slow, hero!"

 

"You ok?" Izuku asked as he set his girlfriend down.

 

"Yeah, my sides are sore, but that's it. How about you?"

 

Izuku grunted as the electricity flared around him. "I'll be sore, and One for All is... yelling."

 

"What?"

 

"It's not happy about this fight."

 

Pointless

Useless

You can't even beat your predecessor

A predecessor who is handicapped and weakened

Still took weak

Just give us control

 

'Keep your voices to yourself, you damn quirk!'  Toshi snarled.  'Ignore them, Young Izuku. I don't know why One for All is like this, but I am sure that the other users would not say such things in this situation.'

 

"It's ok, Toshi, I know. Thank you for helping me manage them." Izuku said, causing All Might to tilt his head.

 

"Did you hit your head, young hero? You seem lost in your own thoughts." All Might said as he tensed. "You don't have time for such daydreams while I am here!"

 

Izuku kicked off the ground sooner and intercepted All Might. As the two exchanged blows, Ochako sprinted past and continued to throw asphalt debris toward the exit. All Might wanted to see where exactly she was throwing them, but he had to admit his successor was quite the fighter.

 

All Might didn't know much beyond some boxing and years of experience. He never needed to know anything else, as the power of One for All was so overwhelming in most situations that it didn't matter. Izuku, on the other hand, was having to work his way up and had been planning to be a hero before meeting All Might. As such, the boy was quite ferocious and adept at keeping an opponent occupied.

 

All Might leaned back as Izuku shot a glob of green fire straight for his face. Izuku dropped low and yelled, "Iya Valley Kick!"

 

Izuku's foot connected with All Might's ankle causing the hero to stumble and lose his balance. Izuku shot up as fast as he could with his fist heading for All Might's chin. "Tsurugi uppercut!"

 

All Might moved his head down, causing his chin to intercept Izuku's fist before it could gain all the momentum the young boy needed. "Quite impressive young man, but it's not enough!"

 

Izuku cursed as All Might grabbed his hand and slung him around like a ragdoll again before sending him flying towards Ochako, who yelped and rolled away from her boyfriend, who tumbled several yards before stopping.

 

As Ohckao got up, she had barely any time to get her guard up as All Might suddenly appeared in front of her and slammed his fist into her arms. Ochkao was sent flying and tumbling end over end.

 

All Might laughed and walked towards his students, not paying attention to how it got darker as he moved closer. After all, it was a somewhat cloudy day, and he'd been so focused on playing his role that he'd forgotten a crucial thing about his student.

 

Ochako's quirk wasn't Zero Gravity anymore; it was Gravity Manipulation. When she touched something, she could make things float, and she could make them heavier. Something she'd been working on mostly in secret was making that adjustment to something she had touched once but wasn't actively touching when she made the adjustment. She wasn't sure if it was possible at first, but through hard work, she had managed it, and All Might had just walked right into the trap she'd been working on since the fight started.

 

Izuku stood and sparked with power as he grabbed Ochako in a bridal carry and sprinted towards the exit. At the same time, Ochako pressed her fingers together and shouted. "Meteor Shower!"

 

All Might started to sprint towards his students until the first bit of asphalt slammed into his shoulder like a rocket and knocked him to the side. He had just enough time to look up and see all the asphalt Ochako had thrown come raining down with their gravity multiplied to twice Earth's gravity.

 

Ochako's stomach wretched, and she nearly fell from Izuku's grip as she struggled to get her stomach under control. She may be able to adjust gravity, but multiplying it seemed to affect her quicker than negating it.

 

As they ran, Izuku resisted the urge to look back. They both knew the Meteor Shower was just a stalling method against All Might. He needed Ochako ready for the final gambit, but before that, he would need to get as close as possible to the exit gate, so he poured on the power. As he encroached onto fifteen percent, Izuku could feel his body straining to contain the power without damaging itself, and One for All started to roar louder in his mind. Toshi was doing all he could to keep the quirk from getting out of hand.

 

"You ready, Chako?"

 

Ochako looked a little green, but she nodded nonetheless. "Ready!"

 

As Ochako touched her own arm, Izuku spun and flung her towards the exit gate before turning on a dime and sucking a deep breath. His throat was gonna hurt like hell after this, but with someone like All Might as their opponent, he couldn't afford to play it safe.

 

'Dragons Roar!'  Izuku shouted in his mind as he released a torrent of fire that engulfed the first floors of all the nearby buildings and traveled down the road toward the pile of asphalt that All Might had just punched his way out of.

 

All Might yelped and jumped straight up to avoid the green flames. Izuku coughed and staggered as he tried to track his teacher's movements. He spotted All Might pulling his fist back and realized he was about to launch himself. Izuku jumped and nearly lost his lunch as all five hundred pounds of All Might slammed into him with the force of a speeding car.

 

The two tumbled to the ground, and All Might laughed as he got up and attempted to lunge for Ohcako, who was nearing the exit. Izuku screamed as he grabbed onto All Might. "Sorry, sir!"

 

"Huh- Ow fuck!" All Might yelled as Izuku's fist drove into the scar on his side, sending a wave of pain through what was left of All Might's stomach. As the number one hero staggered, Ochako sailed past the exit gate, signaling an end to the exam.

 

Ochako shot out several wires to grab a tree and spun herself up while increasing her gravity in an attempt to slow down. Her landing was rough but still softer than if she had just returned gravity all in one shot.

 

As she lay there a few yards from the exit gate Ochako groaned before suddenly rolling onto her side and retching as her breakfast came back up. "Ugh fuck..."

 

"Chako!" Izuku shouted as he ran up and nearly tripped. "Are you ok?"

 

"My stomach is revolting." Ochako groaned. "Carry me."

 

Izuku chuckled weakly as he knelt by her head. As he spoke, Ochako noticed how raspy his voice sounded. "I'll try, but I'm pretty sore."

 

"You overdid it with the fire." Ochako mumbled as izuku picked her up. "You're all gravely now."

 

"Yeah, my throat hurts. Which one do you think is gonna get yelled at more?"

 

"You because it happens more often," Ochako said as she leaned into Izuku. "I'm a good student. I don't get hurt as often."

 

Toshinori smiled as he deflated and watched his students walk off. "Maybe I should have gone harder? I'm sure Aizawa will say I pulled my punches too much or something."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

Class A sat in their classroom in various states of exhaustion. They all just wanted to go home and recover from their practicals, but they had to wait for their teacher to come in and talk to them.

 

Mercifully, Aizawa didn't make them wait long. He strode in and stood behind the teacher's podium. "Alright, let's get this out of the way. Some of you failed."

 

Those who failed all groaned, and Denki seemed on the verge of tears as he said. "Goodbye, summer camp. I never knew ye."

 

"Yeah, so about summer camp. "Aizawa said, causing his class to focus on him again. "Everyone is going."

 

The class exploded into cheers which were quickly silenced by their teachers' silent glare. "Those of you who failed need the summer camp more than anyone else. Also, on the last day of school, we'll be going over your finals in-depth, so be ready for that. Other than that, make sure you're here for the second week of summer break. Here's a packet on what you'll need for summer camp."

 

Azaiwa passed out the stacks and yawned before saying ." Alright... I'm tired, so you can all go home now."

 

The class let out a weak cheer and moved as quickly as they could so they could all go home and recover from their test.

Notes:

Iya Valley is a popular valley in Japan, and Tusrugi is a mountain near that valley. Figured their names would work for a one-two-hit combo.

I definitely had something else to say, but I forgot. Oh well.

Anyway that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 39: First Semester Ends

July 10th, 2236

 

All for One's body felt more and more like a prison every day. He had chronic pain that could only be dulled so much with the help of quirks and the doctor. He needed a new vessel, and he needed to get One for All back from that bastard All Might or whoever he may have passed it on to by now. Which reminded the lord of darkness that he needed to figure that out. Hopefully, the Sports Festival in September would provide clues as to whether or not some poor child had inherited the quirk.

 

All for One held back a groan as his head throbbed, and he tried to keep track of his various tasks. Since the loss of his mental quirks, things had become so much more troublesome.

 

The doors to his room opened, and the king of evil smiled as he projected an aura of confidence and power. "Welcome, you two. I'm glad you were able to make it on time. Tell me, Tomura, how are you feeling?"

 

"Furious," Tomura muttered as he stepped in. His left side was covered in burn scars, and All for One was fairly certain the boy would probably need glasses now if he lived a normal life. "Why have I just been sitting around for so long? I want to kill that bastard, All Might, and I want to kill that little green shit stain who burned me! Why am I just sitting around doing nothing?!"

 

"You will have all you desire in good time, Tomura. First, you must learn patience and find success elsewhere." All for One said as he raised his hand. "You'll hopefully find your first success with our guest. Wolfram, how have you been faring since we last spoke?"

 

Wolfram nodded as he stood off to the side. "Profiting elsewhere. Though this job you sent me seems interesting. Though I would like to say I'm not a babysitter."

 

"What did you-" Tomura tensed as his master looked at him, and after a moment, the young man took a shaky breath and glared at Wolfram.

 

"I promise that Tomura is not in need of a babysitter. He will be aiding you on your next job, though, and he will be carrying out his own work, which should help you immensely."

 

Wolfram shrugged as he said. "It's your money."

 

All for One chuckled as he said. "It is, and I hope you spend it well. Now onto what you two will be doing."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

Nishi was doing her best not to stew in her emotions as she walked home. She had practiced so hard and put in the work, and then Todoroki had to be her partner. Nishi took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts away. She'd failed; that was all there was to it. Now she needed to make up for failing. She just hoped her handler wouldn't hear about it for some time.

 

Nishi unlocked the door to her apartment and tensed as she saw the heels by the door. Nishi's jaw clenched, and her foot slid back but stopped as her handler's voice came from the living room. "Hurry up, Nishida; we have some things to discuss."

 

Nishi swallowed and stepped into the apartment. Her silver eyes darted around the apartment as she approached her handler, who was sitting on the couch. Her deep blue hair was done up perfectly like always, and the older woman's red eyes carried her usual seriousness.

 

Nishi stood in front of the woman and gave a small bow. "Hello, ma'am... I wasn't expecting you."

 

"Yes, well, something came up, and a decision was made. I'm sure you're aware the I-Expo will be happening soon."

 

Nishi nodded, and her handler continued. "We've come across some information that there may be an attack during the expo. It was decided that you could use some more real-life experience, and participating in an international incident such as this would be a boon to your career."

 

Her handler stood and stared down at Nishi as she said. "You'll go to I-Island, and if an attack happens, you will help the heroes regain control of the situation. Should nothing happen, then we'll spend the time networking and building relationships."

 

Nishi nodded as she silently wondered why they wouldn't just tell I-Island about the possible attack. "I understand, ma'am."

 

"Wonderful. Now how did your final exam go? Were we right to assume you fought the teachers?"

 

Nishi tensed, and her handler's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. Well, that's disappointing. I hope you can make up for this failure during the summer. Remember, Nishida, we can only help you so much. You need to apply yourself if you want to surpass Hawks."

 

Nishi swallowed her rage and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll try better in the future."

 

"Let's hope so. Someone will be around in a few days to take you to I-Island."

 

Nishi nodded and stayed silent until her handler left. For several minutes she simply stood in her living room as her gut twisted itself into knots. Her fist clenched until her knuckles turned nearly white. Her whole body shook as she tried to rein in her emotions. It wasn't her fault. She'd tried and tried and tried, and because some spoiled boy got put on her team, she failed and disappointed those who had helped her so much in her life.

 

Nishi's breath became shaky as her thoughts grew more incoherent. It was Shoto Todoroki's fault. The next time they fought, she was going to hurt him. She wasn't going to beat him quickly. She would drag it out and make him feel what it's like to drown.

 

Nishi's thoughts were interrupted as her phone chimed. She took several breaths before pulling it out and feeling a smile pull at her lips at the silly crying gif Mina had sent as she ranted about how unfair her final exam was.

 

Nishi did her best to comfort Mina with Toru's help, and eventually, the trio decided on a slumber party at Mina's house. Nishi gathered her things as her mood shifted. She had made some nice friends at UA, and she hoped that even after graduation, they could all still be close.

 

Shoto came back to her mind, and Nishi grimaced as it felt like her stomach was going to revolt. She'd never thought something like that before. She had almost drowned before. It was one of the most terrifying things she'd experienced in her life. If asked, she would say she'd never wish the situation on anyone, and yet...

 

Nishi sighed as her body shuddered. She was angry. She needed time to distance herself from the finals. Hopefully, a night of bad movies, good snacks, and tasty gossip with her best friends would help.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 15th, 2236

 

Momo sighed as she got out of the car that had picked her up today. Most times, she would just take the train and walk home, but she was sore today, and her ego had been thoroughly beaten today after Thirteen quite literally turned all her plans to dust. She could tell her teacher had given her plenty of chances to recover and try again, and that somehow stung worse than just being bested quickly.

 

As she entered her home, she said hello to the usual maids and proceeded to her room. She wanted to sit down and go over everything and try to learn from this, but her body was protesting and so she decided it would be best to just take a bath and then try tomorrow.

 

"There you are, Momo."

 

Momo turned and smiled as her mother approached her. They were similar in a lot of ways though her mother typically kept her hair short. "Hello, Mother. I didn't expect you to be home this early."

 

"Your father and I are gearing up for a trip to Europe for some business, so we came home early."

 

"Oh, well, I wish you a safe trip."

 

"Thank you. This trip sadly overlaps with the I-Expo, so we won't be able to attend, but they've already sent the tickets, so if you wish to go and bring a couple friends from school, I'll arrange for transportation."

 

Momo brightened some at the news. She had been slightly bummed that she wouldn't be able to attend with her parents, but if she could bring friends from school, perhaps that would help her grow closer, at least to one more person. She would obviously need to bring Kyoka to help bridge the gap between whoever the third person would be.

 

"Thank you, Mother. I'll see if any of my classmates would like to go."

 

"Wonderful. How is school going, by the way? It's been too long since we had a chance to speak."

 

Momo laughed nervously, and mothers smile softened. "You had a rough day today, didn't you?"

 

"I uh... yes, the finals were quite rough. I-I failed the practical portion of the test." Momo muttered as she stared at the floor.

 

Momo's mother pulled her into a gentle hug and patted her back as she said. "That's quite alright, dear. Your father and I know how hard you're working to be a hero. Use this failure as an experience to learn and as fuel to drive you farther. Go and relax. We can talk more at dinner. I'm sure your father would be thrilled to hear about more of your practical classes."

 

Momo sniffled and held back tears as she hugged her mother and nodded. "I will... thank you, Mother."

 

Momo blushed slightly as her mother kissed the top of her head before leaving her to relax and rest until dinner.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 16th, 2236

 

Ochako yawned as she lounged on the couch. She was relaxing with Izuku after they had gotten home from the closing ceremony of the first semester. They'd get one week off, and then they'd have to get through whatever hell Aizawa had set up for summer camp.

 

"Oh shit," Izuku muttered, pulling Ochako back to full awareness. She'd been drifting off for a while now, but the slight panic in her boyfriend's voice made her feel wide awake.

 

"Huh? What's wrong?"

 

Izuku sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I just realized we haven't told our parents we're dating, and it's been a month."

 

Ochako paled as she realized they had not informed their parents. She and Izuku living together came with a lot of responsibility and expectations, and that was when they weren't together romantically. "Oh no... what do we do?"

 

"I don't know..." Izuku muttered as he started to think about how he'd tell his mom and the Uraraka's.

 

Luckily he was spared from having to think about it too long as his phone started to ring. Izuku checked the name and answered quickly. "Hello, Mr.Yagi."

 

"Hello, my boy. I hope you're resting well. I called to tell you I'll be attending the I-Expo so I can visit my old friend David Shield. I have an extra ticket. Would you like to accompany me?"

 

"Only one ticket?"

 

"Yes. I do wish I could bring both you and Young Uraraka, but I'm afraid tickets are quite limited for the expo."

 

"That's understandable. Let me ask Ochako about it."

 

Izuku put his teacher on hold and looked at his girlfriend, and explained the situation. Ochako sighed and slumped on the couch. "Man, I wanna go, but I think you should go. I'll keep myself entertained, so go have fun and maybe try to get some hero merch."

 

Izuku chuckled and leaned in for a quick kiss on Ochako's cheek. "Thank you."

 

Ochako blushed as Izuku accepted Toshinori's offer and went over the details of when they'd leave and what Izuku would need. After ending the call, he shot off a text to his mother, informing her of the upcoming trip. Inko responded a few minutes later, telling her son to have a fun trip and to be safe.

 

Izuku sighed as he relaxed into the couch and started to think of what he would pack for the trip. "So, about telling our parents?"

 

Izuku groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Ugh... after summer camp. Let's just go spend some time with them and tell them while we're there."

 

Ochako chuckled as she leaned on her boyfriend. "That sounds like a good idea."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku stared at everything as the plane started to take off. He'd never been on a plane before, much less a private jet. "Why do you have so much money, sir?"

 

Toshi chuckled as he settled into his seat. "Being number one has a lot of benefits. Though most of my money goes to charity and whatnot. My actual house is a townhouse outside of Tokyo. I don't use it much, but once I retire, I'll spend my days there relaxing. This jet isn't even something I bought. The Prime Minister gifted it to me some years ago."

 

Izuku stared at his master for a moment before looking at the opulent interior again. "I don't think I'd be able to accept something like this."

 

"Aw, don't worry. You'll learn to manage it, and after hanging onto it for a bit, you can just sell it or something. I plan to sell this jet next year and fund a new quirk counseling program."

 

Izuku slumped in his chair as he tried to process the money. While he and his mom were better off than Ochako and her parents, no one in his hometown had a lot of money to spare. Overly pricey things like a private jet always made his head swim with numbers. He was kind of glad Ochako hadn't been able to come along since she usually suffered worse in times like this.

 

Toshi smiled and let his student adjust to the fact that they were flying on a private jet. Once Izuku had managed to calm his nerves and drink some water, he said. "You know, I didn't think about it when I first started, but I don't think I saw any memories from your earlier life before Junior High, and I can't remember seeing anything about Mr.Shield."

 

"Hm, that's odd," Toshi said. "What did you see?"

 

"Lots of junior high and high school stuff. I saw some things from after you came back to Japan, but your earlier life and your time in America didn't seem to come up," Izuku said as he leaned back in his seat.

 

"Perhaps the Toshinori in your head has some idea?"

 

Izuku muttered. "That makes me sound a little crazy."

 

Both Toshi's laughed at the same time. The one in Izuku's head spoke up , 'I can't really recall those memories either. If I had to guess, I would say that because Toshinori is alive in the real world.'

 

Izuku frowned. "I see..."

 

"Did he have any ideas?" Toshi asked as he watched his student grumble and frown.

 

Izuku explained what he had heard, and Toshinori laughed and reached across the small table between them to pat her students shoulder. "Don't worry about it, my boy. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to regale you with stories of my time in America."

 

Izuku smiled as he asked. "I am curious about how you met Mr.Shield and what you did while you were there."

 

"Ah, the day I met David. That was quite an eventful Tuesday." Toshi said as he leaned back and thought back to when he had met one of his oldest friends. Izuku sat in full attention as Toshinori regaled him with stories of his time in America and the things he and David got up to.

Notes:

I've fallen down the Vtuber rabbit hole.

I started watching some clips of Hololive. Mostly Myth and Council, but I've seen some of the newer people as well. I also started watching clips from some other Vtuber companies.

In Hololive, I really like Kronii. Her way of speaking and her humor are very similar to my own. I also like her interactions with Mumie. I was also sad that right after I started to like Sana and get into her character, I learned that she had graduated. I saw a clip of the end of her graduation stream, and I almost cried.

Outside of Hololive, I've watched some stuff of Bao the Whale talking to Shylily and Numi. It's good degenerate fun. I also laughed a lot at Filian's videos.

I can't remember the group name, but the Vtubers Vox, Selen, and Enna are part of it. Their videos make me laugh a lot and are pretty entertaining.

I never thought I would fall into the Vtuber rabbit hole. I mean, I actively tried not to for so long, but I was bored, and there was nothing to watch, so I just started watching clips, and I started laughing, and now I don't think I've watched much else for the past few days other than the usual anime I'm keeping up with the reaction channels I like to watch.

For anime reactions, I like to watch YaboyRoshi, Teeaboo, Semblance of Sanity, Alicaxlife, and The Normies.

I've been struggling to write for a bit due to some emotional mood swings. Also, I've reached a point in my job where every day I go in and wonder if I should just quit right now, but then I remember I have barely any money in my bank account, and I'm not saving a lot so if I quit I'll be broke real quick. I want a not-very stressful job where I make enough money to live comfortably. I'd also like enough time left over in my week to write because I do really want to write a book.

My partner has been trying really hard for a while now to get the job they want, and it's been rough. They got close recently, but the people haven't contacted them in a bit, so it's not looking good. I really hope they get the lab job because it'll be a lot of stress off them, which means I'll have less stress as well because I won't have to worry so much about if they're ok.

Anyways that's all from me. I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 40: I=Island

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku chuckled weakly as he watched All Might get swarmed by fans. He kept a good distance, so he looked like just another fan. He wasn't sure why Toshi had decided to come out in his hero form instead of his skinny form.

 

After a little too many autographs and handshakes, Toshi managed to pull himself away from the crowd, and the two found a quiet spot to apparently wait for whoever they were going to meet.

 

Izuku raised an eyebrow as he looked past All Might and watched a blond girl coming toward them on a pogo stick. "Um, All Might behind you-"

 

"Uncle Might!"

 

Toshi turned around and caught the girl as she threw herself at him. "Melissa, oh, how you've grown! How have you been?"

 

Melissa laughed as Toshi spun her around before setting her down near Izuku. "I've been doing great. How are you? You hardly call Dad or me."

 

"Ah, I'm sorry, my dear. I'm quite busy as a hero and a teacher." Toshi said before motioning to Izuku. "In fact, allow me to introduce you to one of my students. This is Izuku Midoriya. Midoriya, this is Melissa Shield, the daughter of my friend David."

 

Izuku accepted Melissa's handshake as she smiled and said. "It's nice to meet you midoriya. Feel free to call me Melissa. Otherwise, it'll get confusing when you meet my dad."

 

"Ah, right. I'll keep that in mind, and it's fine if you call me Izuku. It's nice to meet you."

 

All Might laughed as he patted them both on their shoulders. "Come, let us go see David. The sooner, the better. Lead the way, Melissa."

 

"Sure thing! Oh, I've got to show you around when there's time. So much has changed since the last time you were here, Uncle Might."

 

Toshinori laughed as he patted his goddaughter on the shoulder. "Hopefully, we will have time for a tour before the festival kicks off in earnest."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

David's mind was swirling with thoughts as the usual I-Expo stress settled in. Sometimes, he wished he'd taken on less responsibility on the island. Not only did he have to balance several projects at once, but he also had committee meetings to attend and a daughter who was going to be graduating college in a couple years and joining him as a scientist.

 

"Dad!"

 

David turned as he smiled. "What are you doing here so early, sweetie-"

 

"Hello, David!" All Might shouted as he spread his arms and laughed.

 

"T- All Might?! What are you doing here?"

 

All Might pulled David into a crushing hug as he said. "Melissa invited me here to surprise you. How have you been my friend?"

 

"I've been good. Feeling a little stressed these days, but it's nothing I can't handle." David said as he separated from Toshi and spotted the green-haired boy standing next to Melissa. "You brought someone with you?"

 

"Ah yes, let me introduce you to Izuku Midoirya. A student of mine."

 

Izuku's smile reminded David of All Might as they shook hands. "It's nice to meet you, Mr.Shield. I've followed your work for a while now. The strides you've made in understanding quirks and building support tech are astounding."

 

"Thank you, young man. I have to ask, how are All Might's teaching skills?"

 

Izuku chuckled as he stepped back. "He does a pretty good job, though we all still find the note cards and scripts to be a bit funny."

 

All Might coughed into his fist and stuttered out. "W-well, you see. It's hard, you know, memorizing all those things for class while also thinking about what each individual student needs to focus on."

 

"I'm sure you'll get better at it, sir," Izuku said with a smirk.

 

David chuckled and patted All Might's shoulder. "Melissa, why don't you take Midoriya on a tour of the expo while I catch up with All Might."

 

"Sure thing. How about Izuku? Want to check out the expo before it's open to the public?"

 

Izuku smiled as he nodded. "Yeah, that sounds awesome."

 

Once Mellissa and Izuku had left, All Might deflated and cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have done hero work before coming here today."

 

David took his glasses off as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, probably not, so Izuku Midoirya. I'm guessing he's your successor."

 

"Yes, I've already passed One for All onto him, and he's taking to it well even with its... changes."

 

"Changes?" David asked as he led Toshi into the lab.

 

Toshi nodded. "Yes, it's gone through some sort of change when I passed it onto him. It grew more than I thought and has attained a level of sentience. We're working together with Nezu and others to figure out what's going on."

 

David rubbed his chin as he booted up his computer. "We could run some tests here after the expo if you want. Also, how is your lung doing?"

 

"I'll pass the offer onto Young Midoriya. As for my lung, it's doing quite well."

 

"Well, let's run some tests while you tell me about what it's been like to be a teacher."

 

Toshi sighed but complied with his friend.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku had always wanted to come to the I-Expo, but the ticket prices were insane. Now, though he was here and before the expo was open to the public. "There's so much cool tech here."

 

Melissa chuckled as she nodded. "Yep, support companies from all over the world show off the latest and greatest technology for the world of heroes. There are even some booths where you can test things. Wanna check them out?"

 

"That sounds amazing," Izuku muttered as he scanned the various support vehicles they were passing. "A driver's license might be a good idea. I should look into that."

 

"Do you? Public transit is pretty reliable, especially in Japan."

 

"I feel like it would be useful in an emergency. Also, when I'm a hero, I could have a cool support vehicle."

 

Melissa chuckled as she looked at the latest version of the car her dad used to drive. "I guess you have a point."

 

As they moved around the expo, Izuku tried out several devices and watched as people went over the tech they had made. It was amazing, and Melissa was a wealth of information on almost everything they saw. Izuku was getting so many ideas for his classmates. He figured since All Might was too strong for most support equipment, he probably wouldn't get much use out of it either, but his classmates could do some cool things with the right tech.

 

"You know Izuku, when I said to have fun, I didn't think you'd go on a date."

 

Izuku tensed for a second before his head snapped around to see Ochako smiling at him. "Huh? Ochako? How did you get here?"

 

"She came with us," Kyoka said as she and Momo appeared next to Ochako. "And we followed you around for a bit. You look like you're having fun on your little date."

 

Izuku cleared his throat. "I was having fun... and this isn't a date."

 

Melissa chuckled as she nodded. "He's right. I'm not interested in dating younger guys."

 

Ochako giggled as she took Izuku's hand and kissed his cheek. "It was Kyoka's idea to tease you."

 

Izuku sighed. "It's fine. You just scared the crap out of me by showing up suddenly."

 

"Hey, Green, don't you think you should introduce your friend to us?" Kyoka asked as she smirked at Izuku.

 

"Ah, right. This is Melissa Shield. She's showing me around the expo. Melissa, this is Ochako Uraraka, Kyoka Jiro, and Momo Yaoyorozu, my classmates."

 

"It's nice to meet you all. Why don't we go to a cafe nearby and get something to drink. I think it'll be more comfortable than standing around here." Melissa said as she motioned for them to follow.

 

As the group followed Melissa, Momo told them how she was here while her parents were in Europe and that she had extra tickets, and the girls decided on Kyoka and Ochako to go along.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku sighed as he sat down at a nearby table and watched his girlfriend and the other girls chat. He hadn't expected to see them here, but he was happy that Ochako got to see the expo.

 

“Ah, Midoriya, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to see you here."

 

Izuku looked up as Tenya approached with his older brother. "Hey, Iida, I didn't expect to see you here either."

 

"My family is always invited, and since my parents were busy, my brother took me along," Tenya said as he motioned to his brother, who gave a wave and a friendly smile.

 

"Hey, man. I'm Tensei Iida. My brothers talked about you a lot. It's nice to finally meet you."

 

"It's nice to meet you too, sir."

 

Tensei laughed as he waved off Izuku's formality. "Don't be so formal. Hey, since you're here, Tenya, hang out with your friends. I need to talk to some other heroes for a bit. I'll see you at the party."

 

Tensei took off before his younger brother could even protest the idea, and so Tenya took a seat at Izuku's table after saying hello to the girls. The group spent some time at the cafe until going around to check out the rest of the expo.

 

As they walked, Ochako looked over and said, "Hey, is that Nishi?"

 

The group stopped as they looked over and saw Nishi walking around, looking bored. Ochako waved her hand as she yelled. "Hey, Nishi over here!"

 

Nishi glanced at them and kept walking. Ochako frowned. "Ok, she definitely saw us, right?"

 

"I believe she did," Momo said as she watched her classmate.

 

Izuku hummed as he started walking towards her. "Maybe she didn't. Let's go catch up to her."

 

The others voiced their agreement, and Nishi wanted to scream as she suddenly found herself swarmed by her classmates. Kyoka raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Yo Nishi, what are you doing here? You didn't say you'd be coming."

 

"Ah..." Nishi looked around, hoping and begging for a way out. She didn't think she'd run into anyone from class. Even when she saw in the group chat that the girls were going, she figured it would be easy to avoid them. "My guardian told me last minute that she had to come here for work, and I decided to come along. I forgot to say something sorry about that."

 

"It's alright," Izuku said as he patted her shoulder. "Do you want to go around with us, or are you busy?"

 

"No, I can go with you guys... it'll be fun." Nishi sighed internally.  'They already know I'm here, so it'll be odd if I avoid them... besides, this will probably be fun.'

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Wolfram stepped off the boat after the sun had set. His men started moving equipment off and getting prepped for the operation. As they milled about All for One's little tag, they walked up to him. "Why did we have to get smuggled on a boat? We could have just warped here."

 

"No can do," Wolfram said as he scanned the area. "I-Island has defenses that prevent warps from working. If we did it, we'd probably end up in the middle of the ocean or back on the mainland getting swarmed by heroes."

 

As Wolfram checked his gun and made sure his men were all working, he continued. "We'll use our inside man to get to the security room and open the tech vault. Once we have control of the island, we drop the anti-warp measures and secure whatever technology All for One wants while you do your little plan. Don't fuck things up for us."

 

"I won't." Tomura snapped. "Don't talk down to me, or I'll dust you."

 

"Don't threaten me, boy." Wolfram snapped as he turned to look at Tomura. "I'm here on your boss's orders, and if I remember clearly, he told you not to screw this up. I'm treating you like a member of this team until our jobs are done."

 

Tomura grumbled but kept to himself as Wolfram's team got ready. Once the party was in full swing, they would flip the whole island on its head.

Notes:

Ugh, I feel so meh recently. Writing has been hard recently, but my desire to write is high. I hope this clears up soon.

I started playing Holocure recently, and it's fun.

I'll see you next chapter.

Chapter 41: July 20th, 2236 The I-Island Incident

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. He was grateful that Toshi had insisted on buying him a decent suit to wear, considering he didn't own anything like this. It was a simple black suit with a deep green tie. He felt a bit odd in it, but he figured he'd get used to it eventually.

 

The doors opened, and Izuku felt like he got kicked in the chest as Ochako came in, looking a little flustered. "H-hey..."

 

"Hey... you, um, look really good. I didn't know you had a dress like this." Izuku muttered as he looked at the pink and white dress.

 

"I don't," Ochako grumbled as she fiddled with the skirt of her dress. "Yaomomo bought it for me when I told her I didn't have any fancy clothes."

 

"And she told her to keep the dress, so don't let her give it back," Kyoka said as she entered with Momo and Nishi.

 

"Nice suit, Nishi," Izuku said as the girl huffed and tried not to fiddle with the bun her hair had been tied up into.

 

"Thanks. I hate formal clothes." Nishi grumbled while tugging on the light gray vest she was wearing over her dress shirt.

 

"Am I late?" Melissa asked as she came in while smoothing out her skirt. "Sorry, I was double-checking some stuff in my lab."

 

"You're not late. Actually, we're just waiting for Iida." Izuku said as he pulled his phone out. "It's odd for him to be the last to arrive."

 

"I apologize for my lateness!"

 

"Speak of the devil," Kyoka muttered as Tenya power walked in.

 

"Tensei delayed me considerably," Tenya said as he adjusted his glasses.

 

"Is your brother not coming to the party?" Izuku asked. He'd been hoping for a chance to get Ingenium's autograph.

 

"He said he had better parties to attend than a quote fancy pants ball."

 

"Well, right this way to the fancy pants party," Melissa said as she motioned to the elevators.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Wolfram and his team stood patiently in the dark corners of the island until their contact made himself known. A delivery door slid open as a security bot rolled out and strobed a light for a moment before rolling back inside.

 

"That's the signal," Wolfram said as he and his crew moved from their hiding spots and entered the central tower.

 

Tomura held back his annoyance as they followed the security robot down maintenance hallways and through various stairways. It felt like the path was winding on forever, and every corner grated on his nerves. Relief finally came as they entered a room, and a short, round man was standing there nervously. "H-hello, Wolfram. My name is Sam. I-I'm your contact."

 

"Good to meet you in person, Sam," Wolfram said as he walked up and towered over the man. "Where's the security room?"

 

"Top floor. We can take the elevator with my clearance. Once the island is locked down and David is brought up, he and I can work on getting the vault open."

 

Tomura hated how nervous this man was. He kept fidgeting and looking at everyone. Tomura's hand twitched, and he clenched his fist to avoid grabbing the short man by the neck. All for One seemed normal the last time Tomura spoke to him, but there was something in the air. He was restricted more than usual, and a strange tension was coiling in his chest. He needed to succeed.

 

Sam led them to the elevator, and Tomura's skin itched at the cramped quarters. There were too many people, and he had to be conscious of his hands so he didn't accidentally dust some idiot or the elevator itself. The ride up was oppressively quiet, and Tomura's brain just couldn't let it stand, so he spoke. "So you guys couldn't get any elevator music in this big ass tower?"

 

No one reacted, and Tomura briefly considered just touching the wall and seeing what would happen to everyone. The elevator mercifully dinged, and the doors opened before Tomura could stew much longer.

 

The group entered the security room and found it empty. Wolfram looked around cautiously as he asked. "Where are the guards?"

 

"I told them to take the night off and that others would take over for them," Sam muttered as he showed Wolfram's men where to access the security robots.

 

"Smart choice," Wolfram said as he watched his men work. "Alright, get the island locked down and open that vault."

 

"Ah, about the vault," Sam said before shrinking back as Wolfram turned to look at him. "I-it takes two people with proper security clearance to open it. I-I can be one, but we need another person of higher clearance."

 

"And they're all in the party down below, aren't they?"

 

"Yes. Once you activate the lockdown and restrain the heroes, it should be easy for you to grab someone and bring them back up."

 

Tomura sighed as he waited. "Can't I just decay the door? Or hell, Wolfram can just rip the door open and be done with it."

 

"T-The vault security is separate from the island. We can't shut it down, a-and it was constructed by some of the best scientists and quirk experts. If you try to use a quirk on it, the vault will implode and destroy all the technology inside it." Sam said as he scurried around the room, making sure things were in place.

 

Tomura groaned as Wolfram grabbed three of his men. "Don't whine, just wait here."

 

"Whatever."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

David chuckled as he milled around the party and made his way over to All Might. "You seen Melissa or Midoriya yet?"

 

"Ah, I'm sure they're on their way. Young Midoriya informed that he ran into a few of his friends while they were looking around the expo. I'm sure they'll be here soon." All Might said as he patted his friend on the back. "They're kids. I'm sure they're just taking their time before coming to a stuffy party."

 

David laughed as he, the man on stage, announced that All Might would give a few words. "Good luck, don't botch this one."

 

"One time." All Might muttered before smiling and booming with laughter as he approached the stage.

 

As All Might stood before the microphone, alarms screamed as points of light appeared on the floor, and before anyone could react, tendrils shot out and restrained every hero. As the heroes fell to the floor, Wolfram walked in.

 

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, don't resist the citizens of I-island hostage. If you attack me, the security robots of the island will go on a rampage." screens lit up around the room, showing security footage from the island as security bots rounded up people and surrounded the restrained heroes.

 

The heroes in the room stilled as Wolfram gave a small bow. "Thank you for your cooperation... Now, where is David Shield?"

 

"I'm here," David said as he stepped out into the open. "What is your business with me?"

 

"You're helping us out. Now, come along quietly." Wolfram said as he grabbed David by the arm and dragged him out of the room.

 

All Might cursed under his breath as he watched one of his best friends get dragged off to who knows where. He just needed to get out of here. He could break these restraints with a bit of effort, but there was no way he'd be able to stop all the robots across the island, and even if he got to wherever the security room was, he wasn't exactly a tech expert.

 

Movement caught All Might's eye, and he looked up, seeing Izuku staring down at him. When the two locked eyes, Izuku's hand started to move. All Might recognized the Japanese sign language Izuku was doing. "Jiro plugged in. Melssia going to show us to security room."

 

 

All Might wanted to groan. Of course, his students wouldn't just sit around and wait, but he couldn't in good conscience let them go after the villains. He recognized Wolfram. The man was a menace on the international stage.

 

"Don't go anywhere. You all need to hunker down and let us figure this out." All Might whispered into the floor. "Do not go pick a fight."

 

Izuku looked down at where All Might guessed Kyoka was. Izuku looked back down at All Might, and he saw the determination in his student's face as he shrugged and said. 'Sorry, didn't catch that. We're going now.'

 

All Might groaned on the floor as he started to think of a suitable punishment for his student. Why had he picked such a gung-ho successor? "Good luck, young Midoirya. Keep each other safe."

 

___________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

"Alright, All Might knows what we're doing," Izuku said as he and Kyoka rejoined the others in the stairwell.

 

"He approved of our actions?" Tenya asked as he crossed his arms.

 

"He knows of our actions," Izuku responded before turning to Melissa. "How do we get to the top floor?"

 

"The stairs would be the safest option, but it'll take too long. If we can get to the thirtieth floor, there's an elevator. We can use my security clearance to ride it all the way up."

 

"Won't they stop us?" Momo asked. "I'm sure they'll notice the elevator coming."

 

"My dad made sure I had the same level of clearance as him. The elevator won't stop if we use my code."

 

Izuku looked up the staircase and sighed. "Alright, let's get moving."

 

"One moment," Momo said as her arms glowed and several pairs of shoes clattered to the ground. "We probably shouldn't run into this situation in our current footwear. Especially the girls."

 

"Are you sure it's okay to use your quirk?" Nishi asked. "Also, how do you know our sizes?"

 

"I'm very good at guessing, and I have some snack bars in my bag. I'll eat them as we move."

 

Everyone quickly swapped out their footwear before heading up the stairs. Tenya took the lead, followed by Izuku, with Ochako and Nishi staying in the rear. The teens moved quickly, and as they got close to the twentieth floor, Melissa started to huff as she said. "You guys work out a lot, don't you?"

 

"Hero shit," Kyoka muttered. She was faring better than Melissa, but she could feel her legs burning. She was going to be putting in more cardio work after this nonsense.

 

"I could float you." Ochako offered as she took the steps two at a time to get next to Melissa.

 

"No... okay, actually, that's a good idea. I'm sorry."

 

"It's alright," Ochako said as she reached out and grabbed Melissa's arm. "Hold onto my back."

 

"Wow." Melissa startled as she started to float up. She quickly got herself into position on Ochako's back. "This is really cool."

 

"Thanks. Hold on tight, alright."

 

Melissa nodded as the group started to pick up the pace again. Once they arrived at the right floor, Ochako put Melissa back down, and the group made their way to the central room only to find it full of security bots.

 

"Crap," Nishi muttered as she reached into her bag and pulled a bottle of water out before tossing the bag aside.

 

"You carry a water bottle with you?" Kyoka muttered as Momo started making weapons from her arms.

 

"I'm a cautious person," Nishi whispered back as she pushed back against the pang of guilt. The HPSC knew this might happen and did nothing. An island full of people held hostage and villains getting to do whatever they want.

 

"This will probably alert the villains, but we don't have a choice. The stairs don't go all the way to the top." Melissa said as she stepped back. "If we get to the door before they start using the elevator, I can get control away from them."

 

Izuku's body flickered with green flames that slowly turned to sparks of electricity. "We'll fight our way through. Keep Melissa safe and move forward."

 

The security bots beeped as they turned and faced the teens. For a single beat, everything was still, and then Izuku and Tenya shot forward, leading the charge with twin kicks that shattered multiple robots at once.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

"Uh, Swordkil, we got a problem."

 

Swordkil turned from his post and walked over to his comrade working the security cameras. "What's wrong?"

 

"The robots we had on the thirtieth floor are being attacked. Looks like a bunch of teens."

 

Swordkil watched as the kids tore the robots apart before pulling back and grabbing his radio. "Daigo, Nobu, take the central elevator down to the thirtieth floor. There are some kids there. Capture them. We're sending more bots to keep them distracted."

 

After getting an affirmative from his men, Swordkil directed the security bots to the thirtieth floor. "Keep an eye on them."

 

"Yes, sir."

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Nishi swirled the water around her and forced it into the gaps in the robot's armor, causing them to spark and fizzle out. As she pulled the water out, she turned and bit back a curse. "Guys, we've got a problem over here."

 

"We have one over here as well," Ochako called out as she crushed several robots with gravity.

 

From the way they came, robots flooded through the doors while the elevator counter slowly ticked down, indicating that the villains were coming. Izuku cursed and pointed toward the robots. "Nishi, Momo, and Kyoka take the robots. Ochako, Tenya, and I will finish up by the elevator."

 

Everyone shouted their acknowledgment of their class rep's orders and got to work. As Izuku and his friends fought, Toshi chimed in,  'You know I am proud of you, my boy, but also, you really should have left this kind of stuff to the pros.'

 

'You know I can't just sit still when people are in trouble. If we sit around and wait, the villains will accomplish whatever they want, and they could hurt people while they're at it.'  Izuku thought as he tossed a robot at Tenya, who spun and shattered the chassis with a kick.

 

'You know Melissa probably could have freed my other self and the heroes down there. You kind of jumped straight to storming the villain's location.'

 

Izuku stilled after delivering an axe kick that crushed a robot's head. "Oh shit..."

 

"Is everything okay?" Ochako asked as she backed up to her boyfriend.

 

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. Toshi just said something... it doesn't matter, we're already at the elevator."

 

"Speaking of which. It's opening." Ochako said as she and Izuku moved away from the door while keeping Melissa behind them.

 

As the villains stepped out, Tenya said. "I'll handle the robots and then back you two up."

 

Izuku and Ochako nodded and sprinted toward the villains, who were surprised by the teens rushing them. Daigo transformed, growing twice as large as his skin turned a deep purple.

 

Ochako tapped herself before jumping over Daigo. The villain grumbled about having to fight a little girl, and Ochako clicked her tongue as she set her gravity to neutral. "Don't get cocky, big guy; it'll be that much more embarrassing for you when I beat you."

 

"We'll see about that girlie." Daigo snarled before rushing at her.

 

As Ochako dodged and looked for her opening, Izuku was on the other side of the elevator, watching Nobu's webbed hands as they tensed and activated his quirk. Izuku strafed left as he felt the wind rush past him. He wasn't sure if Nobu's quirk was some kind of wind manipulation or something else. Throwing out a blast of fire could end badly for everyone if it was wind, and so Izuku's legs flexed as he shot toward the man intent on closing the distance.

 

Izuku got within a few meters of the man when suddenly, some kind of twisted ball of red metal appeared in Nobu's hand, and Izuku had to dodge to the right as the villain chucked the ball.

 

More twisted balls appeared in Nobu's hands, and Izuku's eyes scanned the environment. That was the same color, red, as the robots. He spotted it quickly; several of the scraped security bots near Nobu had chunks missing from them.

 

Izuku's mind whirled as he thought of the possibilities. The rushing wind and now twisted balls of metal ripped from the robots.  'Some kind of teleportation or displacement ability? He seems to be able to take things near him and launch them at high speed.'

 

Izuku sparked with energy as he smiled. "Interesting quirk, but it's not faster than me."

 

Nobu blinked, and suddenly, the kid he'd been trying to hit was way too close. The boy smiled as he clenched his fist. "Shima Smash!"

 

Izuku's fist connected with Nobu's chest, knocking the wind from him and sending him flying into the wall, where he impacted hard, knocking him unconscious. Izuku turned to see Tenya had mopped up the robots on their side of the room while the others worked together to block the door using disabled robots.

 

"Yo Ochako, please get over here and make these robots heavier. There are too many on the other side!" Nishi yelled, causing Ochako to hop off the groaning Daigo, who was slightly buried in the floor.

 

As the girls secured the door, Izuku did his best to restrain Nobu. The best he could do was take his tie off and bind the villain's hands. Once he was pretty sure Nobu wouldn't be able to just slip out, he went over to Melissa, who tapped away at her phone, which was connected to the elevator control panel.

 

"How's it going? Can we use it?"

 

Melissa pouted as she disconnected her phone. "They locked the elevator down and are denying my access code. Which means someone told them about how certain people could override the lockdown, or they figured it out."

 

"Is there anything else we can do?" Izuku asked as he watched Ochako increase the weight of several robots while Momo made various things to secure their impromptu barricade.

 

"Uh..." Melissa scratched her head as she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on something in the ceiling, and she said. "If... yeah, that might work. If someone were to go through that shaft up there, they could get to the roof and undo the emergency lock, which will drop a ladder down for us."

 

"Roof access?"

 

Melissa nodded. "I'm sure you saw it. In the middle of the tower, after the thirtieth floor, there's a gap full of large fans. It generates some of the energy for the island. There's an access hatch there for emergencies."

 

"So the shaft goes up to the roof. We just need someone to climb it-"

 

"Well... it doesn't go to the roof. It goes to the outside wall. Whoever goes up is going to have to scale the outside wall."

 

Izuku bit his cheek as he looked at his friends. That would be a dangerous job for just about anyone. He kind of wished Tsu, Hanta, or even Minoru were here.

 

"I think with her quirk, Ochako would be the best bet." Melissa stated as her eyes landed on the brunette."

 

Izuku pressed his lips into a thin line, but he nodded. "Alright... let's see if she'll do it."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

"Yeah, I'll do it," Ochako said after Melissa explained the idea. "If Yaomomo can make something to help me stick to the side of the building, then it should be safe enough."

 

"I believe I could make some gloves. My family's company is going to release some support gloves later this year. I still remember the design." Momo said as she finished producing several restraints for the villains. "I'm getting close to my limit, though, so I won't be able to make much more after this."

 

"That's alright. As long as you and Jiro keep your weapons, we should be fine." Izuku said as Momo came over and produced a pair of gloves for Ochako.

 

"Press the button on the back with your ring finger to activate the gloves. They should stick instantly."

 

"How do they unstick?" Melissa asked as her eyes shimmered while looking at the gloves.

 

Momo flipped the gloves over and started to explain how pressing the center of the palm against the surface would deactivate the sticky factor of the rest of the palm. As the girls began to descend into a more in-depth conversation, Ochako cleared her throat and said. "We do need to hurry a bit, so if I could get those gloves."

 

Melissa and Momo both blushed as the latter handed over the gloves, and Ochako thanked her before giving Izuku a quick kiss on the cheek and saying. "Wish me luck."

 

Izuku's cheeks warmed as he watched his girlfriend remove her gravity and jump towards the access hatch. Ochako opened the hatch and pulled herself in. The others, unsure of what to do, just stood in a loose circle and waited. It took several minutes, but eventually, a loud clang rang out, making the teens jump while a ladder slid down and landed on the upper balcony of the room.

 

"Alright, let's get going," Izuku said as he started to run to the stairs along the edge of the wall.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

David was shocked, to say the least, as he went through the sequence to open the vault. He couldn't believe Sam would betray him like this. Years of time spent working together, and he was upset he didn't get more credit? David shook his head. There was no point in worrying about how his assistant had betrayed him. He needed to find some way to stop the villains. The contents of the vault were potentially dangerous technology that, if used correctly, could lead to disastrous consequences.

 

The vault's control system beeped as he and Sam finished the unlocking sequence. As the large door slowly unlocked, David stepped back and said. "I'm sure you won't, but I'd like you to reconsider stealing this technology. It was all sealed away for the potential dangers it posed."

 

"Good. Alright, you guys start getting this tech ready for transport." Wolfram said as he pulled his gun from its holster and motioned for Sam and David to move. "Now get the anti-warp security shut down, and please don't stall-"

 

The building rumbled, and Wolfram looked to Swordkil, who was staring at the security cameras. "What happened?"

 

"Those teens from earlier are back. They found a way up to our part of the tower. They're moving up the staircase."

 

"Alright, I want all of you to go and stop them." Tomura smiled as he started to move. "Not you, Shigaraki. I need you here to summon your warper."

 

Tomura grumbled and stamped down his anger. "Fine."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Izuku sparked, and Tenya's engines revved as they darted up the narrow staircase, delivering swift, devastating strikes to the men rushing down towards them. None of them seemed to have combative quirks and had tried to fire on them with guns, but both boys were too quick for them to get sights on, and the girls had fallen back the moment the villains raised their weapons.

 

The leader of the group had blades for arms, but he was too slow to defend against the two boys and was taken down just as quickly. The teens ran up the final stretch of stairs and entered the top floor.

 

Melissa led them to the security room, where they found Wolfram and the others. David looked up as he finished deactivating the final safety percussion. "Melissa?"

 

"Dad? What's happening?"

 

"We're finally going to have some fun, is what," Tomura said as he pulled his phone up to his face. “Kurogiri bring the Nomu. Drop some off next to me as well."

 

The teens tensed as purple vortexes opened. As the gray-skinned Nomu climbed through, Wolfram pulled his pistol out again and shot Sam, causing the man to collapse. As he aimed at David, a spark of green shot across the room, and kicked the gun from his hand.

 

Izuku landed between the men and said. "Please get back to safety, Mr.Shield. We'll protect you."

 

"Are you sure about that boy?" Wolfram asked as he used his quirk to throw several desks at Izuku. As the young man kicked the desk away and ran at Wolfram, David grabbed Same and pulled him over to his daughter, who was crouched behind one of the desks.

 

The students all sprung into action, intercepting the Nomu that tried to rush towards Melissa and her father. While Izuku did his best to dodge Wolfram's quirk and close the gap, Tomura attempted to rush the green-haired boy only to receive a kick to his chest that sent him flying back.

 

Tenya and Ochako stepped in Tomura's way as he stood up. The villain growled as he flexed his hands. "I don't remember seeing you two at the USJ, but it doesn't matter. I'll kill you before getting my revenge on that green-haired brat."

 

"Oh right, he burned you, didn't he?" Ochako asked as she frowned. "Guess you didn't learn the first time."

 

Tomura growled, and Tenya adjusted his glasses. "Provoking the villain isn't a good idea, Uraraka. Remember what his quirk is. We need to be careful."

 

"I know," Ochako muttered as she dropped into a fighting stance. As much as it annoyed her, she and Tomura had the same requirements for quirk activation. One touch from either of them and would be game over. Only he had no idea about that, and Tenya was here. Ochako trusted her classmate and knew he would be quick and careful about how he attacked.

 

Nishi cursed as she fell back and collected her water. She didn't have a lot to work with, and these Nomu, while nothing like the one at the USJ, were still annoying. Her eyes darted around, looking for anything she could use. Kyoka stepped next to her, clutching the metal bat Momo had made her earlier. It was a good weapon for fighting robots, especially with how Kyoka could use it with her quirk.

 

Nishi's eyes focused on the back of Kyoka's neck, and she glanced at Momo, who had stepped back as well. An idea came to her, and she said, "Sorry, girls. I need this."

 

Momo and Kyoka yelped as they felt the sweat that had been building up during their various runs and fights suddenly get pulled off their bodies. Kyoka blushed as she looked over. "W-what the hell?!"

 

"I need more water!" Nishi yelled as she added the bit of water to her existing amount. "I'll buy you ice cream or something later."

 

The girls scattered as two Nomu rushed them. Nishi pulled on the water and put as much force behind it as she could as she shot a pebble-sized drop of water at the Nomu's brain, causing it to flinch and groan.

 

As the fights raged on, Melissa watched her father tear his jacket and apply first aid to Sam's shoulder. "What happened, Dad? Why are you and Sam up here with the villains?"

 

"They took me hostage. Sam is involved somehow. He can explain himself more when he's on trial. They had us open the vault and drop the anti-warping security." David explained. "Why are you kids all here?"

 

"We were headed to the party when the alarm went off. We weren't sure what was going on, and after finding out, we decided to, you know... save the day, I guess."

 

David sighed as he finished helping his assistant. "That's incredibly dangerous. Now stay here. I'm going to try and get the security back on track."

 

"I'll help," Melissa said as she started to move, only for her dad to put his hand on her shoulder.

 

"No. You stay here."

 

"Dad, it'll go quicker with the both of us. While one of us gets the robots on our side, we can also get the anti-warp measures up. You know better than anyone that the stuff in that vault can't get out."

 

David bit his lip and watched as the teens kept fighting. The Nomu were dropping slowly; Izuku was holding Wolfram while his two friends were dancing around the one villain covered in hands as he attempted to grab them.

 

"...Fine. You get the anti-warp measures working; I'll get the security back on our side." David grabbed his daughter again before she could move. "Please be safe, Melissa."

 

Melissa smiled and grabbed her dad's arm. "You too, Dad."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

July 20th, 2236

 

Ochako panted as she stood off against Tomura. Tenya was currently delivering a devastating kick to the Nomu that had cornered Nishi, who had been struggling with her limited water supply.

 

Tomura scoffed as he flexed his hands. This stupid girl in front of him was like him. He could see the pads on her fingers, and the way she kept trying to grab at him told him all he needed. Whatever her quirk was, if she touched him, it would probably be over.

 

Tomura's legs tensed, and he lunged quickly at the girl. He'd always been quicker than anyone he went against and now was no different. Ochako smiled as she lunged to the side between two desks. Tomura smiled as he reached for her, only to recoil as something pierced his hand.

 

Tomura stumbled back as he saw a broken piece of plastic from some office equipment jutting through his palm, covered in blood. He screamed in rage and tried to decay one of the desks, only to see that she wasn't there anymore.

 

A hand smacked him on the back of the head, and suddenly, standing became far too difficult. Tomura's knees buckled, and his face slammed into the ground as the air was forced from his lungs.

 

Ochako panted as she stumbled back, making sure to keep his distance. "Can you breathe asshole?"

 

"Fuck! Come here, I'll kill you!" Tomura wheezed.

 

"Good enough," Ochako said as she looked over and felt her blood run cold.

 

Izuku was up on the wall near the ceiling, his feet planted firmly on the wall while his left shoulder pierced with a piece of metal as he sparked with power and held back another piece that was trying to bury itself in his chest. The corners of Izuku's mouth flickered with fire, and in the moment he let loose a blast of green flames, Wolfram threw a desk in the way, keeping himself safe.

 

Izuku grunted and threw his knee up, hitting the metal as Wolfram tried to force it again. The jagged piece of metal went up and dug into his shoulder. Izuku cursed as he forced it up, tearing through his shoulder. The metal cut deep into his hands as it buried itself in the wall.

 

Wolfram glanced over and jumped away while throwing a desk at Ochako, who had tried to sneak up on him. "You're a quiet one, girly."

 

"Shut up." Ochako snarled as her hands flexed.

 

Purple mist swirled as Kurogiri appeared next to Tomura. "Your men have finished Wolfram. We are leaving."

 

Wolfram grinned and stepped through his portal wordlessly as Kurogiri took Tomura away. With the villains gone, Ochako didn't hesitate to run over and jump up to Izuku, who was doing his best not to destroy his shoulder.

 

David cursed as he looked at the security cameras all over the island. Nomu were chasing down civilians left and right. The heroes outside the central tower were released first, shortly followed by the security bots. David could only hope that the monsters hadn't been able to cause too much damage.

 

David turned to his daughter, who had a devastated look on her face. "I-I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough to get the system back up. They got the tech in the vault, a-and they got away."

 

"It's okay," David said as he went over and hugged his daughter.

 

As the two started to calm down, the tower suddenly rubbled before the doors almost exploded open with All Might's presence. The first thing he saw was Ochako getting Izuku down from the wall. Both his shoulders were bleeding badly, and she looked like she was going to throttle someone. The next thing he saw was Kyoka abandoning the bat that was embedded in the head of a Nomu. The three girls and Tenya looked roughed up, but no one seemed to be in danger.

 

"All Might, there are more of these monsters all over the island. The heroes and security are doing their best, but there's a lot of them." David said as he continued to hold his daughter close.

 

All Might nodded. "I will go assist them."

 

With a boom, All Might disappeared and shook the tower again. David sighed and slumped to the ground. "I called for some paramedics. It'll take a bit, but they'll be here soon. C-can someone help Midoriya?"

 

"I'm on it," Momo said as she produced medical supplies. "Uraraka."

 

"I-I know," Ochako said as she scooted back enough for Momo to work. Her hands were shaking too much to help.

 

Momo worked quickly to stop the bleeding, and after doing what she could, she gave the couple some space. Izuku winced as he settled against the wall. "Ow."

 

"Are you okay?"

 

Izuku smiled weakly as his girlfriend sat near him. "I'll live. Are you okay?"

 

Ochako nodded. "That guy from the USJ was quick, but I managed to take him down... oh right."

 

Izuku watched as she tapped her fingers together and released her quirk. "We're safe now, so I'll release this."

 

The two sat in silence for a moment before Ochako shuffled closer, and Izuku turned his head as best he could to look at her. He was surprised as Ochako leaned in and pressed her lips gently to his own. As she pulled back, Izuku could see her cheeks steadily growing red.

 

"I love you... and I'm really glad you're okay."

 

Izuku really wished his palms were cut and his shoulders stabbed. He wanted to hug her and probably kiss her again, but he couldn't, so he settled for a small smile as he whispered. "I love you too, Ochako. I'm glad you're okay as well."

Notes:

I'm going to be honest: this was kind of hard to write.

Been working on some other stuff, too, but yeah, over the past few weeks, it's been kind of hard to write, and I haven't been super satisfied or something, I don't know. I'm just ugh, but I wanna keep writing.

I played some Starfield, and it's cool, I guess. It feels like something is missing, so I'm not really playing it a lot. Also, I saw Ultra Rumble came out. This is the first I'm hearing of it, but it looks cool, so I'll probably check it out on a day off.

Alright that's all from me I'll see you next chapter.