Sins of The Father

by Knightraiderdewd

Summary:

After his father betrayed the hero community, and took several lives with him, Izuku is left to fend for himself as he tries to prove he can not only be a hero, but the hero his father should’ve been. Unfortunately, it seems like almost everyone has already made up their minds what his fate is going to be, while forces behind the scenes begin to manipulate events from the shadows.

Chapter 1

”Your father was Hisashi Midoriya, the…” the man in the suit made a show of checking his notes, “Ghost Rider?”

“Yes sir.” Izuku nodded. 

“And you’ve chosen to follow in his former profession?” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku nodded again. 

“Why is that?” 

“Because, I want to be the hero he should’ve been before he betrayed everyone. I want to be a Light in the Dark, to shine upon the evil that looms there!” 

“…is that something he used to tell you?” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku replied sheepishly. 

“Alright, well, I’m afraid there’s a problem there, and I’m also sure you know what that is.”

Izuku slumped, “He became a villain.” 

“Correct. It doesn’t matter how high you scored, though I will congratulate you on that. You scored in the top 3 of your applicant pool, and much higher than you were predicted. I’m afraid the HPSC is reluctant to take the risk of allowing another potential villain into a hero course.” 

“Is there anything I can do to prove myself?” Izuku pleaded. 

The man in the suit looked at his partner, who was dressed similarly. It was his partner that spoke next.

“The only way we would be willing to allow you into a hero course, especially UA, is under very specific conditions.” 

Izuku just stared at him, hope shining in his eyes. The man in the suit slipped a piece of paper from his briefcase, and slid it towards Izuku.

“If you are willing to abide by these conditions, we will consider your entrance into a hero course, but we will not make any promises. UA is still evaluating your results, and they are free to reject you, should they wish.”

Izuku looked over the paper. His eyes went wide as he read. He looked at them both. 

“I can do this.”

—

Izuku proudly checked himself in the mirror again, now wearing his new uniform. His chest swelled with pride as he stared at himself for a moment. 

He was a healthy fifteen year old with bright green eyes, and dark green messy hair. He’d tried combing it, but he simply couldn’t get it to settle down, and he didn’t have any hair gel to try holding it in place. His uniform consisted of teal pants, a white button up, and grey coat. He had a tie on, which he never could get tied just right, but he managed to make it at least look okay. Once he put his red shoes on, he was ready to go.

“Izuku,” his mother stopped him when he almost got to the door. He looked at her. She looked exhausted. She always looked exhausted, having to work like she did, but in that moment, she smiled at him. “Good luck honey.” 

Izuku smiled back, “Thanks. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home tonight.” 

With that, he marched out, and into his future. 

On his way towards the tram, he saw a bookstore. He was sure he’d been there before, but he wasn’t much of a reader if it didn’t have anything to do with school work, and he was sure there hadn’t been a display outside it before.

Out front he saw a woman with blue skin, and lilac hair standing next to a table in front of the store. On the table, she had several stacks of books with blood red covers on them.

“Free copies!” She said, gesturing to the many books that rested on the table. She saw him approaching the stand, and smiled, “Free copy, future hero?” 

Izuku froze, looking at her in confusion. “How did you know?”

Her smiled widened, “Everyone knows the UA uniform, young man. So are you in the hero course?”

Izuku beamed, “Yes! I scored in the top three of my applicant pool!”

She raised her eyebrows, “Really? That’s great! I think you are definitely the kind of person who could benefit from our book.” 

She politely presented one to him, and he took it before reading the cover.

Meta Liberation War

“What’s it about?” Izuku asked, looking at her.

“Why don’t you give it a read? If you have any questions, you can always come back. I work here, and I’d love to hear from a future pro hero.”

“Uh. Sure, I guess.”

Izuku turned, and walked on towards the tram. Once he was on, since he had a minute before the next stop, which was when it really got crowded, and he would need to focus, he opened the cover, and saw that it was an autobiography. After he read the first page, he decided to just read it later, and slipped it into his backpack.

——

“Do you think I could be a hero too? One who makes villains afraid, and people feel safe at night.” Izuku asked, the deflated All Might who now stood before him. 

“No I don’t kid. I’m sorry.” All Might replied with a sigh, sitting down on the roof they stood upon. “For what it’s worth, I worked with your dad back when he was one of us. He was a brave man, but a fanatic about his work. It’s a wonder he didn’t lose his mind sooner. I’m sorry kid, but I don’t think you can, nor should you try.”

“Why?” Izuku asked, his voice shaking, on the verge of tears.

“Because I just saw you fry a villain, almost to death because you lost control. Luckily the concussion blast I created with my punch got him off you, and put you out. You have the same quirk as your father, don’t you.”

Izuku said nothing. He just stood there, his fists clenched.

“It speaks to you, doesn’t it. Just like it did him.”

“Only when I activate it. If I’m not on fire, it’s almost like I’m quirkless.” Izuku said quickly, tears in his eyes.

“And what happens when you turn it on, and someone is attacking you like that sludge guy, but there’s no one around to hold you back? Or worse, you can’t put it out once you’ve finished him, in a crowded area?”

Izuku fell silent again. He sniffled, and wiped his tears.

“Midoriya, that’s your name isn’t it? Please, take my advice. Don’t become a hero. It’s more pressure than you, or your quirk can handle. If you want to help people, and make them feel safe, become a police officer. It’s not glorious, but it’s necessary.” 

——

Izuku stood with his eyes closed on the clustered tram, slowly controlling his breathing as he held his hand over his heart. He felt his fire simmer, but he managed to keep it calm as he was pressed from all sides from the people around him.

“I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe.” He kept repeating the words at a low whisper. He opened his eyes when he felt the tram stop.

Izuku got off, and began his walk towards UA. It wasn’t that hard to find, it was the gigantic blue building straight ahead of him when he got to the street. 

As he walked, his mind wondered. For a time, he just felt and flexed his muscles as he walked, thinking about his future. He had a lot of work to do, and he wasn’t sure what to expect from UA. 

He stopped at a crosswalk, and watched the light. For a moment, he just stood there. After another moment, he bounced on his feet. 

That’s when he felt something in his pocket that hadn’t been there before. He reached in, and pulled out a folded piece of paper, torn from a notebook. 

Just then the light turned, and he was almost swallowed up by the crowd, and he had to walk to keep from getting trampled. It wasn’t until he was on the last block from UA that he was in a small enough crowd that he felt like he could slow down, and open the note. 

Written on it were two sentences, and a name. 

“Be the man I failed to be. I’ll always be proud of you. Hisashi.”

Izuku just stared at the note for a moment. Then he almost jumped and looked around. His father had to have done it, but how? How had he gotten so close without him noticing? 

He didn’t see him now, or anyone that remotely resembled him. Slowly, cautiously, he folded the letter up, and slipped it back into his pocket, not sure what else to do with it. 

——

Fire and explosions ripped through the shopping area where the heroes had managed to set up a perimeter. Izuku noticed that none of them were going in. 

It only took a moment for him to get to the front of the crowd, given his small frame, and see what was going on. 

He immediately recognized the sludge villain that had attacked him, and he’d nearly burned to death before. How had it escaped All Might? He’d seen him stuff it into bottles, and then into his pockets…which Izuku had been holding onto when he jumped. 

Izuku gasped, and suddenly felt sick as he realized that it was his fault. He must’ve knocked the bottles out of his pocket, and the villain was able to escape. Worse, he knew who it was holding hostage. The explosions were coming from a pair of hands sticking out from either side. There was only one person he knew that had a quirk like that.

“Hey! Stop that kid!” 

Izuku had no idea what he was doing, even as he was doing it. All he knew was he was suddenly running forward, towards the sludge. 

Inside his mind, he did as he’d always done, the thing his father had taught him to do when he wanted to activate his quirk. 

He imagined a lantern with a shutter. The shutter kept the fire inside him contained. He was never supposed to let it open more than a hair, barely a crack. 

As he ran at the sludge monster, dropping his backpack, Izuku opened it a full centimeter, just barely stopping himself from opening it completely. 

What felt like an explosion of heat burst from his chest, and enveloped Izuku. He immediately felt its presence in his head as it tried to control his actions. 

“Not you!” The sludge thing noticed the teenager covered in green fire running towards it, and began to panic, “GET AWAY!!!” 

Izuku dug his hands into the closest part of the sludge, and focused with all his willpower, begging his quirk to just listen to him. 

His quirk was furious at the sludge monster. Izuku could feel its anger, and rage at not having been able to finish the job before. 

‘Just don’t hurt Kacchan,’ Izuku thought, since he couldn’t speak. He had never understood why, but when he activated his quirk, his vocal cords simply didn’t function. 

For the first time in his life, he felt as if his quirk actually nodded, like it was agreeing with him. 

The sentient green fire began to envelop the sludge as it screamed, and flung Bakugo away, quickly turning on Izuku, and splashing down over him, clearly trying to smother his fire. 

Izuku opened the shutter just a hair more, and felt the sludge’s scream more than he heard it, as it quickly tried to get away from him, actually slithering towards one of the nearby heroes. 

“Please! Take me in, just get that thing away from me!” It screamed desperately.

‘Close the shutter,’ Izuku thought then. He pictured it in his mind. He could see the lantern, and his fire pouring out of it. He tried to close it, but it refused. 

His quirk took control of his legs, stepping towards the sludge as it tried to escape. 

‘No!’ Izuku told it. It was time to close the shutter. 

With an effort he’d never put forth before, he managed to force it closed, and almost immediately, the presence in his head vanished, and he felt the fire dissipate, slowly cooling down, and shrinking back into his chest. 

Everything was still and silent for a moment. Izuku knew he’d just turned his school uniform into ash, though he was covered by a fireproof onesie he always wore, just in case. 

He managed to just stand there for a moment, before falling to his hands and knees. His body spasmed as he felt his last meal coming up.

——

He still couldn’t believe that was the part they made thumbnails out of for all the internet videos they made about him. 

After that, the police had taken him home, letting him off with a warning for illegal use of a quirk, while Bakugo was showered with praise from the heroes.

He had managed to save Bakugo though, which he was proud of. Not that that meant much, since he’d confronted him the next day, to threaten him for saving him.

“I DIDN’T NEED YOUR HELP TRAITOR! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAVE MYSELF WHEN YOU BUTTED IN!!!”

Izuku sighed, and walked on. When he got to the entrance gate, he paused, and looked at the building. He just stared at it for a moment, taking it in. 

“I earned this.” Izuku said to himself. He had had help, of course. 

——

“Alright kid, you convinced me.” All Might said, stepping around a corner into the walkway Izuku was on. He was deflated again, as Izuku thought of it.

“What?” Izuku gasped in surprise.

“It’s obvious you’re not giving up on the whole hero thing, and if I just let you go, you’re liable to end up hurt, or worse. So, what do you say? Let me help you at least prepare.” 

“You…you really mean it?” Izuku asked, tearing up again. 

“Yes. Besides the physical training you’re going to need, I know a little about how your father’s quirk worked, so I may be able to help you get a little more control over it. It’s not going to be easy, but if you follow through, I think you’ll at least have a fighting chance. What do you say?” 

Izuku fell to his knees, and bowed to him as the tears flowed, “Yes! I’ll do it!” 

——

What had followed was 10 months of the most grueling life changing routines he’d ever been through. All Might had covered virtually everything, from his sleep schedule to each, and every meal. 

By the end, however, Izuku felt like a changed man. He was much, much stronger, and felt tougher. He was still skinny, but he wasn’t scrawny. He even had visible abs, which he was very proud of when he looked in a mirror. 

After that, however, All Might had left. He said they may see each other again if he got into a hero course, but he couldn’t help him anymore. 

Izuku hoped he did get to see him again, He wanted to thank him for all his help, but he hadn’t seen him since a few days before the entrance exam, and he knew he owed All Might for how well it went. 

As he stepped into the building, he heard a voice behind him. 

“Hey! I know you!” 

He turned, and stepped aside, holding the door open for the girl he recognized from the entrance exam. 

“You’re that green fire guy!” She said as she stepped inside. Izuku immediately noted that she was very pretty, with a round, friendly face, and brown hair. 

“Yeah,” Izuku said smiling. He noted her school uniform, and said, “I’m glad you made it in as well.” 

“Yes! Class 1-A! I’m so excited!” She raised her fist into the air, and then turned to him, “That was awesome how you melted that one big one!”

When she stepped close to him, Izuku instinctively stepped away, trying to keep a comfortable distance from her. She held her hands up like she were holding something, “What kind of fire was that you have? Was that your quirk, or do you just manipulate fire?” 

“We should probably get to class.” Izuku said nervously, “I’m going to 1-A as well, if you want to walk together.” 

“Sure! Let’s go!” 

As they walked, Izuku was almost hyper aware of his surroundings as he walked with people around him. He felt his quirk stir in his chest, a warmth that threatened to grow like a small fire waiting for oxygen and fuel. He gently placed his hand over his heart, and took a deep breath. 

In as low a voice as he could, he said aloud, “I’m safe. No one is threatening me.” 

For just a second, he felt the fire calm. Then the girl said, “What was that?” 

“Nothing!” Izuku said quickly. The fire didn’t stir again as he walked. He didn’t know if this helped, but inside his mind, he imagined holding the lantern, and patting it. The sudden heat he literally felt on his fingertips gave him a hint that his quirk did not appreciate that. 

“Oh, I’m Uraraka Ochaco, by the way,” she said then, “What’s your name?”

“Izuku Midoriya.”

“Midoriya…” Ochaco still walked, but got a distant look in her eye. Izuku figured what was coming, so he spared her the contemplation.

“My father was Hisashi Midoriya.” He muttered. When she didn’t seem to know, he added, “Ghost Rider.”

She gasped, “Really?! That’s awesome!”

“What?” He looked at her in surprise. He was expecting dismissal, or worse, hostility. That’s how almost everyone reacted to hearing about his father.

“He was the flaming skeleton guy right? He was an awesome hero before he turned bad! Can you turn into a skeleton too?” She seemed to get excited.

“That’s pretty much what happens when I activate my quirk.” Izuku replied with a shrug.

“Cool. I bet it looks awesome up close!” Ochaco said. “Hey, do you mind if I ask whatever happened to your Dad?” 

He did, in fact. She was hardly the first one. Almost every time he popped back up, usually because of some act of vigilantism, which was the general consensus of what he’d become now, he and his mother got a visit from the police, and a pro hero or two. He’d actually gotten to meet several top heroes, including Hawks, and Ingenium, but unfortunately, almost none of them could look past who his father was, and treated him like a criminal they couldn’t arrest. 

Except for Ingenium, who had been the only pro hero that had shown him genuine kindness. He was nine then, and he still remembered him smiling at him, and telling him that everything would be okay. He even got to take a picture with him, which he still had a print out of on his wall. Hawks had visited the year prior, and had been more or less indifferent, though it was an improvement over the hostility others had shown. 

“Midoriya.” He was jerked back to reality, and realized Ochaco wasn’t standing beside him anymore. He turned around, and saw she was standing next to a huge door. She looked at him and said, “I think this is ours.” 

Chapter 2

It was like so many of his nightmares combined into one. 

Firstly, Izuku had learned that his high school bully, one who’d once told him to jump off the roof of their school, and had tormented him relentlessly for years, was now one of his classmates. 

As if that weren’t enough, during the entrance exams, he’d accidentally been caught, and chastised by another student for his bad habit of muttering to himself, who he also now shared a class with. 

On top of that, now he was being told to do the one thing he was probably worst at, at the moment. 

Mister Aizawa, who was their homeroom teacher, a tall, lean man with shaggy black hair, and a strange clothe wrapped around his neck and shoulders, stood before them now, in the practice field behind the main school building. Izuku was now out of his school uniform, and in a blue jumpsuit. 

“You’re going to use your quirks today.” He explained, and then outlined that they would be doing several basic sporting events, which Izuku remembered doing in middle school. They hadn’t been allowed to use their quirks back then. He added something that even Izuku knew gave the whole class pause. 

“Whoever scores the lowest today will be expelled. We don’t have time for stragglers here at UA, and I’m not going to waste my time on them. You will all need to go beyond today.” He cracked the first smile he’d seen since he met him, “That’s Plus Ultra. Now let’s get started.” 

Izuku instinctively held his hand over his heart again, feeling his fire stir. It didn’t like what it’d just heard, and neither did he. As the other students began to set up, Izuku whispered, “We need to work together. I can’t go far if I’m holding you back.” 

He didn’t feel a response from his quirk. 

The first event was the fifty meter dash. Izuku lined up. He pictured the lantern, and the moment he heard “Go!” He opened it just a crack, and was sharing his body again. 

He suddenly felt an almost overwhelming hatred for Bakugo, who was soaring ahead of him by blasting himself ahead with his explosions, and he felt his fire reaching out to attack, but Izuku quickly slammed the lantern shut, and finished the run. He came in dead last. 

It was no good. He couldn’t trust his quirk while Bakugo was nearby. He’d bullied him so relentlessly, and his quirk couldn’t over look it. It needed to take revenge on him, regardless of what Izuku wanted. Yes, he hated Bakugo, but he didn’t care about him that much. He wanted to become a hero, not a villain like his father.

He took a deep breath, and prepared for the next event. 

Things only got worse. One event after another. He was either in last place, or only a step from it. He was the only one not using his quirk to some degree. He knew if he could trust his quirk, he could do so much better, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep it from attacking Bakugo. 

Then one event came up that gave him an idea. Grip strength. 

When his turn came up, he gripped the device slightly. He imagined he was crushing Bakugo’s arm in his grip. He closed his eyes, and tried to focus everything he had on that image, and then, cracked open the lantern. 

He felt his quirk’s rage fill him as he squeezed, and suddenly felt the device break in his hand. He gasped, and looked at it, not even realizing he’d shut the lantern. 

Aizawa only grunted, and then went on to the next student. 

“Wow, that was pretty good.” He turned and saw one of his classmates standing there. He was tall, with white hair that was combed forward, and strange, webbed looking multi arms. 

“Thanks,” Izuku said, smiling for the first time since he’d gotten into his gym jumpsuit. 

“How strong are you with your quirk?” When he spoke this time, Izuku noticed he formed a mouth on one of his extra arms. Izuku quickly forced himself not to stare, having never seen a quirk like that before, and answered. 

“I’m not sure. I know I can get pretty strong, but I’ve never measured it.” he said nervously. 

“Well, it’s safe to say you beat my score.” His classmate said, and then turned as Aizawa called them over for the next event. 

There had only been a few more events after that, none of which Izuku trusted his quirk enough to use with. When they finished, Aizawa brought up a hologram, and showed a list of their scores in order from highest to lowest. 

Izuku started at the top, desperately hoping his score would not be where he knew it was. His eyes slowly moved down the list until they landed on his name. 

Right at the very bottom. 

His heart sank. Not even his fire stirred. He’d failed. He was going to be expelled on his first day of school. What was his mom going to think? All her work and worry to help him over those months had been for nothing. 

“Midoriya. Wait at your desk after class. Everyone else, you’re dismissed. We’re done for the day. Grab a copy of the syllabus off my desk before you leave.” 

——

No one, not even Ochaco had spoken a word to him as they packed their things and left. Izuku just sat at his desk at the back of the class. Their seating order was based on their rankings from the entrance exam. Or at least, that’s what they were supposed to be. 

Izuku didn’t actually know anyone else’s score, but he remembered the guy from the HPSC saying he’d scored in the top 3 of his applicant pool, yet he was at the bottom of his class, and therefore, right at the very back. Ranked 20 out of 20.

Aizawa stood silently at the front of the classroom as the last of the other students filed out. 

Izuku knew what was coming. He just didn’t know how to face it. 

“Come up here.” Aizawa said once they were alone. 

Slowly, Izuku stood, and walked up to him, standing in front of his desk. 

“Why were you holding back?” his teacher asked. 

Izuku hesitated. He didn’t want to say the real reason, that his quirk had a grudge he couldn’t steer it away from. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a good answer to give, so he just stood there, silently. 

“Hesitation can, and will get you killed. Right now, you more than anyone can’t afford it.” 

That took Izuku by surprise. He looked at him, confused, and asked “What?” 

“You were holding back in every event, except for the one that would allow you to break something. Why was that?” 

Izuku hesitated again. He decided, if he was expelled, he could at least try to be honest, “It’s my quirk, sir. It’s…not under my control when I activate it.” 

“Soul Fire, like your father’s, correct?” 

“Yes sir.”

“What makes you think you should even try being a hero with a quirk like that?” 

Izuku just stared ahead. He managed to look at him, but he couldn’t meet his eyes. 

“You need to get it under control, and do it soon. If you don’t start using it properly, I will have to expel you. I meant what I said about stragglers. I won’t let you drag the rest of the class behind.”

“Yes sir.” 

“Come see me after class tomorrow. I’ll see if I can’t help you control it. We’ll consider this a warning. You won’t get another.”

“Yes sir.” 

Aizawa reached over, and grabbed a syllabus. He handed it to Izuku, saying, “You’re dismissed.” 

Izuku took the syllabus, and thanked him before leaving. 

He was surprised to see Ochaco had waited for him outside the building. 

“Hey, I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She said sympathetically. 

“It’s alright,” Izuku said, though he couldn’t bring himself to smile. 

“What’re you going to do now?” She asked as they began walking down the long walkway towards the street.

“Go home. I’m tired.” He didn’t want to talk anymore. He just wanted to go home, and sleep.

——

That evening, at dinner, he told his mother what had happened, though he left out the part about nearly being expelled, and he bent a few truths to make it sound like a happier experience than it actually had been. She smiled the whole time, listening intently as they ate. 

After their meal, Izuku did the dishes, letting his mother rest on the couch in the living room. 

He went to his room after that, intending to just go straight to bed. He sighed, however, when he thought of something, and went over to his dresser. 

The folded paper his father had somehow managed to get into his pocket rested there. He opened it again and read it. 

It hadn’t changed. He sat down on his bed as he just stared at it and thought about just burning it. Hisashi had wrecked his life enough growing up, and now he wanted to reach out when he was finally pulling himself back up? Who did he think he was trying to contact him now?!

He caught himself and sighed again. Trying to sooth himself when he realized his quirk had just snuck up on him, he gently rubbed his chest. 

The lantern was firmly shut in his mind, and he planned on keeping it like that until he saw his homeroom teacher again. He wasn’t sure what else could be done to control his quirk. 

All Might had taught him how to focus it enough to not burn his clothes, though he still wore his fireproof jumpsuit under everything, but it wasn’t just fire he was making when he activated it. He actually wished it was, that would’ve been so much simpler, even if it didn’t mean he got any other benefit from it. 

“Why couldn’t he have just breathed fire, or something?” Izuku sighed again, calming himself down.

After some time, he put the note back on his dresser, and went to bed. 

The following morning, as he walked by the bookstore, he saw the same blue skinned woman standing outside, giving away more free books. 

“Hey, it’s the future pro!” She said when she spotted him, “How was your first day at school?” 

“It could’ve gone better.” Izuku replied, stopping to talk to her, “I’m still not used to using my quirk so openly, and it kind of fights back.” 

“Well, sounds you got one really powerful quirk.” She said cheerfully, “Do you still have the book? There’s a passage that may help out, if you want to skip ahead.” 

In fact he did. He’d learned that morning that the book was compact enough to fit into his school’s coat pocket. He already had a bookmark in it, but he hadn’t actually started reading it yet, which he told her. 

She flipped through it until she found a page, and slipped his bookmark into it. “There you go. Let me know if it helps.” She said as she handed it back. 

“Thanks.” Izuku brightened before moving on. 

Later, once he was off the tram, and could let his quirk sit without much worry, he opened the book, and read. It took him just a moment to find the passage he was sure she meant. 

‘Truly controlling our quirks must start with accepting that they aren’t just something we have, but a part of us. They are an extension of our being. Control them by embracing them, and making them your own.’

“Extension of your being.” Izuku muttered. He didn’t have a highlighter, but he did have a pencil and tabs in his backpack. He paused just outside the gate to place a tab on the page, and underline the passage. 

Izuku got inside this time, and went straight to the lockers to change his shoes. Once he was in his school shoes, he went straight to class, not seeing Ochaco this time. He still had a few minutes before the first bell anyway, but he wanted to try reading the book some more before class started. 

When he stepped through the door, he was brought to a halt when nineteen pairs of eyes all turned to him, and the whole class went silent. 

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Bakugo was the first to react, jumping to his feet. “You were supposed to be kicked out!” 

“He’s kind of got a point,” one of his other classmates stated, a guy with spiked red hair said, “Didn’t Aizawa say you were expelled if you scored the lowest?” 

Izuku found it easier to answer him, rather than Bakugo, saying, “He let me off with a warning.” 

When no one said anything, he just walked back to his desk. He saw Ochaco, but she was with a few of the other girls now, and talking with them. Once he was at his desk, Izuku pulled out his notebook, pencil, and the red book. 

As he began to read, he noticed it used the term Meta Humans a lot, and he quickly realized it meant quirk users. He was placing another tab when the bell rang, and everyone started towards their seats. He slipped the book into his coat pocket again, and waited for their teacher. 

The door to the hallway suddenly shot open, and Izuku heard a very familiar voice almost whisper. 

“Hello students…” Everyone turned towards the door as All Might, in his full heroic form, and one of his older costumes flung himself through the door announcing, “I AM HERE!!!” 

The whole class was in awe as All Might swaggered to the podium in front of the class then. 

“Welcome, to Hero Basic Training!” All Might said loudly as he gazed out at the classroom. “This will be the class that will teach you all the basics of becoming a pro hero! Today, we’re going to be starting with…” he paused for dramatic effect, and then struck a pose as he said, “COMBAT TRAINING!!!” 

Izuku wasn’t as excited as the others when he heard this. He knew it meant he was going to have to use his quirk, which he still couldn’t control. Worse, what if he was somehow put on a team with Bakugo? He wouldn’t even be able to use it at all. 

All Might pulled out a small remote then, and pointed it at the wall. Twenty briefcases slowly slid from the wall as the pro hero said, “And to get started, I want all of you to get dressed into your costumes, created by the support course, right here at UA.” 

Izuku smiled, and clutched his backpack, which held part of his costume inside it. 

——

In the locker room, everyone excitedly got into their costumes, and Izuku was no exception. From his briefcase, which had a large 20 printed on it, he pulled out a pair of heavy pants, and boots. They were a dark, almost black green, which he hoped would blend well with his fire when he activated his quirk, as well as matching boots. The material was supposed to be sturdy, and was so heavy because it had layers of fire resistance that was even better than his jumpsuit he wore under everything. 

Along the sides, starting at the waist, and ending at the feet, were an addition his mother had suggested when he was making his designs for it, which was a large white reflective stripe, like on a safety vest. The boots were also heavy, heavier than any shoes he’d ever worn, and a similar color as the pants. 

From his backpack, he pulled the last few pieces of his costume. This one had been made by his mother, and from something that meant a lot to her, and so it meant a lot to him. 

It was a black leather jacket, almost like something an American biker would wear, though his mother had stitched on similar stripes on the arms, going from his wrists to shoulders, and two more on either side of the front, going from the bottom, up to his shoulders, and continuing on his back. 

The jacket was made of the same material his father had worn in his first hero costume. It was supposed to be completely fireproof, and bulletproof, though the color was just coincidentally black. From a distance, it looked like leather, but upon touching it, it felt like a rough fabric. His mother had said she’d tried to color it, or even dye it, but nothing worked. 

It had been a gift from his father to his mother when they were dating. Outside of his hero work, neither Hisashi, nor Inko had been particularly outgoing, from what Izuku understood, he just liked that look for his hero costume. 

She’d kept it after he’d turned and abandoned them, and thought of it as a memento of who he’d once been. 

“I want you to use it.” his mother said, “Be the man he was. Plus I know how tough this stuff is, so I know it’ll keep you safe.” She clutched the jacket when it had been folded up in her hands, almost like a pet she was afraid of letting go of. 

Izuku almost wanted to refuse it when he saw that. He started to, until she handed it over to him. 

“Thanks Mom,” Izuku said, as they both began to tear up then, “I’ll wear it proudly. And I won’t disappoint you.” 

“Whoa, Midoriya, looking awesome!” The compliment yanked him back to the locker room as he zipped up the jacket. It was a loose fit, but he figured he would grow into it over time. 

“Thanks, my Mom made it.” He said with a smile. 

“He’s dressing like his backstabbing father.” Bakugo snapped before walking towards the exit. That took the wind from his sails. Izuku wasn’t sure who had complimented him, but now no one would look at him. 

He sighed, and strapped on the knee and elbow pads before leaving the locker room. 

When he got to the training area All Might had told them to assemble at, Ground Beta, Ochaco saw, and approached him. Ground Beta was a simulated suburban area, with buildings meant to look like small businesses, and houses.

“Hey! You look pretty cool!” Ochaco said, waving at him.

“Thanks, my Mom made it!” He froze when he got a better look at her costume, which was a skin tight, black and pink outfit, complete with a helmet that looked like something from a children’s scifi cartoon. 

“Yeah, I think I should’ve been more specific. They made this one way tighter than I anticipated.” 

Before he could think of anything to say, All Might called for everyone’s attention. 

Chapter 3

“Midoriya, and Iida.” All Might said as he read the two slips of paper he’d just pulled out of the box. 

Izuku had no idea who Iida was, but then he noticed the intense guy from their exams glaring at him. As he marched up to him, he realized that had to be him. Izuku also noticed his costume looked very similar, but slightly off from Ingenium’s, one of the few pro hero besides All Might that Izuku had ever met that had shown him genuine kindness. 

His costume resembled a cross between a European Knight, and a mech, with white armor pieces over a black jumpsuit, and large mufflers coming from the back of his shins. Iida himself had dark, neatly combed hair, and glasses.

This would-be Ingenium, however, wasn’t him. He didn’t even greet him when he went to stand next to him while All Might paired everyone else up. 

They were doing a very basic, almost cartoonish exercise, where they would be assigned as heroes and villains. The villains had to hide, and then protect a bomb somewhere in a four story building, while the heroes had to get in and secure it. 

“Alright,” All Might said, once everyone was paired up, “Now, I will walk around with this box!” He held up another box, “I want one from each pairing to take one of the balls from it, which will determine whether you will be playing the hero, or villains.”

When he came around, Izuku started to reach in, but then Iida reached in faster, and took out one at random. Izuku looked as he opened his palm, and saw that it was a white ball with HERO printed on it. 

“Hey! We get to be heroes.” Izuku said, trying to be friendly. 

“If you think you’re capable that.” Iida said bluntly. Then Izuku knew this wasn’t going to be fun. 

He decided he would have to prove himself then, if it meant gaining the respect of his peers. He thought about the passage he’d read from the book, and began to try to think of his quirk as part of him, rather than something inside of him. 

“It’s my fire,” he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes, and imagined holding the lantern close. “My fire.” He muttered again. For just a second, he began to feel his fire merging with him, but then All Might called out.

“Midoriya, and Iida, go over there while the villains set up!” All Might said, pointing down the street, and Izuku suddenly realized he’d accidentally missed the rest of whatever his teacher had said. He didn’t even know who they were up against. 

He quickly jogged to catch up with Iida, who’d already started towards a square in the road, while the rest of the class left to go somewhere else. Another bit of information he’d missed, he realized to his frustration. 

Determined to be part of a team, Izuku looked to his partner and said, “Alright, Iida, what’s our plan.” 

“You stay back while I secure the bomb.” Iida replied bluntly. 

“What?” Izuku was taken aback. 

“We’re playing the hero role, something I’m sure you’re not accustomed to. I’ll handle this situation myself.” Iida said, and then began stretching his legs. 

“Hey, wait a minute, I can help!” Izuku pleaded. 

“Then stay out of my way. I’ll show you what a true hero family legacy is.” 

Izuku went silent. His father again. Though now, as he looked down at himself, his costume idea didn’t seem so good anymore. 

He’d hoped the stripes would make him look less threatening, but now he just felt ridiculous. Like he was actually trying to make a mockery of what his father had done. If he had time, he’d have ran back to the locker room and changed right then. 

Instead, he decided to just wait. He still wanted to prove himself, but he wasn’t sure how just yet. 

A buzzer sounded then, and Iida shot off at an almost impossible speed, while Izuku just ran forward, trying to keep up. He saw him run into a huge, multi storied building to their right, and vanish. 

Only then did Izuku remember he still had no idea who they were up against. 

As if to answer, a deafening explosion shook the entire building, even the ground where Izuku stood just outside the door, and he saw an entire section of the third story get taken out, along with the white clad form of Iida, flying through the air. 

“BAKUGO! DO NOT USE THAT WEAPON AGAIN!!” Izuku heard All Might’s voice from a speaker somewhere. 

“He’s fine.” Bakugo said as he stood in the new opening he’d made. Izuku saw he was dressed in a costume that looked not far off from a soldiers, though he wore large gauntlets that looked like massive hand grenades. His spiked blonde hair was slightly dirty from the smoke and debris, and his red eyes almost seemed to  glow.

Izuku saw Iida’s body now lying across the street among the rubble, and ran to him. 

“Iida, are you okay?” Izuku asked as he kneeled beside him. He didn’t respond, and Izuku quickly remembered some first aid training he’d received. He gently pressed a finger under his chin, and was relieved when he felt a pulse. 

“Boom goes the backstabber!” 

Izuku gasped, and instinctively did two things at once. He grabbed Iida’s body under his arms while ripping the lantern open. He dove to the left, a split second before Bakugo pulled the pin on his second grenade gauntlet.

When he landed, Izuku forced himself to let go, only to realize too late he’d opened the lantern too much, and was no longer in control of his own body. 

His quirk turned, and glared at Bakugo as it let Iida’s body drop to the ground. The hatred it felt towards him overwhelming Izuku to the point he almost felt his own mind black out. 

Years of merciless bullying from Bakugo all flooded to the surface as his own quirk tried to keep the anger flowing. All of it allowed because Izuku had promised his mother to never use his quirk on anyone else, because of how dangerous it was, and how pervasive it could be. 

In that moment, as Izuku and Bakugo began to run at one another, his promise was forgotten, as his quirk took full control, and cut loose. 

Up on the roof, Ochaco still felt annoyed that Bakugo was more interested in going after them directly, rather than helping her guard the bomb. Maybe if he’d been put on the hero side, he would be fine, but if even one of them got past him, she would be stuck trying to keep them away from their bomb by herself. 

She almost ignored the sounds of fighting, until she realized he must’ve been fighting Midoriya, and thought it would be cool to finally see him up close, since last time she’d only gotten to see his green fire at the exam, and then after he powered down. 

When she got to the ledge, she looked down, and froze. When she thought about seeing his fire form in person before, she had imagined it would be cool, like something out of a movie, or heavy metal music video. She’d seen skulls before, but only pictures of them, in text books, and movies. 

Seeing a real live human skull, however, immediately unnerved her, as she saw Midoriya fighting Bakugo head on, and suddenly understood why Ghost Rider was so feared. 

Something about his appearance that she simply couldn’t place was just unnatural. Wrong. Even as he fought like a wild man against Bakugo, who kept trying to hit him with his explosions, Midoriya moved strangely. 

It reminded her of a spider, which would sit perfectly still, but then have short bursts of movement, only these weren’t short, and they were all offensive. He didn’t try to dodge, or even block, every time Bakugo closed in to hit him with an explosion, Midoriya would move, punch, kick, or even send his own short blasts of fire, while Bakugo smartly kept him out grabbing range. 

Suddenly, Ochaco saw Bakugo make a mistake, and he immediately paid for it.

He launched himself towards Midoriya, and brought both his palms to bear, aiming for Midoriya’s face. In another burst of movement from an almost statue like stillness, Midoriya ducked, and ran forward, grabbing Bakugo’s leg with both hands, and jerked him forward, slamming him down on the ground.

Bakugo tried to recover, but Midoriya didn’t let go, and brought him around, slamming him into a light pole, where Ochacho swore she heard his back breaking, and the pole fell over. Even as Bakugo tried to control his movement or even attack with his explosions, Midoriya wouldn’t let go, and slung him overhead, and down again, this time cracking the concrete, and leaving a blood splatter on the ground.

He started to swing around again, but then, without thinking, and fearing for Bakugo’s life, Ochaco shouted.

“Midoriya stop!”

He didn’t let him go, in fact, he slowly turned his head, his hollowed eyes peering up at her. She felt an almost overwhelming dread wash over her in that moment, before he began to swing what looked like an unconscious Bakugo around, and flung him towards her like he weighed nothing at all. 

She dove aside just in time for Bakugo’s body to miss, and he landed several feet away from the edge. 

“What the-“ she turned, and saw Iida had been behind her, and going for the bomb, only to freeze when the other student landed between him and the objective. 

Ochaco suddenly realized she wasn’t watching Midoriya, and quickly stood to look for him. Her heart sank when she realized he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. 

“Bakugo, are you alright?” Iida asked as he kneeled beside him. Bakugo groaned, but didn’t say anything. 

“Where’s Midoriya?” Ochaco asked, really wishing she hadn’t looked away from him. She did not like his location being unknown right then. 

“Mister All Might!” Iida called out, “We need to stop the match! Bakugo needs medical attention immediately!” 

Ochaco looked. Bakugo was bleeding from the mouth and head, and the spot on his leg where Midoriya had been holding him was badly burned, his skin completely burned away in some spots, and she swore she saw burned muscle, mixed with the sickening odor of burnt flesh. 

She felt that same overwhelming dread again, and spun, only to find that the sight of Midoriya’s fire form could get worse, simply with proximity. 

He was standing at the roof access door, and glaring. The light from the fire seemed to highlight the curves, and turns in his otherwise featureless human skull that faced her, the hollowed sockets looking more like endless pits of a black abyss. Something about his mere presence just felt overwhelming as he just stood there for a moment. 

She could see even Iida turn to face him in the corner of her eye as Midoriya turned his head, and then cearly saw Bakugo. 

“Midoriya! You need to stop!” Ochaco put herself between Bakugo and him as he started walking towards the downed student. Midoriya didn’t stop, forcing Ochaco to step back, intense heat from the green fire now reaching her. She looked at Iida, “The bomb! Secure it and the round is over!” 

“I’ll…fight…” Bakugo tried to sit up then, but struggled to sit up, his eyes glaring at Midoriya. 

Iida, thankfully, didn’t hesitate. He lunged for the bomb, and grabbed it. 

A buzzer rang, followed by All Might proclaiming, “The Hero Team wins!!!” 

To Ochaco’s horror, however, Midoriya didn’t seem to notice, or care. He kept marching towards Bakugo as she tried to stop him. She considered pushing him, making him weightless, and sending him flying, but then she remembered what happened when he got a grip on Bakugo. 

Suddenly, All Might was there, and he grabbed Midoriya’s shoulder. 

“Izuku.” His powerful voice said, carrying an ebb of danger she’d only heard him use while facing the most dangerous of villains. Midoriya stopped, and fell still again, the only movement being his flickering green fire. Then All Might said something that struck her as odd, “Close the lantern.” 

For several seconds, nothing happened. He just stood there, still as a statue. When she looked, she noticed his right arm was bent slightly at the wrong angle. Had Bakugo gotten a good strike in?

Then, she discovered a new horror when Midoriya powered down. It happened relatively quickly, but she saw as his flesh returned, layer by later. First his veins, which almost looked like some sort of computer generated model, then his organs, and muscles. Finally, his skin and hair returned, leaving Izuku standing there, panting between gritted teeth as he grabbed his right arm. The entire transformation only took a few seconds.

“This really hurts.” Izuku groaned as his right hand began to turn purple. 

As four medical robots appeared then, carrying two stretchers between them, Ochaco realized her hands were still shaking, even though Midoriya had powered down, and she no longer felt the overwhelming dread. 

When the two robots came, she decided to help him sit, and then lay down on the stretcher, moving his arm as little as possible, while All Might assisted with Bakugo, who was also still trying to fight, even saying it wasn’t over yet. 

When the two injured students were gone, Iida approached All Might. 

“Sir! I must protest Midoriya’s conduct in that exercise! He was completely out of control!” Iida said, making a chopping motion with his arm. 

All Might looked at him, and without sympathy said, “So a true Heroic Family Legacy complains when things don’t go their way?” 

Ochaco saw Iida’s expression then, and he looked like he’d just been slapped. All Might gently patted his shoulder. 

“We’ll go over everyone’s performance in this exercise later. Both of you did well. Ochaco, you were smart staying with the bomb, even if you let it be taken in a moment of fear.” 

“I thought he was going to kill him.” She told him. 

All Might didn’t respond to that. Instead, he ushered them to the control room while more robots appeared, and started cleaning up and repairing the damage. 

——

Izuku had no idea how long he’d been in the nurse’s office before she discharged him, only that his arm was remarkably back to normal, and he had never felt that tired before.

“I feel so exhausted all of a sudden,” he groaned.

“Well, either way, you’ll be fine now. Here.” She handed him a protein bar, “Eat up, and run on back to the control room, where your class is waiting.”

“What about Bakugo?” He asked, looking over at the bed next to him. 

“You gave him some pretty severe burns. I’m keeping him sedated for the moment until I can finish healing him. Don’t worry, he’s going to be fine.” 

Izuku looked at him. It was strange seeing Bakugo not enraged at least to some degree. As he was, he almost looked peaceful. 

“Get going, or you’re going to miss the rest of your class!” 

“Right, sorry!” Izuku said, hustling out of the room, and eating the protein bar. 

By the time he found the control room, he felt somewhat better with the food in his stomach, but his arm was still a bit sore, so he just slipped his hands into his pockets. 

The rest of the class was focused on the monitors along the wall, where All Might was watching another set of students play out the same scenario. Nobody seemed to notice him at first.

“Midoriya,” someone called out to him, though his voice was low. He looked and saw Iida approaching him. “I wish to speak to you for a moment.” 

They stepped to the back of the control room, and whispered. 

“I wish to apologize for how I spoke to you before. All Might showed us the footage of the battle, and I know now that I was being unfair towards you.”

Izuku wasn’t sure how to react to that for a moment. 

“I saw that you put yourself in harms way to protect me from Bakugo’s dishonorable attack from behind, while I was still down. That was a noble act.” 

“Thanks,” Izuku replied. 

Then Iida offered his hand. Izuku smiled, and shook it. 

“So we’re friends now?” Izuku said hopefully. He was starting to feel like things were changing, finally. With Ochaco, and now maybe Iida as his friend. 

“No.” Iida said softly, dashing Izuku’s hopes away, “I’m sorry. It has nothing to do with you, personally. I’m the latest in a long line of proud heroes, and I cannot be associated with a villain. Please, accept my apologies, Midoriya. You seem to be a good person, at least when you’re yourself, but it’s your father I must avoid any ties to.” 

“Right.” Izuku sighed, and then went back to watching the monitors. Just then, he remembered something, and turned to Iida. “Hey, is your costume an homage to Ingenium? It looks really similar.” 

Iida smiled, but only said “Yes.”

“I met him once. He was so nice to me.” 

That got Iida’s attention. “You met him? As in in person, or just saw him on patrol?”

“He came to my home. He was helping investigate something my dad did. He and Hawks were the only pros that were ever nice to me. I still have a picture I got to take with him on my wall.”

“Don’t worry, kid. Everything’s going to be fine.”

He heard Ingenium’s comforting voice in his mind as he kneeled and tried to reassure him.

“You receive hero visits often at your home?” 

“Every time my dad does something, we’re the first ones everyone looks to. I haven’t even seen him since he…” he suddenly felt melancholic. He didn’t want to talk about his dad. He remembered the note he’d somehow gotten into his pocket. Eventually he sighed, and said “I think Ingenium will love your homage to him, though.” 

“I should hope so.” Iida said, and then they simply stopped talking, and sat in silence while class went on. 

Chapter 4

Izuku didn’t see Bakugo for the rest of that school day. He hoped he hadn’t done too much damage, but he didn’t know what he could do about it. 

After class, he met with Aizawa, who took him out to the practice field they’d used the day before. 

“Alright, I want you to fully activate it, like you did in training.” He said then.

“Are you sure? That’s where I always have the hardest time putting it out.” Izuku asked nervously. 

“Yes. Now do it.” Aizawa said, his voice deadpan.

During the hero training, he hadn’t had time to think about it, though he knew what was coming. Whenever he activated his quirk, his flesh burned away, and he became a walking skeleton. He didn’t truly understand the how of it, but he understood the pain it caused. 

He always tried to make it quick, as he felt his flesh turn to fire, feeling for a brief second that his entire being was being torched before he simply had no nerves to feel it. His entire mind shifted as his quirk’s consciousness entered his head, and he felt a burning hatred for the world almost overwhelm him, until he pushed back on it. 

His quirk looked at Aizawa, and he felt it judging him. It knew everything Izuku knew, so it wasn’t sure what to make of him. 

“Alright,” Aizawa said, seemingly unafraid of him, “power down.” 

His quirk took a ready stance. Izuku felt its intention of attacking. Aizawa didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. 

“He’s not trying to hurt us. He wants to help.” Izuku tried to think the words as clearly as he could. 

“Power down, Midoriya,” Aizawa said, his voice darker now, “or I will make you.” 

His quirk recognized that as a threat, and was just about to rush him when the teacher’s eyes glowed red, and his hair stood on end. 

Izuku suddenly felt naked as he stood there, not just the fire, but his entire quirk suddenly gone from his mind. He couldn’t even feel it inside him as he realized his flesh had returned. 

“What just happened?” Izuku asked, confused now.

“I erased your quirk.” Aizawa said, his hair slowly falling back down. Izuku felt his fire return, and stirring in his chest. He swore he felt confusion inside it for the first time. “Now, do it again.” 

He activated his quirk again, opening the lantern fully in his mind, and feeling his flesh burn away again. This time, when his quirk was in control, it regarded Aizawa as an active threat, and immediately moved to attack. 

Izuku was flat on his face before he knew what was happening.

“Control your quirk, Midoriya.” Aizawa said scornfully.

He got to his feet, and tried to think. He needed to keep his quirk from attacking, but he had almost no say when he fully activated it. 

When he activated it again, he did the only thing he could, and simply didn’t open it fully. His flesh still burned away, and he knew he wasn’t nearly as powerful as he could be, but he could keep his quirk from attacking.

It still tried, even managing a step towards him, but then Izuku forced it back, and managed to keep it from doing anything else. 

“Power down.” Aizawa told him. 

Izuku paused, and tried to think of comforting thoughts. He thought about being at home, where he was safe. Where no one could hurt him. He slowly managed to close the lantern, and power down. When his flesh returned, it didn’t really hurt, so much as tingle. It felt almost like he was falling, until his skin returned, and felt the breeze on his face again. 

“Better. Now do it again.” 

——

On his way home, now dressed in his school uniform again, he was just past the bookstore, when he heard the woman call out to him.

When he turned to face her, she was holding a recording device, and had an eager expression on her face. 

“Hey, future hero!” She said, “Are you by chance, in Class 1-A?” 

“Yes.” He answered, feeling a bit nervous when she clicked the recorder, and he saw a red light blinking on it.

“Then I must interview you! Word’s gotten out about All Might being your teacher today, and I have to hear from one of his students!” 

“Well, sure I guess, but-“

“Great! So what subject is he teaching?” She asked, putting the microphone end of the recorder in his face. 

“Hero Basic Training.” Izuku answered. 

“What’s he like as a mentor?” 

“Fine, I guess, but I’ve only had him for the one class.” Izuku said with a shrug. Then he remembered a warning he’d once heard about how reporters had a habit of twisting things people said. “Hey, do you mind not using my name?” 

“No problem, you’ll just be my anonymous source on the inside.” She said nonchalantly, and then followed it up with, “So how does he treat a student named Izuku Midoriya? Does he care that the son of the Ghost Rider is in his class?” 

That surprised him, making him ask without thinking, “How did you know that?”

Izuku just stared at her. A dawn of realization slowly gleamed in her eye then.

“Are you Izuku Midoriya?” She asked, stepping closer to him. Feeling uncomfortable, he stepped away from her.

“Yes. That’s me.” He said. 

“Perfect! This is perfect!” She said, her smile widening. “So how does he treat you as a student? Does he hold what your father did against you?”

“No. Not really.” Izuku said self consciously.

“So why do you think he’s become a teacher? Do you think after one of the longest pro hero careers, the Symbol of Peace is finally retiring?” She asked, holding the recorder up to him again. 

Izuku thought about his side. It looked bad. Plus he’d mentioned he could only hold his muscle form for so long. Growing up, All Might had been his favorite hero, his idol. Given how pro heroes had treated him growing up after his father became a villain, he’d lost his faith in them as the shining beacons the public generally thought them to be, though he still considered All Might to be one of the good ones. He also remembered promising to keep the information about his health a secret. 

“I don’t know.” He said, feeling comfortable with that answer. 

Undaunted, the blue skinned woman continued, “Has he said anything about why he became a teacher?” 

“Not really.” 

“If All Might is retiring, what do you think will happen to Japan as a whole without our Symbol of Peace?”

That hadn’t occurred to him. He thought about it, and realized that they really did rely on All Might a lot. He wasn’t just the Symbol of Peace, he was a symbol of hope. Something people looked to, and thought about for comfort. What would happen when they realized they’d lost that. 

“Things might get bad.” Izuku said slowly, but then added, “We have other heroes, though. I’m sure they’ll still protect us since he’s gone.” 

He only realized his poor choice of words after he’d already said them. 

“Alright, let’s talk about you! How did you get into the hero course? I’m sure there must’ve been some opposition to your entering into the same profession as your father did once.” 

That was an understatement if there ever was one. “There was a lot, actually. The Safety Commission have put me on a sort of parole, and UA made it clear in my acceptance letter that I was only being given a chance because I scored so high in the entrance exams.” 

“The Safety Commission put you on parole just to allow you into a hero course? What if you had gone to any other school instead of UA?”

“The parole was the only offer they were willing to make, or they would bar me from getting a license. No hero course would’ve bothered with me if they did that. Not even for a sidekick.” 

“How do you feel about that?” 

Izuku just looked at her. It took her a moment to move on, though this time, she shut off the recorder. 

“Alright, I think that’s all I need for now.” She said, sounding a bit relieved herself as Izuku sighed, “So did the passage help at all?” 

“I’m not really sure. I read it, and put a tab so I can study it more, but I never really let my quirk out like I did today. I lost control of it, and I almost killed one of my classmates.” Izuku clinched his fist. Yes, Bakugo had been a bully. Yes, he’d tormented him, and made his life miserable for years. That didn’t mean he wanted to kill him, and his quirk now scared him that it had tried so blatantly to do just that. 

“Hey, they also just set up their coffee counter inside, why don’t you stop by in the morning?”

“I don’t know if I can afford that.” Izuku said hesitantly. His mother gave him an allowance, but he knew coffee tended to be expensive. 

“Don’t sweat it, anonymous sources get freebies.” She said without blinking. 

——

The following morning, he found her waiting for him, and she had been telling the truth. He got a free ice coffee from the coffee shop they’d opened inside the bookstore, and enjoyed it as he made the rest of his trip.

He’d just finished it when he came to a stop, momentarily stunned by the sight he saw. 

The front gate was blocked, as well as the sidewalk, and even most of the street in front of the school. It was completely packed with people, who after a moment he realized had to be reporters. He saw many of them holding microphones, some even had news network logos on them, and dozens of cameras.

Police were blocking them, keeping them from entering through the front gate. 

“Nice going Midoriya.” A student said angrily as he walked past him. He wasn’t from his class, but he didn’t know what he’d done that caused all that. 

Then one of the reporters spotted him. 

“Hey! There he is!” The reporter spotted him, and they all turned. 

When the mob of reporters started running towards him, Izuku panicked, turned, and ran. Just as he got to the end of the block, a massive hand reached out, and yanked him clear off his feet. 

“This way kid!” All Might said urgently, and led him down the sidewalk. 

All Might deflated to his bone thin, normal form as they ran, coughing up blood mid step before they entered what looked like a small office building. 

The pro hero slammed, and locked the door before ushering Izuku back, and out of sight. 

“What is this, some sort of secret entrance to the school?” Izuku asked as they ducked behind a front desk. 

“What? No, I just thought this building was empty.” All Might replied.

They both fell silent as they heard the reporters flood by. Some lingered, and they even heard one trying to open the door. 

“What’s going on?” Izuku asked after things began to calm down. 

All Might looked at him. “You haven’t seen them? I thought you kids were always online?”

“Seen what?” 

All Might pulled out his phone, and showed him the screen, where he already had the story pulled up. 

U.A. VILLAIN ACADEMY

Izuku wished he was totally shocked, but he was only surprised. Then he was shocked when All Might scrolled down, and revealed the picture. 

It showed him just as he was stepping towards Bakugo, who was clearly injured, and Ochaco trying to stop him. She looked terrified of him as he glared at her. 

Underneath the picture, it read, “Midoriya has already turned on his classmates during a routine training exercise.” 

“That’s not what happened!” Izuku snapped. 

“Unfortunately, this isn’t a matter of facts, but opinions. It’s the media, Midoriya, haven’t you figured that out yet?” 

“What’s UA going to say when they see all this?”

“Trust me, kid, they already know, and they’re not happy. Not with you, they know what happened, they don’t like it when the media does this to them, and their students. It makes them look bad if nothing else.” 

All Might stood and walked to the door, remaining in his normal form. He opened it and looked around. 

“Alright, coast is clear come on. I’ll take you through the rear gate.”

As they walked down the sidewalk, All Might sighed, “Unfortunately, yours isn’t the only story making headlines today.” 

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, now fearful. 

All Might showed him another story. 

ALL MIGHT RETIRING

Izuku fell silent when he saw the headshot of the article’s writer. It was the blue skinned woman. He then saw that her name was just Curious, no last name. 

“I don’t know how they found out, but this Curious woman got the story out last night, so those reporters are after me too.” All Might said. 

Izuku just stared straight ahead as they walked, trying to keep his fire in check as he felt it responding to his nervousness. 

“It almost sounds like she interviewed someone at the school, but I can’t tell who.”

“Who uh…who all knows?” Izuku asked nervously.

“Just you, and the faculty, there was no getting around that, they would need to know if I had to run off to rest from time to time.” All Might said, and then looked at him, “You didn’t have anything to do with this did you?” 

“I didn’t know you were retiring.” Izuku forced himself to say, still looking straight ahead. 

“Well yeah, I thought you would’ve figured that out on your own.” The pro hero sighed. “It can’t be helped. I was hoping to make it a quieter transition, but short of me just saying it, they’ve all but figured it out now.”

“So what’s going to happen?” 

“I’m not sure. A new Symbol of Peace is going to have to step up and take my place.” 

Izuku wasn’t so sure anyone could take his place, but he didn’t say anything. After All Might led him through a secret entrance, he ran to make it to class on time. 

Chapter 5

Once he got to class, he found he’d actually arrived earlier than he had previously. There were only a few of his classmates already there, but he hadn’t formally met any of them. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t heard either of his two teachers take roll since they started. 

One of his classmates noticed him, and approached. He seemed to be split down the middle. On his left side, he had red hair and a blue eye. On his right he had white hair and a gray eye. He’d seen him during his battle, where he’d played a villain, and had kept the other team away with a combination of his fire and ice powers, but he hadn’t heard anyone say his name. 

“Excuse me, are you really Izuku Midoriya? The son of the Ghost Rider?” He asked. 

“Yes.” Izuku answered, knowing he couldn’t just hide it now. The student offered his hand as he spoke.

“I’m Shoto Todoroki.” 

Izuku had just grabbed his hand when he heard his last name, and froze. He looked at him nervously as he feared he was about to be frozen. He was holding his right hand, which was where he shot the ice from. Or maybe he was going to hold him, and try to burn him with his left hand.

Nothing happened. In fact, he looked confused. 

“Is something wrong?” Todoroki asked. 

“You’re not…going to attack me?” Izuku asked, bracing himself for an attack anyway. 

“No. I’m not.” Todoroki said, “I don’t hold what your father did to mine against you. Neither does he.” 

Endeavor had been the first victim of Ghost Rider when he turned. His survival had been down to pure luck, and his own fortitude, but he’d lost his left leg halfway up the hip, and had been so badly injured that he’d been forced to quit the hero business for three years. When he came back, it was generally agreed that he simply wasn’t the hero he’d once been. 

That hadn’t stopped him from rising to the Number 2 spot in Japan within a few months, and not just because of his popularity. 

“I’m sorry, I would’ve come to you sooner, but I wasn’t sure you were actually a Midoriya, or if your power was just coincidental.” Todoroki said, which made Izuku wonder how many other people out there could turn into flaming skeletons. Todoroki then added, “My father wishes to express to you, that there is no grudge between our families. Your father’s actions were his own.” 

“Alright.” Izuku replied, not sure what else to say. 

Just then, the door opened, and a student Izuku had never met stormed in, a furious look on his face. 

“Where is he?” The student asked angrily, and then laid his eyes on Izuku. He had messy, silver gray hair, and no eyebrows to speak of. When he glared, he showed his teeth, which were all pointed. He pointed a finger at him, “You! Are you Izuku Midoriya? The son of Ghost Rider?” 

“Yes.” Izuku answered. 

“You think you’re just gonna come here, and pretend you don’t know me?!” The young man rushed him, and was suddenly in his face. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve never met you before!” Izuku answered, keeping his hands where he could see them, and hoping he could push him away if needed. 

Suddenly, his skin seemed to snap, and he was staring at a man made of steel. Izuku immediately knew he’d just met a family member of his father’s first murder victim. 

Real Steel had been a pro hero, who was the first to respond to the call when Ghost Rider went berserk, and turned on Endeavor. He, and several others, including other heroes, hadn’t survived the encounter. 

“How about now, Midoriya?” The steel skinned student asked. 

Now less nervous, solely because he knew a fight was seconds away, and he was prepared to activate his own quirk, Izuku said, “Yes. You’re the son of Real Steel.” 

“No. Nephew. He was my uncle. We didn’t even get to see him. Ghost Rider melted him! Your murdering, backstabbing father melted him!” 

By then, Izuku was aware of a crowd of students he didn’t recognize standing at the door. Izuku simply couldn’t meet his gaze. 

“I’m sorry for what my father did to your uncle.” Izuku said, shamefully. 

“Then be a man, and look me in the eyes and say that.” He replied, his voice dark, and dangerous.

He hesitated, and the steel skinned student grabbed him by the shirt, and picked him up, just off the ground. 

“Look me in the eyes Midoriya!” 

Izuku could feel the smoke leaking from him as he struggled to keep his quirk at bay. When he looked at him, he could see the greens of his now glowing irises reflecting off him. 

“Or are you going to try melting me too?” The student growled fiercely. 

“Put me down.” Izuku said, gritting his teeth as he tasted the smoke that came from his throat as well. If he didn’t back off, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his quirk restrained.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Iida appeared, pulled Izuku away from him, and got between them. “You are from Class 1-B, correct?” 

“What’s it to you?!” The student snapped.

“Because that is no way to behave. If you want to act like a thug, you may as well resign from UA entirely!” 

“That guy is the son of-“

“I don’t care who he is, he is your fellow student, now you march out that door, right now, and go attend to your own studies!” 

Izuku saw them stare down for several, agonizing seconds, before another student came in, a young woman with bright red hair. She grabbed the steel skinned student’s arm, and gently pulled on it.

“Come on Tetsutetsu, we should go. Class is about to start.” 

He leaned and glared at Izuku, “This isn’t over! Class 1-B and A have to compete, so you will have to face me like a man!” 

He then turned, and left, the red headed student walking with him. 

By then, Izuku had managed to calm his quirk down, and the smoking stopped. He looked at Iida as he turned to face him. 

“Are you hurt?” Iida asked. 

“No. Thank you for standing up for me.” Izuku replied. 

“I meant what I said. That kind of behavior shouldn’t be tolerated. Not at a fine school such as this.” Iida said, standing proudly with his hands on his hips. 

Just then, the bell rang, and Izuku rushed to his seat. As class started, he began to think the worst of it was finally over. Everyone knew he was there, and everyone who was going to react to it had reacted. 

He would be proven wrong only a few hours later.

——

He was in his gym jumpsuit this time, not wanting to think of his father anymore by wearing the costume until he could design and request a new one, and slipped his knee and elbow pads on over it. He only wore the boots because they were comfortable. 

They waited outside the same training grounds from the day before as they’d been instructed, but there was some time before their field training was supposed to start. He saw that Ochaco was with the other girls as they came, and stood together, also in their costumes. 

To pass the time, Izuku ended up looking up Curious’s article, and was reading it when the alarms went off. 

“What’s going on?” Someone asked. 

“Everybody stay calm,” Iida said immediately, “I’m sure if it is a real emergency, then the faculty are handling it. We should stay together as a group.” 

On a whim, Izuku opened a video app, and went to the trending tab. Sure enough, the first video that came up was a live stream, and he saw the front gate of UA. 

When he opened it, he saw there was a massive protest, hundreds of people had shown up, many of them holding up signs. One massive banner towards the front, between two poles two men held read ‘GET THE VILLAIN AWAY FROM OUR KIDS’. 

He didn’t think things could get this bad. He hadn’t read any of the articles yet, so he wasn’t sure what else they had said about him, other than that one picture. 

In the live feed, he saw the crowd had pushed past the gate, and were marching towards the front door, just as All Might, in his full, muscular, hero form and a suit, stepped out to meet them. He stood well over the tallest member of the protest turned mob, which came to a halt the moment they saw him. 

All Might held up his hands, and slowly, the mob silenced, a credit to the respect they had for the Symbol of Peace. 

“Citizens, this is entirely out of order. There are no villains here!” All Might said, his voice booming, and reaching far into the crowd. 

Someone in the crowd shouted, “YOU LET THE GHOST RIDER IN!!!” 

Another shouted, “HE’S ALREADY TURNED ON HIS CLASSMATES! HOW LONG UNTIL HE GOES BERSERK ON OTHER CLASSES!!!” 

The articles had done their job alright, Izuku realized, feeling every word like a blow to the stomach. He suddenly realized he was smoking again. He began to rub his chest, and mutter, “I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe.” Over and over again, trying to calm his quirk. He could feel its rage at the world that was upsetting him. 

“The picture that was shown was not anyone turning on anyone.” All Might said, “UA puts our students through rigorous training scenarios. The picture was taken during one such exercise.” He paused to let that sink in. Izuku was surprised, but feeling hopeful when he realized they were listening to him. “Izuku Midoriya has been a fine, upstanding student thus far.” 

“How do we know our children are safe?” A woman in the front asked. 

“That’s my mom!” Izuku vaguely heard Ochaco’s voice then. 

Without even blinking, All Might answered, “The UA Hero Course Faculty are all pro heroes, including myself. Your children couldn’t be safer.” 

Ochaco saw movement in the corner of her eye, and turned to see Izuku, who had black smoke coming from his collar, marching towards the training grounds. She watched him turn just past it, and vanish around the corner. 

Feeling worried, she walked over towards him. When she got closer, she heard the distinct sounds of heavy breathing, and Izuku talking to someone. 

“They can’t hurt me. I’m as safe as can be. I’m safe.” He said, and then just repeatedly said, “I’m safe.” Over and over again. 

She slowly peaked, and saw that the smoke was worse as he continued to mutter to himself. His back was turned, but she could see smoke was puffing out every time he exhaled, or spoke.

Ochaco slowly approached him, but then recoiled when she smelled the odor of burning pork, and realized he was trying to keep his quirk under control. 

“Izuku?” She whispered. He jumped, and started to turn, but stopped himself, and faced away from her. 

“Ochaco.” He muttered and wiped his face, “I’m fine. I just…need a minute.” 

She slowly approached him, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. UA, and All Might.” He took a deep breath and sighed, still facing away from her, “They’re all pro heroes. You heard what he said. They can…protect…everyone.” And then, in a small voice that was so low she almost missed it, he said, “From me.” 

Ochaco almost jumped out of her skin when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She saw Aizawa standing there, and pointed a thumb towards the rest of the class. 

She took one last look at Izuku, who was still smoking, and stepped away, while Aizawa approached him. 

Ochaco stepped over to stand with Ashido, who she was becoming friends with and waited. She didn’t hear what Aizawa said, but a few minutes passed, and she saw the smokestack Izuku was making stop, and then a minute after that, they both appeared from around the corner. 

Izuku’s eyes were bloodshot, but he looked like he’d calmed down. 

Chapter 6

Izuku managed to make it through the next few days without incident. The protest disbursed, and didn’t return, he assumed thanks to All Might’s assurances. 

He had feared Ochaco would refuse to speak with him ever again when he realized her mother was one of the people leading the protest, and for the rest of that day, she had.

The next day, however, she greeted him, same as she always had, like nothing had happened. The rest of his class, however, simply gave him the cold shoulder outside of training. They didn’t want to associate with a potential villain. 

Izuku was used to it, though, and kept himself going. When his father had initially turned, and the burning hatred died down, it turned to cold apathy. Bakugo had bullied him, but he’d also ignored him. The few friends he’d had left him, they all wanted to be heroes, and heroes don’t associate with villains. 

——

Izuku waited outside the office, alone, and in plain clothes. He’d changed before leaving school, now wearing just a t shirt, blue jeans, and his red sneakers. His backpack rested between his feet, since he hadn’t had time to go home to drop it off. 

It was Friday evening, and time for his first probation check in. 

Because of his father, Izuku had been declared a villain risk by the Hero Public Safety Commission, the government agency that handled superhuman, or quirk affairs in Japan. 

Under normal circumstances, even Izuku knew he wouldn’t have been allowed to ever get a hero license, that’s what being deemed a villain risk got you, but after he’d scored in the top three of his applicant pool, Izuku had hoped maybe they would make an exception. 

His gamble had paid off. 

The day after his entrance exams, which were held by the Safety Commission, and shared with every school in Japan to be evaluated by their own faculty, the man who was his current probation handler had showed up, and made him an offer. 

He would be allowed to attend any hero course that accepted him, and even receive a license, should he pass, but only if he agreed to undergo probation for the first year, at minimum, and subject to extension at their leisure. 

Izuku was required to keep an app on his phone which monitored his location, texts, and phone calls, weekly drug tests, which he’d done before coming, and weekly meetings with his handler. 

If he missed any of these appointments, if the app was deleted from his phone, or if he left his phone behind for more than twenty four hours, his probation would end, and he would be permanently barred from ever receiving a hero license. 

No second chances. 

Izuku found himself slowly paging through the blood red book as he waited outside the office to be called. 

He was using the note his father had somehow slipped into his pocket as a bookmark now, having folded it up a few times. He meticulously highlighted, and tabbed passages he liked, or thought were worth coming back to. 

Destro had been a fanatic, from what Izuku could tell, but he also found himself relating to him as he read his book, which told a lot about his life, and beliefs. 

After the riot, and All Might’s words, he related to the idea of how Destro was discriminated against. How he was so hated because of what he could do, without having even done anything wrong. 

Thinking like a hero, as UA was trying to teach him, he wished he could’ve been there for him. He felt heartbroken when he read the part about his mother, and how she had died protecting him. 

“Midoriya.” The secretary said, jerking him back to the present, “You can go in now.” 

He picked up his backpack, and stepped into Agent Takao’s office. 

Takao was a middle aged man, with neatly combed, silver gray hair, and intense eyes. He wore what looked like the same black suit every time he’d seen him thus far, even as he waited behind his desk. The only thing he ever seemed to change was his tie. Before, when they had met, his tie had a dramatic painting of a tiger on it. Today, he had crashing waves from a violent ocean.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Takao said. He’d always been professional, but Izuku had also sensed a bit of resentment every time he met him. “For the record, state your name, and today’s date.” 

Izuku did so, clearly as he could. He didn’t see any microphones, but he was sure he was being recorded. 

“What happened Tuesday?” Takao asked, leaning back in his chair. 

Izuku explained the scenario they were playing out during the combat training. 

“Did you turn on your teammate?” 

“No sir. My teammate was Iida. Bakugo and Ochaco were the villains.” 

Takao slowly nodded. “Did you have control during that training?” 

“Yes.” Izuku lied. He’d completely lost control, and had only regained it because his quirk understood the threat that All Might posed to it, and it somehow felt satisfied with the damage it had inflicted on Bakugo. He wasn’t going to admit it to Takao, though, afraid of what it would mean for his probation, and having already sworn it would never happen again.

“So UA’s hero course is as brutal as I’ve heard then.” Takao stated. 

That was an understatement. While Izuku had caused the worst yet, his was hardly the only injury that day, or the following days. Each field training ended with at least a few students being sent to Recovery Girl. 

After that, the questions were normal; what he was doing in his spare time, any incidents he might need to know about, etc…

Then he asked a question he hadn’t thought of. 

“Has your father made any contact since we last spoke?” 

His mind immediately jumped to the note, but he knew the moment he mentioned it, he would never see it again. He didn’t want to give it up. It was the only acknowledgment from him that he had. It was just a note with a simple message anyway, hardly anything worth the Commission’s time. 

“No sir.” Izuku answered. 

“Alright. Our last confirmed sighting of him was in Tokyo, so he’s back in Japan. I’ll need to know if he shows up, or contacts you in anyway.” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku said, silently promising to do so from that moment on. 

“I spoke to your teacher the other day as well. He says you were upset by what All Might said about their handling of the protest. Wanna tell me about that?” 

Izuku fell silent. He didn’t ever want to think about that day again. He took a moment to think of what to say. 

“I…” his mind was blank. Takao said nothing, and simply waited. “I felt like…All Might didn’t trust me.” 

“And why don’t you think he trusts you?” Takao asked coldly. 

Izuku didn’t answer. He didn’t want to answer, but Takao simply waited again. 

“I don’t know.” He finally said. 

Takao just stared at him with his intense eyes. He seemed to trying to see through him, like he was an obstacle in his path. 

“So the Symbol of Peace himself thinks you’re just a villain risk too?” 

The words felt like another blow to the stomach, just like the protesters’. He forced himself to control his breathing when he felt his fire stir. He thought calming thoughts, about his home, his mother, bunnies, and laughter. 

“You know there are some higher ups that think after that combat training we should just go ahead and stop wasting everyone’s time, and pull the plug on you.” 

Izuku looked at him, horrified. 

“Unfortunately, there’s others who think you’ll actually make a useful hero in the future, so my hands are tied.” His tone made it clear where he stood between those two groups. He paused, cruelly letting that sink in before saying, “We’re done.” 

Izuku nodded, got to his feet, and left the office. 

He had to take a train to get home, the ride taking almost a full hour, and then a twenty minute walk to the apartment building. 

The teenager managed to hold himself together, helped by stopping at a food stall to grab his dinner, a paper bowl filled with takoyaki.

The food made him feel better as he walked, slowly eating them one at a time. 

When he got to the apartment building, he paused at the bottom of the steps. He felt so tired that the steps seemed almost like mountains at the moment. 

Izuku sighed, slowly sat down on the bottom of them, and decided to finish his dinner before heading up. 

As soon as he set his backpack down next to him, he saw the cat. 

It was a black as midnight, and had a single, beautiful emerald eye that almost shined in the twilight of the day when it looked at him. 

The cat was a good distance away, well out of reach, but stared, clearly smelling his food. It looked skinny, maybe even sick, but he couldn’t tell. Its fur was rough looking, like it had been in multiple fights. 

The little thing didn’t make a sound, and simply stared at him with its single, bright green eye. 

Izuku sighed again, and tossed it one of the balls of takoyaki. The cat rushed to pick it up, and ate it there. 

As he watched it, he didn’t see a collar on it, and noticed he didn’t hear it make a sound, even as it ate. 

After a moment, it finished, and looked at him again. Izuku only had two left. He ate one, and, experimentally, held out the other between thumb and forefinger.

The cat was clearly wary, and didn’t approach at first. Izuku remained still, and waited. 

The cat slowly took a step closer, keeping its single eye on him. It quickly snatched the food in its fangs, and ran away, stopping only when it had some distance between them. 

He watched it eat that one as well, and look at him expectantly. 

“I’m sorry, that’s all I had.” Izuku showed it the empty paper bowl. 

The cat eyed him for another moment, before turning, and walking away, no longer interested. 

He smiled as the cat vanished around a corner, and hoped he would see it again. 

Eventually, he stood up, and went home, though the apartment was empty, like he’d known it would be. 

Once he was alone, and knew no one could see him, he finally let his emotions break out. 

He didn’t so much as sit on the front step to take off his shoes, as collapse. The tears rolled as he untied, and then slipped them off. 

He buried his face in his hands, and began to cry. 

With nothing to distract him, he kept hearing Takao’s words echo in his head. Then he saw All Might, assuring everyone that the pros at UA would protect their children from him. He saw the stares in the hallway, heard the muttering and whispers. He saw Tetsutetsu’s furious face as he confronted him. 

No one trusted him. No one believed in him. To everyone but his own mother, he was just a villain in the making. 

A monster. 

Without thinking, he pulled out the blood red book, and opened it where he’d left off. Just having the distraction made him feel better, even if he kept having to read the same passages over and over again as he struggled to focus. 

——

Detective Tsukauchi got out of the squad car, and knew it was going to be a long night the moment he saw the bodies lined up along the sidewalk. 

The smoking ruins of what had once been a warehouse still smoldered as firefighters walked around, looking for any more bodies, or possible survivors, along with police officers in protective suits. 

An older, uniformed officer with sergeant stripes on his arm greeted him when he approached the bodies. 

“What do we got?” Tsukauchi asked. 

“It’s not pretty sir,” the sergeant said, “but I’m pretty sure even a rookie could tell you who did it.” 

“Let’s see.” Tsukauchi stepped over to the nearest body, and gently pulled the cover aside. 

He stared at it for a moment before covering it back up. He cursed as he straightened.

“Do we have any ID on these guys?” He asked, looking to the uniformed officer. 

“No ID’s, but I’m pretty sure I recognized a few of them from prior arrests. They’re career criminals. Mostly thugs for hire, but nothing more serious than some assault and battery cases.” 

“Great, so he’s gone back to vigilantism again.” Tsukauchi sighed, “Alright. I need to make a call. Keep the search going.” 

The sergeant nodded, and the detective stepped away. He pulled out his phone, and speed dialed a number. 

“Hello?” He heard All Might’s voice answer.

“Ghost Rider’s back.” 

“Where is he now?” All Might’s voice changed, suddenly sounding more powerful. 

“Kamino, Yokohama. He burned down a warehouse full of men. We’re still working on their identification, but one of my sergeants says at least some of them were career criminals. Looks like he’s back on a vigilantism streak.” 

“Are you sure it’s him?”

“Yes. At least one of the bodies is covered in burn marks that are clearly from heated chains. Not to mention his worst burns are around his neck. That’s how he gets information isn’t it?” 

“Yes.” All Might sighed. 

“Even if it’s a copycat, they just took out at least ten-“ 

As if just to correct him, a firefighter shouted, “Found another body.” 

“Eleven men. They’re still searching the wreckage for more.”

“Any motive?” 

“Not right now, but it may be prudent to watch out for his son. I understand he’s one of your students.”

“Yeah. Izuku.”

Tsukauchi had been a uniformed officer when Ghost Rider was a hero. Even back then he had a reputation for being dangerous, and hard to work with. He had never done it, but he knew officers who had. When he’d first heard about his son going to hero school, he figured he had a world of new headaches coming in the next few years. 

Then he figured he may as well inquire since he had one of his teachers on the line.

“How’s his son doing in school, by the way?” 

“Academically, he should be one of the top of his class, but UA refuses to move him from the last spot. He mostly struggles in field training. His quirk is just too violent, so he has trouble doing anything that isn’t directly combative.” 

“Does his quirk talk too?” 

“As far as I know, no. I’ve never heard him say a word when he’s on fire. It does influence his emotions though. He tries to hide it, but you can see it, clear as day.” 

“Think he’ll end up like his dad?” 

“No.” All Might didn’t even hesitate to answer, “I remember even when Hisashi got started, he had trouble distinguishing friend from foe sometimes. Izuku’s quirk won’t attack anyone who isn’t a direct threat to it. We tested it the other day by having them do an exercise that involved civilians in the midst of a fight. Me and some faculty were the civilians, and one of his teachers even deliberately got in the way, but his quirk ignored them. Didn’t even attack to get him out of the way, he jumped over him. Sent three of his classmates to the nurse’s office a minute later when he got to them.” 

“Having a Ghost Rider with self control would be handy.” Tsukauchi tried to imagine it. A Ghost Rider even police didn’t have to keep an eye on when he was active. Maybe the future wasn’t so bad after all.

“Do you need anything else?” All Might asked after a pause. 

“No. I just wanted to keep you informed. I’m going to try keeping it under wraps, but it’s too big to keep down for long, and Midoriya’s liable to get swarmed by reporters again once it gets out.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. We may have to look at getting him a teacher’s pass so he can use the back door if this keeps up.”

“Don’t you guys have a class for dealing with the media?” 

“Yeah, but it’s not until winter. Maybe I can convince them to have it early. It might be useful for him. Do you want me to tell him his father’s back or…?”

“He’s going to find out sooner or later. May be best he finds out from someone he trusts, rather than the media, or some reporter blurting it out when he goes to interview him.” 

“Alright, I’ll tell him when he gets in for class. Thanks Tsukauchi.” 

When Tsukauchi turned as he put his phone away, he saw one of the techs approaching him. 

“I think we found something significant.” He said, and then lead him over to the alley beside the warehouse. As they walked, the tech said, “It was just around the corner, but was so small we didn’t notice it until I happened to shine a flashlight on it.” 

Tsukauchi slipped on a pair of gloves before they stepped around a corner, and looked where another uniformed officer was shining his flashlight. 

At first he thought it was some kind of toy, until he got a closer look, and realized it was shining. 

“Is that…gold?” The detective asked as he crouched to get a closer look without touching it. 

“I think so, but we’ll run some tests to be sure.” The tech answered. 

The thing was a tiny figurine, about the size of Tsukauchi’s fingernail, in the shape of a generic human. It had two arms, two legs, a torso, and head, but no other features, other than a flat base it stood on. If it was gold, and this close to the building, he was surprised it hadn’t at least partially melted from the heat. 

“Are you sure it’s not some piece of jewelry, or a decoration?” The detective looked at the tech. He just shrugged. 

“It’s standing up, so I don’t think it was dropped by accident. I’ve already documented it if you want to take a closer look.” 

Tsukauchi slowly picked it up, and examined it. He turned it over, and noticed some etchings on the bottom. He almost needed a magnifying lens to read it, but he made it out.

Free of Mutation

The detective set it back down, and straightened, looking at the tech, “Alright, bag it, and document the etchings on the bottom.” 

Chapter 7

Little four year old Izuku rushed into the tub, and quickly turned the tap as smoke billowed off him. 

The water burned him when it fell on his skin, making him cry out and quickly turn it off. 

“Izuku? Honey, are you okay?” He heard his mother from the other side of the bathroom door. 

Izuku looked at the door, and then at the pile of ash and destroyed clothes on the floor. He knew his mother would be mad when she saw them, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t mean to burn them, it just happened. 

Inko slowly opened the door, and peered inside. She saw her little boy, huddled up in the bathtub, and crying in his little fireproof onesie his father had gotten him a few weeks prior as a precaution. 

“Sweetie, what happened? Are you okay?” She walked to him, and kneeled by the tub. 

“I can’t make it stop.” Izuku cried. 

Inko noticed the little bit of smoke that was coming off him, and reached out to rub his back. The moment she touched him, she jerked her hand away as he burst into flames, and for a second, and she saw his skeleton before he returned to normal. 

Her hand clutched to her chest, she said, “Let me call your father.” 

Inko pulled out her phone, and made the call. She didn’t try to touch him again, but she stayed with him the whole time. When she hung up, she smiled at her son. 

“Your father’s on his way home right now.” 

“Is he gonna be mad at me?” Izuku asked. 

“No, honey. Why would he be mad?” 

Izuku pointed towards the door. She turned, and saw the destroyed clothes that were once his summer clothes. 

“Oh, it was just an accident.” She said softly. 

Inko gently reached out to him, and this time, when she started rubbing his back, he only smoldered a bit more, rather than a full on mini bonfire. 

“Here he comes now.” Inko said after they both heard the front door open and close, followed by heavy boot steps. 

When Izuku saw his father, he froze, afraid of what he would say. 

Hisashi had a slender build, one Izuku would grow into when he got older, and shared the messy curls, and freckles he had. His parents had the exact same shade of green hair, and eyes, which he’d also inherited. Where his father differed was his jaw was more square, and his eyes not as round, Izuku having taken after his mother in that regard. He was dressed in his hero costume, which was an all black outfit, looking passively like an American style biker. 

Point of fact he did ride one, Izuku had seen, and even sat on it, though he’d never gotten to ride it yet. 

Hisashi smiled at his son as he approached and kneeled beside Inko. Without saying a word, he pulled him into a hug. Izuku gasped when he burst into flames again, and pulled away, fearing he’d hurt him, but Hisashi just grinned, showing he hadn’t scorched a single hair on his head. 

“We’re both fireproof, son.” Hisashi said warmly. “Let’s get you under control.” 

“Okay.” Izuku nodded, and his father began instructing him. 

He taught him how to focus, and contain the fire inside a lantern in his mind. How to close it up so the fire could sleep, and how to let it out when he wanted to. 

The family stayed together in the bathroom for almost an hour before Izuku finally got it under control, and his father proudly held him as they stood up. 

Feeling relieved, Inko looked at her husband and son, and with a smile. She put her hands on her hips, and said “Wonderful, now I have two toddlers with flamethrowers in my home.”

Hisashi and Izuku just smiled back at her.

——

“…and then we had katsudon for dinner that evening.” Inko said, a smile on her face as she finished the story they were telling together.

Izuku smiled back, “Yep. That’s when I discovered it was my favorite food.” 

His mother moved her rook, and they both stared at the chessboard in silence for a time. Eventually, Izuku moved a bishop. 

It was Sunday, the one day of the week they had both promised to keep open just for the family. Inko would only work the morning shift, while Izuku promised not to make any night plans, so they could spend the rest of the day together. 

One activity they’d always enjoyed was board games. This week’s was chess. Neither of them ever bragged about being good at it, but that didn’t matter. They were playing together. 

“How’s school going?” Inko asked after moving a pawn.

“Good.” Izuku said, not looking up from the board, “We’ve been working on various scenarios, and my quirk is calming down.” 

“That’s good.” Inko said, trying to imagine it as she watched him make his move. 

“We’re starting rescue training tomorrow. We’re even going to a special facility called the USJ.” Izuku said. 

“That sounds interesting. Isn’t that what you said your friend was going to be?”

“Ochaco, yeah. She’s going to be a rescue hero.” Izuku made a move then and said “Check.”

Inko focused on the game, and saved her king with a pawn. “What about that Mr. Yagi? You said he was a teacher there now?”

His mother had met All Might when he was training him for the entrance exam, but only in his normal form, and he’d introduced himself as Mr. Yagi. 

“Yep. He’s a really good teacher.”

“What does he teach?”

“Gym.” Izuku had already rehearsed the answer in his head. 

“Looks like you got into school at just the right time. You get Mr. Yagi, and All Might.” 

Two moves later, Inko declared checkmate, winning the game. Without saying a word, they set up again, and started playing another match. 

This time the silence went on for a while, but it was joyful. They both smiled, and played. 

“I’m starting a new job, the week after next.” Inko finally broke the silence. 

Izuku gave her a questioning look. 

“It’s with a hero agency.”

“Really? Which one?” 

“Ingenium’s. It’s going to be a lot better pay, and I’ll be resting more, but I’m going to be gone all week. Do you think you can handle being alone for a few days?”

“Sure!” Izuku said, eager to make sure she felt assured. “What’re you going to be doing?”

“Janitorial services, but they provide living quarters for some of their staff. It’s only temporary, though. I’ll be working there until a few weeks after Christmas.” 

“Alright. I’ll be fine here.” Izuku said confidently. 

“I know, sweetheart. I just wish I didn’t have to leave you so long, and during the year your school was having their Sports Festival.”

He reached out, and held her hand. “I’ll be fine. If you come home on Fridays, I can swing by after my probation meetings, and we can go together.”

She frowned. “I wish you didn’t have to go to those, at least not every week. Why are they doing them so frequently?” 

Izuku shrugged, “That’s the only way they were willing to allow me to go to a hero course. It’ll only be for the first year. I’m sure if I can keep it up, they’ll give up.” 

Inko didn’t respond right away, and for a time, they returned to the game. Then she asked something that gave him pause. 

“Izuku. Has your quirk ever…talked?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t think it can.” 

“Are you sure? Does it do anything to you?” 

“You mean besides control my body?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes.” She answered seriously. 

Izuku thought about the painful memories his quirk had flooded his mind with when he’d tried to restrain it from attacking Bakugo. He’d almost managed to pull it back, until it practically forced him to become so angry he couldn’t even think straight. 

Slowly, he shook his head again. His mother stared at him, a worried expression on her face. 

“I have it under control, Mom. I promise.” He said, “My teacher is even helping me get better at it.” 

That seemed to convince her as she nodded, and then returned to the game. 

After another pause, she asked something that made him stop again. 

“Has your father contacted you? Like with a phone call, or maybe a slipped you a note?” 

Izuku slowly looked up at her. She had a worried expression on her face again. It was all he could do to lie to her again. “No.” He said, and then looked down at the board. 

When she sighed, he looked at her, asking, “What is it?” 

“Nothing. It’s your move, Izuku.” She said. Izuku could tell there was something, but there was no way she could’ve known about the note. He never told anyone, and it was practically always on his person, since he never left home without his copy of the blood red book. 

He looked at her for a moment, but she didn’t say anything. He eventually forced himself to keep playing, but he wasn’t having as much fun anymore, and neither was she, from what he could tell.

——

Izuku sighed as he tried to get his tie right, but simply didn’t seem to be able to get it. He groaned, and did the simple knot he’d taught himself, and walked out the door. 

When he got to the bottom of the steps, he saw the black cat again, which he’d been feeding every evening. With his mother getting ready to leave, he wanted to try befriending it sooner, but it had turned out to be not as quick to trust as he’d hoped. 

It had happily eaten any food he’d given it, and he’d began leaving food and water outside their door, which his mother would check when she could, but it didn’t let either of them touch it. 

That morning was no exception, as he held out a little fish shaped cat treat. It happily took it, but then ran off with its prize. 

With a sigh, he walked on to school. 

When he passed the bookstore, he didn’t see Curious, or the table anymore, which surprised him. He’d been stopping to chat with her the past few trips to school, and had gotten so used to her and the table full of books’ presence that it looked odd without either. Like something was missing from the store. 

“Hey future hero.” Curious just seemed to appear next to him, making him jump. 

“Hey.” He said, “You’re not giving out books here anymore?” 

“Nope. I’ve moved us to a new location in a mall about a mile from here.” 

“Oh.” Izuku felt saddened. He’d enjoyed their talks. 

She smiled warmly, “Don’t worry, Midoriya, I was actually hoping to run into you this morning. You finished the book right?” 

He perked up, “Yeah.” He pulled out his copy of the blood red book, which was clearly bent a bit from being held open, and filled with tabs. 

“Good. Why don’t you come to our meeting this Saturday? We’re holding it here.” She gestured to the bookstore. 

“Sure, what time?” He asked, eager to meet new people. 

She told him, and then asked, “So has anyone been bothering you since that riot?” 

He shook his head, “No. I think the media’s calmed down.” 

“That’s good. I was worried about you. I even asked a hero friend of mine to keep an eye out for you near your school, just in case.” 

“Hero friend?” 

“He’s name’s Mr. Compress. Trust me, you’ll know him when you see him. He stands out.” 

“Thank you.” Izuku said, feeling glad to have stopped by her book stand on that first day. 

“So how’re your studies going?” She asked. 

“Good. We’re beginning rescue training today at the USJ facility.” 

“I’ve heard of that place. It’s a big white dome, right?” 

“I’m not sure, I haven’t seen it yet. I could take some pictures if you like. Maybe you could do a story on it.” Izuku said, trying to be useful. 

She smiled warmly, “Sure. I’d love to see it. You know, now that I think of it, I’ve been thinking about doing a story on how some schools train their students for field work. Think you could help me out?” 

“Sure? What kind do you need?” 

“Mostly just some of the places you train. The inside of that USJ building would look great for a longer article.” 

“You got it!” Izuku said confidently. That all sounded easy enough. “Oh, how should I send them to you?”

With a grin, she handed him a business card, saying, “Email would be best, but keep my number, just in case you need it.” 

“Right.” Izuku politely took it, and, not having anywhere better, he slipped it into his book, making sure it was securely tucked towards the spine before closing it. 

“Well then, good luck, Midoriya, if the hero business doesn’t work out, I could also use a good photographer.” She said, and offered her hand. He shook it with both of his, and took his leave. 

The rest of his walk to the station, and ride were uneventful. When he arrived at his stop, however, he had no trouble picking out Mr. Compress. Curious hadn’t been exaggerating about him standing out. 

He stood in a costume that looked like an exaggeration of what someone thought an English gentleman wore, along with a mask. He wore an orange dress shirt with a string tie, held by an azure brooch. Over that he wore a black vest, and pants. On his head, he wore a top hat with a bright feather sticking out of it, while he wore a balaclava over his head, and a white mask over his face. 

Izuku saw him watching him as he approached. 

“Are you Mr. Compress?” He asked, hoping he wasn’t mistaken. 

“At your service, young man.” He gave an exaggerated bow, making Izuku feel self conscious. When he stood, with a flick of the wrist, Izuku saw him produce a little blue marble, which seemed to snap before turning into a cane. “Let us be off then. Can’t have you being late for school.” 

“Right.” Izuku walked beside him. 

When they got to street level, where it was quieter, they continued walking for a time, before Mr. Compress said, “So has fashion left me behind, or is that how the youth wear their ties now?” 

Izuku looked down, and groaned. At some point, his tie had come loose. With a gentle tug, he turned completely crooked, the thin end hanging lower than the wide one. He sighed, and untied it as he walked, which didn’t make it any easier when he tried to redo it. 

“May I?” Mr. Compress had stopped, and held out his hands. Izuku nodded, and with amazing swiftness, he suddenly had a perfect tie. He even straightened, and tightened it up to his collar for him. “There we are. Right as rain.” 

“Can you teach me that?” Izuku asked in amazement. 

“Of course, but we’ll wait until after your school day, we don’t want to be late.” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku said, now having much more respect for the hero. 

As they went, Izuku noticed the way he walked. His back straight, shoulders back, one hand behind his back, while the other held the cane. 

He slowly tried to mimic him, holding his shoulders back, and straightening his spine. It felt awkward, but along with his tie, he felt taller, more confident. 

He managed to hold it until they got to the front gate, where Mr. Compress turned to face him. 

“And we have arrived.” Mr. Compress said politely, resting both hands on his cane. 

“Thank you, sir. Will you be here when I get out?” 

“Of course, and…” with a flick of his wrist, he was suddenly holding a business card, which he handed over, “Should you need me, simply give me a call.” 

“Whoa, really?” Izuku asked in amazement as he took the card. 

“Of course. Curious says you are a friend, and I do cherish friendship, young man.” He held his hand over his heart.

Izuku smiled, “Me too. It was a pleasure meeting you sir!” 

“The pleasure was mine.” Mr. Compress tipped his hat, and waited for Izuku to go before walking away.

Chapter 8

Izuku sat in the principal’s office quietly as Takao asked “And you knew nothing about it?”

All Might, who was in his muscle form, looked at him, “I told you that. How could he have known?”

Takao ignored him. Yoroi Musha, a pro hero dressed like a samurai in full armor stood next to the HPSC agent, glaring at Izuku. He noticed the hero very unsubtly resting his left hand on his sword’s scabbard.

“My father hasn’t spoken to me since I was eight. I don’t know anything he ever does.” Izuku said, keeping his eyes downcast. 

“And how do we know that?” Takao asked bluntly.

Principal Nezu, a diminutive, anthropomorphic mouse thing that only stood a few feet tall, and dressed in a little sweater vest and tie spoke up from behind his human sized desk, “Aren’t you monitoring his communications?”

“Be that as it may he may have simply met him in person.” Takao retorted. 

“I haven’t seen him since he turned!” Izuku insisted, “Why does everyone think he tells me anything?”

“Because he’s killing people for you!” Takao snapped angrily. 

That gave Izuku pause. Even Nezu and All Might fell silent. 

“We found a survivor in one of the other places he hit. Turns out the League of Villains were planning something that involved Midoriya here. Ghost Rider’s been hitting every single stronghold they had. Now you need to tell me what’s going on and why the League is so interested in you.” 

“The League of Villains are dead.” All Might interjected, “You’re dealing with an imitation.”

“Either way it’s legit enough that his dear ole dad has killed thirty two people in the last five days, and those are the ones we know of, and it’s been luck alone that the press hasn’t found out yet. So far we’ve found two safe houses before Ghost Rider did, and their men all say the same thing. He’s after them, he’s not taking prisoners or even questioning them, and it started after one of them mentioned Izuku Midoriya by name.” Takao looked at Izuku, “Now tell me why the League are so interested in you.”

“I don’t know!” Izuku said in frustration. 

“Not good enough, Midoriya. This isn’t schoolyard playtime, this is men’s rules, and people are dying.”

Izuku jumped to his feet “I said I don’t know!”

The samurai hero stepped up, making it clear he was prepared to protect the agent, just as All Might got between them. 

“That’s enough. You’ve asked your questions, and Midoriya has answered.” He said to Takao, and then glared at Musha, as if daring him to attack.

Politely, Nezu added, “It has been a pleasure meeting you Mr. Takao, and Musha.”

The dismissal was polite, but even Izuku could hear the sternness in Nezu’s soft voice. 

Without a word, Takao left, Musha right behind him. Izuku, unfortunately knew his next probation check in would be worse than the last one. 

All Might sighed as he shrank back down to his normal form. He wiped a bit of blood from his lip with a kerchief before looking at Izuku. 

Izuku found himself shaking, and gritting his teeth. Smoke was already coming from him as he tried to calm himself down. He was still reeling from the fact that his father had recently killed so many people, much less that he was somehow involved. Now he was a suspect, despite not even doing anything. The fire inside him raged, desperately trying to lash out at the world. 

“You’re going to be fine, kid.” All Might said then, and put his hand on his shoulder. In the back of his mind, Izuku knew he meant the gesture to be comforting. Unfortunately it was possibly the worst thing he could’ve done, short of threatening him to silence. 

His fire simmered down, but only because it recognized the threat that All Might posed to it. It was like bottling up his own emotions, but worse. It felt like he had a pressurized container inside him, ready to blow at the slightest chance. It did, however, make the smoking stop. 

“Can I go to class now?” Izuku asked without looking at either of the adults. It was more that he wanted to be out of the office, but that was as good a reason as any. 

“Of course, take this with you,” Nezu handed him a piece of paper, which he saw was a note to Aisawa, asking him to dismiss his missing the first part of class. He hadn’t even noticed the bell had sounded. 

Izuku left the office, and All Might sat in the chair he’d previously occupied. 

“What an ass.” All Might sighed again once Izuku was gone, “Is that the standard kind of agent the Commission hires now?” 

“I do believe his conduct was unprofessional, as was his bringing a hero with him.” Nezu replied. 

All Might paused to think, “How long is Midoriya going to be on probation?” 

“I believe they said for just the first year. It was also their request that we keep Midoriya at the bottom of his class ranking.” Nezu said. All Might looked at him. 

“Does no one believe he can do this? The kids bustin’ his butt in there.” All Might said, exasperatedly. 

“Personally, I have full confidence that he will be one of our top students by the time he graduates.” 

“Then who wants him held back so badly?” 

“Mostly the Safety Commission, they’re worried it will shake people’s faith in heroes even more than Ghost Rider did, should Izuku turn to vigilantism, or worse. He is the reason they established the idea of labelling people as villain risks, after all. Unfortunately whether we like it or not, we also have financial backers, as well as dealings with various hero agencies that also have some say in our decisions.” 

All Might let that soak in for a moment. He wondered how it would go if he made a public endorsement of him. 

“Why’d they even approve him if they feared he could affect the hero community so much?” He asked after a moment. 

“I believe it has something to do with the timing of your retirement. He applied for the entrance exams around the same time you came to us about a teaching position, if I’m not mistaken. Ghost Rider did remain in the top three with you and Endeavor before he turned. Perhaps they hope he will be a new Symbol of Fear, as you’ve always been the Symbol of Peace.” 

“I don’t think he could be half the terror his father was, even if he tried.” All Might leaned back in the chair, and sighed again. He felt old and tired. He looked at Nezu and said, “At least he doesn’t have the Penance Stare, like his father, or we’d have a real mess on our hands.” 

“Have you asked him about it?” 

“As a matter of fact, I did. He says his only quirk is Soul Fire. On its own it’s dangerous enough, so I think we’re fine.” 

“Then, I believe you’re right, though it may be prudent to observe him just in case it’s simply dormant.”

“Yeah, me too. I’ve already briefed the faculty on what to watch out for, just in case, though I think he would’ve tried to use it on Bakugo if he could have.” 

Nezu nodded. “So will you be joining them at the USJ?” 

“Yeah, I should get going. I was supposed to help Thirteen set up for them.” All Might said as he got to his feet. 

——

Izuku had arrived just in time to vote for the class representative. It turned out to be the second vote, since the first one had resulted in a tie between Iida, and another student named Yaoyorozu, a tall girl with raven black hair. 

After the new vote was tallied, Iida ended up the victor. After how he’d handled the situation with Tetsutetsu, Izuku had happily voted for him. Once that was done, Aizawa took over the classroom. 

“Alright, today we will be starting your rescue training. We’re going to be spending the entire day at the USJ building. Costumes are optional, so only wear them if you’re not comfortable in them. Otherwise, wear your gym clothes.” 

They were dismissed to get dressed then. Izuku hadn’t ordered a new costume yet, mostly because he didn’t feel he deserved one after dressing like his father the first time. He dressed in his gym clothes once again, wearing only the boots, and knee and elbow pads. 

He did add gloves to his outfit, however, in the form of a thick pair of work gloves that were labeled fire resistant. His hope was he could grab and hold people without burning them, and without having to waste focus on his fire to keep it from doing it anyway. 

When he got outside, he saw Ochaco chatting with some of the other girls, and decided not to bother her, as Iida joined them, and began blowing a whistle. He’d already gotten into his role as their representative, and was trying to organize a seating chart, based on their classroom ranks. 

The bus had open seats on either side, with only two rows past the rear seats, completely defeating his seating chart, which seemed to infuriate him, as he sat and grumbled when they boarded. 

Izuku found himself sitting next to Tokoyami, a student whose head resembled a raven’s, and whose body was covered by a black cape. At the moment, he seemed to either be trying to sleep, or meditate. His eyes were closed, though he was sitting up straight. 

Determined to try making a friend, and seeing how easily Ochaco seemed to do so as she still chatted with the other girls across from him, he tried to strike up a conversation. 

“So, are you excited to start rescue training?” He asked. Tokoyami didn’t respond. Maybe he was meditating? 

Then, the student on Tokoyami’s other side held up his arm. It was Shoji, the multi armed student Izuku had spoken to on his first day. A little mouth formed on his forearm and said, “He has to remain focused.” 

“Oh, sorry. Is he meditating?” Izuku asked without thinking.

“No. He just likes to act all cool and mysterious.” Shoji’s little mouth smiled. 

“You’re both insufferable.” Tokoyami stated, his voice deep and sounding annoyed. Shoji laughed at him, while Izuku fell silent, not sure how to take that. 

“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Izuku said apologetically. Tokoyami opened his eyes, but just stared straight ahead. 

Just then, the Aizawa started the bus, and they were rolling along. 

Izuku felt alone again, as Tokoyami still didn’t speak to him, and almost everyone else was speaking to the others whom they’d started becoming friends with. He wished he’d brought the book with him, so he could at least read something, but he hadn’t wanted to damage it. 

Pulling out his phone, he decided to check the news, which only lasted until he saw the first headline. 

Ghost Rider Kills 12

He sighed, and put his phone away. So much for the media not finding out. 

He still had trouble thinking about it. He knew his father had gone crazy when he turned, but as far as he knew he’d never just gone on a killing spree like that. And why was he the cause of it? 

Because of the stress, he felt his fire stir, prompting him to rub his chest, just over his heart where his quirk resided when it wasn’t active. 

“Do you have heartburn?” 

Izuku opened his eyes, and looked at Todoroki, who was sitting across from him. He had a concerned look on his face. 

“You’re rubbing your chest, are you sick?” Todoroki asked. 

“No, I’m fine. My quirk thinks I’m in danger whenever I get stressed. I was just trying to calm it down.” Izuku said. 

He had two realizations just then. One was that that was the first time he’d ever really described his quirk’s sentience to anyone. The other was the bus had gone surprisingly silent. 

“Your quirk thinks?” Shoji asked, now leaning forward to look at him. Izuku suddenly felt self conscious as almost his entire class was looking at him. 

“Is that why you were talking to yourself the other day?” Ochaco asked. 

Izuku nodded sheepishly, “It helps if I talk to it.” 

“What’s it thinking right now?” Kaminari, a blond student who was dressed in a black outfit that looked like something a DJ would wear asked. 

Izuku thought about it. At the moment, it wasn’t a fan of him, though when he looked around, it didn’t seem to like anyone, except Ochaco, as it seemed to be getting more familiar with her. It had already injured about half of them during their last few combat training sessions. It was thinking about burning them.

“It’s thinking about the rescue training.” He lied through his teeth. Maybe this was a chance to get to know them, or at least get them to understand him, and he didn’t want to scare them. 

“Really? How do we know it’s not just you controlling it when you become a walking skeleton?” Ashido asked, folding her arms. 

Before he could answer, Kaminari said, “Well, to be fair, whenever he’s not on fire, he doesn’t really give off murder machine vibes.” 

“Actually, there is something I’ve been curious about with your quirk.” Yaoyorozu said then, “Does it have a weakness?” 

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked. 

“I mean, like what happens if we dipped you in water, or sprayed you with a fire hose?” She asked. 

“It would probably attack you.” Izuku answered seriously. 

“But wouldn’t it put you out?” 

“You would have to use a lot of it.” Izuku said with a shrug. In truth, that probably would work, but the issue would be his quirk wouldn’t just stand still and let anyone just hit it with a water hose, even if he tried to force it. It would either completely retreat, which was what it used to do when his mother sprayed him with a fire extinguisher growing up, or fight back. 

——

“Izuku get back here!” Inko shouted as she sprayed and missed with the fire extinguisher, the six year old flaming skeleton having fled around a corner. She gave chase, following a trail of burning footprints. “Izuku! Stop!” 

Izuku laughed as he ran to his room, and grabbed the doorknob to open it, only for his mother to cover him in the fine powder, which hurt, but not badly as his quirk quickly retreated inside, leaving the child standing there. 

“I’m a ghost now!” Izuku said, holding up his arms, and trying to look scary. 

Inko sighed as she leaned against the wall. Izuku marched towards her, and with a grin, she sprayed him again.

——

“Maybe we could test it when we get to the USJ.” Mineta, a short student with purple balls on his head, said. 

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Izuku said nervously. 

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun. We could make a thing of it. Whoever can put you out first wins.” Ashido said playfully. 

Izuku felt his fire stir angrily then. It didn’t want to be put out. Neither did Izuku. It always hurt when that happened. Worse, they didn’t stop, as the conversation turned to methods of extinguishing his fire. He thought they would understand when he told them his quirk would attack them if they did that, but it all seemed like a game to them. 

Even Todoroki joined in, saying, “I’m sure if I could cover you in ice quick enough, it would put you out.” He held up his right hand as if to examine it. 

Then Izuku had an idea. He remembered seeing Kirishima, a crimson redhead student, always openly challenging people to hit him while he used his hardening quirk, and it always made people smile to test him. Maybe he should try that. 

He forced a smile, and puffed out his chest, “I bet no one here can put out my fire!” 

The bus fell silent for a moment, just as they started a wide turn. Then he saw them all beginning to smile. 

“You’re on!” Kirishima said loudly. 

He received several other responses after that, and he began to feel energized for the first time from their confidence, even though they were basically challenging each other to a fight. 

So this was what it was like to have friends, he thought. He felt like he’d finally made a breakthrough with them.

A little while later, they arrived at a massive white dome, and parked just a short walk from the front doors. As they got out, Izuku remembered Curious’s request, and quickly took a few pictures of it.

When they got inside, they found the inside looked even bigger than the outside. 

The path before them was a long, red brick walkway, which led to a set of stairs going down. All around them were various sections that would later be explained to be simulations of natural disasters. From a partially destroyed city block, to a massive pool of water with a ship in it, in a way it looked like an oddly themed amusement park. 

All of this, Izuku slowly got what he thought were good pictures of while they walked.

“You’re not a tourist, stay with the group.” Aizawa said as he walked past him. 

Izuku hadn’t noticed he’d fallen several steps behind everyone. He put his phone away, and started to follow. 

Aizawa didn’t see Thirteen where she normally waited, until the class got closer. She came up the steps, by herself, and then waited for them to approach. 

Thirteen’s costume resembled an astronaut’s space suit, with a black bubble helmet, and yellow shoes. When the class was close enough, she held her hands up as if to make a grand presentation. 

“Welcome to your first day of rescue training!” She said loudly. 

As she spoke, Aizawa looked around at the class to make sure they were paying attention. 

He ran through their names in his head as he did a head count to pass the time while Thirteen gave her speech to get them excited. 

He blinked. 

His count was off. He counted them again, paying closer attention. 

Nineteen. He quickly went over them again, looking around to make sure one just wasn’t away from the group. 

Midoriya was missing. He looked back the way they’d come, and didn’t see him. He looked through the group one more time, and when he didn’t see him, walked back towards the entrance. 

If he’d left for something as trivial as a picture of the dome’s outside, he was going to be running laps for the next hour, instead of training with the group. 

Then he appeared, running from the restroom next to the entrance. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t hold it.” He said quickly. 

Aizawa sighed, “Just get back with the group.” 

“Yes sir.” He said, and ran towards the rest of his classmates. 

The teacher sighed again, and walked back to join them as well. 

Chapter 9

Izuku threw everything he had into the rescue training. He tried to be proactive as they worked through plans, and ran ahead into the more dangerous ones, like a wildfire, given he was naturally resistant to it. 

By the time lunch rolled around, his gym clothes were torn in places, covered in dirt and ash, and he was feeling great. Even better, his classmates were finally warming up to him. Aside from Bakugo, everyone seemed glad to work with him, especially when his quirk came in handy. 

When Aizawa called for them to break for lunch, they gathered in the center of the dome, where a pair of robots brought out sandwiches, and little bottles of water. 

“Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get sick. You have thirty minutes, and we’re getting back to it.” Aizawa said loudly. 

“You’ve all done well so far! I’m proud of you!” All Might said loudly before walking off. The class thought he was going to start setting up for the next part of their training, but Izuku was sure he was going to find someplace secure to rest. 

He sighed, though and took his food and water from the robots. He was surprised when Ochaco approached him. 

“Hey, let’s sit together.” She said cheerfully. 

Izuku smiled, “Okay.” 

There wasn’t much conversation going on, as most of them were getting pretty tired already, and wanted to get the food and water down. Once they finished, however, Ochaco asked, “Hey, Izuku. I’ve been wondering. What do you do in your spare time?” 

He shrugged, “I mostly just study.” 

“Well yeah, but besides that?” 

“Work out.” He answered. 

She gave him an incredulous look. “Come on. Why so secretive? Don’t you play music, video games, or something? I figured with your Dad, you’d be into motorcycles.” 

“I am. My parents used to go out for drives together.” 

“Really? Your Mom rode one?” 

Izuku smirked, “Yeah. I would ride with my Dad, and we would just cruise around.” Izuku paused as he remembered those days. He mostly remembered the noise, his father always liked having loud engines. He still remembered how his ears would ring by the time they got home, even with earplugs.

“Whatever happened to your dad’s motorcycle,” she grinned excitedly, “Do you still have that demonic one he rode when he was on patrol?” 

“No. He took it with him when he turned. I’m pretty sure it got destroyed a few years ago when he was in America.” 

“And the one your mom rode?” 

“My Dad had a small collection, but we sold them all about a year after he left. Mom just didn’t want them anymore.” Izuku frowned. He’d wished she’d at least kept one or two, but she had put her foot down, and he was never able to get her to change her mind. It was that money that was paying for his education now. 

“Hey Midoriya!” Mineta and Kaminari approached him then. He wasn’t happy when he saw they were holding fire extinguishers. 

“Let’s see if these’ll work on you!” Kaminari said, holding his up. 

“I’d really rather not.” Izuku answered reluctantly. 

“Oh come on man, the teachers aren’t here, and it’ll be quick!” Mineta said. 

“Yeah, go on. Do it!” Ashido said. 

Izuku felt the pressure as more of his classmates started encouraging him. The final push came from Ochaco, who said, “Show them how tough your fire is!” 

With a sigh, he got to his feet, saying “Alright, but get some distance, and make it fast.” 

Maybe he could hold it back from attacking them, he thought. He cracked the lantern open as he stepped over to an open spot, and felt his fire cover him, though his flesh didn’t burn away. Kaminari and Mineta pulled the pins from their fire extinguishers, and pointed the nozzles at him. 

In unison, they said, “Begone demon!” 

A split second after the fine white powder touched Izuku’s fire, he had them both by the throats, his flesh burned away, and the fierce skeleton glaring at them as it held them both off the ground. The only thing protecting them from the fire being the work gloves Izuku had been wearing, as both their faces started turning blue.

Before anyone could do anything, Izuku seemed to snap back to normal, just before Aizawa’s capture cloth snatched him up, and slammed him to the ground, where he stayed bound.

“What are you doing?!” Aizawa shouted angrily at them all as he rested a booted foot on Izuku’s back, “Whose idea was this?” 

No one spoke for a moment. Izuku was in so much pain, not to mention still reeling from his shift in perspective from having his quirk erased. 

“I asked you all a question.” Aizawa said loudly. 

Izuku slowly realized the situation they were all in, and wiggled a bit to free his mouth, which the capture cloth had gagged. 

“It was mine.” He said. With a tug, Aizawa rolled him onto his back to look at him. “I thought I could keep it under control, and wanted to test myself.” 

The look Aizawa gave him told him he didn’t believe him, but then he said, “Well then, I’ll help you learn better control. Activate your quirk, and start running laps. If I see you not on fire once, you’re doing it again tomorrow.” 

Izuku was suddenly spinning, and back on his feet before he knew it, and saw Aizawa’s capture cloth elegantly land back around his shoulders where it always rested. 

“Now move.” 

“Yes sir!” Izuku ran, and they all saw the green fire envelop him as he went.

“And you two.” Aizawa turned on Mineta and Kaminari. “Clean up this mess, and dispose of those extinguishers. When you’re done, you’re running laps too. Now move.” 

The two teens hurried to obey. 

For the next hour, Izuku struggled to keep himself running on the track that ran along the inside wall of the dome. At first it was just the typical struggle, his quirk wanted to find Bakugo, because it knew he was nearby. When Kaminari and Mineta joined him, however, it shifted its focus onto getting payback against them for spraying it. 

It was a constant struggle to juggle running, keeping his quirk active, and keeping it away from those two, as it kept trying to either slow down or speed up so they would get closer. 

After that hour, Aizawa stood at the entrance, and waited for him. 

“Turn it off.” His teacher told him once he was close. Izuku immediately did so, and suddenly felt a relief he couldn’t even describe. “Now get to the Earthquake Zone. Thirteen will instruct you. And you two.” Izuku heard Kaminari and Mineta catching up just then, “Stay with him. You’re all working together for the rest of the day.” 

Izuku looked at them, nodded, and then started towards the indicated zone Aizawa had told him. The Earthquake Zone had what looked like a small city block in it that had been hit by an earthquake. The buildings all leaned to some degree, and there wasn’t an intact window in a single one. 

“What do you think we’re doing there?” Kaminari asked. 

“Rescue training.” Izuku answered seriously. 

“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I meant specifically.” 

Izuku shrugged, and went on. 

They found Thirteen waiting for them. She didn’t waste any time with a greeting, and simply went to instructing them. “Alright, you three have that building.” She pointed to a four story office building, “There’s at least two dummies somewhere in there. It is your job to rescue them. You have five minutes.” 

“Let’s do it!” Kaminari said enthusiastically, and led the charge towards it. 

Izuku stayed with them as they entered the building, and found it was much more damaged than he’d expected. It looked like it had once been a genuine office building at some point, even having computers, desks, and cubicles. 

Now it was mostly all destroyed, and powerless. The walls, floors and ceilings all cracked and crumbling. It really did look like an earthquake had hit. 

“Let’s check each floor, and work our way up.” Izuku said, and they quickly searched the first floor. 

One by one, they cleared each floor, not finding any dummies to rescue. Each floor looked about the same as the others, following a uniform office space, though they were all damaged to some degree. The third floor had completely caved in, leaving them with little to really check. The fourth floor was clear as well. 

Izuku was beginning to worry, until they got to the roof, where they saw the first one. 

The rooftop had cracks along it, which they carefully stepped over, Kaminari going first to get to the dummy. 

“I got it!” He said when he grabbed it by the arm. 

“Where’s the other one?” Izuku asked curiously. He looked around, and took one absent minded step, which was the last thing he remembered before he was falling. 

His fire covered him, and his flesh burned away as he slammed into the fourth floor, only to feel it buckle, and before he could get up, give out as well. He fell through the third, and crashed into the second, this time not even slowing as he broke through. 

When he finally stopped, he was looking up five floors, as he’d discovered the building had a basement. 

He slowly managed to close the lantern as he lay there, and felt for any breaks. He became fairly strong when he was in his fire form, and it proved it this time, as he felt no pain, not even from the impacts.

“Midoriya!” He heard Mineta shout, “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah. I think so.” He replied as he started to rise.

He managed to stand, only stumbling a bit as he looked around. 

“Hey! Hey I found it!” Izuku smiled when he saw more dummies. There were three of them, two adults and a small child dummy. 

He tried to pick one of them up, but found they were each pretty heavy. Without using his fire, he would only be able to bring one up at a time. Just as he was figuring this out, he heard footsteps, and turned to see Kaminari and Mineta rushing down some stairs to join him. 

“Are you alright?” Kaminari said, and then saw the dummies. 

“I’m fine. Let’s get them out before the time runs out.” Izuku said, and started to lift up one of the adult dummies while Mineta grabbed the child one. 

Just as they all started towards the stairs, however, they all heard a deafening CRACK, and before he could think to move, Izuku was a flaming skeleton again as he held up a horizontal support beam that had fallen on him.

The entire building began to shake. 

“The whole buildings coming down!” Mineta shouted, as Izuku felt more weight fall on top of him. He went to a knee as he desperately tried to keep the increasing weight from crushing him.

He saw them both run for the exit, though Kaminari did stop to look back, and froze when he saw Izuku was stuck. He started running back for him, dropping the dummy as he did, only for more of the ceiling to suddenly come crashing down.

“MIDORIYA!!!” 

Chapter 10

“Midoriya! Say something!” 

He slowly felt consciousness coming back. The sounds of rocks falling, and pinpricks of pain in his back brought him back to wakefulness. 

“The whole building just came down! You two need to get out of here, now!” He heard Ochaco’s voice.

“Midoriya’s in there!” 

Izuku slowly opened his eyes, and saw a light ahead of him. It flickered some as something blocked it intermittently. 

He heard Tokoyami then, shouting, “GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!” 

The sounds of Dark Shadow’s roar sounded then, and Izuku felt the pile on top of him shifting this way and that. 

Part of his mind wanted to scream, to tell them exactly where he was. He simply couldn’t, however, and he didn’t know why. 

The light grew, and he saw someone’s eye, just as he blinked. 

“HERE HE’S HERE!!!” Someone shouted, and he soon saw Dark Shadow, the shadow creature that was Tokoyami’s quirk looking down at him as it threw chunks of rock away from him. 

He saw Thirteen then, as she was coming up behind them. 

“Don’t touch him!” She shouted, “just uncover him as much as possible!” 

The space suit wearing hero then started giving out orders as the rescue training had now become a rescue operation. Izuku slowly felt the air and light hitting him. 

He was simply too tired to care, though. He felt so exhausted. He felt his breathing relax, his fire even seemed to be too tired to care. 

Just too tired…

Izuku let his eyelids fall. Sleep sounded so wonderful. 

“Midoriya! Stay with me!” He heard Thirteen say urgently. She was so far away. 

It was fine. Just a little nap…

He felt a hand touching his face, and became aware he was lying on his back now, and Thirteen was hanging over him, gently tapping his face. 

“Stay awake for me, kid.” She said. 

He saw blue skies overhead. He became aware of air being pushed in his nose and mouth, and took a breath. Thirteen shouted a bunch of numbers to someone, and he heard a response he passively recognized as coming from Recovery Girl. 

He felt a kiss on his cheek, and the world faded to numb blackness.

——

Izuku groaned as he came to, and felt like someone was rubbing his arm. 

He could tell their hands were soft, but it felt like they were pushing broken glass into him as they slowly rubbed from his wrist, up to his bicep, and then back. He could hear someone breathing heavily.

It took all the strength he could muster just to pull away a little, and mutter a barely audible, “Stop.” 

He heard a gasp, followed by a girl’s voice saying, “I’m sorry.” Before the feeling stopped, and he heard someone quickly walking away. 

Izuku tried to turn his head, but his vision was blurred somewhat. The only detail he could make out before she vanished was blonde hair. 

Then, the pain slowly fading, he slipped back into a numb abyss. 

When he next awoke, he didn’t feel any pain, but he was exhausted. He grunted as he flexed his muscles, and moved around a little, checking for broken bones, or other injuries. 

He felt fine, so he sat up, and put his feet on the floor, just as Recovery Girl approached him. 

“How do you feel?” She asked him. He looked down at himself. He just felt tired, and told her so. “You were lucky to survive. When you fell through the building, you knocked out two support beams, besides the one that fell on you, and it gave out. Your quirk saved you, by keeping the debris from completely crushing you, but it still did some damage.” 

Izuku paused to think about that. He hadn’t had time to think about anything when it had happened, he’d just been trying to survive. Then he remembered his classmates had been down in the basement with him, and asked about them.

“They’re both fine. They actually waited with you for a while, but they went to get changed about an hour ago.” 

“Oh.” Izuku said. At least they hadn’t gotten hurt, he thought. 

“You’re free to go if you feel like you can walk.” Recovery Girl told him. He tried to stand, and found he could.

He was in a hospital gown, but Recovery Girl had a new set of gym clothes waiting next to his bed, along with the items he’d had in his pockets. His phone, wallet, and…a handkerchief? 

Izuku picked it up, and held it. It had been resting underneath his phone, but was neatly folded. It smelled like strawberries, and was made of possibly the softest silk he’d ever felt before. He called out to Recovery Girl, who turned to look at him. 

“I think someone left this here before me.” He said, walking over, and holding it out to her. 

“That’s not yours?” Recovery Girl asked, eyeing him. “It was in your hand when I went to finish healing you. I thought your girlfriend gave it to you.” 

Izuku blushed beet red, “I don’t have a girlfriend!” He blurted out without thinking.

Recovery Girl gave him a warm smile, and said, “Well then, I guess you have an admirer.” 

He looked at the handkerchief, then back at the old woman. “You didn’t…happen to see her did you?” 

“Oh probably, but I have so many students coming and going, it’s hard to keep track, plus I had to run out to one of the training grounds after someone in 2A got hurt while you were resting, so she may have stopped by then. Don’t worry, it’s just a piece of cloth. You can leave it here if it makes you uncomfortable, and I’ll toss it.” 

Izuku looked at the handkerchief again. He thought about the girl who’d been rubbing his arm. She’d been hurting him, but maybe she hadn’t meant to…

Or what if it was the opposite, and she was some kind of sadist, and had left the handkerchief just to torment him after she’d hurt him.

He remembered hearing her apology before she left. She wouldn’t have apologized if she’d intended to hurt him, would she? No. She might have laughed when he’d told her to stop if that was the case. 

“Midoriya.” Recovery Girl got his attention. “You’re muttering to yourself.” 

“Sorry. I think I’ll hold onto it. Thank you for healing me again.” He said as he turned and left, stuffing the handkerchief into his pocket without thinking.  

“Take care now.” She said just before the door closed. 

Izuku gathered his things from the locker room, which he found to be empty of other students, and walked to the classroom. There, he found his classmates waiting for him. 

“You’re alive!” Kaminari said as he and Mineta rushed him, “Man, we’re so sorry! We thought you were dead!” 

They surprised him by hugging him. He felt bewildered, and his fire simmered angrily in his chest as it didn’t care for him to be touched at the moment. Izuku gently pushed them away. “It’s alright. I’m just glad no one else was hurt.” 

“Man, you really scared us. When we dug you out, you were so badly hurt, I’m surprised you healed up so fast, even with Recovery Girl.” Kaminari went on. 

Izuku shrugged, “She said my quirk saved me from most of the damage it could’ve done. So what’s going on now?” 

“Aizawa said we’re going to do performance reviews before he dismisses us.” Mineta said. 

Izuku went to his seat then, and put his things together. When he looked up, he saw Ashido sitting in the seat in front of him, which wasn’t her normal seat, while resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on his desk. Her eyes were wide, and she wore an eager grin. 

“So, who’s the mystery girl?” She asked curiously. 

“What?” Izuku asked in confusion. 

“Don’t play dumb. Ochaco checked on you a bit ago while you were asleep, and saw the handkerchief. So who’s your girlfriend?” 

“I don’t know.” Izuku answered honestly. Ashido just stared at him. 

“Come on. What’s her name? Is it someone we know?” She asked, leaning in, making Izuku lean back to keep his distance. 

“I don’t know who she is. I never got a good look at her.” 

Ashido frowned. “You’re really not going to tell me?” 

“I’m serious. I don’t know who she is.” Izuku said, not seeing what the issue was. 

Ashido got to her feet, and with her arms folded, ominously said “Fine. We’ll find out. We have our ways.” She turned, and walked away. 

“What’s that mean?” Izuku asked, now more confused. She didn’t answer, and took her seat just as Aizawa entered. 

Once class had ended, Izuku began to pack his things away when Kaminari and Mineta approached him again. 

“Dude! What does she look like? Is she hot?!” Mineta asked urgently, his eyes bloodshot.

“Is she some kind of biker chick?” Kaminari asked. Izuku frowned at them both. 

“I don’t know.” He answered again, not sure what else to say. 

“Oh come on, man, you can’t tease us with a potential biker chick, and leave us hanging!” Kaminari said, “What class is she in?” 

“I really don’t know who she is.” Izuku said, as he packed his things away. 

“Then why’d she leave her handkerchief! Girls only do that for boys they really like!” Mineta said. 

“And how would you know that?” Yaoyorozu asked incredulously. Mineta spun on her.

“I am a lady’s man, after all.” Mineta said, striking a pose to look mysterious, “Now tell me Mido-“ 

He paused, seeing Izuku was gone. They all turned, just as he hurried out the classroom without another word. 

——

He’d hoped Mr. Compress would be waiting outside for him, if for no other reason than to have someone to talk to, and he smiled when he found he was true to his word. He was wearing a mask with a strange design painted on it now, but the hero was waiting for him at the gate. 

“How was your hero training today?” Mr. Compress asked as they began to walk. 

“A building fell on me.” Izuku said without breaking stride. Only after he said it did he realize how sarcastic it sounded. 

“Just another day at hero school then?” Mr. Compress replied. 

“Yeah, I guess. It really did happen though.” Izuku said, and then told the story. 

When he finished, Mr. Compress said, “Impressive that you managed to survive. You’ve quite a strong power, young man.” 

“Yeah. I’ve been trying not to think about it…or other things.” He said as he became aware of the handkerchief in his pocket again. Then he figured Mr. Compress was as good a person as any to ask for advice. “What does it mean if a girl leaves you her handkerchief?” 

Mr. Compress stopped walking, and looked at him. “Is this a hypothetical question?” 

Izuku pulled out the handkerchief to show him. 

“I see. It seems a fair maiden granted you her favor. What’s her name?” 

“I don’t know. And what’s that mean about her favor?” 

“It’s more of a European tradition. A lady would grant a knight her favor in the form of a personal item. In exchange, the knight would return the item safely when he returned from whatever dangerous task he was carrying out, such as a joust.” Then Mr. Compress struck and pose, and spoke as if narrating a play, “Perhaps this girl sees you as her valiant knight, a young squire in the hero course, who will protect her in her darkest hour.” 

“I think you’re overthinking it.” Izuku said doubtfully. 

“Either way, you should hold onto it, and return it to her, only after you have shown yourself to be a valiant knight, worthy of her affection.” 

Izuku wasn’t sure how he was supposed to return it if he didn’t know who she was. He wanted to ask Ochaco now. Maybe she would know what to do.

The two made the rest of the walk mostly in silence. When they arrived at the tram station, the hero turned to the student. 

“Well then, would you like me to accompany you the rest of the journey, or do you think you can make it on your own?” 

“I think I’ll be fine. Thank you Mr. Compress.” Izuku said. 

The hero tipped his hat, saying, “Very well then. I’ll be here tomorrow, in case any vultures are waiting.” 

Izuku nodded just as the tram came in. 

As he boarded, and rode the tram, Izuku did as he always did, gently rub his chest, and mutter calming phrases to his quirk to keep it from flaring up. 

When he got off, and was on the street again, he walked in silence for a time. 

He started to think about his life, and all that had happened in the last few weeks. 

Things seemed to be calming down, somewhat, though he could’ve done without being buried. His classmates, while still standoffish, seemed to finally be warming up to him. 

Things were finally falling into place. He just needed to persevere through the worst of it for the first school year, and his probation would be over. He would be a normal high school student, in a normal, albeit the most elite, hero school. 

He took a deep breath, and smiled. His future was bright, he thought. It was all downhill from here. 

He should’ve known better.

It all started when he opened the front door to his apartment, and saw his mother’s terrified eyes staring at him, and a man sitting next to her on their living room couch, which had been moved to face the entrance. 

A voice like sandpaper said, “Come in, Midoriya. You’re letting the cool air out.” 

Izuku stared at the men as he slowly closed the door behind him. There were two of them. 

The most striking of them, was the one who sat next to his mother on the couch.

He looked like he was covered in severed hands that were grasping him, including one that covered his face like a mask, while he peeked out between the middle and index fingers with just one eye. His pale gray hair covered his head, and he wore all black clothing. He was also missing his right arm, just below the shoulder, while his left hand rested atop his mother’s right, his pinky finger poking upwards for some reason. 

The other man was huge, as big as All Might in his muscle form. His most striking feature was the exposed brain atop his head, which Izuku assumed had to be a grotesque helmet. His flesh was a dark, almost black purple, with a huge grin showing off his teeth. His eyes were wide open and blood shot. He stood beside the couch, just staring at Izuku.

“Don’t worry, kid. We’re not here to kill anyone. We’re just going to send a message. Whether or not anyone dies will depend on your own convictions.” The one covered in hands said, and Izuku swore he could see an evil smile beneath the hand that covered his face. 

“Let her go. Just hurt me if that’s what you’re here for.” Izuku said, willing to happily hand himself over if it meant his mother’s safety. 

“Oh, we’re going to hurt both of you, don’t worry. This message isn’t for you. It’s for the Ghost Rider. He’s crossed the League of Villains, and now he’s going to pay the price. And since we can’t find him, we’re going to take our pound of flesh from her. And you’re going to help.” 

Izuku was just barely keeping his quirk under control, though he knew his eyes were glowing, and he tasted the smoke billowing from him. It was flooding his mind with hatred, begging him to let it loose, but he was afraid of what either of them could do. The big guy was obviously strong, but something in him told him the real threat was the one holding his mother’s hand. He needed to know what his quirk was. 

“What’re you going to do?” Izuku asked, black smoke puffing out with every syllable. 

The villain with the hands laughed dryly. “You see my right arm?” He asked, and the short nub moved a bit. 

Izuku slowly nodded. 

“Your father did this. He took my right eye as well. It only seems fair if I return the favor.” The villain sighed, and Izuku saw his index finger slowly petting the top of his mother’s hand. 

He almost lost full control in that moment, but like a dog on a leash, Izuku just managed to yank it back. He needed to know what he could do before acting. He was confident he could take out the big guy before he could do anything, but something about his pinky finger sticking up like it was seemed too purposeful to be an accident, or habit, especially as his other four fingers never left her hand.

“You know, it’s funny. I was hoping to recruit you.” The villain said, and seemed to relax a bit. “You know how corrupt this hero society is, given how they’ve treated you. Accusing you of being one of us, even when you were a child. We were going to reach out to you soon. Just see how you felt about the idea. Then your father showed up. He killed my men.” The villain growled suddenly, squeezing his Inko’s hand so hard she gasped in pain, and Izuku struggled to keep himself from losing it again. “He broke my toys! Now he’s coming for me?! I’ll show him. I’ll show him and that cult what true villains are capable of!” 

The villain looked at Izuku, his whole body shaking with rage. “Now show me, boy. Show me what you’re willing to do to save your mother!” 

His pinky twitched, and Izuku lost control.

Chapter 11

Izuku felt his body moving faster than he’d ever moved before as his mind was flooded with so much hatred and rage that he felt a part of his very identity burn away like dry paper. 

No sooner had he moved, however, than the massive henchman the villain had brought with him had become a blur of motion, and slammed into him, sending him flying through a wall, and landing in his own bedroom. 

He was on his feet instantly, and rushing the monster without thinking, his anger now directed at it. As they began to fight, Izuku neither knew, nor cared where he and his quirk began or ended. All he knew was this thing had hurt him, and the villain had threatened his mother. 

In a burst of anger, Izuku shot a white hot plume of fire into its face, the flames quickly enveloping it unnaturally as Izuku controlled them. The monster stepped back as its skin began to boil, and it desperately tried to put itself out. 

“Well then, since we’re using quirks now.” The villain who still held Inko’s hand said, “Guess we’ll go ahead with the final test.” 

Izuku looked over just in time to see his pinky drop, and all five fingers make contact with Inko’s right hand. 

The effect was immediate, as a grayness started spreading from her hand to her fingers, and wrist, as she jerked her hand away, and the villain hopped to his feet, and got away from her. 

The monster forgotten, Izuku ran to her, and saw her fingers already started to disintegrate. 

“Oh that’s bad. You should do something, hero.” He heard the villain say mockingly. 

Izuku kept his fire from hurting her, and grabbed her arm, hoping he might be able to stop it, by simply squeezing it tighter, keeping the flow from going any further. He felt the decay go right under his boney fingers, and kept going up her arm. 

“Tick tock hero. If you don’t figure in it out soon, you won’t have to worry about a cremation.” 

The flaming skeleton turned on him, and suddenly had him by the throat. He squeezed just enough to hurt, letting his fire begin to burn his flesh, slowly, but didn’t choke him. 

“Killing me now will only make things worse for everyone. Even you! But since you seem so eager. I’ll tell you what to do. Your only hope of saving your mother, is to take her arm yourself.” 

Izuku ripped off the hand that was covering his face, revealing a burn scared mess, and a psychotic grin.

“Izuku!” Inko cried. He looked, and saw the grayness was getting closer to her elbow. Everything from about halfway down her forearm was simply gone, and continued to disintegrate into dust. 

“Last chance, hero. If it reaches her shoulder, you may as well say your goodbyes.” 

Izuku didn’t stop to think, and simply moved to save his mother. Whether it truly was the right decision, or not, it would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

——

All Might sighed as he finally got to sit down for the day, after the last of the students left. Now he had a few hours worth of paperwork, though with some coffee, this didn’t look nearly as tough as teaching. 

He set his share of the day’s performance reviews, forms each of the students filled out, telling what they thought they had done well, how they had improved, and what they needed to improve on. 

The first one was Katsuki Bakugo’s. 

He wrote three words for each of the three questions. ‘Perfect’, ‘everything’, and ‘nothing’. 

All Might sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He set his aside to come back to later. A few minutes passed in silence after that. 

“You have got to be kidding me.” 

He looked up, and saw Present Mic, a skinny man with his blonde hair done up like the crest of a cockatiel, and a black outfit that looked like something you’d wear to a party, and a scowl of someone who’d just bit into a lemon. 

“What’s going on?” All Might asked curiously. 

“Have you seen this?” He held up his phone, and showed a paused video. He saw that it was a picture from the rescue training at the USJ. 

In the picture, it showed Izuku, in his fire form, holding his two classmates who’d sprayed him with the fire extinguishers by the throats. Just under it, he saw the title of the video read ‘Midoriya turns on his classmates AGAIN’.

Mic showed him, and then Aizawa, whose desk was to his left. 

All Might said, “Looks like one of his classmates is an amateur paparazzi.” 

“Kind of a jerk thing to do, just post the pictures like that.” Mic said, sounding a bit frustrated. 

“Let them say what they’re going to say.” Aizawa said, “It won’t matter once Midoriya proves himself.”

All Might had been about to say something, until his own voice started shouting from his pocket.

“A PHONE CALL IS HERE-A PHONE CALL IS HERE-A PHONE CALL-“

He finally got it out of his pocket, and answered it without looking at the caller ID. 

“All Might, we just got a call about a potential League of Villains attack.” He heard Tsukauchi said immediately. 

All Might leapt to his feet, “What?! Where?” 

——

When it was done, Izuku slowly, and as gently as he could set his mother down on the couch, as she had fainted from the pain. He’d even returned to flesh and blood, so as not to risk his fire burning her. He kneeled by her side, and tried not to look at what was now left of her arm. 

The villain laughed sadistically as he turned and started towards the door. 

“Penance…” 

The word was spoken so low, but with such malice that it gave the villain pause. Even with his henchman between them, he turned, and faced Izuku, who still had his back to them. 

“If you think you’re up for it, why don’t you take your shot, hero? My little monster here was holding back before, because I only told him to protect me.” 

“Your…penance…” Izuku muttered, as he began to shake. 

The villain narrowed his eye, as he saw not a green, but an orange fire covering him this time. 

All at once, Izuku realized the previous times, when he thought he’d lost control, he’d been wrong. He thought he’d understood the hatred his quirk could muster, but that had been a small stream, compared to the flood that was now pouring into his mind. 

The villain, however, had little patience for drama. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Kill him.” 

Two things happened at once.

The monster lunged at Izuku, and the boy’s quirk truly cut loose, with no more restraint, as the last chain in Izuku’s mind that held it at bay snapped.

The flaming skeleton now truly resembled his father’s, as his fire burned a bright orange, almost looking like a natural flame as he spun, and brought his leg up into a violent kick. 

The monster’s head nearly came off as it was knocked aside, and Izuku rushed the lead villain, who lost his composure, as the image of the Ghost Rider himself came barreling towards him

Izuku’s quirk saw his hand coming up, but grabbed his wrist as he slammed into him, and kept going, like a linebacker who just caught the quarterback. They both hit the railing, as Izuku’s fire enveloped his hand, and he held on, even as the villain screamed and kicked at him mid fall. 

The flaming skeleton held him by the wrist with one hand, and the front of his shirt with the other, as he tried to spread his fire to his entire body while they plummeted from the fourth floor. 

The moment they hit the ground, he saw blood splatter, but couldn’t dwell on it, as he felt the impact of the monster landing nearby, and got to his feet to face it. 

It didn’t waste time with brawling, even as Izuku heard police sirens, and shouts from heroes approaching.

Before he could react, it grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into the ground. It was then picking him up, and grabbing the top of his skull with its other hand, without making a single sound itself. It didn’t even grunt from the effort.

In a horrifying moment of clarity, Izuku realized it wasn’t going to beat him to death. 

It was going to rip his head off. 

He grabbed its arm as it began to pull, but he couldn’t burn its flesh away enough to stop it. He felt his quirk holding him together, struggling as his skull slowly began to separate from it. 

In a burst of pure panic, and the instinct of survive, Izuku and his quirk pushed his palms out, right in the monster’s face, and unleashed everything he had, all at once. 

He created a miniature sun right in front of him, and held it for several seconds, before he simply couldn’t anymore. 

When he fell to the ground, he stumbled, and landed onto his backside. He’d returned to flesh and blood again, as he looked up, and saw the monster still standing before him, though now it no longer had an upper torso. 

All that was left were its arms, which had fallen to the ground, and everything from its belly down, and it all looked like it had been burnt. He saw the asphalt behind it for a good distance was burnt, and he’d melted three cars that he could see.

Izuku just sat there, as he saw several heroes, even All Might standing some distance away, as police were setting up a perimeter. 

He saw how they were all looking at him. All Might was in his muscle form, but he saw his smile falter, as the reality slowly began to set in. 

Overhead, Izuku saw a news chopper, which shined a light down on him like a beacon. 

All at once, it became too much. It was just too much. 

They were all looking at him like he was a monster. A villain that had just done something terrible, and he had. He’d taken a life. He’d become a killer. 

Izuku curled up into a ball, hiding his face, covering his head with his arms, and began to cry. 

Chapter 12

As Ochaco walked, her mind buzzed with questions. 

The group chat the 1-A girls had started had already been going when she woke up that morning, and they were all trying to figure out what had happened, as well as ask her if she knew specifically, as she was the only one among them that had spoken to Midoriya on a regular basis. 

There were so many different versions of different events, and how they happened that she didn’t know what to believe, even after trying to research it herself. The only thing she could figure for sure was that Midoriya had been attacked, but she didn’t know by who, or why. 

Unfortunately, and much to her friends’ disappointment, she didn’t have Midoriya’s phone number to call. The girls had all exchanged numbers on the first day, but it had simply never come up with him. He’d never asked for hers, and never offered his. 

When she got to the street the front gate rested on, she saw a group of reporters already gathered, and were hunting for students in his class, or at least people who knew him. 

The first thing she heard when she got close was two girls she knew weren’t even in the hero course talking to one reporter, saying, “I always thought he was dangerous. He always skulked around, with his head down, like he was trying to be sneaky!” 

“Yeah, plus he was always turning on his classmates!” 

The reporter looked confused, “But aren’t you in his class?” 

“No, we’re in 1-F, we only see him in the hallway.” 

Ochaco rolled her eyes, and kept going. She managed to get through without being stopped. She half wanted to, though, and try to stand up for him, but she didn’t know what had happened. What if some of the worst stories were true…

She kicked herself for believing it, but a part of her was still shaken from their first training exercise. He’d been so terrifying, and dangerous. 

“Hey! Ochaco!” She turned and saw Kaminari waving at her as he caught up, Mineta beside him. “Have you spoken to Midoriya?” 

“No. I don’t have his number. Do you know what happened?” She replied. 

“We were hoping you could tell us.” 

“I’m sorry, but I think you guys know as much as I do.” 

They went to class together. Ochaco spoke to the girls when she arrived, but none of them seemed anymore informed. Checking online didn’t do much good, as the event had gone viral, and virtually everyone was speculating. 

She saw theories ranging from Midoriya had been attacked by some group calling themselves the League of Villains, to he’d simply gone berserk, and attacked a bunch of people. 

At some point there had apparently been a live news coverage, but they had censored it. When they managed to find what was available, they only saw a few seconds of Midoriya being held by the throat, a massive blur on the ground a few feet away. Anything else was either bad photo editing, or just speculation. 

Aizawa stepped into the classroom just before the bell rang, as he always did, and after getting to his desk, slowly swept his gaze across the room. They had figured out this was his way of taking attendance. As he did, Ochaco looked, and saw that Midoriya’s desk was empty, though to be fair she hadn’t really expected him to show up. 

“Today we will be going over villain attacks, situations, and how best to deal with them.” Aizawa started. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the incident that occurred yesterday evening with Midoriya. Regardless of how any of you feel about him, I want you to take this seriously.”

Ashido raised her hand, and Aizawa nodded to her. 

“What actually happened? Everyone’s talking about it but no one seems to know.” She said. 

“That would be thanks to yellow journalism.” Aizawa answered cynically, then he pulled a small, coin shaped projector from his pocket, and set it on his desk. With the push of a button, they all saw two versions of the same person. 

They were depictions of a man with pale gray hair, and dressed all in black. One of them was an older photo, taken somewhere on the street, and he had what looked like a severed hand covering his face like a mask. The other was an artist rendition. There was no hand covering his face, exposing a mess of burn scars, and a missing eye. 

“At this time, his name is unknown, but this is the villain that led, and coordinated the hostage situation yesterday.” Aizawa stated. 

Hostage? Ochaco hadn’t read anything about a hostage. 

“Now, what I’m about to go over with you is only the facts that have been confirmed via the investigation that’s being carried out by the Hero Public Safety Commission. You are solely being given this information because the Commission, as well as UA faculty deemed it important that you all understand the world you’re going to be getting into as pros.” 

He pressed a button on the hologram projector, and it faded away. 

“The first thing I’m going to go over with you, is the taking of life. Yesterday, Midoriya was faced with a situation that almost all of you are going to face at one point or another, and it’s not likely you’re going to have any more time to process it than he did.” 

He pressed another button, and they all saw the image of the remains of the henchman Izuku had killed. There was a collective gasp, followed by shocked silence in the room. The arms and lower torso were laid out on a metal slab, with each part labeled. 

Kirishima was the first one to speak, “Midoriya did that?!” 

“Yes he did.” Aizawa said, “It’s been confirmed from over a dozen witnesses, including All Might, who’d been on his way to the scene, that it was self defense.” 

He pressed a button, and then they all saw a news chopper’s video feed. 

The first thing they saw was a flaming skeleton, on the ground next to a man who was in a puddle of blood, just as the skeleton sprang to his feet, and turned to face the massive monster that was running towards him.

The monster and the flaming skeleton, whose fire was the wrong color to be Izuku’s, ran at each other. The skeleton punched it, but the monster grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into the ground. It then held him up, grabbed the top of his head with his other hand, and with grim certainty, Ochaco feared she was about to see her classmate’s demise. 

His head moved a little upwards, almost coming off as Izuku struggled, but then, the video turned an almost blinding white, making them all have to squint for several seconds. 

When the light faded, and the picture focused, Ochaco saw All Might running towards Izuku, who was curled up into a little ball, looking like a small, terrified child. 

“So did anyone see what happened?” Aizawa asked.

There was just silence for a long time. Aizawa scanned the room, but no one raised a hand. He tapped on the projector, and Ochaco almost asked not to see it again, until she saw that while he did go back in the timeline, he also zoomed in, and focused on the man in the puddle of blood. 

“This is something you’re all going to need to learn to do. When you’re working cases like this, you’re going to have to watch videos like these repeatedly, making sure you catch every detail.”

When the video played, while they could see that the one sided fight was happening again, just before the screen went white, the man, who Ochaco only then recognized passed the blood as the villain he’d shown them earlier, moved. 

Some sort of mass of darkness slowly enveloped him, until no part of him was visible. A split second before it vanished, the screen went white. When it cleared again, there was nothing left but the bloodstain.

“He got away!” Kaminari said in surprise. 

“Yes. Always secure your suspects. Obviously, Midoriya couldn’t do that, given the circumstances, but it’s still something I want you all to keep in mind going forward. Now, are there any questions so far?” 

A few hands shot up, but it was Kaminari whom he nodded to first. 

“Sir, is it true that Midoriya attacked his mom?” 

Aizawa’s entire demeanor went from the normal, relaxed posture, to deadly serious as he glared at Kaminari. 

“Who told you that?” He asked, his voice dark. 

“It’s…one of the rumors going around. I was just wondering if the Commission had said anything.” Kaminari quickly explained, not wanting to be the target of Aizawa’s burning gaze. 

“More lies.” Aizawa sighed, and seemed to calm himself. “No. Midoriya did not attack his mother. She was wounded by the villain who escaped, and he had to cauterize her wound.” 

Ochaco felt horrible. She tried to imagine just the idea of having to do that. Now she knew she needed to see him. She raised her hand. When Aizawa nodded to her, she promptly asked, “Sir, is there any way we can visit, or speak to Midoriya? None of us have his number.” 

“At this time, no. If any of you wish, you may write him a letter, and leave it on my desk at the end of the day. If Midoriya misses tomorrow as well, I’ll package them with the make up work we’ll be sending him. As far as I’m aware, he and his mother are in hiding while the Commission finish their investigation to determine if they’re still in danger.”

Ochaco immediately started trying to think of what she was going to write to him. 

When school ended that day, she got straight to it, and by the time she finished, and went to set it on the teacher’s desk, she smiled, seeing that she was far from the only one. 

——

The following evening, All Might sighed as he walked. He carried a sealed packet of papers, which he felt proud to say was mostly letters from Midoriya’s classmates, along with the notes, and make up work he was to deliver to him. 

Given that someone had to do it, and he was All Might, he volunteered. While the Commission had given him Izuku’s location in person, he was surprised that it was Takao who’d done it, though he’d had what was clearly a more senior agent with him the entire time. 

Whether it was coincidence, or on purpose, they didn’t tell him, but they’d placed the Midoriya’s in a hotel that was walking distance from the UA campus. He figured it was so he could get to school without having to worry about much security if they ended up having to stay long term. 

When he arrived, he found it a pretty nice place. The receptionist who greeted him was a pleasant looking young woman. 

“Hi sir, how can I help you?” She asked, giving him a big smile. 

He’d already asked to be introduced as Mr. Yagi, so he didn’t have to worry about keeping his secret. He’d also been told the pass phrase he was meant to use. 

“I’ve got a reservation for Johnny Blaze.” All Might had no idea where the name came from, or why they were using a blatantly American name, but it did the trick. 

The receptionist frowned for a second before catching herself. She said, “Hold on a moment.” She picked up the phone next to her, and dialed a number. She muttered something he couldn’t hear, before hanging up. 

“Floor fourteen.” She said, and then nothing else. He nodded, and walked over to the elevator. After waiting for it to arrive, he entered, and pressed the aforementioned floor button, and waited. 

When the door opened, he found himself looking at an anthropomorphic gecko with pink hair, and dressed in an all black outfit that put him in mind of a ninja, his arms folded, and a short sword on his back. Standing next to him was a man dressed in an orange suit, top hat, and white mask. 

“Mr. Yagi?” The gentleman hero asked as he watched him step off the elevator. 

“That’s me.” All Might answered. Without another word, he held up his arms, and let them pat him down, while the ninja checked the packet he was carrying. 

All Might had been briefed on this as well. A hero agency had come straight out of left field, and offered to lend a squad of their pros for the Midoriyas’ protection, pro bono. It should’ve raised some red flags, All Might thought, and he’d even asked Tsukauchi about it, but apparently it was all on the up and up. The theory was they were hoping to get first dibs when Izuku got his license, and graduated.

All Might had seen such situations first hand, it had even almost happened to him, but he couldn’t tell Midoriya what to do, and he deserved the protection if they were any good at their job. 

The ninja looked at him and asked, “Is this everything?” 

“Yeah. That’s his make up work, and some letters from his classmates.” He replied once the gentleman was done searching him. 

“Wonderful.” The gentleman said, “Thank you for your help, Mr. Yagi, but we can take it from here.” 

“I’d like to see him, if that’s alright.” All Might said then. He saw the two heroes exchange looks. 

“Allow me to inquire if the young man is taking visitors at this time. As I’m sure you can imagine, he is still quite shaken from what has happened.” 

“I understand. I’d just like to wish him well, and see how he’s doing for myself.” 

The gentleman nodded, and stepped away. 

After a pause, All Might looked at him and asked, “So what’s your name?” 

“Spinner.” He answered simply. 

“And your friend?” 

“Mr. Compress.” 

“Well, Spinner. I’m glad that you and your agency are looking out for young Midoriya and his mother.” All Might gave him a toothy smile. 

Spinner only grunted. 

A few more minutes passed before Mr. Compress returned. All Might was surprised to see Izuku was with him. He was shocked by his appearance. 

It had barely been forty eight hours since the attack, but Izuku looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Besides the bags under his eyes, which were bloodshot, he looked pale, almost milky white. His shoulders slumped, and he looked like he’d been crying, which he probably had, but he wasn’t about to hold that against him. 

“Kid, you didn’t have to come out, I could’ve come to you.” All Might said, now feeling bad for making the kid walk. 

“I’m fine.” Izuku answered, his voice hoarse, and rough, “Mom’s asleep. I didn’t want to wake her.” 

“How’s she doing?” All Might asked. 

Izuku just looked down at his feet. Mr. Compress said, “About as well as can be expected. She’s going to be fitted for a cybernetic arm tomorrow, since it’s easier to do before the wound completely heals.” 

“That’s good…” All Might said, and then saw Izuku’s expression. He could see he was holding back tears. He took the packet back from Spinner, and separated the letters from his classmates. “Hey, your friends wrote these to you, since they couldn’t see you.” 

Izuku’s eyes went wide when he saw the letters, and his hands shook when he went to grab them. 

“They…wrote to me?” Izuku asked, his voice just barely a whisper. 

“Yeah. They were worried about you.” All Might only half lied, he hoped. He hadn’t actually been their teacher that day, but Aisawa said it had been asked about by the students themselves. He’d made sure to read the letters beforehand, just in case, and they were all encouraging. 

Izuku slowly lowered the letters to his side, and feebly tried to hide his tears with his forearm. Without thinking about it, All Might approached. He pulled him into a hug, and just held him until the storm passed. 

“You’re going to be okay, kid.” All Might said softly. 

“I’m a killer. I can never be a hero.” Izuku muttered weakly. 

“Now Midoriya, we’ve already spoken to you about this.” Mr. Compress said, “You were defending yourself.” 

“I saw it myself, young man.” All Might said, holding him by the shoulders, “If you hadn’t done what you did, you would’ve been killed.” 

Izuku didn’t respond. He was shaking like a leaf in his grip. All Might sighed. 

“Just take it one day at a time, Midoriya. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

The teen nodded at that, but still didn’t look up. After a while, he simply said, “I want to go back now.” 

All Might nodded, “Alright. Take care of yourself kid. I’ll be bringing you what you need from school so you don’t fall too far behind. Do you still have my number?” 

Izuku nodded. 

“Good. Call me if you need anything, okay?” 

He nodded again, before turning, and walking down the hallway, Mr. Compress staying by his side, while Spinner stayed with All Might. He nodded to the hero, and went back to the elevator. He’d done all he could for now. He could only wait, and hope the kid bounced back.

Chapter 13

All Might sat quietly with Nezu as they got on the conference call with Takao, and another man higher up in the HPSC, a man named Yokumiru Mera. The two HPSC representatives were on a computer screen. All Might had noted that Takao’s attitude had done a full 180 since the attack, though he’d also noted in the few times he’d met with him since, he’d never been alone, so he figured there was something going on they weren’t saying. 

“Thank you for taking our call, Principal Nezu,” Mera said politely, “I wanted to just touch base with you on Midoriya going forward.” 

“It’s no trouble, Mr. Mera, I’m always happy to help one of our students.” Nezu replied politely. 

“Moving forward, we’ve decided to scale back on his requirements, so he will no longer be meeting with Takao on a weekly basis, but instead will simply be making weekly phone calls. We still want weekly updates, and reports from your staff on his progress, and personal conduct, however.”

“Has he said when he’ll be returning?” All Might asked curiously, “He’s already missed almost a full week, and just making up the academic stuff isn’t going to keep him up to date with his training.” 

“I can answer that,” Takao said, “I spoke to him and his mother this past Friday. His doctors say he should be good to return to school this Monday, but he’s having more trouble controlling his quirk.” 

“We can work with him. Aizawa is experienced with students that struggle to control their quirks.” Nezu said optimistically. 

“We’re also working with the same hero agency that provided security for him while he was in the hotel.” Mera said then, “They’re going to be providing him, and his mother with regular escorts for a while, just to be safe, but at the moment, he’s about as safe as can be.” 

“How do you know?” All Might asked, “The lead villain escaped.” 

“Yes, but he was also badly injured.” Mera replied, “From the reports, and from experts examining the news footage, we believe he sustained enough damage on his arm that he most likely can’t use his hand properly, which our quirk experts believe is required for him to use his quirk.”

“The League of Villains isn’t just one person.” All Might argued, “If they really are back, he’s not working alone.” 

“We know, Mr. Yagi, but right now, we believe it’s in everyone’s best interest to let Midoriya, and his mother try to resume a normal life. Protection is one thing, but we can’t fall into paranoia.” 

You’re using them as bait, All Might thought cynically. They weren’t keeping them in hiding because they wanted them to try again, so the brave and powerful Safety Commission can come in and save the day. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had agents all around their apartment complex right then. 

“Well then, I think that covers everything, at least for our part.” Nezu said then, breaking the tension. “Unless there are any other matters you wish to discuss, we have much work to do.” 

“Actually, there is.” Mera said before Nezu could end the video call. “Are you still planning on hosting the Sports Festival this year?” 

“Of course.” Nezu answered with a smile. 

“Are you going to allow Midoriya to compete?” 

“I don’t see why not. He’s a student who will need to show potential agencies what he’s capable of.” Nezu answered. 

Mera sighed, but Takao was the next to speak, “We were hoping to convince you to not allow Midoriya to compete this year.” 

All Might narrowed his eyes at them, “Why?” 

“Because, whether he likes it or not, Midoriya seems to be a magnet for bad publicity.” Mera said, “With the festival being a show of unity, we were afraid allowing him to compete might taint the whole spirit of the festivities, given both his history, and recent events.” 

“I thank you for your concern, gentlemen,” Nezu said politely, “but I’m afraid I will have to disappoint you both. Participation in the Sports Festival is mandatory for all students in the hero program here at UA, especially when we host it. For what it’s worth, as a hero course student, he is free to choose which events he participates in, but he will be in at least one.” 

With a sigh, Mera nodded, “Alright, but can’t say we didn’t try. One last thing I wanted to ask you two about was your security. Should this not be a one off attack, and the villains decide to involve other students, do you believe you have the security measures in place to protect your students, should such an attack occur on your campus?”

All Might almost felt insulted, but then realized they had a point. He was getting old, and if his late arrival to the attack affected him, it was showing he simply wasn’t as fast as he used to be. 

Nezu answered without hesitation, “Yes, I do believe our security measures are effective enough to protect our students. Besides all hero course faculty being former pros themselves, I have recently had some of the latest security measures installed throughout the campus, including alarms, and security robots.” 

“Very well, just wanted to check. That’s all for now.” Mera said, and without another word, ended the call. 

Nezu and All Might sat in silence for a moment. It was All Might who spoke first then. 

“They think there’s going to be another attack.” He said, looking at the principal. 

“That is my conclusion as well. I will have the security on high alert from now on, until that villain is caught.” 

All Might sighed, feeling old again. He shook his head, “It never ends.” 

“I would think you of all people would understand that. That is why we have heroes in the first place.” 

“No, I mean…what does Takao have against Midoriya? You know as well as I do he’s only behaving because they’ve got someone looking over his shoulder. I’m willing to bet he’s the one who even tried to push them to ask about keeping him out of the festival.” 

“I have some theories, but they’re not confirmed yet.” Nezu said as he leaned back in his human sized chair. 

“Care to share?” All Might asked. 

“Not at this time. I’m not a fan of rumors, or spreading them. Though I will say if I’m right, we may be able to push the Commission to end his probation much sooner than they would like.” 

All Might raised an eyebrow, almost smirking as he saw a glint of mischief in the mouse thing’s eye. 

——

Days bled into one another as time passed. It could’ve been a week, or a month for all Izuku knew, or really cared. 

While therapy, and medicine had helped, it couldn’t erase the memories of what he’d done. 

It felt like every time he opened his front door, he felt his heart leap and he saw them both in his living room again, holding his mother hostage. Whenever he went to the bottom of the stairs, he saw the burn marks that were still there from his killing attack, though most of the damage had been repaired, and the destroyed cars were gone. 

His mother now had a robotic arm, which she was slowly getting used to, though she wasn’t nearly as dexterous as she had been before. 

Every time Izuku saw it, he wanted to scream, even though she kept assuring him he’d done nothing wrong. 

“You saved me, Izuku.” She’d say, but it only helped for a short while, before the crippling guilt would start to overwhelm him again. 

Worst of all, though, was his quirk was going haywire. He couldn’t explain it, but it was like the flare ups he normally only felt when he was stressed were constant. Like it was trying to lash out at something he didn’t understand. Not to mention it made him jumpy. Snapping at the slightest provocation.

When he’d gone for a walk to get some groceries, a heckler had made some crack at him regarding the attack, and Mr. Compress had barely been able to stop him from attacking the man, something even Izuku knew he never would’ve done prior to the attack.

He’d started anger management training later that same day, but he wasn’t sure if they were helping yet. 

The only time his quirk didn’t seem to be bent on lashing out was when he was with his mother, the only person his quirk had never shown any hostility towards. If anything, it felt almost shy around her, like it was afraid of hurting her if it flared up at all. 

When they were washing the dishes together after breakfast, Izuku practically felt like he may as well have been quirkless. 

Inko smiled at him and asked, “Are you excited to be going back to school tomorrow?”

He thought about the letters his classmates had sent. He nodded, but only said “Yeah.” 

“You’ll be fine. Mr. Yagi said he would help you catch up, and you already caught up on all the make up work he gave you.” Inko said encouragingly. When they finished, Inko asked, “Could you see if the food bowl needs refilling?”

Izuku nodded, and walked towards the front door. When he stuck his head out, he saw the food bowl was nearly empty. When they’d been allowed to return home, they’d both been worried the stray would’ve decided to run off. He felt happy to see it hadn’t given up on them. 

He smiled as he scooped out some fresh cat food, and refilled the food and water bowls, though since it was a pleasant day outside, he decided to stay there for a while. He brought his copy of the blood red book with him, and started reading. 

Mr. Compress had read some with him while he were under protection, and he’d truly started to become invested, even trying to get into the habit of calling quirks meta abilities, as he did. In a way, it was almost therapeutic, as Destro had been aware that horrible deeds would happen during any sort of societal change, like the ones he wanted. 

War is a terrible thing. No one wants to fight them, but it is a necessity, if we are to effect any change. Steel yourselves, for we will be required to do terrible things, even the taking of lives. Don’t think of yourselves as weak for feeling guilt over these actions, but embrace it, as it shows you truly care that much for your cause.

His cause…

Izuku had started to wonder about his own cause. It had seemed so easy, and straightforward when he first started school. He was going to be a hero, like his father had once been. He was going to learn how to use fear tactics to scare bad guys, maybe even get really good at fighting to back it up, and the rest would simply fall into place. 

He would just have to get over the minor detail that everyone hated him, and were convinced he was going to be the next big villain.

Now, he wasn’t sure about anything. That villain was still out there. His father was still on the run, and doing who knows what…

His train of thought was interrupted by something bumping into his hand so insistently that he almost closed his book without realizing it. He blinked, and realized it was the stray, pushing its head into his hand, like it was demanding his attention. 

“Hey.” He smiled, and without thinking, began to pet the cat as it seemed to suddenly want nothing more, in contrast to how it didn’t even want to be touched before. 

It was so warm and soft to the touch as it put its front paws on his leg, and got closer. Izuku set his book aside, and began scratching either side of its head.

Inko started to worry when she noticed he’d been outside for so long. She’d been in the living room, just watching a comedy show and fiddling with her new arm, which she was still getting used to when she decided to go check on him. 

When she opened the door, and looked around, she almost teared up at the sight waiting for her. 

Izuku was sitting calmly on the ground, with the black cat they’d been feeding, lying across his lap, as Izuku softly pet it. She could even hear its purring from where she was standing. Izuku looked up, and smiled at her. 

Neither of them said anything, and just looked down at the pretty little panther, whose trust they had finally earned. 

Chapter 14

A series of explosions rang out, shaking even the raised platform Ochaco stood upon as she and the rest of her class watched the battle play out from a distance. 

When she saw an entire multistoried building begin to collapse, she gasped, having flashbacks to their first day at the USJ, and worried it was a complete repeat of those events. When she looked up at one of the monitors, however, she saw Izuku, now an almost identical copy of his father, with his fire bright orange, and wearing his costume, out in the open, battling it out with Rikido Sato, a massively muscular student who grew stronger by eating sugar. 

On another monitor, she saw Todoroki and Bakugo going at each other in a violent clash of quirks that, under other circumstances, would’ve been the fight anyone would’ve focused on, in fact it was the fight most of her classmates were, but she found herself drawn to Izuku’s slug match with the sugar powered student. 

She had no idea what Sato’s max power was, but she knew she’d seen him down a fist sized jar of sugar just before the match started, and he still seemed to be going, but the way Izuku was fighting, she could also tell he was holding back. Something he’d been doing for a while now, ever since he returned. 

No one, not even Izuku, understood why his quirk had changed colors, but he’d confided in her during one of their walks between class and lunch, that he simply didn’t have as much control anymore. Before he’d explained that one of the reasons his movement looked so odd was because he was actively struggling against his quirk, which always wanted to go full force in a fight.

Now, ever since the villain attack, he’d said it felt more like he was just along for the ride. Trapped inside his own body as his quirk took over, his only input now being his own willpower keeping his quirk from doing too much damage. 

This seemed to be the case to Ochaco as she watched him kick Sato in the shin, taking him to a knee, before punching him hard enough that he stumbled back. 

Not too long ago, Izuku would’ve done what he’d done to Bakugo in that moment, grab his leg, and swing him around. This time, however, he just stood there. It would’ve looked almost sporting, maybe even chivalric, not striking his opponent while he was down, if not for his head movement. 

In what must’ve been Izuku struggling with his quirk, while his body didn’t move much as he stood over Sato, his head jerked this way and that, making him look somehow even more demonic. Like the flaming skeleton was also possessed. 

“He should’ve at least restrained Sato.” Iida noted as he stood next to Ochaco, and was apparently watching them as well. 

Ochaco nodded, but continued to watch quietly. She glanced at the teacher, Aizawa, who was scanning all the monitors, and clearly making mental notes. She was sure Izuku was going to lose points on his daily grade for letting Sato get to his feet. 

That day’s training was supposed to be a straightforward competition, two teams of two had to take each other out, both playing the hero and villain roles to each other. The first couple matches had been pretty interesting tactical plays. 

This one, however, had dissolved into a full on fight. Bakugo had been paired with Sato, while Midoriya had been paired with Todoroki. She’d expected Bakugo and Izuku to simply hunt each other down, but that hadn’t happened. 

Bakugo and Todoroki had found each other first, and before Midoriya could join in, Sato had slammed into him. The two fights had gradually grown apart as each opponent focused on their respective combatant. 

When Sato got to his feet, he put up his fists in a fighter’s stance, and Izuku rushed him, still moving slower than Ochaco remembered. Sato was still holding his own, but she wondered how much trouble Izuku was getting himself into. Aizawa had made it clear that sandbagging wasn’t going to be tolerated, and if she could tell he was holding back, he definitely would’ve spotted it. 

As if just to show her that he had, Aisawa leaned into the control board that rested in front of him, and his voice came over the loudspeakers throughout the training grounds. 

“Midoriya. If you don’t stop holding back, I will disqualify you immediately.” Aizawa said sternly. 

She saw Sato’s eyes go wide, as if he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding back against him. She saw Bakugo’s head turn, however, and he suddenly broke away from Todoroki. 

On the monitor, she saw Todoroki swing his right hand like he was throwing a bowling ball, and then a massive ridge of ice shot up that was so huge, she didn’t need to cameras and monitors to see it. 

Bakugo dodged it, however, and then clearly made a beeline towards Midoriya, launching himself with his explosions.

“What’s he doing?” Ochaco asked aloud without thinking. 

“I doubt Bakugo would tolerate anyone not going all out, especially against him.” Iida stated logically. 

With little to no regard for Sato, Bakugo immediately closed the distance with Midoriya, aimed one of his gauntlets, and pulled the pin, just as Izuku was turning his head to look at him. 

The resulting explosion shook the platform so badly, Ochaco worried for a moment if it would hold, and she could see a massive swath of destruction ring out across the training grounds. 

All the monitors were blank for several seconds, but then she saw drones going out. A few seconds later, she saw Bakugo, standing among the wreckage he’d created, as he slowly approached Izuku, whose fire was out. 

On another screen, she saw Todoroki helping Sato, though he’d already slipped handcuffs on him. 

“I’ll kill you if you dare hold back against me!” Bakugo shouted as he marched straight at Izuku. 

He got to his feet, and glared at him, “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that to me!” Izuku said, his body shaking with rage, as he fought the hatred his quirk was flooding into his mind. 

“THEN YOU BETTER FIGHT BACK!!!” Bakugo screamed before launching himself as Izuku. 

Izuku burst into flames, and as the two clashed, Ochaco looked over at Aizawa, wondering if he was going to intervene, but he stood as still as a statue. 

Back in the wreckage, Bakugo was merciless as he kept hitting Izuku with explosions. For the first time ever, she saw Izuku backing away. 

“You bastard!” Bakugo paused, and pointed an accusing finger at him, “You say you want to be a hero, and you’re holding back!” 

“You don’t know what you asking me to do!” Izuku cried, his flesh returned. 

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you, you’re dead if you don’t fight me!” Bakugo lunged at him, he aimed his other gauntlet. Izuku just stood there, not a spark coming from him. 

A blast of ice shot past, enveloping Bakugo at the last second. Todoroki stood there, Sato a few feet away, also enveloped in ice. 

“Midoriya!” Todoroki shouted angrily, “Either help, or get out of here!” 

Izuku looked at him, as he heard Bakugo freeing himself with explosions. He looked at his old school bully, who had already shattered most of the ice holding him. He felt his quirk’s murderous craving as he just looked at him, and almost burst into flames. 

Then, his quirk flashed the memories of all the terrible things Bakugo had done to him. Flooded his mind with the same indescribable rage that he’d felt that day, when he’d been forced to hurt his mother to save her. 

Ochaco blinked, and even had to shield her eyes a bit from the bright flash of fire that enveloped Izuku suddenly as he rushed Bakugo. 

Then she remembered the news footage Aizawa had shown them. Before she could say anything, though, she saw Aizawa move faster than ever, almost becoming a black blur as he rushed the fight scene. 

Up on the screen, she saw Bakugo suddenly fighting an angry Ghost Rider, as Izuku was suddenly moving like he’d done that first day of field training. His strikes were lightning fast, his movement sporadic, almost random looking. 

She saw Bakugo keeping himself away from Izuku, launching himself, and changing direction mid air with his explosions, but Izuku was moving fast, even managed to snatch off one of his gauntlets. 

Todoroki was rushing to join the fight, as Bakugo aimed his only remaining gauntlet at him. 

Just as he slipped his finger into the pin, however, Izuku was there, and slapped his gauntlet down, which also caused him to yank the pin out just before he was ready. 

The last thing Izuku remembered was the deafening boom. 

——

When consciousness slowly returned, Izuku became aware that he couldn’t move at all. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring up at the familiar ceiling of the nurse’s office. He tried to turn his head, but felt the brace holding it, as well as the casts he now had on both arms, legs, and he could feel pressure on his torso from the bandages.

He heard a small, almost inaudible buzzing noise, and his perspective began to shift downwards, as someone moved his bed so that he was in a sitting up position. A few seconds later, he found himself staring at Aizawa, and he wasn’t happy. 

“Why were you holding back?” He asked coldly. 

“I don’t know.” Izuku answered without thinking. He hadn’t even been sure he could speak. 

“I warned you about holding back on your first day.” 

“Yes sir.” 

“Then tell me why.” 

Izuku hesitated, for a moment he wondered why he wasn’t feeling his fire inside, until he saw he had an IV drip. He must’ve been under the influence of a sedative. After a moment, he said, “My quirk has been agitated ever since the attack. It keeps wanting to go all out, and I’m afraid I’ll hurt someone.” 

“Stop worrying about that. I’ll stop you if I think you’re going too far. This holding back is going to stop. This is no longer me ordering you, Midoriya, I’m giving you your last warning. If I have to tell you again, the next step is expulsion. Am I clear?” 

Izuku felt a pity open in his stomach. His tone and expression made it clear this wasn’t another empty threat like on their first day. After a moment, he said “Yes sir.” 

“Good. Recovery Girl said she’ll finish healing you later, once you’re cleared to leave fill out the performance review on your desk, and go home. You’re done for the day.” 

“Yes sir.” 

With that, his teacher moved his bed back down, so he was resting properly on his back, and left. Izuku just laid there for a while, alone, and in silence. He wondered how the others had done. They hadn’t been nearly as close to the blast, but he didn’t know how tough they were against Bakugo’s explosions. 

He heard footsteps then, coming towards him. A moment later, Todoroki was looking down at him. His face was neutral, but his eyes were cold. 

“Why were you holding back?” 

Izuku didn’t answer. He just wanted to rest, and enjoy the short time he had while he was alone in his head. 

“Midoriya. I want to understand. Are you afraid of hurting someone?” Todoroki asked. 

Izuku closed his eyes, and tried to pretend he was alone. When it didn’t work, he simply said, “Leave me alone, please.” 

There was a long silence, but Todoroki wouldn’t leave. After a time, he said, “We’re not fragile. You don’t have to hold back against us.” 

“You know how dangerous my quirk is, Todoroki. I can’t risk…” Izuku thought about the man he’d killed. Those crazed eyes, the moment of absolute certainty that he was going to die…the smell of burned flesh that wasn’t his own. 

“According to my father, yours seems less dangerous than your father’s. You’ve shown more control over it than he did with his.”

“I don’t have control over anything.” Izuku sighed, “All I’m doing is holding it back.” 

“And it seems to be working. Perhaps you just need to give it some slack.” 

“I can’t just let it loose. I know Aizawa made you guys watch the news footage. You saw what my quirk can do.” 

“And you’ve seen what Bakugo’s, and my own can do.” Todoroki said, “His quirk is more dangerous than yours.”

“He can control it. He can choose not to explode. I’m only not yelling at you right now, because of this.” He shifted his eyes to the IV tube leading to his arm. Todoroki examined the IV for a moment. 

“So there are methods of shutting your quirk off?” He asked, looking down at Izuku. 

“Yes. It’s tied directly to my emotions. Sedatives calm it down.” 

“Could you activate it right now if you weren’t injured?” 

“Yes, but it wouldn’t be nearly as powerful.” Izuku answered, “Anger, and hatred are what fuel it. As long as I’m calm, I’m in control.” 

“So what happened after Bakugo busted out of my ice?” 

Izuku explained how his quirk would inflict its own hatred onto him, and how it forced him to relive memories of Bakugo’s years of bullying. When he finished, Izuku saw him become pensive. 

Eventually, he said, “Have you asked the Support Course for help?” 

“No. I doubt there’s anything they could make that would calm my quirk down without antagonizing it.” He said, remembering the incident with Kaminari and Mineta. 

“I think it would still be worth your time to go see them.”

Izuku let out a long sigh before saying, “Alright.” 

Later, after Recovery Girl deemed him rested enough to finish healing, she had him on his feet, albeit so exhausted he didn’t want to leave the bed, and he walked to the Support Course’s workshop. Todoroki had decided to accompany him. 

Between his exhaustion, and the sedative she’d used, Izuku felt more like a zombie than a person, shuffling his feet as he walked, even after the protein bar, and lollipop the school nurse had given him. 

Izuku leaped to life when he felt a piece of ice slip down the back of his shirt, and quickly shook his shirt and jacket loose to get it out. When he finally got it out, he looked at Todoroki, now fully alert. 

“My mother used to do that to wake us up when we refused to get out of bed. How do you feel?” Todoroki said completely nonchalantly. 

“Awake!” Izuku said, feeling genuinely annoyed. He felt the faintest embers of his quirk returning as the sedative worked its way out of his system, but his emotions were entirely his own at the moment. 

He still felt tired, but more alert now, as they made the rest of the walk to the shop, which they found to be marked by a huge metal door that was on a rail, rather than hinges. 

“Do we knock, or just go in?” Izuku asked, looking at his classmate. Todoroki just shrugged, so Izuku tried knocking. 

After the ensuing explosion, Izuku found himself lying on the other side of the hallway, having slammed into the wall, and hit the ground. He hadn’t even been aware his quirk was active until he saw three sets of eyes looking at him, obviously worried. 

He looked down at his hands, seeing that he was a flaming skeleton again, and took a moment to control himself. His quirk was fully reawakened now, and it wasn’t happy about being blown up like that, but Izuku forced himself back into control. With some effort, he got it back in the lantern. When he closed it, he could only wistfully dream of the ease he’d so quickly lost in not having to actively restrain it at all times. 

A girl with pink dreadlocks was now standing before him as his flesh returned, seemingly unafraid of him as she said, “Wow, you must be the Ghost Rider’s kid!”

Power Loader, the head of the support course, who dressed not unlike a construction worker, albeit leaving his upper torso bare, and he wore a helmet that resumed a scoop from a tractor, snapped, “Hey! We’re not done talking! You almost blew up the entire shop just now!” 

Todoroki looked at him, “Is this a bad time?” 

Power Loader groaned, and shook his head. “No, what do you two want?” 

Todoroki looked at Izuku, who said, “I was hoping to see if you had something that could help me control my quirk, like a failsafe, or something.” 

“Don’t you already have Aizawa?” Power Loader asked bluntly. 

“I was thinking of something, just in case he’s not around.” Izuku said, starting to feel a bit reprehensive.

“So, Takao’s already spoken to you?” Power Loader said, folding his arms. 

Izuku taken aback, said, “What? How do you know him?” 

“Because he contacted us the day after the incident. He wanted us to make some kind of failsafe for your quirk so he could force you to use it. I told him no, because you already had Aizawa, and didn’t show any real need for one.” 

That gave Izuku pause. Takao had been acting nice lately, but he’d also noticed that even during his phone calls, he was never alone anymore. It never occurred to him that he would’ve tried something like that. 

“Should he just submit a request form then?” Todoroki asked, looking at the instructor and student. 

“You can, but,” Power Loader looked pointedly at Izuku, “I’ve already been working on something. It’s not ready yet, but I can make it a priority and see what I can do. Is that what you want?” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku said seriously. 

“Alright. What about a new costume? That one’s starting to wear out.” He pointed at him. 

Izuku looked down at himself. Surprisingly, the old jacket was the most intact thing he was wearing, the material showing just how strong it was. His undershirt, pants, and boots, however, were torn, scuffed, dirty, and looked like they’d been through a war, which wasn’t entirely off the mark. 

“I guess, I could use a new one.” He said, and then smirked at the jacket, “Is there any chance you can use this material, but dye it a different color? I don’t know what it’s called, but my Dad used it in his costumes.” 

“Let me see.” Power Loader held out his hand. Izuku removed, and handed the jacket over. After examining it for a moment, Power Loader said, “Yeah, but it’s not really an easy thing to color. We could layer something over it, but it’ll be heavy, and hot, more suitable for winter, not summer. I’ll see what we can do.” 

——

By the next morning, they delivered. When All Might dismissed them to change into their costumes, he found a new suitcase with his number on it in the wall where their first ones had come out. 

In the locker room, he found a brand new costume made from the same material as his mother’s jacket, but with a thin cloth layered over it. It was a dark green that he was pleased to see matched his hair perfectly. He wished his fire was still green, and it would’ve matched better, but that couldn’t be helped. 

It looked like a more modern biker outfit, with the shoulder’s squared a bit and the reflective stripes looking more like a stylized pattern rather than a safety feature, but overall he liked it. It didn’t look like he was trying to be all dark and brooding. 

Along with the costume he found a support item, a respirator that looked like a cross between a big toothy grin, and the face plate of a European Knight’s helmet, which covered the lower half of his face, and nose. When he put it on, and looked in the mirror, he thought it looked alright, until he bit down on the mouthpiece on the inside, and heard a mechanical click. 

Worried about what he’d just done, he carefully didn’t move his jaw again, and looked inside the case, where he thankfully found a sheet of instructions. 

He quickly learned the respirator was the failsafe he’d requested, and he’d just activated it. If he bit down too hard, or opened his mouth, it would set it off. Worse, it didn’t actually say what it would do, just that it would activate upon being set off. 

Luckily, however, there was a safety switch, which he pressed, and heard another mechanical buzzing, before opening his mouth. He let the respirator fall and rest on his chest like a necklace as he sighed in relief. 

As he examined it curiously, he began to hate it, until he realized it was his quirk, and sighed to push the emotions away. His quirk was not happy with the idea of something designed to subdue it. 

He reread the instructions as he walked out to the training grounds for the day. 

“Hello, Midoriya.” A soft, sultry voice said, getting his attention. 

Izuku slowly looked up, and saw Midnight standing before him, along with the rest of his class, who’d gathered at the gate of Ground Beta, the suburban training area. 

Midnight was a former pro hero turned UA faculty, and dressed like a dominatrix from an adult film. From her skin tight jumpsuit that matched her skin tone so perfectly she almost looked like she wasn’t wearing anything, to the corset on her torso, and high heeled boots, she was every teenage boy’s wet dream, and several of Izuku’s classmates ogled her unabashedly from just out of her field of view. 

“Ms. Midnight?” Izuku said, noting she was focusing on him. She held a riding crop in her hand, which she used to point at the respirator. 

With a grin, she said, “So, I see they finally finished that little device.” 

Izuku fiddled with the respirator nervously, “Yes ma’am. It’s just a precaution, in case Aizawa’s not around.”

“Have you tested it yet?” She asked, resting her hand on her hip, her big blue eyes washing over him. 

“No ma’am. I’m not actually sure how it works yet. The instructions just tell me how to operate it.” Izuku said, holding up the sheet of paper. 

“Why don’t we go ahead and test it. It uses my pheromone, and I want to make sure they’re using them properly.” She said, and then without being asked, gently fixed the respirator onto his face. He noted she did it perfectly, and he didn’t feel any need to resist. Even his quirk didn’t seem to feel threatened by her, though it wasn’t crazy about her touching him. 

Mineta seemed to just appear next to him, “Can I use it when you’re done?” 

“What does it do, exactly?” Ochaco asked, having approached as well after Midnight explained that it used her pheromone.

Izuku had already bitten down on the mouthpiece inside the respiratory by then, as Midnight waved everyone away. Once he had some space, Izuku slowly opened the lantern, at which point, his quirk promptly flooded out like a tidal wave of fire. 

He suddenly hated the respirator, but it understood how it worked, and he felt his hand going for the safety switch. With an effort of his own will, Izuku forced his jaw open, and suddenly felt something spray him in the face. 

For a split second, his quirk flew into a rage, and reached up to grab the respirator so it could destroy it, but just as suddenly, it calmed down. 

Izuku felt confused. He’d never felt his quirk be this calm before. It even willingly started going back into the lantern, his flesh beginning to return. The moment he had lungs, and breathed in, Izuku felt it too. 

He felt amazing. And sleepy.

The world was all soft, and fluffy, everyone’s outlines slightly blurred. Then everyone was falling away, and he was floating with the clouds. The pretty, cotton candy clouds. 

Wait, no, he wasn’t floating, he was lying down. When had that happened? Who cares? He didn’t. 

Izuku felt like he was lying on the softest bed he’d ever felt, and he had the best pillow ever, as he found himself looking up at Midnight’s smiling face. 

“Goodnight Midoriya.” Midnight said softly. 

“Good…” Izuku tried to return the phrase, but he was too tired. He’d tell her later. He rolled onto his side, closed his eyes, and dreamed of cotton candy. 

Chapter 15

Izuku rested lazily in a massive field of pink flowers, a small smile on his face, and his cat, Zarathos resting on his stomach, purring so loudly he could feel and hear it clear as day. He didn’t think it could ever get better than this, even when the sun overhead was slowly covered by clouds. 

He opened his eyes, and saw pink and white clouds, all made of delicious, soft cotton candy, just casually floating through the sky. He reached up and grabbed a handful, and took a bite. 

“Izuku, dinner’s ready.” He heard his mother’s voice call out. 

When he opened his eyes again, he was sitting at the dinner table. He smiled at his mother, as she set the food down. It was his favorite meal, katsudon. 

“Thanks Mom!” Izuku said as he grabbed his fork, and started to dig in. 

With a big smile she said “It’s the least I can do for my failure of a son.” 

Izuku froze, and looked up at her. “What?” 

She held up her right arm, which ended just below the elbow. He saw the burnt, and charred flesh. “This was your fault after all. If you’d been a real hero, like your father, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

“Mom I…” he began to choke up. He didn’t know what to say. He was a failure. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do better next…time…” 

The room slowly began to melt away, as Izuku felt something touching his face. 

“Dude, don’t yank on it!” Kaminari said as Mineta kept pulling on the respirator. 

“Just hold his head still, so his quirk doesn’t notice-” Mineta had started to argue, until he gasped, and fell silent.

They both froze. 

Izuku’s eyes were open, and looking from one of them, to the other. His normally green eyes were glowing an angry, fiery orange. 

“Uh…hey m’dude.” Kaminari said nervously, too afraid to let go of his head as Izuku’s eyes turned on him. 

“We were just…adjusting it for you.” Mineta said, before dropping the respirator, and bolting. 

“Hey! Don’t leave me!” Kaminari cried, and then looked down at Izuku again, as he was holding his head slightly off the ground. 

When Izuku spoke, black smoke billowed from his mouth. 

“Don’t touch me.”

Kaminari let him go, and bolted away as well. 

Izuku slowly sat up, and rubbed his chest, taking slow, deep breaths. When he became aware of the respirator again as he got to his feet, he felt a strong urge to break it.

He quickly fought the urge, closing his eyes, and muttering calming words to himself. His quirk hated the respirator, especially now that it knew what it could do. It didn’t want to calm down as long as Izuku wore it, even if it wasn’t on his face. 

“Hey.” He looked up, and saw Ochaco approaching him, “How do you feel?” 

“I’m fine.” Izuku answered. He noticed Ochaco looked like she wanted to say something, but hesitated. 

Which was when Ashido approached, and asked, “You really still suck your thumb when you sleep?” 

Izuku blushed, “What?! No! I do not suck my thumb!” He said defensively. 

“Well the evidence says otherwise.” Ashido held up her phone, and Izuku’s eyes went wide when he saw a picture of himself, curled up like a baby, resting his head on Midnight’s lap while she petted him like a puppy. He was sucking his thumb. 

He felt his face burning, “That’s not…I don’t sleep like that!” 

“You look cute though.” Ochaco said, as she looked at her own phone. 

Izuku groaned, and covered his face, feeling smoke billowing from him, “Please tell me just you two have those.” 

“Well…” Ochaco hesitated. 

Izuku’s heart sank when his own phone rang. Fearfully, he pulled it out, and saw his mother’s smiling face. 

“Mom?”

“Izuku. What’s going on at that school?” She asked suspiciously. 

“What are you…” he looked at Ashido, who showed him a news broadcast on her phone. They were showing the picture.

“Who is that woman, and why is she dressed like that?” Inko asked, “Is that a villain?” 

Izuku tried to think quickly, “That’s one of my teachers.” 

“…excuse me?” 

“Her name’s Midnight. She’s a pro hero that works at UA.” 

“Why were you sleeping on her lap like that? And why were you sucking your thumb? I thought you stopped doing that when you were nine.” 

He saw both Ochaco and Ashido begin to crack up at his expense, as they were close enough to hear that.

“I did!” Izuku said, blushing again, “And I was asleep because I smelled some of her pheromones.” 

“WHAT?!!” 

Izuku groaned.

“I am coming down there, right now!” 

“Wait! No! Mom, please, it’s not what you think, that’s her quirk!” 

“Her quirk is to dress like a stripper and put boys to sleep?” 

Izuku hesitated.

“Izuku!” 

“Mom, really, nothing’s happening. Can we talk when I get home?” He begged her. As he heard her fuming, he caught a glance of Kirishima and Sero both looking at him, and laughing from a distance. 

Inko let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Fine. We’re not done discussing this, young man! You better come straight home after school!” 

“I will.” 

“Good. What’re you doing now?” 

“We’re waiting for the teachers to give us our assignment for field training.” 

“Alright. I’ll see you when you get home.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

After saying their goodbyes, Izuku hung up, and sighed. He felt grateful in that moment that his quirk never felt any animosity towards her, and it gave him a moment to calm down. When he turned to look for Ochaco, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he was faced with Aizawa just standing there, his arms folded. 

“What is that?” He pointed at the respirator.

“It’s a support item I asked for.” Izuku answered, fiddling with it self consciously. 

“Why do you have it?” He asked, his voice cold as ice. 

“I wanted to have a failsafe, in case you weren’t around.” He answered, as he pushed away another urge to break it. 

Aizawa held out his hand. Without question, Izuku handed it over. Aizawa examined it for a moment, before handing it back. 

“It’s a crutch. You’re wasting your time using it.” Aizawa told him. 

“I just want to be able to subdue my quirk if I ever need to.” Izuku said, looking down, not wanting to meet his teacher’s eyes. 

“Remember what I told you before, Midoriya. You’re not getting any more chances after yesterday.” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku nodded, and Aizawa walked away. 

It was only then that he noticed more students standing a short distance away, which he didn’t recognize. Until he saw Tetsutetsu standing among them, glaring at him. He was standing tall, and unafraid, his arms folded, and his glare steady on Izuku, who couldn’t bring himself to return the look. He just turned away, and he swore he heard Tetsutetsu grunt. 

Aizawa stood at the entrance to Ground Beta, where they were supposed to train that day, along with three other teachers, All Might, who was in his muscle form and one of his older costumes, Midnight, and a fourth teacher named Vlad King, whom Izuku only knew as Class 1-B’s homeroom teacher. He was a big man, in a bright red and white costume, with white hair, and an underbite. 

All Might called out “I want everyone’s attention! We will be starting shortly!” 

The students all gathered around, though they all stayed close to their respective classmates. 

All Might held up a finger, “Each of your homeroom teachers will be calling out the names of the first two teams that will be competing in today’s field training exercises! When your name is called, please step forward!” 

Each of the homeroom teachers held up a tablet, and Aizawa went first. 

“Midoriya, Ochaco, Shoji, and Aoyama” 

Izuku stepped forward, and looked at his teammates. He’d worked with Ochaco and Shoji before, but had only seen Aoyama work. He was a skinny, flamboyant guy, who could fire a laser from his navel. 

Next, Vlad King read out his student’s names, “Monoma, Tsunotori, Shiozaki, and Tetsutetsu.” 

Izuku flinched. He forced himself to stare forward as he saw the other four students step forward in the corner of his eye. 

Once they were there, All Might spoke again, “Now! Your respective teachers will escort you to your starting areas, and explain the scenario! The rest of you will accompany me, and Midnight to the control room!” 

Izuku followed Aizawa as he turned, and walked into the training grounds, while All Might turned, and led the group in a different direction. He felt Tetsutetsu’s glare on him again, but he carefully didn’t look at him. He knew he was going to come straight at him the first chance he got. 

Aizawa led them to the eastern side of Ground Beta, which was a housing area, and they found a large cage with a cartoonish rendition of Nezu on the front. 

The teacher turned, and addressed them. “Your objective is simple. You are to capture the other team, and lock them in this cage. Once they are in the cage, they may not leave until the end of the round. Their objective is the same, and they have a cage of their own. The winner is whoever captures the most of the other team. You have ten minutes. Any questions?” 

No one said anything. 

“Good. The round starts when you hear a buzzer.” He then looked pointedly at Izuku, “Do not hold back.” 

“Yes sir.” They all said in unison. 

With that, he left. 

“Alright, does anyone have a plan?” Ochaco asked. 

“I can scout for us, but it’ll be better if I can get to a high building.” He looked around. 

While they talked, Izuku was muttering calming words to himself. He was nervous, which was causing his quirk to stir. He didn’t want it to go berserk the moment he activated it. 

“Midoriya?” 

“Yes? Sorry!” He said, and faced them. They were all looking at him. 

“Don’t let Monoma touch you.” Shoji said. 

“Which one was Monoma?” 

“The one in the tuxedo.” Shoji answered, “He has a copy quirk. If he touches you, he can copy yours, and they’ll have a huge advantage.” 

“That’s not good.” Izuku said as he became thoughtful. 

“Tell me about it, I can’t stand the thought of two of you guys running around.” Ochaco said, “One’s scary enough.” 

“That’s not what I mean.” Izuku replied, “If he doesn’t use my quirk properly, he’ll-” 

An almost deafening buzzer sounded. 

“Midoriya! Go that way, we’ll support you while you spearhead the attack!” Ochaco said quickly. Izuku nodded, and ran towards the general direction he guessed 1-B’s team would be. 

He slipped the respirator on, but didn’t bite down yet. He felt his quirk’s objection of the device in the form of anger towards it, but ignored the feelings. He heard someone running behind him, and saw Aoyama following him. 

They all had radios in their ears, except for Izuku. Given his quirk burned his flesh away, his radio was a button sized gadget clipped to his jacket’s lapel, which came to life just then. 

“Midoriya,” Shoji said, “Two people are straight ahead, coming towards you.” 

A few seconds later, he saw Tetsutetsu, and the person he assumed must’ve been Monoma, both having skin made of steel, running towards them. 

Izuku heard Aoyama shout something, but he wasn’t paying attention, a split second before a blast of sparkling light shot past him, and slammed into Monoma. 

The blast knocking him off his feet, but Tetsutetsu braced himself when Aoyama directed another blast at him. It slowed him down, but he was still standing as he and Izuku closed in. 

“Remember the name Midoriya! Real Steel!” 

Izuku opened the lantern, and felt his perspective shift, before losing control of his own body. 

His mind was flooded with indescribable hatred for the world around him, and a fury that threatened to completely overwhelm his mind, even as he felt the collision with Tetsutetsu. 

Neither of them tried for any fancy moves, or techniques, it started as a slug match, the two simply hitting one another violently, and they both fully intended on ending it as one. 

Tetsutetsu slammed on punch into Izuku’s temple as he shouted, “REAL!!!” Before striking him with a hook that sent Izuku stumbling, punctuating it with “STEEL!!!” 

Izuku heard Aoyama shriek, but didn’t look to see what happened, his quirk fully focused on his current opponent as they clashed again. 

“What are you, Midoriya?” Tetsutetsu asked, “A man? A villain?” 

He ignored his words, as they traded blows. 

“Tell me! What are you? Because you’re about to lose!” Tetsutetsu grabbed Izuku’s arm, and he was suddenly off his feet, and slammed onto his back. 

His quirk was angry, but it held back, he could feel it. It was wary of the respirator. Izuku refused to let it remove it, however, even as Tetsutetsu began hammering his head like a jackhammer to a nail. 

Suddenly, Izuku felt the respirator break as Tetsutetsu punched it, and it flew off his face. When no pheromone sprayed, Izuku felt his quirk cut loose. 

He pulled his legs up, kicked Tetsutetsu away, and was suddenly on his feet. Izuku tried to hold it back, but his quirk fought back, and he felt his head twitch. 

Then his quirk did something Izuku had never seen. Two words came out in a voice that wasn’t his own.

“No more.”

Izuku suddenly felt himself being suppressed. He tried to fight back, to retake control, but as he saw Monoma rushing him, his quirk wouldn’t have it. 

All of a sudden, Izuku truly was a prisoner in his own body, as he was forced to watch his quirk rush to meet his opponent. 

“Izuku? You can talk in your fire form now?” Shoji asked when he heard the words both over the radio, and from where Midoriya was supposed to be. He had his arms out in a web, making a flesh dish that allowed him to hear much better as he produced a set of ears at the end of each arm. 

He quickly surveyed the battle. Ochaco was in a fight with the petite blond girl with horns, but they were too far away for him to tell exactly how that was going, and he saw Aoyama dealing with the girl with vines for hair, using his laser to cut through her vines, even though she’d managed to ensnare him a few times. 

At the moment, he saw Izuku back on his feet, the respirator he’d been wearing now gone, and he was cutting loose on Tetsutetsu, and Monoma. 

“Wait! Midoriya! Don’t let him touch you!” Shoji shouted, just as he saw Monoma close in. 

The flaming skeleton was hammering blows into Tetsutetsu, when he felt a slap on the back of his head, and turned to see Monoma grinning at him, his steel skin now gone. 

Izuku desperately tried to retake control then, to warn him, knowing what was about to happen. Monoma was about to learn the lesson Izuku had the night his quirk manifested, when he first tried to purposely use it after his father had taught him to control it. 

——

“Whenever you want to use it, you have to be fast. Just let your quirk do its thing, and it’ll only hurt for a second.” Hisashi said as he kneeled in front of Izuku, and then showed him how quickly he let his flesh burn away, and then regrow. “Just try again.” 

“It hurts.” Izuku said tears running down his face. 

“I know, Izuku, but practicing it now will make it easier later.” 

Izuku nodded, and closed his eyes. He opened the lantern in his mind, and felt his flesh begin to burn away. It hurt so bad, he screamed, and shut the lantern. His flesh immediately regrew, but the echo of the agony lingered. 

“Okay, okay, let’s just hold off for now. We can practice later.” Hisashi said as Izuku scratched his arm and began to cry. Hisashi pulled him into a hug, and held him until he calmed down. 

——

Izuku’s quirk, however, didn’t relinquish control, it turned its attention back to Tetsutetsu after he slammed a punch into his chin while he wasn’t looking, before swinging back at him. 

The ensuing scream Monoma let out made Tetsutetsu hesitate as he looked at his teammate, and Izuku sent him stumbling back, before turning to face him. 

Monoma was still standing, clutching his head, while various parts of his body were covered in fire, his flesh burning away slowly. His eyes were wide with horror and agony as he tried to control it. 

“What is this quirk?!” Monoma asked frantically as Izuku marched towards him. 

Knock him out! Izuku thought, pleading with his quirk, hoping to stop his suffering before it got worse. 

Just before it could, however, it tripped up on something, before they suddenly found themselves wrapped up in thorny vines. 

“You shall not harm our friend, you fiend!” He heard a woman’s voice as he struggled against the vines. 

Then he heard his quirk speak again, a single word that terrified him. 

“Burn.” 

He heard several shouts as he felt his fire suddenly spreading violently, burning the vines away, even as more continued to wrap around him. They were trying to contain him, but his quirk wouldn’t allow it. 

Meanwhile, he could practically feel Monoma’s struggle, as he screamed in agony. 

Izuku began to feel lightheaded, as he was suddenly hearing his mother screaming again. He clutched his head as he tried to stay where he was, desperately fighting against his quirk, the hatred, and his own mind, all at once. 

“Tick tock hero.” He heard the villain’s voice again, saw the crazed eye. The vines were suddenly hands, massive black hands holding him, while the monster began to pull on his head, intending to rip it off. 

A roar escaped the fiery skeleton as fire poured from his mouth, and it moved unnaturally. Like a living cloud, it moved, and swarmed towards the vines, and immediately began burning them away as more fire poured out in all directions. 

Tetsutetsu rushed him, and swung a fist, intent on knocking him out, but Izuku’s arm broke free as he heard his classmates screaming around him, and he literally punched his fist aside, before slamming his other into his face. 

Izuku began pummeling him violently as he tried to keep up, Tetsutetsu feeling his metal getting too hot. He was already starting to glow from it, but Izuku had him on the defensive, until another skeleton appeared. 

Monoma, now a skeleton as well, covered in a golden fire, grabbed Izuku’s arm, and slung him away, tossing what looked like a massive fireball into a nearby building. 

As soon as he was away, Tetsutetsu turned his skin back to normal so he could cool down. “Thanks!” He told his classmate. 

Monoma slowly turned his hollowed eyes on him, and he suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He just managed to get his steel skin and arms back up, just as Monoma’s fist shot towards him. 

“Monoma! What’re you doing?!” Tetsutetsu shouted angrily as his supposed teammate started striking him. 

A car flew out of nowhere, and slammed into them both, knocked them to the ground. 

Ochaco ran to the hole Izuku had flown through, and was just about to peer into it, when Izuku emerged from it, like a demon stepping through the gates of hell itself, fire pouring from him like a waterfall, and covering the area around his feet. 

She gasped, and nearly fell trying to step away from him as he marched straight for Monoma, who’d already gotten to his feet, and was shaking his head, just as his fire went out. Just looking at Izuku made Ochaco afraid, as he truly seemed to have become his father, a walking demon on earth. 

What was it the media once called him? 

The Spirit of Vengeance. 

When Monoma saw Izuku approaching, he gasped, and quickly went to Tetsutetsu, who was still slowly getting to his feet. He tapped his arm, and turned his own skin to steel, and turned to face the approaching enemy. 

“Midoriya! Are you in control?” Ochaco asked. Either he wasn’t, or he didn’t care to answer. Either way, he started to run, and charged the two boys from Class 1-B. 

Ochaco looked over when she saw movement in the corner of her eye, and saw the blond girl with horns, kneeling beside her teammate, the vine haired girl, who seemed to be really badly burned, and was lying on her side. She ran to her, knowing she would only get in the way trying to help Izuku in a fight. 

Shoji abandoned his perch once he realized Aoyama had been captured, and caged, while everyone else was in the same area, battling it out. He was sure the vine haired girl was down, but that still put his teammates as two against three. 

When he got to the scene, the first thing he saw was Izuku, holding Monoma by the front of his shirt, and slamming their heads together in a vicious headbutt, twice before spinning, and throwing him aside like he weighed nothing. The second thing he saw as he approached was Ochaco’s bright pink and black costume, as she kneeled with the blond girl from 1-B, over a third person he almost didn’t recognize.

He decided to see if he could help the girls first. Just as he was running, he saw something on the ground that made him stop and look. He saw the broken remains of Izuku’s respirator. 

“These burns are bad.” Ochaco said, though she cursed herself shortly afterward, knowing that’s not something you should say out loud, and continued to work on her. She kept a first aid kit on her belt, which had supplies specifically for burns, and she was putting them to good use. 

Something landed nearby, and she turned her head to see Tetsutetsu had just rolled to a stop just a few feet away, and was unconscious. She gasped, and looked, afraid of what she was about to see. 

A walking nightmare was coming straight towards them, his hollowed eye sockets, once again looking like twin black abysses. Somehow, she couldn’t quite describe it, but this time was even worse than the last. Something about him wasn’t just threatening, but genuinely malevolent, almost like a true evil aura was emanating from him, rather than just heat from the fire. 

A pair of horns shot past her, and slammed into Izuku’s chest before she could do anything. She spun on the girl, just as she fired another pair at him. 

Izuku shot past her, and she gasped when she saw him take her by the throat. 

“Midoriya!” 

Izuku turned his head just as Shoji slammed the vial of pink concentrated pheromone right into his face. Izuku let out a demonic sounding roar as he dropped the girl and swung at Shoji, the strike sending him several feet back, but it quickly took effect. 

Ochaco saw his flesh regrow almost immediately as he fell to his knees, and then was face down, dead asleep. The training grounds fell deafly silent for a moment. 

“You train with him?!” The girl screamed as she rubbed her throat. 

By the time the buzzer sounded, 1-A won, as 1-B’s team only had one member standing, and Shoji secured Monoma and Tetsutetsu. All but the horned girl, who introduced herself as Pony, were taken to the nurse via stretchers carried by medical robots, as well as help from the homeroom teachers. 

Down in the control room, All Might turned to face the students. 

“Now! Once your homeroom teachers return, they will be naming the next four of you from each class. Please make sure you’re all ready to go!” The Symbol of Peace said loudly, his smile never faltering. 

“What was that?!” The red haired girl who had once pulled Tetsutetsu away from Izuku asked in shock. 

“That’s Midoriya.” Kirishima said, “I told you guys he’s tougher than he looks.” 

A short, gray haired student from 1-B looked at him and asked, “How do you fight him? What’s his weakness?” 

Mineta shouted, “Oh! You’d like us to tell you, but we’re not that dumb! You’ll just have to figure that out on your own!” He struck a proud pose with a big grin on his face. 

“To be fair, he’s still a pretty nice guy, he just has a really scary quirk.” Kaminari said. 

All Might listened to them talking about Izuku, and felt better about the world. His classmates were finally warming up to him. Even defending him. He just wondered how he was going to be when he woke up. That was definitely another incident of Izuku losing control, but All Might decided not to say anything unless he needed to. 

When he turned back to the monitors, he saw Aizawa speaking to Izuku, whom he’d just awoken. He couldn’t hear him, the camera was just too far away, but he could see the boy was upset. Aizawa handed him the broken respirator, and Izuku just looked down at it in his hands for a while. 

Eventually, they started back towards the control room.

Chapter 16

Once again, Izuku was lying in the field of flowers, listening to Zarathos’s gentle purring, when he felt something shaking him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking up at Aizawa. 

“Wake up, problem child.” Aizawa said impatiently. “On your feet.” 

Izuku quickly got up, and stood before his teacher at attention. Aizawa handed him the broken respirator. 

“I told you this was a crutch, and that little stunt was proof of it.” 

Izuku held it, and just looked down at it in his hands as Aizawa scolded him. 

“I don’t want to see you wearing it again, and I’m going to make sure the support course knows you’re not to get a new one. Am I understood?” 

“Yes sir.” Izuku said sheepishly. 

“Good. Now are you hurt?” 

“No sir.” Izuku lied. His whole body hurt, but he didn’t feel any breaks. He figured he could use the pain as his own penance, and try to remember it for next time. 

“Get back to the control room.” Aizawa said, and turned away from him. 

Izuku walked quickly out of the training grounds, and towards the control room. To get there, he had to go just outside the gate, and along the outer wall. 

When he was outside the wall, he didn’t stop to check, but was sure he was alone, so he paused to just breathe, and let himself hurt. 

“Are you okay?” 

He looked to the right, and saw a girl standing there. When he turned to look at her, he first noticed her uniform. She was in what looked like gym clothes, similar to the ones he occasionally wore, only the colors were changed so it was predominantly white, with blue and red stripes. He noticed it had various colored paint stains on it, when he then saw she was holding a notebook, and pencil case. 

It was when he saw her face and hair, however, that he had a moment of Deja vu. Bright blond hair. Her eyes were a light, almost golden yellow with slit, rather than round pupils. 

“I’m fine.” He said, and looked away from her, “Just needed to catch my breath.” He stood there, and just breathed, feeling his ribs especially smarting, and starting to reconsider his choice of not going to the nurse. When he noticed the girl was still standing there, he glanced at her, and asked, “What’re you doing here? Isn’t this area just for the hero course?” 

“I’m in the general studies, this is my art class time. I’m supposed to draw something around the campus.” She said, and stepped towards him. “You’re Izuku Midoriya, right?” 

“Yeah, that’s…” he smelled her strawberry perfume, and immediately knew it had to be her. The girl from the nurse’s office. Not sure what to actually say, he decided to just say it, “You were that girl, from when I was in the nurse’s office!” 

She smiled. He was sure it was meant to be a kind gesture, but something about the way she smiled felt unnerving. Part of it, he realized, was she had slightly longer canines than normal, almost like a vampire. She said, “Yeah. I’m sorry about that. I saw how badly you were hurt and…” she just held up her hands as if to say ‘What can you do?’ 

Izuku began to feel nervous, which wasn’t helped when she walked up to him, and grinned right in his face. 

“I’m Himiko Toga, by the way.” She said, her smile never wavering, even as Izuku tried to lean away from her. 

“It’s uh…nice to meet you.” Izuku managed to stammer out nervously. Toga’s face was just inches from his, and her perfume was strong. It smelled nice, but it felt like she was trying to overpower him by force of will alone. 

“Since I’m sure you need to get to class, why don’t we talk later?” She said just above a whisper. 

“What?!” Izuku’s voice cracked, and he quickly coughed and said, “I’m sorry, but you’re right, I should go.” 

She then had him backed up against the wall. His quirk was flaring in his chest, but he managed to keep it suppressed, by holding his chest. Toga noticed, and grinned even wider. 

“Heart racing for me?” She asked, so close he could feel her breath on his face. 

“Please. I should go.” Izuku said nervously, smoke puffing from his mouth, wishing for more personal space. She smiled, clearly oblivious to the danger she was in. 

“Want to exchange numbers?” She asked. 

Izuku’s mind raced. Maybe if he did, she would leave him alone. He could just ignore any messages she sent, he figured. “S-sure.” 

And so they did. She gave him her number, and he gave her his. 

“I’ll call you later.” She said softly as she turned to leave. 

Izuku watched her walk away for a moment, as he took the time to calm himself down. When he was sure he was in full control, he turned, and finished the walk to the control room. 

The area was silent for a moment, as seemingly no one was there, until she was sure they were both gone. When she was, Hagakure giggled gleefully, and trotted towards the control room, completely unseen. 

——

“Hey, there’s our walking inferno!” Kaminari said cheerfully when Izuku entered the control room. 

He was taken aback by how welcoming they all suddenly were. He saw Shoji and Ochaco were already there, and also smiling at him, though Shoji was giving him six thumbs up. 

By contrast, 1-B were almost deafly silent as he entered, and joined his classmates. 

“That was awesome how you took on two of them at once!” Kirishima said, “I thought they had you for sure when Monoma copied your quirk.” 

Izuku smiled, feeling good to be praised so much, though it all stopped when the homeroom teachers entered. 

“Aizawa, Vlad King! Glad to see you joining us again!” All Might proclaimed loudly, “I think the students are ready for the next match when you are!” 

Aizawa sighed, while Vlad King looked serious. They both held their tablets again, and started calling names. When the next eight students lined up, and left, the rest of the students began to mingle. Izuku started talking to Ochaco, until he noticed Midnight walking towards him. 

“Try not to abuse my pheromone, young man,” she said seriously, “I understand you wanted a failsafe for that vicious power of yours, but I don’t want to think you’re using my power for…naughty things.” 

“No ma’am.” Izuku said. He pulled out the broken respirator from his pocket, “Mr. Aisawa said he doesn’t want to use it anymore anyway.” 

“It’s just as well.” Midnight sighed, “I’m sure you’ll learn to control your powers soon enough. Young men always struggle with that kind of aggression, but it can be tamed.” She gave him a look that frightened him. 

Then, completely unabashed, she turned, and walked back to the front of the control room, and started examining the monitors with All Might. 

As Izuku was trying to calm himself down once again, Hagakure hurried over to Ashido, and whispered, “You were right! He met with his girlfriend before coming here!” 

Ashido’s eyes lit up, and she whispered back “Really? Who is she?” 

“Himiko Toga. She’s in general studies, she’s in art class right now! They exchanged numbers!” 

Ashido and Hagakure giggled together as they saw the all the new potential gossip they were going to get to hear and spread around. 

“Wait, do you think Ochaco knows?” Ashido asked suddenly. 

Hagakure gasped, “Do you think he’s been leading her on this whole time?” 

“What if he has? I mean, he hides that horribly violent side of his so well, what if he uses that puppy dog side to fool girls?” 

“He’s so manipulative! We should tell her!” 

They both looked over, and saw Ochaco, Midoriya, and Shoji were all chatting at the moment. 

“I’ll text her.” Ashido said, pulling up her phone. 

Izuku looked at Shoji, “I’m sorry you had to put me to sleep.” He told him. 

“It’s alright.” Shoji replied, “at least I get to brag that I knocked you out once.”

Izuku smiled, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” 

The boys didn’t notice Ochaco checking her phone as they talked, Shoji saying, “That was pretty cool how you took on two guys at once. Do you use any sort of martial arts?” 

Izuku shook his head, “My quirk just kind of makes it up as I go. Even if I learned one, I don’t think it would bother using it.” He then noticed Ochaco’s wide eyed stare as she gazed at her phone. “Hey, are you okay?” 

Her voice distant, she said, “I’m fine.” She slowly closed, and put her phone away. She slowly turned, and looked at Izuku. 

“Ochaco?” He asked, now getting worried by the look she was giving him. 

“Alright everyone!” All Might called out, getting everyone’s attention. “They’re about to start!” 

——

Izuku still wasn’t sure what was going on with Ochaco when school ended. She didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day. 

When he got home, and opened the door, he was barely out of his shoes before Zarathos came to him, clearly wanting attention. 

“Hey.” He said, and began petting the cat, who immediately began purring, and rubbing against his hand.

“Ahem.” 

Izuku froze. He could feel his mother’s glare on his back. When he turned to face her, he saw her holding up her phone, where she had the picture pulled up. 

“Care to explain, young man?” 

Clearly not caring about their discussion, Zarathos rubbed against Izuku’s leg, wanting more attention. 

So he got to explaining. He told her everything about the respirator, Midnight’s pheromone, and how she had him test it. 

“And resting on her lap?” Inko asked when he finished. 

“I guess she caught me. I remember falling, I think, but I was out after that.” Izuku answered, “When I woke up, I was lying on my back.” 

Inko sighed, and put her phone away. After a moment she said, “I looked into that Midnight woman. I’m not fond of her being a teacher, but she apparently has excellent credentials, and her past students speak highly of her.” 

Izuku figured she must’ve called the school, since that sounded like something they would say, but didn’t ask. 

“Alright. Go do your homework. Dinner will be ready in an hour.” 

“Yes ma’am.” Izuku obediently went to his room, Zarathos following along. 

Izuku got to his desk, and started to set out his books when his phone dinged. He hesitated, but slowly pulled it out, and looked at the number. 

It was a text from Toga, reading, ‘Hey, whatcha doing?’

Izuku sighed. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say, so he just typed the truth. ‘Homework.’

He set his phone down, and started to get to work when it dinged again. 

‘What kind of homework do hero students do?’

‘Longterm sociological effects of heroes’ actions over the course of the average professional career and their implications as a whole.’ 

There was almost a full minute before she responded to that, while he started studying.

‘That’s interesting.’

‘I should really focus on it. We can text later if you want.’

‘Alright.’

After that, she didn’t text again, which relieved him, and he got back to his studies. 

——

“If Midoriya doesn’t start getting his quirk under control, I don’t have a choice.” Aizawa said, staring across the U shaped table at All Might. 

“Expelling him just seems like an extreme. He’s shone great improvement over his power, and can we really blame him right now?” All Might argued. 

“It doesn’t matter what he’s been through if he’s a detriment to the rest of his class, we cannot allow his education to continue. I will not allow it.” Aizawa retorted. 

“If nothing else, he’s showing them what they might have to deal with in a real villain scenario. When he loses control, he becomes dangerous, but so far his classmates have shown great levelheadedness at handling him. Shoji showed excellent resourcefulness today alone, but we can’t forget that they’ve restrained, and even stopped him before.” 

“I agree with All Might.” Midnight said, “Even if he doesn’t make a great hero, the students can learn how to deal with villains with powers like his, which there are plenty of.” 

“And what happens if he goes overboard?” Ectoplasm, a tall man with dark blue skin, and a large overcoat asked. “His classmates aren’t pushovers by any means, but he’s shown he’s capable of killing. Even if not Midoriya, his quirk is certain able to.” 

“That was an extreme situation where he had no choice in the matter.” All Might snapped, “Besides that, I saw Midoriya afterwards, and it nearly destroyed him. The boy isn’t a callous killer.” 

“His quirk is still capable of it.” Ectoplasm said darkly. 

“So is Bakugo, whom we’ve already had to restrain, and send to special counseling multiple times now.” Snipe, a hero with an American cowboy themed costume pointed out. “If anything, he’s the one who needs special watching over.” 

“Alright, that’s enough.” Nezu finally interjected. He looked at Aizawa, “I understand what you’re saying about Midoriya’s control issues, but I don’t believe expelling him will help anyone. I suggest we continue his training, and focus more on quirk control.” 

“Then we can’t let him enter the Sports Festival.” Aizawa said coldly, “It’s too risky.” 

“He’ll need to if he’s ever going to further his career as a pro hero later.” All Might stated. 

“And what happens if the stress causes another incident?” Aizawa asked as he glared at him, “There won’t be just a few students who have to deal with him, there will be an entire stadium full of civilians. And then there’s what the media will do afterwards.” He looked at Nezu, “We have to bar him from the festival.” 

Nezu leaned back in his human sized chair, and sighed. All eyes fell on him, as the final decision of such a thing would have to come from him. The Sports Festival was a huge deal, made all the more important since they were hosting it this year. It was an excellent opportunity for students from all three years to show off what they could do to potential agencies, not to mention the effectiveness of their schools’ training. 

With a deep breath, Nezu said, “The Festival will be his last control test.” 

They all fell silent. 

Nezu looked at Aizawa, “I want you to keep an eye on him at all times. If he loses control, even once, or is unable to power down on command, he is to be barred from any further participation.” 

Chapter 17

Izuku opened his eyes, and found he was lying in his bed. He sat up, and looked around. He was alone, he realized, as he set his feet on the floor. 

“Mom?” Izuku called out, but didn’t hear a response. As he walked towards his bedroom door, he looked around for Zarathos, who normally slept in his room, but he didn’t see him, even when he turned on the light. 

“Like father, like son.” 

He opened the door, and peered out into the police station office. 

Now eight years old again, Izuku stood next to his mother as they told them what his father had done. 

“…crippled Endeavor, and killed at least three people that we’re aware of.” The police officer said. Izuku looked around, seeing a few heroes he recognized.

A hero named Death Arms, a large, muscular man, sneered at Izuku, who stepped behind his mother, trying to hide. 

“Need to watch that one. Like father like son.” 

Somewhere, in his very soul, Izuku felt something burn away. 

Izuku was ten, sitting at the kitchen table with his mother as the men in suits spoke to them. 

“You’re being marked as a villain risk. It means you won’t be able to do hero work, if that’s what you plan on doing with your future.” 

With a smirk, the other one said, “Like father, like son.” 

Izuku felt another part of his being burning away. 

Chains that had naturally linked him and his quirk together were breaking. 

A fist slammed into his face, and he stumbled to the ground.

“STOP!!!” Eleven year old Izuku cried as he curled up, covering his head. 

“Make us!” Bakugo snapped, and then proceeded to kick him, along with his friends. 

“Stop it please!” Izuku cried as he began to smoke. He could feel the hatred and anger building up inside him. 

One particularly vicious kick slammed into his forehead, rocking his head back, and Izuku was suddenly on his feet, and on fire, his flesh burning away in a flash as he screamed in a demonic voice, “I SAID STOP!!!”

He pointed a finger at Bakugo, as they locked eyes, and a single word echoed through Izuku’s mind. 

“Penance!” 

Bakugo screamed and covered his eyes as he turned away, while Izuku gasped, and quickly closed the lantern in his mind. 

“You…traitor!” Bakugo’s eyes, now bloodshot, and filled with tears, glared hatefully at him, “I knew you were a traitor!” 

“No! I’m sorry!” Izuku said, as he began to cry. 

Shadows through time surrounded him, and he saw dozens of the ugly faces of everyone who ever hated him. Everyone.

“Traitor!” 

“He’s a monster!” 

“Villain in the making!” 

“Should’ve just locked him up.” 

“No.” Izuku fell to his knees, and covered his ears as he heard the words, echoing across time. He felt more and more chains snapping in his mind.

“What makes you think you should even try being a hero with a quirk like that?” 

A chain snapped.

“I’ll show you what a true hero family legacy is.” 

Another.

“He’s dressing like his backstabbing father.” 

“Please, stop.” Izuku curled up, pressing his forehead into the ground. The last few chains snapped, until there was only one. One last chain, holding himself, and his quirk together as one.

“Guess we’ll go ahead with the final test.” 

He felt his mother flesh burning away under his own grip, heard her screaming in his ear as she tried to pull away. 

The final chain finally broke, and Izuku’s world became fire. He felt his quirk turning on him, no longer tied down to his own will. 

He looked up, and saw the flaming skeleton as it grabbed him by the throat. He felt his heart racing as he looked into the black abysses of the skeleton’s empty eye sockets. 

A soft purring suddenly filled his ears. 

“Huh?” He looked up, and saw a shadow on his shoulder, which pressed itself against his head hard enough that he had to tilt it away. 

The purring grew loud, and he felt the warmth from the shadow as it nuzzled against him. He didn’t even notice the skeleton was gone until…

Izuku slowly became aware of Zarathos’s warm fur on his face. He found he could only open one eye as the cat’s paw was resting on the other as he snuggled up against his head, purring right in his ear. 

As the memories of the dream…the nightmare began to fade, Izuku almost began to cry. He reached up and began to pet Zarathos, giving him a good head scratch. 

Izuku wasn’t even aware he’d fallen back asleep until his alarm went off. 

When he dragged himself into the bathroom, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He stared into his own eyes for a moment. 

“I am not Hisashi.” He said aloud. Knowing he could say it, made at least part of him believe it. 

After his morning routine, he went into the kitchen, and started making breakfast for himself and his mother, who came in a few minutes later. 

Once the food was ready, they sat together, and began to eat in silence for a while, while Zarathos ate from his own bowl, where Izuku had snuck in an extra cat treat with his regular scoop of cat food. 

“I’ll be leaving for the new job the day after tomorrow.” Inko said after a time. Izuku looked up at her. 

“What about your arm? Is it…” 

“It’s fine, honey.” Inko held up her robotic arm. She opened and closed her hand. “I’m used to it enough to be able to do the job. Plus, you’ll get to have the house to yourself.” She smiled. 

Izuku nodded, but didn’t feel like smiling. He thought about his dream, though it had mostly faded by then. After a few moments, he said, “I’m gonna miss you.” 

Inko’s smile became sympathetic. “I know, Izuku, but this is just how it has to be. I’ll still be home on the weekends, I just have to go in a few days early for orientation, and training. It’s only a temporary job, and it’ll be over before you know it.” 

He nodded, and forced himself to smile. She was going to be working for a hero agency, he was sure they would protect her. The problem was that he wasn’t going to be able to if something happened. Part of him wanted to just pack up, and move to the city so he could be close by, but he knew that wasn’t an option. 

When he was getting ready to leave for school, they hugged one more time. He felt her tremble suddenly. 

“I’m sorry it has to be this way, Izuku.” Inko said as she began to cry. 

Izuku almost burst into tears himself, but he forced himself to hold it in. He needed to be strong for his mother as he held her tight. 

“If your father hadn’t…” 

But she never said it. They both knew it. 

If Hisashi hadn’t turned villain, all their lives would be different. He’d still be in theirs, Inko wouldn’t have to work, and Izuku wouldn’t be a pariah for potential villainy. He may have even gotten into UA on recommendation, instead of having to all but force the HPSC to let him at least apply. 

Another part of Izuku, the worst part of him, the part that was still burning him deep inside, also knew his father would’ve handled the villain attack so much better. 

If he’d been there, if he’d been the one that walked through the door that evening…

If…

So many if’s…

——

Monoma looked miserable at his desk when Kendo entered the classroom. She smirked, sure she knew why as she approached him. 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, Monoma. We just weren’t ready for…that.” She told him, trying to sound encouraging. 

Slowly, he looked up at her, and she saw just how disheveled he really was. His hair was a mess, his eyes baggy, and bloodshot. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night. 

Just then, Pony, who was Monoma’s closest friend, approached with a concerned look on her face. 

“What’s wrong Neito? You look sad.” Pony said sweetly. 

“I think he’s still upset about losing yesterday.” Kendo answered. 

“No.” Monoma muttered, just barely above a whisper. He just stared forward into space as he said “It’s that quirk. It’s not normal.” 

“What’re you talking about?” Pony asked. “Did that skeleton boy’s quirk hurt you?” 

“You don’t know the half of it.” Monoma began to shiver. His eyes went wide, and he began to shake, “I can still hear the screams. Those terrible screams inside my head. His quirk…it attacked me.” 

“How could a quirk attack you?” Kendo asked in confusion. 

“The same way I’m about to!” Tetsutetsu appeared, and grabbed Monoma by the lapels. He yanked him to his feet, and angrily asked, “Why’d you do it? If you’d given me time to cool down, we could’ve won!” 

“I-I couldn’t stop it! That quirk, it’s sentient!” Monoma said frantically. 

“Hey! Put him down!” Kendo grabbed Tetsutetsu’s arm, “No fighting in class!” 

With an angry grunt, he let him go, and just glared at him, showing his sharp teeth. “You cost us the fight!” 

“Don’t you understand metal head?!” Monoma snapped, clearly at his wits’ end, “I wasn’t in control! Midoriya’s quirk isn’t normal! If that other girl hadn’t knocked it off balance with that car, it was going to kill me!” 

That got everyone’s attention. 

“What do you mean, Monoma?” Kendo asked, now worried for her classmate. 

“That…that thing, that quirk, isn’t just a fire quirk!” Monoma said, “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not normal. I’ve never copied a quirk like that, it actively attacked my mind the second I had it, and it felt like,” he clutched his head with both hands, “…it felt like it was burning my mind. Not my brain, but my mind! My memories, my personality!” 

Kendo grabbed his arm, “We need to get you to the nurse.” 

“There’s no healing this!” Monoma snapped again, yanking his arm free. “Look, I don’t know how Midoriya does it, but he’s…he’s wearing some kind of mask. There’s no way he can be nice if he’s got that inside him. He just can’t!” 

Kendo, and then Tetsutetsu grabbed his arms, while Pony said, “Please, let’s get you to the nurse. You need help.” 

For a moment, he looked like he was going to fight back, but then, he seemed to relax, and let them pull him along.

——

When Izuku got his school shoes on, he looked at the time, and saw he had gotten to school a lot earlier than he normally did, so he decided to do a bit of reading.

He pulled out his copy of The Meta Liberation War, which by then was well worn, with fringed corners, and some burns from when it had been in his pocket during the villain attack, and opened it up to where he’d last left off. 

He only turned a single page when he started to become aware of someone standing behind, and over him. He slowly looked straight up, and saw Toga smiling down at him. 

“Hi. Whatcha reading?” She asked, leaning down over him. Izuku stiffened up as he looked back down at his book, feeling her resting her chin on the top of his head, and her body pressed against his back. 

“It’s uh…it’s a book I like.” He managed to keep from stammering too badly, though he felt his face burning and blushing. Inside, his quirk wasn’t sure what to do, so it simply flared, making him start to smoke as he tried to suppress it. 

Toga reached over, keeping his place with her thumbs, and pulled the book upwards so she could see it better before pulling it out of his grip entirely. He felt relieved when she straightened, and sat beside him on the bench that sat between the lockers, and looked into the book. 

“What’s all this stuff? Meta this and meta that?” She asked, looking at him. 

“It’s just a term Destro uses.” Izuku answered, “Rather than quirks, he called them meta abilities.” 

“Hmph.” Toga snorted, and handed the book back, “Sounds boring. So is that what you hero students do? Read and kill each other?” 

“No,” Izuku said as he replaced his father’s letter, which he still used as a bookmark, and closed the book before adding, “We train in lots of things. I think we’re doing rescue training today.” 

Toga smiled, “Wish I could be there. I’d let you rescue me.” She said as she leaned in close, making Izuku lean away nervously. He felt the smoke starting to billow from under his collar, which made Toga smile again. She got to her feet and said, “Come on, let’s walk to class.” 

Izuku suddenly found himself walking next to Toga down the hallway, and toward the stairs. He caught the usual glances, and stares, though one comment he wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear or not was “Of course he goes for the crazy one.” 

He glanced at Toga, but if she heard it, she didn’t say anything. He hoped she wasn’t crazy, but given how she’d acted so far, he wasn’t sure what to think. 

“Hey,” Toga turned to him as they began to walk up the stairs, “What’re you gonna do after you graduate?” 

“Be a hero.” Izuku answered automatically. When they got to the second floor, he saw her roll her eyes. 

“No I mean, your dreams. What do you want to do when you graduate?” She asked before she frowned and pressed a finger to his lips, “Don’t just say be a hero. That’s not a dream that’s a job.” 

“I…” he didn’t have answer for that. It had seemed pretty straightforward to him. He would go to school, graduate, and become a hero like his father had been. He could remember thinking about it all the time, about his father being a famous hero, how he’d helped people, and even worked with the big names like Endeavor, and All Might. 

Then that had all stopped when he turned. He betrayed everyone, and became the worst kind of villain. To this day,  no one knew why. He’d just turned, and attacked Endeavor, before going on a violent rampage that resulted in a lot of innocent people getting hurt or worse…

He thought about his dream. All that he’d been through, and how it had affected him, and his quirk. He took a deep breath. 

After a moment of thought, he said, “I want to be what my father should’ve been.” 

He saw Toga’s smile again, it wasn’t the creepy one from the day before, but an actual pleasant one that brightened her face as she said, “That’s a better answer.” 

“What about you?” Izuku asked curiously. 

Toga chuckled, and leaned in uncomfortably close as she said “To do whatever I want.” 

——

The following day, Saturday, Izuku entered the bookstore he’d passed by so many times before on his walks to and from school. 

It was near closing time, but the store seemed to be fairly busy, or at least filled with people who were attending the meeting. 

Curious smiled and approached him. She said “I see you’re going for the James Dean look.” 

Izuku looked down at himself. He was wearing the jacket his mother had given him, since it wasn’t part of his costume anymore, over a white shirt, blue jean pants, and his red shoes. He looked back at her, and in confusion said, “I don’t know who that is.” 

Curious just chuckled, and said “Nevermind. I’m glad you made it. How’s your quirk been acting lately?” 

Izuku frowned. “Not good. The fire’s still red, and I can barely control it once I’ve activated it.” 

She grabbed his shoulder, “I’m sure you’ll get it soon enough. Aren’t your teachers helping you?” 

“Yes. Mr. Aizawa is helping me train, but I don’t know what good it’s doing. It feels like somethings wrong with it. Like it’s not part of me anymore.” 

Curious frowned. “If your quirk is sentient, it may have been traumatized by the attack as well. How does it feel right now?” 

“It’s calm.” Was all he could say. At the moment, it felt like it was a stove fire on the lowest setting. Still hot, but not a raging inferno. 

“Maybe we could get you in for some quirk therapy. How does that sound?” 

Izuku looked at her, “Quirk therapy?” He’d never heard of that. 

“One of our members here is a therapist. I’ll introduce you after the meeting.” Curious said and then gestured to a set of tables that had been pushed together, with chairs all around it. There were already several people sitting there, including a few he’d met. “We’ll start in a few minutes.” 

Mr. Compress stood next to Izuku, having walked with him to the meeting, and said “Come, let us take our seats.” 

Izuku followed his lead, and sat beside him, and shortly after Spinner sat down on his other side. He smiled and said, “Mr. Spinner, it’s nice to see you again.” 

The scale skinned heteromorph looked at him, his expression a stone mask of passiveness. “Just Spinner, kid.” 

“Uh, right. Sorry.” Izuku replied nervously. He felt his quirk flare up a bit then, but he quickly got it under control before he started smoking. 

Curious then walked over, and stood in front a chair and said “Alright, everyone’s here, so I think we should go ahead and get started. Does everyone have their books?” 

Izuku pulled out his copy of The Meta Liberation War, and set it on the table in front of him.

“Man, what happened to your copy? You read by candlelight and get too close or something?” A man in a black and white, full body suit and red wristbands, and sitting opposite Izuku said. 

“It’s at least been read more often outside of meetings than yours, Twice.” Mr. Compress said back sarcastically.

“Still. It looks like you tried to burn it.” Twice laughed. 

“It was in my pocket during the villain attack.” Izuku said as he frowned, which silenced the whole table. Izuku saw Twice shrink a bit as almost everyone glared at him, though he kept his gaze down. 

“Sorry kid. Was just having a bit of fun.” Twice said, sounding genuinely apologetic. 

“Moving on,” Curious said seriously, “I do think it would be prudent for us to introduce ourselves, both to our newest member, and for him to introduce himself to us. Since he already knows me, Mr. Compress, and Spinner, Iceman, why don’t you go first, and we’ll go around the table.” 

A man dressed in a dull blue overcoat, with ice white hair, and gray eyes stood up. He looked like he was only a few years older than Izuku. He said, “Curious already told you my name. I can control ice.” 

Next was Twice, who quickly stood up, almost knocking over his chair, and proudly proclaimed, “I’m Twice, and I can make more of me! Wanna see?” 

“Please don’t.” The entire table said, excluding Izuku, who was startled by the response. 

Looking disheartened, Twice slowly slumped back into his chair, saying, “Fine.” 

The next was another man with white hair, blue eyes, and startling bad burns on his face, and arms from what Izuku could see. Worse, it looked like he had staples where the unburned and burned flesh met, like it was holding it together. 

“Toya. I make fire.” Was all he said. He didn’t even stand. As Izuku looked at him, something about his appearance, even his eyes made him think of Todoroki, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. 

After that, one by one, the rest of the table took turns introducing themselves. Izuku noticed that many of them were heteromorphs, like Spinner, people whose quirks changed their appearance in some way or other. Some were more subtle, while others looked all together inhuman. 

When they all finished, Curious smiled, and looked at Izuku, “Alright, it’s your turn.” 

Izuku took a deep breath to steady himself, and stood. 

“I’m Izuku Midoriya. My quirk is called Soul Fire. I have a sentient fire I can activate, and gain fire powers.” 

Twice raised a hand like he was in class, and excitedly asked, “Can you do the stare thing?!” 

“No.” Izuku lied, before sitting down. 

“Darn. That was such a cool move!” Twice said unabashedly. 

“So you are Ghost Rider’s kid.” Toya said, and grinned. Somehow, his grin felt even more unnerving than Toga’s. He smiled, showing teeth as he said “Your pop does good work. Oh don’t get droopy on me, I mean it as a compliment. I have to admire a guy who can put the fear of God in someone with just a glance.” 

Izuku just sat quietly, not sure how to respond. After a moment, he just nodded, and said “Thanks.” 

“It is too bad you can’t do the Penance Stare.” Toya went on, “An attack like that would put you ahead of the game.” 

“I don’t want to be like my father.” Izuku said, finding his strength then, and looking at Toya. He knew then he and Toya weren’t going to be friends, as Toya glared back at him. 

“Now that we’re all familiar with each other!” Curious said loudly, breaking the tension, “Let’s get started. Just a few bits of news to start with. During the Sports Festival, which our own, Izuku Midoriya will be participating in,” Izuku suddenly felt all eyes on him, “The Hearts and Minds Party will be hosting a kiosk there, and they’re asking for volunteers to help work and supply it. I will be there as well giving out more books, and could use anyone willing to help as well, I have a sign up sheet here for anyone interested.” She held up a pair of clipboards, before making a show of opening her own copy of the blood red book.

“Now, I think discussing the first chapter’s a good place to start today.” 

Izuku looked down at his book as he opened it to the first chapter, and they began reading. The first chapter was about quirks, or meta abilities as Destro called them, as a whole, and their affect on the world. 

“We all know that when meta abilities first appeared, many, if not most people were afraid.” Curious said, “It’s why there was so much violence in the early years, as when humans are scared, they tend to become violent. It’s just human nature.” 

For the next hour, the discussion went on, as they talked mostly about what Destro had written. How there had been riots, even uprisings in some countries over various people’s meta abilities, and the tragedies that had ensued as a result. 

One such tragedy was outlined in his book. The death of his own mother, which always made Izuku feel for him, as he couldn’t imagine how losing his mother, especially in such a violent manner, must’ve felt. He could also tell he wasn’t the only one, as when the discussion got to that part, a solemn silence washed over the group for a moment, and lasted even as the discussion moved on. 

“And so, as the chapter says in its conclusion,” Curious said as the meeting began to wind down, “our best, and most effective form of protection, is unity. We must make sure we always stand together whenever the masses rise up, whether it’s in fear, or hatred of us.” 

By then Izuku felt fairly excited, as he was beginning to feel like he was apart of something. Something bigger than himself. 

Curious checked her watch, “I think that’s as good a place as any to wrap things up.” 

As a whole, Izuku saw everyone closing their books, so he did the same, and the group began to break up without much ceremony. Friend groups began to mingle, and chat as the silent bookstore burst with activity. 

What’s more was as soon as Izuku stood, he found himself speaking and greeting several people who seemed interested in him. After what felt like several minutes shaking hands, and chatting, he found Curious smiling at him. 

“I hope you enjoyed yourself.” She said pleasantly. 

“I did.” Izuku said with a smile. Even his quirk felt calm at the moment, in spite of the crowd. 

“That’s good. You know you’re always going to be welcome among us.” She said as she turned, and Twice strolled over. “Oh, Midoriya, this is the doctor I told you about.” 

Izuku looked at Twice. His face was completely covered, but he could see the smile underneath. 

“Curious told me you were having some trouble with your meta ability.” Twice said, sounding more serious than he had before. 

“You’re a therapist?” Izuku asked, as he’d assumed he was some kind of hero, or sidekick with the costume he was wearing. 

“Sure am!” Twice said, pointing a pair of finger guns at him, “I know I don’t look it, but I went and got a degree while doing sidekick work, and now it’s mostly what I do for our people. It’s the least I can do since they took me in, but enough about me, tell me what’s going on with your quirk.” 

Izuku wasn’t sure where he pulled the pen and notepad from, but he was clearly intent on listening now. So, he told him what he’d told Curious before. When he finished, Twice tapped the pen against his cheek as he thought.

“Have you tried simply letting it cut loose from time to time?” he asked after a moment. 

Izuku looked at him, wide eyed. “No. I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Twice asked sincerely.

“Because I don’t want it to hurt anyone.”

“Has it?”

“Yes.” He then explained his first fight with Bakugo, then the latest outburst during the battle with 1-B. 

“Hmm…” Twice fell silent again, before saying “I think you should cut it loose, and see what it does.”

Izuku just stared at him. 

“Not around other people. Here.” He handed him a business card, “Call me Monday. I know a safe place you can let your quirk go wild, and no one will get hurt.” 

Izuku hesitated. Twice removed his mask, revealing he was a man who looked to be in his thirties, and gave Izuku a reassuring look. 

“I know what it’s like to have a quirk that messes with your head, kid.” He said, “I can help you, but you need to meet me halfway.” 

He held out his hand. Izuku looked at it for a moment, still feeling hesitant. Looking at his card, he saw that he was a licensed quirk therapist. Inside, his quirk simmered, but he was sure that was just a reaction to his nervousness. 

He took a deep breath, and shook Twice’s hand. 

Chapter 18

The Midoriya’s stood together on the train platform, Spinner, and Mr. Compress standing just a few steps behind them. 

“You’ve got the grocery list, on the refrigerator so you know what you’ll need for your meals?” Inko asked.

“Yes, Mom. I double checked before we left.” Izuku answered. 

“And you won’t just eat junk food while I’m out?” 

“No, ma’am.” 

“Did you check Zarathos’s cat food, and kitty litter?” 

“Yes. We have enough for several weeks, and I checked his litter box this morning.” 

Back and forth, for what felt like the hundredth time, the mother went over the checklist of things as her son listened, and affirmed they’d been taken care of. It was more out of nervousness than anything, but it kept them both occupied. Even when the train they’d been waiting on finally pulled in. 

“Well. This is it.” Inko said, looking at it as the doors opened, and the passengers began to get off. 

“Yeah.” Izuku muttered sadly. The moment he’d been dreading was finally there. 

If Spinner hadn’t been there, they both knew there was a chance she would’ve changed her mind at the last second. However, the gecko hero politely stepped over to Inko, and gestured to the train, while holding her rolling suitcase for her. 

Inko nodded, and gave her son one last hug.

“I’ll be home Friday.” She said, as tears began to fall. 

“I’ll be waiting here for you.” Izuku said, as he tried to keep his from welling up at all, but failed. 

Spinner walked Inko onto the train, and sat beside her. The mother and son locked eyes through the window, until the doors shut tight, and the train left the station. 

Mr. Compress gently set a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “Spinner is one of our best heroes. Your mother couldn’t be safer.” 

Izuku nodded, and used the pink handkerchief to wipe his tears as smoke billowed from under his collar. His quirk wasn’t stirring like it normally did. It wasn’t the angry flare up, but a mournful simmer he was unfamiliar with, like even his quirk was upset at his mother’s departure. 

After a moment, he managed to get the smoke to stop, and wiped his face as clean as he could, at which point, Mr. Compress ushered him along. 

“Let’s get you home. You’ve a big week ahead of you. The Sports Festival!” Mr. Compress said cheerfully. When they were back on the street, and making the walk to his home, the hero asked, “What events will you be competing in, young Midoriya?” 

“Just the combat tournament. I figured that’s what I’ll do best in. I’m just a first year, so we’re not really the main focus, anyway. Most people are excited about the second, and third years, since they’ve had much more training and experience.” 

“No reason to not do your best.” 

“I know. I’m just not sure if I’m going to be able to get a work study afterward.” Izuku said, and then paused to think. He was mostly sure this would be the case because of his father. He didn’t figure any agency would want to be associated with him. Then there was his control issue. If he didn’t get his quirk under control, quick, it was going to cause problems.

Mr. Compress left him at the stairs to his apartment, and Izuku hurried up to his home. He found Zarathos waiting at the door, and immediately began plying for attention, even as Izuku stopped to remove his shoes. 

With not much else to do, he decided to study, and went straight to his room, the black cat following along eagerly. 

Zarathos hopped onto his desk as soon as Izuku sat at it, and watched as he pulled out, one of his textbooks and started reading. Eventually, the cat started pawing at Izuku’s hand, and he absentmindedly pet him as he focused on his school work. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been studying when his phone rang. Looking at it, he saw Toga’s name. 

“Whatcha doin’?” Toga asked after Izuku answered. 

“Studying.” 

“Got any plans for this evening?” 

Izuku looked at Zarathos, who was curled up next to his book. “Not really. I’m just getting ready for school tomorrow.” 

“Why don’t we hang out for a while then?” 

Izuku froze. He looked at his phone, and then Zarathos, though the cat hardly noticed anything wrong. “I’m not supposed to leave my apartment without an escort.” 

“Well then, I’ll be there shortly.” Toga said promptly. 

“What?! Wait, hold on…” he started, but then realized she’d already hung up. He tried to call her back, and even text her, but she didn’t respond.

He was worried now. Should he call someone? Who could he call? What would he tell them? A girl’s coming over, please help?

Maybe he could just pretend he wasn’t home. Yeah, that would work. He could just stay in his room, and…

Izuku slowly turned his head, and looked out his window, where his curtains were already open. Zarathos liked it when he did that. 

He could see Himiko peering in, that same, creepy smile on her face as she gazed straight into his eyes. 

“How did you get here so fast?” He asked, but she didn’t answer, just standing there, smiling. He saw her look down at her phone, and type something. He got a text a second later, telling him to get his shoes on. 

Even as he felt a slight smoke trail starting to come, he hurried to the front door, and opened it. Himiko stepped in, almost pushing him back, before closing the door behind her, and getting too close. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt, and baggy sweater. 

“Toga, you shouldn’t be in here.” Izuku said nervously, stepping away from her. “How did you even know where I live?”

“I saw it on the news.” She answered casually, “Now hurry up, get your shoes on, and let’s go!” She said impatiently.

When she made no move to leave, Izuku sighed, afraid of how she might react if he tried to be more forceful, slowly sat down, and slipped on his shoes. He grabbed his jacket, and put it on, now thinking of it more as the armor it was meant to be than a piece of clothing. 

After that, Toga led him outside, and they walked down the steps.

“Where’re we going?” Izuku asked once they were on the ground floor. 

Himiko smiled at him, and took his hand in hers before he could pull away. “Well, we could get dinner, and then a walk on the beach. Let’s just go, and see where we end up.” 

Meanwhile, as the two teens got to the sidewalk, on the roof of the apartment building, several stories above his home, a figure, cocked an eyebrow, his eyes following their every move. He slowly put his phone to his ear, and spoke. 

“Ghost 2 has left the haunt. Wrangle, or watch?” 

He listened to the response before hanging up. Once he saw Midoriya was a distance away, he spread a pair of red feathered wings, and lifted into the air. 

——

Izuku sat with Himiko, as they quietly ate the ice cream they’d gotten, and watched the sunset on the beach. 

They’d gone to the bookstore he used to stop and talk to Curious at, and he’d gotten her a copy of the blood red book, hoping maybe she would like it, and she’d promised to read it later.

After that, they’d eaten at a little restaurant, and then got ice cream, ending up at the beach. For the moment, everything seemed nice. Himiko hadn’t done or said anything that made Izuku uncomfortable, and even seemed to enjoy his company. 

He watched various people on the beach. Most of them looked normal, though he could see the occasional heteromorph, people whose quirk changed their appearance. Thinking about quirks brought a question to mind. 

“Himiko, do you mind if I ask what your quirk is?” Izuku asked, looking over at her as he began to finish his ice cream. 

She didn’t answer right away, just staring quietly ahead as she ate. Eventually, she said “I can transform into other people.” 

“Really? That sounds amazing. How does it work? Can you just change, or do you need to touch them?” Izuku asked, feeling his mind a buzz with questions about such a quirk. 

Himiko smirked, glancing at him as she said, “Maybe I’ll show you later.”

“Oh, does it hurt?” He asked curiously. She looked at him, and he said, “It hurts me whenever I transform. I’ve gotten efficient enough at it that I can do it quick enough that it’s like ripping off a band aid, and I hardly notice it.” 

“No. It doesn’t hurt.” She looked around, before leading in close, and whispering “It’s because I have to get undressed.” 

Izuku blushed so red, he swore his quirk had ignited him. In fact, it had, covering him with a thin shine of fire, which he quickly extinguished before his jumpsuit failed. 

Himiko giggled at him. “Since we’re talking about our quirks. There’s something I’ve been wondering. Can you do the Penance Stare? Like your dad?” 

For the first time in his life, Izuku actually paused to think about that answer. No one knew he could do it, except maybe Bakugo, but he wasn’t sure he remembered it. He’d never mentioned it, and Izuku wasn’t even sure his mother knew, as he’d sworn to himself he would never use it, after he’d accidentally done so on his school bully. 

As she had done a moment ago, Izuku looked around, and was sure they were alone before he said, “Could you keep this a secret?” 

He didn’t look at her, but waited for a response. After a silent moment, she spoke in a low tone, saying “Of course.” 

Every part of him was telling him this was a mistake, but he’d kept it for so long, and he remembered that nightmare from the other day. He needed to just tell somebody. One person.

Slowly, he began to speak. 

From a distance away, in the shadows of a three story building, just out of their sight, the same figure was holding a device that made their voices sound clear as day to him, as he listened in on their conversation. 

——

The street lights came on by the time they got to Toga’s street. 

“You live here?” Izuku asked, as he realized they were in a very wealthy neighborhood. 

“Yeah. My family runs a bunch of businesses.” Toga said casually as she wrapped her arm around his. 

“That’s amazing.” Izuku said, feeling impressed. As they walked, he looked at some of the houses. They were all very modern, and expensive looking. 

“This is mine.” Himiko stopped in front of a particularly large one. Izuku looked, and noticed there were no lights on. Before he could wonder on that, Himiko whispered, “We don’t have to part ways just yet.” 

Izuku looked at her. She had that same, creepy smile again. Feeling terrified of her, he stepped back, saying “I should be getting home!” Then he caught himself, helped by the fact that she let him have some distance, rather than closing in again. “Thank you for hanging out with me, Himiko. It means a lot to me.” 

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” She said, her voice soft, and her expression almost pleasant. 

Rather than buzzing herself through the gate, in a surprising show of gymnastics, she grabbed the top of it, and leapt over in one smooth, elegant bound, flipping her legs clear over, and landing on the other side like she’d don’t nothing more than hop down a single step. She didn’t even look to see if he’d been watching as she walked towards her house. 

Izuku eventually turned, his mind buzzing with the day’s events. From his mother leaving, to his time with Toga. As he thought about it, even with her flaws, and whatever it was that made him feel off about her, he’d enjoyed spending time with her. 

Unfortunately, he also knew he had a long walk ahead of him now. Worse, he had to go it alone. He wasn’t afraid, he told himself, just cautious. 

The first half of his walk was uneventful, aside from a few heroes who stopped him, asking him why he was out on a school night. It wasn’t until the third one stopped him that he found trouble. 

Death Arms had been involved in trying to stop the rampage when his father had turned. Izuku had remembered seeing him, his costume singed, and a new burn scar across his chest when he’d glared at him. 

When he found him, while out on patrol, he wore that same, hateful glare. He still had the burn scar, worn openly on his chest, as his costume was open on the front, letting his rippling muscles show. His eyes were filled with hatred as he stormed up to him.

“What’re you doing out here?” He asked aggressively. He marched right up to Izuku, clearly trying to intimidate him. To be fair, it worked. He had a full head of height over him, and he was much broader. If Izuku was quirkless, Death Arms could snap him like a twig. 

“I just walked my friend home, and now I’m going to my home.” Izuku answered, trying to keep his voice calm as his quirk flared up angrily in his chest, not pleased with Death Arms’s intimidation tactics. 

“Or looking for trouble. You’re already dressing like your old man.” Death Arms growled. 

“Really sir. I’m just going home.” Izuku said pleadingly. 

“You really think you’re fooling anyone?” Death Arms asked defiantly. 

“What?” 

“We all know you’re working with your old man.” Death Arms spat, “You’ll never get a hero license. Even if you did, you’ll never find an agency to take you on.” 

Izuku didn’t react to that, other than a frown. 

“Why don’t you just drop the act right now, and do us all a favor.” Death Arms hunched so he could get right in Izuku’s face. “Hisashi was nothing but a pathetic, third rate, who couldn’t stand the competition anymore. You can’t even control your quirk, and everybody knows it.” 

Izuku looked down, wishing he could go on, but he knew Death Arms could use that as an excuse to arrest him if he tried to walk away now. 

“I was there when he turned. He was jealous of Endeavor. Couldn’t stand that there was another fire user who was better than him.” He poked Izuku in the chest, hard as he said “That’s…why he turned. Decided if he couldn’t be the best hero, he would be the best-”

“What’re you doing?” 

Death Arms shot to attention, and spun around. Izuku saw probably the last person he expected to see. 

Ingenium was standing like a disappointed father, his hands on his hips as he glared at Death Arms. He was every bit the Turbo Hero Izuku remembered when he’d met him before. His white armor shined, even in the darkness, and he stood tall, and proud before them. 

In a serious tone, he said “You are aware that that kind of harassment is against Hero regulations.” Ingenium listed chapter and verse numbers before quoting several regulations, the last sentence clearly shaking Death Arms to the core, “…violators of these regulations in particular can be subject to fines, suspension, and temporary or permanent license revocation.” 

“I…uh.” Death Arms was speechless. 

“Unless Midoriya has anything to say, I’ll overlook it if you move along. Right now.” Ingenium said with an air of finality. 

Without another word, Death Arms turned, and marched away in the direction he’d been patrolling, leaving them alone on the sidewalk. 

“Thank you.” Izuku said sheepishly. 

“It’s no problem. Now, might I ask why you’re out here this late on a school night, Midoriya? And without an escort?” Ingenium turned his glare on him. It wasn’t hateful, more like a strict parent who’d caught their child doing something they weren’t supposed to. 

With a sigh, he said “I just walked my friend home, and I was on my way home as well.” 

Later, not matter how much he tried to remember, or think about the events that were about to transpire, Izuku never knew what made him look up at that very moment. 

“LOOK OUT!!!” Izuku shoved Ingenium away, a split second before the shadow landed on him, right where the Turbo Hero had been standing.

He felt his head bounce off the concrete, and the shadow he’d seen knocked the wind out of him so hard he didn’t think he’d ever be able to breathe again.

For a moment, he heard noises his mind couldn’t process as he desperately tried to get a full breath in. 

He tried to activate his quirk, but his mind was swimming as he tried to stand. He heard a scream as he stumbled, and hit the ground again. 

As he felt his mind slipping, the last thing he heard before falling into a numb abyss were two words. 

“Wannabe hero.”

Chapter 19

It was well after dark when All Might finally got home. He’d gotten a new apartment that was easy walking distance from UA so he wouldn’t have much issue if he wore himself down too much. 

As soon as he got his shoes off, he ate a small meal, got cleaned up, and looked at his reflection in the bathroom. He looked like a walking skeleton. But he still managed to smile without bulking up. He felt every single year of his age, as well as all the wear and tear he’d put on his body, but it was honest. He was proud of his body, even as damaged as it was. 

All Might groaned as he finally got to lie down in his nice, warm, soft bed. So deep was his sleep that when his alarm went off, he had a moment of wondering if he’d set it for the wrong time. 

Going about his normal routine for the moment, seeing himself as just Yagi, the man behind the Symbol of Peace, he ate a small breakfast, showered, and took his medicine. Once he was dressed, he took a moment to sit back on his sofa, and decided to check the news. 

MIDORIYA CAUSED NEAR DEATH OF INGENIUM

Yagi froze, knowing he had to have read that wrong. He rubbed the sleepy his eyes, and looked at it again as the anchor began to speak. 

“…continuing from our news story from late last night, it would seem in a reckless move of rebellion, Midoriya had decided to go out for a night on the town, and was hunted by an enemy of his father, the Ghost Rider, which subsequently resulted in the Turbo Hero Ingenium needing to intervene.” 

Yagi immediately called Tsukauchi. 

“Nice little spin isn’t it?” The detective said cynically. 

“What happened?” Yagi asked worriedly. 

“Well, it’s an active investigation, so I can’t say much, I’m sorry. I can tell you, however, that if nothing else, Midoriya saved Ingenium, even if he wasn’t supposed to be out by himself. He pushed him out of the way when the attacker ambushed them, and got a cracked skull and crushed ribs for his trouble. Both of them are in the ICU at uh…” he heard the detective shuffling some papers before saying the name of the hospital. “UA said they’re sending Recovery Girl over to consult, since Midoriya is one of their students, so I’m going to head over when they wake up.” 

“You want me to be there?” 

“You don’t have to, unless you think it’ll help. I’m not sure what kind of state Midoriya’s going to be in.” 

When Yagi remembered seeing him in the hotel after the first villain attack, he said “I’ll head over now, and touch base with him.” 

Later, in his normal form, he checked into the ER, and asked about Izuku. He knew All Might would’ve been welcomed in, no problem, but he didn’t want to make a scene like that. He checked in as Mr. Yagi, Izuku Midoriya’s concerned teacher, checking in on one of his pupils after a villain attack. 

“I’m sorry sir, but unless you’re family, I can’t let you see him.” The nurse said apologetically. 

As if on cue, just as Yagi was turning around to leave, knowing he couldn’t do anymore as himself, Inko burst through the door, looking disheveled and panting. She was in a set of coveralls with the Team Idaten logo on the back. 

“Ms. Midoriya!” Yagi gasped, as she ran past him like he wasn’t there, Mr. Compress and Spinner right behind her. 

“Inko Midoriya, I’m Izuku Midoriya’s mother, is my son here?” She asked frantically. 

“Yes ma’am, let me page the doctor.” The nurse said, speaking much more urgently than she’d spoken with Yagi, though he hardly blamed her, given the circumstances. 

The moment Inko saw the doctor, she started asking “My son, how is he? Is he okay? They put our building in lockdown, and they wouldn’t let me out, and Izuku wouldn’t answer his phone!” 

“Come with me, your son is stable.” The doctor said, gently grasping her arm, and leading her away, through a pair of double doors, Spinner and Mr. Compress quietly following along. 

“I’m sorry, you two, but are you family?” The same nurse spoke up to them when Inko and the doctor vanished. 

They both froze, before Mr. Compress said, “We’re protecting her.” 

“I’m sorry, but hospital policy. Unless she says you can go, I can’t let you into the ICU. You’ll both have to wait in the lobby.” The nurse said, unperturbed, and pointing towards the waiting area. 

Yagi wondered how she was so sure of her own hospital’s security that she would do that, but the heroes just looked at each other, and she didn’t bat an eye as she looked at them. Inko didn’t come back to get them, so after a moment, they both just walked over to the waiting area. 

With a sigh, he figured since he’d already called in to UA, he may as well wait as well. He sent a text to Tsukauchi, letting him know what had happened, but he didn’t reply. 

He sagged down in the chair, starting to feel his age again. He’d gotten a pretty good night’s sleep, and even had a good breakfast, but he already felt exhausted. His power was draining faster than he’d anticipated…

After a while, he considered leaving, he could be out on patrol, or go to UA anyway for field training in the afternoon. Just as he stood, however, Tsukauchi entered. When he saw Yagi, he nodded for him to follow as he stepped up the desk, and introduced himself, showing his badge. 

A few minutes later, a nurse was leading them down the hallway. The same doctor that had led Inko away stepped out then to meet them. 

“Detective Tsukauchi?” The doctor asked, looking at him. 

“Yes. This is Mr. Yagi, he’s a family friend of the Midoriya’s. I got the call a little while ago that Izuku Midoriya was awake. I was hoping to ask him a few questions.” 

The doctor eye’d Yagi, but said nothing to him. Turning back to the detective, he said “I must insist you keep it brief, and do not press him. His quirk is affected by stress, and as I’m sure you can imagine, he’s already going through a lot of it. I’m having to keep him sedated to keep his quirk from flaring up.” Which Yagi knew he meant literally. 

“I understand. I just need to clear a few details with him. I won’t be long.” Tsukauchi said with a nod. 

With that, the doctor led them into Izuku’s room, and Yagi was immediately thankful Recovery Girl had already come by. 

Izuku’s head was wrapped in bandages, and he could still see a bump on the left of his forehead, making Yagi wonder if that was how it was healed, how bad had it been before? His torso was also wrapped tightly, and he was sure he could see the edge of a surgery scar at just the edge of it, going near his collarbone. He had an IV drip going into his arm, with several tubes leading into it, making him wonder what all they were giving him. Sitting at his bedside, Inko was holding his hand in her real hand, her robotic one resting on her lap as she looked at the two men. 

Izuku himself, looked sleepy, but he wasn’t smoking, so he was at least in full control. His eyes only half open, and looking like he was about to fall asleep, he said “Who are…you?” 

Speaking slowly, Tsukauchi introduced himself, and Yagi. Izuku slowly blinked, and Yagi could almost hear his brain slowly processing the information. 

“Izuku?” Inko asked, looking worried then, “Do you want to sleep?” 

“No.” He answered exhaustedly, “What…Ingenium…?” 

“Ingenium is in another room.” Tsukauchi said, and then asked “Do you think you can answer some questions?” 

“Yes.” Izuku answered, slowly blinking again. This time his eyes stayed closed for several seconds, and Yagi swore he’d fallen asleep, until he opened them again, and focused on them. 

“Did you see who attacked you?” Tsukauchi asked. 

Izuku nodded slowly, “Dark…red. Mask.” 

“What kind of mask?” The detective asked as he wrote in a hand notepad. 

“White…red…scarf.” 

He waited, but Izuku didn’t say anything else. 

“Did he say anything? Did you hear his voice?” 

“Wannabe…heroes.” 

“He said Wannabe heroes?” 

When Izuku nodded, he wrote that down. 

“Do you remember what you were doing out so late?”

Izuku just stared. 

“At the scene. Why were you there?” 

Silence. Yagi wasn’t sure if he didn’t know, or wasn’t answering. His eyes still shifted here and there, from him, to the detective, and then his mother, so he was still awake. 

“I think that’s enough.” Inko said then, looking pleadingly at the detective. 

Tsukauchi nodded and put his notepad away. He then handed her a business card. “Please, call me if he remembers anything else. It’ll be a big help for the investigation.” 

Inko politely took it, saying “I will. Thank you. And thank you for coming Mr. Yagi, but I think Izuku needs to sleep now.” 

Taking his cue, Yagi nodded, and followed Tsukauchi out. 

Next the doctor led them towards Ingenium. His room was on another floor. When the doctor knocked on the door, a familiar face immediately opened it. 

Yagi was looking at Iida, who unfortunately, had never seen him in his normal form before. 

“You’re detective Tsukauchi.” Iida said formally, nodding to him, and then looked coldly at Yagi, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.” 

“I’m Mr. Yagi, a teacher assistant at UA.” Yagi answered, “I was just visiting Midoriya to see how he was doing, and I heard your brother had been hurt, so I wanted to offer my sympathy, and ask if you needed anything.”

Tenya’s eyes softened, “You’re too kind, Mr. Yagi. Please come in.” He stepped aside, and ushered them in, before closing the door behind them. 

Tensei seemed to be in better shape than Izuku, though he was sure that was because they weren’t keeping him sedated. He even smiled as they approached. He was surrounded by his family, his mother holding his hand, while his father was standing next to her. There were several other relatives in the large room, all clearly having some resemblance showing they were members of the Iida family. 

For a brief moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for Midoriya. There he was, a pariah, and his only relative left was his mother, sitting alone with him, while he slept off what would’ve likely been fatal injuries under different circumstances. And then there was this family. Numerous, and all together when one of them was hurt. He shook himself back to the present. 

“How are you?” Yagi asked politely as Tensei offered his hand, and they shook. 

“I’ll be fine. The doctor says I just need some rest, and I’ll be back up and running in no time.” Tensei said confidently. 

“He even took a few steps earlier, but his muscles haven’t quite recovered completely.” His mother said proudly. 

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re doing alright.” Yagi said happily. 

“How’s Midoriya doing? I haven’t heard about him since my family arrived.” Tensei asked then. 

“We just saw him,” Tsukauchi answered, “They’re keeping him sedated to keep his quirk under control. Speaking of which, if you’re up for it, I need to ask you some questions about the attack.” 

“That’s alright. Does my family need to step out?” Tensei asked politely. 

“It might be best.” 

Yagi ended up going with the family, leaving Tsukauchi and Tensei alone to talk, while he chatted with them. 

“How badly was Midoriya hurt, Mr. Yagi?” Tenya asked him, looking and sounding genuinely concerned. 

With a shrug, he answered “Pretty bad. Even after Recovery Girl’s work, he looks pretty banged up.” 

“His family must be so worried about him.” Tenya’s mother said sympathetically. 

Yagi wasn’t sure why he said what he was about to say, but it came out anyway, almost of its own accord. “Well, it’s just him and his mom, and she seems to be taking it as well as she can.” 

The Iida’s were quiet for a bit, before Tenya asked “Would it be alright if we visited?” 

“You would have to ask them, but Izuku was pretty out of it when I last saw him. Still, it might mean something if his mother saw his friend coming by.” Yagi answered. 

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Tsukauchi ushered everyone in, before departing with Yagi. 

As they left the hospital, Yagi started to think about his students. Midoriya had most likely simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, it was also a clear sign that things were getting bad. He’d been keeping up with the news, and ever since his retirement rumors started, crime rates had been slowly rising. 

Thinking about that made him wonder what he could do about it. He was still All Might, but he was slowly becoming more and more aware of his age, and how he’d passed his prime. 

“So what’s next?” Yagi eventually asked, looking at Tsukauchi when they got outside. 

“Right now, as far as this case goes, there’s not much we can do. I’ve already sent out the villain’s description, and our profilers are still doing their thing. I may interview Midoriya again, when he’s not sedated, but Ingenium gave me all I think we need for now.” Tsukauchi sighed. 

Just then, a young couple were walking by, just as one of them said “I bet they’re already looking at charges for that stupid Midoriya!” 

Yagi almost felt like confronting them, until he remembered it wasn’t really their fault. It was the media. They were determined to make Izuku the next Ghost Rider, even when there was ample evidence against it. He thought again about making a public endorsement of him, but then figured it might be best to wait. 

The Sports Festival was just a few days away, and he was sure Izuku was going to compete. He would show the world he wasn’t just some monster, or villain, but a capable hero. He just wished he’d entered more than just the fighting tournament. His quirk should’ve made the obstacle courses an easy event, but then again, his quirk had changed ever since…

“Excuse me.” 

Yagi turned, and saw an elderly man, dressed in black robes just a few steps away, looking at him. He looked strong, but worn down as he looked at Yagi with bright green eyes that made him think of Midoriya. His gray hair was cut short, and he had a thick beard covering his face. He put Yagi in mind of monk, though he didn’t carry any prayer beads.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Yagi replied. 

“Midoriya, the boy who was attacked last night. Do you know how he’s doing?” 

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Tsukauchi asked, standing next to Yagi. 

“I’m a friend of the family, but since I’m not related, they won’t let me visit them. I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, I just so happened to hear you mention his name a moment ago.” 

Yagi eyed the man, as there was something familiar about him that he just couldn’t place. When he didn’t say anything, Tsukauchi said “All I can say is the doctor says he’s going to be fine. He just needs to rest.” 

The old man looked relieved, as he sighed and said “Thank you. That gives me some comfort.” He then cupped his hands in front of him, and bowed, saying “Blessings of the True Form upon you.” 

The two men watched silently as the old man turned, and walked away. 

As he turned and vanished around a corner, All Might checked the time. “It’s not too late. I’m gonna head to UA, and help out with their field training.” 

“Need a ride?”

“I’d appreciate it.” 

——

Even though her son was asleep, Inko was making herself not cry. Her baby had been hurt, and even though the doctor said he should fully recover, it didn’t stop her heart from hurting as she looked down at him. 

In her mind’s eye, she saw him as a small child again, lying helplessly in the hospital bed, his body battered, bruised, and now scarred. The doctor had removed his bandages, and revealed the terrible scars Izuku now had. 

He’d explained that Recovery Girl had had to perform emergency surgery on his chest to literally rebuild his ribcage, which had been crushed underneath the villain’s weight when he’d landed on him. Now he had scars across his chest where she’d cut him open like a cadaver, even after she healed him. Then there was the scar on his forehead. It was a slash on the left of his head that almost reached his temple from where he’d hit his head hard enough on the concrete to crack his skull. They’d told her Recovery Girl had managed to fix that as well, but the scar wasn’t going away either. 

It was all she could do not to cry, but she had to keep herself together for her son. She was sure she’d lost her job now, for leaving on what should’ve been the first day, even if it had been an emergency. It just meant she would have to find another, they still had enough savings to last for a while. She still thanked her lucky stars she’d found an almost rabid collector when she’d went to sell Hisashi’s motorcycles, and got even more than she’d expected. 

A job. She needed a job. Focusing on that, with her robotic hand, she pulled out her phone, and started looking for openings. 

A knock at the door nearly made her jump, and drop her phone. After she caught it, she walked over, and opened the door, seeing a woman about her age, with dark blue, neatly brushed hair, and a young man about Izuku’s age standing just behind her. 

“Hello, are you Ms. Midoriya?” The woman asked. 

“I am.” Inko answered. 

“I’m Mrs. Iida, and this is my son, Tenya, he’s classmates with your Izuku. We wanted to come by and see how you were doing.” 

“Well, he’s asleep right now, but the doctor says he should recover.” Inko said. 

“That’s good.” Mrs. Iida said pleasantly. “Well, I think we’ll let him rest then.” 

“Thank you.” Inko said, smiling. 

Just as Mrs. Iida started to leave, however, she noticed the uniform Inko was wearing. She asked “Oh, are you one of our custodians?” 

Inko looked down at herself. She’d forgotten she was still in the coveralls. “Well. I was. I can’t imagine I still have a job after leaving on my first day.” 

Without missing a beat, Mrs. Iida said “Don’t you worry about that. You can come back as soon as you’re ready.” 

Inko’s eyes went wide, she was speechless. Mrs. Iida took her hand, and patted it.

“From one mother to another, I will not hold it against you for wanting to see to your son’s well being. Team Idaten is a business, but we understand familial bonds.” 

Inko just stopped herself from crying in front of what she hadn’t even realized was her boss. She quickly said “Thank you. I don’t think I could ever repay you.” 

“It’s no trouble.” Mrs. Iida said, “Our boys have put us both through a scare. If not for yours foiling that terrible villain’s ambush, who knows how much worse things would’ve been. It’s just too bad he escaped.” 

Inko nodded, and looked at Tenya, “I think my son’s told me about you. You’re his class representative, right?” 

Tenya stood a little straighter. “I am. Your son is a fine student, and a credit to UA!” He said proudly. 

“Who is it Mom?” 

She turned, and saw Izuku’s eyes were open, and he was looking at them. 

“It’s your classmate from school. Iida, and his mother. They’ve come to see you.” 

“Okay.” Izuku answered, still clearly under the effects of whatever they were giving him, but he waited for them to enter. After a few seconds he said “Can they visit? I haven’t spoken to…” he drifted for a moment, but then came back. 

Inko smiled again, and welcomed the Iida’s into the room, and into their lives. 

——

Takao fumed as he went through the reports on his desk, signing off on the finished ones, and making notes on the others.

“That’s two villain attacks in a few weeks.” Takao said after he finished the last one, and looked at his superior, who’d very unsubtly been placed to keep him in line. The older man looked at him. 

“And your point?” 

“Midoriya’s a magnet for trouble. It’s because of his father. The first villains attacked him as revenge for his attacks on them.” 

“And how is this one linked to his father?” 

“I don’t know, but once we’ve caught this guy, I’m willing to bet his first words are going to spouting the same thing, revenge for something Ghost Rider did to him. Why else would he target him?” 

“Field report says he was aiming for Ingenium. Midoriya got in the way.” The older agent replied coolly. 

“You’re missing the point! I know you’ve seen the reports we’re getting from his school, not to mention all the press! Midoriya’s a disaster waiting to happen!” 

“He’s hardly the most destructive pupil UA’s dealt with, and he’s not even the only one in his class. UA has also stated if nothing else he’s making great training for dealing with out of control villains for his classmates.” 

Takao was still fuming, but he couldn’t think of a response to that. 

The older agent chuckled, “Face it Takao, everyone knows keeping the kid on probation is a waste of time. The only thing you can even pin on him is going on a date without telling anyone.” 

“Mark my words! Midoriya’s going to cross the line, and when he does, we’ll be left to pick up the pieces!” 

The older agent frowned, and glared back at him, clearly unimpressed as he said “The boy has passed every test we gave him, and he even obeys his probation requirements to a T. Regardless of how you feel about it, I’m ending his probation at the end of the semester, and that’s only because you managed to find a judge to agree with you on mandating it last that long as a minimum! In fact-”

His phone rang just then. The older agent listened for a moment before getting to his feet. “I’ll be right there.” He turned and left without so much as a backward glance at Takao. 

Takao took a moment to calm himself now that he wasn’t being watched. After a moment, he made a call of his own. 

——

Hawks was a young pro hero that had done all he could to remain as independent as he could. As soon as he got his hero license, he started his own agency, ran his own patrol routes, and even worked his own shifts. 

He was average height, but fit, and dressed in a warm costume that was meant to look like something an old fashioned pilot would wear, though it was light and easy to move in. His blonde hair was a mess, mostly from the wind of flying through the air, and he had a pair of large, red feathered wings on his back. 

As he slowed to a stop, and gently landed on the building he’d housed his own agency in, he paused to let the air out of his wings before folding them up on his back. He checked the latest news, and while he wasn’t surprised by what he saw, he was disappointed by it.

“They’re really trying to twist things.” He sighed, as he walked inside, looking at a news video on his phone. 

He listened to the anchor all but declare Midoriya a villain who’d somehow set up the ambush himself, and he was sure that was only because UA might not appreciate the idea of them implying they trained villains. 

Almost on cue, the moment he sat down in his office, his phone rang. When he looked at the number, he frowned, but accepted the call. He didn’t greet, or even say his name, but waited silently. Like he was supposed to. 

“Report.” 

“They just went out on a date. They went to a few stores, got food at a diner, and went to the beach.” 

“Did he say anything about his father?” 

“No.” Hawks said, and wanted to say more, like how tailing a teenager was a waste of his time, but he was a foot soldier, not an officer. 

“I want a full report on everything, minute to minute.” 

Hawks felt annoyed, but said “Alright. I’ll have it to you this evening.” 

“Did he say anything about the Penance Stare, by chance?” 

Hawks didn’t even blink. “No.” 

He heard a few very unprofessional words, before a moment of silence. Then the caller said “Get me that report!” And then hung up. 

Unperturbed by his little fib, Hawks almost grinned as he opened a word processor on his computer, and began typing. 

Of all the agents Takao could’ve commissioned, Hawks found it almost comical that he’d chosen possibly the only one who knew his motivations. 

And how pathetic they were. 

Chapter 20

“GOOOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND WELCOME TO THIS YEAR’S SPORTS FESTIVAL!!! I’M YOUR HOST, PRESENT MIC, AND COMIN’ RIGHT AT YA IS MY CO HOST, ERASERHEAD!!!” 

Aizawa sighed exasperatedly, before saying, “The first event of the day will be starting shortly. It’s the Obsta-”

“THE OBSTACLE COURSE!!!” Present Mic finished for him, before pressing a button and blasting rock music out of the speaker system. 

The crowd cheered loudly then, as the two men waited for the music to end. When it did, Aizawa glared at Present Mic, who just grinned and shrugged before he said “All students who will be participating in the Obstacle Course, get to the starting line, immediately.” 

Meanwhile, in the VIP section, Inko smiled as she sat next to Mrs. Iida, and watched the students on one of the massive screens, since the obstacle course was outside the actual arena itself. 

Mrs. Iida eagerly jostled Inko’s elbow, “There’s Tenya! He’s been training so hard for this, I can’t wait to see how he does.” 

“I’m sure he’ll do just fine.” Inko said encouragingly. “Izuku told me he’s been doing a lot of work on his maneuverability.” 

“Yes, that’s always been one of the trickier things about our family’s quirk. When you have all that momentum, suddenly changing direction is pretty difficult.”

“I can imagine.” Inko said, and then remembered her time on a motorcycle when she was younger…and married. She was never particularly daring on them, but Hisashi was practically a daredevil. It was one of the reasons she never let him take Izuku out for drives unless he was in the side car, and firmly buckled and suited up. He may have been able to offer some advice for the Iida’s.

“ONE MINUTE EVERYONE!!! THE FIRST EVENT OF THE DAY WILL START IN ONE MINUTE!!!” Present Mic’s voice shouted over the speakers. 

With that thought, Inko started to wonder how Izuku was doing. He’d only signed up for the combat tournament, but that was still several hours away. For a moment, she considered leaving to seek him out, but then again, he was probably with his friends.

——

Izuku was in the boy’s locker room, examining himself in the mirror. He’d only gotten out of the hospital the day before, and hadn’t been able to get anymore training in before the festival started. He needed to push forward, though, knowing things wouldn’t slow down for him. 

He stood with his shirt off, and looked at his scars. He looked like he had a large, T across his chest now, where Recovery Girl had had to perform surgery to rebuild his ribcage, which still felt off somehow inside him, though even when he took the gamble of transforming, and looked, everything seemed to be just as it had been before the attack, though he could see where the bones had been mended. 

On his forehead, he now had a line scar from where he’d bashed his head into the sidewalk, and cracked his skull. While it had been healed, he still swore he felt like someone was pressing their finger into his head from time to time. 

He was different now. He was scarred. Marked forever because of his own actions. He didn’t regret pushing Ingenium out of the way, though he wished he had activated his quirk. He might have lost control, but he wouldn’t have been nearly as badly injured. Maybe he could’ve even fought, and helped bring the villain in.

He flexed his muscles, doing some of the poses All Might had taught him to help stretch. His chest muscles, just like his ribcage felt off somehow, but everything moved like it as supposed to. 

“Showing off the guns?” Kirishima said as he approached, startling Izuku. He stood next to him, shirtless as well, and flexed his muscles. By comparison, Kirishima was practically built like a pro athlete, where Izuku was still fairly skinny. 

“I was just…” Izuku tried to say it, but didn’t know how. Subconsciously, he rubbed the surgical scar on his chest. Kirishima gave a sympathetic look. 

“Oh, still getting used to your battle scars?” Kirishima asked, looking at him in the mirror, rather than directly. 

“I guess. They’re not really battle scars though.” Izuku answered self consciously. 

“Sure they are, there’s nothing more manly than having a scar to show you’ve been in real battle! Even if they came from getting fixed up afterward, it was the fight that still caused them.” Kirishima said, activating his quirk. His flesh became more smooth, and angular as he grinned in the mirror, showing off his pointed teeth. “Besides, you got yours from fighting a real villain! You’ve got more hero experience than any of us.” 

Izuku watched him, and then looked at himself in the mirror. He didn’t really feel like a hero at all. He felt like a jinx. An unlucky charm. All he’d seemed to have ever since he joined UA was bad luck. Now he was permanently marked from it. He couldn’t even say he’d really fought the villain, as he’d been knocked out almost immediately.

Kirishima slapped him on the back, something Izuku didn’t mind, but his quirk hated, as he said “Come on, chin up, it’s the Sports Festival. Even if we don’t impress anyone, we get to really show off what we can do. You can finally cut loose, and show how great a fighter you are.” 

Izuku tried, but trying to keep his quirk in check kept him from getting too excited about anything. He did at least smile, and put his shirt on, before walking with Kirishima to the student section of the bleachers to watch the first event. 

Watching his classmates who were participating in the events felt exciting. To no one’s surprise, Bakugo and Todoroki finished first and second respectively in the obstacle course, with Iida’s close third, as he had trouble getting through some of the obstacles in the beginning, but caught up in the final stretch. 

It was during the intermission, while they set up for the next event that Izuku’s phone rang. He saw he’d gotten a text from Curious. 

‘Could you come to the concession when the next event starts, please?’ 

The timing felt a bit off, but he figured there must’ve been a reason, so he waited. When it was about to start, he walked off to see what she wanted. 

Arriving at the concession, he found it not as busy as he’d expected, though he did see something that surprised him. Not far away from the concession, he saw Shoto Todoroki chatting with Toya, the burn scarred man from the book meeting. Toya caught him looking, and Shoto followed his gaze. 

“Oh, Midoriya, have you met my brother?” Shoto asked politely. He even smiled a bit when Izuku approached. 

“We’ve met.” Toya said, apathetically, folding his arms. 

“Oh, when was that?” Shoto asked him curiously. 

“Doesn’t matter. What’re you doing here?” Toya asked, looking at Izuku. 

“Curious texted me. I was just going to see her.” 

Rudely, Toya pointed with his thumb and said “Then get going. Don’t keep her waiting.” 

Izuku frowned, but didn’t say anything. Shoto, however, said “Toya, you don’t have to be-”

“Don’t, little brother. He’s the son of the Ghost Rider. You’d best remember that.” 

Izuku walked on, and forced himself not to look back. When he got to Curious’s stand, he saw her table had stacks of the blood red book. She smiled at him. 

“Good morning, Midoriya. Are you ready for your event?” She asked encouragingly. 

“I hope so. I haven’t been able to get any training in since the ambush, though.”

“Don’t stress about it too much, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Curious said, “I asked you to come because my higher ups have made a decision recently. We’ve decided to start making the color red our color of unity.” 

“Red?” Izuku asked. 

She nodded, “Yes. It’s a simple, but powerful color, and we’d like everyone to start wearing something red from now on, like a scarf, or wristband to show support for each other.” 

“Well,” Izuku looked down at himself, “my gym clothes have these red stripes.” 

“That’s fine, but I think these will make a much bigger statement.” Curious said as she held out a pair of red wristbands, the same shade as the book’s cover. “These came from our R&D department this morning, and I was asked to make sure they got to you.” 

“Really? But we’re not really allowed to use gadgets or support items during the festival, except under very specific circumstances.” Izuku said, looking at her. 

“Don’t worry, the only thing special about them is the material they’re made of. It’s similar to the material used by most pro heroes for stronger, but flexible armor. They wanted to make sure they could stand up to your fire. I already had them checked by the Commission, so you’re allowed to wear them.” 

Not knowing what to say to that, he took them, and examined them. They felt strong, but didn’t stretch at all, though they were comfortable enough when he slipped them on. They just felt like any other kind of wristband. Though when he started to think about what Curious had said, he started to feel like he was wearing symbols, rather than just pieces of clothing. 

“There we go. They look good on you.” Curious said with a smile, “How about a picture?” 

“Okay.” Izuku said, and when she held up her phone, he smiled and waved. 

“Good. That’s good, Midoriya. Now when you go out there, our people will know who to cheer for.” Curious said after she snapped the picture. 

“You make it sound like there’s a lot of them here.” Izuku said. 

Curious chuckled, “Oh you’re in for a surprise, but I shouldn’t say anymore. Go and enjoy the festival, kid. You deserve it.” 

“Alright. See you later.”

And so, Izuku did find himself enjoying it. Whether he was cheering on his classmates, or chatting with them between events, or even speaking to his mother, he found the day was going well. When the final event was announced, however, he felt a pit open up in his stomach. 

“ATTENTION ALL ATTENDEES, THE EVENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR WILL START IN TEN MINUTES!!! I REPEAT, THE COMBAT TOURNAMENT WILL BE STARTING IN TEN MINUTES!!! Right after these commercials.” 

Iida stood with Izuku in the preparation room by then, where he was warming up. Physically he didn’t really need to, as he had no flesh when he activated his quirk, but it still made him feel better. Whether it was coincidence, or a cruel joke, Izuku wasn’t looking forward to his first match, especially when he learned who he would be fighting first. 

“Remember! You are a student of UA! The best of the best!” Iida said, clearly trying to be encouraging. “Control yourself. Show them what it means to be the best!” 

“Right!” Izuku said, getting pumped. 

Just then, his phone, which Iida was holding onto for him, rang. He looked, and said “It’s your mother. You better answer it.” 

Izuku nodded, and took the phone. 

——

Inko had found a quiet spot in the VIP area, which she was glad was not only sectioned off, but walled in, and climate controlled, so she didn’t have to worry about talking over the crowd. She smiled when she heard her son’s voice answer her call. 

“Hey sweetie.” The mother said happily, “I just wanted to wish you good luck.” 

“Thanks. I’ll do my best.” 

“I know you will. And, Izuku…” Inko paused, making sure she chose the right words, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be proud of you.” 

“Thank you. I…” when her son hesitated, she waited. “If…Dad was…here. Do you think he would…” 

“He would be very proud of you.” Inko answered with absolute certainty.

There was a silence between them for a long time. Inko wished she could hug him. Even over the phone, she could feel his sadness from what had become of their lives. Then Izuku spoke with a suddenly more powerful voice.

“When I become a hero, I’ll show everyone what he should’ve been.” 

Inko suddenly found her own strength, and spoke with her own conviction.

“Yes you will. And I’ll support you through all of it. Now go out there, and show them what you can do!” Inko almost couldn’t believe herself as the words left her mouth, but she felt energized when they said their goodbyes, and marched right back to her seat, and prepared to watch her son not just fight, but win. 

“Ms. Midoriya?” 

The powerful voice practically shook her through sheer force alone. She turned, and saw a pro hero she’d once met, but only a few times. A pro hero who’d worked very closely with Hisashi when he was a hero. He was huge, standing well over a foot taller than her, and wore a tailored white suit. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, I was hoping I could speak to you about your son.” 

“Yes?” She replied. 

——

Izuku stood in the dark entrance hallway to the ring, just out of sight, as he’d been instructed to do, and waited for his name to be called. 

Aizawa’s voice came over the speakers, “The tournament will be starting now.” 

“AND INTRODUCING, THE LOVELY LADY WHO WILL BE OFFICIATING THE FIRST MATCH, MIDNIGHT!!!” 

Izuku heard a loud mix of cheers, whistles, and catcalls, though he couldn’t see her from where he stood. Part of his mind told him her being the official wasn’t a coincidence, as the faculty knew her quirk could knock him out if he lost control, but another part told him it was just that, a coincidence. 

Present Mic waited for the crowd to die down some before introducing the first fighter. 

“NOW OUR FIRST COMBATANT, REPRESENTING CLASS 1-B, WITH A QUIRK THAT ALLOWS HIM TO BECOME SOLID STEEL! TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU!!!” 

Izuku closed his eyes as he saw his opponent stepping out into the open. He thought about his father, and what he’d done to Tetsutetsu’s uncle. The horrible fate he’d brought down on him. Izuku wanted to forfeit, then and there. It wouldn’t be that hard, and was even encouraged if the student didn’t think they stood a chance against their opponent, and it might be detrimental towards their future. 

Izuku almost started to turn, until Present Mic began to speak again.

“AND HIS OPPONENT!!! REPRESENTING CLASS 1-A, WITH THE TERRIFYING QUIRK, SOUL FIRE!!! IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!” 

Almost on their own, his feet carried him forward, and before he knew it, Izuku stepped out into the light, and while there were plenty of booing audience members, one massive square section of the arena exploded with cheers, and the color red. 

The sudden boom of their cheers, as well as the abundance of red startled him, as well as many other people. What had to be close to a hundred people were all there, wearing something red, or waving red cloths like flags. 

Even Present Mic was taken aback, as he said “Uh, well, it seems Midoriya has his own fan club.” 

As he walked the rest of the way to the large, flat square that was supposed to be their ring, Izuku was sure of two things. The red wristbands he wore now felt almost supernaturally heavy, and he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. Now he understood why Curious hadn’t said anything. He wouldn’t have believed her. 

Feeling tense, Izuku just focused on his breathing as he approached the starting points in the ring, where they’d been told to go before the start of the match. He saw Midnight was standing on a raised platform to the side, holding a whip in her hand, which she used as a pointer when she spoke. 

“Now boys, you’ve both read the rules of this match. Should either of you be disobedient enough to break them, I will be forced to step in. Now,” she waved the whip around in what Izuku had to admit was a rather beautiful display, almost like a ribbon dance, before cracking it so hard it was like a gunshot and shouting “BEGIN!!!”

“Fire up Midoriya! I won’t fight you half powered.” Tetsutetsu said as his skin seemed to snap into its steel form. 

Izuku took a deep breath, exhaled, and opened the lantern. 

——

From where he sat, Yagi watched Izuku’s flesh burn away. He was as relaxed as he could be, in his normal form, sitting in the faculty area of the bleachers, but he felt tense the moment he saw that flaming skeleton form. He couldn’t help it, he’d fought Ghost Rider before, and no matter how many times he saw Izuku do it, he couldn’t help but see his father every time. 

The two young men immediately went at each other, showing now qualms, or questions about what they were doing. This was a full on fight, not any sort of elaborate display of their abilities. If they had been soldiers on a battlefield, the only difference likely would’ve been the uniforms they wore. 

Sparks flew, literally, from Tetsutetsu whenever he struck anything, even Izuku’s skeleton, which was enhanced in his fire form, and it wasn’t long before parts of his metal body were starting to glow from Izuku’s fire attacks. 

It dissolved into a full on slug match, neither of them trying for anything more than simply inflicting damage on one another. 

For just a moment, All Might started to get truly nervous. Not out of true concern for either of them, but by the worry that Izuku was holding back again. He’d already taken Tetsutetsu on before, and beaten him. Yet now they almost seemed to be even. 

Then, almost as if just to show him, it happened. 

Before there was any change in his movements, Yagi saw his fire flicker strangely, and something inside him changed. He was suddenly more violent. He started hitting his steel skinned opponent with blows that he could see left visible dents, and then finally slammed a round house punch into the side of his head that would’ve knocked any normal person clean out. 

Tetsutetsu withstood the blow, but it did its damage. A very visible dent, and crack appeared on the side of his head as he took a step back. He tried to raise an arm to protect himself, but he was visibly shaken by the strike. When he tried to counter attack, his arm was suddenly bent the wrong way, before Izuku kicked his right leg out from under him. 

Just as Tetsutetsu went to a knee, Izuku slammed an uppercut to his chin, and he was out like a snuffed candle. 

There was no last minute rise to his feet for one last round, or epic speech. As his steel skin returned to normal flesh, Yagi could see there was no question as to who the winner was in this fight. 

Then came Izuku’s real test. He didn’t power down right away. The flaming skeleton just stood there, staring down at his defeated opponent. 

Midnight held up her hand, “Midoriya is the winner!” 

Strangely, however, there was no cheering. Even from Midoriya’s surprise fan club. The entire stadium seemed to be holding their breath as the flaming skeleton just stood there. 

“Midoriya,” Midnight said, her voice strong, and demanding as she pointed her whip hand at him, “Power down. Now.” 

For several, intense seconds, Yagi began to worry. Izuku’s quirk had been dangerously unpredictable lately, and he hadn’t had time to work on it. Worse, he remembered Nezu’s warning. He only had one chance, and if he failed…

Up in the VIP section, Inko watched intently, quietly praying, trying to will her son to keep himself under control. She wasn’t even aware that Mrs. Iida was holding her hand, just as quiet as the entire stadium. 

The moment she saw his flesh beginning to regrow, Inko almost collapsed in her seat. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath until that moment. The stadium seemed to collectively breathe a sigh of relief, and that entire section of stadium that had turned red began to cheer again, even as Izuku turned, and limped out of the ring, clearly hurt somehow from the fight. 

After waiting a few minutes, Inko got to her feet, and left the VIP area, Mr. Compress trailing behind her, to go see how her son was doing. 

Chapter 21

“I’m so proud of you, Izuku!” Inko said as she hugged her son the moment Recovery Girl let him go. She saw him smile at her. “How do you feel?” 

“I’m fine.” Izuku muttered, just above a whisper. He looked exhausted, and she didn’t blame him. 

“Come on, let’s find somewhere to sit.” Inko said happily, and found a bench outside the medical section Recovery Girl and several other medical staff had occupied. When they sat, she looked at him, and asked “Who were those people cheering for you?” 

“Members of our book club.” Mr. Compress answered, which got both of their attention. Mr. Compress looked at Izuku and said, “I must admit I didn’t expect that many of them to show up.” 

“That must be some book club.” Inko admitted. She remembered Izuku going to one the previous weekend, but she had no idea there were that many people. She decided it had to be a good thing with that many people cheering her baby on. She looked at her son and asked, “Do you know who your next opponent will be?” 

“It depends on who wins the next match. Why don’t you go back to your seats? I need to get ready.” 

Inko smiled at her son again. After a moment, she patted his hand, and said, “Alright. Be careful sweetheart. I’ll still be cheering you on.” 

They hugged again, and she left, each of them going their separate ways. Inko smiled the whole way back to the VIP section. 

When she arrived, she found they had taken a longer intermission than she’d thought, and many of the heroes and agency scouts were still chatting. 

All Might seemed to simply appear out of nowhere, his iconic smile shining as he looked at her. 

“Hello Ms. Midoriya! Congratulations on Izuku’s first victory! I’m sure you must be so proud of him!” The Symbol of Peace said loudly. 

“I am.” Inko said, trying not to let her nervousness in front of Japan’s Number 1 Pro Hero show. “Thank you, I’m sure your teachings helped him.” 

“Thank you! I’m flattered!” All Might said with a laugh, “Izuku is a bright pupil, with a bright future ahead of him! His steel nerve, and strength of will is something to be admired! I’m sure as we speak, he’s already preparing for his next match!” 

——

Izuku’s whole body spasmed as he lost the contents of his stomach into the toilet. When he was sure he was done, he flushed, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve as he got to his feet. He slowly sat down on the toilet, and covered his face as he tried to steady himself. 

Slowly, he started to break down, his whole body shaking as he began to cry. It was all he could do not to scream as his mind went over what he’d experienced during the match. 

He’d tried so hard to hold his quirk back, to keep it from doing what it did, not just seriously hurting Tetsutetsu, but what it’d tried to do once he was down. 

His mind flashing back to the moment as he looked down at Tetsutetsu’s helpless, unconscious body, he remembered his quirk’s murderous desire. Felt it trying to summon its full power to burn him to ash, fully intent on leaving nothing for his family to bury. 

Tears poured down Izuku’s face as he pulled on his hair, trying desperately to pull himself together as he realized what he’d almost done. The fact that he’d almost failed. The fact that he’d even had the desire. 

The fact that even he had wanted to do it. 

He’d wanted…

He’d wanted to murder Tetsutetsu. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but eventually, he felt his hands begin to steady, and got to his feet. He washed his hands, mouth, and face in the sink, before taking a deep breath, and stepping out. 

“Hey.” 

Izuku froze, and was immediately backed up against the wall as Himiko closed in on him. 

“Toga, please, I can’t…” Izuku said, trying desperately to keep himself together. He was thankful when she seemed to take pity on him, and gave him some space. 

“What’s wrong?” Himiko asked. 

Izuku looked at her. For a moment, he wanted to just walk away, to get away from her. But then his mind went to the other day, when they were together. It had been more against his own wishes, but he’d still enjoyed it. And he’d already told her about his other quirk. 

After a cursory glance down the hallway to make sure they were alone, he looked at her, and spoke. 

A few minutes later, when he finished, Himiko approached him, but didn’t corner him as she’d done a moment ago. To his surprise, she actually seemed to soften, and spoke softly as she took his hands in hers. 

“I know how you feel. That desire…it’s strong.” She said. 

Izuku looked at her, but didn’t know what to say. 

“My quirk.” She said after a moment, “I have to use someone’s blood to transform into them.” She looked into his eyes, clearly waiting for a reaction. Izuku just stared back, listening intently. “My parents got me into quirk therapy, because my quirk also made me crave it. I just loved blood when I was little. The look, the shine, the feel…” she smiled that creepy smile for a moment, but then seemed to come to her senses again. 

“How do you control it?” 

“Practice. It’s one of the reasons I’m in art class. It helps get it out of my system if I put it down on paper.” 

“I don’t know how I could do that. At least right now. I have a therapist’s number, but I didn’t have time to call him.” 

“Why not call him now? You’ve got some time before your next fight don’t you?” Himiko asked. 

Izuku started to argue, but then, he realized, he didn’t really have a reason not to at least call him. When he did, he found Twice was not only willing to help, but was part of the crowd that had been cheering him on. Izuku met him at the concession, where he found him in just a regular suit, with the same red wristbands from his costume. Himiko had come with Izuku, and Curious had let them go behind the stand the Hearts and Mind Party had set up so they could at least have some sense of solitude, as Twice wasn’t allowed in the student area. 

“Alright, tell me what’s going on, and I’ll see what we can do.” Twice said, clearly eager to help. 

——

Inko found herself speaking with the same hero again from before. His tailored white suit was now minus his coat, which he held neatly folded, and resting on his arm. 

“How has he handled the media’s stories on him so far?” The pro hero asked. 

“About as well as could be expected, I suppose.” Inko said, hoping that was a safe answer. She wished she’d prepared to speak with real agencies. She was afraid she might accidentally ruin any chance her son had at a work study. More than anything, she wished All Might, or one of Izuku’s teachers would come speak with him. She’d seen a few of them around, including that terrible stripper woman, Midnight. 

“I see.” The hero said, and then paused, clearly deep in thought. “Does he often struggle to power down?” 

Inko had to think carefully, knowing this was a huge piece of information, “Well, for the most part, not that I’m aware of. His quirk has gotten much stronger lately, but I’m sure his teachers are working with him on it.” 

The hero’s face showed no visible reaction, and she feared she’d made a mistake. She tried to think of something to say, but then he spoke again. 

“Can he swim?” 

That question took her off guard. Not just because it had come out of nowhere, but because she wasn’t actually sure of the answer. None of the schools he’d been to had had swimming courses, and they’d never gone to any sort of pool, public or otherwise. She didn’t remember him ever having trouble bathing, though, even when he was little. Even after his quirk came, he still loved splashing around in the tub like any other child. 

She was sure he could learn either way. Forcing a smile, she said “Of course he can.” 

The pro hero nodded, and then excused himself. The moment he was out of sight, Inko quickly pulled out her phone, and texted Izuku. 

‘Can you swim?’ 

She waited nervously for the reply. 

‘I think so. Why?’ He replied. 

Suddenly, she felt herself torn. She didn’t want to get his hopes up, but she couldn’t just ask him that, and leave him with nothing. After a bit of thought, she typed out ‘Your classmate’s mother was curious.’

It was a stupid excuse, but it was all she could think of. After a moment, he replied with ‘Okay’ and left it at that, which made her sigh with relief. 

Just then, the speakers came to life, as Present Mic’s voice came on. 

“Attention everyone, this is just a reminder, we will be starting the next round of matches in five minutes. Students, please make sure you’re in your proper starting places. Again, the next match will be starting in five minutes.” 

The VIP section was suddenly busy as everyone started getting to their seats, while the faculty went about their jobs for the event. Inko still wasn’t crazy about Midnight’s skimpy outfit when she walked past her, but Principal Nezu had assured her she was always professional, and acted appropriately around the students. 

——

Twice stood with him as he said “Alright, just remember, focus on your happy thought. Get it right in front of you. Now what’s your happy thought?” 

“Mom.” Izuku answered without hesitation. 

“Good. The entire time you’re powered up, I want you to think about your mother. Think about her comforting you, your favorite meal she cooks. Try to imagine her asking you to power down when the time comes.” 

Izuku nodded, “Alright! I will!” 

“Good. Now I believe in you, as does all our friends. We’ll all be cheering you on!” Twice said as they finally stepped out into the open. 

Himiko went with him as he hurried to get into place for the next match, since he knew he was in it. When he arrived, she gave him a hug, and said “I’ll be rooting for you too.” 

“Thanks Himiko.” Izuku said with a smile. He knew he had to thank her somehow for making him think of calling Twice. If his advice really helped, she may have saved him.

A few minutes later, he heard Present Mic’s voice booming over the sound system. 

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE BACK WITH THE SECOND ROUND OF MATCHES FOR THE COMBAT TOURNAMENT!!!” 

As he played some music, Izuku closed his eyes, and focused, thinking about some of Twice’s advice.

“Focus on your breathing. Deep breath in, hold, and out.”

He did the breathing technique he’d taught him, doing one slow, long inhale, holding, exhale. Two normal breaths, and then repeat. By the time Present Mic spoke again, Izuku opened his eyes, and knew he was as ready as he would ever be. 

“AND NOW, COMING BACK TO STRIKE FEAR INTO YOU EVIL DOERS OUT THERE, REPRESENTING CLASS 1-A, IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!” 

Izuku stepped out into the open, and heard the mix of boos again, though they were overpowered by the one massive section of people, all screaming and cheering for him. Feeling a little better, and more comfortable this time around, Izuku waved at them.

It was only then that he realized he had no idea who his opponent was. He hadn’t returned to his class’s preparation room where they posted the rankings, or spoken to any of his classmates. He quickly prayed it was someone who could stand a chance against him. 

“Alright, now!!” Present Mic said, “HERE COMES HIS OPPONENT, ALSO FROM CLASS 1-A…”

Izuku’s heart sank when he saw a familiar face stepping out into the open. 

“URARAKA OCHACO!!!”

Ochaco looked serious, and focused as she stepped out into the open. His closest friend, though she’d been acting distant lately, whenever he’d tried hanging out with her. 

When she got into the ring, Midnight spoke up. 

“Okay you two. You both know the rules. Midoriya, I’m expecting you to be a gentleman, regardless of what happens.”

“Don’t hold back!” Ochaco said with a smirk. Izuku just tried to smile back, but knew it looked terrible.

As he saw Midnight twirling her whip, Izuku had a strong urge to run. To forfeit. He didn’t want to fight Ochaco. Not because she was a girl, but that he didn’t want to hurt his friend. 

Midnight’s whip cracked like a gunshot, and the match was on. 

Izuku closed his eyes, and tried to think happy thoughts as he opened the lantern.

He saw Ochaco crouch low, and sprinted at him. He didn’t know why she did that, he’d watched her fight, and knew she would usually try to keep some distance. Something she should’ve done against him. 

It didn’t make any difference, either way. The moment it had control, his quirk saw her as a threat, and went on the attack. 

The first thing it tried to do was grab her, but Ochaco kept just out of reach. She did reach out to try touching his hand, but his quirk quickly covered his arms in fire. 

The wristbands didn’t burn away, but any part of him she touched after that would burn her. 

“Please, don’t hurt her!” Izuku started to beg, but then felt his mind being suppressed again. His mind was being flooded with fire, anger, and hatred. 

He only just managed to remember Twice’s lesson, and a memory popped into his mind. 

They were a family; him, his mother, and father. They were all sitting together at the dinner table, having a big meal. It was Izuku’s fifth birthday, and he’d just blown out the candles, and his father gave him his first leather jacket. 

Being jerked out of the memory, and back to reality felt almost sickening, as he felt like his whole body wasn’t just on fire, but somehow like it was wrong. He realized he’d just stood there, his quirk struggling for control, which it’d just reestablished. 

Izuku thought of his mother, just as his quirk lunged to attack Ochaco again, and he cried out, jerking his quirk back like a dog on a leash. 

In a burst of fury, his quirk shoved him down, deeper into his own mind, while sending out a wave of fire in all directions. 

Izuku was six, and holding onto his new toy, eagerly watching his father on the news, talking about his latest capture of a real villain. 

“No more!” He heard his quirk’s voice, and he was suddenly aware that Ochaco was floating just above the ground, above his fire which covered the ring. 

Suddenly, Izuku felt it. The murderous intent. His quirk was going to go for a fatal attack, and he could even feel how it wanted to do it. 

Ochaco could only cancel the gravity of something, but she could only control her flight by pushing off something. Without a ring to land on, and nothing to push off of, she was floating helplessly in the air. 

She was a sitting duck, waiting to be turned to ash. 

Izuku wouldn’t let it win. It wouldn’t take another life. 

In his mind’s eye, he saw himself restraining his quirk, wrapping his arms around it, and felt its fire backlash against him. Then, for whatever reason, his memory of the blood red book popped into his mind, and a single passage ran through his mind, seemingly on its own. 

‘Truly controlling our quirks must start with accepting that they aren’t just something we have, but a part of us. They are an extension of our being. Control them by embracing them, and making them your own.’

His quirk wasn’t its own, separate being. It was just a part of him. A dangerous, and violent part, but a part nonetheless. In that moment, as he heard Destro’s words in his head, he became one with his quirk, and he didn’t see, but felt his fire change. 

From up in the VIP section, Inko’s mouth dropped, and her heart leapt into her throat when she saw her son’s beautiful green fire return for the first time since that terrible day. She didn’t really feel anything in her right arm, where the machinery had replaced it, but for a moment, she felt his fire trying to save her, and wanted nothing more than to run to him in that moment, to hold her baby, and tell him everything was going to be okay. 

The fire that covered the ring was still orange, but the fire that covered Izuku’s skeleton was the old, beautiful green fire she’d seen him produce ever since he was a child. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew it had to be a good thing. 

She watched Izuku looked down at his arms, and then clenched his fists. The fire covering the ring vanished, leaving the concrete squares all scorched, some still smoking, and Ochaco fell to the ground, clearly looking sick. 

“End it, Izuku,” Inko whispered, “Just win.” 

Izuku clinched his fists tight, feeling amazing. He still wasn’t in full control, but he didn’t feel like he was fighting over his own body anymore. 

So deep was he in his own revelation, that he forgot to keep his attention on Ochaco. 

The moment he realized that, he almost lost control again, but just managed to hold himself together, and spun. His quirk had known exactly where she was, and he willed it to strike out, only to suddenly feel himself restrained. 

His fist had stopped just before it connected, and for a fraction of a second, he felt his quirk restraining him, rather than the other way around. 

The hesitation was all Ochaco needed, as she shoved him as hard as she could. She was concentrating so hard on making him weightless, she almost fell, but just managed to keep her footing, and watched as Izuku kicked and flailed helplessly as he floated away. 

Izuku tried to think, feeling his focus breaking as he frantically tried to save himself, but he couldn’t push off anything. His quirk was raging, but it was just as helpless as he was. When he could see the ground, he saw only the grass, and knew he had lost, even before he felt gravity reassert itself on him, and he was suddenly face down on the grass. 

He closed the lantern, and just laid there as he heard Midnight’s whip crack again, followed by her shouting over the speakers “Ochaco is the winner!” 

The cheering from the crowd shook the ground, and was practically deafening. He could feel their jubilation at his humiliating defeat. 

For his part, Izuku tried desperately to melt into the ground, not wanting to face anyone at that moment. Unfortunately for him, Ochaco was there. She made him weightless again, and lifted him to his feet. 

“That was fun!” She said, though he could only just hear her over the crowd. Then Midnight was there.

“Alright, let’s get you two back underground, we need to repair the ring.” The scantily dressed teacher said as she held them both by the shoulders, and walked them to the tunnel Ochaco had walked out of. 

Chapter 22

Aizawa’s glare couldn’t have been any worse if he tried. Izuku wished he could hide somewhere, that someone would step in and stop him, but no one did. 

The teacher and student were alone in the preparation room, after Aizawa ushered everyone else out, and had paused the video feed on the television mounted on the wall. 

He’d paused it right on the frame where Izuku’s fist had stopped, just a hair before it would’ve struck Ochaco. 

Izuku had hoped no one had noticed, but he should’ve known better. Aizawa never missed anything. Worse, he was reminded of his final warning about holding back, as his homeroom teacher, with expulsion power, continued to glare silently at him, his arms folded. 

Even through the soundproofed walls, he could hear the crowd cheering as another match was underway. He passively wondered who it was, but then refocused on the matter at hand. He was trouble, and he knew it. 

“Want to explain yourself?” Aizawa’s voice was dark, and cold as ice. 

“I…” Izuku hesitated, unable to meet his teacher’s gaze. “I don’t know what happened.” 

“You hesitated. After I already gave you your last warning.” Aizawa said. 

Izuku tried desperately to brace himself for what was coming. He’d long since learned that Aizawa was a very literal person. He never exaggerated, and he almost never bluffed. 

“What did I tell you about stragglers in my classroom?” 

“That you won’t tolerate them.” Izuku answered. 

“Correct. And what should I do with you?” 

Izuku didn’t answer. He didn’t want to say the words. 

“Tell me what happened. Why was your fire green again?” 

The young man looked down at his hands, which rested in his lap as he muttered “I don’t know.” 

Aizawa remained silent, clearly waiting for more. 

“I spoke with a therapist.” Izuku said after a time, deciding to just tell it as best he could. “He told me to think happy thoughts, to keep myself calm, regardless of what my quirk did. I didn’t really fight it, I don’t think, I just activated it, and let it loose. Whenever it tried to control me, I just thought about my Mom, and then, that happened. I lost focus, and Ochaco beat me.” 

Aizawa was quiet for a long time. After some moments, Izuku figured he was just tormenting him by making him sit in the silent burden of his presence. He practically felt it when his teacher finally blinked, and sighed. 

“I’ll let this one slide, since it seems you made some progress. However, you owe Ochaco an apology.” 

Even sitting down, Izuku suddenly felt dizzy as he gasped and looked up at his teacher. 

“There’s no doubt I wasn’t the only one who saw what happened. If nothing else, you made her look bad because people will think she won because you went easy on her. Now it doesn’t matter how far she progresses in the tournament, that’s what people will think when she wins anymore fights today.” 

Izuku felt ashamed now. He said “Yes sir. I’ll apologize to her as soon as I see her again.” 

“Good. You’re dismissed.” Aizawa said. 

Izuku stood, knowing it was unwise to linger, as Aizawa didn’t move an inch, and walked out of the room. He’d already spoken to his mother right after the match, but before Aizawa had pulled him aside, so now he didn’t really have anything to do but go to the student section, and watch the rest of the matches.

Himiko was right around the very next corner, making him gasp, and jump back in surprise.

“What happened? Are you still in hero school?” She asked worriedly. 

With a sigh, Izuku said, “Yes, but I need to talk to Ochaco-hey!” 

Before he knew what was happening, Himiko had pulled him in, and held him in her arms with strength that belied her slender appearance. She didn’t press him, or squeeze him particularly tight, but just held him close, while his face blushed a deep crimson, and black smoke poured from under his collar. If the smoke, and smell of burning flesh bothered Himiko, she didn’t show it, as she rested her head on his shoulder. 

When she finally let him go, her smile was relaxed, almost pleasant as her catlike eyes looked into his. “I wish you would’ve won, but your fire was so beautiful. I didn’t know you could control the color like that.” 

“Well, I sort of can’t.” Izuku said nervously, and then, as she led him towards the student section, he found himself explaining his quirk to her, and how it had once naturally been green. When they got to the stairs that went up to the student section, Izuku paused as he remembered something. Turning to Himiko, he said, “I wanted to thank you.”

She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

“For telling me to call Twice. I don’t think I would’ve done nearly as well without his advice.” 

Himiko smiled, and said softly, “You’re welcome.” 

Then, without warning, she gave him a peck on the cheek. As his face slowly turned a deep red, she said, “Enjoy the rest of the festival. I’ve got to go sit with my parents.” 

She was several steps away, and almost out of sight before Izuku managed to regain control of himself and say, “Alright, bye!” 

——

Izuku joined his classmates in the student section, where he would eventually speak with Ochaco about their match. He apologized to her, as Aizawa had told him, and to his relief, she forgave him. 

“It’s no problem. I’m actually kind of flattered.” 

“What? Why?” Izuku asked, thinking about how Aizawa had explained it had actually been detrimental for her. 

“Because, if your quirk didn’t want to fight me, that means it’s starting to like people right?” 

That gave Izuku pause. He knew his quirk liked specific people, like his mother, and Zarathos’s purr always calmed it down, but he’d never known it to like anyone else. He’d always assumed it was simply because it was his mother, and he’d read somewhere that cat’s purrs naturally soothed humans.

Ochaco smiled brightly, “Do you think there’s anyone else it might not want to hurt?” 

Izuku shook his head. He was still trying to think of the implications. What if he had to fight her again during combat training? Would Aizawa be understanding again? What if this got him expelled? He needed to call Twice, maybe he could help!

“You’re muttering again.” Ochaco said, still smiling at him. 

“Sorry.” 

“AND NOW FOR THE NEXT MATCH!!!” 

They both turned, and took their seats. 

For the next few hours, they were just two ordinary students, enjoying the festival, until Ochaco’s next match, which was against Bakugo, who soundly defeated her. 

The rest of the matches were almost of epic proportions, with the final match going between Todoroki, and Bakugo. 

——

The following Monday, Bakugo was still wearing the gold medal over his uniform, and basking in the glory he’d won. 

A few other students were wearing medals as well. Todoroki wore his silver medal, having lost to Bakugo in the final match, while Tokoyami wore a bronze metal, for having lost to Todoroki. 

Tsuyu had a had a gold medal of her own, having won first place in the water obstacle course, which she was wearing proudly as well.

Izuku had no medals, for having lost so early in the tournament, but he didn’t mind. The rest of the festival had been fun. They’d gotten to watch the second years go the day after, and then the third years the day after that, which had almost felt like watching real heroes perform. 

Now it was all over, and Aizawa fully intended to move on, regardless of who won what. 

“Today we will be starting with your work study offers.” He said as he set a box down on his desk. “Not all of you received offers. For those who don’t, you will have to apply from a list of agencies UA works with. I’ve already narrowed the list to agencies I believe are best suited for each of you. I’ll start with the ones who received offers.” 

Aizawa reached into the box, and pulled out a set of papers that were stapled together, and called out a name. 

From there, he went through about a third of the class, each getting varying amounts of papers, depending on how many offers they got. 

At first, Izuku was impressed, though not surprised at the huge pack of offers Bakugo had received, which was several centimeters tall. 

Then Todoroki’s name was called. He had several massive stacks, which came in their own box Aizawa had had under his desk, and completely blocked his view of the front of the class. 

“These are just because of my father.” Todoroki muttered somewhat sheepishly. 

After a few more names, Izuku was preparing to wait for his list to start applying, until he heard Aizawa call his name. 

For a second, Izuku thought he’d misheard him, until he saw Aizawa’s impatient glare. He quickly got to his feet, and got the single sheet of paper. 

He’d asked Mr. Compress after the festival if he thought his agency might offer him a work study, as he’d hoped he might get to work with the gentleman hero, only for his hopes to be dashed. 

“Our agency only offers them to third years. I’m sorry, young man. Truly.” He had said. 

As he walked back to his desk, he thought maybe they’d decided to make an exception. When he sat down and looked at it, however, he was disappointed that it wasn’t from them, but surprised at who it had come from. 

On behalf of the Okuto Island Hero Agency, we would like to formally extend an offer of a work study to one, Izuku Midoriya. 

Then, underneath, there was a handwritten, but very neat message.

I personally believe you will benefit greatly from working with us for your two week study. I worked with your father, Hisashi Midoriya, when we were both getting started as pro heroes. 

And just below was a stamp. He just stared at it for a long time, until Aizawa called for their attention again, after handing out the rest of the packets to the students who would need to apply. 

“I’m going to give you the rest of your class time to decide on your work studies. Don’t rush any decisions, even for those of you who got offers. If you have any issues, or trouble deciding, come to me or one of your other teachers. I want your final decision on my desk no later than the end of class on Wednesday.” 

After he dismissed them, the class divided into the friend groups that had naturally formed, and they started talking. 

“Who’d you get, Izuku?” Ochaco asked him curiously, holding her own packet of agencies she was going to have to apply to, as she hadn’t received any offers. 

“Gang Orca.” He muttered, still looking down at the offer. 

“Whoa! That’s amazing! Are you gonna take it?” 

“Gang Orca seems like an odd choice.” Iida, who Izuku hadn’t noticed before, said, “He primarily operates off Okuto Island.” 

“He works on the mainland too.” Ochaco said, “maybe he wants to help you with your image.” 

“My image?” Izuku asked curiously. 

“Yeah. The media’s always trying to make you look like a villain. They did that a lot to Gang Orca when he first started. He’s also one of the top ranked Heroes Who Look Like Villains in Japan.” 

That gave Izuku pause.

“That actually makes sense, now that you mention it.” Iida said. 

“What about you?” Izuku asked him curiously. 

“I’ve gotten a few offers, but I haven’t decided yet.” Iida replied, holding his own large packet of papers. 

“Oh, I figured you’d just go with your brother. You have the same quirk don’t you?” Ochaco stated. 

“Yes, well,” Iida coughed, “That might do later, but I think it would be prudent to diversify my training somewhat, rather than simply going with the person I’ve already trained with for years. Given my responsibilities as the class representative, I believe a hero in a leadership role would be best for now.” 

“I was actually thinking the same thing.” Ochaco said, looking at her list, “If Izuku hadn’t hesitated, he would’ve beaten me, and fighting Bakugo really got me thinking about my own combat abilities.” 

“But aren’t you going to be a rescue hero? I don’t think you’ll really need to be that good at fighting in the long run.” Izuku said. 

“Yeah but,” Ochaco grinned and took a fighter’s pose, “I think it’ll actually be good to have at least some basic self defense skills. I’ve even got an agency in mind.” 

That made Izuku smile, as he felt proud of his friends, who were not only thinking about the future, but also thinking smart. It made him really pause to consider his own choice. 

When he thought some more on what Ochaco has said, that Gang Orca might be able to help him deal with his public image, he decided to take the offer. 

——

“If only I had known.” The shadow growled to no one in particular, as he glared at the screen in front of him. 

On the screen was the latest story of Izuku Midoriya’s last fight in the Sports Festival. He couldn’t believe he’d missed a target so obvious, but it couldn’t be helped. Now he knew where to strike next, he only needed to wait until the perfect time. 

Preparation, patience, and planning. All were vital components of his operation. Of his goal. 

All his tools were laid out on the table before him, all blades of various lengths, and shape, all razor sharp, coated with oil to keep them from rusting. Preparation. 

He was in his headquarters, in an old apartment, in an abandoned building, where he’d slowly began his work, and he now sat before his shrine. The golden idol of All Might stood before him, shining like a beacon in the darkness as he admired it from time to time. Patience. 

Various screens shined in the darkness, each of them with data relevant to his target, Izuku Midoriya, the latest parasitic plant in the garden of thorns this world had become. Planning. 

On one of the screens, he saw a mugshot of Izuku’s face next to one of his father’s before he’d become a true villain, dropping the facade that so many wannabe heroes still carried. The same facade his son now wore. 

Izuku couldn’t be allowed to continue. His mere existence had become a sin the moment he’d entered UA. He was going to try becoming a hero, but the shadow already knew what he was. A wannabe hero at best, and a future villain at worst. 

Neither could be allowed, and he already understood how dangerous his quirk could be, from watching Ghost Rider work first hand in his killing spree. He would’ve already brought him down as well if he could find his weakness, but he’d already tried ambushing him twice, and each time, just like his son, he seemed to simply know it was coming. 

The shadow sneered at the father and son. They had to have a weakness he could exploit. He couldn’t let either of them continue to pollute the world with their filth. 

He just needed to find it. 

Chapter 23

“Behold the True Form of Man!” The black robed man shouted from the little wooden box he stood upon. He held up a little figurine in his hand of a generic humanoid form, which Ochaco swore looked like it was made of solid gold. 

Gunhead, however, ignored him, and continued to walk by on his patrol, so she followed along like she was supposed to. The man continued to shout his message, but Ochaco decided discretion was the better part of valor. 

“Remember, when you’re out on patrol, you’re going to have to ignore the loud ones.” the pro hero stated once they were away from the preacher, “Always keep your eyes and ears open for real trouble.” 

“Yes sir.” Ochaco said with a nod. 

It was her first day out on patrol, but her third day of the work study. Her few two days had been a combination of office work, which had surprised her at just how much heroes actually did, and combat training. Gunhead, in spite of his name, and appearance, which made him look like some kind of gun fighter, was one of the best hand to hand fighters in Japan. What’s more, he’d taken Ochaco’s desire for the training more seriously than she’d expected, and had spend most of the first two days alone teaching her basic techniques to practice, before taking her out on patrol. 

She still wasn’t quite ready for a straight fight, but she felt much more prepared to defend herself than she had before. 

At the moment, they were on a rather busy street that was specifically cordoned off for street performances, and public speaking. Besides the preacher speaking about the True Form, they came across several street dancers, music players, and even other religious preachers. She noticed they got more, and better attention than the True Form one. 

Overall, she noted that Gunhead didn’t really pay any of them any special attention, other than a passing glance, so she tried to do the same, keeping her eyes and ears open for trouble, though she couldn’t help but stare occasionally, especially at some of the more talented acts they passed. 

As their patrol went on, Ochaco’s mind began to wonder a bit, as she thought about her classmates. She wondered how they were doing in their own work studies. Especially Izuku. She wondered what kind of extreme training he was being put under. 

She’d seen Gang Orca once in person, and he was an intense man, having the head of a killer whale, and blood red eyes that seemed to pierce straight to your soul when he glared at you. 

Later, when she got home, and cleaned up for the day, she was sitting on her bed, texting the other girls when she decided to give Izuku a call. 

It rang several times before going to voicemail. She checked the time. It was well into the afternoon, but not past the normal bedtime. 

Thinking about that, she giggled to herself and looked at the wallpaper on her phone, which was the picture of Izuku, curled up, sleeping like a baby, and sucking his thumb. She wondered what he was doing right then. She imagined he was probably on a boat, out patrolling for poachers, as Gang Orca was known to do, since he worked with the Coast Guard a lot. 

That gave her an idea, and she went to the group chat the 1-A girls had set up. 

‘Tsuyu! Have you seen Izuku by chance?’

‘No why?’ She replied. 

‘Someone’s checking in on her man.’ Ashido interjected. 

Blushing, Ochaco quickly typed out and sent, ‘NO!!!!! I thought since Gang Orca worked with the Coast Guard like Selkie, they might have worked together!’

‘No. I haven’t seen him, but I’ll let him know you asked if I do.’

‘Send him her love.’ Hagakure sent. 

Ochaco shoved her face in her pillow and tried not to scream. She had been about to ask them what they thought the boys were doing. Now she didn’t want to talk about boys at all, since she was sure they would keep teasing her. 

She sighed. She did wonder what he was up to. Maybe he was having fun, out on the high seas, like a ship captain from a fantasy novel. 

——

Izuku was not having fun at all. He was practically drowning as he splashed and bounced off the ocean surface, being dragged by his foot, which had been entangled by the motorboat the poacher’s had tried to escape on when they were inspecting their ship. 

He had actually tried to dive into the boat to stop them, but had missed. Unfortunately, they had had a rope trailing them, which had still had a loop tied at the end. By some freak accident, it had snagged his boot, and nearly tore his leg off when it started yanking him along. 

Now he felt helpless and struggled to try freeing himself as the poachers shot into the night, the coat guard’s own motor boat trailing behind. He could hear their horns and sirens blaring whenever he was above water.

Eventually, even against his will, his quirk tired of it, and took over, burning his flesh away, in spite of the agony he felt every time his fire touched the water. 

With his enhanced strength, he managed to reach for the rope, and fried the loop before grabbing the end of the rope, and began pulling himself upwards, letting his legs flap as he continued bouncing on the water. 

He saw one of the poachers turn to look behind them, and went wide eyed when he saw the flaming skeleton approaching them. 

“WHAT IS THAT?!!” The poachers screamed, just as Izuku’s fire covered claw grabbed the side of their boat, and just as the poacher swung a pipe at him.

Izuku grabbed it with his other hand as he pulled himself aboard, and yanked it out of his hand. 

As the flaming skeleton got to his feet, the one that had previously tried to attack him screamed, “Alright we surrender, just don’t kill us!” 

“Blasphemer!” The driver said, and pulled a gun. 

Just as he was pointing it at the surrendering man, his body moving before his mind registered, Izuku grabbed the barrel, and the back of his head at the same time. He wrenched the gun away, and slammed his head into the steering wheel so hard it snapped off.

The boat slowly came to a stop.

A few minutes later, they were all being pulled back aboard the Coast Guard’s ship, having been towed back, while Izuku stood before Gang Orca. 

The Killer Whale Hero was a massive mountain of a man. With the head of an orca, and blood red eyes, he was one of the top ranked heroes in Japan, and had won an award for being one of the top Heroes Who Look Like Villains. With his beautifully tailored suit and tie, as well as his cape, which resembled the hide of a killer whale, but Izuku had learned was fake, and actually a strong carbon fiber, he put Izuku in mind of an ocean themed gangster. 

“I’m sorry Boss.” Izuku said, his head bowed low, “I shouldn’t have gone off on my own like that.” 

Standing tall, Gang Orca folded his arms. “That is correct. That was needlessly reckless, and you could’ve gotten yourself killed, or kidnapped, if the sailors here hadn’t been carrying their own pursuit boat.” He said scornfully. Then he sighed, “However, you also brought them in without much of a fight, and you showed excellent resourcefulness in how you handled yourself once you were alone. You’re to be commended for that, as I’m sure the urge to do more than simply capture them must’ve been strong.” 

It had. While Izuku didn’t have the same passion for stopping poachers as Gang Orca, his quirk understood what they were doing, and how wrong they were for it. It had wanted them to burn, but Izuku had managed to hold it back. 

“Alright, the Coast Guard will handle things from here. We’d best stay out of their way.” 

“Yes Boss.” Izuku said, addressing him by the title all his underlings used, and had been told to do himself. With that, Gang Orca led the way into the crew’s quarters, where he and the rest of Gang Orca’s sidekicks were staying. 

It was cramped, but Izuku had a hammock to himself, and had learned in the few days he’d been on the sea, that it was best to rest whenever he could. The sidekicks were already doing the same, almost all of them either already in their hammocks, or resting somewhere. 

Izuku was just about to climb into his, when one of the sailors entered. 

“Gang Orca.” The sailor said, “I think you should see this.” 

Gang Orca nodded, and followed him out. So far, Izuku had learned unless told otherwise, it was best to stick with the boss, so he tagged along. They were led over to the poacher’s main ship, which was a massive shipping vessel. 

As they walked, the sailor spoke, “We knew it was bad, but it’s worse than we thought.” 

“How bad?” The Killer Whale hero asked as they came to a door, and went inside. 

The sailor didn’t answer right away, and instead led them down into the depths of the ship, where there was little light, and eventually, when they arrived at a massive door that had frost around the edges. The sailor paused, as he grabbed the handle, and turned to face the pro hero. 

“It’s bad, sir.” 

Looking at the door, Izuku noticed there was a large emblem painted on it. It was a golden figure of a humanoid. 

He pulled the door open, and revealed a frozen slaughterhouse. 

Gang Orca slowly stepped inside. Izuku saw his fist shaking for a second, before he clinched it, but didn’t say anything. 

When Izuku stepped in after him, the first thing that hit him was the smell. Not just of blood, but of rot. Meat was everywhere, some partially butchered, but after a moment, it was all identifiable. 

Izuku ran out of the freezer before he knew what he was doing, bolted up the stairs, and just managed to get his head over the side of ship before he threw up. 

It wasn’t a poacher’s ship, it was something else. Something horrifying. 

He heard Gang Orca stepping out from bowels, and stood next to him for a moment, before saying anything. 

“Don’t feel any shame in what you just did. No one will blame you.” The pro hero said softly. 

“People.” Izuku muttered. “Why?” 

“I don’t know.” Gang Orca said, “We’re going to tow the ship in, and hand everything over.” 

Izuku wiped his mouth, and looked at him, “To who?” 

“Most likely, CIRO, the HPSC, or some other government agency. We’re in Japanese waters.” 

“What do we do after that?” 

“Nothing.” 

“But those people-”

“Are all dead, Midoriya.” Gang Orca looked at him. He was sure he wasn’t trying to be scary, but his blood red eyes seemed to burrow through him. “One thing you’re going to need to learn now is there’s going to be a lot of cases you will not see resolved. It’s part of the job. You’ve done well so far, you captured the men who were transporting them. When we get ashore, we’ve still got a lot to do before we done either way.” 

Izuku nodded, and looked down into the dark waters below. Gang Orca didn’t reach out to touch him, something Izuku was grateful for, as his quirk still didn’t like anyone touching him, but he did speak again, saying something that made him feel better. 

“The man your father once was, would be proud of you.” 

——

“Alright everyone, thank you for coming.” Nezu said as he sat down at the center of the U shaped table, and looked around at the faculty. “Since things have been busy over the last few weeks, I think it would be good to start with asking if anyone has anything they would like to report right away before we got on with the first item of the evening.” 

A few hands were raised, and they made their reports. Mostly about tasks that needed doing around the school, as well as the final report on the cost and profits from the Sports Festival, which they were all pleased to have come out in the green. 

Once that was done, Nezu looked at some papers, and looked at Power Loader. “How is the inventory inspection going?” 

“They should actually be finishing up shortly, and sending me a report. We had a lot of support items in use, as well as a lot of our support course students participating this year, so there was a lot of rush at the last minute. We only finished reorganizing everything this morning, and me and some of my third years have been taking inventory ever since.” 

“Very well, let me know if anything comes up missing, and we’ll see what we can do.” 

For the next while, they conversed on the work studies, all of which had been submitted and started by then.

“All of my students have been accepted.” Vlad King said. 

“Same for mine.” Aizawa added. 

The second and third year teachers reported similarly. 

Their meeting went on for over an hour. By then, even fortified with coffee, and after teaching all morning, they were all starting to feel exhausted. 

Which was why they all jumped to full alert when the door slammed open, and a young man in coveralls came running in. 

“What’s going on?” Power Loader asked, getting to his feet when he recognized him as one of his third years.

“I found something missing, it’s bad!” The third year said, handing him a tablet. 

Yagi watched the instructor who ran the support course scan the tablet. Generally, he’d only ever seen him angry, or calm, with little in between. When he saw his eyes go wide, he knew something was very wrong. 

Suddenly, in a burst of rage the instructor slammed the tablet down on the table, and glared at his student before yelling, “You idiot! I told you to dispose of those!” 

The third year bowed low, “I’m sorry sir! It was a mistake!” 

“What’s missing, Power Loader?” Nezu’s calm, but powerful voice broke through then, and the instructor took a deep breath to calm himself. 

“Spare vials of Midnight’s pheromone.” He picked up and looked at the tablet again, “Before Aizawa had me scrap it, I made some spares for Midoriya.” Glaring at his student again, he said “I gave this one the task of disposing of them!” 

“Are you sure you didn’t just misplace them?” Yagi asked curiously. 

“No sir.” The student answered. He’d straightened, but kept his head down, “I went through everything, three times, and so did the other students. I had them in my work station. Honest, I was going to dispose of them, but with the Sports Festival coming, I got distracted with my projects.” 

“How long are they good for? Do they expire?” Ectoplasm asked. 

“Yes, but I’m not sure how long it takes.” Power Loader said “I never did any proper testing on them. They could last…” he paused, thinking hard for a moment, “maybe another week, a month at most. After that they’ll lose their potency.” 

“You really concentrated it. Normally my pheromone evaporates in a less than a minute, unless I really mist the area.” Midnight said, clearly impressed. 

“Yeah well, I thought Midoriya was getting his quirk under control, so I thought it would be prudent to extend the time before they dissolved so we wouldn’t have to constantly replace them.” 

“Exactly how bad is this if they were stolen?” Snipe asked then, “Besides the obvious security breach we’re going to have to address, all her pheromone really does is put people to sleep.” 

“I will speak with our security team after this meeting.” Nezu said, “Unfortunately, I can think of some uses for the vials. Do we know if they can be replicated?” 

“No. At least not here.” Power Loader said confidently, “Whoever took them has a set time limit to use them. If not for personal use.” He coughed, and Midnight grinned, “They could use them for a heist, or to put a kidnap victim to sleep.” 

Aizawa sighed. When he and Yagi looked at each other, they both knew what the other was thinking. Yagi spoke first. 

“It’s also been proven to effectively put Midoriya to sleep, even when his quirk is fully berserk.” 

That brought the whole room to silence. 

“I’ll start reviewing our security footage.” Power Loader said then, getting up and all but dragging his student out of the room with him. 

Later, once the meeting was finished, and the faculty were getting ready to depart, Nezu said, “All Might, could you stay a moment?” 

Yagi nodded, and waited in his seat for everyone else to leave. Nezu walked over, and took the seat next to him. While it was smaller than the big chair Nezu sat in during the meetings, it was still designed for a human, making Nezu look even smaller than normal when he sat in it. 

“I wanted to let you know that I’ve spoken with the HPSC, and they’re considering ending Midoriya’s probation early.” 

That surprised him. Yagi said, “Really? That’s great. What’s made them change their mind?” 

“I’ve been speaking with some friends in the commission, and it turns out, Takao’s position as Midoriya’s handler wasn’t accidental. In exchange for my silence, I leveraged they end his probation. I’m telling you, because they want your assurance as All Might that you’ll keep an eye on him, before they’ll move forward.” 

“Sure. Of course!” Yagi really had no such plan, having many more responsibilities of his own, but if telling a little fib helped the kid out, he didn’t mind the compromise. 

Nezu smiled, “Very well. We will hold a phone conference with them tomorrow to address, and make sure everyone’s on the same page. Midoriya will be present on the call, as well as his mother.” 

“Alright, I’ll make sure I’m here. It’ll be good to get at least some of the pressure off him.” Yagi said, feeling happy for him. Then, a question came to mind. “So what was that about Takao’s position as his handler?” 

“Takao pulled strings to have himself placed as Midoriya’s handler when he got wind that the Commission was going to give him a chance. They weren’t even considering probation until he got involved, and were going to leave it up to us on whether or not he should be given a hero license.” 

“Why? What kind of grudge would make him do something so blatant? He had to have known someone would’ve figured it out.” 

“To be frank, I wasn’t quite sure I believed it myself when I learned, but apparently, Takao was a fan of a now deceased hero.” 

Yagi had a sinking feeling then. Thinking of Takao’s silver gray hair, he was sure he knew which one. And then, Nezu confirmed it. 

“He was once the president of The Steel Fans, Real Steel’s biggest fan club.” 

Chapter 24

Izuku had no idea how truly exhausted he was, until he finally got to lie down in a real bed. Even Zarathos’s attempts at getting attention could do little to get anything from him besides resting his hand on him as he closed his eyes, and was fast asleep. 

He dreamed of floating on a massive ocean, the black cat sleeping soundly on his chest, curled up, and purring. 

When his alarm went off, he almost simply shut it off, until he felt Zarathos stretching on his stomach. He smiled as he looked down, and saw the black cat’s single emerald eye glowing in the darkness of his room, as he silently walked up to, and sat on his chest, before pawing at his face. 

“Alright, I’m up.” Izuku sighed, before yawning. He pet the cat, and gave his head a good scratch, before he sat up. 

Right on time, the automatic feeder came to life, and Izuku was forgotten as Zarathos bolted for his morning meal. He smiled as he turned on his lamp, and surveyed his room. 

The island’s aquarium, which doubled as Gang Orca’s personal hero agency, didn’t go all out for their employee’s housing, but he couldn’t complain. He’d essentially been given his own little studio apartment, which even had its own little kitchen area. The only thing it didn’t have, was a private restroom and shower. He had to use the locker room down the hall.

He had the day off from hero work, but he wasn’t free from work. Each and every employee Gang Orca employee essentially had two jobs, if they did hero work. The hero work itself, and whatever job needed doing around the aquarium. 

At first, he began to question this, until he learned the pay was the same, but it was only a half day for any hero employees, like him. He’d drawn the midday shift, which gave him a few spare hours before he had to report for his duty that day. 

He spent his morning getting thoroughly cleaned, taking a longer shower to scrub his flesh raw, still feeling like he couldn’t quite get the smell of fish guts, and…

Memories flashed of the freezer, and its horrifying contents.

Izuku’s head jerked, as he paused to just breathe, and think happy thoughts. He thought of his mother. He remembered the first time they had katsudon. He remembered them all sitting together, as a normal, happy family. 

When he felt like he was in control again, the mental image of that freezer gone from his mind, he finished rinsing off. Later, he was in his room, just sitting at his desk, doing some reading from The Meta Liberation War, and occasionally petting Zarathos. The cat was curled up in a little bed Izuku’d gotten him, which had one of his old t shirts in it. Izuku had found that helped him take to the bed better, and gave him somewhere to relax close by while Izuku studied.

He jumped when his phone ring. 

As soon as he saw the name, he kicked himself. He’d been so tired, he’d completely forgotten the video call Nezu had called and told him about the day prior. 

Quickly making sure he was presentable, a clean t shirt would have to do, he made sure he was comfortable, and answered. 

On the screen of his phone, he saw four faces pop up, each in their own window. Principal Nezu, All Might in his muscle form, his mother, and Mera, the man he’d been told was a high ranking member of the HPSC.

Mera spoke first, “Alright. Looks like everyone’s here, so I’ll start. For the record…” he stated the time and date, followed by the names of everyone present in the call, though he used All Might’s hero name, rather than his real name, “Now. We are holding this meeting to address Izuku Midoriya’s Probation, as it was set up by the Hero Public Safety Commission on…” Mera looked down at something, and said the time and date of when his probation had started. Then, his last sentence took Izuku off guard, as he’d only been told to make sure he was free for the call, not what it was about. “…and the subsequent conclusion of said probation.”

“What?!” Izuku gasped, worriedly. He suddenly felt a pit open in his stomach. His probation was supposed to go to the end of the semester, at minimum. There could only be one reason they would end it sooner…

“Don’t get excited, kid, just let us talk, and I’ll explain everything.” Mera said with a sigh. “As per section…” he then listed off a slew of numbers, sections, and subsections of laws, and the regulations of Izuku’s probation for what felt like forever, before he finally got to the point, “…and so, with all those in mind, we are hereby terminating your probation, with the conclusion that one, Izuku Midoriya is not a villain risk.” 

Izuku froze. For a moment, he wondered if he’d heard him right. Mera, who just stared for a moment after he finished, took pity on him, and explained, “I’m saying you’re free to go about your hero work, with our blessing. You are no longer on probation.” 

Izuku still didn’t know what to say. It was so sudden, it didn’t even feel real. All Might’s subsequent outburst was so loud and sudden, not just Izuku but Inko and Mera all fumbled and almost dropped their phones. 

“CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG MIDORIYA I KNEW THEY WOULD SEE YOU FOR THE FUTURE HERO YOU TRULY ARE!!!” His voice boomed, followed by a loud, hearty laugh. That broke the tension, at least as Izuku suddenly found himself shaking. He felt smoke starting to billow from under his collar. 

“Yes, I…I don’t know what to say.” Izuku looked at his mother. 

“This is wonderful!” She said, smiling. 

“Yes it is. Now, I believe our business is concluded. So we’re square, Nezu?” Mera asked, his tone very serious. 

“Of course.” Nezu’s soft voice seemed mischievous, for some reason Izuku couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Either way, with a nod, Mera’s window vanished as he left the call. 

“How is your work study going, young Midoriya? I understand you made a big arrest yesterday.” Nezu then asked. 

“It’s…” the images of the freezer flashed through his mind again. He almost blurted that out, but Gang Orca had told him it was best if he didn’t tell every soul he met what they’d seen. It was going to get out, that was just a fact of life, but it wouldn’t help anyone if he went around telling them. Plus, he didn’t want his mother to even think about something so terrible. 

He forced a smile, “It’s going great. I’m learning a lot from the boss, and I’ll be working in the aquarium today.” 

“Very Good. I’m glad things are working out for you. See you in school!” The little mouse thing waved one of his little paws, before reaching off screen, and his window vanished. 

“Good luck young Midoriya. The world is still watching, but they can’t doubt your future anymore!” All Might said, holding his phone away from himself so he could pose, giving a thumbs up. When Izuku smiled back, returning the thumbs up, All Might’s window vanished. 

Then, it was just Inko and Izuku. 

“I’m so happy for you, honey.” Inko said, “This is going to make everything so much easier!” 

“Yeah, I think it will.” He replied, a genuine smile on his face now. “Thanks Mom, I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.” 

Inko smiled at him. “I’m so proud of you, Izuku. Good luck on the rest of your work study.” 

Then, she was gone. Leaving Izuku alone in his room. 

But then, he was reminded that he wasn’t, as having not been the subject of his undivided attention, Zarathos pawed at his hand, which made Izuku smile. He reached over, and gave him a good scratch behind the ears. 

His purring the was greatest sound in the world at that moment.

Later, Izuku found himself standing with Gang Orca, over one of the massive exhibits of the aquarium. They stood on a bridge that stemmed across the top of it, in the employees only section, the tourist view being a large, thick glass window underneath, where they could watch the massive creatures swimming around. 

For a while, Gang Orca just stood there, leaning on the railing, and staring down at the beautiful blue water. 

Swimming around inside it, was one massive killer whale. Possibly one of the biggest Izuku’d ever seen.

Watching it swim around was actually kind of relaxing. It never really stopped, just keeping to itself, swimming around inside its enclosure. 

On his first day at the agency, Gang Orca had brought him here, so he could show him what to do, and spoke about this specific orca, which was the pro hero’s personal favorite. 

——

“I would love nothing more than to release him into the wild. Beasts like him don’t deserve to be caged like this.” He said, his voice soft, and compassionate. 

“Why can’t you? He looks healthy.” Izuku asked curiously. 

Gang Orca sighed, and shook his head. “Two reasons. First, he was raised in captivity. He doesn’t have the natural instincts needed to survive anymore. Second, he has no fins.” 

“Really?” Izuku looked down. For a moment, he was confused. Then, as if it wanted to show him, the orca breached the surface, and he saw what he was talking about. 

It’s top fin, and side fins were all prosthetics, and part of what he could only describe as a suit fitted around the orca’s midsection.

“What happened?” Izuku asked. 

“Poachers.” Gang Orca filled the single word with more hatred than Izuku could’ve imagined. “He was still just a baby then, had probably only been born a few days prior. They caught him just before we found them, and had started chopping him up. I saved him, but…” he sighed, shaking his head. “We were too late. They already killed the rest of his pod by then, so I brought him here, and had an engineer make the prosthetics. They have to be checked periodically, at least every few days. It’s because of the salt water he has to be kept in. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we could do.”

They both fell silent for a time, just watching the animal, which Izuku now felt a lot of sympathy for. In spite of its handicap, it was clearly used to them, as it moved slowly, but gracefully through his massive tank. 

“I’ve given him the biggest tank I could afford, and I keep some of the best people I can find to see to his care.” Gang Orca said.

“Then, shouldn’t they be doing this?” Izuku asked, feeling nervous about what they were about to do. 

“No. I’m going to do all the work. All I want you to do is watch, and observe. Besides, I want to see how he reacts to you.” 

“What?! Why?” 

Gang Orca looked at him for the first time since their conversation started, “Because your father was there when we rescued him. It was a few months before he turned. He had been working a separate case, and had stowed away on their ship. If he hadn’t set off a beacon, we never would’ve found them in time. I gave this whale the name he still wears with your father’s blessing.”

Izuku fell silent as he looked down at the orca again. 

The killer whale, named Izuku.

——

And here they were again, Izuku pulling a pair of rolling coolers behind him as Gang Orca led the way over to the staging area, where two aquarium workers were waiting. 

One of them squatted down, and splashed his hand in the water, which Izuku had learned was their way of getting his attention. 

“Izuku’s coming.” The other worker said, as the orca turned towards them. 

Izuku smiled as he watched the whale that had been named after him slowly swim towards them. He opened up one of the coolers, which was full of frozen fish, and ice cubes. 

Izuku the orca stuck his head out of the water, and Gang Orca, in spite of still wearing his expensive suit, kneeled, and reached out to touch the massive animal. 

The first thing that struck the young man, as it had the first time he’d done this, was the shear size of the orca. 

Just its front half that was sticking out of the water was bigger than him, and the boss had explained he was still young, and could get much bigger. 

After rubbing the side of his massive head, the orca opened his mouth, clearly wanting his meal, which Izuku the human gladly provided, grabbing handfuls of the fish, and tossing them in. They promptly vanished down into the massive mouth. 

He tossed in all the fish, while Gang Orca and one of the employees kept at his sides. The other employee, who had a pair of gills on her neck, hopped into the water with a set of tools, and began going over his prosthetics. 

To keep the whale happy, and still, as he’d been instructed, Izuku parceled out the fish, rather than dumping all of it at once.

When all the fish were gone, as he’d been trained to do, Izuku grabbed the bucket of ice, and poured it into the massive mouth as well. 

Once the worker finished looking over his prosthetics, she hopped back onto the stage, and gave a thumbs up, Izuku gave the orca the rest of his meal.

The whole event took only a few minutes, but by the sounds, and body language, Izuku the orca was clearly happy as he could be when he finally swam away, leaving the four of them standing there on the side, watching him go. 

——

Nezu sat alone in his office, as he watched the video for what felt like the hundredth time. 

The security team had found their thief. He’d then had them save the footage of the burglary, and sent him a copy of it, which he kept watching over and over, watching the intruder from the moment he walked through the gate, to when he left. 

Whoever it was had been not only smart, and well equipped, but well informed. 

He had had some kind of device or possibly a stolen or counterfeit ID that allowed him to get through the gate without setting it off, something only a member of the faculty could do. He also had some method of opening locked doors without actually picking them, as he’d simply walked right up to them, and opened them, even though he had footage of the security team locking them beforehand, and then unlocking them the following morning. 

Worse, the thief knew exactly where the vials of Midnight’s pheromone were. He’d walked straight to the support course, got into the student’s work table, took the box the vials were in, and left the same route he came in. 

The entire burglary had taken less than ten minutes, and at no point did the thief move faster than a brisk walk. 

No alarms were set off.

He wore gloves, a hood over his head, a medical mask over his face, and what looked like welding goggles over his eyes. 

Because of what was stolen, they’d already involved the police, who’d sent in a CSI team, who’d scoured everything they could, but they were in a school, with lots of students and faculty coming and going. Not to mention the burglary had happened several days prior by then, thanks to the long time it’d taken to discover the missing vials. 

Nezu sighed, and leaned back in his chair. The only silver lining to the situation was the degradation of the pheromone. If the thief, or whoever they gave the vials to didn’t know, there was a chance they would degrade too much to be useful before they tried to use them. 

But then, he remembered the fact that the concentrated pheromone was found to be very useful for disabling Midoriya’s quirk. Worse, there were more than a few factions Nezu could think of that would happily take a tool like that. 

He decided to try doing some deduction of his own. 

Who would know about the vials, know their exact location, and have the resources and courage to steal them? 

There were any number of villains that would want revenge on Ghost Rider himself, even though most of his enemies were either dead, in prison, or had fled Japan at some point. Most of them would’ve likely been spotted operating at some point if they had returned. 

Who did that leave?

The League of Villains, or at least the group pretending to be them. Their strength was still unknown, but they had shown excellent resourcefulness, and an ability to teleport via those black portals. 

No. If they could teleport like that, why not teleport directly into the workshop? Unless there was some kind of restraint on the teleporting they simply weren’t aware of. 

The League was dubious, but he couldn’t deduct them as a suspect yet. 

Who else…?

Takao. 

Nezu’s eyes opened when he thought about him. He knew a lot about Takao, thanks to his contacts within the HPSC. 

He was mostly a higher rank thanks to family connections. His great grandfather was the former president of the Commission, and his uncle was the Vice President’s assistant. 

He had motive. Childish as it was, he hated the Midoriya’s enough to go out of his way to sabotage Izuku’s life. 

But was that a strong enough motive to do something this serious? He was already in deep for almost causing a scandal, had Nezu made a phone call to a news agency. 

He had the resources, the Commission kept a number of heroes on their payroll for operations they didn’t want getting to the public. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think they had one with a quirk that allowed him to get through their security so easily. 

Nezu paused, taking a deep breath, and trying to relax before he got ahead of himself. That kind of thinking was bordering on conspiracy. 

Maybe the answer was simpler…

He opened his laptop, and did a search of UA’s database. They kept thorough records on their students, past and present, as well as their quirks. He searched for any quirks that allowed them to tamper with locks. 

One name popped up immediately. He read over the now former student’s file. When he was satisfied, he grabbed his phone, dialed in a number he didn’t have saved on it, and waited. 

The person he called answered, but didn’t speak. 

“Would it be too much to ask for you to look into a matter for me?” Nezu asked politely. 

“Depends on what you mean.” The other person replied. 

“The matter I brought to your attention yesterday. I think I have a suspect. I would like for you to see what you can find.” 

“What’s the name?” 

Nezu read the name off the file. 

“Alright. I’ll look into it.” 

“Thank you Mister Takami.” 

Chapter 25

Izuku took a deep breath, and let himself fall back into the water. 

The initial shock of falling into the freezing cold only lasted a few seconds, before he swam back to the surface, and shook his head free of the salt water. 

He felt the orca named after him brush his leg as it swam by, inspecting the newcomer to its tank. 

“Just remain calm.” Gang Orca spoke into his ear piece. “They can pick up on your emotions via your heartbeat. As long as you stay calm, so will he.” 

“Right boss.” Izuku said as he watched the immense shadow drift away before turning around, and coming back towards him.

“Start swimming in the direction he’s going. He’ll move with you.” 

Izuku did as he was told, though his swimming skills only amounted to not drowning, and doing an uncoordinated dog paddle. 

What felt like smooth, wet rubber came up beneath him, and he grabbed on without thinking. He was suddenly being dragged along as he held onto the killer whale’s prosthetic fins. 

“There you go. He wants to pull you around for a bit. Get a deep breath, he’s about to go under.” Gang Orca’s voice said in his ear.

Izuku just managed to get a deep breath a split second before the orca pulled him under. With his goggles on, he was still able to see as he was taken for a deeper swim through the tank. 

“He likes to see how long some people can hold on. If you can’t hold it anymore, just let go. You won’t hurt his feelings.” 

Izuku wanted to ask what the longest anyone managed to hold on, but couldn’t. He’d only been given his diving suit, and the goggles, and talking wasn’t an option underwater. 

It felt amazing as he went along. The boss had explained he would understand when the orca was playing, and he did. Izuku the orca was having fun dragging his human along under water, seeing how long he could hold his breath. 

Unfortunately, Izuku hadn’t had any sort of training to prepare for this, and it wasn’t long before he started to feel his lungs burning. When he felt his grip beginning to slip, he followed the boss’s instructions, and rather than simply letting go, he pushed off, to make sure the orca knew what had happened, and swam upwards. 

He gasped when he felt his head break the surface, and just floated there, breathing, while he saw the orca do what he was sure had to be a victory lap around the massive tank. 

“Alright, that’s enough. Come on out, the regulars will take over.” 

Izuku nodded, and dog paddled over to the stage. Once, with little effort, Gang Orca had pulled him out of the water with one hand. This time, he stood by as Izuku pulled himself out, and sat on the edge, while one of the aquarium workers dove in, and swam with the orca for a while. 

“You did fine. Izuku seems to like you.” The Killer Whale Hero said as he watched the shadow in the water. 

Izuku the human looked at him, “You think so?” 

Gang Orca nodded. “He took to you much sooner than he normally does. Usually he’ll scout out someone, just swim around and look at them before getting close. I think he remembers your father. He was one of the first to swim with him when we got the prosthetic fins on him.” 

“He never told me about that.” Izuku muttered as he looked out into the water again.

“I think he intended to bring you here at some point, but…other things happened.” 

“Do you know why he did it?” Izuku asked curiously. 

Gang Orca was quiet for a time. Eventually he shook his head, “No. When I worked with him, he was still a kind man, at least when he wasn’t in his fire form.” 

They stood silently watching for a while. The worker that was with the orca at the moment was the same woman with gills, and Izuku expected the whale would need to come up for air well before her. He didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually, Gang Orca spoke again. 

“Make sure you shower before anything else, and thoroughly rinse out the diving suit in fresh water. There’s a washing station in the locker room. You’re done for the day.” He said, before turning, and walking towards the main building. 

“Yes boss.” Izuku said as he got to his feet. 

Later, when he was clean, and sitting with Zarathos again, he got a text from Gang Orca. 

‘Foot patrol. 6am. Meet at the front gate.’ 

He texted back, ‘Got it boss.’

After that, he went to bed, making sure he got enough sleep, the black cat immediately snuggling up on his chest. 

The next morning, he got up early, and got to the front gate of the aquarium five minutes early, where he found Gang Orca and a trio of his sidekicks waiting. 

While he addressed everyone, the Killer Whale Hero looked at Izuku as he said, “Today we’re going to patrol the main tourist areas of the island. We’re not expecting any villains, so we’re not going for anything flashy. Just make sure we’re seen, and people know we’re present. It makes them feel safe.” 

“Uh…boss.” One of the sidekicks raised a hand, getting the boss’s attention, “No offense, but…Midoriya’s got a bit of reputation. Are we sure about bringing him out with us? This is one of our more busy tourist…seasons…” he trailed off into a tense silence as Gang Orca just glared at him. “Sorry boss.” 

“Midoriya. Stay close to me at all times.” The pro hero said, and then without another word, turned and stepped towards the little town that surrounded the aquarium. 

——

“Grab the wrist, and turn, make sure to leverage their own bodyweight against them.” Gunhead said as he showed Ochaco the disarming technique on one of his sidekicks. “Once you have them on the ground, do not let go of their wrist, that is the most dangerous point in this kind of situation.” 

Ochaco nodded, as she noted how he then squeezed and twisted, forcing the sidekick to drop the dull knife they were using. 

“Now, try it with Lulu.” Gunhead said, gesturing to one of his women sidekicks, who then worked with Ochaco as she had her do the same move on her while holding the knife, before letting her try it herself. 

After several slow, practice runs to get the movements, Lulu really lunged, and her body moved almost on its own, and before she even realized it, Ochaco had the sidekick immobilized on the floor, her knee on her lower back, and her wrist gripped tightly in her hand. 

“Very good!” Gunhead said as they got to their feet. “Once we get some more practice in, we’ll see how well you spar for real. I might not be able to make you a one woman army, but I think you’ll be able to protect yourself just fine before we’re done here.” 

Ochaco beamed with pride. 

Just then, Gunhead looked over at the clock, and nodded. “Alright everyone, that’s enough training for now. Take five, and prepare for evening patrol.” 

While she did find a seat, and drank some water, Ochaco got out her phone to chat with her friends. 

‘I’m getting pretty good at Gunhead’s martial arts!’ She texted happily. 

‘Nice. Bet you could handle any of the boys by the time we’re done.’ Ashido replied. 

‘I got to help you during a bank robbery earlier!’ Jiro added, which started a whole slew of texts asking for details. 

A few minutes into their chat, however, someone started linking stories. It turned out to be Hagakure, who then texted, ‘Looks like the boys have been busy too.’

When Ochaco checked, she found several social media links to people taking video and pictures of some of the guys from their class. 

Todoroki was working with his father, and they had brought down a villain together and were shown using Shoto’s ice to restrain him, while his father held him down. 

Bakugo was wearing some very stylish jeans, and his hair had been combed down. She had to admit, he actually looked good, even though his face made it clear he wasn’t happy. 

Then she found Izuku’s story, which was not what she’d expected, but made her smile anyway. 

It was a video, most likely taken by one of the aquarium workers, of Izuku feeding an orca, while Gang Orca stood next to it. In the video, after he poured the ice down into its mouth, she saw him smile, and reach out to gently rub the top of the whale’s head. In spite of what she knew he could become, he looked so sweet and innocent in that moment, event gentle. 

She watched the video twice, before…

“Is that a boy?” Gunhead whispered, making Ochaco jump, and quickly lock her phone as she spun to face him. 

“Well, I’m ready to go, Mr. Gunhead!” She said, feeling her face blushing red. 

To her relief, Gunhead didn’t rub it in, and just nodded, before leading the way to the exit. 

——

The next several days came and went without any significant incidents. 

Izuku went out on foot patrols with Gang Orca, and felt like he was really learning what he would be doing as a hero. Not just fighting crime, but simply being present in people’s lives. He could see how a heroe’s presence alone affected a lot of people. 

Most of the time, they looked relieved. They felt safe with them there. Other times, especially when he saw them recognize him, they looked scared. 

The boss walked him through it though, teaching him how to handle small incidents from simply loud arguments, to full on fist fights between people. None of which involved any violence on their part. He actually found that Gang Orca’s presence alone seemed to calm people down, though he was sure that was more out of intimidation than anything else. 

He did small things as well, however, from one instance of helping some school children cross the street safely, to helping an old woman figure out where she was going when she found herself lost. 

One thing Izuku truly began to appreciate, was his skills in English speaking. It wasn’t his best subject in school, but Okuto Island was, above all else, a major tourist destination, and most of the people who didn’t speak Japanese, at least spoke some English, and he found himself using it more often than not. 

Meanwhile, using a group chat they’d put together, Izuku got to keep up with his classmates. At least the ones who used it. The only two that seemed to really avoid it was Bakugo and Todoroki. Mostly Bakugo, who rarely even responded, while Todoroki at least replied to some posts. 

He still hadn’t mentioned the ship to any of them, and it seemed the story hadn’t gotten out yet, which surprised him. When he asked Gang Orca about it, he simply stated, “Just give it time. Things like that always get out.” 

And then, sure enough, just a few days before his work study was going to end, the first message came into the group chat, just as Izuku was sitting in the break room at the aquarium. 

‘DUDE IS THIS YOU?!!!!!!’ Kaminari was the first to text, along with a link to a story. Izuku sighed when he saw the headline. 

GANG ORCA DISCOVERS MASSACRE

It was mostly accurate, though there were some notable details missing, like how they’d captured the crew, but otherwise, all the grizzly details were there, including the contents of that freezer. He unfortunately, also noticed there was a mention of the presence of ‘Ghost Rider’s son, Izuku,’ without much elaboration.

Still stuck under his father’s shadow, he thought as he sipped from his water bottle. They couldn’t even mention him without bringing up his father.

He texted ‘Yeah. I helped there.’

There was a slew of texts from all his classmates, asking questions about it. He didn’t even realize until he noticed he was making spelling errors that his hands were shaking. He saw the images of the contents of that freezer again, and for a moment, felt his stomach churn, before he paused to catch his breath, and steady his hands.

Finally, he managed to just text, ‘I don’t really want to talk about it. The article says pretty much all that happened.’

If he was being honest, if nothing else, that incident had made him glad Gang Orca hadn’t taken him out on anymore coast guard patrols. He’d spent the last few days, if not out on patrol, working around the aquarium. He’d gotten to feed the orca named after him several more times, and even got to pet him. 

Nothing quite brought a smile to his face, however, than when he remembered swimming with him. He’d never known how much fun it could be, and had gotten to let the orca pull him along several more times. 

With a sigh, he put his phone away, and focused on his lunch, wanting to finish and have his stomach settling before going back out on patrol. This time, they were going out on a night patrol. 

Being a tourist spot, Okuto Island had a fairly lively night scene, with clubs, bars, and all kinds of party spots for visitors. All of which needed security. 

While they did have their own private security, the island being effectively Gang Orca’s home turf, he was duty bound to show his presence during such times. And Izuku was supposed to accompany him wherever he went. 

“Obviously, you can’t go into any of the places serving alcohol,” Gang Orca said during their briefing before they were to head out on patrol, “So instead of me, I want you to stick with Red. Red, you’re his guardian for tonight.” 

“Right boss.” Izuku and Red said in unison. 

“Alright. The private security and cops are going to do most of the heavy lifting tonight, but we’re going to help where we can. Be on your guard, and make sure you stick with a buddy at all times. No one is to go off alone, regardless of the circumstances.” 

As a group, Izuku and the rest of the sidekicks all nodded, and without another word, they were outside, and on patrol. 

——

Hawks looked down at his phone, at the information he’d managed to gather on Nezu’s suspect. He double checked the last known address, and then at the address he was looking at. 

It was an apartment complex on the lower end of the city he himself patrolled, generally for the lower end of the middle class. Not quite the bad side of town, but not quite far from it. 

Unfortunately, this meant he had to be more subtle. He couldn’t just kick in the door, and interrogate his target. The man in question was a former student of UA, who’d actually been expelled. He’d only gotten in on recommendation from his extremely wealthy father, and had a quirk that allowed him to essentially open any door, regardless if it was locked or not. 

He’d used his little gift to steal from the support course during his second year, and got caught. Since then, from what Hawks had been able to find out, he’d become a petty theft, and burglar. He’d only recently gotten out of prison after being caught for one such crime, just a few days before the vials of Midnight’s pheromone had been stolen. 

He flew down to the ground, and started searching for the apartment door, which he found to be all the way in the back, on one of the furthest sides from the parking lot entrance. He approached, and reached up to knock on the door. 

He froze a split second before he touched it, as he smelled the distinct odor of burning pork, and felt in his gut that something was wrong. He just stood there, listening, trying to see if he heard anything from inside the apartment. He pressed his ear to the door, but still didn’t hear anything. It was as quiet as could be.

He knocked a few times, and waited. 

Nothing. 

He listened again, knocked, and said, “Delivery.”

Still just silence. He tried the doorknob. It was locked. 

He casually looked around, making sure he was alone, before slipping one of his feathers under the door, and focused. 

He was able to control his feathers, not unlike a form of telekinesis. Years of training had made him very capable with them. In this particular instance, he felt his little feather fluttering in, before floating up, and fiddling with the doorknob from the inside. 

Grinning, he felt the doorknob click from the inside, and turned it again. This time, it opened, and his little feather gently flew back and stuck to his wing. 

The moment he opened the door all the way, however, the fowl odor of burning meat washed over him. It hit him so hard he almost stepped back instinctively, but he managed to stop himself, covering his mouth as he looked around. 

He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, other than a suitcase next to the door, and a passport resting on the end table next to it. 

Slowly, holding a pair of longer feathers, ready to be used as weapons, he entered the apartment. 

Moving on pure instinct, Hawks flew back, and dove to the right, just as the apartment exploded with fire bursting through the door. 

Years of working as a hero, and agent of the HPSC had given him the wisdom and resources to keep a panic button on his person at all times. His was in the form of a seemingly ordinary watch, which, when the knob on the side was pulled all the way out, would send an emergency signal to all nearby emergency personnel, including heroes and law enforcement. 

It wasn’t cheap, and it was a federal offense to use it in a non emergency situation, but when Hawks saw the flaming skeleton stepping out of the inferno, looking for all the world like a demon stepping through the Gates of Hell itself, he knew this was the time to use it. 

He yanked the pin out as he prepared to fight, just as Ghost Rider raised a flaming, spiked chain like a whip, and the fire quickly began enveloping the entire area. 

Chapter 26

Ochaco had started to get used to their evening patrols. It’s like they were just becoming part of her normal routine.

Her training was coming along nicely, at least, she thought so. Gunhead had started letting her spar more directly with Lulu, one of his sidekicks, and she felt she was getting pretty good at it. She’d even managed to actually get her to tap out from a submission hold once the day prior. 

It’s was because of all that that when she realized the work study was almost over, she found herself actually dreading it. She liked working with Gunhead and his sidekicks. She enjoyed the sparring, and martial arts training he’d taught her. 

She didn’t want it to end yet, especially as she didn’t think she’d learned enough, but he’d assured her she had improved a lot since she’d started, and had enough of the basics to continue on her own.

On what would’ve been the second to last foot patrol, just as Uraraka finished helping an old man with directions, and turned to Gunhead for further instructions, his phone went off. His face was covered by a mask that hid any expression he could’ve made, but his body language told her it wasn’t good. 

“We’ve got an emergency distress call, let’s go!” He said, and started running down the street. 

He led them towards an apartment complex, which seemed to be on fire. 

Alright, she thought, a burning building. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. 

That was, until Gunhead stopped, and pressed his finger to his ear. 

“What?! Are you sure?” He said. Dispatch, Uraraka realized. Gunhead turned to his sidekicks, “Spread out, and start setting up a perimeter!” 

Uraraka did as she was told, and started working with the sidekicks, and police officers as they started to arrive. She realized it was something more serious than a fire, but knew how important it was to keep the public safety in mind. 

It wasn’t until a news crew showed up, stopped by a roadblock, and started filming that she realized just how bad things were. 

The reporter, a woman holding a microphone, stood in front of her cameraman as she began to speak, “We’re as close to the scene as we’re allowed to at this time. Reports are still flooding in about Ghost Rider’s attack, and from what we’re hearing, it’s not going well for him!” 

Ochaco froze. She almost wanted to go ask if she’d heard her right, just as she heard a scream coming from the fire, which seemed to be growing. 

She jumped when Gunhead grabbed her shoulder. Without thinking, she asked, “Did she say Ghost Rider?” 

“Yes.” Gunhead said, “I’m going to go in and see if I can help. I want you to stay with the others.” 

“Izuku Midoriya is my classmate, I can help.” She said urgently. 

Gunhead shook his head. “No. I am ordering you to stay with Lulu.” 

Uraraka wanted to defy him, as he turned and ran towards the fire. She was going to be a hero after all. She needed to help where she could. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Lulu said, standing next to her then, “Trust me. Just let the heavy hitters handle it. Speaking of which.” 

Uraraka heard his iconic laugh before she saw him hurling himself through the air overhead. The massive form of All Might had arrived, and suddenly, she simply knew everything was going to be alright. 

——

Hawks knew his only chance at surviving this fight was stalling. Fire was his only weakness, as it simply fried his feathers, and he had almost nothing he could use or do to harm Ghost Rider, who was almost pure flames. 

He didn’t make it easy. The chain moved faster than it should’ve been able to if it were made of steel, as it appeared, and it was all he could do to keep away from it, and out of its reach. 

Dodging this way and that, keeping a safe distance from the flaming skeleton wasn’t that hard. Doing so, and keeping away from his fire was. 

The entire area was covered in living flames that lashed out at him unnaturally, forcing him to continuously move, doing all he could to keep off the ground, and saving every feather possible. 

“You will burn for your sins!” Ghost Rider’s voice was demonic, and actually felt like something out of a horror movie. 

“Glass houses, Ghost Rider.” Hawks retorted, though he was far from any sort of position to banter. 

“I know who you are, Hawks.” Ghost Rider growled as he lashed out again with his chain, “The lapdog of the Commission!” 

Hawks didn’t let anything show as he leapt back, and landed on top of a lamppost. He glared down at Ghost Rider, knowing help had to be on the way. 

The sentient fire was crawling its way up the lamppost, even if the flaming skeleton wasn’t overtly attacking. Hawks was running out of space, and he knew it. The fire was already spreading, the building they’d just been in now completely engulfed as people were screaming and evacuating. 

“Is this the kind of person you want your son to see?” Hawks asked. “What you want Izuku to imitate?” 

Ghost Rider’s response was having one of his chains fire off towards him like a striking cobra. Hawks just managed to duck to the right, the spikes on the red hot chain slicing through his coat and under armor like butter, before he leapt, and glided several feet away. 

“Your son’s been struggling just to survive, all because of you!” Hawks shouted. 

“What I’ve done will guarantee his survival!!!” Ghost Rider roared before two chains shot at Hawks, the first one swinging at him without even being retracted, while the second shot out from his other sleeve. 

Hawks jumped and rolled through the air, feeling the chains coming far too close, and burning more of his feathers. More than he could afford to lose, before he landed, and looked around, needing to know where the chains were. 

Suddenly, an almost deafening boom rang out, and the ensuing concussion not only snuffed out the surrounding fires, but actually knocked Hawks back a few steps. Ghost Rider all but vanished, as he saw his rescue had finally arrived. 

Slowly and dramatically, All Might stood up straight, his iconic smile shining in the darkness as he glared ahead, where Hawks saw Ghost Rider had slammed into a van, and fell flat on his face. He was already getting up, even as All Might rushed him again, rearing back his right fist.

For his part, All Might fully intended on ending the fight as quickly as possible. Ghost Rider had attacked on a terrible day for him. He’d already been at school all day, working with the other classes that weren’t on their work studies. He was already tired, but he couldn’t just let a villain this dangerous go, even if there were other heroes who could handle him. 

He brought his fist down, and up for a low uppercut into Ghost Rider’s gut, slamming into the van again, before grabbing him by the front of his shirt. 

The Symbol of Peace lifted the Spirit of Vengeance, turned, and in one move, slammed him down on the ground so hard the earth shook. 

Then, one hand holding him down, All Might raised the other, and paused. 

“You’re finished, Ghost Rider!” All Might proclaimed. 

In that moment, Hawks smiled. The fight had been brief, but decisive. In any other circumstances, that’s where it would’ve ended. Ghost Rider would’ve gone to prison for the rest of his life, while they cleaned up, and went on with theirs. 

That was when everything went wrong. 

It started with a scream. 

Hawks looked over, and saw some kind of beast out of a nightmare, what he could only describe as a creature with wings, flew through the air, carrying a police officer, who was still screaming as he struggled in its grip. 

Before he knew what was happening, there were more of them. Some were flyers as well, but most were on foot, and they were going for the civilians. Hawks rushed to their aid without even thinking, using what feathers he had left to do all he could. 

——

“What is that?” One of Gang Orca’s sidekicks asked when the hulking monster stepped around a corner. 

As he looked at it, however, Izuku noticed something dangling from what had to be a mouth. 

“Is that a hand?” Izuku asked, feeling a chill go down his spine.

Without another word, Gang Orca rushed it, slamming a kick so hard Izuku not only heard the thump, but it took whatever the thing was off the ground, and flying back. 

Then, full pandemonium broke out. 

Before Izuku could react to the first attack, there were screams coming from everywhere, and people running around almost at random. 

That’s when the first one almost got to him. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, another monster was right in front of him, and a massive mouth, filled with fangs was just about to envelope him, when his quirk mentally jerked him back, and took over. 

His flesh burned away as a plume of fire boomed from his mouth, and filled the huge mouth, and made the creature recoil, and began swinging around in agony as he continued to pour it on. 

——

Ochaco turned when she heard the sudden silence, which she’d taken to be the end of the fight, broken by screams, and the sounds of what she could only describe as a war zone. 

The first thing she saw was a police officer, in full riot gear, being torn in half at the waist. Blood pouring everywhere as he continued to scream, and the giant monster turned its glare on her. 

For just an instant, the world seemed to stop as she felt her heart pounding in her ears. Whoever, or whatever it was, glared at her, and for some reason, seemed to be getting bigger. It was something out of a nightmare, with the body of a man, but the bladed hands of a praying mantis, and the head of a snake. It still over twice her height as it bore down on her.

The crackle of Gunhead’s bullets firing from his face snapped her out of it, as the lead slammed into the creature just before the pro hero did, and she suddenly felt her training kicking in. Gunhead was going toe to toe with the monster, dodging its blades, before grabbing hold of one, and twisting it. 

Ochaco heard bones snapping, but if it noticed, it didn’t show it, as it brought the other one around, aiming to impale the pro hero. 

Uraraka acted quickly, ducking under the arm, and pressing her palms to the creature’s chest. Gunhead saw, and reacted immediately, swinging the now weightless monster around, and down, slamming it into the ground, before spinning like a slingshot, and hurling it away. 

——

“Protect the civilians!” All Might shouted as he slammed one of the creatures to the ground with one hand, and sent one flying into the sky with his other one. 

Hawks was astounded by the monsters. They regenerated from almost anything he could do to them, each and every one of them having some kind of healing factor. He ended up just trying to keep them distracted, and away from the civilians, who were being led away by the police, and other pro heroes. 

He didn’t have enough feathers left to fly at full speed, or use the kind of agility he would’ve wanted, so he was stuck on the ground as he dealt with one particularly violent beast, which swung a set of tentacles that he was sure could rip him limb from limb. 

Suddenly, a flaming chain shot out, and wrapped itself around the thing’s neck, and Hawks saw Ghost Rider yank himself towards it, and grabbed its head with both hands. 

After an almost blinding flash of fire, Hawks saw it collapse to the ground, Ghost Rider landing, and sprinting to another monster without so much as a glance towards him. 

Whoever the monsters were, they weren’t with the villain at least. He could deal with that. 

——

“Stay together!” Gang Orca shouted as he crushed the head of one of the monsters, and saw it finally go limp. 

Izuku was still fighting another monster, this one smaller, but with four arms, having fallen into a full on slug match with it, before his quirk grabbed it by the face, and before Izuku could stop it, flash fried it to nothing. The monster fell limp, and Izuku wanted to scream inside. 

His quirk, however, didn’t give him the time, as he saw another monster going for Gang Orca from behind as he was grappling with a second one. He sprinted towards it, and jumped on its back. 

The world suddenly spun, and Izuku was in the air for a second, before slamming into a wall. His quirk landed on a knee, and ran back into the action while Izuku was still putting together that he’d been thrown.

The monster that had thrown him was now running towards him, as more swarmed the group. 

Izuku tried, he did all he could, but he couldn’t stop his quirk from doing swift, and terrible things to the monster. The last thing it saw was his fire covered bones grabbing its head, before it exhaled a plume of bright flame right into its face. 

He felt his own fire covering it, burning its flesh away before its healing power could regrow it, until most of its head and internal organs were nothing but ash, and blackened meat. 

When his quirk flung it aside, and searched for another target, Izuku felt almost nothing, his mind too stressed to process what he was doing anymore, just in time to see a black spike shoot out from Gang Orca’s gut. 

Inside his mind, Izuku finally let go, as his fire started to consume his mind again. He felt memories burning away to nothing. Part of his very soul flaking away as fire burned it, until there was frightfully little left. 

He withdrew inside the very lantern he used to contain it, and shut himself in, out of pure self preservation. 

The Ghost Rider that Izuku had never wanted to become was unleashed upon the world in that moment. 

The first thing he felt it do was attack the monster that had impaled his boss on what appeared to be a segmented spike that replaced one of its arms, and before it could react, he’d simply ripped its head from its shoulders, slammed it on the ground, and stomped it to mush. 

Screams echoed around him as he saw Gang Orca’s sidekicks falling to the monsters, even as he rushed to kill them before they could manage it. 

He was suddenly surrounded as he burned them, several at a time, his fire pushing itself harder than it ever had, now being fully unchained. It didn’t matter what he did, or where he lashed out, he hit something, or was struck himself. 

Claws raked at him, cutting up his costume, while fists struck him hard enough to crack his bones. Spiked appendages stabbed through him, impaling him from all sides. 

Nothing hurt, and only served to anger the quirk, as it roared, sending fire in all directions at once, like Hell itself had arrived. 

Something suddenly stretched his arms out, and he could feel them being pulled from their sockets. His arms, now much longer than he’d ever felt them continued to move like snakes made of pure hellfire, cutting through flesh, ripping limbs, and entire torsos apart. 

The violence was overwhelming, as he simply kept striking out, kept attacking, kept lashing out with everything. Cutting loose like he’d never done before. 

Slash, rip, burn. 

Slash, rip, burn.

He lost himself in the violence, the bloodshed, and the burning of flesh.

When it finally ended, he found himself standing in a field of death, and destruction. 

Bodies lay everywhere. Blood soaked his costume, and he felt like he was standing in a lake of gore. 

Later, pictures and videos of the scene would describe it as a massacre. A literal bloodbath, as the crimson liquid stained the ground, blackened by ash, and gore, as the young man stood alone among the carnage. 

For a time, that’s all he could think to do. In a way he almost felt disappointed that it had ended. That he’d ran out of things to burn. Monsters to slaughter. 

Then, finally seeing that it was over, Izuku reluctantly tried to assume control again, as he knew what he was going to feel the moment he did. 

His flesh slowly grew back, and he felt his blood soaked costume sticking to him. His boots were soaked, and he felt like his arms each weighed a ton. 

As sirens began to approach, he looked down at his hands, surprised that he could still move them, and saw that he was holding a pair of chains that extended from sleeves. 

What’s more, he could feel them. Like they were an extension of his limbs. 

Then, as his adrenaline began to crash, he started to feel the cracked and broken bones, as the reality of his situation started to flood his mind. 

He wasn’t even aware that he’d been screaming, until his throat began to sting. 

Chapter 27

Yagi didn’t think he could’ve felt any older than he did as he lay in the UA nurse’s office, in one of the hospital beds she kept there. It had been all he could do to get there once the fighting was finally done, and the last of what the media were now calling nomu, were dealt with. 

“The Night of Terror”

That’s what they had chosen to call it. To be fair, Yagi didn’t think the name was too far off. Even in the places where heroes had managed to contain the things even more than he had, namely Endeavor’s district, things had been bad.

Strangely, Ghost Rider had fought the nomu as well, even taking out a number of them on his own, before he managed to get away in the chaos, before All Might could catch him. No one had been able to explain that, but Yagi supposed he couldn’t complain. 

If only he’d been more prepared. More rested…

The death toll was terrible. Yagi had stopped looking at the news when they got into the high double digits, and just tried to focus on his students, many of which he knew were involved. 

The three big names in all this mess were Shoto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugo, and Izuku Midoriya. 

Working with Endeavor, and using his ice powers, the Todoroki father and son had not only managed to minimize and contain the nomu, but had captured several, encasing them in ice. 

Bakugo had been able to destroy and distract many of them, working with Best Jeanist, the pro hero he’d taken his work study under, and allowed the area to be evacuated quickly. They had the lowest death toll.

Midoriya, however, had done something entirely different from them. 

Okuto Island had been hit the hardest, with more nomu than any other location they’d struck. 

Where even Endeavor had only had to deal with a large group of them, a small army had appeared on the island, and almost overwhelmed them. Even the most optimistic analyst had admitted that they had had more than enough of the monsters to wipe out the entire island population. 

If not for Midoriya cutting his quirk loose, and becoming the next Ghost Rider. 

Yagi had felt a genuine chill of fear, watching his student going completely berserk on the monsters, through both security camera footage, and various videos taken by witnesses. 

His fire had started out green, a sign he was in control, but the moment Gang Orca had been stabbed through the back by a nomu, his fire had snapped to orange, and Yagi saw Hisashi’s rage unleashed through Izuku upon the things. 

Worse, as Izuku had began to unleash his fury, something no one had been able to explain happened. 

Every single other nomu on the island stopped whatever they were doing, even if they were on the other side of the island itself, and they all converged on his location. 

They all seemed to simply know exactly where he was, and started towards him. They only stopped to attack, or destroy anyone, or anything that got in their way. 

And Izuku was in a heavily populated area…

It was during this flurry of violence that Yagi saw Izuku’s chains appear from his sleeves. He’d hoped maybe he’d simply picked them up from somewhere, but analysts had already made a point of going over the instant in detail, slowing down, and cleaning up the footage as best they could. 

Izuku had developed another quirk. Whether he’d had it all along and been hiding it wasn’t known yet, but Yagi intended to ask him if he got the chance. 

When the last of the nomu had been torn apart, and burned by Izuku, he’d clearly had a nervous breakdown, and Yagi understood why. 

Something he remembered Izuku had once confided in him during their months of training before getting into UA, was that he didn’t want to become his father. He was aware of how dangerous he was. How he’d just casually murdered people after he turned. 

And he’d just taken countless lives. Even if it was in self defense, even if he was being praised as ‘The Hero of Okuto Island’, Yagi knew the guilt would be eating him alive inside.

And all this old man could do was lie in a comfortable hospital bed, on the mainland. 

Not for the first time, Yagi wished he was still young, or at least not partially crippled. He would’ve swam straight to Okuto Island, outpacing any boat on the water, and comforted Izuku as best he could. 

With that thought, he took a deep breath, and sat up. The pure, unfiltered agony that shot through his side made him collapse back in the bed, and left him panting from the exertion. 

“Mr. Yagi?” A soft voice said, getting his attention. He turned his head, and saw a third year approaching him. He was a tall, broad shouldered young man, getting well into his manhood. He had beady, but pleasant looking blue eyes, and golden blond hair that was neatly combed into a short faux hawk. He was dressed in his school uniform.

“How’re you feeling, sir?” The young man asked. 

Yagi sighed, “I’m feeling my age.” He said, and just breathed for a moment. “What’re you doing here? I thought you’d be out training, or working with Sir Nighteye.” 

“I thought I would come by to check on you. I understand you were present during the attack.” 

“I was. What about you?” 

He nodded. “I secured several blocks, but…” he looked at his fist, “I’m still not quite used to it.” 

“Well, don’t beat yourself up. You’ll get used to it. Just keep training.” Yagi said. 

“I will, Mr. Yagi!” He said, standing at attention. “Is there anything I can do to help you get better?”

“No I…” Yagi had started to refuse, but then, an idea occurred to him. “Actually. There might be something you can do.” He looked at the student, and began to explain. When he finished, he asked, “Do you think you’d have time for that?” 

The third year smiled, “Sure! I’ll get to it right away!”

——

Izuku looked up at his father as he helped him unbuckle the strap on his helmet, before setting it inside the sidecar. 

Hisashi then took the six year old by the hand, and led him towards the shrine, where a monk was standing by the front gate. 

“Good morning, Mr. Midoriya.” The monk said gracefully as he bowed to him. 

“Good morning,” Hisashi replied as he returned the bow. Izuku copied his father, bowing to the monk respectfully. “I was hoping we could just sit and meditate for a while.” 

“Of course, go right ahead.” The monk smiled, and opened the gate for them. 

Izuku followed along quietly, gazing up in wonder at the shrine as they walked around it. His father led him around the back, to a closed in yard, where he immediately noticed how quiet and calm it was. 

“Come on, let’s sit over here.” Hisashi said, leading him over to the back porch of the ancient looking, wooden building. 

Hisashi picked him up, and set him down before sitting next to him. 

“What’re we doing here?” Izuku finally asked. 

“Just enjoying the silence.” Hisashi asked. 

Izuku pondered that for a minute. Then he asked, “Why?” 

Hisashi smiled, “You’ll understand when you’re older. Just watch the grass. You might see a lizard.” 

Izuku’s eyes lit up, and he stared forward for a while. He didn’t see anything but grass. 

Eventually, Izuku started waving his dangling feet, and started thinking of cartoons. He almost started humming, but then stopped himself. Something about the shrine made him feel like that was breaking a rule, so he tried to think of something else. 

Then he gasped in excitement, as he saw a lizard just then, running across the grass. He pointed it out to his father, who nodded and said, “Just watch it, and let’s see where it goes. Maybe he’s looking for someone.” 

“Like who?” Izuku asked, not taking his eyes off the lizard.

“Maybe his family. Lizards have those too.” 

Just then, the lizard lunged, and caught a bug. 

Then, the rest of the memory ended, as Izuku felt the burned edges leading into nothing but ash…

——

Izuku was only just starting to grasp what he’d lost. The problem with losing his memories, he’d discovered, was that he didn’t know what he’d lost, until he tried to remember them. 

That memory had only come back, as he’d stopped to rest a moment next to a shrine he hadn’t noticed, until he saw the monk sweeping the porch. He caught himself just staring at it as he wondered about the memory, trying to remember the rest of what had happened that day. 

The monk noticed him staring, and paused his sweeping to stare back. He noticed there were a few people around the shrine, praying quietly, but none of them noticed him.

Izuku knew he couldn’t have looked worse. Besides being exhausted, he was still in his bloodstained, torn and cut up costume. He simply hadn’t had time to change, as he’d had to keep patrolling the area around the refugee camp that had been set up after the attack. 

There simply wasn’t anyone left to patrol, to protect the civilians in case any more of the monsters came back. 

Gang Orca and the few sidekicks that had survived were all in the sole hospital the island had, most of them in critical condition. Gang Orca, was on life support, after being impaled. 

The islands sole healer, one of the most sought after quirks, had gotten caught by one of the monsters during the attack. 

The local law enforcement hadn’t done much better. The island was small and remote, so most of the police simply weren’t prepared for something like this, having always relied on the heroes for the heavy lifting. They’d been decimated in the attack, most of their leadership having been the first to go, as they’d led the charge against the monsters. 

Izuku was the only hero left on the island, and he was just an unlicensed student, with no one to guide him, or show him what to do. All he could do, was keep going. 

Eventually, he bowed to the monk, apologizing for disturbing him, and walked on, dragging his feet from his exhaustion. The monk said nothing, and simply watched him go. 

Everything hurt. His body was screaming for rest. He could feel he had cracked bones, here and there, but he had to keep moving. Had to keep patrolling. Had to make sure everyone was safe. 

A little while later, when he was closer to the refugee camp, one of the surviving police officers, a very old looking man with white hair, approached him. 

“We just picked up some radio signals,” the officer told him, “They’re sending several ships to help. Including some healers.” 

“That’s good.” Izuku nodded, “I’ll keep…patrolling.” 

“You should rest, young man.” The officer said worriedly, “I’m old, but not feeble.” He patted a hand on his chest, which Izuku only then noticed had something on it. Besides body armor, he had a transparent riot shield, and a stun baton in his other hand. 

All Izuku saw was an old man, who would be torn apart like so many others if one of those things showed up. He hadn’t even had time to process that thought, before he was marching on. 

Patrol, observe, monitor, he told himself. He felt the refugees looking at him as he passed by. None of them tried to stop, or even speak to him, but he heard their voices. 

“Our monster is scarier.” One woman said. 

“As long as he doesn’t turn on us.” Said another. 

Izuku did his best not to acknowledge them, as he turned, and walked down a street at random. 

“Hey! Put that back!” Someone shouted just ahead of him. Izuku saw a man running out of a store, carrying a box of the latest gaming system, an older man trying to stop him. 

Looters. 

It wasn’t the first, and he doubted it would be the last. Izuku knew how to deal with them.

His flesh burned away, and he extended the chains he’d grown so they dragged noisily on the ground. The looter froze in his tracks the moment he saw the flaming skeleton marching towards him. 

Without saying a word, mostly because he was in a full panic, he set the box down, and fled. 

Izuku stopped, and watched him run for a moment, before powering down. The chains retracted up his sleeves, and he felt them vanishing into his arms. The feeling put him in mind of what he’d seen one of his classmates do, one who could make strong tape shoot from his elbows. 

What was his name? Did he simply not know it, or had the memory been burned away as well? He could remember his face, and training with him. But his name…

“Thank you.” The old man said as he picked up the box, and went back inside. Izuku noticed he hurried more to get away from him, than to have his stuff back. 

“I’m the monster.” He whispered to himself. The monster that kept the other monsters away. 

He continued to patrol more or less at random, until he finally started feeling his body giving out. His legs were jelly, and he stepped to rest, and just breathe for a moment. He didn’t even notice the monk until he was right up on him. 

The monk had meant well, grabbing Izuku’s arm, and pulling it over his shoulders to help him walk. 

Izuku felt his quirk preparing to lash out, and jerked himself away. The exertion almost made him fall to the ground, if he hadn’t hit the railing around the shrine he’d somehow managed to come across again. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” The monk said softly, and reached out for him again. 

“No!” Izuku said, and tried to wave him away. “No, sir. I’m fine. I just have to…keep going.” 

“You need to rest.“ the monk said insistently. 

Izuku shook his head, “I need to keep patrolling, in case there’s…more…” he stumbled, and the monk tried to help him again, though this time, even Izuku’s quirk didn’t begrudge him touching him, as he helped him stay standing, before walking him towards the gate. 

“You’ve been patrolling for almost two days. You need to rest. I have a bed over here.” 

Having lost focus, Izuku’s body began to give out, and he suddenly wasn’t sure where he was.

He never even felt himself hit the ground as he fell into the merciful, numb void.

——

When he started to feel consciousness returning, the first thing he became aware of was the soft purring of what had to be Zarathos, resting on his chest. 

Without thinking, he started to reach up to pet him, but stopped short when he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He looked, and saw he had an IV tube going into it. 

“Hey there buddy!” A bright, cheerful voice greeted him. 

Both Izuku and Zarathos looked at him. Izuku still felt exhausted, but saw he was a hero. The first thing he noticed was the bright, golden 1,000,000 stitched into his chest. Dressed in a bright white and red costume, with golden blonde hair, and blue eyes, he looked nice. A bright, toothy smile shined from his face as he looked down at Izuku. 

“How ya feelin’?” He asked kindly. 

Izuku could only think to ask, “Where am I?” 

“You’re in a hospital. Couldn’t you tell? We gotcha all cleaned up, and they even let me bring your cat to sit with you. He sure is a feisty little guy.” The hero held up his hands, which Izuku noticed were covered in cuts, and claw marks. “Sweet little guy, as soon as he saw you, he calmed down. Hasn’t left your side since.” 

“How long have I been here?” Izuku asked. 

“It’s been two days since I arrived.” The hero said, holding up two fingers, “The healer we brought along already fixed you up, but you’ve been asleep since.”

“How is everyone?” 

“Everyone’s doing fine. Gang Orca and his men took over patrolling the island while we evacuated the refugees.” The hero said, and then, in a much softer tone added, “Everything’s going to be okay.” 

Izuku felt better at hearing that. He would’ve felt even more better if he could be out there, helping, but he was so tired. Even as he tried to stay awake, to ask more questions, or just to pet Zarathos, he could only think of trying to help.

He was vaguely aware of Zarathos rubbing his furry little head against his face, hearing his loud, soothing purr. 

“Your mom called.” The hero said then, which got Izuku’s attention. “Think you can do a phone call?” 

“My phone.” Izuku said, looking around for it. He suddenly had it in his hand, and without thinking, called his mother. 

“Izuku! Are you okay?!” he heard her voice, and knew she had been crying. 

“I’m fine, Mom.” He told her, “I’m in the hospital. Gang Orca has taken over.” 

“My baby…” he heard his mother sobbing, and wished more than anything he could just be there, and hug her.

“I’m fine Mom.” He said again, trying to reassure her, “I’ll visit you as soon as I can.” 

“I know sweetie. I just…I saw you when you powered down. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” 

That almost broke him. Even in his current state, as exhausted as he was, there was some part of his mind keeping the memory at arms length. He couldn’t completely block it out, but he managed to stop thinking about it. To push it away, until he was ready to deal with it. 

“Mom I…I’m going to be fine.” He said, “I’ll find out when I can come home, and I’ll call you again.” 

“Okay. I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll make katsudon when we’re both home again.” 

That brought a smile to his face. “Alright Mom. I can’t wait…I…goodbye.” 

And then, he was asleep, and dreaming of flying orca’s, and motor boats. The last thing he heard was his mother’s voice saying “Goodbye Izuku. You’re my hero.” 

Chapter 28

Izuku sat quietly at the table, along with the other members of the bookclub. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as it had once been, since people were still scared, and a curfew had been put in place. Where there had been a dozen or so people before, there was only a handful today. 

Looking down at his hands, Izuku could still see the blood. The blood that never washed off, no matter how hard he scrubbed. No matter how strong the soap. It simply wouldn’t wash away.

“I think this is everyone’s that’s going to show up.” Curious said then, “We’ll go ahead and get started. Firstly, I think we should welcome Izuku back from his time on Okuto Island. I’m sure everyone knows what happened, but I’m also sure that’s not something we should talk about.” She looked at Izuku, who nodded, before moving on. “Because of recent events, the higher ups are insisting we start making more efforts on promoting unity. Any members who live close by, we ask that you buddy up, exchange numbers, and try to make a point of never going out alone.” 

After that, she went over several other topics, which Izuku lost track of, though he was sure they didn’t pertain to him. Seeing Mr. Compress, who was sitting next to him get out his copy of the blood red book, he reached into his jacket pocket, and set his copy on the table. What was left of it, anyway. 

Izuku had had the book in his pocket during the attack. What was left of the cover was completely blackened with dried blood, and held on with tape. The white pages were stained dark shades of red and black as well, and there was a visible slit in the middle, where a claw had stabbed through it. 

When he opened it, however, the pages were still legible, his highlights, and at least some of his tabs still in place. 

“That was actually what I was getting to next.” Curious said, getting Izuku’s attention as he realized everyone was looking at his copy of the book. While a few others’ copies were worn to some degree, his was, by far, in the worst condition. Curious reached into her purse, where Izuku remembered she kept her journalist tools, as she said, “I was afraid your copy might not have survived the attack, so I brought you a new one.” 

She held out a pristine, new copy of The Meta Liberation War. 

“Thank you.” Izuku said, taking it respectfully. He took a moment to get his father’s letter from the old one, noting the page it was on, before opening and slipping it into the new one. The letter was bloodstained as well, but still held the single sentence message his father had written there. 

“Now, I think this is a good time to start today’s discussion on chapter eight. Hierarchy.” Curious said as she opened her own copy of the blood red book. 

——

Later, just as the sun was setting, Izuku was walking home with Mr. Compress, who’d been silent for most of it up until then. 

Japan as a whole was still reeling from the attack. There hadn’t even been nearly as many reporters bothering him as he’d expected. 

Suddenly, and as if on cue, a man literally popped out of the sidewalk, clearly using a quirk, and snapped a flash photo of Izuku, before asking, “Do you think you killed as many as Ghost Rider that day?” 

Izuku was stunned. This was far from the first reporter to bother him, but he was one of the more blatant. Luckily, however, Mr. Compress stepped in. 

“No comment.” He said, holding Izuku’s shoulder as he gently kept the reporter out of their path with his cane. 

The reporter, however, was relentless, taking another flash photo of Izuku before he could cover his eyes, and blinding him. The gentleman hero, however, kept him walking, guiding him towards the front gate of his apartment complex, where even the reporter knew he would get in trouble if he stepped through. 

“The nerve of some people.” Mr. Compress griped as they approached the building. When they got to the stairs, he paused, “Think you can make the rest of the journey on your own?” 

Izuku nodded. “Thanks for coming.” 

“It’s no trouble. I’ll make a patrol of the area to make sure it’s secure, before I head on my way. Good night, young man.” 

A few minutes later, Izuku entered his apartment, and smelled seasoned, cooking pork and immediately knew his mother was making his favorite meal. His mouth started watering even as he took off his shoes. 

Zarathos approached, and hopped into Izuku’s arms as he stood, rubbing his head under his chin, and clearly trying for attention. Izuku didn’t mind, however, as he held and pet the cat lovingly. 

“I’m home.” Izuku called out. 

“Good. Dinner’s almost ready.” Inko said from the kitchen, “Go ahead and wash up.” 

Izuku did as he was told, and a little while later, just like a normal family, they all sat together at the dinner table, eating katsudon. Even Zarathos ate with them, his food and water bowl against the wall next to the table. 

Neither of them spoke for a long time, simply enjoying each other’s company. They even smiled at each other when they finished, and stood together to wash the dishes. It was just as they were finishing, when Inko finally said something. 

“Izuku.” She said, but then hesitated for a moment. “You know. No one would blame you if you took another day off from school tomorrow.” 

Izuku shook his head. “No. I can’t afford to fall behind.” 

Inko didn’t look at him, and just focused on the dishes for a while. When they finished, she knew Izuku would go to his room. As he had every day since the attack. Regardless of what she said. 

She stopped him, this time, however, and pulled him into a hug. She held him tightly for a long time, resting her face on his shoulder.

“Please, don’t become your father. You don’t have to put up a facade for me.” Inko said, squeezing her son tight, afraid he would pull away. 

Instead, she felt him begin to shake. She looked up at him, and saw he was trying to hold back tears. His voice shaking as smoke began to billow from under his collar, he said, “I’m a monster, Mom.”

“You’re not a monster, Izuku. You’re a hero. You’re the hero of Okuto Island.” She said strongly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “You’re my son!” 

“I’m…” Izuku remembered how he felt in that moment, when his quirk cut loose. In spite of his best efforts, his quirk had hurt him. It had burned him in a way he couldn’t describe, and the wounds still hurt, giving a kind of pain he couldn’t even describe, especially when he thought about that night. “I’m…just…” 

“You’re Izuku Midoriya.” Inko said, grabbing his hands in hers. “You protected so many people! Even Gang Orca thanked you for it!” 

“I was just a…”

——

“It was like a monster was cut loose.” Tsuyu said, as she sat with the other 1-A girls in their class before the first bell. She hadn’t been there during the attack, but had been among the first arrivals to help. 

“Is it true bodies were everywhere?” Mina Ashido asked curiously. 

Due to Tsuyu’s quirk, she was incapable of making facial expressions, but Uraraka could feel the fear in her voice as she said, “Yes. They said the local authorities had cleaned up, and organized the bodies as best they could but…” she shook her head, and covered her face. “It was so terrible.” 

“Hey, are you talking about Midoriya?” Kaminari asked as he approached. When they nodded, he asked, “Have any of you talked to him? He hasn’t answered any texts or calls, and we’ve all tried.” 

“He may simply need some time to heal.” Tokoyami said philosophically. “He must’ve gone through quite an ordeal during that fight. I could only imagine what he’s feeling now.” 

“I heard he had a nervous breakdown after he killed all those nomu things.” Kaminari said in astonishment. “You think he’d have no trouble with that kind of thing.” 

That last comment, got a hateful glare from Tokoyami. He said, “Taking life is no simple matter. And you know Midoriya sees, and remembers everything his quirk does. It must’ve been a nightmare for him.” 

“Do you think he’s coming in today?” One of the girls asked. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a few days off.” Uraraka said, trying to think of how she might check up on him. She’d tried calling him as well, but he hadn’t answered. 

——

Izuku walked alone on his way to school that morning. He knew he could’ve, and probably should’ve called Mr. Compress, but he just wanted to make the journey by himself at least once.

For the first part of it, nothing happened. It was just a long walk through a familiar route he’d taken every school day. The tram was just as crowded as it ever was, though he noticed more than a few nervous glances his way.

It wasn’t until he got off the tram, and to street level that the first problem arose. 

Just as he turned the corner from the tram station, he was looking up, and saw a four armed man swing, and punch another man in the face, sending him reeling back. His hero training kicked in without him even thinking about it. 

“Hold on!” Izuku said, putting himself between the two men. They both towered over him, especially the four armed man, whom Izuku then noticed had ash gray skin, and no nose, as he glared at the man he’d struck. 

“That bastard called my son a demon!” The four armed man shouted accusatorially, pointing a finger at him. 

“I’m sorry he did that, but you can’t go around hitting people.” Izuku said, holding his hands up, palms out. 

“I only spoke the truth.” The man who’d been struck said. When Izuku turned to him, he noticed he was a normal looking, middle aged man, in all black robes. He said, “I have every right to speak the truth of the True Form, and those who would defile it.” 

“What did you say?! Say it to my face!” The father screamed, and tried to get to him as Izuku desperately held him back. 

“Please, stop!” Izuku said, feeling black smoke beginning to billow from under his collar. He could feel his quirk growing agitated. 

“Get out of my way!” The father punched Izuku, sending him stumbling, and Izuku lost control. 

In an burst of fire, Izuku just managed to yank his quirk back like a dog on a leash, stopping just short of his flesh burning away, but his skin still caught fire, and got everyone’s attention. Even the enraged father took a step back, not just in surprise, but genuine fear as he realized who Izuku was. 

“That’s enough!” Izuku shouted fiercely, and then focused on his breathing, closing his eyes, and rubbing his chest, until he felt the fire go out. 

“Indeed! That’s quite enough for today!” A booming voice shouted, and suddenly, Izuku knew things were going to be okay. All Might fell from somewhere, doing a perfect, mid air flip, before landing in the middle of the scene. “I AM HERE!!!” 

Izuku was almost blinded by the sudden flurry of flash photography, as the Symbol of Peace took over the situation, and handled it much better than Izuku ever thought he could. 

He looked at the black robed man, saying, “I think you’ve spoken enough about this True Form. I must ask you to vacate the area, and stop trying to provoke people.” 

The robed man looked unhappy, but nodded. 

All Might then turned to the father, who was now standing with his family, a normal looking woman, and a son about six or seven years old, who was a mirror image of his father. “Sir. I understand how you feel. No one can hold it against you for protecting your family, but this young man was right, you mustn’t strike others without an imminent threat…NOW WHO WANTS TO TAKE PICTURES?!” 

Like magic, the family was all smiles, as All Might gave out autographs, and took pictures with them, and a few others nearby. 

All the while Izuku just watched in stunned fascination. He’d seen All Might do this kind of thing countless times, but this was the first time he’d seen it in person. 

In a way it was like magic. 

In another, it was also disheartening. 

Izuku knew he would never be able to bring peace with his mere presence like that. At best he could enforce it by scaring people. Like his father…

“As for you young man.” All Might said suddenly, turning his attention on Izuku, “I do believe the first bell will be ringing in two minutes.” 

Izuku gasped as he suddenly realized how long he’d been standing there, and sprinted as fast as he could towards UA. 

He sprinted through the gate, and up to the building, moving as fast as he could, even taking the stairs three at a time. 

A bell rang a split second after he got through the door, leaving him panting, and sweating as he felt his heart racing, and his legs shaking. 

“Midoriya?” 

He looked up, wide eyed, and realized he only partially recognized the faces staring at him. 

“What’re you doing in here?!” Tetsutetsu growled angrily, just as Izuku realized he ran into the wrong classroom. 

He quickly rushed out, and to his own class next door, only to be stopped at the door. 

Aizawa glared at him. “Why are you late?” He asked, his voice cold as ice. 

Izuku hesitated. He tried to think of what to say, but Aizawa’s glare was chilling. Then, once again, All Might was there. 

“I can vouch for him, Mr. Aizawa.” He said softly, walking up to them. He set a massive, powerful hand down on Izuku’s shoulder as he said, “Young Midoriya here was helping me diffuse a situation just down the block. Handled himself like a real pro! Stopped a fight, and talked them down all by himself. Didn’t even have to use his quirk.” 

Aizawa just stared at him as he held up his phone. A video was playing on it. A video of Izuku bursting into flames after the man hit him, and shouting at them. Even the person recording had recoiled some as what was clearly red, not green, fire covered Izuku’s skin. Bits of his flesh started to burn away. 

All Might froze, as did Izuku. 

“Get to your desk, Midoriya, we’ll have a talk after class.” Aizawa snapped then, and followed behind him once he entered the classroom, shutting the door on All Might. 

As Izuku hurried to his seat, Aizawa scanned over the classroom, looking for anymore absentees. When he found none, he addressed them. 

“Welcome back everyone. To start, I looked over the reports from the agencies and heroes. As far as your work studies go, you were all acceptable. Regarding the attack, I am told most of you handled yourselves quite well. Even those who weren’t present during the attack itself, and only helped afterwards, you all performed well. Now, we’re moving on.” 

Then, without any break, or even addressing anything else, Aizawa moved into their first lesson for the day. 

When the bell finally rang for them to go to lunch, some of his classmates started approaching Izuku, until Aizawa spoke up. 

“Everyone go to lunch. Midoriya, come to my desk.” 

An awkward silence fell over them, as the other students all filed out, leaving Izuku alone with their homeroom teacher. Izuku quietly walked up to him, and waited. 

“What would have happened if All Might hadn’t shown up?” Aizawa asked bluntly. 

“I don’t know, Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku answered obediently. 

“I understand you had to work on your own for a time on Okuto Island, but that’s over now. You’re not a pro hero. Not yet. Don’t go putting yourself in situations like that, unless you know for a fact you can handle them. If you’d lost control, you could caused a panic, right on UA’s doorstep.” 

“Yes, Mr. Aizawa. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

“See that it doesn’t. We’ll be doing quirk training today. I want you to work on keeping your quirk under control, as well as seeing what you can do with those chains. Do you have a spare costume?” 

“No, Mr. Aizawa. They had to cut my old one off me, and threw it away.” 

“Order a new one from the Support Course, and just dress in your gym clothes for now.” Aizawa said, and then, after a pause, he added, “You did very good in patrolling, even when you were alone. Not many could’ve done that. Especially after what happened.”

“Thank you, Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku said, not sure what else to say to that. 

With a nod, Aizawa said, “Go on. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku answered, and then hurried out of the class. Outside, he found Uraraka and Iida waiting for him. 

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Uraraka asked sympathetically. 

“I’m fine. Let’s go get lunch.” Izuku said, just wanting to move on by then. 

Later, he found just sitting in the cafeteria was its own kind of torture. 

He could feel the stares. The side glances, the double takes. All of it directed at him as he stood in line to get his food. 

When he sat down, however, he was surprised when others joined him, rather than just Ochaco and Iida. Tokoyami sat beside him on one side, while Koda sat on the other. Other members of 1-A all seemed to flock around him, and he noticed they were making a point of sitting between him, and the crowd. 

None of them asked uncomfortable questions, or inquired about the attack. They just started eating, and making small talk. It almost brought Izuku to tears, but he held back, and started eating his own food. 

——

Inko found herself sitting on the living room sofa, with little to nothing to do. 

The entire apartment was spotless. She cleaned just about everything she could think of, even did the laundry. She cleaned Zarathos’s fur off the furniture, and the black cat was now sitting next to her on the couch, purring and enjoying her petting him. 

She looked at the time, and both wished it would stop, but also go faster. She still had a few hours to go before Izuku got home, but then again, she had to go back to work the next morning. And stay gone for days. 

“How has our lives come to this?” She asked to no one in particular. 

Before Hisashi had turned, she’d been a house wife, and they lived in a real house. If not for her own resume, she knew they wouldn’t have even been able to afford this apartment, and it wasn’t like they were endured to the landlord, especially after the villain attack. 

She sighed, feeling exhausted. She looked at her mechanical hand, remembering the cold, tingling feeling as her real one had been decayed to dust. 

She couldn’t actually feel it, technology simply hadn’t gone that far, but she could control it. It felt like her hand was numb, and still moving. The doctors explained it would feel like a phantom limb for a long time, until her brain got used to it. 

Eventually, she got tired of watching television, and to Zarathos’s disappointment, got up. 

She walked around the apartment, just looking for something to clean, organize, anything. Eventually, she ended up at Izuku’s door. 

Once upon a time, he’d had a name plaque on it, “Ghost Rider’s Son, Izuku Midoriya” it read. She wondered what he’d done with it.

Opening the door, she stepped in, and turned on the light. 

Inside, his room was spotless, as she’d expected. Hisashi had insisted on raising Izuku to be meticulous about cleaning his room. His bed was made, his desk organized, and all his things dusted and in their place. 

She walked over to his dresser, where he still had his toy collection. 

There were several of them, all the premium demo versions of Ghost Rider toys and action figures. One of the last ones was standing alone, holding a little plastic chain. She seemed to remember it had a voice button, and out of curiosity, picked it up. 

She found the button on the back, and when she pressed it, the fire and eyes on it lit up, and a demonic voice, an actual recording of Hisashi’s fire form’s voice, spoke a line that gave her chills. 

“Look into my eyes!” 

She put the toy back, and just looked at it for a moment. She thanked her lucky stars that Izuku hadn’t inherited that quirk. Then again…he hadn’t had the chains up until that attack.

Inko shook her head, trying to assure herself, before looking up at something that brought a smile to her face. 

Pinned on a cork board on his wall, Izuku had hung all the letters his classmates had sent him when they were in hiding. 

She just looked at it for a little while before leaving her son’s room, turning off the light, and closing the door. 

Eventually, she decided to get some fresh air, and go for a walk. She grabbed her coat, and slipped her shoes on at the door, taking a moment to make sure Zarathos didn’t slip out after her, as he always tried. 

For a while, she just wondered, and ended up at the park just a few blocks down from her building. There were other parents there, with their toddlers and children too young for school. 

That made her smile, remembering Izuku when he was so small. So happy and care free. She remembered all the anxiety she’d felt as a new mother, married to a man who was a natural daredevil. All the times she’d had to save her son from some reckless action his father was encouraging. 

And goodness the number of fire extinguishers she went through after Izuku’s quirk manifested…

She caught herself laughing at the memories, even though she’d been ready to pull her hair out at the time. 

A few hours passed as she watched the other families, all playing. Some of the other mothers came over, and they chatted for a while. Eventually, however, she realized Izuku would be home soon, and she didn’t want to lose any time with him. 

——

Izuku sighed in relief when he finally got to leave for the day. As the rest of his class did the same, they broke up into their friend groups, Uraraka ending up with some of the other girls, while Iida was speaking with Aizawa, probably about something important, Izuku figured, so he walked alone through the halls, towards the front door. 

Himiko seemed to simply appear in front of him, right in his face, making him almost stumble back to keep from bumping into her. 

“Hey Izuku!” She said as she stepped forward, closing in on him. “I haven’t seen you in a while!” 

“Uh.” Izuku hesitated as she got too close. He ended up just standing his ground, knowing if he backed away, she would just close in, and that might set his quirk off. “I’m sorry, I’ve been…kind of distracted.” 

“That’s okay.” She said, and then got so close, he could smell her breath as she whispered, “I’m here now.” 

“Public displays of affection are against school rules!” Iida snapped, standing just a few steps away and glaring at them. 

“I need to get home. My mom’s waiting on me.” Izuku said, and quickly tried to slip around her. She followed, like a cat on the hunt. 

Once they were outside, she said, “Really though, Izuku. Why haven’t you been answering my texts or calls?” 

Izuku shrugged. “I just haven’t felt like talking to anyone. Ever since the attack I…just don’t feel…” he trailed off, not sure how to finish that. 

In truth, he’d gotten messages and phone calls from all his classmates, but he simply didn’t know how to answer them. He felt like a demon trying to communicate with mortals. Like he was tainted somehow, and he feared associating with them would tarnish them somehow.

When Himiko grabbed his hand, he almost jerked it away, but it was warm, and soft as a feather. He fell silent as she interlaced their fingers, and just kept walking, not knowing what else to do. 

“How about I walk you home?” Himiko said softly. 

“Alright.” Izuku replied, and then, quietly, they started the journey towards Izuku’s apartment. 

The trip was quiet, but different in a way Izuku couldn’t describe. On the always crowded tram, he didn’t feel the need to rub his chest, or do breathing exercises to keep his quirk calm. He just looked at Himiko, who looked back at him, still holding his hand. She didn’t close in, or press herself against him, she just stood there, keeping him company. 

She still held his hand as they got to the street, and started towards his apartment building. 

Just as they were getting to the front gate, however, he saw his mother walking towards them. 

“Izuku!” She called out, having spotted him first. He smiled and waited for her, Himiko still standing by his side. 

“Hey Mom,” he greeted her once she was close, “This is Himiko Toga.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Himiko said politely. Inko smiled at her. 

“Well, it’s good to see Izuku’s making friends.” Inko said kindly, “I was just about to go in to start making dinner. Would you like to join us?” 

“Sure.” Himiko said with a smile.

——

The shadow watched from the rooftop, both eyes locked onto Izuku. He watched him greeting his mother as he walked with her, and the other girl. 

He’d been watching for days now, having decided he needed to take out the younger weed first.

Watching the three walk up the stairs, his mind worked, thinking about how he would take him. He’d proven too dangerous to do anything other than an instant, single, finishing strike. 

When they entered, and disappeared into the apartment, he slowly crouched where he’d stood in the shadows. 

Slowly, he looked down at the vial of pink liquid he’d been given. He sneered. It was a dangerous weapon from what he understood, but it was also his best chance at taking him. 

He was prepared with everything he needed. His sword was sharp, and he was ready. He’d practiced his method of using the vial for hours prior, until it was second nature. 

Now he just needed to wait for the opportunity…

Chapter 29

“Hey…hey Izuku…wake up.” 

The words combined with someone poking him brought Izuku back to full awareness as he opened his eyes. He was by no means rested, but was too groggy for even his quirk to care as he looked around. He saw Uraraka looking at him. 

“Mr. Aizawa stopped the bus, we’re getting off for a break I think.” She told him. 

“Alright.” Izuku yawned, and got to his feet, seeing that most of his classmates had already gotten off the bus. 

It had been a few weeks since the Night of Terror, and just a few days after their midterm exams. 

What had passed as a sense of normalcy had finally started falling over their lives, as the country had started recovering, with no small thanks to foreign aid, though this had partially led to the field trip they were on. 

UA had decided to take them on a trip, ostensibly as a treat for the youth, to be in the outdoors, getting some healthy exercise, and teamwork training, as they were already told they would be building and maintaining their campsites. 

The Hero Course students, however, had been left under no allusions that this would also be a training week for them. 

As Izuku got off, he saw they were in a rest stop along the highway, a large, open lot made for buses, tourists and other vehicles to stop for a while during long trips. All the other buses had stopped, and the students were getting out and stretching

Leaving nothing to chance, Iida quickly took charge of 1-A, raising a hand to get their attention as he shouted, “Make sure everyone stays together! Do not get close to the road that is a safety hazard!” 

Izuku made a point of staying with his classmates, and took the time to stretch his limbs, before looking around. 

Each of the buses had a class of students from the first years, including the support course, and general studies. The only exception was some third years who were coming along to help the faculty. 

In a way, he found himself feeling disappointed that it was only first years on the trip. He’d have like to have Himiko with him. 

Ever since that first dinner, he’d come to rely on her. She seemed to understand how to keep his quirk calm without being overbearing as she had been when they’d first met. She’d even hit it off with Inko, as they seemed to get along great, which made him happy. The only oddity that still bothered him was her uncanny ability to somehow show up in the nurse’s office whenever he was badly hurt so she could visit him. 

Even Recovery Girl had questioned her once, but it turns out she really did have a free period, at least that time when she was standing by his bedside. 

Still, as he stood there, with little to do, he found himself looking at his phone, and typing out a message to send to her. 

‘Almost at camp.’ 

He sent it, and waited briefly for a response. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a third year seemed to just appear next to him, and spoke loudly. 

“Hey buddy, are you ready for your first camping trip?!” Mirio Togata said, hands on his hips. 

Izuku only just managed to keep himself from bursting into flames, his quirk having been just as surprised as him, before he turned to face him. Mirio was much taller, and broader than him, being one of the third years UA was bringing along for the trip. He was also the hero that had been at Izuku’s bedside when he’d woken up after patrolling for days on the island. 

“Come on now,” Mirio said when Izuku didn’t immediately respond, “I can’t hear you! Aren’t you excited?!” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Izuku said with a shrug. “I’ve never been camping before.” 

“It’s a lot of fun! Just you wait! I think you’ll excel when it comes to the hike to the site itself!” 

“How far do we have to hike?” Izuku asked curiously. 

Before he could answer, however, Aizawa spoke up to his students, “Alright, 1-A, line up along the bus.” 

Iida jumped to organizing them by class rank. As they did so, Izuku noticed something. 1-A and 1-B were both lining up along their bus, but all the other classes, including the third years, were all getting aboard theirs. 

Neither Aizawa nor Vlad King said anything, however, and simply stood by them as the other buses all started up, and rolled off down the road. By then, even Iida was confused, as the other classes were all getting ahead of them, but they waited. 

A black car pulled up just as Iida raised his hand, and two women got out. They were dressed in hero costumes with a cat theme, one in all red, the other blue. 

Izuku recognized them immediately, as well as the other two that got out of the car, a husband and wife pro hero duo called Water Hose. 

They were dressed in identical customs, though one of them had a large backpack on, with a hose coming from it, which was attached to a large gauntlet on his arm. Their costumes were bright blue, with reflective stripes on them, and their helmets resembled something like a cross between a firefighter’s helmet, and a motorcycle helmet. 

As soon as they got out, he saw both their eyes fall on him. He stared back, but they didn’t say anything for a moment, while the first two women introduced themselves with a little presentation, which ended with them both posing, and announcing their names. 

“We’re the Wild, Wild Pussycats!” The two cat women said loudly. “We’ll be your training instructors for this year’s training camp!”

Then, the one in red said, “Your training starts now! With the hike to your campsite!” 

A sense of dread slowly started to wash over them as she turned and pointed towards the mountainous area, far off in the distance. 

“You’ll have to make your way there on foot, riiight there! Right at the base of the mountain.” She said cheerfully. “If you hurry, you’ll make it there by lunch time!” 

In a moment of panic, some of the students made a break for the bus, but Water Hose were there. The husband, had hooked the hose to another gauntlet, which Hose wore. Later, they would learn their quirks worked in a fairly straightforward fashion. The husband, Water, could produce water, but not aim it, while the wife, Hose, could pressurize and direct it, which she did with expert fashion on the students. 

The first one she hit was Mineta, who’d been in the lead towards the bus as the duo stood between them and it, and sent him flying back into two of his classmates, whom she then also turned the stream on. 

Then, the cat woman in blue was there, showing a set of claws in her cat paw mittens as she grinned wickedly at them. 

“Your training starts right now!” She touched the ground, and suddenly, the earth beneath them exploded. 

Izuku lost track of his surroundings as he flew through the air. He heard his classmates, and those of 1-B screaming all around him before he finally went crashing through tree limbs, spinning this way and that, before finally coming to a hard stop, face down on the ground. 

He was only vaguely aware that his quirk was active, until his body started moving on his own. When he looked up, he saw Pony and Ibara, two girls from 1-B, and ones he’d fought before, looking at him, their eyes filled with fear, before he heard Uraraka’s voice. 

“Green. That’s good. Izuku, power down.” She said, and with a concerted effort, Izuku did so, though when he looked down, he saw his school uniform was torn, dirty, and now partially burned. He was sure if he hadn’t been wearing his fireproof jumpsuit underneath, he wouldn’t have had any uniform left. 

“So you can control yourself, fiend.” Ibara said indignantly as she got to her feet, and looked down at him imperiously. 

Izuku ignored her, and looked around. The rest of his classmates and 1-B were all around, getting to their feet, though some were more quick than others. Iida and Kendo were quickly organizing and checking on everyone when the first of the things showed up. 

What looked like a massive bull emerged from the ground several feet away, and reared up on its hind legs. 

Just as it started to charge, however, Bakugo was there, blowing its front legs out from under it. Before it even completely collapsed, Katsuki blew its head off, and it dissolved into a pile of dirt and rocks. 

“That’s one of the quirks from the Pussycats.” Someone said, but there was little time to consider that, as more of the dirt monsters appeared, and began attacking. 

Izuku used his chains, and only partially opened the lantern, covering himself in fire, and attacked one that came at him. He tangled its head in the chains, and began burning it, feeling his fire covering the chains. 

Just as he pulled them taut, the monster rearing up, trying to throw him off, Iida slammed a violent kick into its head, while Kirishima ran into its hind legs. 

“We need to keep moving!” Iida shouted, pointing in the direction away from the road, and what Izuku hoped was the campsite. “Everyone stay within sight of one another!” 

With that, they began their journey towards the camp. 

——

Yagi was looking forward to the camp. Besides working with the students, he would finally get to go a while without having to be All Might, since he was going as Toshinori Yagi, the teacher’s assistant. 

As far as the students were concerned, All Might was staying at UA. 

When his bus finally came to a stop at the camp, he got off with Mirio and the other faculty, who’d had a bus to themselves. 

One a the people who ran the camp, a woman dressed like the other Wild, Wild Pussycats, but with green hair and big, round eyes smiled at them. 

“Hey there! The faculty building is right over here.” She gestured to one of the buildings in front of them, while he saw others leading the students to their campsites. 

Just then, a little boy ran from behind the green haired woman. He had a red hat with spikes, and smiled up at them. 

“I can help you with your bags!” He said cheerfully. 

Yagi smiled, “Well thank you.”

“Kota! You were supposed to wait in the counselor’s hut!” The green haired woman said, a worried look on her face, “I’m sorry, this is my nephew.” 

“It’s no problem.” Yagi said, he held up his suitcase, “I got mine. If your aunt’s alright with it, maybe you can help the third years get out and stow away some of our equipment.” 

When the aunt nodded, Mirio happily led him over to the bus where some of the other third years were already getting out some large containers which carried specialized equipment they planned on using for some of their training. 

“I’m sorry, Kota’s always eager to help. I’m Ragdoll, by the way.” 

“It’s a pleasure. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Yagi said, and then followed her to the faculty building. 

Overall, the camp was huge. It had several campsites, with enough room for each class, and then some. They were all spread around the main activity building, which Yagi would later learn was also a small bunker and storm shelter, in case of any sort of disaster like a flood or wild fire. 

Next to the main building was the faculty building, which was built to function more or less as a cheap set of furnished apartments for the teachers, while the students all slept in tents with cots. 

After he settled into his room, he went out to help the others with the students, and gear. 

All the other first years were already settling into their campsites, and most had already settled on who would be bunking with who, as the tents were meant to hold two. 

It was just a little before lunch when the hero course students arrived. 

To their credit, they’d arrived as a group, having stayed together. He’d been half afraid some of them would’ve rushed ahead. 

When he got a look at them, he couldn’t help but smile. They were all clearly exhausted, their uniforms ruined, torn and filthy, but they had arrived on time. 

He was even happy to see Izuku had only burned his uniform a little, mostly around the collar where his jumpsuit didn’t cover. 

“You guys did great.” He told them as they walked by, only for most of them to give him not much more than a side glance as they walked by. It took him a moment to remember almost none of them had ever met him outside of his All Might persona. 

Either way, a few minutes later, they were all in the main activity building, sitting at the lunch tables, while the Wild, Wild Pussycats served them their meal. 

——

Izuku felt full and exhausted by the time lunch was over. As he stood around outside, looking around at the beautiful mountains and forests around the campsite, he half expected Aizawa to appear and start their training immediately. It wasn’t like their teacher to waste a moment’s time, even for rest if he could help it. 

From the tenseness of his classmates, he could tell they were having similar thoughts. Iida and a few others were already stretching, making sure not to get sleepy from the meal they’d all just eaten. 

“Hey! It’s him!” 

Izuku turned, and saw the little boy with the spiked hat running up to him, along with the duo of Water Hose. They’d taken their helmets off, and were smiling as they approached. 

Izuku knew them but not personally, and was afraid of what was about to happen. After all, he’d only met them after his father had turned villain.

He wasn’t sure how long ago it had been, but during his time as a villain, Ghost Rider’s unpredictable behavior had occasionally put him on the side of justice, even if it meant going beyond what any hero should’ve done. 

Remembering the headlines, it had been some massive villain named Muscular, who’d been on a rampage, just attacking people, mostly heroes, but ended up going after anyone who got close. Water Hose had been among them, though they were rescue heroes, not crime fighters. 

They had both been critically injured, almost killed, something made evident when Izuku saw that Water, the husband had an eyepatch and half his face was a maze of scars, both from combat, and obvious surgical scars, and Hose was walking with an obvious limp.

They’d solely survived, thanks to Ghost Rider’s intervention. 

He’d rode in on a stolen motorcycle, and rammed right into Muscular like an avenging angel, or demon, and left him at death’s door, before vanishing again. Izuku wasn’t sure if he actually survived or not. 

“You’re Izuku right?!” Kota said eagerly. 

“Yeah.” Izuku answered, and then looked from him to Water Hose. When they were that close, he quickly realized they had to be his parents. He had his father’s hair and face, but his mother’s eyes.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Water said, offering his hand. Izuku shook it. “We’re glad to see you’re following in your father’s footsteps.” 

“At least as a hero.” Hose added with a smile. “Kota’s been eager to see you work.” 

“Can you turn into a flaming skeleton too?” Kota asked curiously. 

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I can even make chains like my dad.” Since it was much easier for him to do, he showed the little boy, pulling a length of chain from his sleeve, before retracting it. 

Just as his mother began to speak, however, Iida called out. 

“Alright everyone, we’ve been assigned our campsite!” He held up a piece of paper as Aizawa walked away from him. “Our luggage has already been placed there, but it’s up to us to set up! Let’s move out!” 

He turned on his heel and promptly began marching towards one of the campsites. 

“It was an honor to meet all of you.” Izuku said to the family with a polite bow, before turning and hurrying over to join his class.

“We look forward to helping you train.”

Chapter 30

Izuku quickly realized he had a shadow in Kota as the days went by. If he wasn’t shooed off by his parents or the Wild, Wild Pussycats, he seemed determined to hang out with him every chance he got. 

“What kind of hero are you going to be?” Kota asked, though not for the first time, as they sat by the evening campfire.

“A crime fighter, like my dad.” Izuku answered patiently. He still felt his quirk’s wariness towards the boy, but it seemed to be warming up to him, as it was to his classmates. Though, to be fair, he was partly sure it was because it didn’t sense any real threat from him.

He found he could even transform with Bakugo nearby without much issue, though it still bore an almost unnatural level of hatred towards him. 

“Are you going to ride a motorcycle like Ghost Rider too?” Kota asked. 

“Kota, Izuku’s been training all day, why not let him rest?” His mother asked, walking up to them when she saw her son sitting with the hero students again. 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind.” Izuku said, smiling at her. “I don’t know about the motorcycle. It’s a lot harder than it looks, especially to do it in the middle of a fight.” 

“Did your dad ever teach you?” The boy asked. 

“Kind of. He showed me how to do it on a bicycle when I was little. The hardest part is keeping your balance, really.” Izuku said, and then began to remember one of their evenings together. 

He remembered his father giving him a length of rope, and having him swing it around with one hand while he rode forward, and tried to knock a can off tree branch as he rode by. He only ever managed to knock off a few leaves.

“You should get a bike!” Kaminari said suddenly, snapping him back to the present, “Maybe see what the support course can do!” 

“I doubt they’ll make an entire motorcycle.” One of their classmates said doubtfully. 

“How cool would that be, though! Maybe we could all get motorcycles! We could be like Kamen Riders!” Kaminari said. 

“Attention 1-A!” Iida called out as he approached their campsite at a brisk march. 

“1-B, we need to listen up as well.” Kendo said as she walked alongside him. 

While they were both their respective class representatives, Iida spoke for them both then. 

“We have been informed that there will be a news crew here tomorrow morning. We will be expected to answer any questions they have, should they ask, and we should all be on our best behavior.” 

“What’re they here for?” Ashido was the first to speak up then. 

Kendo replied, “They’re doing a story on the next generation of heroes, and they want to show the public their future protectors. This is our chance to show them what we can do!”

“Yes,” Iida agreed loudly, “This will be a grand opportunity for all of us! The Wild, Wild Pussycats want us to act as if they’re not here. We’re to simply go on with our training like normal.” 

After that, the rest of the hero students began to chat and talk about it among themselves. They were all getting excited over the idea of being on a news broadcast, especially one that would talk about them becoming heroes.

Izuku, however, felt more apprehensive about it. While it had died down some, reporters still occasionally hounded him about the Night of Terror…

He shook that off, however, refusing to be a downer to his classmates who were all too excited about it. 

——

When the first of the reporters showed up, they were doing quirk training in a massive, open area. Mirio was with Izuku, helping him work on controlling the chains with his fire without completely cutting his quirk loose. 

They both paused to look as they saw several of the UA faculty speaking to the reporters as they were setting up their equipment. It was then that Izuku realized he recognized one of them. 

“Hey, it’s Curious.” He said, smiling when he saw the blue skinned woman getting out of one of the news vans. Along with her was a camera man, whom he realized was also one of the other members of the book club, Iceman, who was still dressed in his thick fur coat, in spite of the warm, summer heat. 

“What’s curious?” Mirio asked, looking at him. 

“Her.” Izuku pointed her out, “She’s the leader of the book club I go to.” 

“Oh, nice!” Mirio gave him a thumbs up, “I’m sure she’ll want to speak to you then!” 

He hoped she did. He enjoyed talking to her. Plus, he was sure she wouldn’t ask him any uncomfortable questions. 

For the first while, they did as they were told, going on with their training while the reporters watched on from a short distance. 

At one point, while he was taking a break, Izuku noticed something about the reporters. Each and every one of them had a faculty member with them. 

He noticed some of them were talking with them, but the cameras were trained on the students. He saw Aizawa was standing with Curious, and though his eyes were on his students, he could see his capture cloth moving as he spoke to her, most likely answering questions, he figured. 

Later on, as they were resting between training exercises, Aizawa and Vlad King approached the hero students. King spoke first. 

“The reporters are requesting one on one interviews with you.” He said solemnly, “At the moment, we think they’ve gotten all the footage and information they need, so we’re not making this a requirement for anyone. If anyone wants to volunteer, that will be up to you.” 

“Either myself or King will be present during the interviews.” Aizawa added, “And we’ll be expecting you to behave yourselves. You won’t just be representing yourselves, but also UA.” 

Iida was the first to raise his hand, but most of the students volunteered. Izuku hesitated. He wouldn’t have minded speaking to Curious, but he feared he would have to deal with one of the other ones instead. 

So he asked, “Can we choose who we interview with?” 

When Aizawa looked at him, he seemed to understand as he nodded. “Yes. If you have a preferred news network, you may choose to work with them.” 

Izuku smiled. 

Later on, they found the camp had set up the reporters in the few lecture rooms they had in the main building, and when his turn came, he stepped into the room Curious had set up in, Aizawa right behind him, and she smiled.

“Hello future hero.” She said pleasantly as they shook hands. She held onto his hand, and looked at his wrist, where he was still wearing the wristbands she’d given him. That made her smile broaden as she let go and gestured to the seat opposite her. 

Iceman approached him with a clip on mic, which, knowing how Izuku’s quirk didn’t like anyone touching him, handed it over and told him how to attach it to his collar. 

He then went to his cameras, one pointed at Curious, the other at Izuku, and held up three fingers. Lowering them one at a time, when he had just one, he pointed at Curious. 

“We’re here with Izuku Midoriya,” she said loudly, looking at the camera before turning to look at him, saying, “let’s get started. How does it feel to be part of the next generation of heroes who will be protecting the public?” 

Izuku thought about it, but wasn’t sure of the proper answer, so he just said, “Good.” 

That seemed to satisfy her, as she moved on with her next question. 

For the next several minutes, she asked him various questions about his training, and what they were doing to improve their skills. For a moment, he felt relieved, as none of them were about his father, or the Night of Terror, subjects he knew she knew he didn’t enjoy discussing. 

She did, however, ask thorough questions about his quirk. 

“How difficult is it to control your quirk in a combat situation?” Curious asked at one point. 

“It’s easier to say I just hold it back.” He answered nervously, “My quirk has pretty good combat reflexes, and acts mostly on its own, while I keep it focused.” 

“Does it hurt when you transform like that? I mean your flesh literally burns away.” 

Izuku nodded. “It does, but not as much as when I do it quickly. It’s like ripping off a band aid.” 

The interview went on for several more minutes after that. When she finally finished, she gave the camera man a signal, and he pressed a button on the cameras. 

“And we’re done. Thank you for coming Midoriya.” She said as she got to her feet. 

He nodded, “You’re welcome.” 

As he handed the mic over to the camera man, Curious asked him, “How have you been feeling?” 

Izuku frowned. “About the same. I’ve been doing the breathing exercises Twice taught me, and reading every night. It helps.” 

“That’s good.” Curious said, giving him a sympathetic look. “I think you’re going to be a great hero someday. I can’t wait to cover you when you do.” 

That made him smile, but then Aizawa got his attention, before ushering him out, swapping him with another student, Ashido, who he then walked in to be interviewed. 

Izuku felt relieved, even refreshed by the interview. He wondered if his mother would see it. 

…if his father would see it. 

In his head, he had the image of his father, sitting in some run down hideout, watching a television, and seeing him. But he couldn’t see his face. No matter how hard he tried, in his mind, he only saw his father in his fire form. The flaming skeleton, sitting calmly, watching him from afar.

Waiting…

“Hey!” 

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin when Mirio seemed to simply appear next to him. 

Mirio smiled, “Are you ready for lunch? I sure am hungry!” 

“Sure, I guess.” Izuku sighed, rubbing his chest. 

As he walked with Mirio down the hallway towards the lunch area, where their class would’ve started preparing their meal, Izuku couldn’t help but try thinking of his father again. 

He wondered where he was, what he was doing. 

——

Inko hummed a tune to herself as she finished sweeping, and finally got to sit down. 

Zarathos hopped onto the sofa immediately, and snuggled right up to her, letting her pet him with her real hand as he began to purr loudly.

“I bet you just miss Izuku.” She muttered as she gave him a scratch behind the ear, which had him rolled onto his side instantly as he continued to purr. She sighed, and sadly added, “I do too.” 

She’d only gotten home a few hours prior for her few days off. The neighbors had looked after the cat for them, for which she had been grateful. 

When she turned on the television, she flipped through a few channels. The moment she saw Izuku, however, she froze, and quickly turned the volume up. It was footage of him training with his classmates, being narrated by someone. 

“…hasn’t slowed down with their training at all. They’re all going full steam ahead, in spite of what’s happened.” 

A man’s deadpan voice spoke then, as she watched Izuku using his chains in the background, even though the camera was focused on one of his other classmates. 

“I have full confidence that these first years will be excellent heroes when they graduate.” 

The camera panned over, and she saw Mister Aizawa, Izuku’s homeroom teacher, before the reporter asked, “What about Midoriya? Do you think he’ll be-”

The teacher cut him off, saying “He’s rough around the edges, but otherwise a good student. He’s shown tremendous control over his quirk.” 

“Does UA think he’s dangerous to continue the hero program? After the Night of Terror-”

“Where Midoriya held the line against a veritable army of nomu, and then proceeded to be the sole hero on the island for multiple days? Yes, UA believes he is still worth keeping in the hero program.” 

As he spoke, the camera focused on Izuku as he paused whatever he’d been doing to speak to an older student dressed in similar gym clothes.

There was a cut in the footage, but it was the same scene. This time she saw it was Mr. Yagi speaking to a different reporter. 

“That’s LeMillion. He’s one of our finest students to date.” The skeletal old man said with a proud smile. 

“Why is he working with Midoriya?” The reporter asked. 

“Well,” Mr. Yagi coughed, wiping the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, “I figured after all he’s been through, he could use some extra support, like a big brother. Mirio’s always glad to help others, and he’s been looking over his shoulder for a while now.”

Inko beamed as she watched her baby then, and suddenly wanted to meet the older student so she could thank him. She felt her heart warm when she saw Izuku smiling as the older student said something that made him laugh. 

Zarathos pawed at her, as he realized she’d stopped petting him, which almost made her laugh as she started appeasing him again. 

As she made Zarathos happy, she decided to call her son. It only rang a few times before she heard his voice. 

“Hi Mom! We just finished cleaning up after dinner.” Izuku said. 

“That’s good. I saw you on the news!” Inko said happily. She quickly told him about it, ending with, “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart!” 

“I…” she heard him hesitate. Then she heard a little boy’s voice. 

“Are you crying?” 

“No!” Izuku snapped, and Inko smiled to herself, wishing she could be there to hug her baby.  

“Is that Kota? The boy you told me about?” Inko asked curiously. 

“Yeah. Here Kota,” Izuku said. 

Inko heard the beep, and saw he was requesting a video call, which she accepted. She smiled when she saw the little boy waving at her, and waved back. 

“This is Kota, and his parents.” Izuku said, before raising the camera to show Water Hose, who were still in their costumes, minus the helmets. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Midoriya.” Kota’s mother waved. 

“Yes, the same for you.” Inko said happily. 

After that, they went back to a regular phone call, and spoke for a while, just catching up, before she finally let him go, and sighed. 

She looked down at Zarathos, who was dead asleep, snuggled up against her leg, her hand resting on him. 

Turning the television back on, she flipped through a few channels before settling on a crime drama. 

That went on for a while, before Zarathos’s automatic food bowl dished out some food, and the black cat was a blur to the kitchen, completely forgetting any comfort he had with her. 

Inko smiled, and got up to make her own dinner. She had to stop herself from making too much out of habit, but eventually had some delicious fried fish and rice, while Zarathos begged at her feet, in spite of having eaten his own food not long before. 

She passed the rest of her evening cleaning the dishes, before beginning her bedtime routine. 

——

“Alright Kota, it’s time for bed.” His mother said just as the sun was going down. 

“Okay Mom.” The little boy said. Izuku waved goodbye as the family got up and started away. 

After he watched them go, Izuku turned, and saw the rest of his classmates were also getting ready for bed, as they were all tired, and needed to get as much rest as they could. 

“Make sure to set your alarms, everyone!” Iida said loudly. Izuku took a moment to check his then, before walking to his tent, which he shared with their class representative. 

When his phone buzzed, he looked, and smiled when he saw Himiko’s face. 

He stepped away from their camp before he answered. 

“Hey.” He said. 

“I saw you on the news…” Himiko purred softly over the line. 

“You did…” he replied shyly. Even over a phone call, she had control over him. To be fair, he wished she was there in that moment. It was cold and dark. It would’ve been nice to have her to hold him. 

“Yeah.” She said, and then let him hang there for a long time. “When will you be back?” 

“Our training camp goes on for a few more days. I’m learning a lot about the outdoors, and these mountains are beautiful.” 

“I know, I got your pictures.” Himiko let out a deep sigh, “If only they didn’t separate our classes.” 

“Yeah. I wish you were here.” Izuku said, before slapping his hand over his mouth, realizing what he’d just said. 

“Oh really?” Himiko asked, and then, when a dangerous tone, she asked, “You’re not getting into any trouble with other girls are you, Izuku?”

“No!” He squeaked, before coughing and taking a moment to steady himself. “No Himiko. I’m sorry. I just…” 

Izuku felt the words in his chest. He wanted to say them, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Eventually, he sighed, and held himself tight. He did feel cold then. 

“I…should get going.” 

“Alright. I’ll see you when you get back.” 

“Yeah. See you later.” 

When he hung up, he stared down at his phone for a long time, wondering if he’d said the right thing to her. His quirk wasn’t happy with his anxiety in that moment and he felt himself begin to smoke. 

When he got back to camp, everyone else was in their tents, and he moved as quietly as he could into his own, rolling himself up in his blankets, and laying there, waiting for sleep to come. 

That night, he slept soundly, dreaming of home. 

He had no idea that he’d been watched the entire time…

——

The shadow had watched from afar, atop one of the mountains since the day after the students had arrived, biding his time. 

He’d finally moved in for the kill, but he was too close to the camp. Too close for aid to come, should the first strike not prove fatal, and this poisoned weed had proven it was too dangerous to take any unnecessary chances. 

Once he was sure the coast was clear, he moved through the shadows, far back into the mountains, and into his base camp, where he could watch from a distance for his next opportunity. 

The shadow was slowly burning through his supplies, but determined to see his mission through. Even if he died taking out the boy, it would be the end of the poisonous line, as Ghost Rider couldn’t live forever. 

The following day came, and he remained hidden, never moving in the sunlight, and always keeping something between himself and the camp until nightfall. He watched through a telescope with a thin cloth over the end, so as not to reveal himself through a reflection of sunlight. 

They were training more of them. More wannabe heroes…

It made his blood boil watching, but he could deal with them in time. For now, he focused on the Ghost Rider’s son. 

When evening came, he saw the hero students gather around their mentors, the tall scrawny one in black, and the big one in red, who both spoke to them for a moment. 

They were too far away, even through his telescope for him to read their lips, but after they spoke, the hero students all looked pleased. Some even celebrated. 

For a long time, he simply watched, and waited as they went about the routine they’d established, however, something was different. 

They made dinner earlier than normal. Something was happening! 

After they ate, the shadow suddenly realized his opportunity had come, as the students began walking towards the hiking trails in small groups, some as few as two. 

“Yes…” he whispered unconsciously when he saw Ghost Rider’s son walking with only two others. Even better, they were two others he was sure would pose no trouble to him, even if they got a chance to fight him. 

When the shadow was fully equipped, grabbing his blades, daggers, and then finally, the small vial of pink liquid he’d been given, he became a blur as he moved through the forest, and down the mountain, like a demon out of myth, coming for its next victim. 

Chapter 31

Tenya Iida took a deep breath as he looked out over the campsite from the mountaintop he, Izuku and Uraraka had climbed. Standing just a few feet away, Kota smiled as he looked out as well, having tagged along as soon as he saw Izuku. 

Aizawa had given them the rest of the day off, and the trio had decided to hike to the top of the mountain so they could take in the view for a while without having to worry about training, or lectures from their teachers. 

From where they stood, they could see some of their classmates and other students around, either doing something in their campsites, or walking around. There were a few that had decided on doing some extra training on their own in one of the open areas. 

For his part, Izuku was happy he’d come up here with his friends. It was nice and cool, not too windy, and the view was breathtaking, especially as the sun began to set. The four youths just stood and watched for a while, in silence. 

Eventually, however, when twilight was starting, Tenya turned to the others. 

“We should start back before it gets too dark.” He told them. 

“I know a shortcut!” Kota said excitedly, “Me and Dad explore these woods all the time!” 

“Well then,” Uraraka smiled at him, “lead on.” 

Kota’s chest puffed up, and he marched forward, back the way they’d come. 

As it began to get dark, to their relief, they realized the trails were lit in places that made it much easier to stay on track, as it slowly got darker. 

Izuku would never know what had set his quirk off, only that his body moved on its own as he was jerked inside his own mind, and his flesh burned away. He dove forward, picking up Kota and leaping ahead. 

He heard the attacker slam into the ground, creating a minor earthquake as he rolled, and turned to face him, still holding the boy in his arms. 

There, standing between him and his friends was something out of a nightmare. 

The first thing that struck him was its shear size. It stood what looked to be almost three full meters tall, and was massive, and covered in what looked like exposed muscle tissue. Nothing covered its upper torso, while its legs were covered by torn and filthy pants. 

As the beast turned, the muscles moved, going under its skin, revealing a dark, almost black purple, and an exposed brain. 

Beyond all of that, however, was its eyes. They were the eyes of something inhuman. Demonic. 

Wide and bloodshot, it locked onto Izuku in his fire form, before spreading its arms out, and letting out a roar that made the ground shake. 

“Stay.” 

The voice made Izuku freeze as he was already setting Kota down, who promptly ran behind him. 

The voice was like sandpaper, but the nomu obeyed. Stopping its roar, and simply looking down at them, menacingly. 

Stepping from the shadows, came the villain that had caused Izuku to take his first life. 

He still looked the same, though he seemed to have restored his right arm, which he quickly realized was robotic when he saw the chrome hand. His hair was just as messy, though a little longer, and he was covered in the severed hands, including the one covering his face. His bloodshot eye turned to Izuku. 

“What do you think of this one, hero?” The villain asked arrogantly. 

It was all Izuku could do not to run over, and burn the man to ash, but his quirk was attached to Kota. It was aware of the danger the boy would be in if he didn’t protect him. But the desire for vengeance was definitely pulling on him. 

“I recognize you, villain!” Iida suddenly shouted. 

The villain slowly turned to him. Then, he held up his hand. His real, flesh and blood hand, and snapped his fingers. 

The nomu moved far faster than should’ve been possible, turning, and slapping at both Uraraka and Tenya. 

Uraraka had managed to duck, but Tenya took the blow, full force, and was sent flying. Izuku lost him in the darkness, but he heard him crashing into the trees.

“Kota…” Izuku spoke without thinking, only vaguely aware of how deep and menacing his voice had become. He could feel the boy’s fear in that moment, but he needed to keep him safe. 

“You know, hero. After what you and your dad did to me, I got pretty angry.” The villain said, his gaze returning to Izuku. “So angry in fact, that I decided to forget messages and all that crap. I’m just going to kill you, and get it over with.” 

He pointed at him, and snapped his fingers again.

Izuku could dodge, but Kota would get hurt, and he couldn’t turn and grab him fast enough to get him away. For a fraction of a second, Izuku and his quirk watched the nomu pounce towards him, the exposed muscles covering it again. 

Then, just in the nick of time. Help arrived. 

He didn’t call out his attack, or even announce his presence. Instead, he simply launched himself out of the ground in front of Izuku, and slammed an uppercut into the nomu so powerful, the concussion nearly snuffed out his fire, and sent the beast flying back. 

“I am here!” Mirio announced loudly, standing between the monster, and everyone else. 

Izuku, however, focused on the villain himself, even as the nomu was on its feet, and eyeing them. 

“Kill all of them!’ The villain shouted, before turning and fleeing. 

“NO!!!” Izuku and his quirk roared simultaneously. They would not let him escape, and started after him immediately. 

Unfortunately, this drew the nomu’s attention, and before he knew it, the beast was on him. 

Izuku didn’t see the first blow, but he felt it, as he was suddenly face down, his head in the dirt, as subsequent blows fell on him like a jackhammer, nailing him down like a nail. 

It felt like an eternity before the blows finally stopped coming, as Mirio and Tenya Iida slammed into it, the former hitting it in the face with a sparking punch, while the latter landed a perfect kick to its solar plexes. 

If the nomu was injured, it didn’t show it, but it did stumble back. 

As Izuku was pulling himself from the dirt, still in his fire form, Uraraka ran to him. 

“1-A,” Mirio said as he stepped up, keeping his eyes on the nomu, “take Kota and get back to camp!” 

“Yes sir!” Iida said obediently. 

When the nomu rushed them again, Mirio ran forward to meet it. 

“Izuku,” Uraraka said, though she didn’t dare touch him, “come on, we need to go.” 

Inside his mind, Izuku was fuming. Even without his quirk’s broiling fury, he couldn’t let the villain escape. He could still hear his mother’s screams from that terrible day. Could feel her flesh melting underneath his hand as he tried to save her. 

He would have his vengeance!

Uraraka gasped and jumped back when Izuku’s fire flared, turning from green, to a bright, angry orange. 

“Midoriya! We need to go!” Iida said, and reached out to grab his arm, trusting that his friend wouldn’t burn him. 

Izuku bolted into the forest, going the direction the villain had gone. 

As he ran, something in his mind was pulling him in a specific direction. Some kind of instinct he couldn’t quite explain, but some part of him thought better of ignoring it. Whether anyone followed him or not, he didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He would not allow the villain to escape again. 

He had no idea how far he’d gone, or how long it took, it only mattered that he saw him eventually, just as he was running around a small pond, which Izuku leapt over in one bound. 

The villain spun on him when he landed just a few feet behind him, and for the first time, he saw true, unadulterated fear in his eyes. 

“No! Kurogiri! Where are you?! Get me out of here!” The villain shouted as he backed away from Izuku. 

Izuku slung his arms out before whipping them around, and tangling the villain in chains, using training Aizawa had given him. He suddenly had the villain on the ground, struggling as he slowly pulled him closer. 

“No! Kurogiri! KUROGIRI WHERE ARE YOU?!!” The villain continued to scream. Whoever he was calling for, never arrived. 

Izuku pulled him up, and wrapped a chain around his neck, and began to squeeze, ripping the hand off his face, and forcing him to look him in the eyes. 

The villain’s hand reached out to grab him, the but Izuku was faster, grabbing him by the wrist, and squeezing, crushing his bones like thin, frail glass. He held onto it, and continued to squeeze, watching the villain slowly begin to choke, unable to scream. 

His quirk wanted him to suffer, and started burning his arm as he held it, while Izuku heard his mother’s screams in his head again. Felt her flesh melting underneath his hand. 

“Izuku stop!” He heard someone cry, but he ignored them. He would not allow this villain to escape. To hurt anyone else. To come after his mother again.

This villain was a monster, but Izuku was a worse one, everyone thought so, even if they never said it. He saw it in their eyes. Their staring, judging eyes. 

Monsters weren’t, couldn’t be heroes. Monsters simply did terrible things…things no one else wanted to do. Things that needed to be done.

After all…

What was a little more blood on his hands?

——

Uraraka held onto Kota’s hand as she ran with Tenya, making their way towards the main camp. 

“Wait! What about Izuku?” Kota asked as they rounded a bend in the trail. 

“I’ll go back to help him, but we need to get you to safety first!” Iida said stoically. 

As they ran, Uraraka swore she heard thunder booming off in the distance, though she didn’t see a cloud in the sky. It was clear as could be, the stars shining brightly. 

Then, just as the main building came into sight, they saw Aizawa jumping, and bringing his knee up into the face of a strange man in all black. They heard the impact that sent the man stumbling back as their teacher landed on his feet, his goggles on and his capture cloth moving seemingly on its own. 

He turned when they got closer and shouted, “Where’s Midoriya?” 

Just then, a short distance away, All Might’s booming laughter sounded as he and a flying nomu slammed into the ground. 

“What’s going on?” Uraraka asked in confusion. 

“Answer me! Where’s Midoriya?” Aizawa snapped impatiently. 

Tenya quickly answered, “Back up the trail, we got separated by a villain and another nomu! I’ll lead you back there once we get Kota to-”

“Don’t bother, all of you, get to the main building and stay there!” Aizawa cut him off, and sprinted back the way they’d come. 

Uraraka looked after him, but only for a second, before she remembered Kota, and started towards the main building. 

——

Izuku watched callously as the villain’s face slowly turned blue, and his tongue and eyes began to bulge from the tension around his neck. There was nothing left of the flesh where his wrist should’ve been, having been burned away completely. 

In the back of his mind, Izuku knew he could end him then and there. All it would take was a flash of fire, or a swift jerk, and the villain would never hurt his mother again. 

He would never hurt anyone else ever again. 

It was only then, right as he saw the last bit of life the villain was just barely clinging onto, that he remembered he did have one last method of torture. Something he could do to the villain that would ensure not only he would never hurt anyone else, but he would suffer just as he’d made others suffer. 

Something Izuku had sworn he would never do to anyone. It was simply too terrible a thing to do. Even to a villain. 

When he heard his mother’s scream again, however, he suddenly felt the strong urge to use it. He felt his quirk tempting him. Pushing him to use it. His most deadly, and devastating attack. Something even his father was reluctant to use, except in the most dire circumstances. 

And yet, there he was. Alone with the villain, where no one could, or would stop him. He was the sole judge, jury, and executioner in that moment. 

Some part of him registered, however, that he wasn’t alone anymore, as someone was walking up behind him. Unfortunately, he was too slow in realizing his mistake. 

He felt something hit him in the back, and suddenly, his quirk began to go out. He felt it going into the lantern in his mind, even as he tried to force it back out. His strength began to slack, and his flesh began to regrow. 

He still held his stranglehold on the villain, up until he had lungs, and breathed in the pink fumes. 

Releasing the villain, Izuku stumbled, fighting to stay conscious. The fumes weren’t as strong as they had been when he’d taken them right to the face, but he recognized the feeling of Midnight’s pheromones shutting his mind down.

As the villain fell, gasping for air, Izuku stumbled to a knee, trying to cover his face.

Suddenly, someone grabbed him by the hair, and jerked upward so hard it hurt. 

The shadow pounced, the moment he saw the vial’s influence on his target. Once he was on his knees, he grabbed his hair, and pulled upward, drawing and swinging his sword arm outward. 

It couldn’t be helped. It had to be done in one blow. A decapitating strike. 

He put everything into that swing, feeling the blade cutting through the air, and grinning when he knew his aim was true. 

A red hot chain struck like a cobra, knocking the blade aside at the last second, while a second one slashed the shadow’s arm holding him, and Izuku fell to the ground. 

Izuku heard the sounds of violence all around him, even after he fell, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to care, as he felt consciousness slipping away. 

Then, just as he slipped into the numb, pink abyss once again, he heard something that would be burned into his memory. 

“Look into my eyes.” 

Izuku never heard the ensuing scream. 

Chapter 32

When Izuku felt consciousness return, the first thing he felt was the sunlight directly on his face. It took him a moment to fully awaken, as he began to notice something lying on top of him. As he sat up, he looked down to see that it was a black leather jacket. 

His mind still groggy, he examined it, and slowly began to recognize it. 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” 

Izuku froze. He hadn’t heard that voice in so long, he’d almost didn’t recognize who it belonged to. He slowly turned his head, and saw his father for the first time in years, and almost didn’t recognize him. 

The first thing that struck him was his face. It wasn’t scarred, but wrinkled. He was old. Much older than he should be. He was sure his father would’ve been somewhere in his forties, but he looked like he was almost double that. His hair wasn’t even going gray, it was already white as snow. If not for his eyes, Izuku might not have recognized him at all. 

His eyes were the exact same shade of green he remembered, even after all this time. Hisashi was dressed all in black, from his boots, to his t shirt, which had SHIRT printed across the chest in white kanji. He sat on a rock just a few feet away, a cigarette dangling from his lips. 

For a long time, the father and son just stared at each other. Izuku was only partially aware of his quirk, which still hadn’t recovered from whatever he’d been knocked out with. Before anything else, he asked his father the question that had been burning in the back of his mind for all those years, ever since he’d first learned what his father had done. 

“Why?” 

Hisashi nodded, but didn’t say anything at first. He inhaled from his cigarette, the ember on the end glowing bright, before exhaling. 

“Because…Endeavor was a bigger monster than me.” 

Izuku stared at him. Hisashi just sighed, finishing his cigarette, and lighting another with a fire from his thumb. He inhaled, and paused for a time. Eventually, he went on. 

“Earlier that day, I was out on patrol. I’d gotten a call that there was an emergency rescue going on involving Endeavor’s kids. When I got there, it was a massive forest fire. Only a few of us could go in, it was simply too dangerous.” Hisashi paused to take a deep inhale. Izuku noticed his hands were shaking. He continued, “I found him. Little Toya. Poor kid, had a fire quirk like his old man, but…his body just…wasn’t meant for it. He was already burned by the time I got to him, wrapped him up in my jacket, and carried him out of there myself. Along the way, Toya spoke to me. He told me…everything.” 

Hisashi sighed again, and took another long drag. In a way, Izuku felt a little disturbed. He was aware of all, or at least most of the people his father had killed, but something in this event had him shaking. 

He soon learned why when he continued once again. 

——

Dozens of heroes, police, and even HPSC agents had arrived since the attack, though it had only lasted for about fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, in that time, a lot had happened. 

There had been a forest fire, several of the campsites destroyed, and part of one of the training buildings was damaged. However, by some miracle, no one had been killed. 

At least, as far as Uraraka was aware. Izuku still hadn’t been found, though the Wild, Wild Pussycats, as well as several heroes that had arrived were all out searching for him. 

Unfortunately, in spite of their own insistence that they could help, Aizawa simply wouldn’t hear of it. 

“We don’t know if there are any more nomu out there.” He told them. “Right now, I want all of you to get what you can from your campsite, and prepare to leave.” 

And so, that’s what they were doing. They had gotten lucky, in that their campsite hadn’t been hit too hard. Only one of the tents had been damaged, but nothing was lost. Since they were sharing a tent, Iida packed up Izuku’s belongings, and Kirishima helped him carry them. 

It was as they were carrying out this task, that Uraraka first saw Endeavor, in person, for the first time. 

“Father!” She heard Todoroki shout. She turned, and saw her classmate standing at attention, facing the Hellfire Hero, as he marched towards him. 

The first thing that struck her was his massive stature. The man was huge, about as big as All Might, perhaps even bigger. His hair was dark red, something Shoto had inherited on half of his head, as well as the piercing blue eyes, which looked down at his son. 

“Are you hurt, Shoto?” Endeavor’s voice was powerful, though Uraraka was sure he was trying to speak softly. 

“No, sir. I’m fine.” Todoroki answered quickly. 

Endeavor nodded, “Please call your mother. She’s worried about you.” 

“My phone’s dead. I haven’t been able to charge it.” Shoto said, holding up his dead phone. With a grunt, Endeavor handed him his own, before looking around at the other students while Shoto made the call. 

“Shoto’s told me about all of you.” Endeavor said, “I’m glad to see you’re all unhurt…” Uraraka could see he noticed a missing person even before he asked, “Why is Midoriya not here?” 

Iida stepped up, “Greetings, Endeavor, it is an honor to meet you! We were actually hoping we could assist you with the search. You see our friend went missing last night during the attack and thus far has not been found.” 

For about a second, Uraraka’s heart rose, hoping perhaps Endeavor would let them help search. After that second, however, he dashed them. 

“No.” He said sternly, “Aizawa told me you were all ordered to prepare to leave, and that’s what you will do. You’re all fine students, but you’re not prepared for what might still be out there. Not yet.”

Feeling helpless, Uraraka focused on the task at hand, making sure all her classmates weren’t forgetting anything while she checked her own belongings. Endeavor stayed with them, and even spoke to them. 

In a way, he was behaving like a more abrasive All Might. He was blunt, and to the point, but he was speaking to them fairly, asking them questions about their quirks, and giving advice. He even seemed to have already been acquainted with a few of them, like Iida and Yaoyorozu. 

Once they were sure they had everything, Endeavor escorted them over to the bus stop. 

The buses themselves, hadn’t arrived yet, and they were left standing and waiting, along with the other students. 

“This is foolish, leaving everyone out in the open like this.” Endeavor muttered, probably louder than he meant to, but Uraraka noticed he was keeping his head on a swivel. She decided to do the same, even though Endeavor was hardly the only hero in the area watching over them. 

Aizawa approached after a time and spoke to them. 

“The buses will be here shortly. We’re going back to UA, and we’ve already contacted all your-”

When their homeroom teacher froze, his eyes wide, it got all their attention, given Aizawa being surprised was almost unheard of. He raised his hand, pressing it to his ear as he became serious again. She looked and saw Endeavor and several other heroes were doing the same. 

Of all the heroes, it was one named Death Arms, who was standing with 1-B, who announced what they were hearing. 

“They found Midoriya…” he said, his eyes wide with shock.

“That’s good, right?” Uraraka asked, looking to her teacher. Aizawa said nothing. This time, Endeavor spoke up, saying something that left her shocked. 

“He used the Penance Stare on someone.” 

——

Yagi had seen the aftermath of those who’d suffered the Penance Stare. It never did get easier whenever he saw it again. 

The Wild, Wild Pussycats had already secured the scene, but there was no doubt who the two men were, or what had happened to them. 

One had been identified as the Hero Killer, though no one knew his name. He was lying on his back, his mouth open wide as if he were still screaming, but he was long dead, his flesh already turned gray. 

The other Yagi recognized as the villain who’d attacked the Midoriya’s and caused Izuku to have to hurt his own mother to save her life. He didn’t have any arms at all, the one he’d had remaining now gone at the shoulder. 

Neither of them had eyes, and the flesh around their sockets was burned black, along with holes where their ears should’ve been. Whatever else could be said, these two had done a lot of bad things for the stare to have burned them this badly. 

Yagi sighed as he looked over the scene, before his eyes settled on Ragdoll, who was looking around, clearly trying to locate Izuku with her quirk, which allowed her to see anyone she’d previously seen before, regardless of where they were, though he’d since learned she could only see them if they were roughly closer than a mile. Any further and it became more difficult. 

“Anything?” He asked. 

She shook her head. “No. He’s nowhere near us.” 

Yagi sighed again, and looked at the two villains. “Kid…you couldn’t have kept a worse secret.” Then he looked at Ragdoll with a thought. “Any chance Ghost Rider did this?”

Ragdoll looked at him and shook her head. “We have cameras all around the perimeter with facial recognition. We’d have gotten an alert if he was anywhere near here.”

Yagi looked back at her, “What about the nomu? Why didn’t they set off an alarm?”

That brought Ragdoll up short.

Just then a group of police arrived, and began securing the scene with tape, and ushering everyone back. The Pussycats left then, to continue the search for Midoriya. Yagi would’ve liked to join them, but he couldn’t just bulk up with all these people around. 

He was at least somewhat relieved when he saw Detective Tsukauchi coordinating the police, and nodded with he noticed him. Once they were set up, and the techs started documenting everything, Tsukauchi approached him. 

“Any word on the kid?” Tsukauchi asked curiously. 

Yagi shook his head. “This is all we’ve found so far since we started the search.” 

The two men just watched the techs work for a moment. 

“You think it was him?” Tsukauchi asked.

“We haven’t got any other suspects. If his dad were here, I don’t think he would’ve stopped after just two men.” 

“Even one that attacked his wife?” 

That brought Yagi up short as he began to consider. Unfortunately, he was starting to wonder. Even if Ghost Rider had managed to only take out these two, he needed to ask Izuku personally. He was starting to wonder if the kid was keeping secrets. 

“If we find him, we’ll need to question him.” 

“What’s the cost of using an unregistered quirk?” Yagi asked seriously. 

“Something like the Penance Stare? Felony. Minimum.” 

Yagi swore under his breath, and sincerely hoped Izuku had some proof it was his father. 

Then, just as he was having that thought, as if the cosmos itself were answering, Tsukauchi’s radio burst with activity, saying a single message. 

“GHOST RIDER SPOTTED I REPEAT GHOST RIDER HAD BEEN LOCATED AND HE’S-”

There was a scream, before the radio cut. 

“What’s your location?” The detective demanded. 

No response. He asked again, but still got no answer. 

When Tsukauchi turned, he saw Yagi was already gone, and he only hoped All Might could figure out where they were. 

Chapter 33

The motorcycle engine roared like a beast as Hisashi held the throttle on full, pushing it as hard as he could down the highway, swerving around cars at dangerous speed. 

It was all he could do to get to the second sun that had appeared north of where he’d been out on patrol. 

At some point he caught up to Ingenium, just as he was approaching the exit. The two exchanged nods, as The Turbo Hero leapt clear off the highway, while Hisashi tore off onto an exit ramp. 

Inside him, his quirk was stirring, eager to fight whatever was going on. Hisashi only hoped he could get there before too many people were hurt. 

As he got closer, he realized it was a forest fire, and a big one. When he did arrive, he found several fire trucks and rescue heroes already fighting the blaze. Luckily, Hisashi didn’t need to cut his quirk loose to be immune to fire, so he ran right up to the nearest hero, the duo that was Water Hose. 

“Is anyone in there?” Hisashi asked. 

“My son!” 

Hisashi spun, and saw Endeavor gazing in horror at the flames, his eyes wide. He started to run inside, and Hisashi followed without hesitation. If his son was in there, they had to find him. As a father himself, he knew he would’ve done nothing less to save his own son. 

As soon as they entered the forest, it was like walking into Hell itself. Virtually everything was ablaze, and worse, trees were starting to collapse. In the ensuing chaos of their search, at some point Hisashi wasn’t quite sure, he’d gotten separated from Endeavor.

The fire itself didn’t scare him, Hisashi knew it would take nothing less than plasma to so much as singe his skin, but he wasn’t sure about Endeavor’s son. He knew Enji had limits to how much heat he could dole out, before he needed to cool off. Was his son the same? Or did he have an improved version of his quirk? 

Hisashi got his answer before long, when he stumbled across a small lake in the middle of the forest, where he saw a small child, crying, and trying to splash water on himself, in a failed effort to treat several terrible burns on his body. 

As soon as the boy looked at him, Hisashi knew it couldn’t be anyone else but Enji’s son, as he had inherited a near perfect copy of his father’s eyes.

Hisashi ran to him, slipping his jacket off draping it over the child, who wasn’t much older than his own son, Izuku. 

“You’re safe now, kid.” Hisashi told him, though he nearly had to yell to be sure he was heard over the raging inferno around them. “I’m getting you out of here.” 

“No!” The boy shouted, and to Hisashi’s surprise, pulled away from him. For a moment, he feared he may have touched one of his burns, but then he saw the tears, and he said, “I’m afraid of what my Dad will do!” 

“Your dad is looking for you too, come on, I’ll take you to him!” Hisashi said, trying to assure him. 

The boy turned and looked at him, still wrapped in the jacket. 

Just then, a massive tree slammed into the ground across the small pond, and Hisashi knew they had to go before one fell on them too. 

He quickly swept the boy up in his arms, and, unsure of which way to go, simply ran in the general direction he’d come. To his horror, however, the boy struggled. 

“No! Stop! I don’t want to go home!” He yelled frantically. Hisashi simply held him tight, but also felt his quirk begin to stir in his chest. It sensed something was wrong, as did he. The kid should’ve been eager to get out of this place, but instead he seemed determined to stay. 

“You’re safe kid. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Hisashi said, hoping maybe that would at least make him stop struggling. 

“You can’t protect me from him! He’ll just hit Mommy again!” 

Hisashi felt his heart drop, but his legs kept moving forward. His quirk began to smolder. 

“He’s not going to hit anyone.” Hisashi said as he felt his quirk feeding his mind. 

He felt those blue eyes looking up at him then. The boy stopped struggling as he stared at him. 

“Please…just don’t let him hit me again. Make him just be proud of me.” 

That finally did it, and Hisashi felt his flesh begin to burn away as his quirk refused to be held inside. By the time he finally escaped the forest, he was nothing more than a skeleton, covered in fire, but his quirk also wanted to protect the innocent child. 

Luckily, Ingenium happened to be there, and ran up to him. Ghost Rider handed him off, and looked around as Ingenium trotted toward an ambulance. 

The second Ghost Rider spotted Endeavor, even though the man had only just ran out of the forest, probably not even aware that his son had been saved, his mind focused solely on one objective. 

Vengeance. 

Endeavor saw him coming towards him. Whether he saw his son, or simply figured out what was happening as the Spirit of Vengeance was approaching him didn’t matter to Ghost Rider. 

He’d committed a grievous sin, and needed to be punished. 

The Hellfire Hero and the Symbol of Fear didn’t mince words, or waste time with banter. Endeavor wasn’t about to let anyone just attack him, and Ghost Rider was going to bother trying to just arrest him. 

The moment the two clashed had been caught on camera, and would be a clip that went down in history as one of the greatest betrayals in the history of pro heroes. 

“Child beater!” Ghost Rider’s demonic voice growled as they slammed into each other, the flaming skeleton grasping both of Endeavor’s fists in his grasp. 

Enraged, Endeavor didn’t respond, instead launched himself forward and upward, slamming a knee into Ghost Rider’s chin, rocking his head back. 

Ghost Rider’s response was to lash out with his chains, and the fight was on. 

Sparks flew, and they even started a small brush fire where they fought. Water Hose tried to spray them both down in an effort to stop the brawl, but the heat was so intense it turned to steam before it even touched either of them. 

Real Steel, a muscular hero whose skin was made of steel, ran towards them just as they both started launching fire attacks at each other. 

Endeavor’s fists glowed white hot, while a fire began to glow inside Ghost Rider’s mouth. 

“STOP IT BOTH OF YOU-” Real Steel shouted, and shoved both of them away from each other. 

Unfortunately, while Endeavor had stopped his attack, Ghost Rider did not. 

He’d always had a reputation for how dangerous he was, sometimes even towards other heroes. It was always one of the reasons he worked alone, and very rarely teamed up with anyone. In that moment, however, even Hisashi knew, even as he tried to pull his quirk back, to stop it before it was too late, he’d gone too far. 

A white hot plume of fire erupted from his mouth, and covered Real Steel in living fire, as well as Endeavor. 

The Hellfire Hero’s body was made to resist fire naturally, but even this was almost too much for him, as he could only take so much heat before he needed to stop to cool down. It may have been too much, if not for Real Steel. 

When the fire faded, however, Endeavor gasped as he looked down at the literal puddle of molten steel that had once been a man. 

For just a moment, the only noise in the whole world was the flickering flames of the forest fire that was still going. 

Then, Endeavor exploded with his own rage, and launched himself at Ghost Rider. He pulled him into a bear hug, and flew into the sky. 

The flaming skeleton resisted, however, and Endeavor felt his chains wrapping around him. He didn’t let go, though, and kept flying upward, until he was sure they were at a safe altitude. 

Ghost Rider squeezed, trying to inflict whatever damage he could, and felt Endeavor’s leg begin to falter. 

Suddenly Endeavor shoved him away. Ghost Rider yanked his chain away like a rip chord, and felt it tearing Endeavor’s flesh away. For his part, Endeavor forced himself not to notice, as he charged up for his ultimate attack. 

Long strings of pure fire shot from each of his fingertips as he waved them out, and then in.

“PROVIDENCE BURN!!!”

Unfortunately, Ghost Rider still had a chain wrapped around Endeavor’s waist, which he used to pull himself back, and just before he could close the strings on him, in a move that should’ve cut even him to shreds, the Spirit of Vengeance was on him. 

Ghost Rider grabbed either side of his head, and he was suddenly right in his face. 

Then Endeavor heard those four terrible words. 

“Look into my eyes!” 

Hisashi had used the Penance Stare only a handful of times in his life, and it never got easier. 

He didn’t truly understand how the quirk itself worked, it had never been properly studied, simply because of how dangerous and devastating it was. He did, however, understand what it did to him, and his target. 

In this case, Hisashi saw everything. Every argument, every scream, every insult…

Every time he’d struck one of his own children… 

Like a dozen pieces of kindling tied to strings, Hisashi watched each and every one of those sins pulled out from Endeavor’s mind, before being set aflame. 

Then, all at once, he forced them back in. 

Endeavor’s scream could be heard by everyone, even over the roaring forest fire. 

As they both fell to the ground, fire burst from Endeavor’s eyes, ears, and mouth, even as he screamed, the memories burning through his mind. 

When they finally hit the ground, Hisashi’s quirk finally relented control, and he did the only thing he could think of, knowing he’d gone too far. 

He ran. 

——

“The rest…you know.” Hisashi said as he looked at his son. 

Izuku just sat there, taking it in. For a long time, he simply didn’t know what to say. But then, something occurred to him. 

“Endeavor. You hit him with the Penance Stare? How did he survive?” 

“His fire quirk.” Hisashi answered with a shrug. “I didn’t hit him with everything. If I had, I don’t think he would’ve made it to the ground before his head had hollowed out.” 

“You held back?” 

“Yes.” Hisashi sighed, and examined his cigarette, which had just reached the end. “How is your training with the Stare?” 

Izuku froze. His father looked him in the eye. 

“I know you have it, Izuku. I was watching you that day on the playground.” 

He remembered that day. When he’d accidentally used it in a fit of rage on Bakugo. He’d only used a fraction of it though, and Katsuki was far too young to have done anything that would’ve done any serious damage to him. 

“I…” Izuku tried to speak, but was just feeling too overwhelmed. So much had happened, and he hadn’t had time to process it. He was still reeling from having lost the villain who’d attacked his mother. Now his father was just there, sitting in front of him, and telling him everything he’d wanted to know for years. 

“Here.” Hisashi said. Izuku looked up, and saw his father holding out a small notebook he’d pulled from his pocket. As he took it, Hisashi said, “I wrote down everything I could think of, to try helping your training. A few little tips and tricks I learned over the years.” 

Izuku looked at it, and then at his father. 

“So what happens now?” He asked, unsure. 

Hisashi took a deep breath, “Now?” He looked at his son. Izuku looked back. 

As if on cue, Izuku heard several footsteps, and turned to see a team soldiers in full body gear, each of them holding rifles, all of them aimed at the father and son. 

“It’s over, son.” Hisashi said softly, “My time on the run has come to an end.” 

Izuku suddenly realized they were almost completely surrounded. He would only realized later they didn’t completely encircle them to prevent crossfire. There were five of them, and their armor was completely black, but then he saw the badges on their shoulders as they got closer. 

“The Commission?” Izuku asked, feeling confused. 

Sure enough, he saw on their chest, the big four letters, HPSC. For a moment, he was unsure. 

“Dad?” 

“It’s alright. They’re here for me.” Hisashi said as he stood and held up his hands. 

“You’re both under arrest.” One agent Izuku had been looking at said, and in that instant, recognized. 

“Takao?” Izuku gasped. 

“Hisashi Midoriya, you’re under arrest for numerous charges. Izuku Midoriya, you’re under arrest for aiding and abetting.” 

“My son had nothing to do with this.” Hisashi said as Izuku dropped the jacket and notebook he’d been holding and started to raise his hands. 

“Put them in handcuffs.” Takao said coldly. 

“The deal was just me, Takao.” Hisashi said, clearly unhappy. 

Takao said nothing, but Izuku could see the cruel smile under his mask. When the agents started getting close, Hisashi said something Izuku would never forget. 

“If anyone touches my son, I will kill them.” Hisashi said, his tone sounding more dangerous than anything Izuku had ever heard before. In the back of his mind, he knew his father meant every word he’d just said. 

Unfortunately, the agents didn’t seem to take him seriously, as they all kept their rifles trained on them, and the first one reached out to him. 

The second the first agent touched Izuku’s wrist, grabbing it to put him in handcuffs, Hisashi burst into flames.

Everything happened so fast, Izuku wasn’t even sure what he did manage to see happened as he would remember it, only the idea that he was trying to stop his father from committing another massacre. 

At some point during the burst of violence, he heard Takao screaming into his radio in a panic.

“GHOST RIDER SPOTTED I REPEAT GHOST RIDER HAD BEEN LOCATED AND HE’S-”

Then Hisashi was on him. 

——

All Might had all the search and rescue routes memorized from when they first organized it that morning. Moving so fast he was barely even a blur, he searched each and every one, but to no avail. 

Once he’d cleared them all, he went beyond, moving almost two full miles outside the camp, before he finally found them, and the scene which would represent Ghost Rider’s final act as a free man. 

When he landed, and took in the scene, for just a moment, he was afraid he was too late, until he saw that all the agents, though injured, some burned, were still alive. One in particular, who’d had his helmet violently ripped off, most likely in a botched attempt at decapitation, he figured, was Takao, looking somewhere between furious and absolutely terrified. 

Standing in the middle of it all, however, was a scene All Might would never forget. 

Ghost Rider, still in his fire form, was just standing there, holding Takao’s partially melted helmet, his chains dangling uselessly from his hands. 

Izuku was in his own fire form, his fire completely green, showing he was in control, as he held his father in a tight hug. Like a son trying to comfort his father. 

All at once, All Might knew exactly what had happened. 

Takao, however, still wanting to end things on his terms, pulled a pistol from his hip, and started to aim it, right at the father and son. 

All Might was there before he could even start to pull the trigger, snatching the gun from his grasp. 

“What’re you doing?!” Takao spat angrily, glaring hatefully at the Symbol of Peace. 

“It’s over Takao.” All Might said, glaring down at him. 

He slowly turned, and saw both Midoriya’s had powered down. Hisashi embraced his son, and All Might saw them both start to cry. 

“It’s over.” 

Chapter 34

A middle aged news anchor with a single horn coming from the side of his head stared straight into the camera for only a moment before speaking.

“As things seem to be calming down surrounding the surrender of one of Japan’s most wanted villains, Hisashi Midoriya, also known as Ghost Rider, we regretfully say that his former wife, as well as his son have both declined any comment. The Hero Public Safety Commission have stated that the Ghost Rider has been placed in special custody, and at present is being held in an undisclosed location for processing, but will eventually be placed in Cerberus for the duration of his new trial and impending charges.”

The angle changed, but still focused on the same anchor as he looked at a different camera.

“On another news story, latest research has shown a recent increase of attacks on heteromorphs, the people whose quirks alter their appearance in such a way that they don’t look fully human anymore. At the moment, it’s believed this is due to the stress from the increase in villain activity, spurred on by All Might’s rumored retirement, but some are blaming numerous groups that are, as of yet, unnamed.”

“Turn it off.”

Curious pressed a button on her remote and the television went black. She looked over at the head of the table, where the formidable form of their leader sat in deep silence for a moment.

Along with her, were the other leaders of their people, all looking at their leader.

“Our time is approaching.” Their leader said, his voice strong and sure. “With this kind of division, people will be looking for others to rally around. It’s time we start working more towards not just recruitment, but ranks. Organizing our cells to show we’re here to protect the people.”

They all smiled, while Curious took notes. She would never dare record these meetings, but it always helped to keep her mind organized. Just as she was looking up at him again, she found their leader looking at her.

“Tell me, is the son of Ghost Rider still with us?”

“Izuku Midoriya has had to move onto UA campus, and he’s not allowed to leave. He is, however, still in contact with Twice, who’s still giving him quirk therapy. His reports says Midoriya keeps his book on his person all the time.”

He smiled. “Good. I want to continue reaching out. He could be useful for getting into UA in the future.”

“I’ve been having Twice discretely taking notes on the campus’s layouts, as well as asking Midoriya about them.” Curious said.

“Very good.”

For a time, the discussion continued as they addressed other potential members, as well as more complicated operations. Eventually, their leader nodded.

“What do we know about these other groups?”

One of the others seated at the table spoke up, “We believe it’s the Creature Rejection Clan. They’re an old cult from around the time quirks first appeared.”

“What information do we have on them now?”

“I have a file prepared, sir.” He passed a small stack of papers towards him as he continued, “They worship something called the True Form. We thought they hated quirks, but we’ve found they have plenty of members with them. We believe they mostly target any sort of heteromorph.”

“What are their numbers?” Their leader gave him a serious look.

“We’re not sure, but we’ve gotten reports of them operating solely on the mainland, mostly in cities, or the areas around it. They mostly try to appeal to places where the nomu have attacked.”

“The nomu…” their leader growled, “abominations. That must be what’s spurred people on about heteromorphs.”

“We believe so as well, sir.”

There was a moment of silence as their leader contemplated. Then he gestured to the speaker, saying, “Keep an eye on them. We may be able to take advantage of the division they’re causing, but I don’t want them to surprise us.”

“Yes sir.”

With that, their meeting ended. Just as she was putting her things away, however, their leader called out to Curious.

“Yes sir!” She said, standing ready as she faced him.

“You once told me Izuku had gotten close to one of our agents, Mister Compress?”

“Yes sir. Izuku seemed to enjoy his presence more than anyone.”

“I’m going to assign him permanently to your cell, rather than an associate. I would like him to help make sure Izuku knows he’s one of us now.”

Curious smiled, “Yes sir. I think they’ll both enjoy that.”

——

Izuku screamed in agony as Recovery Girl set the last of his bones back in place, before giving him a quick kiss to heal his muscles that had been damaged upon his powering down. When she finally declared him finished, he just laid there for a moment, still feeling his body aching.

Over the last several weeks, Izuku had put everything into his training as it had been his easiest escape from the world outside of UA. His only other method had been the book.

The Meta Liberation War

Izuku had began to see Destro as his idol. Not just because of how he’d been treated, but also his strength in the face of adversity. How even from his prison cell, he’d fought against the system that had been trying to pin him down.

The same system that was trying to do the same to him.

In spite of saving his, and the other agents’ lives that day, the day they had finally brought in the Ghost Rider, they had also brought in his son.

Takao really had charged him with aiding and abetting his father in his latest attack, even though the only victims they could pin on him were the Hero Killer, and the unknown villain that had attacked his mother.

The sole reason he wasn’t sitting in a cell right then, was because of Mister Compress, and he still wasn’t sure how the gentleman hero had managed it.

All he knew was he’d been forced to sit in a cell for what felt like days, his only contact being the occasional guard visit to feed him, before a pair of ranking guards appeared, and escorted him out of the jail.

There, in the reception area of the police station, he found Mister Compress and his mother waiting for him.

The pro hero had assured him everything was taken care of, and that was all.

No one had stopped them from leaving, nobody had questioned him on the matter since, and he hadn’t even seen any news stories about his own arrest, though the story of Ghost Rider being brought in by the heroic efforts of Agent Takao was all over the news.

Izuku just tried not to think about that as he took a deep breath, feeling his exhausted body still ache in spite of Recovery Girl’s efforts.

That was until he felt the feather soft touch on his hand as someone interlaced their fingers with his. He smiled as he opened his eyes and looked up at Himiko, smiling down at him. He sat up.

“Finally finished training?” She asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I just need to go change and clean up.” Izuku said as he stood up, noting his costume was filthy from that day’s field training.

Later, after a shower and changing into his uniform, the two sat together in the cafeteria for dinner, along with many other stragglers from dinner.

Himiko sat very close to him, though she ate her food almost wolfishly. And some of his when she saw he had some she liked. Part of him, mostly his quirk didn’t like that, but her warmth and softness simply calmed it.

“So how’s your training going?” Himiko asked as they walked together to put their trays away.

“Fine. I’m getting better at using the chains thanks to Mister Aizawa’s instruction.” Izuku took out his notebook he’d been writing in, noting his own progress as he went. “I’m getting better at tangling up the practice dummies without damaging them too much.”

“Oh really?” Himiko whispered getting much closer than was appropriate, making Izuku blush a deep crimson as smoke began to billow from under his collar. Himiko just giggled, and stepped back a little bit, clearly enjoying herself.

As they walked towards the dormitories, Izuku read through the notes he’d made earlier during training on his own progress, and thought about the notebook his father had given him. Something else he’d been reading regularly, though that one was a close kept secret. The agent that had processed him skimmed through it without actually reading it, and just set it in a box with his other personal belongings, which he’d gotten back when they let him go. Along with his father’s jacket, which still hung in his closet.

He hadn’t told anyone about the notebook, or its contents, even making an effort to keep it out of sight when he wasn’t reading from it. Partly because it was another connection to his father he didn’t want to chance losing, but also because his father had known he could perform the Penance Stare. The Ghost Rider’s deadliest attack.

From what he could understand, his father had figured out how to taper it off, using only a fraction of its power, which was the only reason he could think for Endeavor surviving it, as the few other people he’d used it on simply didn’t. Something Izuku tried not to think about.

Thus far, the most useful skill he’d gotten out of it was an improvement on his own chain quirk, as he’d completely forgotten his father often had hooks at the end of his, something that had taken some practice, but now Izuku could mimic. With a matter of willing them into existence, now whenever he wished to use one of his chains, they were tipped with a heavy, nasty looking hook. While they were practical, he’d found holding them in his hand made a bold statement that had even unnerved some of his classmates during combat training.

He stopped as he realized he was standing in front of his dormitory. It was a three story building, with the top floor belonging to the girls, and the second to the boys, and the first containing their kitchen, dining, and television room. It was bigger and fancier than anything Izuku had expected in a high school dormitory. He turned to Himiko, who just looked at him.

“I’ll see you later.” He said, gently trying to pull himself away from her.

“I could come in with you.” She said softly. The offer was far more tempting than he wished it was, but it was strictly against the rules for anyone not in their class to enter another class’s dorm. Something she was well aware of, but Izuku also knew Iida and Yaoyorozu were both sticklers for rules.

“Goodbye, Himiko.” Izuku sighed, and stepped away from her. Away from her warmth, and her comfort, and into what felt like the cold world, even though he was going inside.

Walking into the dorm, he found it was quiet, aside from the television, which had a soccer game going. Sitting in front of it was about a good chunk of his class. No one noticed him as they were too focused on the game.

The moment he opened his the door to his room, a black shade sprinted from the darkness and rubbed at his leg. Izuku smiled as he walked in, Zarathos seemingly doing all he could to trip him up in his determined efforts for attention. As soon as he closed the door, he held out his hands and the black cat hopped right into his arms.

Another comfort, he thought as Zarathos shoved his head under Izuku’s chin and he pet his back in return. The loud purrs immediately soothed any frustration from his quirk down to little more than a simmer. Sitting down on his bed, for just a moment, he didn’t think about anything but the cat as he pet him, and for all the world it felt like nothing mattered. He was just a boy and his pet.

If he could have, he would’ve stayed there, even chosen to be a normal teenager if he could, possibly in school to become a police officer, or paramedic. Something normal, and calm by comparison.

Unfortunately, whether he liked it or not, the real world would come back. He would have to return to his life as a student, fighting his way through hero school, and fighting to keep his own life under control.

——

“Today, you will be learning to deal with a hostage situation.” Aizawa told them as they gathered around at the entrance to Ground Beta, the faux urban area. Standing with him was Snipe, a fellow teacher who was dressed like an American cowboy, and a full face gas mask. “Snipe will be the villain in this scenario. When I call your names, find your teammates.”

Without pausing, Aizawa pulled up his phone, and started listing off names, in groups of four.

Izuku was surprised when he found himself teamed up with almost exclusively the other heavy hitters of his class. Todoroki, Bakugo, and Tokoyami. Normally Aizawa had tried to keep some sort of balance between the teams, but this time, it seemed, he had given them almost no kind of support power. They were all offense.

Once they were organized, Aizawa led the other four teams to the control room, leaving the first team with Snipe, which just so happened to be Izuku’s team.

Snipe addressed them, “Alright, this exercise sounds simple, but is much harder in practice.”

“Whatever, let’s just get this over with.” Bakugo spat impatiently. Snipe didn’t even seem to notice as he continued.

“You will wait here until you hear a buzzer. I’m going to be hole’d up with this here hostage.” He held up a man sized clothe dummy. “Your objective is to get this dummy away from me, intact, and unharmed. If the dummy is injured at any point, you will fail this exercise. Understood?”

“Yes, Mister Snipe.” Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Todoroki all said in unison. Bakugo just grunted.

“Any questions?”

Izuku raised a hand, and when Snipe acknowledged him, he asked, “Sir, we don’t have any sort of support powers, or equipment.”

“Sometimes you have to just work with what you have. You’re not always going to have the ideal partners in the field.” He answered, monotone. “Any more questions?”

When no one spoke up Snipe nodded, turned, and walked into Ground Beta, vanishing around the corner of a building.

“Does anyone have a plan?” Izuku asked, looking at his teammates.

“We go at him, hard and fast.” Bakugo said bluntly, clearly not interested in any arguments.

“That’s too reckless.” Todoroki said, looking at him, “We should at least try some kind of recognizance.”

“I agree.” Tokoyami said.

“You do whatever you want, the moment that buzzer goes off, I’m going in.” Bakugo said.

“We can’t risk the hostage!” Izuku said, feeling frustrated, smoke beginning to billow out from under his collar.

Bakugo glared at him. “Shut up, traitor! You’re not about to tell me what to do.”

“Don’t call him that.” Tokoyami said, clearly not happy with the insult. Izuku looked at him, surprised, as no one had ever stood up to Bakugo for him since they’d started their training.

“Don’t think I won’t burn you bird brain.” Bakugo growled at him.

Just then, the buzzer went off, and before anyone could stop him, Bakugo launched himself forward with a pair of explosions, his hands aim down and back, leaving his classmates in a cloud of smoke.

Izuku felt his flesh beginning to burn away in frustration, his quirk clearly wanting to go after him, and not because it wanted to stop him.

“We need to find the hostage before he does.” Todoroki said, leading the charge then, Tokoyami running after him. Izuku followed, letting his quirk air out a little as his flesh began to burn.

Bakugo had chosen the most blunt path possible, literally hopping around the training grounds, screaming out a challenge as well as insults towards Snipe, like he would sink as low as to come out and face him. Tokoroki, however, clearly having been trained by his father, had taken on the task of squad leader.

Izuku had found him a good one as well, using Dark Shadow to scout the general area by flying high, something that wasn’t easy for him, as it was only partly cloudy, and the sunlight weakened it, while he and Izuku peaked around corners, and through windows, looking for any sign of their target.

It was Tokoyami that had spotted him first, and even then, it had only been because Dark Shadow could see through any darkness without much issue, and reported back.

He was in a five story tall parking garage, in among several cars, and ducking behind a van. Dark Shadow had only gotten a glimpse of him peaking out for a fraction of a second, before he vanished again.

The trio quickly surrounded it, with Dark Shadow pulling Tokoyami up to the top floor, while Izuku took the only entrance and exit. For a moment, Izuku saw Shoto debate internally, clearly about Bakugo, whom was somewhere else, only his occasional explosion audible from where they were.

“Alright, can everyone hear me?” Shoto asked, pressing a finger to his ear.

“Shut up Icyhot!” Bakugo yelled over their radio. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any way of cutting him out of their signal, so they were stuck with him overhearing their planning, which meant they would have to move fast.

“Tokoyami, get on the floor above him. Me and Midoriya will get below, and we’ll slowly close in until we know exactly where he is.”

With that, they moved. Izuku ran alongside Shoto, up a set of stairs, until they were on the floor Snipe had last been seen.

Izuku had powered up, his flesh burning away just before exiting the stairwell.

A bullet slammed into his shin, and he almost stumbled, while Shoto dove for cover. Izuku’s shin hurt, and his quirk was enraged, but he was uninjured. The bullet had only grazed him, but it got the point across.

Snipe had spotted them.

He remained powered up, spending more willpower on keeping his quirk from going on a retaliatory rampage than staying down.

“Snipe!” Shoto shouted, “You don’t have to hurt anyone! Surrender and we’ll-”

Snipe’s answer was a bullet through the window of the car Shoto was hiding behind, grazing the top of his head.

Izuku heard several more shots, along with Tokoyami yelping.

A few seconds passed, before he heard the worst thing he could think of.

A series of explosions, slowly getting closer.

“Midoriya, can you see him?” Shoto asked.

Izuku knew what he was about to do was dangerous, but they needed to work fast. He raised his head, and was immediately met with a bullet, right between his eyes, something that would’ve been fatal for any normal human, but for him, left him flat on his back, and a nasty pain in his head.

And an enraged quirk.

With an audible flare, his quirk tried to assert dominance, sitting up, and nearly rising out of cover again, just in time to see just how badly they could fail the hostage situation training.

Bakugo had arrived, blasting himself through the opening on the side of the building, and racing straight for Snipe’s hiding spot. This had given Izuku not just a good look at the teacher, but also the hostage, which he was holding in a headlock under his other arm.

“I GOT YOU!!!” Bakugo screamed furiously as he rushed him.

Snipe turned his pistol on the hostage, putting the still smoking barrel right against the dummy’s temple, and before Izuku could even hope to stop him, pulled the trigger.

The dummy’s head exploded in a mess of stuffing.